Crystal structure of the ligand-free G-protein-coupled receptor opsin

In the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) rhodopsin, the inactivating ligand 11-cis-retinal is bound in the seven-transmembrane helix (TM) bundle and is cis/trans isomerized by light to form active metarhodopsin II. With metarhodopsin II decay, all-trans-retinal is released, and opsin is reloaded with new 11-cis-retinal. Here we present the crystal structure of ligand-free native opsin from bovine retinal rod cells at 2.9 ?ngstr?m (A) resolution. Compared to rhodopsin, opsin shows prominent structural changes in the conserved E(D)RY and NPxxY(x)(5,6)F regions and in TM5-TM7. At the cytoplasmic side, TM6 is tilted outwards by 6-7 A, whereas the helix structure of TM5 is more elongated and close to TM6. These structural changes, some of which were attributed to an active GPCR state, reorganize the empty retinal-binding pocket to disclose two openings that may serve the entry and exit of retinal. The opsin structure sheds new light on ligand binding to GPCRs and on GPCR activation.     

Mimicking unfolding motion of a beetle hind wing

This paper presents an experimental research aiming to realize an artificial hind wing that can mimic the wing unfolding motion of AIIomyrina dichotoma, an insect in coleopteran order. Based on the understanding of working principles of beetle wing folding/unfolding mechanisms, the hind wing unfolding motion is mimicked by a combination of creative ideas and state-of-art artificial muscle actuator. In this work, we devise two types of artificial wings and the successfully demonstrate that they can be unfolded by actuation of shape memory alloy wires to provide actuation force at the wing base and along the leading edge vein. The folding/unfolding mechanisms may provide an insight for portable nano/micro air vehicles with morphing wings.     

Sojucktang induces apoptosis via loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase-3 activation in KLE human endometrial cancer cells

Sojucktang （SJT） has long been used for the treatment of endometrial diseases in Korea. However, the mechanisms responsible for the SJT-induced apoptosis in endometrial cancer cells remain unclear. In the present study, SJT was demonstrated to show cytotoxic effect and induce apoptotic cell death via mitochondrial regulation in KLE endometrial cancer cells. Linderae Radix, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Zedoariae Rhizoma, Trogopterorum Faeces and Agelicae Gigantis Radix were found to be the potent constituent herbs of SJT to significantly decrease the viability of KLE cells by a tetra zolium salt （XTT） assay. Apoptotic bodies were observed in SJT-treated KLE cells by 4′-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole （DAPI） and TdT-mediated-dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL） assay. SJT also increased sub-G1 DNA contents of the cell cycle undergoing apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, it was observed that SJT activated caspase-3 and cleaved poly （ADP-ribose） polymerase （PARP）, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, this study shows that SJT exerts anti-tumor activity against KLE endometrial cancer cells via mitochondrial dependent apoptosis induction.     

The human pseudoautosomal GM-CSF receptor alpha subunit gene is autosomal in mouse.

The gene encoding the granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor receptor alpha subunit (CSF2RA) has previously been mapped to the pseudoautosomal region of the human sex chromosomes. In contrast, we report that the murine locus, Csf2ra, maps to an autosome in the laboratory mouse. By in situ hybridization and genetic mapping, Csf2ra maps at telomeric band D2 of mouse chromosome 19. This first instance of a pseudoautosomal locus in human being autosomal in mouse, indicates incomplete conservation between the human and mouse X chromosomes and suggests that the genetic content of the pseudoautosomal region may differ between species of eutherian mammals due to chromosomal rearrangements.     

An outlier robust GARCH model and forecasting volatility of exchange rate returns

Since volatility is perceived as an explicit measure of risk, financial economists have long been concerned with accurate measures and forecasts of future volatility and, undoubtedly, the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model has been widely used for doing so. It appears, however, from some empirical studies that the GARCH model tends to provide poor volatility forecasts in the presence of additive outliers. To overcome the forecasting limitation, this paper proposes a robust GARCH model (RGARCH) using least absolute deviation estimation and introduces a valuable estimation method from a practical point of view. Extensive Monte Carlo experiments substantiate our conjectures. As the magnitude of the outliers increases, the one‐step‐ahead forecasting performance of the RGARCH model has a more significant improvement in two forecast evaluation criteria over both the standard GARCH and random walk models. Strong evidence in favour of the RGARCH model over other competitive models is based on empirical application. By using a sample of two daily exchange rate series, we find that the out‐of‐sample volatility forecasts of the RGARCH model are apparently superior to those of other competitive models. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

科氏力对高速旋转汽轮机叶片动态特性的影响

采用解析的方法，建立了高速旋转汽轮机叶片中科氏力和科氏动应力的计算模型。该模型克服了以往在叶片动态特性分析时难以考虑科氏力影响的问题，导出了科氏动应力和非稳态气流动应力比值的计算公式以及科氏力和离心力比值的计算公式，并进行了实例分析．计算结果表明，科氏力对叶片轴向振动和扭转振动的固有频率没有影响，对切向振动的影响很小，可以忽略不计；科氏力所产生的动应力不到非稳态气流动应力的1%。     

Coherent quantum state storage and transfer between two phase qubits via a resonant cavity

As with classical information processing, a quantum information processor requires bits (qubits) that can be independently addressed and read out, long-term memory elements to store arbitrary quantum states, and the ability to transfer quantum information through a coherent communication bus accessible to a large number of qubits. Superconducting qubits made with scalable microfabrication techniques are a promising candidate for the realization of a large-scale quantum information processor. Although these systems have successfully passed tests of coherent coupling for up to four qubits, communication of individual quantum states between superconducting qubits via a quantum bus has not yet been realized. Here, we perform an experiment demonstrating the ability to coherently transfer quantum states between two superconducting Josephson phase qubits through a quantum bus. This quantum bus is a resonant cavity formed by an open-ended superconducting transmission line of length 7 mm. After preparing an initial quantum state with the first qubit, this quantum information is transferred and stored as a nonclassical photon state of the resonant cavity, then retrieved later by the second qubit connected to the opposite end of the cavity. Beyond simple state transfer, these results suggest that a high-quality-factor superconducting cavity could also function as a useful short-term memory element. The basic architecture presented here can be expanded, offering the possibility for the coherent interaction of a large number of superconducting qubits.     

Molecular phylogenetic status of Siberian roe deer （Capreolus pygargus） based on mitochondrial cytochrome b from Jeju Island in Korea

In order to elucidate the genetic diversity and taxonomic status of Siberian roe deer （Capreolus pygar- gus） from the Korean peninsula, partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene were analyzed. We col- lected 57 roe deer samples from Mainland and Jeju Island between July 2004 and June 2009. A total of 50 sequences （1,070 bp） were obtained, and seven haplotypes were defined. Five haplotypes were found from Mainland, and two were discovered from Jeju Island. The genetic diver- sity was lower in the Jeju Island population than in the Mainland population. In addition, both the consensus neighbor-joining tree and maximum parsimony tree showed an identical topology between the Mainland and Jeju Island clades. Based on the results, two subspecies of the Korean roe deer were confirmed. Siberian roe deer in Jeju Island showed a distinct difference in the cytochrome b gene compared with other Siberian roe deer, being aunique native species inhabiting only Jeju Island in Korea. Because Siberian roe deer in Jeju Island can be classified at subspecies level, the new subspecies in Jeju was named Capreolus pygargus jejuensis in this study. For this new subspecies, reasonable conservation and management effort is needed in the future.     

A non-spherical core in the explosion of supernova SN 2004dj

An important and perhaps critical clue to the mechanism driving the explosion of massive stars as supernovae is provided by the accumulating evidence for asymmetry in the explosion. Indirect evidence comes from high pulsar velocities, associations of supernovae with long-soft gamma-ray bursts, and asymmetries in late-time emission-line profiles. Spectropolarimetry provides a direct probe of young supernova geometry, with higher polarization generally indicating a greater departure from spherical symmetry. Large polarizations have been measured for 'stripped-envelope' (that is, type Ic; ref. 7) supernovae, which confirms their non-spherical morphology; but the explosions of massive stars with intact hydrogen envelopes (type II-P supernovae) have shown only weak polarizations at the early times observed. Here we report multi-epoch spectropolarimetry of a classic type II-P supernova that reveals the abrupt appearance of significant polarization when the inner core is first exposed in the thinning ejecta (approximately 90 days after explosion). We infer a departure from spherical symmetry of at least 30 per cent for the inner ejecta. Combined with earlier results, this suggests that a strongly non-spherical explosion may be a generic feature of core-collapse supernovae of all types, where the asphericity in type II-P supernovae is cloaked at early times by the massive, opaque, hydrogen envelope.