Association of p60c-src with endosomal membranes in mammalian fibroblasts.

We have examined the subcellular localization of p60c-src in mammalian fibroblasts. Analysis of indirect immunofluorescence by three-dimensional optical sectioning microscopy revealed a granular cytoplasmic staining that co-localized with the microtubule organizing center. Immunofluorescence experiments with antibodies against a number of membrane markers demonstrated a striking co-localization between p60c-src and the cation-dependent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR), a marker that identifies endosomes. Both p60c-src and the CI-MPR were found to cluster at the spindle poles throughout mitosis. In addition, treatment of interphase and mitotic cells with brefeldin A resulted in a clustering of p60c-src and CI-MPR at a peri-centriolar position. Biochemical fractionation of cellular membranes showed that a major proportion of p60c-src co-enriched with endocytic membranes. Treatment of membranes containing HRP to alter their apparent density also altered the density of p60c-src-containing membranes. Similar density shift experiments with total cellular membranes revealed that the majority of membrane-associated p60c-src in the cell is associated with endosomes, while very little is associated with plasma membranes. These results support a role for p60c-src in the regulation of endosomal membranes and protein trafficking

Native Defects and Their Doping Response in the Lithium Solid Electrolyte Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂

The Li-stuffed garnets LixM2M3′O12 are promising Li-ion solid electrolytes with potential use in solid-state batteries. One strategy for optimizing ionic conductivities in these materials is to tune lithium stoichiometries through aliovalent doping, which is often assumed to produce proportionate numbers of charge-compensating Li vacancies. The native defect chemistry of the Li-stuffed garnets and their response to doping, however, are not well understood, and it is unknown to what degree a simple vacancy-compensation model is valid. Here, we report hybrid density functional theory calculations of a broad range of native defects in the prototypical Li garnet Li7La3Zr2O12. We calculate equilibrium defect concentrations as a function of synthesis conditions and model the response of these defect populations to extrinsic doping. We predict a rich defect chemistry that includes Li and O vacancies and interstitials, and significant numbers of cation-antisite defects. Under reducing conditions, O vacancies act as color centers by trapping electrons. We find that supervalent (donor) doping does not produce charge compensating Li vacancies under all synthesis conditions; under Li-rich/Zr-poor conditions the dominant compensating defects are LiZr antisites, and Li stoichiometries strongly deviate from those predicted by simple “vacancy compensation” models

The suitability of visual taphonomic methods for digital photographs: An experimental approach with pig carcasses in a tropical climate

In the context of increased scrutiny of the methods in forensic sciences, it is essential to ensure that the approaches used in forensic taphonomy to measure decomposition and estimate the postmortem interval are underpinned by robust evidence-based data. Digital photographs are an important source of documentation in forensic taphonomic investigations but the suitability of the current approaches for photographs, rather than real-time remains, is poorly studied which can undermine accurate forensic conclusions. The present study aimed to investigate the suitability of 2D colour digital photographs for evaluating decomposition of exposed human analogues (Sus scrofa domesticus) in a tropical savanna environment (Hawaii), using two published scoring methods; Megyesi et al., 2005 and Keough et al., 2017. It was found that there were significant differences between the real-time and photograph decomposition scores when the Megyesi et al. method was used. However, the Keough et al. method applied to photographs reflected real-time decomposition more closely and thus appears more suitable to evaluate pig decomposition from 2D photographs. The findings indicate that the type of scoring method used has a significant impact on the ability to accurately evaluate the decomposition of exposed pig carcasses from photographs. It was further identified that photographic taphonomic analysis can reach high inter-observer reproducibility. These novel findings are of significant importance for the forensic sciences as they highlight the potential for high quality photograph coverage to provide useful complementary information for the forensic taphonomic investigation. New recommendations to develop robust transparent approaches adapted to photographs in forensic taphonomy are suggested based on these findings

Low electronic conductivity of Li7La3Zr2 O12 solid electrolytes from first principles

Lithium-rich garnets such as Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) are promising solid electrolytes with potential application in all-solid-state batteries that use lithium-metal anodes. The practical use of garnet electrolytes is limited by pervasive lithium-dendrite growth, which leads to short-circuiting and cell failure. One proposed mechanism of lithium-dendrite growth is the direct reduction of lithium ions to lithium metal within the electrolyte, and lithium garnets have been suggested to be particularly susceptible to this dendrite-growth mechanism due to high electronic conductivities relative to other solid electrolytes. The electronic conductivities of LLZO and other lithium-garnet solid electrolytes, however, are not yet well characterized. Here, we present a general scheme for calculating the intrinsic electronic conductivity of a nominally insulating material under variable synthesis conditions from first principles, and apply this to the prototypical lithium-garnet LLZO. Our model predicts that under typical battery operating conditions, electron and hole mobilities are low (<1cm2V-1s-1), and bulk electron and hole carrier concentrations are negligible, irrespective of initial synthesis conditions or dopant levels. These results suggest that the bulk electronic conductivity of LLZO is not sufficiently high to cause bulk lithium-dendrite growth during cell operation, and that any non-negligible electronic conductivity in lithium garnet samples is likely due to extended defects or surface contributions

Chemical Trends in the Lattice Thermal Conductivity of Li(Ni, Mn, Co)O₂ (NMC) Battery Cathodes

While the transport of ions and electrons in conventional Li-ion battery cathode materials is well understood, our knowledge of the phonon (heat) transport is still in its infancy. We present a first-principles theoretical investigation of the chemical trends in the phonon frequency dispersion, mode lifetimes, and thermal conductivity in the series of layered lithium transition-metal oxides Li(NixMnyCoz)O2 (x + y + z = 1). The oxidation and spin states of the transition metal cations are found to strongly influence the structural dynamics. Calculations of the thermal conductivity show that LiCoO2 has highest average conductivity of 45.9 W·m–1·K–1 at T = 300 K and the largest anisotropy, followed by LiMnO2 with 8.9 W·m–1·K–1 and LiNiO2 with 6.0 W·m–1·K–1. The much lower thermal conductivity of LiMnO2 and LiNiO2 is found to be due to 1–2 orders of magnitude shorter phonon lifetimes. We further model the properties of binary and ternary transition metal combinations to examine the possible effects of mixing on the thermal transport. These results serve as a guide to ongoing work on the design of multicomponent battery electrodes with more effective thermal management

Mitotic exit in mammalian cells

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Creation of derivativeworks is permitted but the resultingworkmay be distributed only under the same or similar licence to this one. This licence does not permit commercial exploitation without specific permission. © 2009 EMBO and Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved

Dynamical modeling of syncytial mitotic cycles in Drosophila embryos

Immediately following fertilization, the fruit fly embryo undergoes 13 rapid, synchronous, syncytial nuclear division cycles driven by maternal genes and proteins. During these mitotic cycles, there are barely detectable oscillations in the total level of B-type cyclins. In this paper, we propose a dynamical model for the molecular events underlying these early nuclear division cycles in Drosophila. The model distinguishes nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments of the embryo and permits exploration of a variety of rules for protein transport between the compartments. Numerical simulations reproduce the main features of wild-type mitotic cycles: patterns of protein accumulation and degradation, lengthening of later cycles, and arrest in interphase 14. The model is consistent with mutations that introduce subtle changes in the number of mitotic cycles before interphase arrest. Bifurcation analysis of the differential equations reveals the dependence of mitotic oscillations on cycle number, and how this dependence is altered by mutations. The model can be used to predict the phenotypes of novel mutations and effective ranges of the unmeasured rate constants and transport coefficients in the proposed mechanism

Calibration and Testing of the Deformable Mirror Demonstration Mission (DeMi) CubeSat Payload

The Deformable Mirror Demonstration Mission (DeMi) is a 6U CubeSat that will operate and characterize the on-orbit performance of a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) deformable mirror (DM) with both an image plane and a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWFS). Coronagraphs on future space telescopes will require precise wavefront control to detect and characterize Earth-like exoplanets. High-actuator count MEMS deformable mirrors can provide wavefront control with low size, weight, and power. The DeMi payload will characterize the on-orbit performance of a 140 actuator MEMS DM with 5.5 _m maximum stroke, with a goal of measuring individual actuator wavefront displacement contributions to a precision of 12 nm. The payload will be able to measure low order aberrations to l/10 accuracy and l/50 precision, and will correct static and dynamic wavefront phase errors to less than 100 nm RMS. The DeMi team developed miniaturized DM driver boards to fit within the CubeSat form factor, and two cross-strapped Raspberry Pi 3 boards are used as payload computers. We present an overview of the payload design, the assembly, integration and test progress, and the miniaturized DM driver characterization process. Launch is planned for late 2019

Protein sequestration generates a flexible ultrasensitive response in a genetic network

Ultrasensitive responses are crucial for cellular regulation. Protein sequestration, where an active protein is bound in an inactive complex by an inhibitor, can potentially generate ultrasensitivity. Here, in a synthetic genetic circuit in budding yeast, we show that sequestration of a basic leucine zipper transcription factor by a dominant-negative inhibitor converts a graded transcriptional response into a sharply ultrasensitive response, with apparent Hill coefficients up to 12. A simple quantitative model for this genetic network shows that both the threshold and the degree of ultrasensitivity depend upon the abundance of the inhibitor, exactly as we observed experimentally. The abundance of the inhibitor can be altered by simple mutation; thus, ultrasensitive responses mediated by protein sequestration are easily tuneable. Gene duplication of regulatory homodimers and loss-of-function mutations can create dominant negatives that sequester and inactivate the original regulator. The generation of flexible ultrasensitive responses is an unappreciated adaptive advantage that could explain the frequent evolutionary emergence of dominant negatives

Are lay people good at recognising the symptoms of schizophrenia?

©2013 Erritty, Wydell. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the general public’s perception of schizophrenia symptoms and the need to seekhelp for symptoms. The recognition (or ‘labelling’) of schizophrenia symptoms, help-seeking behaviours and public awareness of schizophrenia have been suggested as potentially important factors relating to untreated psychosis. Method: Participants were asked to rate to what extent they believe vignettes describing classic symptoms (positive and negative) of schizophrenia indicate mental illness. They were also asked if the individuals depicted in the vignettes required help or treatment and asked to suggest what kind of help or treatment. Results: Only three positive symptoms (i.e., Hallucinatory behaviour, Unusual thought content and Suspiciousness) of schizophrenia were reasonably well perceived (above 70%) as indicating mental illness more than the other positive or negative symptoms. Even when the participants recognised that the symptoms indicated mental illness, not everyone recommended professional help. Conclusion: There may be a need to improve public awareness of schizophrenia and psychosis symptoms, particularly regarding an awareness of the importance of early intervention for psychosis