Bollcorbett6072

The impact of the dispersion and electron correlation effects on describing quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) interactions in QM/MM molecular dynamics (MD) simulations was explored by performing a series of up to 2 ns QM/MM MD simulations on the B states of the myoglobin-carbon monoxide (MbCO) system. The results indicate that both dispersion and electron correlations play significant roles in the simulation of the ratios of two B states (B1/B2), which suggests that the inclusion of the electron correlation effects is essential for accurately modeling the interactions between QM and MM subsystems. We found that the QM/MM interaction energies between the CO and the surroundings statistically present a linear correlation with the electric fields along the CO bond. This indicates that QM/MM interactions can be described by a simple physical model of a dipole with constant moment under the action of the electric fields. The treatment provides us with an accurate and effective approach to account for the electron correlation effects in QM/MM MD simulations.Multiple intraglandular sialolithiasis for stones deep in the glandular parenchyma may require submandibulectomies, especially if sialendoscopic facilities are unavailable. We describe a gland-sparing intraoral sialolithotomy approach for both hilar and intraparenchymal multiple sialoliths. Nine patients with obstructive sialadenitis resulting from multiple sialoliths in both the deep hilar region and the submandibular gland parenchyma were selected for this study. Ultrasonography and computer tomography (CT) scans were performed to determine the location, number and sizes of the calculi and the distance between hilar and intraparenchymal sialoliths. All sialoliths were removed via gland-sparing, intraoral sialolithotomy. In all, 27 stones were found in the 9 patients. The hilar and deeper sialoliths were 4.5-11 and 0.8-4.5 mm, respectively, in diameter. The largest distance between the hilar and intraparenchymal sialoliths was 28.3 mm. Sialoliths in the hilar region were excised through an intraoral incision before deeper intraparenchymal stones were eased out of the same incision site. Postoperative follow-up imaging verified complete sialolith removal. Therefore, submandibular gland multiple sialoliths in the hilum and parenchyma can be successfully removed via an intraoral sialolithotomy under general anesthesia, thereby preserving the gland and restoring its secretory function.Sexual signal design is an evolutionary puzzle that has been partially solved by the hypothesis of sensory drive. PDS-0330 Framed in signal detection theory, sensory drive posits that the attractiveness of a signal depends on its detectability, measured as contrast with the background. Yet, cognitive scientists have shown that humans prefer images that match the spatial statistics of natural scenes. The explanation is framed in information theory, whereby attractiveness is determined by the efficiency of information processing. Here, we apply this framework to animals, using Fourier analysis to compare the spatial statistics of body patterning in ten species of darters (Etheostoma spp.) with those of their respective habitats. We find a significant correlation between the spatial statistics of darter patterns and those of their habitats for males, but not for females. Our results support a sensory drive hypothesis that recognizes efficient information processing as a driving force in signal evolution.Asteroid impacts pose a major threat to all life on Earth. The age of the dinosaurs was abruptly ended by a 10-km-diameter asteroid. Currently, a nuclear device is the only means of deflecting large Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) away from an Earth-impacting trajectory. The Enhanced Kinetic Impactor (EKI) concept is proposed to deflect large PHAs via maneuvering space rocks. First, an unmanned spacecraft is launched to rendezvous with an intermediate Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA). Then, more than one hundred tons of rocks are collected from the NEA as the EKI. The NEA can also be captured as the EKI if the NEA is very small. Finally, the EKI is maneuvered to impact the PHA at a high speed, resulting in a significant deflection of the PHA. For example, to deflect Apophis, as much as 200 t of rocks could be collected from a NEA as the EKI based on existing engineering capabilities. The EKI can produce a velocity increment (∆v) of 39.81 mm/s in Apophis, thereby increasing the minimum geocentric distance during the close encounter in 2029 by 1,866.93 km. This mission can be completed in 3.96 years with a propellant cost of 2.98 t. Compared with a classic kinetic impactor, the deflection distance can be increased one order of magnitude. The EKI concept breaks through the limitation of the ground-based launch capability, which can significantly increase the mass of the impactor. We anticipate that our research will be a starting point for efficient planetary defense against large PHAs.Drought represents a significant stress to microorganisms and is known to reduce microbial activity and organic matter decomposition in Mediterranean ecosystems. However, we lack a detailed understanding of the drought stress response of microbial decomposers. Here we present metatranscriptomic and metabolomic data on the physiological response of in situ microbial communities on plant litter to long-term drought in Californian grass and shrub ecosystems. We hypothesised that drought causes greater microbial allocation to stress tolerance relative to growth pathways. In grass litter, communities from the decade-long ambient and reduced precipitation treatments had distinct taxonomic and functional profiles. The most discernable physiological signatures of drought were production or uptake of compatible solutes to maintain cellular osmotic balance, and synthesis of capsular and extracellular polymeric substances as a mechanism to retain water. The results show a clear functional response to drought in grass litter communities with greater allocation to survival relative to growth that could affect decomposition under drought. In contrast, communities on chemically more diverse and complex shrub litter had smaller physiological differences in response to long-term drought but higher investment in resource acquisition traits across precipitation treatments, suggesting that the functional response to drought is constrained by substrate quality. Our findings suggest, for the first time in a field setting, a trade off between microbial drought stress tolerance, resource acquisition and growth traits in plant litter microbial communities.