Recent ice ages on Mars

A key pacemaker of ice ages on the Earth is climatic forcing due to variations in planetary orbital parameters. Recent Mars exploration has revealed dusty, water-ice-rich mantling deposits that are layered, metres thick and latitude dependent, occurring in both hemispheres from mid-latitudes to the poles. Here we show evidence that these deposits formed during a geologically recent ice age that occurred from about 2.1 to 0.4 Myr ago. The deposits were emplaced symmetrically down to latitudes of approximately 30 degrees--equivalent to Saudi Arabia and the southern United States on the Earth--in response to the changing stability of water ice and dust during variations in obliquity (the angle between Mars' pole of rotation and the ecliptic plane) reaching 30-35 degrees. Mars is at present in an 'interglacial' period, and the ice-rich deposits are undergoing reworking, degradation and retreat in response to the current instability of near-surface ice. Unlike the Earth, martian ice ages are characterized by warmer polar climates and enhanced equatorward transport of atmospheric water and dust to produce widespread smooth deposits down to mid-latitudes.     

Three-dimensional structural dynamics of myosin V by single-molecule fluorescence polarization

The structural change that generates force and motion in actomyosin motility has been proposed to be tilting of the myosin light chain domain, which serves as a lever arm. Several experimental approaches have provided support for the lever arm hypothesis; however, the extent and timing of tilting motions are not well defined in the motor protein complex of functioning actomyosin. Here we report three-dimensional measurements of the structural dynamics of the light chain domain of brain myosin V using a single-molecule fluorescence polarization technique that determines the orientation of individual protein domains with 20-40-ms time resolution. Single fluorescent calmodulin light chains tilted back and forth between two well-defined angles as the myosin molecule processively translocated along actin. The results provide evidence for lever arm rotation of the calmodulin-binding domain in myosin V, and support a 'hand-over-hand' mechanism for the translocation of double-headed myosin V molecules along actin filaments. The technique is applicable to the study of real-time structural changes in other biological systems.     

Wnt proteins are lipid-modified and can act as stem cell growth factors

Wnt signalling is involved in numerous events in animal development, including the proliferation of stem cells and the specification of the neural crest. Wnt proteins are potentially important reagents in expanding specific cell types, but in contrast to other developmental signalling molecules such as hedgehog proteins and the bone morphogenetic proteins, Wnt proteins have never been isolated in an active form. Although Wnt proteins are secreted from cells, secretion is usually inefficient and previous attempts to characterize Wnt proteins have been hampered by their high degree of insolubility. Here we have isolated active Wnt molecules, including the product of the mouse Wnt3a gene. By mass spectrometry, we found the proteins to be palmitoylated on a conserved cysteine. Enzymatic removal of the palmitate or site-directed and natural mutations of the modified cysteine result in loss of activity, and indicate that the lipid is important for signalling. The purified Wnt3a protein induces self-renewal of haematopoietic stem cells, signifying its potential use in tissue engineering.     

The Third Track of the Open-Systems-Thinking School: An Application of Domain Theory to New Zealand Ports

The Open-Systems Thinking (OST) school identified with Emery and Trist is situated as an important but underutilized approach in systems thinking. The main features of OST are described, including four "tracks" along which OST has developed. The third track, which focuses on interorganizational domains, is considered in detail. It is then applied to a case concerning the complex social dynamics of and in port domains in New Zealand. This exercise enables us to illuminate some lacunae in previous representations of the port domain research, to assess OST's third track regarding its relevance for systemic practice, and to help to bring OST to the table with other systems approaches that are all vying for the attention of researchers, practicing managers, students, and consultants.     

Reverse Programmed SONOS Memory Technique for 0.18 μm Embedded Utilization

A 4 Mb embedded silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory was developed with a 0.18 μm CMOS logic compatible technology. A reverse programming array architecture was proposed to reduce the chip area, enhance the operating window, and increase the read speed. The charge distribution was analyzed to optimize the programming and erase conditions considering both the operating speed and the endurance performance. The final test chip has a good endurance of 105 cycles and a data retention time of at least 10 years.