The induction of α-helical structure in partially unfolded HypF-N does not affect its aggregation propensity

The conversion of proteins into structured fibrillar aggregates is a central problem in protein chemistry, biotechnology, biology and medicine. It is generally accepted that aggregation takes place from partially structured states of proteins. However, the role of the residual structure present in such conformational states is not yet understood. In particular, it is not yet clear as to whether the α-helical structure represents a productive or counteracting structural element for protein aggregation. We have addressed this issue by studying the aggregation of pH-unfolded HypF-N. It has previously been shown that the two native α-helices of HypF-N retain a partial α-helical structure in the pH-unfolded state and that these regions are also involved in the formation of the cross-β structure of the aggregates. We have introduced mutations in such stretches of the sequence, with the aim of increasing the α-helical structure in the key regions of the pH-unfolded state, while minimizing the changes of other factors known to influence protein aggregation, such as hydrophobicity, β-Sheet propensity, etc. The resulting HypF-N mutants have higher contents of α-helical structure at the site(s) of mutation in their pH-unfolded states, but such an increase does not correlate with a change of aggregation rate. The results suggest that stabilisation of α-helical structure in amyloidogenic regions of the sequence of highly dynamic states does not have remarkable effects on the rate of protein aggregation from such conformational states. Comparison with other protein systems indicate that the effect of increasing α-helical propensity can vary if the stabilised helices are in non-amyloidogenic stretches of initially unstructured peptides (accelerating effect), in amyloidogenic stretches of initially unstructured peptides (no effect) or in amyloidogenic stretches of initially stable helices (decelerating effect

Competent Encryption Framework Based Secure Access Mechanism for Cloud Data Services

The demand for remote data storage and computation services is increasing exponentially in our data-driven society; thus, the need for secure access to such data and services. In this paper, we design a new -based authentication protocol to provide secure access to a remote (cloud) server. In the proposed approach, we consider data of a user as a secret credential. We then derive a unique identity from the user’s data, which is further used to generate the user’s private key. In addition, we propose an efficient approach to generate a session key between two communicating parties using for a secure message transmission. Session management in distributed Internet services is traditionally based on username and password, explicit logouts and mechanisms of user session expiration using classic timeouts. Emerging solutions allow substituting username and password with data during session establishment, but in such an approach still a single verification is deemed sufficient, and the identity of a user is considered immutable during the entire session. Additionally, the length of the session timeout may impact on the usability of the service and consequent client satisfaction. This paper explores promising alternatives offered by applying s in the management of sessions. A secure protocol is defined for perpetual authentication through continuous user verification. The protocol determines adaptive timeouts based on the quality, frequency and type of data transparently acquired from the user. The analysis is carried out to assess the ability of the protocol to contrast security attacks exercised by different kinds of attackers

UNTERRICHTSEINHEITEN zur Entwicklung von Achtsamkeit und Mitgefühl (ab Klasse 9): Anleitungen für achtsamkeitsgeschulte Lehrpersonen

Achtsamkeit als Konzept, Haltung und Methode ist in der Bildungslandschaft verstärkt anzutreffen. Immer mehr Lehrpersonen nutzen das Potential der Achtsamkeit für ihre Selbstregulation, für den Umgang mit Kolleg:innen sowie für die Unterrichtsgestaltung. Die vorliegende Handreichung enthält zwei Übungsreihen à acht Unterrichtseinheiten, welche an zwei Schulen in Nordrhein-Westfalen mit verschiedenen achtsamkeitsgeschulten Lehrpersonen und Schulklassen der Stufe 9 und 10 sowie an zwei Schulklassen an einem Berufskolleg entwickelt und erfolgreich umgesetzt wurden. Jede Unterrichtseinheit ist für 45 Minuten konzipiert. Die Übungen bauen aufeinander auf und sind so ausformuliert, dass sie vollständig abgelesen werden können. Nach jeder Übung können Fragen gestellt werden. Diese sind entweder als stille Kontemplationsfragen oder als Einladungen zum Austausch und für Rückmeldungen einzusetzen. Jede Unterrichtseinheit enthält einen einführenden Impuls, Achtsamkeits- und Mitgefühlsübungen, Reflexionseinheiten, eine kontextuelle Einbettung und eine integrative Übung für zuhause.:Vorwort 5 Einleitung 6 Übungsreihe 1 Unterrichtseinheit 1: Grundlagen 9 Unterrichtseinheit 2: Der Körper 12 Unterrichtseinheit 3: Der Geist 15 Unterrichtseinheit 4: Der Atem 18 Unterrichtseinheit 5: Stress und Emotionen 1 22 Unterrichtseinheit 6: Stress und Emotionen 2 25 Unterrichtseinheit 7: Selbstfürsorge 28 Unterrichtseinheit 8: Selbstmitgefühl 32 Übungsreihe 2 Unterrichtseinheit 1: Grundlagen 36 Unterrichtseinheit 2: Der Körper 39 Unterrichtseinheit 3: Gedanken 1 42 Unterrichtseinheit 4: Gedanken 2 45 Unterrichtseinheit 5: Gefühle und Emotionen 1 47 Unterrichtseinheit 6: Gefühle und Emotionen 2 50 Unterrichtseinheit 7: Beziehungen 1 53 Unterrichtseinheit 8: Beziehungen 2 56 Literatur 59 Zur Autorin 6

The Role of Polarizability in Isoelectronic Ions: The Case of Pseudohalides

Specific ion effects are widespread and have been studied for over a century, yet they remain poorly understood. Terms like "kosmotropes" and "chaotropes" are convenient rules of thumb but the frequent reversal of the Hofmeister series implies their limitations. Polarizability is often used to classify ions, with kosmotropes considered low in polarizability and chaotropes high. However, for polyatomic ions, this framework becomes misleading. The anisotropic nature of polarizability in polyatomic ions plays a decisive role in shaping their behavior. In this work, we study pseudohalides (KOCN, KSCN, and KSeCN) aqueous solutions to explore these effects. We evaluate properties of these anions through experimental measurements of conductivity, density, viscosity, infrared spectra, and polarizability. Our results demonstrate that, even for linear isoelectronic polyatomic ions, the anisotropy of polarizability governs their hydration behavior

Probing the structural organization of a low temperature transition mixture for CO2 capture through spectroscopic and theoretical studies

We investigated a low temperature transition mixture (LTTM) suitable for carbon capture through infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, absorption of CO2 and computational studies. The system, made up of a homogeneous mixture of ethylene glycol, potassium hydroxide and boric acid (3:1:1), is sensitive to temperature changes that affect the viscosity of the solvent and its capacity to exchange CO2 at the interface. The relationship between the LTTM's molecular structure and its ability to capture the gas were investigated in order to optimize the properties of the absorbing material for developing viable and reusable carbon capture systems. The results suggest that a large number of free OH groups is available to ensure an effective CO2 capture through the formation of the organic carbonate, leading to an average absorption of 22 ± 1 gCOjavax.xml.bind.JAXBElement@7fcbc253/kgsolv at room temperature. Boric acid acts as a catalyst for the carbonate decomposition and ensures the release of CO2 at 60 °C. ATR-FTIR measurements proved that the solvent is mostly regenerated after desorption and can thus continue to absorb further CO2 over a large number of cycles, making the system reusable

Active or passive? A multi-marker approach to compare active and passive eDNA sampling in riverine environments

: Environmental DNA (eDNA) is increasingly used in biodiversity monitoring with several collection techniques proposed. Those applied to aquatic eDNA can now be divided into two categories: active and passive sampling. Active sampling involves the deliberate and controlled collection of environmental samples, and the most common method is water filtration. Passive sampling is a more recent technique that involves capturing eDNA by relying on its adsorption to samplers, which can be fabricated from various materials, and submerged for minutes, hours or weeks. In this study, we compared the performance of water filtration and Passive eDNA Sampling (PEDS) with granular active carbon in terms of detected taxa collected from four different sites of the same river system. eDNA samples were amplified for three molecular markers for 18S rRNA, 12S rRNA and COI genes, with primers according to the literature that target invertebrates and vertebrates. The study revealed that PEDS detected on average more species in 18S rRNA and 12S rRNA assays, with 18S rRNA results presenting a significantly higher homogeneity of read variances between samples. Biological communities captured differed between PEDS and filters. The former method retrieved a significant number of microinvertebrates and chironomids (Chironomidae, Diptera), detecting a similar number of vertebrates to filters, but with lower performance in the detection of fish. Notably, both methods performed well with amphibians, successfully identifying all species linked to lotic environments in the studied area. Compared to PEDS, the eDNA capture protocol using filters yielded more sequences identified as ephemeropterans, trichopterans, and acarines. In addition, PEDS was more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. These findings imply that there is no definitive superior eDNA sampling method. Consequently, in conjunction with studies proposing new methods of eDNA sampling, studies comparing their performance with a broad taxonomic representation will be pivotal