The Galactic bulge, that is the prominent out-of-plane over-density present in the inner few kiloparsecs of the Galaxy, is a complex structure, as the morphology, kinematics, chemistry, and ages of its stars indicate. To understand the nature of its main components—those at [Fe/H] −1 dex—it is necessary to make an inventory of the stellar populations of the Galactic disc(s), and of their border...

The harmonic mode analysis method was used to characterize the conformational deformability of regular Watson-Crick paired, mismatch- and bulge-containing RNA. Good agreement between atomic Debye-Waller factors derived from x-ray crystallography of a regular RNA oligonucleotide and calculated atomic fluctuations was obtained. Calculated helical coordinate fluctuations showed a small sequence de...

DNA repair mechanisms are essential for preservation of genome integrity. However, it is not clear how DNA are selected and processed at broken ends by exonucleases during repair pathways. Here we show that the DnaQ-like exonuclease RNase T is critical for Escherichia coli resistance to various DNA-damaging agents and UV radiation. RNase T specifically trims the 3' end of structured DNA, includ...

Stem cells from the adult hair follicle bulge can differentiate into neurons and glia, which is advantageous for the development of an autologous cell-based therapy for neurological diseases. Consequently, bulge stem cells from plucked hair may increase opportunities for personalized neuroregenerative therapy. Hairs were plucked from the scalps of healthy donors, and the bulges were cultured wi...

Using ROSAT PSPC data, we have performed several tests aimed at understanding the origin of the soft X-ray spectral component detected from the bulge of M31. We find that a significant soft component in the spectrum of the bulge is spatially correlated with the unresolved X-ray emission near the core of M31, which is probably a hot interstellar medium or perhaps a population of multiple faint s...

Septa can be demonstrated in sections of Escherichia coli strains B and B/r after fixation with acrolein and glutaraldehyde. The septum consists of an ingrowth of the cytoplasmic membrane and the mucopeptide layer; the outer membrane is excluded from the septum until the cells begin to separate. Mesosomes have also been observed. The septum is highly labile and, except in the chain-forming stra...

BACKGROUND There is very little by way of clinical examination that helps in the diagnosis of subtypes of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD). A small observation led to this study on a clinical sign in a group of 31 patients with dysferlinopathy that included 13 with LGMD-2B and 18 with Miyoshi myopathy (MM). The patients were asked to stand with knees slightly bent so that the quadriceps mu...