β-barrel proteins dictate the effect of core oligosaccharide composition on outer membrane mechanics.

The outer membrane is the defining structure of Gram-negative bacteria. We previously demonstrated that it is a major load-bearing component of the cell envelope and is therefore critical to the mechanical robustness of the bacterial cell. Here, to determine the key molecules and moieties within the outer membrane that underlie its contribution to cell envelope mechanics, we measured cell-envelope stiffness across several sets of mutants with altered outer-membrane sugar content, protein content, and electric charge.

β-barrel proteins dictate the effect of core oligosaccharide composition on outer membrane mechanics.

Unlabelled: The outer membrane is the defining structure of Gram-negative bacteria. We previously demonstrated that it is critical for the mechanical integrity of the cell envelope and therefore to the robustness of the bacterial cell as a whole. Here, to determine the key molecules and moieties within the outer membrane that underlie its contribution to cell envelope mechanics, we measured cell-envelope stiffness across several sets of mutants with altered outer-membrane sugar content, protein content, and electric charge.

Design, Construction, and Test of Compact, Distributed-Charge, X-Band Accelerator Systems that Enable Image-Guided, VHEE FLASH Radiotherapy.

The design and optimization of laser-Compton x-ray systems based on compact distributed charge accelerator structures can enable micron-scale imaging of disease and the concomitant production of beams of Very High Energy Electrons (VHEEs) capable of producing FLASH-relevant dose rates. The physics of laser-Compton x-ray scattering ensures that the scattered x-rays follow exactly the trajectory of the incident electrons, thus providing a route to image-guided, VHEE FLASH radiotherapy. The keys to a compact architecture capable of producing both laser-Compton x-rays and VHEEs are the use of X-band RF accelerator structures which have been demonstrated to operate with over 100 MeV/m acceleration gradients.