Retrobiosynthetic Approach Delineates the Biosynthetic Pathway and the Structure of the Acyl Chain of Mycobacterial Glycopeptidolipids

Glycopeptidolipids (GPLs) are dominant cell surface molecules present in several non-tuberculous and opportunistic mycobacterial species. GPLs from Mycobacterium smegmatis are composed of a lipopeptide core unit consisting of a modified C-26-C-34 fatty acyl chain that is linked to a tetrapeptide (Phe-Thr-Ala-alaninol). The hydroxyl groups of threonine and terminal alaninol are further modified by glycosylations. Although chemical structures have been reported for 16 GPLs from diverse mycobacteria, there is still ambiguity in identifying the exact position of the hydroxyl group on the fatty acyl chain. Moreover, the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the fatty acyl component are unknown. In this study we show that a bimodular polyketide synthase in conjunction with a fatty acyl-AMP ligase dictates the synthesis of fatty acyl chain of GPL. Based on genetic, biochemical, and structural investigations, we determine that the hydroxyl group is present at the C-5 position of the fatty acyl component. Our retrobiosynthetic approach has provided a means to understand the biosynthesis of GPLs and also resolve the long-standing debate on the accurate structure of mycobacterial GPLs.

A LOWER INITIAL ABUNDANCE OF SHORT-LIVED Ca-41 IN THE EARLY SOLAR SYSTEM AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR SOLAR SYSTEM FORMATION

The short-lived radionuclide Ca-41 plays an important role in constraining the immediate astrophysical environment and the formation timescale of the nascent solar system due to its extremely short half-life (0.1 Myr). Nearly 20 years ago, the initial ratio of Ca-41/Ca-40 in the solar system was determined to be (1.41 +/- 0.14) x 10(-8), primarily based on two Ca-Al-rich Inclusions (CAIs) from the CV chondrite Efremovka. With an advanced analytical technique for isotopic measurements, we reanalyzed the potassium isotopic compositions of the two Efremovka CAIs and inferred the initial ratios of Ca-41/Ca-40 to be (2.6 +/- 0.9) x 10(-9) and (1.4 +/- 0.6) x 10(-9) (2 sigma), a factor of 7-10 lower than the previously inferred value. Considering possible thermal processing that led to lower Al-26/Al-27 ratios in the two CAIs, we propose that the true solar system initial value of Ca-41/Ca-40 should have been similar to 4.2 x 10(-9). Synchronicity could have existed between Al-26 and Ca-41, indicating a uniform distribution of the two radionuclides at the time of CAI formation. The new initial Ca-41 abundance is 4-16 times lower than the calculated value for steady-state galactic nucleosynthesis. Therefore, Ca-41 could have originated as part of molecular cloud materials with a free decay time of 0.2-0.4 Myr. Alternative possibilities, such as a last-minute input from a stellar source and early solar system irradiation, could not be definitively ruled out. This underscores the need for more data from diverse CAIs to determine the true astrophysical origin of Ca-41.

High precision Mg isotope measurements of meteoritic samples by secondary ion mass spectrometry

The possibility of establishing an accurate relative chronology of the early solar system events based on the decay of short-lived Al-26 to Mg-26 (half-life of 0.72 Myr) depends on the level of homogeneity (or heterogeneity) of Al-26 and Mg isotopes. However, this level is difficult. to constrain precisely because of the very high precision needed for the determination of isotopic ratios, typically of +/- 5 ppm. In this study, we report for the first time a detailed analytical protocol developed for high precision in situ Mg isotopic measurements ((25)mg/(24)mg and (26)mg/Mg-24 ratios, as well as Mg-26 excess) by MC-SIMS. As the data reduction process is critical for both accuracy and precision of the final isotopic results, factors such as the Faraday cup (FC) background drift and matrix effects on instrumental fractionation have been investigated. Indeed these instrumental effects impacting the measured Mg-isotope ratios can be as large or larger than the variations we are looking for to constrain the initial distribution of Al-26 and Mg isotopes in the early solar system. Our results show that they definitely are limiting factors regarding the precision of Mg isotopic compositions, and that an under- or over-correction of both FC background instabilities and instrumental isotopic fractionation leads to important bias on delta Mg-25, delta(26)mg and Delta Mg-26 values (for example, olivines not corrected for FC background drifts display Delta Mg-26 values that can differ by as much as 10 ppm from the truly corrected value). The new data reduction process described here can then be applied to meteoritic samples (components of chondritic meteorites for instance) to accurately establish their relative chronology of formation.

Constraints on Be-10 and Ca-41 distribution in the early solar system from Al-26 and Be-10 studies of Efremovka CAIs

Three refractory coarse grained CAIs from the Efremovka CV3 chondrite, one (E65) previously shown to have formed with live Ca-41, were studied by ion microprobe for their Al-26-Mg-26 and Be-10-B-10 systematic in order to better understand the origin of Be-10. The high precision Al-Mg data and the inferred Al-26/Al-27 values attest that the precursors of the three CAIs evolved in the solar nebula over a period of few hundred thousand years before last melting-crystallization events. The initial Be-10/Be-9 ratios and delta B-10 values defined by the Be-10 isochrons for the three Efremovka CAIs are similar within errors. The CAI Be-10 abundance in published data underscores the large range for initial Be-10/Be-9 ratios. This is contrary to the relatively small range of Al-26/Al-27 variations in CAIs around the canonical ratio. Two models that could explain the origin of this large Be-10/Be-9 range are assessed from the collateral variations predicted for the initial delta B-10 values: (i) closed system decay of Be-10 from a ``canonical'' Be-10/Be-9 ratio and (ii) formation of CAIs from a mixture of solid precursors and nebula gas irradiated during up to a few hundred thousand years. The second scenario is shown to be the most consistent with the data. This shows that the major fraction of Be-10 in CAIs was produced by irradiation of refractory grains, while contributions of galactic cosmic rays trapping and early solar wind irradiation are less dominant. The case for Be-10 production by solar cosmic rays irradiation of solid refractory precursors poses a conundrum for Ca-41 because the latter is easily produced by irradiation and should be more abundant than what is observed in CAIs. Be-10 production by irradiation from solar energetic particles requires high Ca-41 abundance in early solar system, however, this is not observed in CAIs. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Turbulence in the two-dimensional Fourier-truncated Gross-Pitaevskii equation

We undertake a systematic, direct numerical simulation of the twodimensional, Fourier-truncated, Gross-Pitaevskii equation to study the turbulent evolutions of its solutions for a variety of initial conditions and a wide range of parameters. We find that the time evolution of this system can be classified into four regimes with qualitatively different statistical properties. Firstly, there are transients that depend on the initial conditions. In the second regime, powerlaw scaling regions, in the energy and the occupation-number spectra, appear and start to develop; the exponents of these power laws and the extents of the scaling regions change with time and depend on the initial condition. In the third regime, the spectra drop rapidly for modes with wave numbers k > kc and partial thermalization takes place for modes with k < kc; the self-truncation wave number kc(t) depends on the initial conditions and it grows either as a power of t or as log t. Finally, in the fourth regime, complete thermalization is achieved and, if we account for finite-size effects carefully, correlation functions and spectra are consistent with their nontrivial Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless forms. Our work is a natural generalization of recent studies of thermalization in the Euler and other hydrodynamical equations; it combines ideas from fluid dynamics and turbulence, on the one hand, and equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics on the other.

Getting a kick out of it: multimodal signalling during male–male encounters in the foot-flagging frog Micrixalus aff. saxicola from the Western Ghats of India

Several anuran species use multimodal signals to communicate in diverse social contexts. Our study describes acoustic and visual behaviours of the Small Torrent Frog (Micrixalus aff. saxicola), a diurnal frog endemic to the Western Ghats of India. During agonistic interactions males display advertisement calls, foot-flagging and tapping (foot lifting) behaviours to signal the readiness to defend perching sites in perennial streams. Results from a quantitative video analysis of male–male interactions indicate that footflagging displays were used as directional signals toward the opponent male, but were less abundant than calls. The acoustic and visual signals were not functionally linked. The call of Micrixalus aff. saxicola thereby did not act as an alert signal. Analysis of behavioural transitions revealed that kicking behaviours (physical attacks) significantly elicited kicks from interacting males. We suggest that foot-flagging displays ritualized from this frequently observed fighting technique to reduce physical attacks.

Getting a kick out of it: multimodal signalling during male-male encounters in the foot-flagging frog Micrixalus aff. saxicola from the Western Ghats of India

Several anuran species use multimodal signals to communicate in diverse social contexts. Our study describes acoustic and visual behaviours of the Small Torrent Frog (Micrixalus aff. saxicola), a diurnal frog endemic to the Western Ghats of India. During agonistic interactions males display advertisement calls, foot-flagging and tapping (foot lifting) behaviours to signal the readiness to defend perching sites in perennial streams. Results from a quantitative video analysis of male-male interactions indicate that foot-flagging displays were used as directional signals toward the opponent male, but were less abundant than calls. The acoustic and visual signals were not functionally linked. The call of Micrixalus aff. saxicola thereby did not act as an alert signal. Analysis of behavioural transitions revealed that kicking behaviours (physical attacks) significantly elicited kicks from interacting males. We suggest that foot-flagging displays ritualized from this frequently observed fighting technique to reduce physical attacks.

Ontology analysis of global gene expression differences of human bone marrow stromal cells cultured on 3D scaffolds or 2D films

Differences in gene expression of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) during culture in three-dimensional (3D) nanofiber scaffolds or on two-dimensional (2D) films were investigated via pathway analysis of microarray mRNA expression profiles. Previous work has shown that hBMSC culture in nanofiber scaffolds can induce osteogenic differentiation in the absence of osteogenic supplements (OS). Analysis using ontology databases revealed that nanofibers and OS regulated similar pathways and that both were enriched for TGF-beta and cell-adhesion/ECM-receptor pathways. The most notable difference between the two was that nanofibers had stronger enrichment for cell-adhesion/ECM-receptor pathways. Comparison of nanofibers scaffolds with flat films yielded stronger differences in gene expression than comparison of nanofibers made from different polymers, suggesting that substrate structure had stronger effects on cell function than substrate polymer composition. These results demonstrate that physical (nanofibers) and biochemical (OS) signals regulate similar ontological pathways, suggesting that these cues use similar molecular mechanisms to control hBMSC differentiation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

An estimate of the number of tropical tree species

The high species richness of tropical forests has long been recognized, yet there remains substantial uncertainty regarding the actual number of tropical tree species. Using a pantropical tree inventory database from closed canopy forests, consisting of 657,630 trees belonging to 11,371 species, we use a fitted value of Fisher's alpha and an approximate pantropical stem total to estimate the minimum number of tropical forest tree species to fall between similar to 40,000 and similar to 53,000, i.e., at the high end of previous estimates. Contrary to common assumption, the Indo-Pacific region was found to be as species-rich as the Neotropics, with both regions having a minimum of similar to 19,000-25,000 tree species. Continental Africa is relatively depauperate with a minimum of similar to 4,500-6,000 tree species. Very few species are shared among the African, American, and the Indo-Pacific regions. We provide a methodological framework for estimating species richness in trees that may help refine species richness estimates of tree-dependent taxa.

Research on Dynamic Micro-Deformation under Laser Point Source

The dynamic micro-deformation of the specimen under laser point source is measured using a laser beam reflex amplifier system and numerically simulated by Msc.Marc software. Compared with experimental result and calculated result, the final deformation direction of the specimen depends on the result of the thermal strain and the phase transformation strain cooperation, away from the laser beam or towards the laser beam, the final deformation angle depends on temperature gradient in the thickness direction and the geometry constraint of the specimen. The conclusion lays the foundation for further research on the mechanism of laser bending. At the same time, it is proposed that the model of calculation based on classical Fourier heat transfer theory cannot be enough to simulate the dynamic micro-deformation of the specimen under laser point source, the model of calculation should be modified in the future.

Research on the Temperature Field in Laser Hardening

Temperature field in the laser hardening process was numerically simulated by MSC.Marc software. The influence of energy density on laser hardening effect is analyzed. Simulation result is verified through the thermocouple temperature transducer measuring the specimen surface temperature under the laser irradiation. Experimental curves of temperature versus time are in agreement with simulation results. The simulation results can be regarded as a basis for choosing laser technological parameters.

Caracterización y evaluación de diecinueve variedades de frijol común (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) en la Compañía, Carazo

En la Estación Experimental La Compañía, Carazo, en el ciclo de primera de 1997, se realizó un estudio de caracterización y ensayo de rendimiento de 19 genotipos de frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L) de variedades comerciales, líneas promisorias y élites seleccionadas por el Sub Programa Nacional de Frijol. La caracterización se en marcó en un ensayo de rendimiento con parcelas distribuidas en un arreglo de B.C.A. con 4 repeticiones de 6 surcos y 5 m de longitud donde se seleccionaron 10 plantas por repetición. Para la caracterización se tomaron datos de 33 caracteres cualitativos y cuantitativos utilizando la metodología descrita por el Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) con algunas modificaciones, y otras variables fenológicas (vegetativa y reproductiva) y evaluación de enfermedades. Para los caracteres cuantitativos se reportan la media, valores mínimo, máximo y desviación estándar, coeficiente de variación, para rendimiento y variables relacionadas correlaciones de pearson y para caracteres cualitativos la moda estadística. El ensayo de rendimiento indica que hay diferencia significativa entre tratamientos Pr= O.0001 y un CV = 11.37 porciento. Se presentaron 6 categorías estadísticas según Tukey al 95 por ciento, el mayor rendimiento promedio fue obtenido por la línea Dor 576 con 1906.2 kg/ha y el menor por el testigo Estelí 150 con 1036.5 kg/ha. El testigo Dor 364 con rendimiento de 1635.4 kg/ha no fue superado estadísticamente por ninguno de los genotipos evaluados; de forma numérica es superado por 4 genotipos, 16 tratamientos presentaron un comportamiento estadísticamente similar a este testigo. El testigo Estelí 90A fue superado estadísticamente por los genotipos Dor 576 y Dor 531 y numéricamente por 15 líneas. El testigo Estelí 150 es superado estadísticamente por 11 tratamientos y numéricamente por 18 líneas. Se elaboró un catálogo descriptivo para los 19 genotipos estudiados, siguiendo los procedimientos internacionales de ordenamiento y codificación propuestas por el Consejo Internacional de Recursos Fito genéticos (IBPGR 1982) ver anexos. En la evaluación de enfermedades la línea Eap-4 presentó la menor severidad a la enfermedad presente, bacteriosis (Xanthomonas campestri pv phaseoli)(Smith)Dye.

Sapientia, 1951, Vol. VI, nº 19 (número completo)

Contenido: Filosofía y originalidad / La Dirección – La idea de posible y el sentido de la existencia : génesis de esta idea / André Marc – Carácter existencial de la demostración de la existencia de Dios / Octavio N. Derisi – La naturaleza en la ciencia físico-matemática / Raimundo Paniker – Razones seminales y formas substanciales : agustinismo y tomismo / F. J. Thonnard – Notas y comentarios -- Bibliografía

固体火箭发动机柔性接头弹性件力学性能研究

针对固体火箭发动机柔性接头中的橡胶材料，研究了在进行这种橡胶结构有限元计算中橡胶材料的力学行为的表征。进行了单轴拉伸与简单剪切材料力学性能试验，根据不同材料模型对试验曲线进行了拟合，并用MSC／Marc软件模拟了超弹性材料的单轴拉伸与简单剪切变形过程。结果表明：采用单轴拉伸试验数据预测材料剪切性能会造成明显误差，而简单剪切试验得到的模型可以比较准确描述材料的拉伸和剪切变形，针对柔性接头这种以剪切变形为主的结构，应选取剪切试验数据；当应变大于150％时，不同材料模型与试验数据的选用范围对计算结果具有明显影响。

Residual Stress And Deformation Analysis Of Anodic Bonded Multi-Layer Of Glass And Aluminum

The bonding of glass wafer to aluminum foils in multi-layer assemblies was made by the common anodic bonding process. The bonding was performed at temperatures in the range 350-450 degrees C and with an applied voltage in the range 400-700 V under a pressure of 0.05 MPa. Residual stress and deformation in samples of two-layer (aluminum/glass) and three-layer (glass/aluminum/glass) were analyzed by nonlinear finite element simulation software MARC. The stress and strain varying with cooling time were obtained. The analyzed results show that deformation of the three-layer sample is significantly smaller than that of the two-layer sample, because of the symmetric structure of the three-layer sample. This has an important advantage in MEMS fabrication. The maximum equivalent stresses locate in the transition layer in both samples, which will become weakness in bonded sample.