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β-Alanine synthase (βAS), which is a dizinc metalloenzyme, catalyzes the irreversible hydrolysis of N-carbamyl-β-alanine (NCβA) to β-alanine. This enzyme has potential applications for β-amino acid production. Understanding the reaction mechanism and selectivity of βAS at atomic details can help design and engineer the enzyme for cascade biocatalysis. Here, the protonation states of two conserved

BACKGROUND: The use of global gene expression profiling is a well established approach to understand biological processes. One of the major goals of these investigations is to identify sets of genes with similar expression patterns. Such gene signatures may be very informative and reveal new aspects of particular biological processes. A logical and systematic next step is to reduce the identified

This article explores the ethics of world heritage (WH) through a cosmopolitan lens. It proposes that cosmopolitanism provides fertile ground for the study of WH, in particular if combined with sensitivity to distinct indigenous ethical and political claims. Underpinning my article is the question of whether the politics of WH, despite its peaceful and universalist intensions, obscures local dispu

The identification of unknown genomic flanking DNA sequences can be used for the molecular monitoring of retro-, lenti- and foamyviral integration, transgenes in early embryogenesis, insertional mutagenesis, cell fate, and stem cell plasticity. Most existing methods reflect shortcomings in sensitivity and or specificity, thus limiting genomic sequencing of unknown flanking DNA to clonal preparatio

Photoluminescence (PL) of organo-metal halide perovskite semiconductors can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude by exposure to visible light. We applied PL microscopy and super-resolution optical imaging to investigate this phenomenon with spatial resolution better than 10 nm using films of CH3NH3PbI3 prepared by the equimolar solution-deposition method, resulting in crystals of different s

In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to study transient CO oxidation over a series of bimetallic Pd-Pt catalysts with different Pd:Pt molar ratios. The catalysts were found to contain both alloyed PdPt nanoparticles (particle sizes 25-35 nm) and monometallic Pd nanoparticles (sizes below 10 nm). For oxygen-free conditions, CO reduces the surface while simultaneously function as

Pentaklorfenol (PCP) är en klorerad aromatisk förening som användes flitigt för att behandla trä mot mikrobiell nedbrytning innan den blev förbjuden på 70-talet. På grund av dess höga löslighet förekommer PCP som en grundvattenförorening kring äldre sågverk. Hjortsberga i södra Sverige är ett exempel på denna typ av förorening och är det område som undersöks i arbetet. Förorenat grundvatten spridsPentachlorophenol (PCP) is a chlorinated aromatic compound that was commonly used for treatment of wood against microbial degradation before it got banned in the 1970s. Due to its solubility in water, PCP is a common groundwater contaminant around old sawmills, for example near Hjortsberga in southern Sweden where this study was performed.. The contaminated groundwater is spreading and leaking int

A co-ordinated series of field experiments were conducted to consider the effects of elevated UV-B radiation applied directly to decomposing plant litter. Betula pubescens was decomposed under ambient and elevated UV-B (simulating a 15% ozone depletion) using outdoor irradiation facilities at Adventdalen, Norway (78° N), Abisko, Sweden (68° N), Amsterdam, The Netherlands (52° N,) and Patras, Greec

Shallow groundwater in unconsolidated sediments represents a substantial water resource in the Chinese Loess Plateau. However, prior to development of the water supply for agriculture, annual and seasonal fluctuation of the recharge mechanism should be clarified. Since the region is arid, the effect of plant water uptake on groundwater fluctuation must also be assessed. A study was therefore under

Despite the abundance of membrane-associated enzymes, the mechanism by which membrane binding stabilizes these enzymes and stimulates their catalysis remains largely unknown. Serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is a lipophilic lactonase whose stability and enzymatic activity are dramatically stimulated when associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. Our mutational and structural analyses, co