804 research outputs found
One-pot thiol–amine bioconjugation to maleimides: simultaneous stabilisation and dual functionalisation
Maleimide chemistry is widely used in the site-selective modification of proteins. However, hydrolysis of the resultant thiosuccinimides is required to provide robust stability to the bioconjugates. Herein, we present an alternative approach that affords simultaneous stabilisation and dual functionalisation in a one pot fashion. By consecutive conjugation of a thiol and an amine to dibromomaleimides, we show that aminothiomaleimides can be generated extremely efficiently. Furthermore, the amine serves to deactivate the electrophilicity of the maleimide, precluding further reactivity and hence generating stable conjugates. We have applied this conjugation strategy to peptides and proteins to generate stabilised trifunctional conjugates. We propose that this stabilisation-dual modification strategy could have widespread use in the generation of diverse conjugates
A Clinical and Epidemiological Investigation of the First Reported Human Infection With the Zoonotic Parasite Trypanosoma evansi in Southeast Asia
Background. Trypanosoma is a genus of unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. Trypanosoma brucei species and Trypanosoma cruzi are the major agents of human trypanosomiasis; other Trypanosoma species can cause human disease, but are rare. In March 2015, a 38-year-old woman presented to a healthcare facility in southern Vietnam with fever, headache, and arthralgia. Microscopic examination of blood revealed infection with Trypanosoma. Methods. Microscopic observation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of blood samples, and serological testing were performed to identify the infecting species. The patient's blood was screened for the trypanocidal protein apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1), and a field investigation was performed to identify the zoonotic source. Results. PCR amplification and serological testing identified the infecting species as Trypanosoma evansi. Despite relapsing 6 weeks after completing amphotericin B therapy, the patient made a complete recovery after 5 weeks of suramin. The patient was found to have 2 wild-type APOL1 alleles and a normal serum APOL1 concentration. After responsive animal sampling in the presumed location of exposure, cattle and/or buffalo were determined to be the most likely source of the infection, with 14 of 30 (47%) animal blood samples testing PCR positive for T. evansi. Conclusions. We report the first laboratory-confirmed case of T. evansi in a previously healthy individual without APOL1 deficiency, potentially contracted via a wound while butchering raw beef, and successfully treated with suramin. A linked epidemiological investigation revealed widespread and previously unidentified burden of T. evansi in local cattle, highlighting the need for surveillance of this infection in animals and the possibility of further human cases
Large-scale Bright Fronts in the Solar Corona: A Review of "EIT waves"
``EIT waves" are large-scale coronal bright fronts (CBFs) that were first
observed in 195 \AA\ images obtained using the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging
Telescope (EIT) onboard the \emph{Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)}.
Commonly called ``EIT waves", CBFs typically appear as diffuse fronts that
propagate pseudo-radially across the solar disk at velocities of 100--700 km
s with front widths of 50-100 Mm. As their speed is greater than the
quiet coronal sound speed (200 km s) and comparable to the
local Alfv\'{e}n speed (1000 km s), they were initially
interpreted as fast-mode magnetoacoustic waves ().
Their propagation is now known to be modified by regions where the magnetosonic
sound speed varies, such as active regions and coronal holes, but there is also
evidence for stationary CBFs at coronal hole boundaries. The latter has led to
the suggestion that they may be a manifestation of a processes such as Joule
heating or magnetic reconnection, rather than a wave-related phenomena. While
the general morphological and kinematic properties of CBFs and their
association with coronal mass ejections have now been well described, there are
many questions regarding their excitation and propagation. In particular, the
theoretical interpretation of these enigmatic events as magnetohydrodynamic
waves or due to changes in magnetic topology remains the topic of much debate.Comment: 34 pages, 19 figure
On the Nature and Genesis of EUV Waves: A Synthesis of Observations from SOHO, STEREO, SDO, and Hinode
A major, albeit serendipitous, discovery of the SOlar and Heliospheric
Observatory mission was the observation by the Extreme Ultraviolet Telescope
(EIT) of large-scale Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) intensity fronts propagating
over a significant fraction of the Sun's surface. These so-called EIT or EUV
waves are associated with eruptive phenomena and have been studied intensely.
However, their wave nature has been challenged by non-wave (or pseudo-wave)
interpretations and the subject remains under debate. A string of recent solar
missions has provided a wealth of detailed EUV observations of these waves
bringing us closer to resolving their nature. With this review, we gather the
current state-of-art knowledge in the field and synthesize it into a picture of
an EUV wave driven by the lateral expansion of the CME. This picture can
account for both wave and pseudo-wave interpretations of the observations, thus
resolving the controversy over the nature of EUV waves to a large degree but
not completely. We close with a discussion of several remaining open questions
in the field of EUV waves research.Comment: Solar Physics, Special Issue "The Sun in 360",2012, accepted for
publicatio
Melting of tantalum at high pressure determined by angle dispersive x-ray diffraction in a double-sided laser-heated diamond-anvil cell
The high pressure and high temperature phase diagram of Ta has been studied
in a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell (DAC) using x-ray diffraction measurements
up to 52 GPa and 3800 K. The melting was observed at nine different pressures,
being the melting temperature in good agreement with previous laser-heated DAC
experiments, but in contradiction with several theoretical calculations and
previous piston-cylinder apparatus experiments. A small slope for the melting
curve of Ta is estimated (dTm/dP = 24 K/GPa at 1 bar) and a possible
explanation for this behaviour is given. Finally, a P-V-T equation of states is
obtained, being the temperature dependence of the thermal expansion coefficient
and the bulk modulus estimated.Comment: 31 pages, 8 figures, to appear in J.Phys.:Cond.Matte
An NLO QCD analysis of inclusive cross-section and jet-production data from the ZEUS experiment
The ZEUS inclusive differential cross-section data from HERA, for charged and
neutral current processes taken with e+ and e- beams, together with
differential cross-section data on inclusive jet production in e+ p scattering
and dijet production in \gamma p scattering, have been used in a new NLO QCD
analysis to extract the parton distribution functions of the proton. The input
of jet data constrains the gluon and allows an accurate extraction of
\alpha_s(M_Z) at NLO;
\alpha_s(M_Z) = 0.1183 \pm 0.0028(exp.) \pm 0.0008(model)
An additional uncertainty from the choice of scales is estimated as \pm
0.005. This is the first extraction of \alpha_s(M_Z) from HERA data alone.Comment: 37 pages, 14 figures, to be submitted to EPJC. PDFs available at
http://durpdg.dur.ac.uk/hepdata in LHAPDFv
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