Universal Minicircle Sequence binding proteins (UMSBPs) are CCHC-type zinc-finger proteins that bind the single-stranded G-rich UMS sequence, conserved at the replication origins of minicircles in the kinetoplast DNA, the mitochondrial genome of kinetoplastids. Trypanosoma brucei UMSBP2 has been recently shown to colocalize with telomeres and to play an essential role in chromosome end protection. Here we report that TbUMSBP2 decondenses in vitro DNA molecules, which were condensed by core histones H2B, H4 or linker histone H1. DNA decondensation is mediated via protein-protein interactions between TbUMSBP2 and these histones, independently of its previously described DNA binding activity. Silencing of the TbUMSBP2 gene resulted in a significant decrease in the disassembly of nucleosomes in T. brucei chromatin, a phenotype that could be reverted, by supplementing the knockdown cells with TbUMSBP2. Transcriptome analysis revealed that silencing of TbUMSBP2 affects the expression of multiple genes in T. brucei, with a most significant effect on the upregulation of the subtelomeric variant surface glycoproteins (VSG) genes, which mediate the antigenic variation in African trypanosomes. These observations suggest that UMSBP2 is a chromatin remodeling protein that functions in the regulation of gene expression and plays a role in the control of antigenic variation in T. brucei.
À l’occasion des 80 ans de la date hébraïque de l’Opération Torche (28 Hechvan 5703), j’aimerais comparer quatre films, fictions ou documentaires, qui s’y réfèrent : Candlelight in Algeria (George King, Angleterre, 1944), Le grand rendez-vous (Jean Dréville, France, 1950), La nuit des dupes (Rami Kimhi, Israël, 2015) et L’Algérie sous Vichy (Jacques Attali, Stéphane Benhamou, France, 2021). Chaque fois, au fil du temps et des mentalités, l’événement est vu d’une manière différente, en particulier le rôle qu’y joue la France et celui du groupe des résistants (en grande majorité juifs) qui neutralisèrent la ville d’Alger pendant quinze heures et permirent aux troupes alliées d’entrer à Alger sans trop de pertes. Au fil des presque 80 ans qui séparent le premier et le dernier film, on voit dans le traitement du sujet, l’émergence d’une identité juive, d’abord niée, effacée, puis nettement affirmée.
Design and synthesis of orthogonally protected monosaccharide building blocks are crucial for the preparation of well-defined oligosaccharides in a stereo- and regiocontrolled manner. Selective introduction of protecting groups to partially protected monosaccharides is nontrivial due to the often unpredictable electronic, steric, and conformational effects of the substituents. Abolished reactivity toward a commonly used Lewis base-catalyzed acylation of O-2 was observed in conformationally restricted 4,6-O-benzylidene-3-O-Nap galactoside. Investigation of analogous systems, crystallographic characterization, and quantum chemical calculations highlighted the overlooked conformational and steric considerations, the combination of which produces a unique passivity of the 2-OH nucleophile. Evaluating the role of electrophile counterion and auxiliary base in the acylation of the sterically crowded and conformationally restricted galactoside system revealed an alternative Brønsted base-driven reaction pathway via nucleophilic activation. Insights gained from this model system were utilized to access the target galactoside intermediate within the envisioned synthetic route. The acylation strategy described herein can be implemented in future syntheses of key monomeric building blocks with unique protecting group hierarchies.
Abstract Using the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we aimed to determine whether university students' loss and gain in resources during the pandemic mediated the relationships between COVID-19 exposure/concern and depression and anxiety. In 2021, 7013 Israeli university students completed online questionnaires. We assessed the data using structural equation modeling. We found that resource loss was directly related to concern (??=?0.32, p?<?0.001). Depression and anxiety were both directly related to loss of resources (depression: ??=?0.75, p?<?0.001; anxiety: ??=?0.69, p?<?0.001) and concern (depression: ??=?0.06, p?<?0.001; anxiety: ??=?0.12, p?<?0.001). Resource loss had an indirect effect on the relationships between concern and depression (??=?0.24, p?<?0.001) and concern and anxiety (??=?0.22, p?<?0.001). COR theory may help explain the mechanisms behind university students' mental health during the pandemic and provides a framework to better understand preparedness for future pandemics, epidemics, and major disasters. Governments and universities should help prevent the loss of resources during future emergencies.
This paper explores, for the first time, a 405 km long wall system located in eastern Mongolia: the “Mongolian Arc” consists of an earthen wall, a trench, and 34 structures. It is part of a much larger system of walls built between the 11th and 13th centuries a.d. The Mongolian Arc, despite its magnitude, has been largely overlooked in existing academic discourse. Our team collected remote sensing data of different types and conducted an archaeological field survey of the entire Mongolian Arc. The different datasets obtained in the lab and the field were analyzed using a geographic information system (GIS). These results were integrated with excerpts from relevant primary sources to provide a preliminary interpretation of the design and potential functions of the Mongolian Arc. Key areas of exploration include the idiosyncratic gaps along the wall, the spatial organization of the wall and structures, and their interrelationship with the adjacent landscape.
Following the success of our previous books: Cooking Innovations: Using Hydrocolloids for Thickening, Gelling, and Emulsification and More Cooking Innovations: Novel Hydrocolloids for Special Dishes, my dear colleague, partner and friend Prof. Madoka Hirashima of Mie University, Japan and I have devoted the past couple of years to this latest volume, intended to introduce students and food technologists to the myriad uses of hydrocolloids and exploring their use to control the four principal quality factors in foods: appearance, flavor, texture, and nutrition.
This book breaks down how particular hydrocolloids’ unique abilities are used to achieve desired food quality factors. With the use of hydrocolloids on the rise, we believe this volume could make a real impact. Written with the belief that an understanding of the chemistry and physics of the involvement of hydrocolloids in food science and technology will lead to improved performance and increased innovation in this realm, we hope readers across the globe, be them food engineers, food science students, chefs, amateur cooks, and other professionals find it insightful and practical.
The text, photographs, illustrations and recipes demonstrating the various uses and applications of numerous hydrocolloids in foods are complemented by formulations tailored to the food technologist, designed to be applied to large-scale use, or practiced as a starting point for novel industrial formulations. Readers will also find a thorough introduction to the use of hydrocolloids to control food size and shape; a comprehensive exploration of the use of hydrocolloids to modulate food color and gloss; practical discussions pertaining to the modification of food taste and odor using hydrocolloids and a thorough description of the ways in which hydrocolloids are used to improve crispy, crunchy and crackly foods.
Though many books have been devoted to different water-soluble polymers (hydrocolloids) and their uses, I believe there is still a great deal to learn about these fascinating materials, and am looking forward to continuing my journey in uncovering and making them more accessible to the public.
Following the success of our previous books: Cooking Innovations: Using Hydrocolloids for Thickening, Gelling, and Emulsification and More Cooking Innovations: Novel Hydrocolloids for Special Dishes, my dear colleague, partner and friend Prof. Madoka Hirashima of Mie University, Japan and I have devoted the past couple of years to this latest volume, intended to introduce students and food technologists to the myriad uses of hydrocolloids and exploring their use to control the four principal quality factors in foods: appearance, flavor, texture, and nutrition.This book breaks down how particular hydrocolloids’ unique abilities are used to achieve desired food quality factors. With the use of hydrocolloids on the rise, we believe this volume could make a real impact. Written with the belief that an understanding of the chemistry and physics of the involvement of hydrocolloids in food science and technology will lead to improved performance and increased innovation in this realm, we hope readers across the globe, be them food engineers, food science students, chefs, amateur cooks, and other professionals find it insightful and practical.The text, photographs, illustrations and recipes demonstrating the various uses and applications of numerous hydrocolloids in foods are complemented by formulations tailored to the food technologist, designed to be applied to large-scale use, or practiced as a starting point for novel industrial formulations. Readers will also find a thorough introduction to the use of hydrocolloids to control food size and shape; a comprehensive exploration of the use of hydrocolloids to modulate food color and gloss; practical discussions pertaining to the modification of food taste and odor using hydrocolloids and a thorough description of the ways in which hydrocolloids are used to improve crispy, crunchy and crackly foods.Though many books have been devoted to different water-soluble polymers (hydrocolloids) and their uses, I believe there is still a great deal to learn about these fascinating materials, and am looking forward to continuing my journey in uncovering and making them more accessible to the public.
Abstract The spectral-based photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and leaf surface temperature (Tleaf) derived from thermal imaging are two indicative metrics of plant functioning. The relationship of PRI with radiation-use efficiency (RUE) and Tleaf with leaf transpiration could be leveraged to monitor crop photosynthesis and water use from space. Yet, it is unclear how such relationships will change under future high carbon dioxide concentrations ([CO2]) and drought. Here we established an [CO2] enrichment experiment in which three wheat genotypes were grown at ambient (400?ppm) and elevated (550?ppm) [CO2] and exposed to well-watered and drought conditions in two glasshouse rooms in two replicates. Leaf transpiration (Tr) and latent heat flux (LE) were derived to assess evaporative cooling, and RUE was calculated from assimilation and radiation measurements on several dates along the season. Simultaneous hyperspectral and thermal images were taken at ~ $\unicode{x0007E}$1.5?m from the plants to derive PRI and the temperature difference between the leaf and its surrounding air (? $\unicode{x02206}$Tleaf?air). We found significant PRI and RUE and ? $\unicode{x02206}$Tleaf?air and Tr correlations, with no significant differences among the genotypes. A PRI?RUE decoupling was observed under drought at ambient [CO2] but not at elevated [CO2], likely due to changes in photorespiration. For a LE range of 350?W?m?2, the ?Tleaf?air range was ~ $\unicode{x0007E}$10°C at ambient [CO2] and only ~ $\unicode{x0007E}$4°C at elevated [CO2]. Thicker leaves in plants grown at elevated [CO2] suggest higher leaf water content and consequently more efficient thermoregulation at high [CO2] conditions. In general, Tleaf was maintained closer to the ambient temperature at elevated [CO2], even under drought. PRI, RUE, ?Tleaf?air, and Tr decreased linearly with canopy depth, displaying a single PRI-RUE and ?Tleaf?air Tr model through the canopy layers. Our study shows the utility of these sensing metrics in detecting wheat responses to future environmental changes.
Medical cannabis products contain dozens of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) derived from the cannabis plant. However, their actual compositions and relative doses significantly change according to the production methods. Product compositions are strongly dependent on processing step conditions and on components' evaporation during those steps. Review of the documentation presented to caregivers and to patients show erroneous data or misinterpretation of data related to the evaporation, for example, cannabinoids' boiling points, as well as confusions between terms, such as boiling, vaporization, and evaporation. Clarifying these aspects is essential for caregivers, for researchers, and for developers of manufacturing processes. Original and literature data were analyzed, comparing composition changes during various processing steps and correlating the extent of change to components' vapor pressures at the corresponding temperature. Evaporation-related composition changes start at temperatures as low as those of drying and curing and become extensive during decarboxylation. The relative rate of components' evaporation is determined by their relative vapor pressure and monoterpenes are lost first. On vaping, terpenes are inhaled before cannabinoids do. Commercial medical cannabis products are deficient in terpenes, mainly monoterpenes, compared with the cannabis plants used to produce them. Terms, such as "whole plant" and "full spectrum," are misleading since no product actually reflects the original cannabis plant composition. There are important implications for medical cannabis manufacturing and for the ability to make the most out of the terpene API contribution. Medical cannabis products' composition and product delivery are controlled by the relative vapor pressure of the various APIs. Quantitative data provided in this study can be used for improvement to reach better accuracy, reproducibility, and preferred medical cannabis compositions.
