The crystal structure of the three-iron ferredoxin II from Desulfovibrio gigas

AbstractThe crystal structure of oxidized ferredoxin II from the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio gigas has been determined and refined at 1.7 Å resolution. The folding of the polypeptide chain is similar to that of the 2[4Fe-4S] ferredoxin in Peptococcus aerogenes, except for an extended helical segment near the C-terminus. The single [3Fe-4S] cluster in D. gigas is similar to a [4Fe-4S] cluster, but lacks one Fe atom and is coordinated to Cys-8, -14 and -50. The side chain of Cys-11 is not bound to the cluster, but is rotated toward the solvent and modified by some, as yet undetermined, chemical group. Cys-18 and Cys-42 form a disulfide bridge. A previously undetected extra amino acid is found after residue 55

Deterministically Driven Avalanche Models of Solar Flares

We develop and discuss the properties of a new class of lattice-based avalanche models of solar flares. These models are readily amenable to a relatively unambiguous physical interpretation in terms of slow twisting of a coronal loop. They share similarities with other avalanche models, such as the classical stick--slip self-organized critical model of earthquakes, in that they are driven globally by a fully deterministic energy loading process. The model design leads to a systematic deficit of small scale avalanches. In some portions of model space, mid-size and large avalanching behavior is scale-free, being characterized by event size distributions that have the form of power-laws with index values, which, in some parameter regimes, compare favorably to those inferred from solar EUV and X-ray flare data. For models using conservative or near-conservative redistribution rules, a population of large, quasiperiodic avalanches can also appear. Although without direct counterparts in the observational global statistics of flare energy release, this latter behavior may be relevant to recurrent flaring in individual coronal loops. This class of models could provide a basis for the prediction of large solar flares.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Solar Physic

Phonon and plasmon excitation in inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of graphite

The inelastic electron tunneling spectrum (IETS)of highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG) has been measured with scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) at 6K. The observed spectral features are in very good agreement with the vibrational density of states (vDOS) of graphite calculated from first principles. We discuss the enhancement of certain phonon modes by phonon-assisted tunneling in STS based on the restrictions imposed by the electronic structure of graphite. We also demonstrate for the first time the local excitation of surface-plasmons in IETS which are detected at an energy of 40 meV.Comment: PRB rapid communication, submitte

The Middle Way: East Asian masters students’ perceptions of critical argumentation in U.K. universities.

The paper explores the learning experiences of East Asian masters students in dealing with Western academic norms of critical thinking in classroom debate and assignment writing. The research takes a cultural approach, and employs grounded theory and case study methodology, the aims being for students to explain their perceptions of their personal learning journeys. The data suggest that the majority of students interviewed rejected full academic acculturation into Western norms of argumentation. They instead opted for a ‘Middle Way’ that synergizes the traditional cultural academic values held by many East Asian students with those elements of Western academic norms that are perceived to be aligned with these. This is a relatively new area of research which represents a challenge for British lecturers and students

Search for the Rare Decay KL --> pi0 ee

The KTeV/E799 experiment at Fermilab has searched for the rare kaon decay KL--> pi0ee. This mode is expected to have a significant CP violating component. The measurement of its branching ratio could support the Standard Model or could indicate the existence of new physics. This letter reports new results from the 1999-2000 data set. One event is observed with an expected background at 0.99 +/- 0.35 events. We set a limit on the branching ratio of 3.5 x 10^(-10) at the 90% confidence level. Combining the results with the dataset taken in 1997 yields the final KTeV result: BR(KL --> pi0 ee) < 2.8 x 10^(-10) at 90% CL.Comment: 4 pages, three figure

Longitudinal association of biomarkers of pesticide exposure with cardiovascular disease risk factors in youth with diabetes

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among individuals with diabetes, but little is known about the role of exposures to environmental chemicals such as pesticides in the early development of CVD risk in this population. Objectives: To describe changes over time in concentrations of pesticide biomarkers among youth with diabetes in the United States and to estimate the longitudinal association between these concentrations and established risk factors for CVD. Methods: Pesticide biomarkers were quantified in urine and serum samples from 87 youth with diabetes participating in the multi-center SEARCH cohort study. Samples were obtained around the time of diagnosis (baseline visit, between 2006 and 2010) and, on average, 5.4 years later (follow-up visit, between 2012 and 2015). We calculated geometric mean (95% CI) pesticide biomarker concentrations. Eight CVD risk factors were measured at these two time points: body mass index (BMI) z-score, HbA1c, insulin sensitivity, fasting C-peptide (FCP), LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between each pesticide biomarker at baseline and each CVD risk factor at follow-up, adjusting for baseline health outcome, elapsed time between baseline and follow up, sex, age, race/ethnicity, and diabetes type. Results: Participants were, on average, 14.2 years old at their baseline visit, and most were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (57.5%). 4-nitrophenol, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol, 2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethene, and hexachlorobenzene were detected in a majority of participants at both time points. Participants in the highest quartile of 2,4-D and 4-nitrophenol at baseline had HbA1c levels at follow-up that were 1.05 percentage points (95% CI: −0.40, 2.51) and 1.27 percentage points (0.22, 2.75) higher, respectively, than participants in the lowest quartile of these pesticide biomarkers at baseline. These participants also had lower log FCP levels (indicating reduced beta-cell function) compared to participants in the lowest quartile at baseline: beta (95% CI) for log FCP of −0.64 (−1.17, −0.11) for 2,4-D and −0.39 (−0.96, 0.18) for 4-nitrophenol. In other words, participants in the highest quartile of 2,4-D had a 47.3% lower FCP level compared to participants in the lowest quartile, and those in the highest quartile of 4-nitrophenol had a 32.3% lower FCP level than those in the lowest quartile. Participants with trans-nonachlor concentrations in the highest quartile at baseline had HbA1c levels that were 1.45 percentage points (−0.11, 3.01) higher and log FCP levels that were −0.28 (−0.84, 0.28) lower than participants in the lowest quartile at baseline, that is to say, participants in the highest quartile of trans-nonachlor had a 24.4% lower FCP level than those in the lowest quartile. While not all of these results were statistically significant, potentially due to the small same size, clinically, there appears to be quantitative differences. No associations were observed between any pesticide biomarker at baseline with BMI z-score or insulin sensitivity at follow-up. Conclusions: Exposure to select pesticides may be associated with impaired beta-cell function and poorer glycemic control among youth with diabetes

Proteins of nucleotide and base excision repair pathways interact in mitochondria to protect from loss of subcutaneous fat, a hallmark of aging

Defects in the DNA repair mechanism nucleotide excision repair (NER) may lead to tumors in xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) or to premature aging with loss of subcutaneous fat in Cockayne syndrome (CS). Mutations of mitochondrial (mt)DNA play a role in aging, but a link between the NER-associated CS proteins and base excision repair (BER)-associated proteins in mitochondrial aging remains enigmatic. We show functional increase of CSA and CSB inside mt and complex formation with mtDNA, mt human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase (mtOGG)-1, and mt single-stranded DNA binding protein (mtSSBP)-1 upon oxidative stress. MtDNA mutations are highly increased in cells from CS patients and in subcutaneous fat of aged Csbm/m and Csa−/− mice. Thus, the NER-proteins CSA and CSB localize to mt and directly interact with BER-associated human mitochondrial 8-oxoguanine glycosylase-1 to protect from aging- and stress-induced mtDNA mutations and apoptosis-mediated loss of subcutaneous fat, a hallmark of aging found in animal models, human progeroid syndromes like CS and in normal human aging

Measurements Of The Decay Kl → E+e-μ+μ-

Several 132 KL → e+e- μ+ μ- events were observed from the 1997 and 1999 runs of the KTeV experiments, with an estimated background of 0.8 events. In the first measurement of the parameter α using this decay mode, it was found that α=-1.59±0.37. No evidence was found for CP-violating contributions to the KLγ*γ* interaction.9014141801/1141801/5Wolfenstein, L., (1983) Phys. Rev. Lett., 51, p. 1945Belanger, G., Geng, C.Q., (1991) Phys. Rev. D, 43, p. 140Buras, A.J., Fleischer, R., (1998) Advanced Ser. Direct. High Energy Phys., 15, p. 65Uy, Z.E.S., (1991) Phys. Rev. D, 43, p. 802D'Ambrosio, G., Isidori, G., Portolès, J., (1998) Phys. Lett. B, 423, p. 385Alavi-Harati, A., (2001) Phys. Rev. Lett., 87, p. 71801. , KTeV CollaborationAlavi-Harati, A., (2001) Phys. Rev. Lett., 86, p. 5425. , KTeV CollaborationUy, Z.E.S., (2002) Eur. Phys. J. C, 23, p. 113Alavi-Harati, A., (2001) Phys. Rev. Lett., 87, p. 111802. , KTeV CollaborationHamm, J.C., (2002), Ph.D. thesis, The University of Arizona(Fermilab Report No. fERMILAB-THESIS-2002-09)Alavi-Harati, A., (1999) Phys. Rev. Lett., 83, p. 922. , KTeV CollaborationAlavi-Harati, A., (2000) Phys. Rev. D, 61, p. 072006. , KTeV CollaborationBrown, C., (1996) Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. A, 369, p. 248Quinn, G.B., (2000), Ph.D. thesis, The University of ChicagoBarker, A.R., Huang, H., Toale, P.A., Engle, J., hep-ph/0210174Bergström, L., Massó, E., Singer, P., (1983) Phys. Lett., 131 B, p. 229Fanti, V., (1999) Phys. Lett. B, 458, p. 553. , NA48 Collaboratio

25 Years of Self-organized Criticality: Concepts and Controversies

Introduced by the late Per Bak and his colleagues, self-organized criticality (SOC) has been one of the most stimulating concepts to come out of statistical mechanics and condensed matter theory in the last few decades, and has played a significant role in the development of complexity science. SOC, and more generally fractals and power laws, have attracted much comment, ranging from the very positive to the polemical. The other papers (Aschwanden et al. in Space Sci. Rev., 2014, this issue; McAteer et al. in Space Sci. Rev., 2015, this issue; Sharma et al. in Space Sci. Rev. 2015, in preparation) in this special issue showcase the considerable body of observations in solar, magnetospheric and fusion plasma inspired by the SOC idea, and expose the fertile role the new paradigm has played in approaches to modeling and understanding multiscale plasma instabilities. This very broad impact, and the necessary process of adapting a scientific hypothesis to the conditions of a given physical system, has meant that SOC as studied in these fields has sometimes differed significantly from the definition originally given by its creators. In Bak’s own field of theoretical physics there are significant observational and theoretical open questions, even 25 years on (Pruessner 2012). One aim of the present review is to address the dichotomy between the great reception SOC has received in some areas, and its shortcomings, as they became manifest in the controversies it triggered. Our article tries to clear up what we think are misunderstandings of SOC in fields more remote from its origins in statistical mechanics, condensed matter and dynamical systems by revisiting Bak, Tang and Wiesenfeld’s original papers