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Environmental unpredictability results in the evolution of bet-hedging traits, which maximize long-term fitness but are, by definition, suboptimal over short time scales. However, because suboptimal traits are expected to be purged by selection in the shorter term, the persistence of bet hedging remains perplexing. Here, we test the hypothesis that bet hedging persists through the evolution of constraint on short-term adaptation. We experimentally evolve Saccharomyces cerevisiae across two sequential treatments in which the frequency of extreme heat shocks decreases. We predict that experimental evolution under lower frequency heat shocks will result in greater adaptive constraint, or “purge-resistant” bet hedging. Constraint is assayed as evolutionary persistence of heat shock tolerance (HST) under constant benign conditions. As predicted, we find the retention of HST only in lines evolved under reduced frequency detrimental conditions. Results help explain the evolution of bet hedging, and challenge the traditional view that evolutionary constraint is inherently maladaptive.

Lithium chloride (LiCl) is a widely used and extensively researched drug for the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). As a result, LiCl has been the subject of research studying its toxicity, mode of action, and downstream cellular responses. LiCl has been shown to influence cell signalling and signalling transduction pathways through protein kinase C and glycogen synthase kinase-3 in mammalian cells. LiCl's significant downstream effects on the translational pathway necessitate further investigation. In yeast, LiCl is found to lower the activity and alter the expression of PGM2, a gene encoding a sugar-metabolism phosphoglucomutase. When phosphoglucomutase activity is reduced in the presence of galactose, intermediates of galactose metabolism aggregate, causing cell sensitivity to LiCl. In this study, we identified that deleting the genes PEX11 and RIM20 increases yeast LiCl sensitivity. We further show that PEX11 and RIM20 regulate the expression of PGM2 mRNA at the translation level. The observed alteration of translation seems to target the structured 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR) of the PGM2 mRNA.

Lithium chloride (LiCl) is a widely used and extensively researched drug for the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). As a result, LiCl has been the subject of research studying its toxicity, mode of action, and downstream cellular responses. LiCl has been shown to influence cell signaling and signaling transduction pathways through protein kinase C and glycogen synthase kinase-3 in mammalian cells. LiCl's significant downstream effects on the translational pathway necessitate further investigation. In yeast, LiCl is found to lower the activity and alter the expression of PGM2, a gene encoding a sugar-metabolism enzyme phosphoglucomutase. When phosphoglucomutase activity is reduced in the presence of galactose, intermediates of galactose metabolism aggregate, causing cell sensitivity to LiCl. In this study, we identified that deleting the genes PEX11 and RIM20 increases yeast LiCl sensitivity. We further show that PEX11 and RIM20 regulate the expression of PGM2 mRNA at the translation level. The observed alteration of translation seems to target the structured 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the PGM2 mRNA.

Plant pathogens greatly impact food security of the ever-growing human population. Breeding resistant crops is one of the most sustainable strategies to overcome the negative effects of these biotic stressors. In order to efficiently breed for resistant plants, the specific plant–pathogen interactions should be understood. Soybean is a short-day legume that is a staple in human food and animal feed due to its high nutritional content. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a major soybean stressor infecting soybean worldwide including in China, Brazil, Argentina, USA and Canada. There are many Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) conferring resistance to SCN that have been identified; however, only two are widely used: rhg1 and Rhg4. Overuse of cultivars containing these QTLs/genes can lead to SCN resistance breakdown, necessitating the use of additional strategies. In this manuscript, a literature review is conducted on research related to soybean resistance to SCN. The main goal is to provide a current understanding of the mechanisms of SCN resistance and list the areas of research that could be further explored.

Lithium chloride (LiCl) has been widely researched and utilized as a therapeutic option for bipolar disorder (BD). Several pathways, including cell signaling and signal transduction pathways in mammalian cells, are shown to be regulated by LiCl. LiCl can negatively control the expression and activity of PGM2, a phosphoglucomutase that influences sugar metabolism in yeast. In the presence of galactose, when yeast cells are challenged by LiCl, the phosphoglucomutase activity of PGM2p is decreased, causing an increase in the concentration of toxic galactose metabolism intermediates that result in cell sensitivity. Here, we report that the null yeast mutant strains DBP7∆ and YRF1-6∆ exhibit increased LiCl sensitivity on galactose-containing media. Additionally, we demonstrate that DBP7 and YRF1-6 modulate the translational level of PGM2 mRNA, and the observed alteration in translation seems to be associated with the 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of PGM2 mRNA. Furthermore, we observe that DBP7 and YRF1-6 influence, to varying degrees, the translation of other mRNAs that carry different 5′-UTR secondary structures.

DNA repair defects are common in tumour cells and can lead to misrepair of double-strand breaks (DSBs), posing a significant challenge to cellular integrity. The overall mechanisms of DSB have been known for decades. However, the list of the genes that affect the efficiency of DSB repair continues to grow. Additional factors that play a role in DSB repair pathways have yet to be identified. In this study, we present a computational approach to identify novel gene functions that are involved in DNA damage repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Among the primary candidates, GAL7, YMR130W, and YHI9 were selected for further analysis since they had not previously been identified as being active in DNA repair pathways. Originally, GAL7 was linked to galactose metabolism. YHI9 and YMR130W encode proteins of unknown functions. Laboratory testing of deletion strains gal7Δ, ymr130wΔ, and yhi9Δ implicated all 3 genes in Homologous Recombination (HR) and/or Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ) repair pathways, and enhanced sensitivity to DNA damage-inducing drugs suggested involvement in the broader DNA damage repair machinery. A subsequent genetic interaction analysis revealed interconnections of these three genes, most strikingly through SIR2, SIR3 and SIR4 that are involved in chromatin regulation and DNA damage repair network.

We report here structure-guided optimization of a novel series of NF-κB inducing kinase (NIK) inhibitors. Starting from a modestly potent, low molecular weight lead, activity was improved by designing a type 11/2 binding mode that accessed a back pocket past the methionine-471 gatekeeper. Divergent binding modes in NIK and PI3K were exploited to dampen PI3K inhibition while maintaining NIK inhibition within these series. Potent compounds were discovered that selectively inhibit the nuclear translocation of NF-κB2 (p52/REL-B) but not canonical NF-κB1 (REL-A/p50).

Hummingbird-2 is an encryption algorithm with a 128-bit secret key and a 64-bit initialization vector. Hummingbird-2 optionally produces an authentication tag for each message processed. Like it's predecessor Hummingbird-1, Hummingbird-2 has been targeted for low-end microcontrollers and for hardware implementation in lightweight devices such as RFID tags and wireless sensors. Compared to the previous version of the cipher, and in response to extensive analysis, the internal state has been increased to 128 bits and a flow of entropy from the state to the mixing function has been improved. In this paper we present the Hummingbird-2 algorithm, its design and security arguments, performance analysis on both software and hardware platforms, and timing analysis in relation to the ISO 18000-6C protocol.

In this paper we propose a novel privacy-preserving mutual authentication protocol for RFID systems using the recently proposed ultra-lightweight cryptographic algorithm Hummingbird-2. The new protocol is resistant to the most common attacks against the security and privacy of RFID systems. Furthermore, we also address efficient implementation of the proposed protocol on a batteryless, MSP430-based WISP tag, and investigate the performance of the key search process on a laptop. Our experimental results demonstrate that the Hummingbird-2 mutual authentication protocol provides a highly effective and efficient security and privacy solution for low-cost passive RFID tags.

Due to the tight cost and constrained resources of high-volume consumer devices such as RFID tags, smart cards and wireless sensor nodes, it is desirable to employ lightweight and specialized cryptographic primitives for many security applications. Motivated by the design of the well-known Enigma machine, we present a novel ultra-lightweight cryptographic algorithm, referred to as Hummingbird, for resource-constrained devices in this paper. Hummingbird can provide the designed security with small block size and is resistant to the most common attacks such as linear and differential cryptanalysis. Furthermore, we also present efficient software implementation of Hummingbird on the 8-bit microcontroller ATmega128L from Atmel and the 16-bit microcontroller MSP430 from Texas Instruments, respectively. Our experimental results show that after a system initialization phase Hummingbird can achieve up to 147 and 4.7 times faster throughput for a size-optimized and a speed-optimized implementations, respectively, when compared to the state-of-the-art ultra-lightweight block cipher PRESENT [10] on the similar platforms.

The Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology provides an extensible, flexible and secure measure against product counterfeiting. However, due to the harsh cost and power constraints of RFID tags only dedicated cryptographic engines or low-power consumption microcontrollers can be integrated into tags to implement various security mechanisms. In this contribution, we investigate efficient implementation of an ultra-lightweight cryptographic algorithm Hummingbird[5] on a zero-power 4-bit MARC4 microcontroller from Atmel and compare the performance of Hummingbird to another ultra-lightweight block cipher PRESENT [4] on the same platform. Our experimental results show that after a system initialization phase Hummingbird can achieve about 58% faster throughput than the block cipher PRESENT on a 4-bit ATAM893-D microcontroller running at 16KHz, 500KHz and 2MHz, respectively. In particular, Hummingbird can process one data block with less than 12 ms under a typical low power configuration of 4-bit microcontrollers such as an 1.8V supply voltage and a 500KHz clock frequency.

A limestone breccia and several bodies of shale and sandstone in Mississippian St. Louis Limestone were discovered in a quarry opened during the summer of 1959 in the SE NW sec. 15, T. 15 N., R. 4 W., Putnam County, Indiana. A small mass of sandy limestone conglomerate overlay part of the breccia. Nearly all these bodies have been removed in quarrying. The breccia and the shale-sandstone masses appear to have originated from two separate geologic processes which occurred at two different times. The origin of the breccia is in doubt because not enough critical evidence is available to prove conclusively any single origin. The authors believe, however, that the breccia probably is the product of a submarine rock slump during St. Louis time which was triggered by the tectonic activity that initiated early movements along the Mt. Carmel Fault. Other possible origins, such as solution of evaporites accompanied by collapse of overlying rock or formation of caves in a karst terrain followed by roof collapse, are not supported by the evidence observed. The shale-sandstone bodies are believed to be rocks of Pennsylvanian age which were deposited in caverns developed during the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian erosion interval. The limestone conglomerate probably is of the same age as the shale-sandstone bodies.