No abstract

Kissing loop complexes are loop-loop complexes where two RNA hairpins interact through their complementary loops. In this work, we have investigated the role of the helical stems on the ability of hairpins derived from the ColE1 plasmid to associate as kissing loop complexes in the presence and absence of divalent cations. Our results show that although kissing loop complexes form more readily in the presence of Mg(2+), they are able to form in the presence of 850 mM NaCl, as long as their stems contain at least six base-pairs. Formation of the Na(+) loop-loop complexes is facilitated by changing the sequence at the stem-loop interface to include less stable AU base pairs. We suggest that the conformation at the stem-loop interface is critical in the formation of kissing loop complexes and that in the absence of Mg(2+) the conformation at the stem-loop interface is packed more loosely than with Mg(2+), to allow for a lower charge density. Consistent with this hypothesis, shortening the stems to five base pairs results in unfolding of the hairpins and formation of an extended duplex rather than a kissing loop complex because the short stems are not stable enough to tolerate the necessary conformation at the stem-loop interface to allow the formation of a kissing loop complex.

No abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to use the concept of folie à deux (or shared delusion disorder) to examine the phenomena of “Q” and the “QAnon” movement in the 21st century. The insurrection which occurred on January 6, 2021 during the attack on the United States' capitol, drew the authors' attention to try to understand the reason for this mass violence and to determine what individuals, motivations, and beliefs brought this violence to life. The allegory of Plato's Cave is used by the authors to offer the reader a context to place the current increasingly bizarre claims and conspiracies that those following the QAnon espouse. Moreover, a discussion is presented of why these beliefs are so attractive to some and how difficult it is to get one to leave the movement.

No abstract