Axonal transport of synaptic vesicles (SVs) is a KIF1A/UNC-104 mediated process critical for synapse development and maintenance yet little is known of how SV transport is regulated. Using C. elegans as an in vivo model, we identified SAM-4 as a novel conserved vesicular component regulating SV transport. Processivity, but not velocity, of SV transport was reduced in sam-4 mutants. sam-4 displa...

Although the abundant sterile alpha motif (SAM) domain was originally classified as a protein-protein interaction domain, it has recently been shown that certain SAM domains have the ability to bind RNA, defining a new type of post-transcriptional gene regulator. To further understand the function of SAM-RNA recognition, we determined the solution structures of the SAM domain of the Saccharomyc...

Escherichia coli strains that are deficient in the Ada and Ogt DNA repair methyltransferases display an elevated spontaneous G:C-to-A:T transition mutation rate, and this increase has been attributed to mutagenic O(6)-alkylguanine lesions being formed via the alkylation of DNA by endogenous metabolites. Here we test the frequently cited hypothesis that S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) can act as a we...

We suggest an amalgamation of communication based programming (centred on sessions) and object oriented programming, whereby sessions between concurrent threads are amalgamated with methods. In our proposal threads consist of the execution of session bodies on objects and communicate with each other through asynchronously sending/receiving objects on channels. The choice on how to respond to a ...

Concentrations of S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine (SAM) in aqueous solution and fermentation liquids were quantitatively determined by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and verified by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The Ag nanoparticle/silicon nanowire array substrate was fabricated and employed as an active SERS substrate to indirectly measure the SAM concentration. The linear rela...

Photolysis of alkene-terminated self assembled monolayers (SAM) deposited on Degussa SiO(2) nanoparticles is studied following oxidation of SAM with a gaseous ozone/oxygen mixture. Infrared cavity ring-down spectroscopy is used to observe gas-phase products generated during ozonolysis and subsequent photolysis of SAM in real time. Reactions taking place during ozonolysis transform alkene-termin...

Research to develop highly versatile, chiral, heterogeneous catalysts for asymmetric organic transformations, without quenching the catalytic reactivity, has met with limited success. While chiral supramolecular structures, connected by weak bonds, are highly active for homogeneous asymmetric catalysis, their application in heterogeneous catalysis is rare. In this work, asymmetric catalyst was ...

Sam is a life-sized on-screen character who shares a physical castle and a plastic figurine with children, and takes turns with children to tell stories using the figurine. In this thesis, the original Sam system is improved. Now Sam shares two figurines with the user, and tells fantasy stories from the narrator's perspective. When Sam takes turn to tell story, Sam identifies the toys in the vi...

We have investigated the effect of mixing an alcohol-soluble C60 derivative into a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), which consisted of a redox-active Ru-complex with multipoint anchoring groups, on an indium tin oxide surface. Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the mixed SAM revealed that the C60 derivative was well incorporated into the redox-active Ru-complex SAM. In addition, ...

We use surface x-ray diffraction to study the structure of organic-organic heterojunctions grown by organic molecular-beam deposition. In particular, we study films of 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride ~PTCDA! grown on a decanethiol self-assembled monolayer ~SAM! on a Au~111! surface. The deposition of several ('16) monolayers of PTCDA results in unstrained crystalline films whose ~0...