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Sorghum, a short‐day tropical plant, has been adapted for temperate grain production, in particular through the selection of variants at the MATURITY loci (Ma1–Ma6) that reduce photoperiod sensitivity. Ma3 encodes phytochrome B (phyB), a red/far‐red photochromic biliprotein photoreceptor. The multi‐domain gene product, comprising 1178 amino acids, autocatalytically binds the phytochromobilin chromophore to form the photoactive holophytochrome (Sb.phyB). This study describes the development of an efficient heterologous overproduction system which allows the production of large quantities of various holoprotein constructs, along with purification and crystallization procedures. Crystals of the Pr (red‐light‐absorbing) forms of NPGP, PGP and PG (residues 1–655, 114–655 and 114–458, respectively), each C‐terminally tagged with His6, were successfully produced. While NPGP crystals did not diffract, those of PGP and PG diffracted to 6 and 2.1 Å resolution, respectively. Moving the tag to the N‐terminus and replacing phytochromobilin with phycocyanobilin as the ligand produced PG crystals that diffracted to 1.8 Å resolution. These results demonstrate that the diffraction quality of challenging protein crystals can be improved by removing flexible regions, shifting fusion tags and altering small‐molecule ligands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares a selection of recent German literary representations of cycling in the context of contemporary discourses of slow travel, with a particular focus on themes of happiness and emotional authenticity. It seeks to expand the framework of discussions of slow travel with a comparative focus on four novels: Der Mann auf dem Hochrad ('The Man on the Penny Farthing', 1984) by Uwe Timm, Im Sommer wieder Fahrrad ('I'll Cycle Again in the Summer', 2016) by Lea Streisand, Im Feld ('In the Field', 2018) by Joachim Zelter and Neujahr ('New Year', 2018) by Juli Zeh. The article surveys the cultural history of cycling, and pays attention to the status of cycling in German society and culture. Drawing on the work of John Day, Valeria Luiselli, Erling Kagge and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, it presents a reading of the texts' treatment of cycling as performance within a broader reflection upon slow travel as a nonfunctional, affective and authentic practice is experienced as a contrast to everyday life. Keywords cylcing, cycling in Germany, cycling in literature, German literature, travel writing, slow travel, Uwe Timm, Lea Streisand, Joachim Zelter, Juli Zeh, history of sport, history of leisure, tourism in literature, emotions in literature, happiness in literature, psychology and literature, This article compares a selection of recent German literary representations of cycling, a form of transport that, I shall argue, deserves a place in contemporary discourses of slow travel. As [...]

This article comparatively assesses the representation of workers' leisure in Berlin in three significant examples of experimental German cinema from the late Weimar Republic: Mutter Krausens Fahrt ins Glück (Mother Krause's Journey to Happiness, dir. Piel Jutzi, 1929), Menschen am Sonntag (People on Sunday, dir. Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer, 1930), and Kuhle Wampe oder Wem gehört die Welt? (Kuhle Wampe or Who Owns the World?, dir. Slatan Dudow, 1932). There are distinct thematic and formal parallels between this set of nearly contemporaneous, generically hybrid films, and the article assesses the inter-related functions of time and space in the films' depiction of leisure experiences in Berlin. Focal points include the depiction of urban space, especially the tenement block and the 'semi-public' space of the courtyard; the Freibad or lakeside bathing resort; the worker sports movement; and the comparative relevance of the work of the Berlin artist Heinrich Zille. The article approaches the films in the historical context of the workers' movement and working-class culture, and is further informed by insights into urban space developed within the sociological discipline of leisure studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both thermally stable states of phytochrome, Pr and Pfr, have been studied by [sup.13]C and [sup.15]N cross-polarization (CP) magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR using cyanobacterial (Cphl) and plant (phyA) phytochrome sensory modules containing uniformly [sup.13]C and [sup.15]N-labeled bilin chromophores. Two-dimensional homo- and heteronudear experiments allowed most of the [sup.13]C chemical shifts to be assigned in both states. Chemical shift differences reflect changes of the electronic structure of the cofactor at the atomic level as well as its interactions with the chromophore-binding pocket. The chromophore in cyanobacterial and plant phytochromes shows very similar features in the respective Pr and Pfr states. The data are interpreted in terms of a strengthened hydrogen bond at the ring D carbonyl. The red shift in the Pfr state is explained by the increasing length of the conjugation network beyond ring C including the entire ring D. Enhanced conjugation within the [pi]-osystem stabilizes the more tensed chromophore in the Pfr state. Concomitant changes at the ring C propionate carboxylate and the ring D carbonyl are explained by a loss of hydrogen bonding to Cph1-His-290 and transmittance of conformational changes to the ring C propionate via a water network. These and other conformational changes may lead to modified surface interactions, e.g., along the tongue region contacting the bilin chromophore. photornorphogenesis | photoreceptors | chromophore-protein interaction phycocyanobilin | solid-state NMR

The chief executive officer (CEO) and board of directors of ExxonMobil, known as Esso in the U.K., made a determined effort between 1998 and 2004 to mislead and deceive the world by conveying a false impression about the truth of climate change. ExxonMobil employed a strategy of disinformation, similar to the campaign used by tobacco firms since the mid-1950s, to create uncertainty over the scientific consensus on global warming.

The recent influx of genomic data has provided greater insights into the molecular basis for regressive evolution, or vestigialization, through gene loss and pseudogenization. As such, the analysis of gene degradation patterns has the potential to provide insights into the evolutionary history of regressed anatomical traits. We specifically applied these principles to the xenarthran radiation (anteaters, sloths, armadillos), which is characterized by taxa with a gradation in regressed dental phenotypes. Whether the pattern among extant xenarthrans is due to an ancient and gradual decay of dental morphology or occurred repeatedly in parallel is unknown. We tested these competing hypotheses by examining 11 core dental genes in most living species of Xenarthra, characterizing shared inactivating mutations and patterns of relaxed selection during their radiation. Here we report evidence of independent and distinct events of dental gene loss in the major xenarthran subclades. First, we found strong evidence of complete enamel loss in the common ancestor of sloths and anteaters, suggested by the inactivation of five enamel-associated genes (AMELX, AMTN, MMP20, ENAM, ACP4). Next, whereas dental regression appears to have halted in sloths, presumably a critical event that ultimately permitted adaptation to an herbivorous lifestyle, anteaters continued losing genes on the path towards complete tooth loss. Echoes of this event are recorded in the genomes of all living anteaters, being marked by a 2-bp deletion in a gene critical for dentinogenesis (DSPP) and a putative shared 1-bp insertion in a gene linked to tooth retention (ODAPH). By contrast, in the two major armadillo clades, genes pertaining to the dento-gingival junction and amelogenesis appear to have been independently inactivated prior to losing all or some enamel. These genomic data provide evidence for multiple pathways and rates of anatomical regression, and underscore the utility of using pseudogenes to reconstruct evolutionary history when fossils are sparse.

The aims of this study were to: (a) determine the seasonal variation of physical performance in professional cricket players and (b) determine the seasonal variation of interlimb asymmetries in the same cohort of professional players. Fifteen male professional cricket players (age: 20.60 ± 1.59 years; height: 1.82 ± 0.08 m; and body mass: 78.70 ± 11.23 kg) performed unilateral countermovement jumps (CMJs), unilateral drop jumps, 10 m sprints and 505 change of direction (COD) speed tests at pre (March), mid (June), and end (September) of the 2018 season. Interlimb asymmetry was quantified in the unilateral CMJ Gump height and concentric impulse), unilateral drop jump Gump height and reactive strength index [RSI]), and 505 (total time and COD deficit). Significant changes (p < 0.05) were evident for the following tests: unilateral CMJ (effect size [ES] range = 0.67-1.00), 505 on the right leg (ES = 0.70), 10 m (ES range = -1.39 to 0.70), and COD deficit (ES range = 0.70-0.80), with the largest changes evident for 10-m sprint. No significant differences were evident in drop jump performance throughout the season. For the magnitude of asymmetry, significant changes in jump height asymmetry from the unilateral CMJ were evident from mid to end of season (ES = 0.72). For the direction of asymmetry, levels of agreement ranged from poor to substantial in the unilateral CMJ (kappa = -0.21 to 0.72), fair to substantial in the unilateral drop jump (kappa range = 0.33 to 0.74), and slight to moderate during the 505 test (kappa range = 0.06 to 0.44), with RSI showing noticeably better results than other tests or metrics. These data show that the largest changes in performance scores throughout the season came from the 10-m test, which practitioners may wish to consider implementing if not doing so already. Furthermore, both unilateral jump tests showed their use for asymmetry interpretation, which practitioners may wish to consider implementing in to their test batteries. Specifically, jump height asymmetry during the unilateral CMJ was the only metric to exhibit meaningful changes between time points, whereas RSI was the metric that exhibited more consistent limb dominance characteristics for the direction of asymmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biofuels approach endorsed by several countries is seen as ultimately unsustainable by Sweden, which is concentrating on non-food-crop biomass for energy production and fuel, in the form of biogas. The Swedes, instead of sowing biofuel plants that compete for space with food crops, are using waste products, ranging from woodchip to slaughterhouse slurry, and turning them into fuel.

Magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy was used to understand the photochemically induced Pfr to Pr back-reaction at low temperature. Uniformly labeled [super 13]C- and [super 15]N-open-chain tetrapyrrole chromophores was used to structurally characterize all four states of Pfr, Lumi-F, Meta-F, and Pr pf cyanobacterial phytochrome Cph1.