Combining Brillouin Light Scattering Spectroscopy and Machine-Learned Interatomic Potentials to Probe Mechanical Properties of Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The mechanical properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are of high fundamental and practical relevance. A particularly intriguing technique for determining anisotropic elastic tensors is Brillouin scattering, which so far has rarely been used for highly complex materials like MOFs. In the present contribution, we apply this technique to study a newly synthesized MOF-type material, referred to as GUT2.

Light-Controlled Secretion and Injection of Proteins into Eukaryotic Cells by Optogenetic Control of the Bacterial Type III Secretion System.

Gram-negative bacteria can use the type III secretion system (T3SS) to inject effector proteins into eukaryotic target cells. In this chapter, we describe the application of a light-controlled T3SS, based on the targeted sequestration of an essential dynamic T3SS component with the help of optogenetic interaction switches. This method enables to control the secretion or injection into eukaryotic cells for a wide range of protein cargos with high temporal and spatial precision.

Yb-doped tapered double-clad fibers with polarization maintenance for half-kW power amplifiers.

Amplifying short pulses directly within a single fiber laser system has proven to be a challenging task, primarily due to thermally induced transverse mode instabilities and detrimental nonlinear effects. Another demanding aspect is preserving the linear polarization state at high power levels, which is even more pronounced for ultra-large-mode area fibers. This study demonstrates significant advancement in the direct amplification of narrow linewidth short pulses from tens of mW to several hundreds of Watts in a single-stage amplification, maintaining a high degree of linear polarization at the maximum output power.

From Fiber Layout to the Sensor: Preparation Methods as Key Factors for High-Quality Coupled-Core-Fiber Sensors.

During recent years, the optical-fiber-based simultaneous sensing of strain and temperature has attracted increased interest for different applications, e.g., in medicine, architecture, and aerospace.

Cytosolic delivery of monobodies using the bacterial type III secretion system inhibits oncogenic BCR: ABL1 signaling.

Background: The inability of biologics to pass the plasma membrane prevents their development as therapeutics for intracellular targets. To address the lack of methods for cytosolic protein delivery, we used the type III secretion system (T3SS) of Y. enterocolitica, which naturally injects bacterial proteins into eukaryotic host cells, to deliver monobody proteins into cancer cells.

Dispersion, ionic bonding and vibrational shifts in phospho-aluminosilicate glasses.

Understanding the relationships between structure and properties of aluminosilicate glasses is of interest in magmatic studies as well as for glass applications as mechanical or optical components. Glass properties may be tailored by the incorporation of additional elements, and here we studied the effect of phosphate incorporation on refractive index and the degree of ionic bonding in aluminosilicate glasses. The studied glasses in the system SiO-AlO-NaO-PO had a metaluminous composition (Al:Na = 1) with the content of SiO ranging from 50 to 70 mol% and of PO from 0 to 7.

Multicentric development and validation of a multi-scale and multi-task deep learning model for comprehensive lower extremity alignment analysis.

Osteoarthritis of the knee, a widespread cause of knee disability, is commonly treated in orthopedics due to its rising prevalence. Lower extremity misalignment, pivotal in knee injury etiology and management, necessitates comprehensive mechanical alignment evaluation via frequently-requested weight-bearing long leg radiographs (LLR). Despite LLR's routine use, current analysis techniques are error-prone and time-consuming.

Rieske Oxygenase-Catalyzed Oxidative Late-Stage Functionalization during Complex Antifungal Polyketide Biosynthesis.

Rieske oxygenases (ROs) from natural product biosynthetic pathways are a poorly studied group of enzymes with significant potential as oxidative functionalization biocatalysts. A study on the ROs JerL, JerP, and AmbP from the biosynthetic pathways of jerangolid A and ambruticin VS-3 is described. Their activity was successfully reconstituted using whole-cell bioconversion systems coexpressing the ROs and their respective natural flavin-dependent reductase (FDR) partners.

preCICE v2: A sustainable and user-friendly coupling library.

preCICE is a free/open-source coupling library. It enables creating partitioned multi-physics simulations by gluing together separate software packages. This paper summarizes the development efforts in preCICE of the past five years.

Intracellular spatially-targeted chemical chaperones increase native state stability of mutant SOD1 barrel.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurological disorder with currently no cure. Central to the cellular dysfunction associated with this fatal proteinopathy is the accumulation of unfolded/misfolded superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) in various subcellular locations. The molecular mechanism driving the formation of SOD1 aggregates is not fully understood but numerous studies suggest that aberrant aggregation escalates with folding instability of mutant apoSOD1.

CAG-Repeat RNA Hairpin Folding and Recruitment to Nuclear Speckles with a Pivotal Role of ATP as a Cosolute.

A hallmark of Huntington's disease (HD) is a prolonged polyglutamine sequence in the huntingtin protein and, correspondingly, an expanded cytosine, adenine, and guanine (CAG) triplet repeat region in the mRNA. A majority of studies investigating disease pathology were concerned with toxic huntingtin protein, but the mRNA moved into focus due to its recruitment to RNA foci and emerging novel therapeutic approaches targeting the mRNA. A hallmark of CAG-RNA is that it forms a stable hairpin in vitro which seems to be crucial for specific protein interactions.

Clinical Effect of Isolated Lateral Closing Wedge Distal Femoral Osteotomy Compared to Medial Opening Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy for the Correction of Varus Malalignment: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Background: Recent evidence questions the role of medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (mowHTO) in the correction of femoral-based varus malalignment because of the potential creation of an oblique knee joint line. However, the clinical effectiveness of alternatively performing an isolated lateral closing wedge distal femoral osteotomy (lcwDFO), in which the mechanical unloading effect in knee flexion may be limited, is yet to be confirmed.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this article was to compare clinical outcomes between patients undergoing varus correction via isolated lcwDFO or mowHTO, performed according to the location of the deformity, in a cohort matched for confounding variables.

Krüppel-like factor 7 influences translation and pathways involved in ribosomal biogenesis in breast cancer.

Background: Ribosomal biogenesis and ribosomal proteins have attracted attention in the context of tumor biology in recent years. Instead of being mere translational machineries, ribosomes might play an active role in tumor initiation and progression. Despite its importance, regulation of ribosomal biogenesis is still not completely understood.

Charge-state resolved laser acceleration of gold ions to beyond 7 MeV/u.

In the past years, the interest in the laser-driven acceleration of heavy ions in the mass range of [Formula: see text] has been increasing due to promising application ideas like the fission-fusion nuclear reaction mechanism, aiming at the production of neutron-rich isotopes relevant for the astrophysical r-process nucleosynthesis. In this paper, we report on the laser acceleration of gold ions to beyond 7 MeV/u, exceeding for the first time an important prerequisite for this nuclear reaction scheme. Moreover, the gold ion charge states have been detected with an unprecedented resolution, which enables the separation of individual charge states up to 4 MeV/u.

Strategies for Isolating and Propagating Circulating Tumor Cells in Men with Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

Selecting a well-suited method for isolating/characterizing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is challenging. Evaluating sensitive and specific markers for prostate cancer (PCa)-specific CTC identification and analysis is crucial. We used the CellCollector EpCAM-functionalized system (CC-EpCAM) and evaluated and developed a PCa-functionalized version (CC-PCa); we then compared CTC isolation techniques that exploit the physical and biological properties of CTCs.

Optogenetics in bacteria - applications and opportunities.

Optogenetics holds the promise of controlling biological processes with superb temporal and spatial resolution at minimal perturbation. Although many of the light-reactive proteins used in optogenetic systems are derived from prokaryotes, applications were largely limited to eukaryotes for a long time. In recent years, however, an increasing number of microbiologists use optogenetics as a powerful new tool to study and control key aspects of bacterial biology in a fast and often reversible manner.

Circadian fluctuations in glucocorticoid level predict perceptual discrimination sensitivity.

Slow neurobiological rhythms, such as the circadian secretion of glucocorticoid (GC) hormones, modulate a variety of body functions. Whether and how endocrine fluctuations also exert an influence on perceptual abilities is largely uncharted. Here, we show that phasic increases in GC availability prove beneficial to auditory discrimination.

Radiation protection modelling for 2.5 Petawatt-laser production of ultrashort x-ray, proton and ion bunches: Monte Carlo model of the Munich CALA facility.

The 'Centre for Advanced Laser Applications' (CALA) is a new research institute for laser-based acceleration of electron beams for brilliant x-ray generation, laser-driven sub-nanosecond bunches of protons and heavy ions for biomedical applications like imaging and tumour therapy as well as for nuclear and high-field physics.The radiation sources emerging from experiments using the up to 2.5 petawatt laser pulses with 25 femtosecond duration will be mixed particle-species of high intensity, high energy and pulsed, thus posing new challenges compared to conventional radiation protection.

A feasibility study of zebrafish embryo irradiation with laser-accelerated protons.

The development from single shot basic laser plasma interaction research toward experiments in which repetition rated laser-driven ion sources can be applied requires technological improvements. For example, in the case of radio-biological experiments, irradiation duration and reproducible controlled conditions are important for performing studies with a large number of samples. We present important technological advancements of recent years at the ATLAS 300 laser in Garching near Munich since our last radiation biology experiment.

Distributed acoustic sensing of microseismic sources and wave propagation in glaciated terrain.

Records of Alpine microseismicity are a powerful tool to study landscape-shaping processes and warn against hazardous mass movements. Unfortunately, seismic sensor coverage in Alpine regions is typically insufficient. Here we show that distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) bridges critical observational gaps of seismogenic processes in Alpine terrain.

LITESEC-T3SS - Light-controlled protein delivery into eukaryotic cells with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Many bacteria employ a type III secretion system (T3SS) injectisome to translocate proteins into eukaryotic host cells. Although the T3SS can efficiently export heterologous cargo proteins, a lack of target cell specificity currently limits its application in biotechnology and healthcare. In this study, we exploit the dynamic nature of the T3SS to govern its activity.

[Right-sided or left-sided donor nephrectomy-is this really relevant?].

Background: In the context of living donation, the protection of the donor and the outcome are very important aspects. However, the side selection of the donor nephrectomy is also decisive. In this work, the basics of side selection and the question of whether there are differences regarding the left-sided or right-sided donor nephrectomy are considered.

Single-center study: The diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for assessing focal splenic lesions compared to CT and MRI.

Background: Frequently focal splenic lesions (FSL) - cysts, hemangioma, hamartoma, metastases or infarction amongst others - are incidentally found within the scope of the sonographic examination of the abdomen. By using native B-mode and Color Doppler the underlying entity often is not elucidated. Thus, more elaborate imaging modalities like CT and MRI scans with their associated risks are used to clarify the entity of FSL.

I-BEAT: Ultrasonic method for online measurement of the energy distribution of a single ion bunch.

The shape of a wave carries all information about the spatial and temporal structure of its source, given that the medium and its properties are known. Most modern imaging methods seek to utilize this nature of waves originating from Huygens' principle. We discuss the retrieval of the complete kinetic energy distribution from the acoustic trace that is recorded when a short ion bunch deposits its energy in water.

Time-of-flight spectrometry of ultra-short, polyenergetic proton bunches.

A common approach for spectrum determination of polyenergetic proton bunches from laser-ion acceleration experiments is based on the time-of-flight (TOF) method. However, spectra obtained using this method are typically given in relative units or are estimated based on some prior assumptions on the energy distribution of the accelerated ions. In this work, we present a new approach using the TOF method that allows for an absolute energy spectrum reconstruction from a current signal acquired with a sub-nanosecond fast and 10 m thin silicon detector.