A tale of tails: deciphering the contribution of terminal tails to the biochemical properties of two Dps proteins from Streptomyces coelicolor

Dps proteins are members of an extensive family of proteins that oxidise and deposit iron in the form of ferric oxide, and are also able to bind DNA. Ferroxidation centres are formed at the interface of anti-parallel dimers, which further assemble into dodecameric nanocages with a hollow core where ferric oxide is deposited. Streptomyces coelicolor encodes three Dps-like proteins (DpsA, B and C). Despite sharing the conserved four-helix bundle organisation observed in members of the Dps family, they display significant differences in the length of terminal extensions, or tails. DpsA possess both N- and C-terminal tails of different lengths, and their removal affects quaternary structure assembly to varying degrees. DpsC quaternary structure, on the other hand, is heavily dependent on its N-terminal tail as its removal abolishes correct protein folding. Analysis of the crystal structure of dodecamers from both proteins revealed remarkable differences in the position of tails and interface surface area; and provides insight to explain the differences in biochemical behaviour observed while comparing DpsA and DpsC.     

Diet comparison between rainforest and cave populations of Craugastor alfredi (Anura: Craugastoridae): does diet vary in contrasting habitats?

Information about interpopulational variation of diet is important for thoroughly understanding the ecological niche of a species, the possible attributes that have allowed it to live in different habitats and ecosystems (if it is the case) and the degree of dietary specialization. This study compared dietary composition and diversity, size of prey consumed and feeding intensity between two geographically proximate populations of Craugastor alfredi, inhabiting contrasting habitats: one located in a remnant tropical rainforest and the other population located within a cave entrance, in eastern Mexico. A total of 118 frogs (50 from rainforest and 68 from cave) were stomach-flushed and, from those, 86 had at least one prey item (42 from rainforest and 44 from cave). Consumption proportions of orthopterans differed between habitats, with frogs from the cave having higher importance values of this prey than frogs from the rainforest. Additionally, both dietary diversity and feeding intensity were higher in the rainforest population. It was concluded that the generalized diet of C. alfredi, besides the high consumption of orthopterans by the cave population, may have contributed to its success in cave entrances. Nonetheless, other non-feeding attributes like small body size, direct development and semiarboreality may also facilitate the use of rock crevices in caves for foraging and reproduction.     

Optimal policy with a total order quantity commitment contract in the presence of a spot market

In this paper,the optimal policy is considered when the buyer faces two supply sources:one is the contract supplier from which the buyer orders over a specific contract period(say,a year) at a pre-agreed price,and the other is the spot market.However,when ordering from the contract supplier,the buyer must fulfill a pre-determined total order quantity,or the so-called definite total order quantity commitment,over the whole contract period.In other words,the commitment secures the buyer a fixed price but obliges him/her a total order quantity over the contract period.Although the spot market gives the buyer more flexibility in terms of order quantities,its prices are volatile.Such a combination of contract and spot procurements is often observed in practice.Within the contract period,there are multiple sub-periods,during each of which the buyer reviews the inventory,issues an individual order,and uses the on-hand inventory to meet the random demand.Thus,in each(ordering) period,the buyer will weigh between the current known spot price(by procuring from the spot market) and a lower future price(by waiting while consuming the remaining commitment).An optimal dual ordering policy is characterized for each period,depending on the on-hand inventory level,the spot price,and the remaining commitment quantity.The optimal policy in each period is also shown to be independent of the contract price.Through a numerical study,the inventory cost is demonstrated to be(1) insensitive to the contract price when the total commitment quantity is lower than the total expected demand over the contract period and(2) non-increasing in the variability of spot prices.     

课堂教学方法的研究与实践

课堂教学作为学生获取知识的主战场,如何发挥课堂50分钟教学的作用?让学生在课堂教学中随着教师不同时段教学内容的设计、教学方法的调整,使学生的兴奋点和主要精力集中在一堂课程教学内容的重点与难点上,从而发挥课堂教学的最大效用.笔者提出了将课堂教学分为"5个时段7种方式"的教学模式来达到课堂教学效用的最大化.     

Red blood cells carry out T cell growth and survival bioactivities that are sensitive to cyclosporine A

Red blood cells (RBC) have emerged as a novel regulatory cell type endowed with bioactivities toward activated human T cells. Herein we show that the RBC bioactivities act on intracellular pathways initiated by T cell receptor (TCR)-dependent and -independent stimuli, including IL-2, IL-15, and the mixture of phorbol dibutyrate and ionomycin. The RBC bioactivities preserve the antioxidant status and are capable of rescuing activated T cells from cell death induced by serum deprivation. They are not mediated by glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked receptors or sialic acids, and kinetic studies revealed that they hasten the entrance into the cell cycle. By using cyclosporine A (CsA) and rapamycin (Rapa) we show that the RBC bioactivities are calcineurin-dependent. Thus, treatment of T cells with CsA, but not Rapa, impaired RBC bioactivities, and preincubation of RBC with CsA completely abolished their bioactivities. We have demonstrated that RBC carry out bioactivities that are sensitive to CsA.     

UWB系统中高斯脉冲信号特性的研究

通过对高斯脉冲UWB信号的数学框架研究,得到改变高斯脉冲形成因子和对高斯脉冲进行微分运算可以提高脉冲峰值频率和带宽的结论,由此能够获得理想的UWB脉冲.仿真结果表明,基于高斯脉冲组合可以获得逼近FCC标准的UWB信号,为分析UWB信号传输提供了理论依据.     

双歧杆菌的研究现状

双歧杆菌,肠道内一种有益菌种.本文主要对其调节人体生理功能作用和在食品学方面的应用研究进行了综述,以期为双歧杆菌食品的研究开发提供基础资料.     

长春市高校女生体育课兴趣现状及培养的研究

高校体育是学校体育的最后阶段,是形成终身体育意识的重要时期.学校体育是终身体育的基础,如何在高校体育教学中培养学生的体育意识和兴趣,已经成为体育教育工作者关心的主要问题.对高校女生对体育课兴趣不高的现状及成因进行了分析和研究,并在此基础上系统阐述了解决这一问题的措施和方案,以求为提高高校女生体育课的教学质量提供科学的参考依据.