UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Arf GTPases control vesicle formation from different intracellular membranes and are regulated by Arf guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). Outside of their conserved catalytic domains, known...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Mitochondria must uptake some phospholipids from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) for the biogenesis of their membranes. They convert one of these lipids, phosphatidylserine, to phosphatidylethanolamine,...Full Text Available

Environmental Research Database

No further description is available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Amino acids labelled with dimethylaminoazobenzenesulphonyl chloride can be separated by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography and detected in the visible region (436 nm). All 19 naturally...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive form of human brain tumor, which has no effective cure. Previously, we have demonstrated that overexpression of the C-terminal fragment of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERTC27) inhibits the growth and tumorigenicity of human cervical cancer HeLa cells. In this study, the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanisms of hTERTC27-mediated cancer gene therapy were further explored in vivo in established human glioblastoma xenografts in nude mice. We showed that intratumoral injection of adeno-associated virus carrying hTERTC27 (rAAV-hTERTC27) is highly effective in reducing the growth of the subcutaneously transplanted glioblastoma tumors. Histological analyses showed that rAAV-hTERTC27 treatment leads to profound necrosis, apoptosi...

CERN Document Server

Computing with cells

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundhTERTC27 is a 27 kDa C-terminal polypeptide of human telomerase reverse transcriptase that has previously been shown to reduce tumorigenicity of HeLa cells and suppress...Full Text Available

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

Bilayer Lipid Membrane Supported Novel Photoelectrochemical Converter for Light Trapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LaPO4 single crystals lightly doped with Er3+, and codoped with Er3+ and Yb3+ have been grown by spontaneous nucleation in a lead phosphate flux. Absorption and luminescence spectra have been measured in the visible and near-IR regions and the excited state dynamics has been studied upon pulsed laser excitation. The obtained results have allowed the evaluation of the effective emission cross-sections around 1.5 ?m, that have been found to be similar to important oxide laser crystals doped with Er3+. Efficient visible upconversion has been observed upon excitation at 980 nm in the codoped crystals. This behaviour is attributed to Yb3+-Er3+ energy transfer processes.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this work, we present results of a systematic study of optical properties of Er"3"+ ions in 6H SiC. The role of N-donors played in activation of photoluminescence (PL) of erbium at 1.5 #mu#m was investigated. We have confirmed that N-donors are necessary for activation of the Er PL on one hand, whereas on the other we present evidence that N-donors compete for excitation with Er centres. The high-resolution measurements of the Er"3"+ PL were performed aiming at determination of crystal field split levels of the "4I_1_5_/_2 ground and "4I_1_3_/_2 first excited multiplet of Er"3"+ ions. Careful analysis of temperature evolution of individual PL lines allowed proposing energy level schemes for the ground and first excited states.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Er{sub 3}NbO{sub 7} phosphor was synthesized by sintering a mixture of Er{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} powder in a molar ratio of 3:1 at 1600 deg. C over 55 h. Optical absorption and emission characteristics of Er{sup 3+} ions in the calcined Er{sub 3}NbO{sub 7} powder were investigated and discussed compared with ErNbO{sub 4} phosphor and a Z-cut congruent Er (2 mol%):LiNbO{sub 3} single crystal. The absorption and emission studies show that, due to different crystal structures, the spectroscopic properties of these niobates have some differences in spectral shape, peak position, and relative intensity, especially at 1.5 {mu}m. The most obvious spectral feature of the Er{sub 3}NbO{sub 7} is that the spectral structure of band instead of peak is observed in its absorption or emission spectrum due to the existence of local structural ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The rate-limiting step in the transit of dietary fat across the intestinal absorptive cell is its exit from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in a specialized ER-to-Golgi transport vesicle, the prechylomicron...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GSTD1 is one of several insect glutathione S-transferases capable of metabolizing the insecticide DDT. Here we use crystallography and NMR to elucidate the binding of DDT and glutathione to GSTD1. The crystal structure of Drosophila melanogaster GSTD1 has been determined to 1.1 {angstrom} resolution, which reveals that the enzyme adopts the canonical GST fold but with a partially occluded active site caused by the packing of a C-terminal helix against one wall of the binding site for substrates. This helix would need to unwind or be displaced to enable catalysis. When the C-terminal helix is removed from the model of the crystal structure, DDT can be computationally docked into the active site in an orientation favoring catalysis. Two-dimensional {sup 1}H,{sup 15}N heteronuclear single-quantum coherence NMR experiments of GSTD1 indicate that conformational changes occur upon glutathione and DDT binding and the residues that broaden upon DDT ...

Science.gov (United States)

In vertebrates, the positioning of the internal organs relative to the midline is asymmetric and evolutionarily conserved. A number of molecules have been shown to play critical roles in left-right patterning. Using representational difference analysis to identify genes that are differentially expressed on the left and right sides of the chick embryo, we cloned chick Claudin-1, an integral component of epithelial tight junctions. Here, we demonstrate that retroviral overexpression of Claudin-1, but not Claudin-3, on the right side of the chick embryo between HH stages 4 and 7 randomizes the direction of heart looping. This effect was not observed when Claudin-1 was overexpressed on the left side of the embryo. A small, but reproducible, induction of Nodal expression in the perinodal region on the right side of the embryo was noted in embryos that were injected with Claudin-1 retroviral particles on their right sides. However, no changes in Lefty,Pitx2 or cSnR expression were observed. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The 10.3-h "1"6"5Er, decaying by electron capture to stable "1"6"5Ho, offers an excellent promise for use in diagnostic nuclear medicine, especially in conjuction with multiwire proportional-counter cameras. Using an ultra-high-resolution Si(Li) photon spectrometer, L and K x-ray photon yields in "1"6"5Er decay have been measured. The ratio P/sub L//P/sub K/ of electron-capture probabilities in L and K shells is determined to be 0.196 +- 0.030, in good agreement with theory. Estimates of Auger electron yields and yields of very-low-energy electrons from Coster--Kronig transitions are presented. Levels of "1"6"9Er and "1"7"1Er radioactive impurities in the reactor-produced "1"6"5Er sample are experimentally determined. Whole-body dose estimates for "1"6"5Er are given. These compare favorably with "9"9Tc dose.

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Not Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Membrane protein structural biology is still a largely unconquered area, given that approximately 25% of all proteins are membrane proteins and yet less than 150 unique structures are available. Membrane...Full Text Available

J-STORE (Japan)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the course of designing a catalytic porous membrane reactor for experimental studies, both inside and outside of the non-reaction zones as well as the two ends of the membrane need to be completely sealed to ensure that there is no flow across the membrane in the non-reaction zone. Experiments show that up to 50% of the total flow across the membrane may be contributed by the axial flow along the wall of the non-reaction zones if only one side of the membrane is sealed. Another problem that cannot be solved by sealing is the capillary flow of the catalyst along the tube wall into the non-reaction zones when the catalyst is doped on the membrane. One of the best ways to avoid this axial flow of catalyst would be to use non-porous tubes in the non-reaction zones and join them with the porous membrane tube. In doing so, the cost of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Single Fe impurities were implanted in an Er single crystal and found to occupy both substitutional and interstitial sites, below a temperature of 200 K. The local susceptibility of Fe on both sites follows a Curie-Weiss law and exhibits a positive local Curie constant, indicating an antiferromagnetic coupling between the Fe and the surrounding Er moments. The corresponding nuclear spin relaxation rates follow a Korringa law as a function of temperature, confirming the dominance of local magnetism and the formation of local moments on each of the sites occupied by Fe.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundABCA3 transporter (ATP-binding cassette transporter of the A subfamily) is localized to the limiting...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... magnetic susceptibility magnetization monocrystals neutron diffraction

Science.gov (United States)

Mamiferos continentales de la Formacion La Meseta (Terciario, Antartida): Biocronologia. 13er. Congresso Brasileiro de Paleontologia (Sao Leopoldo, 1993), ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The tetrapeptide KDEL is commonly found at the C terminus of soluble proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and it contributes to their localization by interacting with a receptor that recycles...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... dipole moments magnetic fields monocrystals neutron diffraction order-disorder

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper aims to study fundamentally the impacts of membrane properties on the reactive dye removal from dye/salt mixtures by nanofiltration membranes. To begin with, two types of nanofiltration membranes of similar pore size, namely asymmetric cellulose acetate membrane and thin-film composite polyamide membrane were fabricated, and their key physical, chemical and performance properties were characterized. After that, these resultant membranes were employed to perform dye removal experiments with aqueous solutions of reactive black 5 and NaCl under different operational parameters. The dye removal rate and steady permeate flux were determined and correlated with the measured membrane properties. It was found that there were significant differences between the dye removal performances o...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

SR proteins are essential splicing factors whose function is controlled by multi-site phosphorylation of a C-terminal domain rich in arginine-serine repeats (RS domain). The protein kinase SRPK1 has been shown to polyphosphorylate the N-terminal portion of the RS domain (RS1) of the SR protein ASF/SF2, a modification that promotes nuclear entry of this splicing factor and engagement in splicing function. Later, dephosphorylation is required for maturation of the spliceosome and other RNA processing steps. While phosphates are attached to RS1 in a sequential manner by SRPK1, little is known about how they are removed. To investigate factors that control dephosphorylation, we monitored region-specific mapping of phosphorylation sites in ASF/SF2 as a function of the protein phosphatase PP1. W...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundEstrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ) are transcription factors (TFs) that mediate estrogen signaling and define the hormone-responsive phenotype...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The aim is to provide accurate data on elevation change due to mining activity, via the application of interferometry with ERS SAR data. Ultimately, these elevation changes can then be fed into subsidence models. Interferometry results are presented showing initial evidence of subsidence occurring within the 35 day repeat orbit period of the ERS satellites. The result of extending the monitoring period beyond 35 days is also shown.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We present a study of the crystal field in PrNiAl, NdNiAl, ErNiAl and ErCuAl intermetallic compounds based on inelastic neutron spectroscopy. These compounds crystallize in the ZrNiAl-type hexagonal structure with an orthorhombic symmetry on rare-earth sites. The results are compared with the specific-heat data, and the lower parts of the crystal-field energy-level schemes are determined. (orig.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The ErNi_1_- _x Cu _x Al compounds crystallize all in the hexagonal ZrNiAl-type structure. The concentration dependence of lattice constants shows a discontinuity between x=0.5 and 0.6. This structural change has no primary impact on the magnetic order in this series, but influences the crystal field. The lower part of the crystal-field energy-level schemes has been estimated from the specific-heat data.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In vitro the binding of polyribosomes to smooth endoplasmic-reticulum membranes is more sensitive to ionic strength than is the binding to rough endoplasmic-reticulum membranes. Polyribosomes...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In the presence of electrochemical energy, several branched-chain neutral and acidic amino acids were found to accumulate in membrane vesicles of Bacillus stearothermophilus. The membrane vesicles contained...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Spontaneous rupture of membranes (ROM) is a normal component of labor and delivery. Premature ROM (PROM) refers to rupture of the fetal membranes prior to the onset of labor irrespective of gestational...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Three new rare earth metal-rich compounds, Gd_4NiTe_2, and Er_5M_2Te_2 (M=Ni, Co), were synthesized in direct reactions using R, R_3M, and R_2Te_3 (R=Gd, Er; M=Co, Ni) and single-crystal structures were determined. Gd_4NiTe_2 is orthorhombic and crystallizes in space group Pnma with four formula units per cell. Lattice parameters at 110(2)K are a=15.548(9), b=4.113(2), c=11.7521(15)A. Er_5Ni_2Te_2 and Er_5Co_2Te_2 are isostructural and crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm with two formula units per cell. Lattice parameters at 110(2)K are a=3.934(1), b=14.811(4), c=14.709(4)A, and a=3.898(1), b=14.920(3), c=14.889(3)A, respectively. Metal-metal bonding correlations were analyzed using the empirical Pauling bond order concept.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Aims: In this study we investigated whether attenuation of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) could protect HepG2 cells from free fatty acid (FFA)-induced apoptosis. Main methods: Human liver cell line HepG2 cells were exposed to Sodium Palmitate (Pa) or Sodium Oleate (Ol). Apoptosis and ER stress of HepG2 cells were analyzed with flow cytometry, real-time RT-PCR and Western Blotting. An expression plasmid encoding for the ER chaperone immunoglobulin heavy chain-binding protein (Bip) was transfected into HepG2 cells to attenuate ER stress. Small interfering RNA siCHOP was used to knockdown the expression of C/EBP Homologous Protein (CHOP) in HepG2. Key findings: Pa led to cytotoxicity and apoptosis in HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent pattern and also induced ER stress indicated by inc...

Science.gov (United States)

... Mirrors (Preprint) Ryan Conk et al. 15 September 2006 ... 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Stress Coatings for Large Scale Membrane Mirrors (Preprint) 5a. ...

Science.gov (United States)

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are energy sources that have the ... for H2 /02 PEM fuel cells because their catalysts have properties suitable for 0 ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AbstractWe propose a mechanism for the formation of membrane oscillations and traveling waves, which arise due to the coupling between the actin cytoskeleton and the calcium flux through...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive form of human brain tumor, which has no effective cure. Previously, we have demonstrated that overexpression of the C-terminal fragment of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERTC27) inhibits the growth and tumorigenicity of human cervical cancer HeLa cells. In this study, the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanisms of hTERTC27-mediated cancer gene therapy were further explored in vivo in established human glioblastoma xenografts in nude mice. We showed that intratumoral injection of adeno-associated virus carrying hTERTC27 (rAAV-hTERTC27) is highly effective in reducing the growth of the subcutaneously transplanted glioblastoma tumors. Histological analyses showed that rAAV-hTERTC27 treatment leads to profound necrosis, apoptosis, infiltration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils and reduced microvessel density in the tumor samples. To study the molecular mechanism of rAAV-hTERTC27-mediated antitumor ...

Science.gov (United States)

Although the mechanism is unknown, Calculus Bovis and its active components, cholic acid analogs (CAAs), have been used in China to treat a wide range of diseases. Based on the previous finding that the potency of CAA is strongly dependent on the intrinsic surface activity, this paper aimed to investigate the role of the plasma membrane in the pharmacological activity of CAAs. First, CAAs (0.1 mM) caused a surface activity-dependent depression on ATPase activity in the cell membrane extract, but it had no effects on other cellular extracts, suggesting an indispensable role of the membrane environment for pharmacological activity. Second, CAAs lowered the membrane fluidity of cultured Caco-2 cells with the same rank-order of potency sequence. Third, the hypothesis that any functional protein located on the membrane is influenced by changes in cellular membrane ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... females in vitro intestines lead 203 mucous membranes radionuclide kinetics

Science.gov (United States)

PMID:10831980

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The conductivity of the membrane is a limiting factor for the efficiency and power density of PEFCs. Because this conductivity is strongly dependent on the membrane hydration, water management is an important aspect of PEFC optimisation. Single cell model experiments were made in order to determine the in-plane hydration of a Nafion{sup R} membrane under fuel cell conditions as function of the gas humidities. (author) 4 fig., 3 refs.

KoreaScience (Korea)

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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neutron diffraction and magnetometric measurements on polycrystalline samples of DyPd_2Si_2 and ErPd_2Si_2 were carried out in the temperature range from 2 to 293 K. Both compounds show tetragonal ThCr_2Si_2 type crystal structure and order at 12 K in a sine modulated magnetic structure with propagation vectors k=[0.609,0,0.155] and [0.575, 0, 0.083] respectively. The oscillatory character of magnetic order found in RPd_2Si_2 (R=Tb-Er) compounds suggests exchange interaction described by the RKKY model to be dominant, but the non-monotonic dependence of respective Neel temperatures on the number of f-electrons indicates the influence of a crystalline electric field (CEF) on the magnetic behaviour in this series. (orig.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Magnetic properties of polycrystalline samples of RPd/sub 2/Si compounds (R = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) are presented. The Gd and Tb based compounds are antiferromagnetic with Neel temperatures of 13.5 and 21 K respectively. For both compounds a metamagnetic transition is observed in low field. Moreover, in TbPd/sub 2/Si a transition between two different antiferromagnetic phases is observed at 8.5 K. The Dy, Ho and Er based compounds are ferromagnetic with Curie temperatures of 9, 3.5 ad 2.8 K respectively. The observed properties result from indirect exchange interactions and crystal field effects acting on rare earth ions which lie in a very low symmetry site.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The crystal structure of R/sub 6/Cu/sub 8/Sn/sub 8/ compounds (R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm) is determined and their magnetic susceptibility is measured in the temperature range 78-293 K. The structure of the compounds is isotypical with the Gd/sub 6/Cu/sub 8/Ge/sub 8/ type (space group Immm, Z=1). The magnetic susceptibility of the R/sub 6/Cu/sub 8/Sn/sub 8/ compounds is described by the Curie-Weiss law. Effective magnetic moments of R/sub 6/Cu/sub 8/Sn/sub 8/ compounds (R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm) are in good agreement with theoretical values for free R/sup 3 +/ ions.

Science.gov (United States)

A bioartificial kidney, which is composed of a membrane cartridge with renal epithelial cells, can substitute important kidney functions in patients with renal failure. A particular challenge is the maintenance of monolayer integrity and specialized renal epithelial cell functions ex vivo. We hypothesized that this can be improved by electro-spun, supramolecular polymer membranes which show clear benefits in ease of processability. We found that after 7?d, in comparison to conventional microporous membranes, renal tubular cells cultured on top of our fibrous supramolecular membranes formed polarized monolayers, which is prerequisite for a well-functioning bioartificial kidney. In future, these supramolecular membranes allow for incorporation of peptides that may increase cell function even further. PMID:20715132

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

During the past decades polymer membrane technology has been applied in various industries for a myriad of separation duties. They are also an important candidate for the solution of separation problems associated with the recovery of carbon dioxide in power plants. The application of membrane technology for carbon dioxide removal is discussed for two different ways of operation in present and future power plants. First, pressure driven operations are discussed, followed by a discussion of the use of membranes in absorbers. The pressure driven processes based on currently available gas separation membranes are shown to have poor separation characteristics. Further membrane development work appears to be necessary, especially in the area of temperature resistant membranes. Membrane selectivity goals are presented for present and future power ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Microporous membranes are suitable for the CO{sub 2}-MEA (monoethanolamine) system because the overall mass transfer coefficient K of the membrane is approximately 10 times larger than that of composite membranes consisting of microporous membranes and homogeneous membranes. The overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient K{center_dot} of the hollow-fiber contact is more than 5 times larger than that of a conventional packed bed, which suggests that adorption using the present method has the advantage of making the absorption more compact. 8 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ultraviolet (UV) upconversion (UC) luminescence in Yb3+/Er3+-codoped yttrium oxide (Y2O3) nanocrystals can be enhanced by orders of magnitude via tridoping further with Li+ ions under diode laser excitation of 970 nm. Sensitized three-photon UC radiations at 390 and 409 nm, corresponding to the 4G11/2?4I15/2 and 4H9/2?4I15/2 of Er3+ ions, respectively, present an enhancement time of about 33 times, which is larger than the 24 times enhancement for the UC green radiation. The UV UC radiation at 320 nm that corresponds to the 2P3/2?4I15/2 of Er3+ ions has also been greatly enhanced. Theoretical calculations interpret that all the observed enhancement times of UV UC radiations arise from the prolonged lifetimes of their intermediate states.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Results of hot cracking on welds with compositions between alloy 800 and AWS ER NiCr 3. Investigation of the influence of Si, Mn, Ti and Al on the hot cracking suscpetibility of the alloy 800. (orig.).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Three new rare earth metal-rich compounds, Gd_6MTe_2 (M=Co, Ni) and Er_6RuTe_2, were synthesized in direct reactions between the R, R_3M, and R_2Te_3 (R=Gd, Er, M=Co, Ni, Ru). These materials all adopt the same Zr_6CoAl_2 structure type with space group P6-bar 2m (No. 189, Z=1). Single crystal structures of Gd_6CoTe_2 and Er_6RuTe_2 were determined and lattice parameters are a=b=8.3799(5), c=3.9801(4) A, and a=b=8.1473(5) A, c=3.9962(4) A, respectively. Gd_6NiTe_2 was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction; lattice parameters are a=b=8.412(2), c=3.9577(9) A. Metal-metal bonding correlations were analyzed using the empirical Pauling bond order concept.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Site-selective spectroscopy fluorescence experiments (emission and excitation) in the near-infrared region associated with the "4I_1_5_/_2_4I_1_1_/_2 transitions of Er"3"+ ions have been successfully used to show the presence of two different Er"3"+ centres in the Bi_1_2SiO_2_0 piezoelectric crystal. Green (545-570 nm), red (650-690 nm) and near-infrared (850-890 nm) up-converted emissions have been observed and resolved for each type of centre under excitation up to the "4_I_1_1_/_2 state. The Stark energy level schemes of the three lower energy states of Er"3"+ ions have been determined and compared for both centres, showing two quite different crystalline field environments. The mechanisms responsible for the up-conversion process (excited state absorption and/or energy transfer up-conversion) are also analysed. (author)

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ER niacin combined with simvastatin provides an additional option for achieving LDL-C and non-HDL-C goals for cardiovascular prevention, with greater efficacy in those with triglyceride levels >200...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background:Increasing evidence shows the importance of young age, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) status, and HER-2 expression in patients with breast cancers.Patients...Full Text Available

USGS Gallery

As part of an investigation of the mechanisms of coastal change in the Carolinas (http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/cccp/index.html), instrumented tripods were deployed on Diamond Shoals near Cape Hatteras, NC. These tripods recorded data quantifying the currents, waves, turbidity, temperat...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThere are various treatment options for congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN), including surgical excision, dermabrasions, curettage, laser treatment, chemical peels and cryosurgery....Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The magnetic susceptibility of the ternary compounds, RPd_2Si_2 (where R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) has been measured. GdPd_2Si_2 and TbPd_2Si_2 order antiferromagnetically at 13 and 20 K respectively; the rest of the compounds do not show clear ordering down to 4.2 K. Palladium carries no moment in these compounds. The De Gennes formula is not obeyed indicating that the exchange interaction between the 4f moments via conduction electrons is not isotropic. (orig.).

Science.gov (United States)

The IRG protein Irgm3 preserves cell survival during coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection. However, the molecular mechanisms are not clear. Here, we examined the effect of Irgm3 expression on ER stress triggered by pharmacological agents or CVB3 infection. In Tet-On/Irgm3 HeLa cells, Irgm3 expression suppressed either chemical- or CVB3-induced upregulation of glucose-regulated protein78. Further, Irgm3 strongly inhibited the activation of both the PERK and ATF6 pathways of ER stress responses, which further led to the diminished phosphorylation of eIF2?, reduced cleavage/activation of transcription factor SREBP1 and attenuated induction of proapoptotic genes CHOP and GADD34. These data were further supported by experiments using Irgm3 knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts, in which the ER stress induced by CVB3 was not relieved due to the lack of Irgm3 expression. In addition, the tunicamycin-triggered ER ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amphiphilic block copolymers are synthesized by sulfonation of poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) using acetyl sulfate, and are blended with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) to prepare a new proton exchange membrane, in which PMMA is miscible with PVDF. The morphology and the transport properties of the membranes are investigated as functions of the degree of sulfonation as well as the blend ratio. Notable transition of phase-separated morphology is observed as the PVDF content of the blend is increased. Both the proton conductivity and the ion-exchange capacity (IEC) of the membrane increase with increasing the degree of sulfonation of PS-b-PMMA, and they are also enhanced as the phase-separated domains of blend membrane are well-ordered. Unlike the Nafion membrane, the proton conductivity of the blend membrane increases up to 90 C, indicating the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A radioimmunoassay is described for the molluscan neuropeptide, Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH"2(FMRFamide). The antibody used is C-terminal-specific and shows slight but significant (1-2%) cross-reactivity with chicken pancreatic polypeptide (APP). The assay has been used to identify in rat brain extracts a pair of molecules that may represent mammalian counterparts of FMRFamide. Their concentrations were highest in spinal cord and hypothalamus (>10 pmol.g"-_1) and lowest in cerebellum and striatum (<3.5 pmol.g"-_1). The two immunoreactive peptides were separated on CM ion-exchange chromatography where they appeared to be less basic than FMRFamide. On Sephadex G50 gel filtration one eluted in a similar position to FMRFamide and the other slightly earlier suggesting it may be of higher molecular weight. The rat immunoreactive components do not correspond to previously described neuropeptides or hormones, and may be members of a new group of mammalian neuropeptides with ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The production of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the recognition of C-terminal cholecystokinin pentapeptide (CCK-5) in the presence of metal ion is reported. The MIPs were produced under the same molar ratio of template to monomers (acrylamide, N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide) in the presence or absence of nitrilotriacetic acid-nickel (Ni-NTA) complex. Scanning electron microscopy images of MIPs were obtained in an attempt to correlate the adsorption characteristics with polymer's morphology. Subsequently Ni2+ was removed and substituted by other divalent ions such as Mg2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, Co2+ and Cu2+. It was found that polymers containing the metal ion complex with the order Fe-NTA, Ni-NTA and Cu-NTA presented lower dissociation constant values than the rest thus exhibiting stronger guest binding activity. The percentage of theoretical maximum binding sites Bmax was almost the same for these ions, indicating that the ion-template coordination is responsible ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Research was performed to assess the feasibility of barrier membrane substances, for use within mining or associated high risk environments, in restricting the diffusion transport of radon gas quantities. Specific tests were conducted to determine permeability parameters of a variety of membrane materials with reference to radon flow capabilities. Tests were conducted both within laboratory and in-situ emanation environments where concentrations and diffusion flows of radon gas were known to exist. Equilibrium radon gas concentrations were monitored in initially radon-free chambers adjacent to gas sources, but separated by specified membrane substances. Membrane barrier effectiveness was demonstrated to result in reduced emanation concentrations of radon gas within the sampling chamber atmosphere. Minimum gas concentrations were evidenced where the barrier membrane material was ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays a pivotal role in regulating embryogenesis and tumorigenesis by promoting cell proliferation. BAMBI (BMP and activin membrane-bound inhibitor) has...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Amino acid transport in membrane vesicles of Bacillus stearothermophilus was studied. A relatively high concentration of sodium ions is needed for uptake of L-alanine (Kt = 1.0 mM) and L-leucine (Kt...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Electrospinning, a flexible jet-based fiber, scaffold, and membrane fabrication approach, has been elucidated as having significance to the heath sciences. Its capabilities have been most impressive...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We showed recently that secretion of glutamate in biotin-limited cells of Corynebacterium glutamicum is mediated by carrier systems in the plasma membrane (C. Hoischen and R. Krämer, Arch. Microbiol....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In whole-cell recording, the conductance of the plasma membrane of protoplasts isolated from mesophyll cells of leaves of oat (Avena sativa) was greater for inward than outward current....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

IntroductionThe murine air pouch is a bursa-like space that resembles the human synovial membrane. Injection of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals into the pouch elicits an acute inflammatory...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Membrane cofactor protein (MCP or gp45-70) of the complement system is a cofactor for factor I-mediated cleavage of fluid-phase C3b and C3b-like C3, which opens the thioester bond. In the present study...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In this observational study, we compared erythrocyte membrane fatty acids in infants consuming formula supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) with those consuming...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Naturally occurring and contaminant ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic particles have been found within or near cells, and might allow pulsed magnetic fields to create transient cell membrane opening ("pores")....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The effect of blood lead on erythrocyte membrane proteins was studied in 28 workers from a scrap lead refining factory and in 18 controls working in railway construction. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

SpoIIIE is an FtsK-related protein that transports the forespore chromosome across the Bacillus subtilis sporulation septum. We use membrane photobleaching and protoplast assays to...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Amino acid transport was studied in membrane vesicles of the thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Clostridium fervidus. Neutral, acidic, and basic as well as aromatic amino acids were transported at 40...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The flux ratio (influx/efflux) of K⁺ across the plasmalemma of beet cells at an external potassium concentration of 0.6 mm does not respond to changes of membrane potential in the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Biological membranes are lamellar structures composed of two leaflets capable of supporting different mechanical stresses. Stress differences between leaflets were generated during micromechanical experiments...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

The data set consists of the following: - Biochemical analysis of Deschampsia leaves and root; - Chromatographic Analysis of membrane lipids (lipid profile) ...

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This dissertation deals with membrane gas absorption in the application of CO{sub 2} removal by aqueous alkanolamines, using microporous PTFE hollow fiber membranes. A new lab-scale apparatus was constructed and an extensive experimental study executed to determine the performance of the membrane gas absorber, with aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA) and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) as absorbents. The important operation parameters CO{sub 2} partial pressure, gas velocity, liquid velocity, temperature and liquid CO{sub 2} loading were systematically varied within the range typically experienced in a process for exhaust gas CO{sub 2}-removal

Science.gov (United States)

... 5. The results of the bond strength measurements were compared to the surface cleanness of the aged EPDM as determined by the specified ...

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The diffusion of alkali vapours in the anode compartment of a DIR-MCFC produces the deactivation of the internal reforming catalyst. Sets of ceramic porous membranes purposed to limit the diffusion have been manufactured by different techniques and the influence of the preparation technique and of the preparative variables on the morphological characteristics of the membranes structures has been studied.

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This document provides stakeholder evaluations on innovative technologies to be used in the remediation of volatile organic compounds from soils and ground water. The technologies evaluated are; in-well vapor stripping, in-situ bioremediation, and gas membrane separation.

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Water transport in the ionomeric membrane, typically Nafion{reg_sign}, has profound influence on the performance of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, in terms of internal resistance and overall water balance. In this work, high resolution neutron imaging of the Nafion{reg_sign} membrane is presented in order to measure water content and through-plane gradients in situ under disparate temperature and humidification conditions.

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In this paper the simulation of hybrid processes containing membrane units will be discussed. For this purpose a user-defined module for simulation and design of membrane processes was implemented into the simulation program AspenPlus. The advantages can be summarized as follows: - any combination of membrane processes with all other units already implemented in AspenPlus is possible, including internal recycle streams, - utilization of the physical property models and data bases of AspenPlus is possible, - cost and sensitivity analysis can be performed. These benefits are demonstrated in detail for a membrane vapor recovery unit for the treatment of tank farm off-gas, for a two-stage reverse osmosis plant for organic/-organic separations and for a combination of distillation and pervaporation for the separation of a dimethylcarbonate/methanol mixture. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The development of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum) mineral scale in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane desalting was investigated by direct real-time observation of crystal growth. Gypsum scaling studies were conducted in a specially modified plate-and-frame reverse osmosis cell fitted with an optical window, with dark-field membrane lighting arrangement within the membrane cell to enhance crystal boundaries and allow recording of digital surface images magnified through an optical microscope. The evolution of the surface number density (SND) of gypsum crystals resembled a sigmoidal population growth process with an increasing rate of crystal formation at higher solution supersaturation (with respect to gypsum) at the membrane surface. The rate of formation of new crystals declined as the su...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An electrochemistry model was developed to analyse the J-V characteristics of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The Butler-Volmer equation and water transport characteristics through electrolyte membrane were employed to simulate the electrode activation over-potential and membrane ohmic over-potential, respectively. The modeling results are found to agree reasonably well with experimental data published in the literature. The parametric simulations show that the ohmic over-potential is relatively small with typical water content in the membrane. Compared with the cathode over-potential, the anode over-potential is more significant and constitutes the major source of voltage loss. The high anode over-potential is due to the relatively slow oxidation kinetics, which is related to anode material property and microstructure. This model can be integrated with a ...

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More than 660 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired over the southern Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and the Gulf of Lyon in the Mediterranean Sea by the Second European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-2) have been analyzed since December 1996 with respect to radar signatures of marine pollution and other phenomena causing similar signatures. First results of our analysis reveal that the seas are most polluted along the main shipping routes. SAR images acquired during descending (morning) and ascending (evening) satellite passes show different percentages of oil pollution, because most of this pollution occurs during night time and is still visible on the SAR images acquired in the morning time. Moreover, we found a higher amount of oil spills on SAR images acquired during summer (April-September) than on SAR images acquired during winter (October-March). We attribute this finding to the higher mean wind speed encountered in all three test areas during winter. ...

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DC resistivity, dc magnetization, and specific heat of eight Sc{sub 5}Co{sub 4}Ge{sub 10}-type crystal-structure compounds R{sub 5}T{sub 4}Ge{sub 10} for R = Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and T = Rh and Ir are presented. The resistivity, single-crystal magnetization, and specific-heat results show that in all those compounds, the magnetic moments order antiferromagnetically in the c direction at low temperature. However, in the Er and Tm compounds, the magnetizations along x-y hard directions do not show any anomalies above 2.0 K. This suggests that the ordered Er and Tm ions, which have positive quadrupole coefficients, interact with a crystal field that has an electronic potential valley along the c axis. The fitting of the hard axis magnetizations to Curie-Weiss law suggests that the resulting antiferromagnetic-like {theta} reflects the strength of the crystal-field torque on the magnetic moments rather than the strength of ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Zusammenfassung Im Jahre 1910 f?hrte der schwedische Internist Hans-Christian Jacobaeus den ersten laparoskopischen Eingriff am Menschen in Stockholm durch. Grundlage seiner Pioniertat waren die tierexperimentellen Studien von Georg Kelling (1866?1945) aus Dresden, der im Jahre 1901 die erste Laparoskopie mittels eines Nitze-Zystoskops am Hund durchf?hrte. Jacobaeus ver?ffentlichte 1910 in der M?nchener Medizinischen Wochenschrift seine Erfahrungen mit den ersten 17 Laparoskopien unter dem Titel: ??ber die M?glichkeit die Zystoskopie bei Untersuchungen ser?ser H?hlen anzuwenden?. Hierbei nutzte er die neue Technik insbesondere zu diagnostischen Zwecken bei unklaren abdominellen Beschwerden und Funktionsst?rungen. Er war auch der Erste, der explizit auf die Gefahr der Darmverletzung bei Er?...

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There are two non-equivalent sites of yttrium in the lattice of Y{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}. Both of them may be occupied substitutionally by Er{sup 3+}, resulting in a laser active material. We measured absorption spectra of Y{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}:Er{sup 3+} at several low temperatures and we studied its emission spectrum at 4.2 K following selective excitation of individual Stark components of the {sup 4}I{sub 13}2/ to {sup 4}I{sub 15}2/ transition by the light of a tunable colour centre laser. The results of these two experiments allow classification of the absorption and emission lines into two independent systems, thus yielding two energy level schemes 1 and 2. Moreover, simple crystal field calculations strongly suggest from which Y{sub 2}SiO{sub 5} crystallographic site spectrum 1 arises, and from which one spectrum 2. (author)

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We found that the androgenic gland (AG) of Macrobrachium rosenbergii possesses three cell types. Type I cells are small polygonal shaped-cells (13.4 mu m in diameter), stain strongly with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E), have abundant multilayered rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER), and nuclei containing mostly heterochromatin. Type II cells are slightly larger (18.6 mu m in diameter), stain lightly with H&E, have rER with dilated cisternae, and nuclei containing mostly euchromatin. Type III cells (previously undescribed) are similar in size and shape to type I cells, but the cytoplasm is unstained and they have a high amount of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (sER) and mitochondria with tubular cristae. Bilateral eyestalk-ablation resulted in AG hypertrophy with a proliferation and predominance of ty...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Several thin film composite nanofiltration membranes have been prepared by spin coating a sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) solution on a polyethersulfone support, followed by thermal treatment. The most optimal developed nanofiltration membrane shows a clean water permeance of ~4.5Lm^-^2h^-^1bar^-^1 and a molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of ~500gmol^-^1. No irreversible changes in membrane performance have been observed after prolonged exposure (up to several weeks) of this membrane to solutions with a pH in the range 0-14. Compared to Desal-5-DK, the developed membrane displays a similar water permeance and a higher NaCl retention. In comparison to commercially available pH stable membranes, MPF-34 and NP030P, it reveals a higher water permeance. Permeance and MWCO analysis at varying p...

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The in situ assembly states of the glucose transport carrier protein in the plasma membrane and in the intracellular (microsomal) storage pool of rat adipocytes were assessed by studying radiation-induced inactivation of the D-glucose-sensitive cytochalasin B binding activities. High energy radiation inactivated the glucose-sensitive cytochalasin B binding of each of these membrane preparations by reducing the total number of the binding sites without affecting the dissociation constant. The reduction in total number of binding sites was analyzed as a function of radiation dose based on target theory, from which a radiation-sensitive mass (target size) was calculated. When the plasma membranes of insulin-treated adipocytes were used, a target size of approximately 58,000 daltons was obtained. For adipocyte microsomal membranes, we obtained target sizes of approximately 112,000 and 109,000 daltons prior ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Two methods were used to label pig kidney microvillar membrane proteins from the luminal and cytoplasmic surfaces of closed membrane vesicles. The first method was lactoperoxidase-catalysed radioiodination. Lactoperoxidase and glucose oxidase were positioned inside or outside the vesicles, iodination being initiated by adding glucose and "1"2"5I. After electrophoresis of the proteins, asymmetric labelling patterns on radioautographs were observed. However the major disadvantage of this method was the high degree of intramembrane labelling of the fatty acid chains of membrane lipids. The second method overcame this disadvantage. A new hydophilic photoreagent, 3,5-di("1"2"5I)iodo-4-azidobenzenesulphonate, was transported by a Na"+-dependent system into microvillar vesicles, thus permitting labelling from either side of the membrane when the vesicles were photolysed. The activity of several microvillar ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

TiO2 hollow microspheres with sea urchin-like hierarchical architectures were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized hollow microspheres with hierarchical architectures consisting of many rhombic building units exhibit high specific surface area. Electrorheological (ER) properties of hierarchical hollow TiO2-based suspension were investigated under steady and oscillatory shear. The hollow TiO2-based suspensions show much higher yield stress and elasticity than pure TiO2 suspension at the same electric field strength. This phenomenon was elucidated well in view of their dielectric spectra analysis. The sea urchin-like architectures result in stronger interfacial polarization of hollow TiO2 suspension upon an electric field, showing higher ER activity. Also, hollow i...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The author answers and briefly and comment upon a paper on tachyons by J.K. Kowalczynski. Suitable answers are already contained in the recent literature about extended relativity (ER), apparently unknown to that author. His answer is threefold. (1) About causality: No paradoxes can be sensible discussed without studying in detail the tachyon-exchange dynamics; but once one knows tachyon mechanics, the solution of the paradox is straightforward. As an example, he exploits and solves the Tolman-Regge paradox. (2) About superluminal frames and transformations: I agrees that (as I has noted elsewhere) in four dimensions such language is unfortunate; it was borrowed from two dimensions, where it is completely justified. Formulations in terms of a new language can be found in my recent papers on ER. (3) The statement that the pseudo-Euclidean space-time is a particular Riemannian manifold is wrong. It is pseudo-Riemannian, or Lorentzian. When ...

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The magnetic susceptibility of the ternary compounds, RPd/sub 2/Si/sub 2/ (where R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) has been measured. GdPd/sub 2/Si/sub 2/ and TbPd/sub 2/Si/sub 2/ order antiferromagnetically at 13 and 20 K respectively; the rest of the compounds do not show clear ordering down to 4.2 K. Palladium carries no moment in these compounds. The De Gennes formula is not obeyed indicating that the exchange interaction between the 4f moments via conduction electrons is not isotropic.

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Transgenic plants offer advantages for biomolecule production because plants can be grown on a large scale and the recombinant macromolecules can be easily harvested and extracted. We introduced an Aspergillus phytase gene into canola (Brassica napus) (line 9412 with low erucic acid and low glucosinolates) by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Phytase expression in transgenic plant was enhanced with a synthetic phytase gene according to the Brassica codon usage and an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal KDEL that confers an ER accumulation of the recombinant phytase. Secretion of the phytase to the extracellular fluid was also established by the use of the tobacco PR-S signal peptide. Phytase accumulation in mature seed accounted for 2.6% of the total soluble proteins. The enzy...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A mutant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (D10-ER1) has been isolated after a two-step mutagenesis of strain 4059-358D (SUC 1) using ethyl methane sulfonate. Cells of this new strain produced a level...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Measurement of the magnetic susceptibility of powder samples of heavy rare-earth (Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Yb) tungstates have been reported in the temperature range 300 to 900 K. Curie-Weiss law behaviour has been observed for all samples. The Curie constant, paramagnetic Curie temperature and magneton number for the magnetic ions have also been evaluated for each material. (author).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is composed of tubules, sheets, and three-way junctions, resulting in a highly conserved polygonal network in all eukaryotes. The molecular mechanisms responsible for...Full Text Available

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Magnetic field, thickness and magnetic forming effect on general mode and quantitative parameters of the domain structure (DS) of ferrite-garnet (EuEr)/sub 3/(FeGa)/sub 5/O/sub 12/ monocrystalline plates (111) is investigated. Field interval of circle (cone) and ring domain stability is determined. It is shown that DS of ferrite-garnet crystals with uniaxial an6sotropy has some peculiarities, that can be explained by cubic anisotropy effect.

Science.gov (United States)

...Critical habitat units are depicted for Baldwin County, Alabama, on the maps below...paragraph (2) of this entry, over 2005 Baldwin County, Alabama color photography (UTM...ER30JA07.000(6) Unit 1: Fort Morgan, Baldwin County, Alabama.(i) General...

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The PERMCAT process chosen for the final clean-up stage of the Tokamak Exhaust Processing system of the ITER tritium plant combines in a single component a catalytic reactor and a permeator using Pd/Ag membranes. This study covers the mechanical behaviour of a Pd/Ag membrane under different operating conditions. The consequences of hydrogen uptake by the membrane during nominal operation but also during off-normal events are presented. Depending on the operating conditions, expansions around 2% and significant deformations are observed. Different mechanical designs of PERMCAT reactors are then discussed. The first generation comprises finger-type membranes and two new mechanical designs use either additional edge welded bellows or a special corrugated Pd/Ag membrane. These upgraded designs improve the robustness and simplify the geometry of the component. The experimental validation ...

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This project will determine whether electrolytic dialysis has promise in the separation of charged particles in an aqueous solution. The ability to selectively move ions from one aqueous solution to another through a semipermeable membrane will be studied as a function of emf, amperage, and particle electrical charge. The ions selected for the study are Cl{sup -} and SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}. These ions are of particular interest because of their electrical conduction properties in aqueous solution resulting with their association with the corrosive action of metals. The studies will be performed with commercial membranes on solutions prepared in the laboratory from reagent salts. pH adjustments will be made with dilute reagent acid and base. Specific objectives of the project include testing a selected membrane currently available for electrolytic dialysis, membrane resistance to extreme pH conditions, the ...

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This project is concerned with the structure and function of the unique antenna system found in the green photosynthetic bacteria. The antenna system in these organisms is contained within a vesicle known as a chlorosome, which is attached to the cytoplasmic side of the cell membrane. Additional antenna pigments and reaction centers are contained in integral membrane proteins. Energy absorbed by the bacteriochlorophyll c (BChl c) pigments in the chlorosome is transferred via a ``baseplate`` array of BChl a antenna pigments into the membrane and to the reaction center. This system is similar in some respects to the phycobilisome antenna system found in cyanobacteria and some types of algae, in that a membrane-associated structure absorbs light and transfers it to the membrane where conversion to chemical energy takes place. However, the overall structure, the type of pigments ...

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The analgesic, dipyrone (1,phenyl-2,3-dimethyl-5-pyrazolone-4-methylamino methane sulphonate sodium), at 20 mM concentration, inhibited the rejoining of single-strand scissions in DNA of Escherichia coli B/r cells induced by 20 krad gamma-radiation. The chemical altered the cell membrane structure as evidenced from the uptake of acriflavin, the efflux of potassium ions from the bacterial cells and the inhibition of alkaline phosphatase-a cell membrane associated enzyme. (author). 18 refs., 6 figures.

Science.gov (United States)

Nitrate microelectrodes and ORP microelectrodes were fabricated to study the denitrification characteristics of dynamic membrane at different COD loadings. The denitrification process was found at 0.6-1 mm depth beneath the interface of biofilm/bulk. The results of ORP microelectrode also demonstrated that the ORP value in the range of denitrification area was between 88.6 approximately -128.4 mV which was appropriate to denitrification. When the COD loading was 0.45 kg/(m3 x d), the denitrification rate (NO3- -N) was the maximum of 0.6347 x 10(-6 mol/(L x s). With the increase of COD loading, the denitrification area was increasing and two layers with different denitrification rates emerged in the dynamic membrane. The phenomenon implied the effect of organic concentration, oxygen concentration and bacterial competition on the denitrification rate. PMID:17117632

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A study was made of the uncoupling action of polychlorinated biphenyls (Kanechlor-400) on oxidative phosphorylation in rat liver mitochondria. Kanechlor-400 (KC-400) at 20 ..mu..g/ml stimulated state 4 respiration of rat liver mitochondria more than 4-fold with ..cap alpha..-ketoglutarate/malate as a substrate, and released the oligomycin-inhibited state 3 respiration. KC-400 also dissipated the membrane potential across the mitochondrial membranes; thus, it acts as an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation in rat liver mitochondria. KC-400 altered the permeability properties of mitochondrial membranes as evidenced by the release of endogenous K/sup +/ and the oxidation of exogenously supplied NADH. It is concluded that KC-400 produces a nonspecific increase in mitochondrial ion permeability, thereby dissipating membrane potential, which leads to the uncoupling.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundWith the exception of vertebrates, most organisms have plasma membrane associated ammonium transporters which primarily serve to import a source of nitrogen for nutritional...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Decreased membrane rigidity is one of the characteristics of malignant cells, resulting in part from the desaturation of stearic acid into oleic acid. In this study we investigated the influence of...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A novel composite charged mosaic membrane (CCMM) was prepared via interfacial polymerization (IP) of polyamine [poly(epichlorohydrin amine)] and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) on the polyethersulfone (PES) support. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle analysis were applied to characterize the resulted CCMM. The FT-IR spectrum indicates that TMC reacts sufficiently with polyamine. ESEM and AFM pictures show that the IP process produces a dense selective layer on the support membrane. The water contact angle of the CCMM is smaller than that of the substrate membrane because of the cross-linked hydrophilic polyamine network. Several factors affecting the IP reaction and the performan...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A dense Pd-Ag membrane reactor (MR) with 100% hydrogen selectivity packed with either Rh/La2O3 or Rh/La2O3-SiO2 as catalysts was used to carry out the dry reforming of methane. The membrane reactor simulation was performed using a well-known reactor model. For this purpose, we employed the equations derived from complete kinetic studies of the dry reforming of methane reaction in connection with both catalysts. In addition, we developed the kinetic equation for the reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGS). The combination of detailed kinetic studies with the measured permeation flux for the Pd-Ag membrane allowed a complete comparison between experimental and simulated operation variables. The variables studied for both catalysts were methane conversion and hydrogen permeation as a function...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Gangliosides are amphiphilic molecules found in the outer layer of plasma membranes of all vertebrate...Full Text Available

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Certain allelochemicals of the marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense cause lysis of a broad spectrum of target protist cells but the lytic mechanism is poorly defined. We first hypothesized that membrane sterols serve as molecular targets of these lytic compounds, and that differences in sterol composition among donor and target cells may cause insensitivity of Alexandrium and sensitivity of targets to lytic compounds. We investigated Ca^2^+ influx after application of lytic fractions to a model cell line PC12 derived from a pheochromocytoma of the rat adrenal medulla to establish how the lytic compounds affect ion flux associated with lysis of target membranes. The lytic compounds increased permeability of the cell membrane for Ca^2^+ ions even during blockade of Ca^2^+ channels wit...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In situ synthesis of silver chloride (AgCl) nanoparticles was carried out under ambient conditions in nanoporous bacterial cellulose (BC) membranes as nanoreactors. The growth of the nanoparticles was readily obtained by alternating dipping of BC membranes in the solution of silver nitrate or sodium chloride followed by a rinse step. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated the existence of AgCl nanoparticles in the BC and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the AgCl nanoparticles well dispersed on the surface of BC and penetrated into the BC network. The AgCl nanoparticle-impregnated BC membranes exhibited high hydrophilic ability and strong antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive). The preparative proced...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Hyaluronan is a multifunctional glycosaminoglycan that forms the structural basis of the pericellular matrix. Hyaluronan is extruded directly through the plasma membrane by one of three hyaluronan...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the present study the authors have shown that glycoproteins are present in the plasma membrane of Acanthamoeba castellanii by utilizing different radioactive labeling techniques. Plasma membrane proteins in the amoeba were iodinated by "1"2"5I-lactoperoxidase labeling and the solubilized radiolabeled glycoproteins were separated by lectin-Sepharose affinity chromatography followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The periodate/NaB"3H_4 and galactose oxidase/NaB"3H_4 labeling techniques were used for labeling of surface carbohydrates in the amoeba. Several surface-labeled glycoproteins were observed in addition to a diffusely labeled region with M_r of 55,000-75,000 seen on electrophoresis, which could represent glycolipids. The presence of glycoproteins in the plasma membrane of Acanthamoeba castellanii was confirmed by metabolic labeling with ["3"5S]methionine followed by lectin-Sepharose affinity chromatography ...

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Functional properties of commercial and membrane processed pea protein isolates (PPI) prepared from yellow peas were investigated. Four protein isolates were prepared from yellow pea flour using water and KCl extractions at 25^oC followed by ultrafiltration and diafiltration (UF and DF) at pHs of 7.5 and 7.5 or 6 respectively. Following assessment of compositional attributes; solubility, foaming, flow and dynamic rheology, emulsification ability and heat-induced textural and rheological properties of prepared PPIs and a commercially available PPI were tested and compared. Membrane purification of proteins resulted in 28% to 68% reduction in phytic acid and enhanced, comparatively, the tested functional properties. Solubility of membrane processed PPIs, at all tested pHs, was superior and t...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper evaluates the performance of asphalt membranes by examining the chemical and permeability changes experienced by the asphalt during aging tests. The aging process was accelerated by exposing the asphalt to elevated temperatures, high oxygen concentrations, and increased strengths of aqueous oxidizing agents. The synergistic effects of the variables are evaluated by using a fractional factorial experimental design. The installation costs for a catalytically airblown asphalt liner are roughly half that of the typical polymeric materials, and also less than the rubberized asphalt membrane. The results of the initial accelerated aging tests of the asphalt membranes indicate that this material will provide stable, long-term leachate isolation in a mill tailings environment.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe permeabilization of mitochondrial membranes is a decisive event in apoptosis or necrosis culminating in cell death. One fundamental mechanism by which...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chorismate mutase, a branch-point enzyme in the aromatic amino acid pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and also a mutant chorismate mutase with a single amino acid substitution in the C-terminal part of the protein have been purified approximately 20-fold and 64-fold from overproducing strains, respectively. The wild-type enzyme is activated by tryptophan and subject to feedback inhibition by tyrosine, whereas the mutant enzyme does not respond to activation by tryptophan nor inhibition by tyrosine. Both enzymes are dimers consisting of two identical subunits of M_r 30,000, each one capable of binding one substrate and one activator molecule. Each subunit of the wild-type enzyme also binds one inhibitor molecule, whereas the mutant enzyme lost this ability. The enzyme reaction was observed by "1H NMR and shows a direct and irreversible conversion of chorismate to prephenate without the accumulation of any enzyme-free intermediates. The kinetic data of the ...

Science.gov (United States)

In view of the findings that several Kunitz-type protein inhibitors suppress tumor invasion and metastasis, the aim of the present study is to explore whether Bungarus multicinctus protease inhibitor-like protein-2 (PILP-2) and PILP-3 exhibit anti-tumor activity. Although approximately 28% of amino acid substitutions occurred between PILP-2 and PILP-3, molecular modeling suggested that PILP-2 and PILP-3 shared similar folded structures. Unlike PILP-2, PILP-3 showed a notable activity in abolishing migration and invasion of human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells. The ability of PILP-3 to inhibit matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) activity was higher than that of PILP-2. Pull-down assay revealed protein-protein interaction between PILP-3 and MMP-2. In contrast to mutation on N-terminal region, replacement of amino acids at C-terminus attenuated notably the ability of PILP-3 to inhibit cell invasion, cell migration and MMP-2 activity as well as the binding capability of PILP-3 with MMP-2. ...

Science.gov (United States)

Synthetic atrial natriuretic peptide (carperitide) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP; nesiritide) are used to treat congestive heart failure. However, despite beneficial cardiac unloading properties, reductions in renal perfusion pressures limit their clinical effectiveness. Recently, CD-NP, a chimeric peptide composed of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) fused to the C-terminal tail of Dendroaspis natriuretic peptide (DNP), was shown to be more glomerular filtration rate-enhancing than BNP in dogs. However, the molecular basis for the increased responsiveness was not determined. Here, we show that the DNP tail has a striking effect on CNP, converting it from a non-agonist to a partial agonist of natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-A while maintaining the ability to activate NPR-B. This effect is specific for human receptors because CD-NP was only a slightly better activator of rat NPR-A due to the promiscuous nature of CNP in this species. Interesting, the DNP ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Genes encoding mutants of the thymine photodimer repair enzyme from bacteriophage T4 (T4 endonuclease V) having an amino acid substitution (T127M, W128A, W128S, Y129A, K130L, Y131A, Y132A) were constructed by use of a previously obtained synthetic gene and expressed in Escherichia coli under the control of the E. coli tryptophan promoter. An in vitro assay of partially fractionated mutant proteins for glycosylase activity was performed with chemically synthesized substrates containing a thymine photodimer. T127M and K130L showed almost the same activity as the wild-type protein. Although W128S, Y131A, and Y132A were slightly active, W128A and Y129A lost activity. The results indicated that the aromatic amino acids around position 130 may be important for the glycosylase activity. Mutant T127M was purified, and the Km value was found to be of the same order as that of the wild type (10(-8) M). In vivo activities for all mutants were characterized with UV-sensitive E. coli. The results ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The helicase action of the Escherichia coli UvrAB complex on a covalently closed circular DNA template was monitored using bacterial DNA topoisomerase I, which specifically removes negative supercoils. In the presence of E. coli DNA topoisomerase I and ATP, the UvrAB complex gradually introduced positive supercoils into the input relaxed plasmid DNA template. Positive supercoils were not produced when E. coli DNA topoisomerase I was replaced by eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I or when both E. coli and eukaryotic DNA topoisomerases I were added simultaneously. These results suggest that like other DNA helix-tracking processes, the ATP-dependent action of the UvrAM complex on duplex DNA simultaneously generates both positive and negative supercoils, which are not constrained by protein binding but are torsionally strained. The supercoiling activity of UvrAB on UV-damaged DNA was also studied using UV-damaged plasmid DNA and a mutant UvrA protein that lacks the 40 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biological motors generally fall into two categories: (1) those that convert chemical into mechanical energy via hydrolysis of a nucleoside triphosphate, usually adenosine triphosphate, regarded as life's chemical currency of energy and (2) membrane bound motors driven directly by an ion gradient and/or membrane potential. Here we argue that electrostatic interactions play a vital role for both types of motors and, therefore, the tools of physics can greatly contribute to understanding biological motors.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Two different reverse osmosis systems were investigated. The first was a 50-element plant-scale system that is used to treat 2200 m"3 of AECL liquid radwastes annually.It uses thin-film composite (TFC) membranes and operates at an applied pressure of 2760 kPa, with a fixed crossflow of about 40 L/min. The other system uses the same thin-film composite membranes for waste processing but is a two-element pilot-scale system. It is operated at pressures m ranging between 1500 and 7000 kPa, at a fixed crossflow of 55 L/min. The average lifetime of the thin-film composite membranes in the plant-scale processing application at AECL is about 3000 h. After this service life has expired the rejection efficiency declines rapidly from 99.5% to about 95% as the membranes become impaired from chemical cleaning procedures that are required after each 100 m"3 of waste is treated. The permeation flux for the plant-scale ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

During apoptosis, the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins BAK and BAX form large oligomeric pores in the mitochondrial outer membrane. Apoptotic factors, including cytochrome c, are...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

The goal of the present study is to elucidate the effect of lipid domain formation on activities of Naja naja atra and Bungarus multicinctus phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) enzymes. Sphingomyelin inhibited enzymatic activity and membrane-damaging activity of PLA(2) against egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (EYPC), while cholesterol and cholesterol sulfate abrogated the inhibitory effect of sphingomyelin. The ability of cholesterol and cholesterol sulfate to abolish the inhibitory effect of sphingomyelin was closely related to their capacity to induce domain formation in EYPC/sphingomyelin vesicles. Laurdan fluorescence measurement revealed that membrane packing of EYPC/sphingomyelin vesicles was differently affected by cholesterol and cholesterol sulfate. Unlike cholesterol, cholesterol sulfate was unable to promote domain formation in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) vesicles. Cholesterol increased but cholesterol sulfate reduced PLA(2) activity ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new organic-inorganic hybrid membrane has been prepared with exceptional performance in dewatering applications. The only precursor used in the sol-gel synthesis of the selective layer was organically linked 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTESE). The microporous structure of this layer enables selective molecular sieving of small molecules from larger ones. In the dehydration of n-butanol with 5% of water, the membrane shows a high separation factor of over 4000 and ultra-fast water transport at a rate of more than 20 kg m{sup -2} h{sup -1} at 150C. This can be related to the high adsorption capacity of the material and the sub-micron thickness of the selective layer. The selectivity has now remained constant over almost one and a half years under continuous process testing conditions. Apart from the hydrothermal stability, the membrane exhibits a high tolerance for acid contamination. A slow performance decline in flux ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Proton and alpha particle spectral shapes and multiplicities have been measured in coincidence with evaporation residues from {sup 28}Si+{sup 165}Ho and {sup 16}O + {sup 197}Au, {sup 208}Pb fusion reactions. Our experiments used 145 to 220 MeV {sup 28}Si and 115 and 140 MeV {sup 16}O beams produced with the Stony Brook LINAC. ER`s were separated using an electrostatic deflector and detected with large area surface barrier detectors. Light charged particles were detected at forward and backward angles with fourteen single NaI detectors. In the context of the statistical model, charged particle spectra yield information about emission barriers and compound nucleus equilibrium level densities. These are significant ingredients in calculations determining fission timescales from other observables such as pre-scission neutron multiplicities or fusion-evaporation excitation functions. Results will also be compared to analyses of pre-scission charged particles from ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuclear structure data pertaining to all known A = 166 nuclides (Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt) have been compiled and evaluated, and incorporated into the ENSDF data file. This evaluation for A = 166 supersedes the previous publication (E.N. Shurshikov and N.V. Timofeeva, Nuclear Data Sheets 67, 45 (1992) (literature cutoff date 1 October 1990)) and the revision by C.M. Baglin of {sup 166}W (literature cutoff data 16 April 2000). It includes literature available by 1 March 2008. Subsequent to the previous evaluation, {sup 166}Gd has been observed for the first time and the first observations of excited states in {sup 166}Tb, {sup 166}Re, {sup 166}Os and {sup 166}Ir have been reported: also, knowledge of collective structure in {sup 166}Dy. {sup 166}Ho, {sup 1676}Er, {sup 166}Tm, {sup 166}Yb, {sup 166}Lu, {sup 166}Hf, and {sup 166}Ta has been considerably expanded. However, the structure suggested here for {sup ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The DC magnetic susceptibility of the REBa_2F_7 compounds was measured by a SQUID magnetometer in the temperature range 5-300 K. Except for Eu, the other compounds show either Curie law or Curie-Weiss law with relatively small values of paramagnetic Curie temperature, #theta#_p, with effective magnetic moments in the range expected of electronic ground state of the trivalent rare earth ion with appropriate J value. The behaviour of Eu is complex. (orig.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

During this reporting period the work supported by the US Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG02-87ER40326.A005 has resulted in two publications and two papers presented at professional meetings. The neutron scattering measurement for this budget period has been completed along with scattering measurements for carbon {sup 88}Sr, {sup 40}Ar, {sup 90}Zr, {sup 208}Pb, {sup 40}Ca and {sup 28}Si. The carbon scattering yield serves to define the detector efficiencies. The silicon sample was available and is of importance in both nuclear physics and reactor physics.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The primary objective is to perform a fundamental study of filtration of nanoparticles, and to obtain filtration knowledge necessary to design particle collection devices/systems for nanoparticle processing and for preventing nanoparticle emissions into the environment. The research covered a wide area relevant to nanoparticle filtration, under these main topics: (1) nanoparticle filtration and molecular dynamics simulation, (2) nanoparticle virtual impactor, (3) particle transport under low pressure, and (4) development of a high-throughput nanoparticle generator. A number of novel tools and numerical models have been developed under the DOE support.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

R_2PdSi_3 compounds have been found to exhibit rich magnetic phenomena arising from the interplay between RKKY interaction, crystal electric field effects and geometric frustration due to the derived hexagonal AlB_2 structure. The observed crystallographic superstructure further complicates the CEF level scheme. Inelastic neutron scattering measurements on single crystals of Tm_2PdSi_3 and Er_2PdSi_3 have been performed at the cold triple axis spectrometer PANDA in FRM-II. Both compounds order antiferromagnetically at T_N=7 K and 2.1 K respectively; Er_2PdSi_3 undergoes a second phase transition at T_2=2 K. Several low lying CEF excitations (below 10 meV) were observed. The intensity of the lowest excitation show strong directional dependence (in HK0 plane for Er_2PdSi_3 and in HHL plane for Tm_2PdSi_3), from which the details of the transitional matrix could be deduced. Measurements in magnetic fields up to 13 T show ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We have successfully incorporated high surface area particles of titanate ion exchange materials (monosodium titanate and crystalline silicotitanate) with acceptable particle size distribution into porous and inert support membrane fibrils consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon(reg_sign)), polyethylene and cellulose materials. The resulting membrane sheets, under laboratory conditions, were used to evaluate the removal of surrogate radioactive materials for cesium-137 and strontium-90 from high caustic nuclear waste simulants. These membrane supports met the nominal requirement for nonchemical interaction with the embedded ion exchange materials and were porous enough to allow sufficient liquid flow. Some of this 47-mm size stamped out prototype titanium impregnated ion exchange membrane discs was found to remove more than 96% of dissolved cesium-133 and strontium-88 from a caustic nuclear waste ...

Science.gov (United States)

IntroductionBreast cancer is the most diagnosed and second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. female population. An estimated 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancers are inherited, caused by mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA1/2). As many as 90% of all mutations are nonsense mutations, causing a truncated polypeptide product. A popular and low cost method of mutation detection has been the protein truncation test (PTT), where target regions of BRCA1/2 are PCR amplified, transcribed/translated in a cell-free protein synthesis system and analyzed for truncated polypeptides by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and autoradiography. We previously reported a novel High Throughput Solid-Phase PTT (HTS-PTT) based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format that eliminates the need for radioactivity, SDS-PAGE and subjective interpretation of the results. Here, we report the next generation HTS-PTT using ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Even the presence of very low concentrations of dyes (1mgL-1) in the effluent is highly visible and is considered aesthetically undesirable. It must be removed from wastewater completely. This study systematically evaluates the performance of adsorption (three kinds of powdered activated carbons), coagulation (AlCl36H2O) and membrane (submerged hollow fiber microfiltration) processes individually in treating two kinds of reactive dyes (Orange 16 and Black 5) and then using a hybrid process with combined coagulation-adsorption-membrane treatment system. Adsorption capacity and kinetics of Orange 16 were much higher and faster than those of Black 5. The dye removal efficiency by coagulation was highly dependent on dye concentration and solution pH. The hybrid process performance was far more...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Mechanistic studies on a charged ultrafiltration (UF) membrane fouled with natural organic matter (NOM) and colloidal particles are systematically investigated to understand the relative role of each NOM fraction and the presence of colloidal particulate to membrane fouling. Humic acid (HA), dextran, and kaolin were employed as surrogate model foulants representing the organic hydrophobic acid NOM, hydrophilic neutral NOM, and inorganic colloidal materials, respectively. The results obtained showed that the organic NOM of hydrophilic surrogate (dextran) plays a primary role in promoting membrane fouling, followed by hydrophobic acids and inorganic kaolin, but to a lesser extent than organic NOM compounds. Significant differences in the extent of fouling between dextran and HA have been obs...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Objectives- Cyclodextrins are useful solubilizing excipients that have gained currency in the formulator's armamentarium based on their ability to temporarily camouflage undesirable physicochemical properties. In this context cyclodextrins can increase oral bioavailability, stabilize compounds to chemical and enzymatic degradation and can affect permeability through biological membranes under certain circumstances. This latter property is examined herein as a function of the published literature as well as work completed in our laboratories. Key findings- Cyclodextrins can increase the uptake of drugs through biological barriers if the limiting barrier component is the unstirred water layer (UWL) that exists between the membrane and bulk water. This means that cyclodextrins are mo...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of collagen membrane and Bio-Oss coverage in healing of an onlay graft to the mandible. Twelve adult sheep each received an onlay bone graft (experiment 1), bone graft+Bio-Gide (experiment 2), and bone graft+Bio-Oss/Bio-Gide (experiment 3) on the lateral surface of the mandible. The animals were euthanized at 4, 8, 12 or 16 weeks after surgery, and findings were analysed by routine microscopy and immunohistochemistry for proliferation (Ki67) and apoptotic (Caspase-3) markers. Grafts were fully incorporated in all specimens. Pronounced resorption was observed in experiment 1. Minimal loss of graft volume was seen in experiment 2 specimens without membrane displacement. A remarkable increase in the augmented region of the mandible was obse...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tests on a sample of trench water from the Maxey Flats burial ground effectively demonstrated the new Reverse Osmosis Pilot Plant. The effluent from the 50% salt-rejection membrane was decontaminated well enough with the exception of tritium to be discharged to the environment. The performance of the 97% salt-rejection membrane was superior to that of the 50% membrane. A breakthrough and capacity experiment was conducted with Durasil 10 on a simulated Three Mile Island solution. The maximum decontamination factor was extrapolated to be 10/sup 6/, which would reduce the cesium level of TMI water to below the discard limit. Capacity (1/DF = 0.5) was reached at 1260 column volumes. Several adsorbents were tested in the engineering columns for decontamination of cesium-bearing solutions. Under the conditions of the experiment, these adsorbents were ineffective in removing cesium from the solution.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The growth of a middle ear cholesteatoma behind a normal tympanic membrane is a rate though possible event. In such cases, CT may provide useful information for diagnosis. The results are presented of a CT study carried out on 14 patients affected with unilateral conductive hearing loss and with normal tympanic membrane. CT allowed the diagnosis of meddle ear cholesteatoma to be made in all cases. All patients were treated with surgery: 8 of them underwent tympanoplasty and 6 explorative tympanotomy. While the diagnosis of cholesteatoma was confirmed in 13 patients, in 1 case tympanosclerosis was diagnosed. CT diagnosis of middle ear cholesteatoma is based on the demonstration of a low-density soft-tissue mass, in association with bone erosion or ossicular dislocation. The author emphasizes the difficulty of a CT diagnosis of cholesteatoma in the patients with middle ear soft-tissue masses in the absence of bone alterations.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radon proof barriers are used for lowering of radon transport from the soil into the house and the determination of the radon diffusion coefficient is an important parameter to be determined in order to design the minimal thickness of the radon proof insulation. A method has been developed in our laboratory by using modified Lucas cells connected to a radon source and tightly closed onto the top by the tested membranes whose radon diffusion coefficients are being measured. Solving the time-dependent differential equation for radon diffusion in the membrane for well-defined experimental conditions the effective radon diffusion coefficient of the insulating material can be evaluated by comparing the radon concentration decrease in the cell for the first hours with the well-known radioactive decay. First results obtained in several preliminary tests carried out with a parafilm M barrier and two polyethylene membranes are shown ...

CERN Document Server

Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) on the unilamellar vesicle populations (diameter 500 and 1000 angstrom) was used to characterize lipid vesicles from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) at three phases (gel, ripple, and liquid). Parameters of vesicle populations and internal structure of the DMPC bilayer were characterized on the basis of the Separated Form Factor (SFF) model. Parameters of the internal bilayer structure (thickness of the membrane and the hydrophobic core, hydration, and surface area of lipid molecule) were determined on the basis of the Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic (HH) approximation of neutron scattering length density across the bilayer r(x) and of the Step Function (SF) approximation of r(x). It was demonstrated in frame of HH approximation that DMPC membrane thickness in liquid phase (T=30 degrees) depends on the membrane curvature. The dependence of the DMPC membrane thickness ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The LW blood group antigens reside on a 42-kDa erythrocyte membrane glycoprotein that was purified by immunoaffinity and partially sequenced. From this information, a specific PCR-amplified DNA fragment...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters) utilize the energy of ATP hydrolysis to translocate an unusually diverse set of substrates across cellular membranes. ABCA4, also known as...Full Text Available

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Since membrane structures such as domes have been constructed in snowy regions, how to dispose snow on the roof has become a big problem. In the case of disposing snow on the roof by sliding off, it is required to know the distance and range of snow dispersion after the fall from the roof from the aspect of disaster prevention. This paper describes the experimental study on the effects of snow depth, sliding distance and angle on the distance and range of snow dispersion using an outdoor apparatus to slide the snow off which can adjust the conditions for sliding. As a result, the distance of snow dispersion was influenced not only by the sliding distance and angle but also the depth (as well as the weight) of the snow. When the snow was sliding on the membrane structure, it was neccesary to consider viscostic resisting force of water between the snow and the membrane in addition to kinetic friction force. After the fall ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Patients with Alport syndrome progressively lose renal function as a result of defective type IV collagen in their glomerular basement membrane. In mice lacking the α3 chain of type IV collagen...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

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...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Phosphatidic acid (PA) is postulated to have both structural and signaling functions during membrane dynamics in animal cells. In this study, we show that before a critical time period during rhabdomere...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The H⁺-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase (H⁺-PPase) associated with vesicles of the vacuolar membrane (tonoplast) isolated from beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii y-1, newly synthesized chlorophyll a/b-binding apoproteins are degraded when chlorophylls are not present for assembly of stable light-harvesting...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We have developed and validated a microporous poly(ethylene terephthalate) membrane-based indirect co-culture system for human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) propagation, which allows real-time...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BACKGROUND: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of heritable diseases that manifest as blistering and erosions of the skin and mucous membranes. In the dystrophic forms of EB (DEB), the diagnostic...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Peripartal serum alkaline phosphatase activity and lactate dehydrogenase activity were measured in 30 dairy cows in order to examine the association between retained fetal membranes and enzyme activity....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Low membrane permeability is one of the major obstacles to the successful cryopreservation of zebrafish embryos. The aim of the present study was to explore if this could be overcome by yolk...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Effects of physical environment on plasma membrane semipermeability and osmotic induction of changes in aqueous cytoplasmic volume were studied in vegetative and spore cells of a plant pathogenic fungus,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The biodegradation of nylon by lignin-degrading fungi was investigated. The fungus IZU-154 significantly degraded nylon-66 membrane under ligninolytic conditions. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are attractive because of their high conversion efficiency, low pollution, lightweight, and high power density. A major area of challenges is the design and engineering of active, robust, and low-cost electrocatalysts. This report discusses recent findings of our investigations of the design and nano-engineering of platinum-vanadium-iron catalysts for use in PEMFC. The membrane electrode assembly was prepared using nano-engineered PtVFe nanoparticles with controlled composition and size supported on carbon as cathode electrocatalysts. The electrocatalytic activity and stability of the catalysts have been characterized by both rotating disk electrode and membrane electrode assembly measurements. The trimetallic catalysts have been shown to exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance in PEMFC in comparison with commercial platinum catalysts. The results exhibited a good ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The 37/67-kd laminin receptor, LAMR, is a multifunctional protein that associates with the 40S ribosomal subunit and also localizes to the cell membrane to interact with the extracellular matrix. LAMR...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The primary aim of this study was to develop a model system that uses epidermal cells (keratinocytes and accessory pigmented cells) cultured on a reconstituted basement membrane biomatrix for use in...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Choline (Cho)-containing phospholipids are the most abundant phospholipids in cellular membranes and play fundamental structural as well as regulatory roles in cell metabolism and signaling. Although...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Citrate transport via CitS of Klebsiella pneumoniae has been shown to depend on the presence of Na+. This transport system has been expressed in Escherichia coli, and uptake of citrate in E. coli membrane...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Dysregulation of the alternative pathway of complement activation, caused by mutations or polymorphisms in the genes encoding factor H, membrane co-factor protein, factor I or factor B, is associated...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The responses of the vacuolar membrane (tonoplast) proton-pumping inorganic pyrophosphatase (H⁺-PPase) from oat (Avena sativa L.) roots to changes in Mg²⁺ and...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The main function of white adipose tissue is to store nutrient energy in the form of triglycerides. The mechanism by which free fatty acids (FFA) move into and out of the adipocyte has not been resolved....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Local anesthetics are able to induce pain relief by binding to the sodium channels of excitable membranes, blocking the influx of sodium ions and the propagation of the nervous impulse. Ropivacaine...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sphingomyelin (SM) is an abundant phospholipid in cell membranes and in lipoproteins. In human plasma, SM is mainly found in atherogenic lipoproteins; therefore, higher levels of SM may promote atherogenesis....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

An aqueous house dust mite extract was separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes by Western Blotting. Two major allergens, Der pI and Der pII associated with the mite faeces...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundLentiviral vectors (LVs) can efficiently transduce a broad spectrum of cells and tissues, including dividing and non-dividing cells. So far the most widely used method...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Effects of MgCl₂ and free fatty acids (FFA) on galactolipid:galactolipid galactosyltransferase (GGGT) and UDP-galactose: 1,2-diacylglycerol galactosyltransferase (UDGT) in chloroplast envelope...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Peroxisomes, glyoxysomes, glycosomes, and hydrogenosomes have each been classified as microbodies, i.e., subcellular organelles with an electron-dense matrix that is bound by a single membrane. We investigated...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The cell is modeled as an ellipsoid with shell and the surface stress distribution calculated by means of the Maxwell Stress Tensor. The cell membrane is treated as incompressible material having both bending and shear energies of deformation. Employing the principle of virtual work, cell volume (and hence shape) is computed as a function of the external field strength and orientation with respect to the field. The following results were obtained: (1) The surface stresses that develop or the cell membrane are distributed having both normal and tangential components that act together to produce a rounding of the cell. (2) If the tangential component of the stress is ignored, then higher field strengths are needed to produce similar deformation (shape change) of cells. (3) The threshold value of the applied field, i.e, the field strength at which the volume (shape) of the cell changes abruptly, occurs at approximately 55V/cm. Above the threshold ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

FXYD1 (phospholemman) is a member of an evolutionarily conserved family of membrane proteins that regulate the function of the Na,K-ATPase enzyme complex in specific tissues and specific physiological...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background:Continuous renal replacement therapy is used to manage fluid and solute imbalances in critically ill patients but may affect the clearance of concurrently administered...Full Text Available

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Oxygenated sterol compounds (OSC), when incubated for 1 hr with human erythrocytes in lipoprotein-depleted medium at concentrations of 0.625-5 x 10/sup -5/M, are inserted into the cell membrane and remain there despite subsequent washing of the cells. The insertion results in expansion of the surface area of the red cell ghost membrane, an increase in critical hemolytic volume, and as a consequence, in dimished osmotic fragility of the erythrocytes. This effect is seen with echinocyte-forming as well as with non-echinocyte-forming OSC. Erythrocytes treated with OSC do not differ from control cells with respect to their mean cell volume (MCV) in isotonic solution, water content, ion fluxes, and filterability through polycarbonate filters. The shift of the osmotic fragility curve toward lower NaCl concentrations is proportional to the amount of OSC inserted into the red cell membrane. 7BETA-Hydroxycholesterol, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experiments were performed to investigate the involvement of the cell membrane in the excision DNA repair process in Escherichia coli. Two membrane-binding drugs, procaine and phenethyl alcohol (PEA), inhibited liquid-holding recovery (LBR) in u.v.-irradiated E. coli wild-type and recA strains. In uvrB and polA strains where, after u.v.-irradiation, LHR was absent the two drugs had no effect. Both drugs markedly reduced the removal of u.v.-induced thymine dimers in the DNA of wild-type cells (H/r30). Analysis by alkaline sucrose gradients revealed that PEA inhibited the incision step in excision repair. In contrast, procaine had no effect on incision but apparently inhibited the late steps in excision repair. PEA dissociated DNA from the cell membrane, whereas procaine did not. The results suggest that the two drugs PEA and procaine inhibit LHR and the excision repair process operating on u.v.-induced damage in E. coli by ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Colonies of toxin-producing Pasteurella multocida were detected with peroxidase-labeled monoclonal antibodies by a membrane assay. Examination of the specificity of the assay with 29 P. multocida cultures...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Cyclophilins (Cyps), the intracellular receptors for Cyclosporine A (CsA), are responsible for peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerisation and for chaperoning several membrane proteins. Those functions...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Cellular cholesterol homeostasis is controlled by sterol-regulated proteolysis of membrane-bound transcription factors called sterol-regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs). CPP32, a cysteine protease,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The membrane properties of isolated cultured microglia have been extensively studied but it is important to understand their properties in situ, where they protect the brain against...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Cd36 is a small-molecular-weight integral membrane protein expressed in a diverse, but select, range of cell types. It has an equally diverse range of ligands and physiological functions, which has...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A review of the research activities carried out by the authors on biosorption of heavy metals is reported in this work. In particular, biomass characterisation, biosorption equilibrium with single metal system, biomass immobilisation in polymeric matrix and related kinetics, biosorption in membrane reactor systems are the main aspects reported in the paper. (orig.)

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Atg9 is a transmembrane protein essential for autophagy which cycles between the Golgi network, late endosomes and LC3-positive autophagosomes in mammalian cells during starvation through a mechanism...Full Text Available