Early origin and recent expansion of Plasmodium falciparum

The emergence of virulent Plasmodium falciparum in Africa within the past 6000 years as a result of a cascade of changes in human behavior and mosquito transmission has recently been hypothesized. Here, we provide genetic evidence for a sudden increase in the African malaria parasite population about 10,000 years ago, followed by migration to other regions on the basis of variation in 100 worldwide mitochondrial DNA sequences. However, both the world and some regional populations appear to be older (50,000 to 100,000 years old), suggesting an earlier wave of migration out of Africa, perhaps during the Pleistocene migration of human beings.     

Ultrahigh-density nanowire lattices and circuits

We describe a general method for producing ultrahigh-density arrays of aligned metal and semiconductor nanowires and nanowire circuits. The technique is based on translating thin film growth thickness control into planar wire arrays. Nanowires were fabricated with diameters and pitches (center-to-center distances) as small as 8 nanometers and 16 nanometers, respectively. The nanowires have high aspect ratios (up to 10(6)), and the process can be carried out multiple times to produce simple circuits of crossed nanowires with a nanowire junction density in excess of 10(11) per square centimeter. The nanowires can also be used in nanomechanical devices; a high-frequency nanomechanical resonator is demonstrated.     

Bond-selective control of a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction

Energy redistribution, including the many phonon-assisted and electronically assisted energy-exchange processes at a gas-metal interface, can hamper vibrationally mediated selectivity in chemical reactions. We establish that these limitations do not prevent bond-selective control of a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction. State-resolved gas-surface scattering measurements show that the nu1 C-H stretch vibration in trideuteromethane (CHD3) selectively activates C-H bond cleavage on a Ni(111) surface. Isotope-resolved detection reveals a CD3:CHD2 product ratio > 30:1, which contrasts with the 1:3 ratio for an isoenergetic ensemble of CHD3 whose vibrations are statistically populated. Recent studies of vibrational energy redistribution in the gas and condensed phases suggest that other gas-surface reactions with similar vibrational energy flow dynamics might also be candidates for such bond-selective control.     

Four climate cycles of recurring deep and surface water destabilizations on the Iberian margin

Centennial climate variability over the last ice age exhibits clear bipolar behavior. High-resolution analyses of marine sediment cores from the Iberian margin trace a number of associated changes simultaneously. Proxies of sea surface temperature and water mass distribution, as well as relative biomarker content, demonstrate that this typical north-south coupling was pervasive for the cold phases of climate during the past 420,000 years. Cold episodes after relatively warm and largely ice-free periods occurred when the predominance of deep water formation changed from northern to southern sources. These results reinforce the connection between rapid climate changes at Mediterranean latitudes and century-to-millennial variability in northern and southern polar regions.     

Relationship between clinical signs and transmission of an infectious disease and the implications for control

Control of many infectious diseases relies on the detection of clinical cases and the isolation, removal, or treatment of cases and their contacts. The success of such "reactive" strategies is influenced by the fraction of transmission occurring before signs appear. We performed experimental studies of foot-and-mouth disease transmission in cattle and estimated this fraction at less than half the value expected from detecting virus in body fluids, the standard proxy measure of infectiousness. This is because the infectious period is shorter (mean 1.7 days) than currently realized, and animals are not infectious until, on average, 0.5 days after clinical signs appear. These results imply that controversial preemptive control measures may be unnecessary; instead, efforts should be directed at early detection of infection and rapid intervention.     

Ordered and dynamic assembly of single spliceosomes

The spliceosome is the complex macromolecular machine responsible for removing introns from precursors to messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). We combined yeast genetic engineering, chemical biology, and multiwavelength fluorescence microscopy to follow assembly of single spliceosomes in real time in whole-cell extracts. We find that individual spliceosomal subcomplexes associate with pre-mRNA sequentially via an ordered pathway to yield functional spliceosomes and that association of every subcomplex is reversible. Further, early subcomplex binding events do not fully commit a pre-mRNA to splicing; rather, commitment increases as assembly proceeds. These findings have important implications for the regulation of alternative splicing. This experimental strategy should prove widely useful for mechanistic analysis of other macromolecular machines in environments approaching the complexity of living cells.     

The genome of the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana: ecology, evolution, and metabolism

Diatoms are unicellular algae with plastids acquired by secondary endosymbiosis. They are responsible for approximately 20% of global carbon fixation. We report the 34 million-base pair draft nuclear genome of the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana and its 129 thousand-base pair plastid and 44 thousand-base pair mitochondrial genomes. Sequence and optical restriction mapping revealed 24 diploid nuclear chromosomes. We identified novel genes for silicic acid transport and formation of silica-based cell walls, high-affinity iron uptake, biosynthetic enzymes for several types of polyunsaturated fatty acids, use of a range of nitrogenous compounds, and a complete urea cycle, all attributes that allow diatoms to prosper in aquatic environments.     

Bioaccumulation of melamine in catfish muscle following continuous, low-dose, oral administration

In this study, catfish muscle was analyzed for melamine (MEL) and cyanuric acid (CYA) residues following experimental feeding with low doses of MEL and MEL and CYA (MEL+CYA) and with the insoluble melamine-cyanurate complex (MEL=CYA). Catfish were daily fed 0.1 mg/kg BW of MEL for 15, 28, or 42 days, 0.1 mg/kg BW of MEL+CYA for 28 days, 2.5 mg/kg BW of MEL+CYA for 14 days, or 400 mg/kg BW of MEL=CYA for 3 days. Residues in the tissue were determined by LC-MS/MS. MEL was extracted with acidic acetonitrile, followed by defatting with dichloromethane, and isolated with cation exchange solid phase extraction (SPE). For CYA analysis, fish were extracted with dilute acetic acid, defatted with hexane, and cleaned up with a graphitic carbon SPE. Catfish fed 0.1 mg/kg BW of MEL reached a maximum muscle residue concentration of 0.33 ± 0.04 mg/kg (ppm) after 28 days of continuous feeding. The same concentration was found for MEL+CYA feeding at the 0.1 mg/kg BW level for 28 days. Feeding at 2.5 mg/kg BW of MEL+CYA yielded muscle concentrations above the 2.5 mg/kg level of concern for most of the study fish. Finally, catfish fed high levels of the MEL=CYA complex (400 mg/kg BW) accumulated relatively little MEL in the muscle (0.14 ± 0.07 mg/kg) and, unlike treatment with MEL+CYA, did not form renal melamine-cyanurate crystals. Appreciable concentrations of CYA were not detected in any of the muscles tested. These studies provide data to model the bioaccumulation of triazine residues into edible fish tissue as a result of the continuous consumption of adulterated feed.