The State of the State: Introduction

Systemic Practice and Action Research -     

高分辨率雷达检测——预研课题和潜在应用

文献[1]介绍了高分辨力雷达在改善目标检测中的潜在优点,强调了根据期望的目标径向距离分布图来形成发射波形和接收处理器的概念,并给出了性能预测。为克服先验信息的不足,本文提出并评估了一个自适应方案,用它来联机估算目标距离分布图。此外,引入了一个更一般性的、基于统计描述的目标冲击响应模型,讨论了相应的处理方案和检测性能。     

Opsin expression: new mechanism for modulating colour vision

Each cone photoreceptor in the retina responds to light in a limited range of wavelengths, giving it a spectral phenotype. This phenotype is determined by the most prevalent of the photoreceptor's visual-pigment proteins (opsins) and is assumed to remain unchanged during an animal's lifetime. Here we show that in the Pacific pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, single cones can switch their spectral phenotype from ultraviolet to blue by regulating the production of the appropriate opsins as the fish grow older. This photoreceptor plasticity may operate to modulate colour vision as the salmon's lifestyle changes.     

Competency-Based Model Through It: An Action Research Project

Competency-based management is a strategic approach for Human Resources Management and organizational change. Additionally, in business environment, information technologies competencies are a significant factor to organizational success (Bharadwaj, MIS Q 24(1):169–196, 2006). However the implementation of a model of competency-based management in business environment is difficult and complex (Lawler, J Organ Behav 15(1):3–15, 1993). In this context, Information systems are a suitable tool to manage individual and organizational knowledge (Alavi and Leidner, MIS Q 25(1):107–136, 2001; Bowman, Inf Syst Manag 19(3):32–40, 2002). This paper introduces a dynamic approach to a competency-based model through IT. We validate such approach through an action research project in RTVE, the largest company and reference public corporation of radio and television in Spain. The action research process in this organization is presented, and the findings highlight the potential benefits of the proposed model, and may be used in facilitating organizational change.     

The CRISPR/Cas bacterial immune system cleaves bacteriophage and plasmid DNA

Bacteria and Archaea have developed several defence strategies against foreign nucleic acids such as viral genomes and plasmids. Among them, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) loci together with cas (CRISPR-associated) genes form the CRISPR/Cas immune system, which involves partially palindromic repeats separated by short stretches of DNA called spacers, acquired from extrachromosomal elements. It was recently demonstrated that these variable loci can incorporate spacers from infecting bacteriophages and then provide immunity against subsequent bacteriophage infections in a sequence-specific manner. Here we show that the Streptococcus thermophilus CRISPR1/Cas system can also naturally acquire spacers from a self-replicating plasmid containing an antibiotic-resistance gene, leading to plasmid loss. Acquired spacers that match antibiotic-resistance genes provide a novel means to naturally select bacteria that cannot uptake and disseminate such genes. We also provide in vivo evidence that the CRISPR1/Cas system specifically cleaves plasmid and bacteriophage double-stranded DNA within the proto-spacer, at specific sites. Our data show that the CRISPR/Cas immune system is remarkably adapted to cleave invading DNA rapidly and has the potential for exploitation to generate safer microbial strains.     

Crystal structure of the specificity domain of ribonuclease P

RNase P is the only endonuclease responsible for processing the 5' end of transfer RNA by cleaving a precursor and leading to tRNA maturation. It contains an RNA component and a protein component and has been identified in all organisms. It was one of the first catalytic RNAs identified and the first that acts as a multiple-turnover enzyme in vivo. RNase P and the ribosome are so far the only two ribozymes known to be conserved in all kingdoms of life. The RNA component of bacterial RNase P can catalyse pre-tRNA cleavage in the absence of the RNase P protein in vitro and consists of two domains: a specificity domain and a catalytic domain. Here we report a 3.15-A resolution crystal structure of the 154-nucleotide specificity domain of Bacillus subtilis RNase P. The structure reveals the architecture of this domain, the interactions that maintain the overall fold of the molecule, a large non-helical but well-structured module that is conserved in all RNase P RNA, and the regions that are involved in interactions with the substrate.