I think, I missed that one. Could be ambiguous though!
Wednesday, November 06, 2024
Adam Schiff wins race for U.S. Senate seat previously held by Dianne Feinstein
Bad news! This awful, serial liar, who has been fully and openly consumed by the Trump Derangement Syndrome like almost no other member of the U.S. Congress!
79% of Jews voted for Kamala Harris, according to largest preliminary exit poll
So many fools voted for a Jewish husband?
Ignoring the great success of the Abraham Accords delivered by President Trump!
Let's generously assume these poll numbers are seriously flawed!
"... In recent decades, between 20% and 30% of American Jews have supported Republicans in national elections. The GOP hit a high-water mark in 1980, when Ronald Reagan won some 40% of Jewish votes, but the more typical split makes Jews among the most reliably Democratic demographics in the United States. ..."
Israel Defense Force veterans find healing in the wilderness of a Montana ranch
Recommendable! Great idea! Remarkable, to what extra length the IDF typically goes to help veterans!
"... It was the inaugural cohort of Healing in Nature, an Israel-based nonprofit devoted to the wellbeing of IDF combat veteran teams. ..."
Healing in Nature "Providing a special environment for IDF combat veterans"
Trump win lifts Tel Aviv 35 stock Index Index to new record
Will the 47th US President be able to build on his Abraham Accords success!
Not exactly a strong surge! 😊
"The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange rose today. The Tel Aviv 35 Index rose 0.23% to another new record of 2,223.75 points, the Tel Aviv 125 Index rose 0.31% to 2229.49 points ..."
Folgen der US-Wahl: 5 Gründe, wie Präsident Donald Trump dem Klima schaden wird. Wirklich!
So viel Unsinn findet man in der deutschen Presse am Tag nach der US Präsidentenwahl!
Dem Klimawahn in der Bananenrepublik D entkommt keiner! Nicht mal MAGA!
Der Autor Oliver Milman
Was Trump begeistert, bereitet mir Übelkeit: Elon Musks Phallus-Rakete. Wirklich!
Wieder so ein total idiotischer Kommentar aus der Bananenrepublik D! Echt Übel!
Klarer Fall von Trump Derangement Syndrome! Bitte sofort einen Arzt aufsuchen!
Aus Fasching wird Faschisierung! 😊
Ist die Autorin lesbisch, dass ihr der Phallus so nahe und alll gegenwärtig ist?
Die Autorin des Unsinns, Elsa Koester! "Stellvertretende Chefredakteurin, verantwortlich für Online"
Insolvenzen deutscher Unternehmen im Oktober auf höchstem Stand seit 20 Jahren
Neueste Wirtschaftsnachrichten aus der Bananenrepublik D!
Ganz so düster sieht es aber nicht aus verglichen mit den Durchschnitt von 2016-19, siehe Grafik unten.
Toddlers understand concept of possibility
Quite possibly, toddlers are much smarter than we think! 😊
"... The findings, the first to demonstrate that young children distinguish between improbable and impossible events, and learn significantly better after impossible occurrences, are newly published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...
Improbable events might be surprising, but they don't necessarily need any explanation. Impossible events require kids to reevaluate what they thought they knew. ..."
Improbable events might be surprising, but they don't necessarily need any explanation. Impossible events require kids to reevaluate what they thought they knew. ..."
From the abstract:
"From infancy, children show heightened interest in events that are impossible or improbable, relative to likely events. Do young children represent impossible and improbable events as points on a continuum of possibility, or do they instead treat them as categorically distinct? Here, we compared 2- and 3-y-old children’s learning (N = 335) following nearly identical events that were equi-probable, improbable, or impossible. We found that children learned significantly better following impossible than possible events, no matter how unlikely. We conclude that young children distinguish between the impossible and the merely improbable."
Percent of children correctly identifying the Type B object when asked for the blick in the Equi-Probable, Improbable, and Impossible conditions. X-axis indicates probability of drawing a Type B object across conditions.
Nvidia just became the world’s most valuable company at $3.43 trillion
Congratulations! Maybe I need a black leather jacket too? 😊
"Nvidia on Tuesday exceeded Apple’s market capitalization to become the world’s largest company, on the strength of a global AI push. As Bloomberg notes, the chipmaker has experienced an astronomical 850% growth since the tail end of 2022.
Nvidia was valued at $3.43 trillion at the close of market, topping Apple’s $3.38 trillion. This isn’t the first time the two have swapped places; Nvidia also pushed past Apple in June, though it only held the top spot for a day. ..."
"... For reference, that’s more than the GDP of countries like India, the U.K. and France ..."
Has Gorilla Glass abused its dominant position in the EU?
I guess, we will find out more about this Gorilla behind glass! 😊
Is this a gorilla in the room?
"On Wednesday, the European Union opened an investigation of U.S. manufacturer Corning over possible anti-competitive practices. ...
In a press release, the Commission said it’s concerned that Corning may have abused a dominant position for global supply of protective glass screens for handheld electronic devices, which may have resulted in distorted competition. ..."
Sweden, Denmark to Bar Cousins From Marrying like Norway before
Aimed at immigrant foreigners? This is a bit of older news!
"Soon, it will be illegal for cousins in all of Scandinavia to marry each other. Advocates of the move hope more nations follow suit. Last week, Sweden moved to ban cousin marriages starting in 2026, reports the Local, and Denmark announced its own coming ban the following day. Both are following the path of Norway, which instituted a ban earlier this year.
"The material gathered suggests that cousin marriages are often arranged and that the decision on marriage primarily lies with a family or clan and not really an individual choice," ..."
The day Mistress Kamala became a footnote in history!
On election day 2024! Finally! Hopefully, Mistress Kamala will quickly fade away!
Will the Dimocratic Party finally get their act together again!
Footnote: She was the first, black female Vice President of the US and presidential candidate who, as border czar, could not or was unable to protect the US from millions of illegal immigrants to invade the US across the southern border.
Alphabet's Waymo Serving Over 150,000 Paid Robotaxi Rides Every Week Now, Surging 50% In 2 Months and valued at $45 billion
Next time I drive through the Phoenix metro area, I will pay more attention to Waymo! Usually, I see them around the Phoenix Sky Harbor International airport.
Competition like Zoox is trying to catch up!
When will robotaxis be cheaper than owning a car (except perhaps for daily job commute)?
Waymo car in the no parking zone?
Sweden rejects applications for thirteen offshore wind farms, citing security concerns, decides to build more nuclear power plants instead
Security concerns! That is an interesting consideration!
"... Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said at a press conference that the wind farms would make it harder to detect and shoot down missiles using Sweden's Patriot batteries in case of a conflict. ..."
Tuesday, November 05, 2024
How and why Russia is conducting sabotage and hybrid-war offensive against European NATO members
Concerning! Will the ongoing World War III become hotter and expand beyond the Ukraine!
"Across Europe, we’re seeing more confirmed or suspected instances of Russian sabotage. It is part of a broader hybrid war campaign against NATO countries, aimed at eroding support for Ukraine and damaging Western cohesion.
In the US, Russia is refraining from sabotage, but it’s working hard on disinformation.
The head of MI5 warned in October that agents of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, had conducted arson attacks, sabotage and other dangerous actions ‘with increasing recklessness’. ...
The chiefs of Germany’s three intelligence branches echoed these concerns, reporting a ‘quantitative and qualitative’ increase in acts of Russian-sponsored espionage and sabotage in their country. On 22 October, Poland announced it would close the Russian consulate in Poznan due to alleged sabotage attempts. ..."
Carrefour quits Jordan over anti-Israel boycott and closes an estimated 30 stores
Strange things happen in war time! Or was this just an excuse by this well known French retailer to get out of Jordan anyway?
And this in an Arab country that has fairly friendly relations with Israel and despite the Israel–Jordan peace treaty of 1994.
Meanwhile, Carrefour keeps expanding in Israel!
"... Following a boycott of Carrefour in Jordan in protest against its supermarket chain in Israel, the French retail giant has closed all its stores in the Hashemite Kingdom, Carrefour Jordan has announced on its Facebook page, which has 1.1 million followers. ...
Carrefour's decision came in the wake of an orchestrated campaign by the BDS movement over the past year calling on Jordanian consumers to boycott the chain's stores. The campaign was clearly reflected in a significant decline in sales and profits. ...
Today Carrefour opened its 108th store in Israel in Daliyat El-Carmel as it seeks to attract consumers in the Druze community as well as the haredi community. On Friday Carrefour will open its 109th store in Eilat. Later in November, the chain will open three more stores in Bat Yam, Tel Kabir and Netanya. ..."
Carrefour's decision came in the wake of an orchestrated campaign by the BDS movement over the past year calling on Jordanian consumers to boycott the chain's stores. The campaign was clearly reflected in a significant decline in sales and profits. ...
Today Carrefour opened its 108th store in Israel in Daliyat El-Carmel as it seeks to attract consumers in the Druze community as well as the haredi community. On Friday Carrefour will open its 109th store in Eilat. Later in November, the chain will open three more stores in Bat Yam, Tel Kabir and Netanya. ..."
Battery-free bioelectronic implants
Good news! Way to go!
Cells have more mini ‘organs’ than researchers thought − unbound by membranes, these rogue organelles challenge biology’s fundamentals
Very recommendable! Amazing stuff!
"... Membrane-bound organelles were the textbook standard of how scientists thought cells were organized until they realized in the mid-2000s that some organelles don’t need to be wrapped in a membrane. Since then, researchers have discovered many additional membraneless organelles that have significantly changed how biologists think about the chemistry and origins of life. ...
As of 2022, researchers have found about 30 kinds of these membraneless biomolecular condensates. In comparison, there are around a dozen known traditional membrane-bound organelles.
Although easy to identify once you know what you are looking for, it’s difficult to figure out what biomolecular condensates exactly do. Some have well-defined roles, such as forming reproductive cells, stress granules and protein-making ribosomes. However, many others don’t have clear functions. ...
The proteins that form biomolecular condensates at least partially break this rule since they contain regions that are disordered, meaning they do not have defined shapes. When researchers discovered these so-called intrinsically disordered proteins, or IDPs, in the early 1980s, they were initially confounded by how these proteins could lack a strong structure but still perform specific functions.
Later, they found that IDPs tend to form condensates. ...
Researchers have also detected biomolecular condensates in prokaryotic, or bacterial, cells, which traditionally were defined as not containing organelles. This finding could have profound effects on how scientists understand the biology of prokaryotic cells.
Only about 6% of bacterial proteins have disordered regions lacking structure, compared with 30% to 40% of eukaryotic, or nonbacterial, proteins. But scientists have found several biomolecular condensates in prokaryotic cells that are involved a variety of cellular functions, including making and breaking down RNAs. ...
With the discovery that RNAs can spontaneously form biomolecular condensates, lipids [for cell membranes] wouldn’t be needed to form protocells. ..."
Inclusion bodies, stained magenta in this micrograph of herpesvirus 6, are aggregates of proteins that form a type of biomolecular condensate.
Only 5.3% of welders in the US are women. After years as a writing professor, I became one
What does gender equality with respect to jobs mean? Best jobs for women and dirty/worst jobs for men? Just pondering ...
Men watch out in the battle of the sexes! 😊
This woman is certainly an exception!
"Although I have a good gig as a full professor at Iowa State University, I’ve daydreamed about learning a trade – something that required both my mind and my hands. ..."
Which male welder wears a protective gear like this? "The author welds a headboard. Jo Mackiewicz"
How Native Americans guarded their societies against tyranny. Really!
Another noble savage story?
Did the French explorer La Salle even understand the native languages? Maybe in these "important meetings" they were discussing the next wedding or a festival or some other trivial matter.
How peaceful were the Native Americans really? How much do we really know about their warfare or lack thereof among each other?
"... These societies intentionally created balanced power structures. For example, the oral history of the Osage Nation records that it once had one great chief who was a military leader, but its council of elder spiritual leaders, known as the “Little Old Men,” decided to balance that chief’s authority with that of another hereditary chief, who would be responsible for keeping peace. ...
The Haudenosaunee Great Law holds a royaner to a high standard: “The thickness of their skin shall be seven spans – which is to say that they shall be proof against anger, offensive actions and criticism. Their hearts shall be full of peace and good will.” In council, “all their words and actions shall be marked by calm deliberation.” ...
The French explorer La Salle in 1678 noted with admiration of the Haudenosaunee that “in important meetings, they discuss without raising their voices and without getting angry.” ..."
Traurig-amtlich aber wahr: „#Besser ohne Messer!“
Mit Plakaten und Schildern gegen Gewaltverbrecher? Typisch Bananenrepublik D.! Fehlen nur noch die Samthandschuhe!
Schildbürger Treiben im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes!
Man staune, 13% der Tatverdächtigen sind Frauen?
"... Konkret: 2023 waren es 293 Straftaten an Schulen mit Stichwaffen; 2022 gab es 193 Fälle. Überhaupt ist in NRW 2023 insgesamt die Zahl der Messer-Straftaten um fast 50 Prozent gestiegen.
Gab es 2022 laut polizeilicher Kriminalstatistik (PKS) 4191 Messerdelikte, waren es 2023 bereits 6221. 15 solchermaßen Ermordete waren es 2023. Jeder dritte Tatverdächtige ist dabei unter 21 Jahre alt; knapp 87 Prozent sind männlich. Mit 47,4 Prozent hat fast die Hälfte der 5686 mutmaßlichen Täter keinen deutschen Pass. ..."
Gab es 2022 laut polizeilicher Kriminalstatistik (PKS) 4191 Messerdelikte, waren es 2023 bereits 6221. 15 solchermaßen Ermordete waren es 2023. Jeder dritte Tatverdächtige ist dabei unter 21 Jahre alt; knapp 87 Prozent sind männlich. Mit 47,4 Prozent hat fast die Hälfte der 5686 mutmaßlichen Täter keinen deutschen Pass. ..."
Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif Confirmed As 'Biological Male' In Leaked Medical Report
Will he lose his gold medal now!
Perhaps, this is only a foretaste of transgender athletes trying to enter future Olympic Games.
How many were and who was involved in this cover up, e.g. his Algerian team etc.
Trump election win would be 'calamitous' for Australian trade: experts. Really!
What kind of experts are these! Maybe experts in making jokes and silly comments!
Kangaroos are having a good laugh and they are holding their belly!
"With the U.S. presidential election just days away, Australian officials and industry are bracing for the potential economic impact if Republican candidate Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Trump, who polls show is in a tight race against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, has pledged to raise tariffs on Chinese goods to 60% and to hit other partners with tariffs of 10% to 20%, moves that analysts say would hurt Australia's key commodity exports. ..."
Is It AI? Peer Reviewers Struggle to Distinguish large language models (LLMs) From Human Writing
Signs of our times!
Perhaps essay contests and the like are fast becoming obsolete in the age of AI!
"A team ... by hosting an essay contest for the journal Stroke that included both AI and human submissions. The researchers found that reviewers struggled to accurately distinguish human from AI essays when authorship was blinded. ..."
Asylunterkünfte als Goldgrube: Britischer Unternehmer auf dem Weg zum Milliardär
Es gibt mehrere Wege reich zu werden!
"... Der 57 Jahre alte Unternehmer, dessen Familie von der Insel in Essex stammt, begann dort mit einem Campingwagen-Ferienpark und einem Taxiunternehmen, bevor er mit Diskotheken Geld verdiente und 1999 groß ins Immobilienbusiness einstieg. Dort hat er sich eine goldene Nase verdient. Die „Sunday Times“ schätzte sein Vermögen zuletzt auf 750 Millionen Pfund (900 Millionen Euro). Er befindet sich nun auf bestem Wege, Milliardär zu werden. Zu einem guten Teil verdankt er den sensationellen Aufstieg den Verträgen mit dem Innenministerium, das für die Unterbringung von Migranten zahlt, während die Asylanträge geprüft werden. 2019 gewann King einen ersten Milliardenauftrag für Asylunterkünfte in England und Wales. ..."
You can get a 50% off Lyft for a ride to the polls
Great advertisement campaign by Lyft!
Monday, November 04, 2024
From the archives: The eclectic Quincy Delight Jones
R.I.P. Recommendable! He certainly delighted us with his music!
Next big thing in AI: agents
Run for cover, the agents are coming for you! Just kidding! 😊
"These are AI assistants that can complete complex chains of tasks, such as booking flights. ...
OpenAI’s strategy is to both build agents itself and allow developers to use its software to build their own agents, says Godement. Voice will play an important role in what agents will look and feel like. ..."
“Fast-forward a few years—every human on Earth, every business, has an agent. That agent knows you extremely well. It knows your preferences,” ... The agent will have access to your emails [???], apps, and calendars and will act like a chief of staff, interacting with each of these tools and even working on long-term problems, such as writing a paper on a particular topic ...
Here is an article on this subject that I am currently reading by Chelsea Finn and others:
Chemists just broke a 100-year-old rule and say it's time to rewrite the textbooks
Some rules can be broken! Sometimes it takes longer!
"A new study by UCLA organic chemists shows how to create several types of molecules that violate Bredt’s rule, known as anti-Bredt olefins (ABOs). Many modern textbooks and online resources describe ABOs as being “too unstable to form” or “forbidden”. The research provides chemists with practical methods to synthesize and utilize ABOs in reactions, 100 years after “Bredt’s Rule” originated. ...
Key takeaways
- According to Bredt’s rule, double bonds cannot exist at certain positions on organic molecules if the molecule’s geometry deviates too far from what we learn in textbooks.
- This rule has constrained chemists for a century.
- A new paper in Science shows how to make molecules that violate Bredt’s rule, allowing chemists to find practical ways to make and use them in reactions.
..."
From the editor's summary and abstract:
"Editor’s summary
One hundred years ago, Julius Bredt published an observation that certain molecules that constrained several adjacent carbon centers in a particular nonplanar arrangement could not form double bonds between them. These hypothetical double bonds became known as “anti-Bredt” olefins, and the doctrine that they were inaccessible remains widespread even with the occasional hint to the contrary. McDermott et al. now report a general strategy to prepare these olefins as fleeting intermediates that can be captured in cycloaddition reactions. The protocol relies on the driving force of silicon-fluorine bond formation from a precursor, which is akin to approaches used to access strained aromatics. ...
Structured Abstract
INTRODUCTION
The π-bonds in unsaturated organic molecules are typically associated with having well-defined geometries that are conserved across diverse structural contexts. Nonetheless, these geometries can be distorted, leading to heightened reactivity of the π-bond. Although π-bond–containing compounds with bent geometries are well utilized in synthetic chemistry, the corresponding leveraging of π-bond–containing compounds that display twisting or pyramidalization remains underdeveloped. One of the most notorious classes of π-bond–containing compounds that feature twisting and pyramidalization are anti-Bredt olefins (ABOs), which conventional wisdom maintains are difficult or impossible to access. We sought to realize a solution to the long-standing problem of synthesizing and manipulating ABOs.
RATIONALE
The study of ABOs began at the dawn of the 20th century with Julius Bredt’s derivatization studies of the camphane and pinane ring systems. These studies eventually led to Bredt’s 1924 conclusion that a carbon-carbon double bond could not arise from the branching positions of the carbon bridge, which is now known as “Bredt’s rule” in the context of strained systems. Despite Bredt’s conclusion, many endeavors toward generating ABOs transiently have been made over the past century. These studies support the existence of ABOs but also suggest that ABOs are often unstable and prone to decomposition. ABOs are still often considered inaccessible synthetic intermediates per modern resources. A solution to the long-standing problem of accessing and intercepting ABOs would challenge Bredt’s rule, provide a new entryway to access substituted bridged bicycles, and highlight the potential of strategically leveraging geometrically distorted alkenes for use in chemical synthesis.
RESULTS
Inspired by the Kobayashi approach toward benzyne and its successful application to other strained intermediates, we evaluated silyl (pseudo)halide precursors to a number of different ABOs. Treatment of these precursors with a fluoride source, such as Bu4NF or CsF/Bu4NBr, in the presence of a suitable trapping agent, led to cycloadducts indicative of an ABO being generated in situ and undergoing trapping. This strategy was applied to several bicyclic ring systems, such as [3.2.1], [2.2.2], and [2.2.1] ABOs. In all cases, we evaluated the geometric distortion associated with the ABO π-bond using density functional theory computations, showing that the alkenes of ABOs indeed display twisting and pyramidalization. In the context of a [2.2.1] ABO, we show that this geometrically distorted structure could be used in a variety of trapping experiments, including (4+2), (2+2), (3+2), and (5+2) cycloadditions. These trapping experiments show that ABOs can provide access to structurally complex products, including those that bear functional handles poised for further manipulation.
Computational studies were performed to better understand the high reactivity of ABOs, with a focus on the [2.2.1] bicyclic structure. These studies support the notion that ABOs have distinctly olefinic character and react in a concerted asynchronous cycloaddition with dienes such as anthracene. Stereochemical studies on the [2.2.2] bicyclic system show that point chirality present in a precursor can be transmitted to deliver point chirality in a cycloadduct by way of an axially chiral intermediate. This provides experimental support for the olefinic character present in ABOs.
CONCLUSION
These studies show that highly strained ABOs can be made and intercepted in situ, thus providing a solution to the long-standing problem of ABO generation and trapping. Additionally, our findings highlight the potential of strategically leveraging the heightened reactivity of geometrically distorted alkenes for broad use in synthesis."
Organic chemists take on “Bredt’s Rule” 100 years later (original news release)
Summary of Bredt’s original findings from the early 1900s and the establishment of Bredt’s rule (left). Examples of ABOs synthesized in this study, all of which were validated through trapping experiments (right, top). Transfer of point chirality in a precursor to point chirality in the product by way of an axially chiral intermediate provides experimental evidence for the intermediacy of the twisted [2.2.2] ABO (right, bottom). Me, methyl; DMF, N,N′-dimethylformamide; ee, enantiomeric excess.
Muscle memory: A long break from exercise has little impact on strength
Good to know! Or why the Finnish people love sauna! Just kidding!
"... Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä's Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences in Finland found surprising results in their study, which looked into how taking a 10-week break in the middle of a 20-week resistance-training schedule affected muscle size and strength loss. ...
What they found was surprising: while muscle size declined, strength didn't slip as much as expected, and once the workout routine resumed after the break, it took just a couple of weeks to be back to where they were before their 'gym holiday.' ..."
What they found was surprising: while muscle size declined, strength didn't slip as much as expected, and once the workout routine resumed after the break, it took just a couple of weeks to be back to where they were before their 'gym holiday.' ..."
From the abstract:
"We aimed to compare the effects of periodic resistance training (RT) and continuous RT on muscle strength and size. Fifty-five healthy, untrained participants (age 32 ± 5 years) were randomized to periodic (PRT, n = 20 completed the study, 45% females) or continuous (CRT, n = 22 completed the study, 45% females) groups. PRT completed a 10-week RT, a 10-week detraining, and a second identical 10-week RT. CRT began with a 10-week non-RT, followed by a 20-week RT. RT included twice-weekly supervised whole-body RT sessions. Leg press (LP) and biceps curl (BC) one repetition maximum (1RM), countermovement jump (CMJ) height, muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) of vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps brachii (BB) using ultrasound imaging were measured twice at the beginning and every fifth week during the intervention. Both groups increased (p < 0.001) 1RM in LP and BC, CSA in VL and BB, and CMJ height with no differences between the groups. In PRT, 1RM in LP and BC, CSA in VL and BB, and CMJ height decreased during detraining (p < 0.05). During the first 5 weeks of retraining in PRT, increases in LP 1RM, and VL and BB CSA were greater than in CRT during Weeks 10–15 of their CRT (p < 0.01). PRT and CTR ended up in similar postintervention adaptations, as decreased muscle strength and size during detraining in PRT regained rapidly during retraining. Our results therefore suggest that trainees should not be too concerned about occasional short-term training breaks in their daily lives when it comes to lifelong strength training."
The human spliceosome: Decade-long study reveals first blueprint of the most complex molecular machine inside every cell
Amazing stuff!
"... The blueprint reveals that individual components of the spliceosome are far more specialized than previously thought. Many of these components have not been considered for drug development before because their specialized functions were unknown. The discovery can unlock new treatments that are more effective and have fewer side effects. ...
The spliceosome is the collection of 150 different proteins and five small RNA molecules which orchestrate the editing process, but until now, the specific roles of its numerous components were not fully understood. The team at the CRG altered the expression of 305 spliceosome-related genes in human cancer cells one by one, observing the effects on splicing across the entire genome. ..."
From the editor's summary and abstract:
"Editor’s summary
Nucleated cells have evolved a complex molecular machinery to remove internal sequences known as introns from the primary RNA transcripts of genes. This splicing process is necessary for the translation of gene messages into proteins and allows the production of alternative mRNAs and proteins from individual genes. After individually lowering the expression of more than 300 genes encoding components of the intron-removing machinery, Rogalska et al. analyzed the effects on alternative RNA splicing and inferred functional similarities and mutual influences. The spliceosome’s intricate complexity provides multiple built-in regulatory mechanisms, and these results offer a resource with which to determine their operation in physiology and disease. ...
Abstract
The spliceosome is the complex molecular machinery that sequentially assembles on eukaryotic messenger RNA precursors to remove introns (pre-mRNA splicing), a physiologically regulated process altered in numerous pathologies. We report transcriptome-wide analyses upon systematic knock down of 305 spliceosome components and regulators in human cancer cells and the reconstruction of functional splicing factor networks that govern different classes of alternative splicing decisions. The results disentangle intricate circuits of splicing factor cross-regulation, reveal that the precise architecture of late-assembling U4/U6.U5 tri–small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) complexes regulates splice site pairing, and discover an unprecedented division of labor among protein components of U1 snRNP for regulating exon definition and alternative 5′ splice site selection. Thus, we provide a resource to explore physiological and pathological mechanisms of splicing regulation."
First blueprint of the human spliceosome (original news release)
Christian Lindner blamiert sich wie selten ein Politiker zuvor
Wann wird die FDP endlich diesen Ziegenbock und Witzfigur los!
Plants Absorb 31% More CO2 Than Previously Estimated
This is a huge correction!
We do not even know how much CO2 is absorbed by plants!
Global Warming is a hoax and Climate Change is a religion!
"... Key to the new estimate is better representation of a process called mesophyll diffusion — how OCS and CO2 move from leaves into chloroplasts where carbon fixation occurs. Understanding mesophyll diffusion is essential to figuring out how efficiently plants are conducting photosynthesis, and even how they might adapt to changing environments. ..."
"Plants the world over are absorbing about 31% more carbon dioxide than previously thought, according to a new assessment developed by scientists. The research, detailed in the journal Nature, is expected to improve Earth system simulations that scientists use to predict the future climate, and spotlights the importance of natural carbon sequestration for greenhouse gas mitigation. ...
Pan-tropical rainforests accounted for the biggest difference between previous estimates and the new figures, a finding that was corroborated by ground measurements, Gu said. The discovery suggests that rainforests are a more important natural carbon sink than previously estimated using satellite data. ..."
From the abstract:
"Terrestrial photosynthesis, or gross primary production (GPP), is the largest carbon flux in the biosphere, but its global magnitude and spatiotemporal dynamics remain uncertain. The global annual mean GPP is historically thought to be around 120 PgC yr−1, which is about 30–50 PgC yr−1 lower than GPP inferred from the oxygen-18 (18O) isotope and soil respiration. This disparity is a source of uncertainty in predicting climate–carbon cycle feedbacks. Here we infer GPP from carbonyl sulfide, an innovative tracer for CO2 diffusion from ambient air to leaf chloroplasts through stomata and mesophyll layers. We demonstrate that explicitly representing mesophyll diffusion is important for accurately quantifying the spatiotemporal dynamics of carbonyl sulfide uptake by plants. From the estimate of carbonyl sulfide uptake by plants, we infer a global contemporary GPP of 157 (±8.5) PgC yr−1, which is consistent with estimates from 18O (150–175 PgC yr−1) and soil respiration (PgC yr−1), but with an improved confidence level. Our global GPP is higher than satellite optical observation-driven estimates (120–140 PgC yr–1) that are used for Earth system model benchmarking. This difference predominantly occurs in the pan-tropical rainforests and is corroborated by ground measurements, suggesting a more productive tropics than satellite-based GPP products indicated. As GPP is a primary determinant of terrestrial carbon sinks and may shape climate trajectories, our findings lay a physiological foundation on which the understanding and prediction of carbon–climate feedbacks can be advanced."
Plant CO2 uptake rises by nearly one third in new global estimates (original news release)
Terrestrial photosynthesis inferred from plant carbonyl sulfide uptake (no public access)
Diabetes risk soars for adults whose mums ate a high-sugar diet during pregnancy, but only during rationing of sugar
The original title of the article is kind of lame! Do not almost all kids have a sweet tooth at some point?
This seems to be a typical article to use an obscure study to demonize sugar!
This article also uses the terrible, ideological expression "pregnant people"!
From the abstract:
"We examined the impact of sugar exposure within 1000 days since conception on diabetes and hypertension, leveraging quasi-experimental variation from the end of the United Kingdom’s sugar rationing in September 1953. Rationing restricted sugar intake to levels within current dietary guidelines, yet consumption nearly doubled immediately post-rationing. Using an event study design with UK Biobank data comparing adults conceived just before or after rationing ended, we found that early-life rationing reduced diabetes and hypertension risk by about 35% and 20%, respectively, and delayed disease onset by 4 and 2 years. Protection was evident with in-utero exposure and increased with postnatal sugar restriction, especially after six months when solid foods likely began. In-utero sugar rationing alone accounted for about one third of the risk reduction."
A Malaria-Free Egypt
Good news! The pharaohs are smiling!
"Malaria was detected in Egypt as early as 4000 BCE, and ~100 years ago, it had a 40% prevalence rate in the country. But in October, the WHO declared the country malaria-free, following decades of effort. Key interventions included free malaria diagnosis and treatment for all residents, malaria detection training, and ongoing surveillance and vector management.
“Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus."
Robotergestütztes Laserverfahren ermöglicht schonende Kraniotomie im Wachzustand
Gute Nachrichten!
Im optischen System des STELLA-Applikators werden der Schneidlaser- und OCT-Messstrahl überlagert, fokussiert und über ein 2D-Galvoscannersystem entlang der Schnittlinie geführt.
Sunday, November 03, 2024
Woman Held by Illegal Alien Creates Ruse to Reach Police, Tells 911: "I'd Like to Order a Pizza"
What a story! She was smart!
Female hot air balloon pilot in Turkey is a pioneer of the skies
Recommendable! Drifting over the marvelous landscape of Cappadocia!
US Oil Industry Innovations Pump Up Profits
Very recommendable! Good news for Donald Trump and the drill, baby, drill!
Costco is the largest and one of the cheapest dispensers of hearing aids
Listen up! I always wondered why my hearing as a member of Costco was so excellent! Just kidding!
So Costco offers more than cheap glasses and eye exams! 😊
"$1,500
Starting cost for a pair of hearing aids from Costco. Hearing aids from an audiologist clinic can cost anywhere from $3,500 to $7,000 a pair. Affordable prices, a generous return policy and good customer service have made the big-box chain the country’s largest dispenser of hearing aids behind the Department of Veterans Affairs."
Aluminium oxide reveals its surface secrets
Amazing stuff!
"Determining the surface structure of an insulating material is a difficult task, but it is important for understanding its chemical and physical properties. A team of researchers in Austria has now succeeded in doing just this for the technologically important insulator aluminium oxide (Al2O3). The team’s new images – obtained using non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) – not only reveal the material’s surface structure but also explain why a simple cut through a crystal is not energetically favourable for the material and leads to a complex rearrangement of the surface.
Al2O3 is an excellent insulator and is routinely employed in many applications ...
The problem is that while non-contact AFM can identify where the atoms are located, it cannot distinguish between the different elements making up a compound. Balajka, Hütner and colleagues overcame this problem by modifying the tip and attaching a single oxygen atom to it. The oxygen atoms on the surface of the sample being studied repel this oxygen atom, while its aluminium atoms attract it. ..."
"Aluminum oxide (Al2O3), also known as alumina, corundum, sapphire, or ruby, is one of the best insulators used in a wide range of applications ...
The strongly insulating nature of alumina hindered experimental studies, and the surface structure evaded precise determination for more than half a century. ..."
The strongly insulating nature of alumina hindered experimental studies, and the surface structure evaded precise determination for more than half a century. ..."
From the editor's summary and abstract:
"Editor’s summary
Noncontact atomic force microscopy and density functional theory were used to determine the origin of the massive surface rearrangement of the (0001) surface of aluminum oxide. Previous studies had suggested that the surface loses oxygen atoms and has a metallic character, but Hütner et al. show that the complex (×)R ± 9° reconstruction is nearly stoichiometric ... Imaging determined the lateral atomic positions, and theory shows that aluminum rehybridization allows bonding to subsurface oxygen atoms, which greatly stabilizes the reconstruction. ...
Abstract
Macroscopic properties of materials stem from fundamental atomic-scale details, yet for insulators, resolving surface structures remains a challenge. We imaged the basal (0001) plane of α–aluminum oxide (α-Al2O3) using noncontact atomic force microscopy with an atomically defined tip apex. The surface formed a complex (×)R±9° reconstruction. The lateral positions of the individual oxygen and aluminum surface atoms come directly from experiment; we determined with computational modeling how these connect to the underlying crystal bulk. Before the restructuring, the surface Al atoms assume an unfavorable, threefold planar coordination; the reconstruction allows a rehybridization with subsurface O that leads to a substantial energy gain. The reconstructed surface remains stoichiometric, Al2O3."
The insulator unraveled (original news release) "Scientists at the TU Wien and the University of Vienna have uncovered the detailed structure of the aluminum oxide surface, a challenge that has baffled researchers for decades."
Stoichiometric reconstruction of the Al2O3(0001) surface (no public access)
The structure of the aluminum oxide surface was determined with noncontact atomic force microscopy and computational modeling
Hunting Down Giant Viruses That Attack Tiny Algae potentially threatening Earth's oxygen production
Horror stories from the oceans! What kind of symbiosis is this?
"... Giant viruses inhabiting the oceans infect, among others, various species of single-celled algae, photosynthetic organisms that are responsible for about half of the Earth’s oxygen production and around half of the global carbon fixation. Viral infection can cause a rapid collapse of algal blooms – accumulations of algae stretching across tens of thousands of kilometers in the ocean – and this can, in turn, substantially affect extensive marine, atmospheric and terrestrial ecosystems. ..."
From the abstract:
"Giant viruses (phylum Nucleocytoviricota) are globally distributed in aquatic ecosystems. They play fundamental roles as evolutionary drivers of eukaryotic plankton and regulators of global biogeochemical cycles. However, we lack knowledge about their native hosts, hindering our understanding of their life cycle and ecological importance. In the present study, we applied a single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) approach to samples collected during an induced algal bloom, which enabled pairing active giant viruses with their native protist hosts. We detected hundreds of single cells from multiple host lineages infected by diverse giant viruses. These host cells included members of the algal groups Chrysophycae and Prymnesiophycae, as well as heterotrophic flagellates in the class Katablepharidaceae. Katablepharids were infected with a rare Imitervirales-07 giant virus lineage expressing a large repertoire of cell-fate regulation genes. Analysis of the temporal dynamics of these host–virus interactions revealed an important role for the Imitervirales-07 in controlling the population size of the host Katablepharid population. Our results demonstrate that scRNA-seq can be used to identify previously undescribed host–virus interactions and study their ecological importance and impact."
Single-cell RNA-seq of the rare virosphere reveals the native hosts of giant viruses in the marine environment (no public access)
How blooms collapse: Four giant hexagon-shaped viruses that multiplied within a single-celled alga (rough texture on the right) are about to infect other algal cells. Three viruses are intact and ready for action, and one (white) lacks DNA.
The line connecting a giant virus to a tiny alga: Families of single-celled algae (left) and the giant viruses (right) that they host, as discovered in the study
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