Mechano-chemical manipulation of Sn chains on Si(1 0 0) by NC-AFM

We investigate the atomic structure of Sn dimer chains grown on the Si(1 0 0) surface using non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) at cryogenic temperatures. We find that similar to the native Si(1 0 0) dimer structure, the ground state of the Sn dimer structure is buckled at low temperature. At 5 K we show that the buckling state of the Sn dimers may be controllably, and reversibly, manipulated with atomic precision by close approach of the tip, without modification of the underlying substrate buckling structure. At intermediate cryogenic temperatures we observe changes in the configuration of the dimer chains in the region where the tip-sample interaction is very weak, suggesting that the energy barrier to transit between configurations is sufficiently small to be surmounted at 78 K

Biologie de reproduction chez Thaumatococcus Daniellii (benn.) Benth. et hook. (marantaceae) en Côte D’ivoire

Le processus de reproduction de Thaumatococcus daniellii a été étudié en vue d'une domestication à but économique. Ainsi, l'identification des animaux contribuant à la pollinisation a été réalisée à partir d'observations effectuées dans un dispositif expérimental réglementant l'accès différentiel des animaux aux parcelles. Une pollinisation manuelle suivie de l'analyse des fruits, par rapport à la teneur engraines, ont été effectuées. Les résultats ont révélé l'intervention d'agents extérieurs dans le processus de pollinisation, impliquant un phénomène d'allogamie chez cette plante. Ces agents extérieurs qui agissent en synergie sont Nectarinia olivacea (oiseau) et Aphis sp. (puceron). La prépondérance des fruits contenant une graine,l'échec élevé de l'autopollinisation et la prédominance d'une l'allopollinisation traduisent une incompatibilité génétique dans la régulation de la pollinisation des fleurs chez cette plante

Attitude toward protest uniquely predicts (normative and nonnormative) political action by (advantaged and disadvantaged) group members

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available on open access via the DOI in this recordOpen Practices: All data and materials for Studies 1-5 have been made publicly available via Open Science Framework and can be accessed at https://osf.io/emk5j. The plan for Study 4 was preregistered at Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/emk5j). This article has received badges for Open Data, Open Materials, and Preregistration. More information about the Open Practices badges can be found at https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki/home/.We find evidence that explicit (but not implicit) measures of general attitude towards protest uniquely predict normative and nonnormative political action tendencies, and behavior, over and above extant models of political action. Protest attitude uniquely predicts both the political action tendencies of members of disadvantaged groups and willingness to engage in solidarity-based action on behalf of such groups. Furthermore, we find some evidence that protest attitude is able to account for the effects of mobilization messages over a political issue; these messages increase political action tendencies by making attitude towards protest more positive. The results indicate that overall attitude toward protest reflects a wide array of affective, cognitive, and behavioral factors associated with protest that more specific, established predictors of collective political action do not tap. As such, general protest attitude offers an important addition to extant models of collective political action and efforts to examine the psychological processes underpinning political cognition and action.Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC

Four selenoprotein P genes exist in salmonids : Analysis of their origin and expression following Se supplementation and bacterial infection

Acknowledgements: This research was funded by Alltech. We thank Dr. Jun Zou (Shanghai Ocean University) for the provision of the recombinant proteins and PAMPS used in this study. Data Availability: All cloned sequences as reported in this study were submitted to the GenBank database at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/ (accession number(s) MH085053-MH085057). Funding: M.A.N.P. received funding of his PhD studies by Alltech (https://www.alltech.com/) under the grant code rg13398-10. The research yielded this manuscript. The authors can confirm the funder provided support in the form of a studentship for author M.A.N.P. and salaries for JS but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Imaging and manipulation of adsorbed Pb adatom structures on the Si(100) surface by noncontact atomic force microscopy

We performed imaging and manipulation of epitaxially grown Pb adatom structures on the Si(100) surface by noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) in ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) and at cryogenic temperatures. We observe several distinct contrast modes during imaging, which we assign to termination of the scanning probe tip by either a single Si, or single Pb, atom, via quantitative comparison of atomic resolution force spectroscopy experiments with ab initio density functional theory (DFT) simulations. We show that the Pb adatom structures can be controllably manipulated via mechanochemical means and identify a novel semideterministic manipulation strategy that arises from the combination of low temperature operation and the asymmetric diffusion barriers present on the Si(100) surface

Flagships and tumbleweed: A history of the politics of gender justice work in Oxfam GB 1986–2015

This article contributes to scholarship on the political nature of feminists’ work in international development NGOs. The case study of Oxfam GB (OGB) is contemporary history, based on compiling a brief history of gender justice work between 1986 and 2014 and 18 months of part-time participant-observation fieldwork during 2014–15. I describe funding pressures and imperatives, contestations of meaning and power struggles within OGB and argue that gender justice becomes entangled in both internal and the external politics of international development. This is part of a wider research programme about how ideas on gender equality norms travel between and around development organizations, so I finally draw conclusions about how norms are contested and embodied. The shapeshifting political nature of feminist work challenges prevailing theories about how norms and ideas travel and take hold within organizations

Coagulation profiles are associated with early clinical outcomes in neonatal encephalopathy

Introduction: Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is associated with coagulation abnormalities. We aimed to investigate the serial alterations in coagulation profiles in term infants with NE and correlate with their clinical outcomes. This was a prospective cohort study in a tertiary referral, university-affiliated maternity hospital. Neonates exposed to perinatal asphyxia were recruited (n = 82) and 39 received therapeutic hypothermia. Infants had serial coagulation tests including platelets, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and fibrinogen in the first week of life. The main outcome measures included MRI brain and EEG seizures. Our results show that mortality was predicted on day 1 by decreased Fibrinogen (AUC = 0.95, p = 0.009) and by PT on day 2 with a cutoff of 22 s. An abnormal MRI was predicted by Fibrinogen on day 3 with a cut-off value of 2 g/L. For prediction of grade II/III NE, PT on day 2 of life was strongest with a cut-off value of 14 s. Only elevated APTT levels on day 1 of life were predictive of seizures (AUC = 0.65, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Coagulation parameters are strong predictors of outcomes such as abnormal NE grade, seizures, and mortality

Inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate 2-kinase is a distant IPK member with a singular inositide binding site for axial 2-OH recognition

Inositol phosphates (InsPs) are signaling molecules with multiple roles in cells. In particular Graphic (InsP6) is involved in mRNA export and editing or chromatin remodeling among other events. InsP6 accumulates as mixed salts (phytate) in storage tissues of plants and plays a key role in their physiology. Human diets that are exclusively grain-based provide an excess of InsP6 that, through chelation of metal ions, may have a detrimental effect on human health. Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5 2-kinase (InsP5 2-kinase or Ipk1) catalyses the synthesis of InsP6 from InsP5 and ATP, and is the only enzyme that transfers a phosphate group to the axial 2-OH of the myo-inositide. We present the first structure for an InsP5 2-kinase in complex with both substrates and products. This enzyme presents a singular structural region for inositide binding that encompasses almost half of the protein. The key residues in substrate binding are identified, with Asp368 being responsible for recognition of the axial 2-OH. This study sheds light on the unique molecular mechanism for the synthesis of the precursor of inositol pyrophosphates

SALL4 Expression in Gonocytes and Spermatogonial Clones of Postnatal Mouse Testes

The spermatogenic lineage is established after birth when gonocytes migrate to the basement membrane of seminiferous tubules and give rise to spermatogonial stem cells (SSC). In adults, SSCs reside within the population of undifferentiated spermatogonia (Aundiff) that expands clonally from single cells (Asingle) to form pairs (Apaired) and chains of 4, 8 and 16 Aaligned spermatogonia. Although stem cell activity is thought to reside in the population of Asingle spermatogonia, new research suggests that clone size alone does not define the stem cell pool. The mechanisms that regulate self-renewal and differentiation fate decisions are poorly understood due to limited availability of experimental tools that distinguish the products of those fate decisions. The pluripotency factor SALL4 (sal-like protein 4) is implicated in stem cell maintenance and patterning in many organs during embryonic development, but expression becomes restricted to the gonads after birth. We analyzed the expression of SALL4 in the mouse testis during the first weeks after birth and in adult seminiferous tubules. In newborn mice, the isoform SALL4B is expressed in quiescent gonocytes at postnatal day 0 (PND0) and SALL4A is upregulated at PND7 when gonocytes have colonized the basement membrane and given rise to spermatogonia. During steady-state spermatogenesis in adult testes, SALL4 expression overlapped substantially with PLZF and LIN28 in Asingle, Apaired and Aaligned spermatogonia and therefore appears to be a marker of undifferentiated spermatogonia in mice. In contrast, co-expression of SALL4 with GFRα1 and cKIT identified distinct subpopulations of Aundiff in all clone sizes that might provide clues about SSC regulation. Collectively, these results indicate that 1) SALL4 isoforms are differentially expressed at the initiation of spermatogenesis, 2) SALL4 is expressed in undifferentiated spermatogonia in adult testes and 3) SALL4 co-staining with GFRα1 and cKIT reveals distinct subpopulations of Aundiff spermatogonia that merit further investigation. © 2013 Gassei, Orwig