Identification of a bacterial inhibitor against g-type lysozyme

Lysozymes are antibacterial effectors of the innate immune system in animals that hydrolyze peptidoglycan. Bacteria have evolved protective mechanisms that contribute to lysozyme tolerance such as the production of lysozyme inhibitors, but only inhibitors of chicken (c-) and invertebrate (i-) type lysozyme have been identified. We here report the discovery of a novel Escherichia coli inhibitor specific for goose (g-) type lysozymes, which we designate PliG (periplasmic lysozyme inhibitor of g-type lysozyme). Although it does not inhibit c- or i-type lysozymes, PliG shares a structural sequence motif with the previously described PliI and MliC/PliC lysozyme inhibitor families, suggesting a common ancestry and mode of action. Deletion of pliG increased the sensitivity of E. coli to g-type lysozyme. The existence of inhibitors against all major types of animal lysozyme and their contribution to lysozyme tolerance suggest that lysozyme inhibitors may play a role in bacterial interactions with animal hosts.     

Impact of bolus volume on small intestinal intra-luminal impedance in healthy subjects

AIM: To assess the impact of bolus volume on the characteristics of small intestinal (SI) impedance signals.METHODS: Concurrent SI manometry-impedance measurements were performed on 12 healthy volunteers to assess the pattern of proximal jejunal fluid bolus movement over a 14 cm-segment.Each subject was given 34 boluses of normal saline (volume from 1 to 30 mL) via the feeding tube placed immediately above the proximal margin of the studied segment.A bolus-induced impedance event occurred if there was > 12%...     

Molecular basis of parathyroid hormone receptor signaling and trafficking: a family B GPCR paradigm

The parathyroid hormone (PTH) receptor type 1 (PTHR), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), transmits signals to two hormone systems—PTH, endocrine and homeostatic, and PTH-related peptide (PTHrP), paracrine—to regulate different biological processes. PTHR responds to these hormonal stimuli by activating heterotrimeric G proteins, such as G_S that stimulates cAMP production. It was thought that the PTHR, as for all other GPCRs, is only active and signals through G proteins on the cell membrane, and internalizes into a cell to be desensitized and eventually degraded or recycled. Recent studies with cultured cell and animal models reveal a new pathway that involves sustained cAMP signaling from intracellular domains. Not only do these studies challenge the paradigm that cAMP production triggered by activated GPCRs originates exclusively at the cell membrane but they also advance a comprehensive model to account for the functional differences between PTH and PTHrP acting through the same receptor.     

Number and condition of seeds in ponderosa pine cones in central Arizona

Ponderosa pine cones from 10 areas in Arizona were collected prior to natural seed dispersal and dissected to determine the number of sound, hollow, and insect-damaged seeds in each cone. Total and sound seed yields per cone did not vary significantly among areas but did vary significantly among trees within each area. Numbers of hollow and Megastigmus -infested (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) seeds varied significantly among areas and trees within areas. Numbers of sound seed increased significantly with increasing cone length but did not change with increasing numbers of cones per cluster. The percentages of Megastigmus -infested seed did not change significantly with increasing cone length or number of cones per cluster.     

On Cowania and its intergeneric hybrids in Arizona

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含半填隙磷原子配体六核钴羰合簇的P(OEt)_3和PPh_3取代衍生物的合成和表征

用 P( OEt) 3和 PPh3分别与 Co6(μ6-P) (μ,η2 -SCH2 CH2 CH2 S) (μ-PSCH2 CH2 CH2 S)( CO) 12 进行取代反应 ,首次得到 4个一取代和 1个二取代含半填隙磷原子配体六核钴羰基簇合物的取代衍生物 ,化学式如下 :Co6( μ6-P) ( μ,η2 -SCH2 CH2 CH2 S) ( μ-PSCH2 CH2 CH2 S)( CO) 11〔P( OEt) 3〕 ( a 和 b,同分异构体 ) ,Co6( μ6-P) ( μ,η2 -SCH2 CH2 CH2 S) ( μ-PSCH2 CH2 CH2 S) (μ-CO) ( CO) 9〔P( OEt) 3〕2 ( ) ,Co6(μ6-P) (μ,η2 -SCH2 CH2 CH2 S) (μ-PSCH2 CH2 CH2 S) ( CO) 11( PPh3) ( a) ,Co6( μ6-P) ( μ,η2 -SCH2 CH2 CH2 S) ( μ-PSCH2 CH2 CH2 S) ( μ-CO) ( CO) 10 ( PPh3) ( b) .对 5个合成的簇合衍生物通过元素分析 ,IR( νco)、1HNMR、31PNMR和 MS谱学表征 ,发现 a和 b, a和 b 是一取代的同分异构体 ,P( OEt) 3和 PPh3可能取代母体钴簇合物基底不同钴原子上的一个 CO. 是二取代产物 ,两个P( OEt) 3分子可能各取代母体钴簇合物在顶端的两个钴原子上的一个 CO.     

Analysts’ Dynamic Decisions: Timeliness versus Accuracy

For analysts there is a tradeoff between the accuracy and the timeliness of their forecasts. Prior literature heavily investigates analyst forecast accuracy. Few papers investigate the importance of timeliness. To our best knowledge, there are no empirical papers to date to investigate the dynamic interplay between these key characteristics. We show that if analysts experience a period of high accuracy relative to their peers, they subsequently focus more on the timeliness of their forecasts in the subsequent period and thus issue their forecasts earlier than they did in the prior period. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

促进我国西部公益慈善事业发展的法律思考

慈善事业是国家治理体系中的有机组成部分,是我国新型社会保障体制中的一项重要内容,其在整合社会资源、援助物质资金等方面发挥越来越重要的作用。我国西部地区慈善事业发展虽取得了一定成绩,但仍面临诸多问题。文章梳理了我国西部慈善事业发展现状,提出完善慈善立法体系、建立慈善信息公开透明制度、健全慈善问责制、构建慈善绩效评价机制等法律建议。     

Horses damp the spring in their step.

The muscular work of galloping in horses is halved by storing and returning elastic strain energy in spring-like muscle-tendon units.These make the legs act like a child's pogo stick that is tuned to stretch and recoil at 2.5 strides per second. This mechanism is optimized by unique musculoskeletal adaptations: the digital flexor muscles have extremely short fibres and significant passive properties, whereas the tendons are very long and span several joints. Length change occurs by a stretching of the spring-like digital flexor tendons rather than through energetically expensive length changes in the muscle. Despite being apparently redundant for such a mechanism, the muscle fibres in the digital flexors are well developed. Here we show that the mechanical arrangement of the elastic leg permits it to vibrate at a higher frequency of 30-40 Hz that could cause fatigue damage to tendon and bone. Furthermore, we show that the digital flexor muscles have minimal ability to contribute to or regulate significantly the 2.5-Hz cycle of movement, but are ideally arranged to damp these high-frequency oscillations in the limb.