Tethered agonist exposure in intact adhesion/class B2 GPCRs through intrinsic structural flexibility of the GAIN domain.

Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (aGPCRs)/family B2 GPCRs execute critical tasks during development and the operation of organs, and their genetic lesions are associated with human disorders, including cancers. Exceptional structural aGPCR features are the presence of a tethered agonist (TA) concealed within a GPCR autoproteolysis-inducing (GAIN) domain and their non-covalent heteromeric two-subunit layout. How the TA is poised for activation while maintaining this delicate receptor architecture is central to conflicting signaling paradigms that either involve or exclude aGPCR heterodimer separation.

Risk of chipping or facings failure of metal ceramic fixed partial prostheses--a retrospective data record analysis.

This retrospective study investigated the frequency and time history of chipping or facings failure of three-unit and four-unit tooth-supported metal ceramic (MC) fixed partial prostheses (FPDs). Six hundred fifty-four MC FPDs were inserted according to a standardized treatment protocol at the Department of Prosthodontics of the Regensburg University Medical Center between 1984 and 2009. Frequency and time history of chipping or facings failure as well as possible risk factors were evaluated on the basis of historical clinical data.

Traveling pairs of spots in a periodically driven gas discharge system: collective motion caused by interaction.

We report on a new type of interaction between solitary current density spots observed in an ac-driven gas discharge system. These spots behave as independent particles as long as they are far apart from each other. Upon collision, in most cases one of the spots is extinguished.