A simple method for conversion of airborne gamma-ray spectra to ground level doses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsbech, Uffe C C; Bargholz, Kim

1996-01-01

A new and simple method for conversion of airborne NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectra to dose rates at ground level has been developed. By weighting the channel count rates with the channel numbers a spectrum dose index (SDI) is calculated for each spectrum. Ground level dose rates then are determined...... by multiplying the SDI by an altitude dependent conversion factor. The conversion factors are determined from spectra based on Monte Carlo calculations. The results are compared with measurements in a laboratory calibration set-up. IT-NT-27. June 1996. 27 p....

Microbial Physiology of the Conversion of Residual Oil to Methane: A Protein Prospective

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Brandon E. L.; Bastida-Lopez, Felipe; von Bergen, Martin; Richnow, Hans-Hermann; Suflita, Joseph M.

2010-05-01

Traditional petroleum recovery techniques are unable to extract the majority of oil in most petroliferous deposits. The recovery of even a fraction of residual hydrocarbon in conventional reserves could represent a substantive energy supply. To this end, the microbial conversion of residual oil to methane has gained increasing relevance in recent years [1,2]. Worldwide demand for methane is expected to increase through 2030 [3], as it is a cleaner-burning alternative to traditional fuels [4]. To investigate the microbial physiology of hydrocarbon-decomposition and ultimate methanogenesis, we initiated a two-pronged approach. First, a model alkane-degrading sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfoglaeba alkanexedens, was used to interrogate the predominant metabolic pathway(s) differentially expressed during growth on either n-decane or butyrate. A total of 81 proteins were differentially expressed during bacterial growth on butyrate, while 100 proteins were unique to the alkane-grown condition. Proteins related to alkylsuccinate synthase, or the homologous 1-methyl alkylsuccinate synthase, were identified only in the presence of the hydrocarbon. Secondly, we used a newly developed stable isotope probing technique [5] targeted towards proteins to monitor the flux of carbon through a residual oil-degrading bacterial consortium enriched from a gas-condensate contaminated aquifer [1]. Combined carbon and hydrogen stable isotope fractionation identified acetoclastic methanogenesis as the dominant process in this system. Such findings agree with the previous clone library characterization of the consortium. Furthermore, hydrocarbon activation was determined to be the rate-limiting process during the net conversion of residual oil to methane. References 1. Gieg, L.M., K.E. Duncan, and J.M. Suflita, Bioenegy production via microbial conversion of residual oil to natural gas. Appl Environ Micro, 2008. 74(10): p. 3022-3029. 2. Jones, D.M., et al., Crude-oil biodegradation via

Photoelectrochemical Complexes of Fucoxanthin-Chlorophyll Protein for Bio-Photovoltaic Conversion with a High Open-Circuit Photovoltage.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tianning; Liu, Cheng; Dong, Wenjing; Wang, Wenda; Sun, Yan; Chen, Xin; Yang, Chunhong; Dai, Ning

2017-12-05

Open-circuit photovoltage (V oc ) is among the critical parameters for achieving an efficient light-to-charge conversion in existing solar photovoltaic devices. Natural photosynthesis exploits light-harvesting chlorophyll (Chl) protein complexes to transfer sunlight energy efficiently. We describe the exploitation of photosynthetic fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein (FCP) complexes for realizing photoelectrochemical cells with a high V oc . An antenna-dependent photocurrent response and a V oc up to 0.72 V are observed and demonstrated in the bio-photovoltaic devices fabricated with photosynthetic FCP complexes and TiO 2 nanostructures. Such high V oc is determined by fucoxanthin in FCP complexes, and is rarely found in photoelectrochemical cells with other natural light-harvesting antenna. We think that the FCP-based bio-photovoltaic conversion will provide an opportunity to fabricate environmental benign photoelectrochemical cells with high V oc , and also help improve the understanding of the essential physics behind the light-to-charge conversion in photosynthetic complexes. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Growth performance of sea bass fed increasing levels of pea-wheat protein in diets varying in fish meal quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Tibaldi

2010-04-01

Full Text Available A 11-week trial was carried out to compare the growth performance of sea bass (D. labrax fed six isonitrogenous isocaloric diets where protein from two fish meals of different nutritive value was replaced with graded levels (0, 50 or 75% of a mixture made up by a pea protein concentrate and wheat gluten. Fish meal quality did not affect (P>0.05 weight gain or feed efficiency in fish fed graded levels of plant protein in the diet. Feed intake decreased (P<0.05 as the level of plant protein was increased in the diet but this did not led to impaired growth or feed conversion rate. Protein efficiency and retention were equally improved (P<0.05 only with diets where a poor quality fish meal was substituted by protein rich-plant ingredients. Calculations based on the mass balance of nutrients of sea bass proven the inclusion of a mixture of highly purified plant-protein derivatives in complete diets for the sea bass, to be beneficial in reducing pollution load.

Effects of Dietary Crude Protein Levels and Cysteamine Supplementation on Protein Synthetic and Degradative Signaling in Skeletal Muscle of Finishing Pigs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Zhou

Full Text Available Dietary protein levels and cysteamine (CS supplementation can affect growth performance and protein metabolism of pigs. However, the influence of dietary protein intake on the growth response of CS-treated pigs is unclear, and the mechanisms involved in protein metabolism remain unknown. Hence, we investigated the interactions between dietary protein levels and CS supplementation and the effects of dietary crude protein levels and CS supplementation on protein synthetic and degradative signaling in skeletal muscle of finishing pigs. One hundred twenty barrows (65.84 ± 0.61 kg were allocated to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with five replicates of six pigs each. The primary variations were dietary crude protein (CP levels (14% or 10% and CS supplemental levels (0 or 700 mg/kg. The low-protein (LP diets (10% CP were supplemented with enough essential amino acids (EAA to meet the NRC AA requirements of pigs and maintain the balanced supply of eight EAA including lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, and leucine. After 41 days, 10 pigs per treatment were slaughtered. We found that LP diets supplemented with EAA resulted in decreased concentrations of plasma somatostatin (SS (P<0.01 and plasma urea nitrogen (PUN (P<0.001, while dietary protein levels did not affect other traits. However, CS supplementation increased the average daily gain (P<0.001 and lean percentage (P<0.05, and decreased the feed conversion ratio (P<0.05 and back fat (P<0.05. CS supplementation also increased the concentrations of plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1 (P<0.001, and reduced the concentrations of leptin, SS, and PUN (P<0.001. Increased mRNA abundance of Akt1 and IGF-1 signaling (P<0.001 and decreased mRNA abundance of Forkhead Box O (FOXO 4 (P<0.01 and muscle atrophy F-box (P<0.001 were observed in pigs receiving CS. Additionally, CS supplementation increased the protein levels for the phosphorylated mammalian target of

Selective labeling of a single organelle by using two-photon conversion of a photoconvertible fluorescent protein

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Wataru; Shimada, Tomoko; Matsunaga, Sachihiro; Kurihara, Daisuke; Arimura, Shin-ichi; Tsutsumi, Nobuhiro; Fukui, Kiichi; Itoh, Kazuyoshi

2008-02-01

We present space-selective labeling of organelles by using two-photon conversion of a photoconvertible fluorescent protein with near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses. Two-photon excitation of photoconvertible fluorescent-protein, Kaede, enables space-selective labeling of organelles. We alter the fluorescence of target mitochondria in a tobacco BY-2 cell from green to red by focusing femtosecond laser pulses with a wavelength of 750 nm.

Nitrogen-to-Protein Conversion Factors for Three Edible Insects: Tenebrio molitor, Alphitobius diaperinus, and Hermetia illucens.

Science.gov (United States)

Janssen, Renske H; Vincken, Jean-Paul; van den Broek, Lambertus A M; Fogliano, Vincenzo; Lakemond, Catriona M M

2017-03-22

Insects are considered a nutritionally valuable source of alternative proteins, and their efficient protein extraction is a prerequisite for large-scale use. The protein content is usually calculated from total nitrogen using the nitrogen-to-protein conversion factor (Kp) of 6.25. This factor overestimates the protein content, due to the presence of nonprotein nitrogen in insects. In this paper, a specific Kp of 4.76 ± 0.09 was calculated for larvae from Tenebrio molitor, Alphitobius diaperinus, and Hermetia illucens, using amino acid analysis. After protein extraction and purification, a Kp factor of 5.60 ± 0.39 was found for the larvae of three insect species studied. We propose to adopt these Kp values for determining protein content of insects to avoid overestimation of the protein content.

High-fiber diets with reduced crude protein for commercial layers

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MFFM Praes

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at evaluating diets containing different fiber sources and two crude protein levels on the performance, egg quality, and nitrogen metabolism of commercial layers. In total, 392 48-wk-old Isa Brown layers were distributed according to a completely randomized experimental design in a 3x2+1 (control factorial arrangement, resulting in seven treatments with seven replicates of eight birds each. Treatments consisted of three fiber feedstuffs (cottonseed hulls, soybean hulls, and rice hulls and two dietary crude protein levels (12% and 16%. Cottonseed hulls associated with the high crude protein level (16% resulted in the worst feed conversion ratio per dozen eggs. Diets with 16% crude protein resulted in the highest feed intake, egg production, egg weight, egg mass values, and improved feed conversion ratio (kg eggs/kg feed. The dietary inclusion of soybean hulls determined low yolk pigmentation, and of rice hulls, low egg specific gravity. The 16% crude protein diet with rice hulls promoted the best feed conversion ratio. Hens fed the reference diet presented higher egg mass and better feed conversion ratio per kg eggs and per dozen eggs. Hens fed the diets with low crude protein level (12% had reduced nitrogen excretion, but presented worse egg production.

Adaptor protein containing PH domain, PTB domain and leucine zipper (APPL1) regulates the protein level of EGFR by modulating its trafficking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jae-Rin; Hahn, Hwa-Sun; Kim, Young-Hoon; Nguyen, Hong-Hoa; Yang, Jun-Mo; Kang, Jong-Sun; Hahn, Myong-Joon

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► APPL1 regulates the protein level of EGFR in response to EGF stimulation. ► Depletion of APPL1 accelerates the movement of EGF/EGFR from the cell surface to the perinuclear region in response to EGF. ► Knockdown of APPL1 enhances the activity of Rab5. -- Abstract: The EGFR-mediated signaling pathway regulates multiple biological processes such as cell proliferation, survival and differentiation. Previously APPL1 (adaptor protein containing PH domain, PTB domain and leucine zipper 1) has been reported to function as a downstream effector of EGF-initiated signaling. Here we demonstrate that APPL1 regulates EGFR protein levels in response to EGF stimulation. Overexpression of APPL1 enhances EGFR stabilization while APPL1 depletion by siRNA reduces EGFR protein levels. APPL1 depletion accelerates EGFR internalization and movement of EGF/EGFR from cell surface to the perinuclear region in response to EGF treatment. Conversely, overexpression of APPL1 decelerates EGFR internalization and translocation of EGF/EGFR to the perinuclear region. Furthermore, APPL1 depletion enhances the activity of Rab5 which is involved in internalization and trafficking of EGFR and inhibition of Rab5 in APPL1-depleted cells restored EGFR levels. Consistently, APPL1 depletion reduced activation of Akt, the downstream signaling effector of EGFR and this is restored by inhibition of Rab5. These findings suggest that APPL1 is required for EGFR signaling by regulation of EGFR stabilities through inhibition of Rab5.

Effect of protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and selenium levels on the performance, carcass yield, and blood changes in broilers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FH Hada

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance, carcass and parts yield, and blood changes in broilers fed different protein, carbohydrate, and lipid levels. Birds were fed a commercial diet until seven days of age. On day 8, birds were distributed according to a completely randomized experimental design in a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement (control diet, low protein diet, low carbohydrate diet or low lipid diet vs. supplementation of 0 or 0.3ppm organic selenium with four replicates of 15 birds each. Broilers fed low protein presented lower body weight, feed intake, and worse feed conversion ratio on day 42, as well as lower carcass and breast yields, higher leg and abdominal fat yields, higher triglyceride and lower uric acid blood levels. Broilers fed the low carbohydrate diets presented low glucose levels on days 14 and 42.Creatine-kinase (CK levels increased as birds aged. The livability of broilers fed the low protein diets improved and of those fed low carbohydrate diets worsened with dietary selenium addition on days 35 and 42. Selenium supplementation increased glucose levels in 42-d-old broilers. Changes in dietary protein caused more impact on broiler performance compared with carbohydrates and lipids. Changes in macronutrients caused metabolic changes in broilers. Selenium affected broiler livability as measured on days 35 and 42, and glucose blood levels.

Process for the aerobic conversion of poultry manure into high-protein feedstuff

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shuler, M.L.; Roberts, E.D.; Mitchell, D.W.; Kargi, F.; Austic, R.E.; Henry, A.; Vashon, R.; Seeley, H.W. Jr.

1979-01-01

A two-stage aerobic continuous process is suggested for the conversion of poultry waste into a single-cell protein (SCP) product. The technical feasibility of the process is examined in this paper. Using bench-scale apparatus the approximate growth kinetics have been discovered. Possible modes of product recovery have been examined. The product consists primarily of a strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens which has a lysine-rich (approx. 9.3%) amino acid profile that could make this product an attractive feed ingredient for poultry diets.

Online optimization of a multi-conversion-level DC home microgrid for system efficiency enhancement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boscaino, V.; Guerrero, J. M.; Ciornei, I.

2017-01-01

stages, three paralleled DC/DC converters are implemented. A Genetic Algorithm performs the on-line optimization of the DC network’s global efficiency, generating the optimal current sharing ratios of the concurrent power converters. The overall DC/DC conversion system including the optimization section......In this paper, an on-line management system for the optimal efficiency operation of a multi-bus DC home distribution system is proposed. The operation of the system is discussed with reference to a distribution system with two conversion stages and three voltage levels. In each of the conversion...

Experimental approaches to the interaction of the prion protein with nucleic acids and glycosaminoglycans: Modulators of the pathogenic conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Jerson L; Vieira, Tuane C R G; Gomes, Mariana P B; Rangel, Luciana P; Scapin, Sandra M N; Cordeiro, Yraima

2011-03-01

The concept that transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are caused only by proteins has changed the traditional paradigm that disease transmission is due solely to an agent that carries genetic information. The central hypothesis for prion diseases proposes that the conversion of a cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) into a misfolded, β-sheet-rich isoform (PrP(Sc)) accounts for the development of (TSE). There is substantial evidence that the infectious material consists chiefly of a protein, PrP(Sc), with no genomic coding material, unlike a virus particle, which has both. However, prions seem to have other partners that chaperone their activities in converting the PrP(C) into the disease-causing isoform. Nucleic acids (NAs) and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are the most probable accomplices of prion conversion. Here, we review the recent experimental approaches that have been employed to characterize the interaction of prion proteins with nucleic acids and glycosaminoglycans. A PrP recognizes many nucleic acids and GAGs with high affinities, and this seems to be related to a pathophysiological role for this interaction. A PrP binds nucleic acids and GAGs with structural selectivity, and some PrP:NA complexes can become proteinase K-resistant, undergoing amyloid oligomerization and conversion to a β-sheet-rich structure. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that endogenous polyanions (such as NAs and GAGs) may accelerate the rate of prion disease progression by acting as scaffolds or lattices that mediate the interaction between PrP(C) and PrP(Sc) molecules. In addition to a still-possible hypothesis that nucleic acids and GAGs, especially those from the host, may modulate the conversion, the recent structural characterization of the complexes has raised the possibility of developing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Use of bovine recombinant prion protein and real-time quaking-induced conversion to detect transmissible mink encephalopathy prions and discriminate classical and atypical L- and H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Science.gov (United States)

Prions are amyloid-forming proteins that cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies through a process involving conversion from normal cellular prion protein to pathogenic misfolded conformation. This conversion has been used for in vitro assays including serial protein misfolding amplification...

Sheep scrapie susceptibility-linked polymorphisms do not modulate the initial binding of cellular to disease-associated prion protein prior to conversion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rigter, A.; Bossers, A.

2005-01-01

Conversion of the host-encoded protease-sensitive cellular prion protein (PrPC) into the scrapie-associated protease-resistant isoform (PrPSc) of prion protein (PrP) is the central event in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases. Differences in transmissibility and

Individual- vs. Culture-Level Dimensions of Individualism and Collectivism: Effects on Preferred Conversational Styles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Min-Sun; And Others

1996-01-01

Develops and uses a mediation model to investigate the links between culture, individual values (independent and interdependent construals of self), and perceptions of conversational constraints. Finds culture-level individualism and collectivism systematically related to individual-level cultural orientations (independent and interdependent…

Growth performance and certain body measurements of ostrich chicks as affected by dietary protein levels during 2–9 weeks of age

OpenAIRE

Kh.M. Mahrose; A.I. Attia; I.E. Ismail; D.E. Abou-Kassem; M.E. Abd El-Hack

2015-01-01

The present work was conducted to examine the effects of dietary crude protein (CP) levels (18, 21 and 24%) on growth performance (Initial and final body weight, daily body weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion and protein efficiency ratio) during 2-9 weeks of age and certain body measurements (body height, tibiotarsus length and tibiotarsus girth) at 9 weeks of age. A total of 30 African Black unsexed ostrich chicks were used in the present study in simple randomized design. The res...

Quantitation of secretory protein levels by radioimmunoassay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, J.L.; Dawson, J.R.

1978-01-01

A radioimmunoassay was designed for the detection of secretory protein, a component of secretory immunoglobulin A, in human serum. The assay uses free secretory protein isolated from human colostrum, and antisera raised in rabbits to be purified antigen. The mean level of secretory protein in the control group was 2.34+-0.41 μg/ml (mean+-S.E.M.). The level in cord blood was slightly lower (0.74+-0.26 μg/ml), while the level in patients with ovarian carcinoma was significantly increased (12.67+-1.43 μg/ml). Pregnant women have increasingly secretory protein levels with increasing length of gestation (5.86+-2.02, 11.55+-1.30 and 17.00+-1.16 μg/ml for the first, second and third trimesters, respectively. (Auth.)

Lysate of engineered Escherichia coli supports high-level conversion of glucose to 2,3-butanediol.

Science.gov (United States)

Kay, Jennifer E; Jewett, Michael C

2015-11-01

Cell-free metabolic engineering (CFME) is emerging as a powerful approach for the production of target molecules and pathway debugging. Unfortunately, high cofactor costs, limited cofactor and energy regeneration, and low volumetric productivities hamper the widespread use and practical implementation of CFME technology. To address these challenges, we have developed a cell-free system that harnesses ensembles of catalytic proteins prepared from crude lysates, or extracts, of cells to fuel highly active heterologous metabolic conversions. As a model pathway, we selected conversion of glucose to 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD), a medium level commodity chemical with many industrial applications. Specifically, we engineered a single strain of Escherichia coli to express three pathway enzymes necessary to make meso-2,3-BD (m2,3-BD). We then demonstrated that lysates from this strain, with addition of glucose and catalytic amounts of cofactors NAD+ and ATP, can produce m2,3-BD. Endogenous glycolytic enzymes convert glucose to pyruvate, the starting intermediate for m2,3-BD synthesis. Strikingly, with no strain optimization, we observed a maximal synthesis rate of m2,3-BD of 11.3 ± 0.1 g/L/h with a theoretical yield of 71% (0.36 g m2,3-BD/g glucose) in batch reactions. Titers reached 82 ± 8 g/L m2,3-BD in a 30 h fed-batch reaction. Our results highlight the ability for high-level co-factor regeneration in cell-free lysates. Further, they suggest exciting opportunities to use lysate-based systems to rapidly prototype metabolic pathways and carry out molecular transformations when bioconversion yields (g product/L), productivities (g product/L/h), or cellular toxicity limit commercial feasibility of whole-cell fermentation. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

RACK1 downregulates levels of the pro-apoptotic protein Fem1b in apoptosis-resistant colon cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Subauste, M Cecilia; Ventura-Holman, Tereza; Du, Liqin; Subauste, Jose S; Chan, Shing-Leng; Yu, Victor C; Maher, Joseph F

2009-12-01

Evasion of apoptosis plays an important role in colon cancer progression. Following loss of the Apc tumor suppressor gene in mice, the gene encoding Fem1b is upregulated early in neoplastic intestinal epithelium. Fem1b is a pro-apoptotic protein that interacts with Fas, TNFR1 and Apaf-1, and increased expression of Fem1b induces apoptosis of cancer cells. Fem1b is a homolog of FEM-1, a protein in Caenorhabditis elegans that is negatively regulated by ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. To study Fem1b regulation in colon cancer progression, we used apoptotis-sensitive SW480 cells, derived from a primary colon cancer, and their isogenic, apoptosis-resistant counterparts SW620 cells, derived from a subsequent metastatic lesion in the same patient. Treatment with proteasome inhibitor increased Fem1b protein levels in SW620 cells, but not in SW480 cells. In SW620 cells we found that endogenous Fem1b co-immunoprecipitates in complexes with RACK1, a protein known to mediate ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of other pro-apoptotic proteins and to be upregulated in colon cancer. Full-length Fem1b, or the N-terminal region of Fem1b, associated with RACK1 when co-expressed in HEK293T cells, and RACK1 stimulated ubiquitination of Fem1b. RACK1 overexpression in SW620 cells led to downregulation of Fem1b protein levels. Conversely, downregulation of RACK1 led to upregulation of Fem1b protein levels, associated with induction of apoptosis, and this apoptosis was inhibited by blocking Fem1b protein upregulation. In conclusion, RACK1 downregulates levels of the pro-apoptotic protein Fem1b in metastatic, apoptosis-resistant colon cancer cells, which may promote apoptosis-resistance during progression of colon cancer.

Assessing transmissible spongiform encephalopathy species barriers with an in vitro prion protein conversion assay

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Christopher J.; Carlson, Christina M.; Morawski, Aaron R.; Manthei, Alyson; Cashman, Neil R.

2015-01-01

Studies to understanding interspecies transmission of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs, prion diseases) are challenging in that they typically rely upon lengthy and costly in vivo animal challenge studies. A number of in vitro assays have been developed to aid in measuring prion species barriers, thereby reducing animal use and providing quicker results than animal bioassays. Here, we present the protocol for a rapid in vitroprion conversion assay called the conversion efficiency ratio (CER) assay. In this assay cellular prion protein (PrPC) from an uninfected host brain is denatured at both pH 7.4 and 3.5 to produce two substrates. When the pH 7.4 substrate is incubated with TSE agent, the amount of PrPC that converts to a proteinase K (PK)-resistant state is modulated by the original host’s species barrier to the TSE agent. In contrast, PrPC in the pH 3.5 substrate is misfolded by any TSE agent. By comparing the amount of PK-resistant prion protein in the two substrates, an assessment of the host’s species barrier can be made. We show that the CER assay correctly predicts known prion species barriers of laboratory mice and, as an example, show some preliminary results suggesting that bobcats (Lynx rufus) may be susceptible to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) chronic wasting disease agent.

Cochlear implants: 100 pediatric case conversions from the body worn to the nucleus esprit 22 ear level speech processor.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodd, M C; Nikolopoulos, T P; Totten, C; Cope, Y; O'Donoghue, G M

2005-07-01

To assess performance of Nucleus 22 mini system pediatric users converted from the Spectra 22 body-worn to the ESPrit 22 ear-level speech processor using aided thresholds and speech discrimination measures before and after the conversion. Spectra 22 body-worn speech processor users were chosen using preselection criteria (stable map, ability to report on the quality of the signal, no device problems). The subjects underwent tuning, map conversion, fitting of the ESPrit 22, and aided soundfield threshold and speech discrimination testing. The first 100 consecutive conversions are analyzed in this study. Fifty children (50%) were female, and 50 (50%) were male. The average age at implantation was 4.6 years (median 4.3 years, range 1.7 to 11 years). The average age of fitting the ear level speech processor was 11.1 years (median 11 years, range 6.2 to 18.2 years). Tertiary referral pediatric cochlear implant center in the United Kingdom. Of the 100 fittings attempted, all Spectra 22 maps could to be converted for use in the ESPrit 22. Of these 100 fittings, 44 were straightforward with no adjustment to map parameters being required, and 56 needed rate reductions and other map adjustments to achieve the conversion. The difference of the mean thresholds before and after the conversion did not exceed 2 dB across the frequencies studied (0.5-4 kHz). In 95% of the cases, the differences were less than 9 dB(A). With regard to speech discrimination testing, the mean threshold before the conversion was 53.4 dB and after the conversion 52.7 dB. Of the 100 conversions, only five children stopped using the ESPrit 22 despite fitting being achieved. Conversion from the Spectra 22 body worn to the ESPrit 22 ear level speech processor was found to be feasible in all the 100 cases studied. Only a minority (5%) of children chose not to use the ear level speech processor suggesting that children and parents were satisfied from the conversion.

Pertumbuhan Kompensasi Ayam Betina Hasil Persilangan Antara Ayam Kampung Jantan Dengan Ayam Ras Petelur Betina Yang Mendapat Level Protein Pakan Masa Starter Berbeda

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harimurti Februari Trisiwi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The experiment was conducted to examine the effect of various dietary protein levels during starting period (0-9 weeks on compensatory growth period (9-12 weeks of crossbred hens between cockerel native chicken and laying hens. Thirty two day old chicks were randomly divided into four different groups. For the first 9 weeks, each groups were fed with four different treatments : P1 type with 21,13% dietary protein, P2 type with 18,71% dietary protein, P3 type with 16,58% dietary protein, and P4 type with 14,79% dietary protein. At 9 weeks of age, each treatment group were then divided into 4 replications. The all chickens were then fed with P1 type feed until the end of the experiment during compensatory growth period. The variables observed were consumption (feed, protein, energy, the final body weight, the weight gain, the feed conversion, the protein efficiency ratio, and the energy efficiency ratio. The collected data were analysed using the one-way classification of variance analysis (CRD, followed by testing the significant means using The Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT. The result showed that the various dietary protein during the starting period did not cause significant differences on feed consumption during the compensatory growth period. The consumption of the P3 type and the P4 type feed during the starting period resulted a better weight gained and feed conversion during compensatory growth period than the use of the P1 type. The highest compensatory growth was achieved by the treatment group with the P3 type feed, as there was no significant difference of the chicken’s final body weight compared to chickens being fed with higher protein percentage (21,13%. There was also no significant difference of the protein and energy consumption among the treatment groups. Protein efficiency ratio and energy efficiency ratio of chicken fed with P3 and P4 type of feed are better than those fed with a higher dietary protein level. In

Review: Optimizing ruminant conversion of feed protein to human food protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Broderick, G A

2017-11-20

Ruminant livestock have the ability to produce high-quality human food from feedstuffs of little or no value for humans. Balanced essential amino acid composition of meat and milk from ruminants makes those protein sources valuable adjuncts to human diets. It is anticipated that there will be increasing demand for ruminant proteins in the future. Increasing productivity per animal dilutes out the nutritional and environmental costs of maintenance and rearing dairy animals up to production. A number of nutritional strategies improve production per animal such as ration balancing in smallholder operations and small grain supplements to ruminants fed high-forage diets. Greenhouse gas emission intensity is reduced by increased productivity per animal; recent research has developed at least one effective inhibitor of methane production in the rumen. There is widespread over-feeding of protein to dairy cattle; milk and component yields can be maintained, and sometimes even increased, at lower protein intake. Group feeding dairy cows according to production and feeding diets higher in rumen-undegraded protein can improve milk and protein yield. Supplementing rumen-protected essential amino acids will also improve N efficiency in some cases. Better N utilization reduces urinary N, which is the most environmentally unstable form of excretory N. Employing nutritional models to more accurately meet animal requirements improves nutrient efficiency. Although smallholder enterprises, which are concentrated in tropical and semi-tropical regions of developing countries, are subject to different economic pressures, nutritional biology is similar at all production levels. Rather than milk volume, nutritional strategies should maximize milk component yield, which is proportional to market value as well as food value when milk nutrients are consumed directly by farmers and their families. Moving away from Holsteins toward smaller breeds such as Jerseys, Holstein-Jersey crosses or

Protein C activity and antigen levels in childhood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Teunenbroek, A.; Peters, M.; Sturk, A.; Borm, J. J.; Breederveld, C.

1990-01-01

Hereditary protein C deficiency is an important risk factor for thrombosis. To enable its diagnosis shortly after birth, we determined reference values of protein C antigen and activity levels for the first 3 months of life. To establish an age-related range of protein C levels we also determined

Conversion to Sirolimus Ameliorates Cyclosporine-Induced Nephropathy in the Rat: Focus on Serum, Urine, Gene, and Protein Renal Expression Biomarkers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Sereno

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Protocols of conversion from cyclosporin A (CsA to sirolimus (SRL have been widely used in immunotherapy after transplantation to prevent CsA-induced nephropathy, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these protocols remain nuclear. This study aimed to identify the molecular pathways and putative biomarkers of CsA-to-SRL conversion in a rat model. Four animal groups (n=6 were tested during 9 weeks: control, CsA, SRL, and conversion (CsA for 3 weeks followed by SRL for 6 weeks. Classical and emergent serum, urinary, and kidney tissue (gene and protein expression markers were assessed. Renal lesions were analyzed in hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, and Masson’s trichrome stains. SRL-treated rats presented proteinuria and NGAL (serum and urinary as the best markers of renal impairment. Short CsA treatment presented slight or even absent kidney lesions and TGF-β, NF-κβ, mTOR, PCNA, TP53, KIM-1, and CTGF as relevant gene and protein changes. Prolonged CsA exposure aggravated renal damage, without clear changes on the traditional markers, but with changes in serums TGF-β and IL-7, TBARs clearance, and kidney TGF-β and mTOR. Conversion to SRL prevented CsA-induced renal damage evolution (absent/mild grade lesions, while NGAL (serum versus urine seems to be a feasible biomarker of CsA replacement to SRL.

Dietary protein level and performance of growing Baladi kids.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelrahman, M M; Aljumaah, R S

2014-01-01

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding different levels of protein to black Baladi breed kids. Weanling Baladi kids (n=18; 75 to 90 days old) were selected and individually housed at our experimental farm. Kids were divided randomly to one of the three treatments for 12 weeks. The three dietary treatments were: T1: control ration, formulated according to NRC to cover the protein (level 1) and other nutrients requirements. T2: ration formulated to cover only 75% of protein (level 2) recommended by NRC. T3: control diet + 2.4 g undegradable methionine (Smartamine®)/day/kid (level 3). Feed intake, initial and monthly body weights were recorded. Blood samples were collected monthly and analyzed for metabolites and Co, Zn and Cu levels. Decreasing the dietary level of protein (T2) negatively affected (Pkids below the NRC requirements of protein negatively affect the growth performance and feed efficiency. The recommended protein level by NRC for growing kids cover the requirements of growing black Baladi kids for maximum growth and productivity.

Translational errors as an early event in prion conversion.

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Hatin, I; Bidou, L; Cullin, C; Rousset, J P

2001-01-01

A prion is an infectious, altered form of a cellular protein which can self-propagate and affect normal phenotype. Prion conversion has been observed for mammalian and yeast proteins but molecular mechanisms that trigger this process remain unclear. Up to now, only post-translational models have been explored. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that co-translational events may be implicated in the conformation changes of the Ure2p protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This protein can adopt a prion conformation leading to an [URE3] phenotype which can be easily assessed and quantified. We analyzed the effect of two antibiotics, known to affect translation, on [URE3] conversion frequency. For cells treated with G418 we observed a parallel increase of translational errors rate and frequency of [URE3] conversion. By contrast, cycloheximide which was not found to affect translational fidelity, has no influence on the induction of [URE3] phenotype. These results raise the possibility that the mechanism of prion conversion might not only involve alternative structures of strictly identical molecules but also aberrant proteins resulting from translational errors.

Growth Response and Feed Utilization of Giant Gourami (Osphronemus goramy Juvenile Feeding Different Protein Levels of the Diets Supplemented with Recombinant Growth Hormone

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DARMAWAN SETIA BUDI

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of dietary supplementation with recombinant growth hormone (rGH on the growth and dietary utility of juvenile giant gourami. The rGH was mixed with chicken egg yolk and sprayed on to artificial feed with different protein levels (34, 28, and 21%; isoenergy. Each treatment group of gourami was paired with a control group that received feed of the same protein level, but without rGH supplementation. Juvenile of giant gourami (weight 15.83 ± 0.13 g were fed diets containing rGH, to apparent satiation, 2 times a week. Fish were reared from less than 2 months old for 42 days in 100 L glass aquaria at an initial density of 10 fish per aquarium. At the end of this period, the biomass and daily growth rate (SGR of the fish were measured and the feed conversion ratio calculated and compared. Our data showed that fish fed rGH-supplemented diets experienced higher growth than fish in the control groups and showed that fish with higher protein diets experienced higher growth than the groups with less protein diets. The group with the highest biomass gain, SGR, and lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR was the group fed a 34% protein diet supplemented with rGH. Furthermore, biomass gain, SGR, and FCR in the rGH treatment group with a 28% protein diet matched the measurements of the non-rGH control group receiving a 34% protein diet (P > 0.05. We conclude that giant juvenile gourami given feed supplemented with recombinant growth hormone will experience increased growth and dietary utility compared with gourami given the same feed without supplementation.

Human serum protein and C-reactive protein levels among HIV ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Human serum protein and C-reactive protein levels were determined among HIV patients visiting St Camillus Hospital, Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, between January to March, 2013. Fifty (50) HIV patients (20 males; 30 females) and 50 control subjects (24 males; 26 females) were enrolled for this study. The clinical status of ...

Centrobin-mediated Regulation of the Centrosomal Protein 4.1-associated Protein (CPAP) Level Limits Centriole Length during Elongation Stage*

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Gudi, Radhika; Haycraft, Courtney J.; Bell, P. Darwin; Li, Zihai; Vasu, Chenthamarakshan

2015-01-01

Microtubule-based centrioles in the centrosome mediate accurate bipolar cell division, spindle orientation, and primary cilia formation. Cellular checkpoints ensure that the centrioles duplicate only once in every cell cycle and achieve precise dimensions, dysregulation of which results in genetic instability and neuro- and ciliopathies. The normal cellular level of centrosomal protein 4.1-associated protein (CPAP), achieved by its degradation at mitosis, is considered as one of the major mechanisms that limits centriole growth at a predetermined length. Here we show that CPAP levels and centriole elongation are regulated by centrobin. Exogenous expression of centrobin causes abnormal elongation of centrioles due to massive accumulation of CPAP in the cell. Conversely, CPAP was undetectable in centrobin-depleted cells, suggesting that it undergoes degradation in the absence of centrobin. Only the reintroduction of full-length centrobin, but not its mutant form that lacks the CPAP binding site, could restore cellular CPAP levels in centrobin-depleted cells, indicating that persistence of CPAP requires its interaction with centrobin. Interestingly, inhibition of the proteasome in centrobin-depleted cells restored the cellular and centriolar CPAP expression, suggesting its ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation when centrobin is absent. Intriguingly, however, centrobin-overexpressing cells also showed proteasome-independent accumulation of ubiquitinated CPAP and abnormal, ubiquitin-positive, elongated centrioles. Overall, our results show that centrobin interacts with ubiquitinated CPAP and prevents its degradation for normal centriole elongation function. Therefore, it appears that loss of centrobin expression destabilizes CPAP and triggers its degradation to restrict the centriole length during biogenesis. PMID:25616662

Two Level Versus Matrix Converters Performance in Wind Energy Conversion Systems Employing DFIG

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Reddy, Gongati Pandu Ranga; Kumar, M. Vijaya

2017-10-01

Wind power capacity has received enormous growth during past decades. With substantial development of wind power, it is expected to provide a fifth of world's electricity by the end of 2030. In wind energy conversion system, the power electronic converters play an important role. This paper presents the two level and matrix converters performance in wind energy conversion system employing Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG). The DFIG is a wound rotor induction generator. Because of the advantages of the DFIG over other generators it is being used for most of the wind applications. This paper also discusses control of converters using the space vector pulse width modulation technique. The MATLAB/SIMULINK ® software is used to study the performance of the converters.

The levels of nitrite and nitrate, proline and protein profiles in tomato plants infected with pseudomonas syringae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berber, I.; Onlu, H.

2012-01-01

In this study, the contents of nitrite-nitrate and free L-proline, and pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins in tomato plants following inoculation with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain were examined. The results of the nitrite and nitrate indicated that there was a reduction in the levels of nitrate in the infected tomato plants through 1-8 study days, compared with the healthy plants. On the other hands, when the nitrite amounts increased in the first and second days, the nitrite concentrations reduced in infected plants at subsequent time periods, compared with uninfected plants. The accumulation of free proline increased in the infected plants, according to control plants. The whole-cell protein profiles displayed that the levels of the protein bands of molecular masses 204.6 kDa and 69.9 kDa significantly increased in infected and uninfected plants during 2-10 study days. In additionally, in the quantities of the protein bands of molecular weights 90.3 and 79.4 kDa were observed an increase in the infected and healthy plants after the fourth day. However, the protein band of molecular weight 54.3 kDa was visible only in uninfected plants for the fourth and eighth days. Finally, the study suggest that there were the sophisticate relationships among the proline accumulation, the conversion of nitrate to nitrite and the induction of PR protein genes in the regulation of defense mechanisms toward microbial invaders. Our results also indicated that the increases in nitrite and proline contents might be useful indicator for the response toward pathogen attacks. (author)

Glycoform-independent prion conversion by highly efficient, cell-based, protein misfolding cyclic amplification.

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Moudjou, Mohammed; Chapuis, Jérôme; Mekrouti, Mériem; Reine, Fabienne; Herzog, Laetitia; Sibille, Pierre; Laude, Hubert; Vilette, Didier; Andréoletti, Olivier; Rezaei, Human; Dron, Michel; Béringue, Vincent

2016-07-07

Prions are formed of misfolded assemblies (PrP(Sc)) of the variably N-glycosylated cellular prion protein (PrP(C)). In infected species, prions replicate by seeding the conversion and polymerization of host PrP(C). Distinct prion strains can be recognized, exhibiting defined PrP(Sc) biochemical properties such as the glycotype and specific biological traits. While strain information is encoded within the conformation of PrP(Sc) assemblies, the storage of the structural information and the molecular requirements for self-perpetuation remain uncertain. Here, we investigated the specific role of PrP(C) glycosylation status. First, we developed an efficient protein misfolding cyclic amplification method using cells expressing the PrP(C) species of interest as substrate. Applying the technique to PrP(C) glycosylation mutants expressing cells revealed that neither PrP(C) nor PrP(Sc) glycoform stoichiometry was instrumental to PrP(Sc) formation and strainness perpetuation. Our study supports the view that strain properties, including PrP(Sc) glycotype are enciphered within PrP(Sc) structural backbone, not in the attached glycans.

Conversion of light-energy into molecular strain in the photocycle of the photoactive yellow protein.

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Gamiz-Hernandez, Ana P; Kaila, Ville R I

2016-01-28

The Photoactive Yellow Protein (PYP) is a light-driven photoreceptor, responsible for the phototaxis of halophilic bacteria. Recently, a new short-lived intermediate (pR0) was characterized in the PYP photocycle using combined time-resolved X-ray crystallography and density functional theory calculations. The pR0 species was identified as a highly contorted cis-intermediate, which is stabilized by hydrogen bonds with protein residues. Here we show by hybrid quantum mechanics/classical mechanics (QM/MM) molecular dynamics simulations, and first-principles calculations of optical properties, that the optical shifts in the early steps of the PYP photocycle originate from the conversion of light energy into molecular strain, stored in the pR0 state, and its relaxation in subsequent reaction steps. Our calculations quantitatively reproduce experimental data, which enables us to identify molecular origins of the optical shifts. Our combined approach suggests that the short-lived pR0 intermediate stores ∼1/3 of the photon energy as molecular strain, thus providing the thermodynamic driving force for later conformational changes in the protein.

Use of bovine recombinant prion protein and real-time quaking-induced conversion to detect cattle transmissible mink encephalopathy prions and discriminate classical and atypical L- and H-Type bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

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Hwang, Soyoun; Greenlee, Justin J; Nicholson, Eric M

2017-01-01

Prions are amyloid-forming proteins that cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies through a process involving conversion from the normal cellular prion protein to the pathogenic misfolded conformation (PrPSc). This conversion has been used for in vitro assays including serial protein misfolding amplification and real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC). RT-QuIC can be used for the detection of prions in a variety of biological tissues from humans and animals. Extensive work has been done to demonstrate that RT-QuIC is a rapid, specific, and highly sensitive prion detection assay. RT-QuIC uses recombinant prion protein to detect minute amounts of PrPSc. RT-QuIC has been successfully used to detect PrPSc from different prion diseases with a variety of substrates including hamster, human, sheep, bank vole, bovine and chimeric forms of prion protein. However, recombinant bovine prion protein has not been used to detect transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) or to differentiate types of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in samples from cattle. We evaluated whether PrPSc from TME and BSE infected cattle can be detected with RT-QuIC using recombinant bovine prion proteins, and optimized the reaction conditions to specifically detect cattle TME and to discriminate between classical and atypical BSE by conversion efficiency. We also found that substrate composed of the disease associated E211K mutant protein can be effective for the detection of TME in cattle and that wild type prion protein appears to be a practical substrate to discriminate between the different types of BSEs.

Energy and protein levels in diets containing phytase for broilers from 22 to 42 days of age: performance and nutrient excretion

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Adriano Kaneo Nagata

2011-08-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted in order to evaluate the influence of different levels of metabolizable energy and crude protein in diets formulated according to the ideal protein concept with phytase supplementation on performance and nutrient excretion of broilers from 22 to 42 days age. It was used 1,500 Coob lineage broilers at 22 days of age and with initial weight of 833 ± 7g, distributed in completely randomized design in a 3 × 3 + 1 factorial scheme composed of three levels of correct apparent metabolizable energy (2,950; 3,100 and 3,250 kcal/kg, three levels of crude protein (14, 16 and 18% and a control treatment, totaling ten treatments with six repetitions of 25 birds each. All diets, with the exception of the control, were supplemented with phytase. For determination of excretion of pollutants, it was used 180 broilers from the same lineage at 35 days of age,placed in metabolic cages, with ten treatments each one with six repetitions and three birds per experimental unit. The protein and energy levels in diets containing phytase influenced feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion and excretion of nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, copper and zinc by the birds. The corrected apparent metabolizable energy level in the diets for broilers in the studied period must be increased up to 3,250 kcal/kg of metabolizable energy and the levels of crude protein, calcium and phosphorus must be reduced down to 18, 0.70 and 0.31%, respectively, provided that supplemented with amino acids and phytase to improve the performance and to reduce excretion of pollutants by birds.

Níveis de proteína bruta para juvenis de pirarucu Crude protein levels for juvenile pirarucu

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Daniel Rabello Ituassú

2005-03-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de quatro níveis de proteína sobre o crescimento de juvenis de pirarucu, Arapaima gigas. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com de quatro tratamentos (32,7%, 39,3%, 43,4% e 48,6% de proteína bruta, três repetições cada. Foram utilizados 120 peixes, com peso médio inicial de 120,6±3,5 g, distribuídos homogeneamente em 12 tanques-rede de 1 m³ cada, contendo dez peixes por tanque. Após 45 dias, os resultados indicaram que as dietas com 48,6% de proteína resultaram em melhor ganho de peso, crescimento específico e composição corporal diferenciada. A conversão alimentar e a eficiência da ração não produziram diferenças entre os tratamentos. O nível de proteína na ração que produz máximo crescimento é de 48,6%.The objective of this work was to verify the effect of four protein levels on pirarucu, Arapaima gigas, growth performance. One hundred and twenty pirarucu juveniles, with an average weight of 120.6±3.5 g, were stocked into 12 floating cages with 1 m³ (ten fish per cage, in a complete randomized design with four treatments (32.7%, 39.3%, 43.4% and 48.6% crude protein, in three replicates each. After 45 days, results showed that diet with highest protein level (48.6% produced a better weight gain, specific growth rate, and differentiated body composition. Feed conversion and protein efficiency ratios did not show any differences among treatments. The dietary protein level required to produce maximum growth is 48.6%.

Sensitive and specific detection of classical scrapie prions in the brain of goats by real-time quaking-induced conversion

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The real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) is a rapid, specific, and sensitive prion seeding activity detection assay that uses recombinant prion protein (rPrPSen) to detect sub-infectious levels of the abnormal isoforms of the prion protein (PrPSc). Although RT-QuIC has been successfully us...

HIV-1 Tat protein induces glial cell autophagy through enhancement of BAG3 protein levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, Anna Paola; De Simone, Francesca Isabella; Iorio, Vittoria; De Marco, Margot; Khalili, Kamel; Sariyer, Ilker Kudret; Capunzo, Mario; Nori, Stefania Lucia; Rosati, Alessandra

2014-01-01

BAG3 protein has been described as an anti-apoptotic and pro-autophagic factor in several neoplastic and normal cells. We previously demonstrated that BAG3 expression is elevated upon HIV-1 infection of glial and T lymphocyte cells. Among HIV-1 proteins, Tat is highly involved in regulating host cell response to viral infection. Therefore, we investigated the possible role of Tat protein in modulating BAG3 protein levels and the autophagic process itself. In this report, we show that transfection with Tat raises BAG3 levels in glioblastoma cells. Moreover, BAG3 silencing results in highly reducing Tat- induced levels of LC3-II and increasing the appearance of sub G0/G1 apoptotic cells, in keeping with the reported role of BAG3 in modulating the autophagy/apoptosis balance. These results demonstrate for the first time that Tat protein is able to stimulate autophagy through increasing BAG3 levels in human glial cells.

Protein misfolding cyclic amplification induces the conversion of recombinant prion protein to PrP oligomers causing neuronal apoptosis.

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Yuan, Zhen; Yang, Lifeng; Chen, Baian; Zhu, Ting; Hassan, Mohammad Farooque; Yin, Xiaomin; Zhou, Xiangmei; Zhao, Deming

2015-06-01

The formation of neurotoxic prion protein (PrP) oligomers is thought to be a key step in the development of prion diseases. Recently, it was determined that the sonication and shaking of recombinant PrP can convert PrP monomers into β-state oligomers. Herein, we demonstrate that β-state oligomeric PrP can be generated through protein misfolding cyclic amplification from recombinant full-length hamster, human, rabbit, and mutated rabbit PrP, and that these oligomers can be used for subsequent research into the mechanisms of PrP-induced neurotoxicity. We have characterized protein misfolding cyclic amplification-induced monomer-to-oligomer conversion of PrP from three species using western blotting, circular dichroism, size-exclusion chromatography, and resistance to proteinase K (PK) digestion. We have further shown that all of the resulting β-oligomers are toxic to primary mouse cortical neurons independent of the presence of PrP(C) in the neurons, whereas the corresponding monomeric PrP were not toxic. In addition, we found that this toxicity is the result of oligomer-induced apoptosis via regulation of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 in both wild-type and PrP(-/-) cortical neurons. It is our hope that these results may contribute to our understanding of prion transformation within the brain. We found that β-state oligomeric PrPs can be generated through protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) from recombinant full-length hamster, human, rabbit, and mutated rabbit PrP. β-oligomers are toxic to primary mouse cortical neurons independent of the presence of PrP(C) in the neurons, while the corresponding monomeric PrPs were not toxic. This toxicity is the result of oligomers-induced apoptosis via regulation of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3. These results may contribute to our understanding of prion transformation within the brain. © 2015 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Effect of changes in dietary protein and oil levels on production parameters of female broiler chickens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farran, M.T.; Barbour, G.W.; Usayran, N.N.; Darwish, A.

2013-01-01

Two experiments, as factorial arrangement of treatments in a complete randomized design, were conducted to evaluate weight gain (WG), feed conversion (FC), and carcass characteristics of female broilers fed diets varying in crude protein (CP) and metabolisable energy (ME) levels with graded oil supplementation. In experiment 1, the CP level was 190 and 220 g/kg in the starter diets and reduced by 25 g/kg for each grower diet with ME of 12.1 and 12.6 MJ /kg and oil level of 0 and 40 g/kg. In the second experiment, the level of CP was 190, 210, and 230 g/kg in the starter diets and reduced by 30g/kg in each corresponding grower diet with an oil level of 0, 20, and 40 g /kg. The 190 g/kg dietary CP reduced WG of birds at market age in both experiments but increased the FC value only in trial 2 (P < 0.05). In addition, it reduced protein and moisture contents but increased fat level in ready to cook (RTC) carcasses (P<0.05). In experiment 2, however, birds fed the 210 g CP/kg diet had WG and FC at market age, and yield of abdominal fat, pectoralis major muscle and drum, in addition to RTC carcass moisture comparable to those fed the highest dietary CP level. Dietary oil supplementation at 40 g/kg improved (P<0.05) bird WG and FC in both trials. In conclusion, diets containing 40 g oil/kg with 210 - 180 g CP/kg (starter and grower, respectively) can be safely fed to broiler females. (author)

The Role of Conversation Policy in Carrying Out Agent Conversations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Link, Hamilton E.; Phillips, Laurence R.

1999-01-01

Structured conversation diagrams, or conversation specifications, allow agents to have predictable interactions and achieve predefined information-based goals, but they lack the flexibility needed to function robustly in an unpredictable environment. We propose a mechanism that combines a typical conversation structure with a separately established policy to generate an actual conversation. The word ''policy'' connotes a high-level direction external to a specific planned interaction with the environment. Policies, which describe acceptable procedures and influence decisions, can be applied to broad sets of activity. Based on their observation of issues related to a policy, agents may dynamically adjust their communication patterns. The policy object describes limitations, constraints, and requirements that may affect the conversation in certain circumstances. Using this new mechanism of interaction simplifies the description of individual conversations and allows domain-specific issues to be brought to bear more easily during agent communication. By following the behavior of the conversation specification when possible and deferring to the policy to derive behavior in exceptional circumstances, an agent is able to function predictably under normal situations and still act rationally in abnormal situations. Different conversation policies applied to a given conversation specification can change the nature of the interaction without changing the specification

Protein Level the Influence and the Period of Combined Feed Administration in Ross 308 Hybrid in Serbia

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Daniel Omoran

2015-10-01

Full Text Available There are various researches where during growth period of broilers are used 2 or 4 combined feed (CF recipes, with different nutritional characteristics, which can cover the chickens need, and which can also satisfy the technical-economical condition. The purpose of this work was to assess the possibility to simplify the way of feeding the chickens Ross 308 hybrid, by reducing the number of forage recipes from 4 to 3, and by administering combined feed with a protein level of 4% higher during the so-called growing period (11-33 days. In meat chickens, Ross 308 hybrid, for which the growing technology was applied with 4 types of CF: starter, I grower, II grower and finisher, at the age of 43 days, there was obtained an average body weight of 2557.81 g, an intake of 4790 g/chicken, a feed conversion ratio of 1.90, the feed costs to achieve 1 kg live weight being of 0.685 euros; in chickens fodder-fed with 3 CF structures, the body weight was of about 5.6% higher, a close feed intake, and the same feed conversion ratio, and the foraging costs related to kg live weight were of 0.15% higher. The conclusion is the simplification of broiler feeding technology reducing from 4 and 3 structures of combined feed by administering a CF with up 4p% more protein, during the so-called growing period.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein is predictive of successful cardioversion for atrial fibrillation and maintenance of sinus rhythm after conversion.

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Watanabe, Eiichi; Arakawa, Tomoharu; Uchiyama, Tatsushi; Kodama, Itsuo; Hishida, Hitoshi

2006-04-14

Cardioversion for atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most effective treatment for the restoration of sinus rhythm (SR). Recently, an elevated level of hs-CRP has been shown to be associated with AF burden, suggesting that inflammation increases the propensity for persistence of AF. We examined whether the level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was predictive of the outcome of cardioversion for AF. One hundred and six patients with a history of symptomatic AF lasting > or =1 day (age 63+/-14 years, mean+/-S.D.) underwent cardioversion. Echocardiography and hs-CRP assay were performed immediately prior to cardioversion. SR was restored in 84 patients (79%). By using selected cutoff values, multiple discriminant analysis revealed significant associations between successful cardioversion and a shorter duration of AF (AF duration or =60%, OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.99), and lower hs-CRP level (hs-CRP or =0.06 mg/dL, Cox proportional-hazards regression model found that only hs-CRP level was an independent predictor of AF recurrence (OR 5.30, 95% CI 2.46-11.5) after adjustment for coexisting cardiovascular risks. When patients were divided by the hs-CRP level of 0.06 mg/dL, percentage of maintenance of SR below and above the cutoff was 53% and 4%, respectively (log-rank test, pmaintenance of SR after conversion.

Investigation of the connection between the quality of protein, protein level and endogenous N excretion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koehler, R.; Gebhardt, G.

1979-01-01

The influence of various protein qualities as well as of different levels of protein on the amount of endogenous N excretion, metabolic fecal nitrogen (MFN) and endogenous urinary N (EUN) was determined in growing albino rats. The test rations were labelled with admixtures of 15 N-DL-methionine and 15 N-DL-lysine, respectively, or contained feed protein enriched with 15 N. EUN and MFN and their sum (the N maintenance requirement) showed the influence of the respective protein source and its dependence on the protein level. The endogenous N excretions showed an opposite tendency to the N balance; for high-quality protein feedstuffs with a high N balance (e.g. dried eggs) they are lower than for protein sources of inferior quality, with a low N-balance only (e.g. wheat gluten). Presumably this interaction of retention and maintenance is due to the complementary effect of exogenous and endogenous amino acids in the N and amino acid pool, respectively. Provided that the N dose and the live weight of the animals are comparable, the N balance appears to be more suitable as parameter for the description of the protein quality and the calculation of the protein utilisation than N retention, as the sum of N balance and the values of MFN and EUN (depending on the feedstuffs and the N level). (author)

the effect of dietary energy and protein levels on the composition

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Zannel

Keywords: Breeding ostriches, nutrition, energy, protein, amino acids, egg ... Yolk is an important nutritional component of the avian egg because .... 3 (energy) x 3 (protein) factorial design with energy and protein levels featuring as main factors. ... No significant interactions were observed between energy and protein levels.

Total proteins and protein fractions levels in pregnant rats subjected to whole-body gamma irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansour, M.A.; Roushdy, H.M.; Mazhar, F.M.; Abu-Gabal, H.A.

1986-01-01

A total number of 180 mature rats (120 females and 60 males) weighing from 120-140 g were used to study the effect of two doses (2 and 4 Gy) whole-body gamma irradiation on the level of total protein and protein fractions in serum of pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis. It was found that the levels of total protein, albumin and gamma globulins significantly decreased according to the doses of exposure. The levels of alpha and beta globulins significantly increased more in the serum of rats exposed to 2 Gy than in rats exposed to 4 Gy. The level of A/G ratio significantly decreased more in the serum of rats exposed to 2Gy than in those exposed to 4 Gy

Heritability and genetic basis of protein level variation in an outbred population.

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Parts, Leopold; Liu, Yi-Chun; Tekkedil, Manu M; Steinmetz, Lars M; Caudy, Amy A; Fraser, Andrew G; Boone, Charles; Andrews, Brenda J; Rosebrock, Adam P

2014-08-01

The genetic basis of heritable traits has been studied for decades. Although recent mapping efforts have elucidated genetic determinants of transcript levels, mapping of protein abundance has lagged. Here, we analyze levels of 4084 GFP-tagged yeast proteins in the progeny of a cross between a laboratory and a wild strain using flow cytometry and high-content microscopy. The genotype of trans variants contributed little to protein level variation between individual cells but explained >50% of the variance in the population's average protein abundance for half of the GFP fusions tested. To map trans-acting factors responsible, we performed flow sorting and bulk segregant analysis of 25 proteins, finding a median of five protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs) per GFP fusion. Further, we find that cis-acting variants predominate; the genotype of a gene and its surrounding region had a large effect on protein level six times more frequently than the rest of the genome combined. We present evidence for both shared and independent genetic control of transcript and protein abundance: More than half of the expression QTLs (eQTLs) contribute to changes in protein levels of regulated genes, but several pQTLs do not affect their cognate transcript levels. Allele replacements of genes known to underlie trans eQTL hotspots confirmed the correlation of effects on mRNA and protein levels. This study represents the first genome-scale measurement of genetic contribution to protein levels in single cells and populations, identifies more than a hundred trans pQTLs, and validates the propagation of effects associated with transcript variation to protein abundance. © 2014 Parts et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Modifications of Western-type diet regarding protein, fat and sucrose levels as modulators of steroid metabolism and activity in liver.

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Krawczyńska, Agata; Herman, Andrzej P; Antushevich, Hanna; Bochenek, Joanna; Dziendzikowska, Katarzyna; Gajewska, Alina; Gromadzka-Ostrowska, Joanna

2017-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the modification of the Western-type diet (high-fat, high-sucrose diet rich in saturated fatty acids) considering macronutrients content would influence hepatic metabolism and activity of steroids. For 3 weeks Wistar rat were fed the Western-type diet (21% fat, 35% sucrose, 19% protein, lard) and its modifications regarding dietary protein (10 and 19%), fat (5 and 21%) and sucrose (0 and 35%) levels. The steroid 5α-reductase type 1 (Srd5a1) and androgen receptor (Ar) gene expression as well as testosterone (T) conversion towards 5α-reduced derivatives in liver were positively correlated with body weight gain. The Western-type diets with decreased protein content regardless of the sucrose level exerted the most negative effect on the antioxidant system decreasing catalase (Cat), sodium dismutase (Sod1) and glutathione peroxidase (Gpx1) gene expression as well as Cat and Gpx activity and total antioxidant status, simultaneously intensifying lipid peroxidation. The impaired antioxidant system was accompanied by decreased level of hepatic T metabolism towards estrogens: 17β-estradiol (E2) and estriol, and increased estrogen receptor type 1 (Esr1) gene expression. Liver Esr1 mRNA level was differently correlated with T (positively) and E2 (negatively) plasma levels. Whereas the fat reduction in Western-type diet restored the plasma proportion between T and E2. In conclusion it could be stated that Western-type diet modification relating to protein, sucrose and fat content can influence hepatic steroid metabolism and activity; however the estrogens and androgens metabolism in liver would be connected with impairment of liver function or catabolic activity, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protein Expression Analyses at the Single Cell Level

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Masae Ohno

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The central dogma of molecular biology explains how genetic information is converted into its end product, proteins, which are responsible for the phenotypic state of the cell. Along with the protein type, the phenotypic state depends on the protein copy number. Therefore, quantification of the protein expression in a single cell is critical for quantitative characterization of the phenotypic states. Protein expression is typically a dynamic and stochastic phenomenon that cannot be well described by standard experimental methods. As an alternative, fluorescence imaging is being explored for the study of protein expression, because of its high sensitivity and high throughput. Here we review key recent progresses in fluorescence imaging-based methods and discuss their application to proteome analysis at the single cell level.

Perennial filter strips reduce nitrate levels in soil and shallow groundwater after grassland-to-cropland conversion.

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Zhou, Xiaobo; Helmers, Matthew J; Asbjornsen, Heidi; Kolka, Randy; Tomer, Mark D

2010-01-01

Many croplands planted to perennial grasses under the Conservation Reserve Program are being returned to crop production, and with potential consequences for water quality. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of grassland-to-cropland conversion on nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations in soil and shallow groundwater and to assess the potential for perennial filter strips (PFS) to mitigate increases in NO3-N levels. The study, conducted at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (NSNWR) in central Iowa, consisted of a balanced incomplete block design with 12 watersheds and four watershed-scale treatments having different proportions and topographic positions of PFS planted in native prairie grasses: 100% rowcrop, 10% PFS (toeslope position), 10% PFS (distributed on toe and as contour strips), and 20 PFS (distributed on toe and as contour strips). All treatments were established in fall 2006 on watersheds that were under bromegrass (Bromus L.) cover for at least 10 yr. Nonperennial areas were maintained under a no-till 2-yr corn (Zea mays L.)--soybean [Glycine max. (L.) Merr.] rotation since spring 2007. Suction lysimeter and shallow groundwater wells located at upslope and toeslope positions were sampled monthly during the growing season to determine NO3-N concentration from 2005 to 2008. The results indicated significant increases in NO3-N concentration in soil and groundwater following grassland-to-cropland conversion. Nitrate-nitrogen levels in the vadose zone and groundwater under PFS were lower compared with 100% cropland, with the most significant differences occurring at the toeslope position. During the years following conversion, PFS mitigated increases in subsurface nitrate, but long-term monitoring is needed to observe and understand the full response to land-use conversion.

Structural characterization of POM6 Fab and mouse prion protein complex identifies key regions for prions conformational conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Baral, Pravas Kumar; Swayampakula, Mridula; Aguzzi, Adriano; James, Michael N G

2018-05-01

Conversion of the cellular prion protein PrP C into its pathogenic isoform PrP S c is the hallmark of prion diseases, fatal neurodegenerative diseases affecting many mammalian species including humans. Anti-prion monoclonal antibodies can arrest the progression of prion diseases by stabilizing the cellular form of the prion protein. Here, we present the crystal structure of the POM6 Fab fragment, in complex with the mouse prion protein (moPrP). The prion epitope of POM6 is in close proximity to the epitope recognized by the purportedly toxic antibody fragment, POM1 Fab also complexed with moPrP. The POM6 Fab recognizes a larger binding interface indicating a likely stronger binding compared to POM1. POM6 and POM1 exhibit distinct biological responses. Structural comparisons of the bound mouse prion proteins from the POM6 Fab:moPrP and POM1 Fab:moPrP complexes reveal several key regions of the prion protein that might be involved in initiating mis-folding events. The structural data of moPrP:POM6 Fab complex are available in the PDB under the accession number www.rcsb.org/pdb/search/structidSearch.do?structureId=6AQ7. © 2018 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

High-level transient expression of recombinant protein in lettuce.

Science.gov (United States)

Joh, Lawrence D; Wroblewski, Tadeusz; Ewing, Nicholas N; VanderGheynst, Jean S

2005-09-30

Transient expression following agroinfiltration of plant tissue was investigated as a system for producing recombinant protein. As a model system, Agrobacterium tumefaciens containing the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene was vacuum infiltrated into lettuce leaf disks. Infiltration with a suspension of 10(9) colony forming units/mL followed by incubation for 72 h at 22 degrees C in continuous darkness produced a maximum of 0.16% GUS protein based on dry tissue or 1.1% GUS protein based on total soluble protein. This compares favorably to expression levels for commercially manufactured GUS protein from transgenic corn seeds. A. tumefaciens culture medium pH between 5.6 and 7.0 and surfactant concentrations lettuce to produce GUS protein more rapidly, but final levels did not exceed the GUS production in leaves incubated in continuous darkness after 72 h at 22 degrees C. The kinetics of GUS expression during incubation in continuous light and dark were represented well using a logistic model, with rate constants of 0.30 and 0.29/h, respectively. To semi-quantitatively measure the GUS expression in large numbers of leaf disks, a photometric enhancement of the standard histochemical staining method was developed. A linear relationship with an R2 value of 0.90 was determined between log10 (% leaf darkness) versus log10 (GUS activity). Although variability in expression level was observed, agroinfiltration appears to be a promising technology that could potentially be scaled up to produce high-value recombinant proteins in planta. Copyright 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Changes in Serum Proteins and Creatinine levels in HIV Infected ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study examined the level of total serum proteins and globulins in HIV infected Nigerians. 64 patients with HIV infection and 10 apparently healthy subjects were recruited from 3 hospitals in Lagos Metropolis. They were examined for the presence of TB and malaria. Serum total protein, albumin and creatinine levels ...

Gene-specific correlation of RNA and protein levels in human cells and tissues

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edfors, Fredrik; Danielsson, Frida; Hallström, Björn M.

2016-01-01

An important issue for molecular biology is to establish whether transcript levels of a given gene can be used as proxies for the corresponding protein levels. Here, we have developed a targeted proteomics approach for a set of human non-secreted proteins based on parallel reaction monitoring...... to measure, at steady-state conditions, absolute protein copy numbers across human tissues and cell lines and compared these levels with the corresponding mRNA levels using transcriptomics. The study shows that the transcript and protein levels do not correlate well unless a gene-specific RNA-to-protein (RTP...

The clinical expression of hereditary protein C and protein S deficiency: : a relation to clinical thrombotic risk-factors and to levels of protein C and protein S

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Henkens, C. M. A.; van der Meer, J.; Hillege, J. L.; Bom, V. J. J.; Halie, M. R.; van der Schaaf, W.

We investigated 103 first-degree relatives of 13 unrelated protein C or protein S deficient patients to assess the role of additional thrombotic risk factors and of protein C and protein S levels in the clinical expression of hereditary protein C and protein S deficiency. Fifty-seven relatives were

Solar energy conversion systems

CERN Document Server

Brownson, Jeffrey R S

2013-01-01

Solar energy conversion requires a different mind-set from traditional energy engineering in order to assess distribution, scales of use, systems design, predictive economic models for fluctuating solar resources, and planning to address transient cycles and social adoption. Solar Energy Conversion Systems examines solar energy conversion as an integrative design process, applying systems thinking methods to a solid knowledge base for creators of solar energy systems. This approach permits different levels of access for the emerging broad audience of scientists, engineers, architects, planners

Exploring physical and chemical factors influencing the properties of recombinant prion protein and the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Keding; Sloan, Angela; Avery, Kristen M; Coulthart, Michael; Carpenter, Michael; Knox, J David

2014-01-01

Real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC), a highly specific and sensitive assay able to detect low levels of the disease-inducing isoform of the prion protein (PrP(d)) in brain tissue biopsies and cerebral spinal fluid, has great potential to become a method for diagnosing prion disease ante mortem. In order to standardize the assay method for routine analysis, an understanding of how physical and chemical factors affect the stability of the recombinant prion protein (rPrP) substrate and the RT-QuIC assay's sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility is required. In this study, using sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease brain homogenate to seed the reactions and an in vitro-expressed recombinant prion protein, hamster rPrP, as the substrate, the following factors affecting the RT-QuIC assay were examined: salt and substrate concentrations, substrate storage, and pH. Results demonstrated that both the generation of the quality and quantities of rPrP substrate critical to the reaction, as well as the RT-QuIC reaction itself required strict adherence to specific physical and chemical conditions. Once optimized, the RT-QuIC assay was confirmed to be a very specific and sensitive assay method for sCJD detection. Findings in this study indicate that further optimization and standardization of RT-QuIC assay is required before it can be adopted as a routine diagnostic test.

The Plasmodium protein P113 supports efficient sporozoite to liver stage conversion in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Offeddu, Vittoria; Rauch, Manuel; Silvie, Olivier; Matuschewski, Kai

2014-02-01

Invasive stages of Plasmodium parasites possess distinct integral and peripheral membrane proteins that mediate host cell attachment and invasion. P113 is an abundant protein in detergent-resistant high molecular weight complexes in Plasmodium schizonts, but is unusual since expression extends to gametocytes and sporozoites. In this study, we tested whether P113 performs important functions for parasite propagation in Plasmodium berghei. We show that pre-erythrocytic expression of P113 displays key signatures of upregulated in infectious sporozoites (UIS) genes, including control by the liver stage master regulator SLARP. Targeted gene deletion resulted in viable blood stage parasites that displayed no signs of blood stage growth defects. p113(-) parasites propagated normally through the life cycle until mature sporozoites, but displayed defects during natural sporozoite transmission, leading to a delay to patency in infected animals. By comparative in vitro and in vivo analysis of pre-erythrocytic development and using a xeno-diagnostic test we show that ablation of P113 results in lower sporozoite to liver stage conversion and, as a consequence, reduced merozoite output in vivo, without delaying liver stage development. We conclude that p113 is dispensable for Plasmodium life cycle progression and plays auxiliary roles during pre-erythrocytic development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Dietary Protein Level on the Expression of Proteins in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Young Pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xianyong; Tian, Zhimei; Deng, Dun; Cui, Yiyan; Qiu, Yueqin

2018-05-02

The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of protein level on proteins expression in the gastrointestinal tract of young pigs. Eighteen piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) were weaned at 28 days of age and randomly assigned to three diets with 20%, 17%, and 14% CP level, and four essential amino acids, Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp, in three diets met the requirements of weaned piglets. The experimental period lasted 45 days. Compared with the control (20% CP level), the average daily feed intake, the average daily gain, and gain feed ratio of the 17% CP group did not decrease ( P > 0.05), but those of 14% CP group decreased ( P protein digestion and absorption, lipid or carbon digestion and absorption, etc. were up-regulated in 17% CP group, while most of them were down-regulated in 14% CP group. Amino acids metabolism of gastric, pancreatic secretion of duodenum or steroid hormone biosynthesis of jejunum was down-regulated in the 17% CP group, but the lipid metabolism was up-regulated in the 14% CP group. Six proteins were selected for identification by Western-blot, and their changes had the same trend as the proteomics results. The protein level decreased from 20% to 17%, the growth performance was not affected, while the nutrient digestion and absorption or the immune function were improved, which implied that 17% protein level maybe benefit for nutrients absorption of pigs.

Replacement of animal protein with vegetable protein in the diets of Astyanax altiparanae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fábio Rosa Sussel

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of replacing animal protein with vegetable protein sources on the productive performance of Astyanax altiparanae (lambari-do-rabo-amarelo. Five experimental diets were formulated with increasing replacement levels of animal protein by vegetable protein. A total of 9000 individuals (initial mean weight 1.18 ± 0.12 g, initial mean length 2.1 ± 0.3 cm were distributed in 20 net cages (1 m3 with a density of 450 ind. m-3. Cages were randomly placed in a pond (180 m2, 1.5 m deep, 10% water renewal per day. After 63 days of cultivation, total count and individual biometrics from 20% of each experimental unit were taken. Mean weight, total length, survival, feed conversion, biomass weight gain and proximate body composition were evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized with five treatments and four replications. The reduction in the formulation cost achieved by increasing levels of vegetable protein compensated the slight decrease in biomass gain. Besides that, inclusion of vegetable protein resulted in greater fat deposition, suggesting future exploration of A. altiparanae as a functional food.

Analysis of Protein-Membrane Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kemmer, Gerdi Christine

Cellular membranes are complex structures, consisting of hundreds of different lipids and proteins. These membranes act as barriers between distinct environments, constituting hot spots for many essential functions of the cell, including signaling, energy conversion, and transport. These functions....... Discovered interactions were then probed on the level of the membrane using liposome-based assays. In the second part, a transmembrane protein was investigated. Assays to probe activity of the plasma membrane ATPase (Arabidopsis thaliana H+ -ATPase isoform 2 (AHA2)) in single liposomes using both giant...... are implemented by soluble proteins reversibly binding to, as well as by integral membrane proteins embedded in, cellular membranes. The activity and interaction of these proteins is furthermore modulated by the lipids of the membrane. Here, liposomes were used as model membrane systems to investigate...

5 CFR 534.506 - Conversion provisions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... conversion, other than to the minimum rate under 5 U.S.C. 5376, the increase must be approved by the head of... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Conversion provisions. 534.506 Section... OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Senior-Level and Scientific and Professional Positions § 534.506 Conversion...

A thermoelectric-conversion power supply system using a strontium heat source of high-level radioactive nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chikazawa, Yoshitaka

2011-01-01

A thermoelectric-conversion power supply system with radioactive strontium in high-level radioactive waste has been proposed. A combination of Alkali Metal Thermo-Electric Conversion (AMTEC) and a strontium fluoride heat source can provide a compact and long-lived power supply system. A heat source design with strontium fluoride pin bundles with Hastelloy cladding and intermediate copper has been proposed. This design has taken heat transportation into consideration, and, in this regard, the feasibility has been confirmed by a three-dimensional thermal analysis using Star-CD code. This power supply system with an electric output of 1 MW can be arranged in a space of 50 m 2 and approximately 1.1 m height and can be operated for 15 years without refueling. This compact and long-lived power supply is suitable for powering sources for remote places and middle-sized ships. From the viewpoint of geological disposal of high-level waste, the proposed power supply system provides a financial base for strontium-cesium partitioning. That is, a combination of minor-actinide recycling and strontium-cesium partitioning can eliminate a large part of decay heat in high-level waste and thus can save much space for geological disposal. (author)

Effects of increasing dietary protein levels on growth, feed utilization ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Yomi

2012-01-05

Jan 5, 2012 ... The effect of different dietary protein levels on growth performance and on feed utilization of catfish. (Heterobranchus ... (Legendre, 1991) because of its taste, fast growth rate ..... diet containing 40% protein had high growth with low food intake and feed ... protein rate (45%) combined with a bad utilization of.

Staurosporine and extracellular matrix proteins mediate the conversion of small cell lung carcinoma cells into a neuron-like phenotype.

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Tamara Murmann

Full Text Available Small cell lung carcinomas (SCLCs represent highly aggressive tumors with an overall five-year survival rate in the range of 5 to 10%. Here, we show that four out of five SCLC cell lines reversibly develop a neuron-like phenotype on extracellular matrix constituents such as fibronectin, laminin or thrombospondin upon staurosporine treatment in an RGD/integrin-mediated manner. Neurite-like processes extend rapidly with an average speed of 10 µm per hour. Depending on the cell line, staurosporine treatment affects either cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase or induction of polyploidy. Neuron-like conversion, although not accompanied by alterations in the expression pattern of a panel of neuroendocrine genes, leads to changes in protein expression as determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. It is likely that SCLC cells already harbour the complete molecular repertoire to convert into a neuron-like phenotype. More extensive studies are needed to evaluate whether the conversion potential of SCLC cells is suitable for therapeutic interventions.

Evaluation of oxidant, antioxidant, and S100B levels in patients with conversion disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Büyükaslan H

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Hasan Büyükaslan,1 Sultan Basmacı Kandemir,2 Mehmet Asoğlu,3 Halil Kaya,4 Mehmet Tahir Gökdemir,1 İbrahim Fatih Karababa,3 Fatih Güngörmez,5 Fethiye Kılıçaslan,6 Emin Şavik7 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University, 2Department of Psychiatry, Balıklıgöl State Hospital, 3Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University, Sanliurfa, 4Bursa Yüksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, 5Department of Emergency Medicine, Mehmet Akif İnan Research Hospital, 6Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 7Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey Introduction: Various psychodynamic, neurobiological, genetic, and sociocultural factors are believed to be involved in the etiology of conversion disorder (CD. Oxidative metabolism has been shown to deteriorate in association with many health problems and psychiatric disorders. We evaluated oxidative metabolism and S100B levels in the context of this multifactorial disease.Methods: Thirty-seven patients with CD (25 females and 12 males and 42 healthy volunteers (21 females and 21 males, all matched for age and sex, were included in this study. The total oxidant status, total antioxidant status, oxidative stress index, and S100B levels were compared between the two groups.Results: The total oxidant status, oxidative stress index, and S100B levels were significantly higher in patients with CD than in the control group, whereas the total antioxidant status was significantly lower.Conclusion: CD is associated with deterioration of oxidative metabolism and increased neuronal damage. Keywords: conversion disorder, oxidative stress, S100B

The application of protein markers in conversion of maize inbred lines to the cytoplasmic male sterility basis

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Stevanovic Milan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A total of seven maize inbred lines of different origin and maturity group were used in the trial set up according to the split-plot randomized complete block design in five environments. Each inbred was observed in five variants: original inbred (N; cytoplasmic male sterile C-type (CMS-C; restorer for CMS-C (RfC; cytoplasmic male sterile S-type (CMS-S and restorer for CMS-S (RfS. The objective was to compare grain yield of original inbreds and their CMS and Rf variants and to apply Isoelectric focusing (IEF to determine whether the conversion of original inbreds to their CMS and Rf counterparts have been done completely. Protein markers have shown that conversion of almost all inbreds was done good and completely. Only original inbreds ZPL2 and ZPL5 did not concur on banding patterns with their RfC variants. The type of cytoplasm had a very significant impact on grain yield. Namely, CMS-C counterparts significantly out yielded their CMS-S versions, while the inbreds with C and S cytoplasm over yielded inbreds with N cytoplasm, as well as their RfC and RfS versions.

Multidrug resistance-associated protein-1 (MRP1 genetic variants, MRP1 protein levels and severity of COPD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rutgers Bea

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Multidrug resistance-associated protein-1 (MRP1 protects against oxidative stress and toxic compounds generated by cigarette smoking, which is the main risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. We have previously shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in MRP1 significantly associate with level of FEV1 in two independent population based cohorts. The aim of our study was to assess the associations of MRP1 SNPs with FEV1 level, MRP1 protein levels and inflammatory markers in bronchial biopsies and sputum of COPD patients. Methods Five SNPs (rs212093, rs4148382, rs504348, rs4781699, rs35621 in MRP1 were genotyped in 110 COPD patients. The effects of MRP1 SNPs were analyzed using linear regression models. Results One SNP, rs212093 was significantly associated with a higher FEV1 level and less airway wall inflammation. Another SNP, rs4148382 was significantly associated with a lower FEV1 level, higher number of inflammatory cells in induced sputum and with a higher MRP1 protein level in bronchial biopsies. Conclusions This is the first study linking MRP1 SNPs with lung function and inflammatory markers in COPD patients, suggesting a role of MRP1 SNPs in the severity of COPD in addition to their association with MRP1 protein level in bronchial biopsies.

COPS5 (Jab1) protein increases β site processing of amyloid precursor protein and amyloid β peptide generation by stabilizing RanBP9 protein levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hongjie; Dey, Debleena; Carrera, Ivan; Minond, Dmitriy; Bianchi, Elisabetta; Xu, Shaohua; Lakshmana, Madepalli K

2013-09-13

Increased processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and accumulation of neurotoxic amyloid β peptide (Aβ) in the brain is central to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, the identification of molecules that regulate Aβ generation is crucial for future therapeutic approaches for AD. We demonstrated previously that RanBP9 regulates Aβ generation in a number of cell lines and primary neuronal cultures by forming tripartite protein complexes with APP, low-density lipoprotein-related protein, and BACE1, consequently leading to increased amyloid plaque burden in the brain. RanBP9 is a scaffold protein that exists and functions in multiprotein complexes. To identify other proteins that may bind RanBP9 and regulate Aβ levels, we used a two-hybrid analysis against a human brain cDNA library and identified COPS5 as a novel RanBP9-interacting protein. This interaction was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation experiments in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells and mouse brain. Colocalization of COPS5 and RanBP9 in the same subcellular compartments further supported the interaction of both proteins. Furthermore, like RanBP9, COPS5 robustly increased Aβ generation, followed by increased soluble APP-β (sAPP-β) and decreased soluble-APP-α (sAPP-α) levels. Most importantly, down-regulation of COPS5 by siRNAs reduced Aβ generation, implying that endogenous COPS5 regulates Aβ generation. Finally, COPS5 levels were increased significantly in AD brains and APΔE9 transgenic mice, and overexpression of COPS5 strongly increased RanBP9 protein levels by increasing its half-life. Taken together, these results suggest that COPS5 increases Aβ generation by increasing RanBP9 levels. Thus, COPS5 is a novel RanBP9-binding protein that increases APP processing and Aβ generation by stabilizing RanBP9 protein levels.

Evaluation of oxidant, antioxidant, and S100B levels in patients with conversion disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Büyükaslan, Hasan; Kandemir, Sultan Basmacı; Asoğlu, Mehmet; Kaya, Halil; Gökdemir, Mehmet Tahir; Karababa, İbrahim Fatih; Güngörmez, Fatih; Kılıçaslan, Fethiye; Şavik, Emin

2016-01-01

Various psychodynamic, neurobiological, genetic, and sociocultural factors are believed to be involved in the etiology of conversion disorder (CD). Oxidative metabolism has been shown to deteriorate in association with many health problems and psychiatric disorders. We evaluated oxidative metabolism and S100B levels in the context of this multifactorial disease. Thirty-seven patients with CD (25 females and 12 males) and 42 healthy volunteers (21 females and 21 males), all matched for age and sex, were included in this study. The total oxidant status, total antioxidant status, oxidative stress index, and S100B levels were compared between the two groups. The total oxidant status, oxidative stress index, and S100B levels were significantly higher in patients with CD than in the control group, whereas the total antioxidant status was significantly lower. CD is associated with deterioration of oxidative metabolism and increased neuronal damage.

Synergistic Control of Kinetochore Protein Levels by Psh1 and Ubr2.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Herrero

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The accurate segregation of chromosomes during cell division is achieved by attachment of chromosomes to the mitotic spindle via the kinetochore, a large multi-protein complex that assembles on centromeres. The budding yeast kinetochore comprises more than 60 different proteins. Although the structure and function of many of these proteins has been investigated, we have little understanding of the steady state regulation of kinetochores. The primary model of kinetochore homeostasis suggests that kinetochores assemble hierarchically from the centromeric DNA via the inclusion of a centromere-specific histone into chromatin. We tested this model by trying to perturb kinetochore protein levels by overexpressing an outer kinetochore gene, MTW1. This increase in protein failed to change protein recruitment, consistent with the hierarchical assembly model. However, we find that deletion of Psh1, a key ubiquitin ligase that is known to restrict inner kinetochore protein loading, does not increase levels of outer kinetochore proteins, thus breaking the normal kinetochore stoichiometry. This perturbation leads to chromosome segregation defects, which can be partially suppressed by mutation of Ubr2, a second ubiquitin ligase that normally restricts protein levels at the outer kinetochore. Together these data show that Psh1 and Ubr2 synergistically control the amount of proteins at the kinetochore.

38 CFR 8.16 - Conversion of a 5-year level premium term policy as provided for under § 1904 of title 38 U.S.C.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Conversion of a 5-year level premium term policy as provided for under § 1904 of title 38 U.S.C. 8.16 Section 8.16 Pensions... Plan § 8.16 Conversion of a 5-year level premium term policy as provided for under § 1904 of title 38 U...

Development, Characterization, and Optimization of Protein Level in Date Bars Using Response Surface Methodology

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Muhammad Nadeem

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This project was designed to produce a nourishing date bar with commercial value especially for school going children to meet their body development requirements. Protein level of date bars was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM. Economical and underutilized sources, that is, whey protein concentrate and vetch protein isolates, were explored for protein supplementation. Fourteen date bar treatments were produced using a central composite design (CCD with 2 variables and 3 levels for each variable. Date bars were then analyzed for nutritional profile. Proximate composition revealed that addition of whey protein concentrate and vetch protein isolates improved the nutritional profile of date bars. Protein level, texture, and taste were considerably improved by incorporating 6.05% whey protein concentrate and 4.35% vetch protein isolates in date bar without affecting any sensory characteristics during storage. Response surface methodology was observed as an economical and effective tool to optimize the ingredient level and to discriminate the interactive effects of independent variables.

Multi-level machine learning prediction of protein–protein interactions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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Julian Zubek

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Accurate identification of protein–protein interactions (PPI is the key step in understanding proteins’ biological functions, which are typically context-dependent. Many existing PPI predictors rely on aggregated features from protein sequences, however only a few methods exploit local information about specific residue contacts. In this work we present a two-stage machine learning approach for prediction of protein–protein interactions. We start with the carefully filtered data on protein complexes available for Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the Protein Data Bank (PDB database. First, we build linear descriptions of interacting and non-interacting sequence segment pairs based on their inter-residue distances. Secondly, we train machine learning classifiers to predict binary segment interactions for any two short sequence fragments. The final prediction of the protein–protein interaction is done using the 2D matrix representation of all-against-all possible interacting sequence segments of both analysed proteins. The level-I predictor achieves 0.88 AUC for micro-scale, i.e., residue-level prediction. The level-II predictor improves the results further by a more complex learning paradigm. We perform 30-fold macro-scale, i.e., protein-level cross-validation experiment. The level-II predictor using PSIPRED-predicted secondary structure reaches 0.70 precision, 0.68 recall, and 0.70 AUC, whereas other popular methods provide results below 0.6 threshold (recall, precision, AUC. Our results demonstrate that multi-scale sequence features aggregation procedure is able to improve the machine learning results by more than 10% as compared to other sequence representations. Prepared datasets and source code for our experimental pipeline are freely available for download from: http://zubekj.github.io/mlppi/ (open source Python implementation, OS independent.

Effect of Crude Protein Levels in Concentrate and Concentrate Levels in Diet on Fermentation

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Dinh Van Dung

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The effect of concentrate mixtures with crude protein (CP levels 10%, 13%, 16%, and 19% and diets with roughage to concentrate ratios 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, and 20:80 (w/w were determined on dry matter (DM and organic matter (OM digestibility, and fermentation metabolites using an in vitro fermentation technique. In vitro fermented attributes were measured after 4, 24, and 48 h of incubation respectively. The digestibility of DM and OM, and total volatile fatty acid (VFA increased whereas pH decreased with the increased amount of concentrate in the diet (p<0.001, however CP levels of concentrate did not have any influence on these attributes. Gas production reduced with increased CP levels, while it increased with increasing concentrate levels. Ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N concentration and microbial CP production increased significantly (p<0.05 by increasing CP levels and with increasing concentrate levels in diet as well, however, no significant difference was found between 16% and 19% CP levels. Therefore, 16% CP in concentrate and increasing proportion of concentrate up to 80% in diet all had improved digestibility of DM and organic matter, and higher microbial protein production, with improved fermentation characteristics.

The Cutoff Level for Urine Protein in Urine Immunofixation Electrophoresis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellidag, Hamit Yasar; Curek, Gulten; Eren, Esin; Aydin, Ozgur; Yilmaz, Necat

2015-01-01

Immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) maintains its importance in diagnosing monoclonal gammopathies. In particular, urine IFE detects free light chains (FLC) in urine samples even at low concentrations and offers higher sensitivity compared to serum electrophoresis and serum IFE. The aim of the present study was to determine the place and significance of quantitative urinary protein measurement before IFE in interpreting the results of subsequent IFE and to determine the most appropriate protein concentrations for the appearance of bands. The records of a total of 600 patients, who underwent screening for Bence Jones proteinuria using IFE on 24-hour urine, were retrospectively reviewed. Urine IFE was performed using Helena SAS-I and SAS-I devices. The total protein concentration in the urine was quantitatively determined by the Pyrogallol red method, and the urine albumin level was determined using the immunoturbidimetric method. These analyses were measured on an Olympus/Beckmann AU5800. The evaluation of IFE results revealed that 311 patients had normal results, 108 patients had monoclonal bands, five patients had biclonal bands, 28 had polyclonal bands, and 148 patients had various degrees of proteinuria. ROC curves were created in order to determine the most appropriate urinary protein and albumin levels to observe bands in IFE. Accordingly, urine baseline protein level (mg/dL) showed the highest AUC value (cutoff value: 19.4 mg/dL, sensitivity: 92%, specificity: 98.2%, AUC: 0.972). The present study showed that quantitative protein measurement before IFE eliminated the disadvantages associated with the IFE method and its interpretation.

Evolutionary tuning of protein expression levels of a positively autoregulated two-component system.

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Rong Gao

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Cellular adaptation relies on the development of proper regulatory schemes for accurate control of gene expression levels in response to environmental cues. Over- or under-expression can lead to diminished cell fitness due to increased costs or insufficient benefits. Positive autoregulation is a common regulatory scheme that controls protein expression levels and gives rise to essential features in diverse signaling systems, yet its roles in cell fitness are less understood. It remains largely unknown how much protein expression is 'appropriate' for optimal cell fitness under specific extracellular conditions and how the dynamic environment shapes the regulatory scheme to reach appropriate expression levels. Here, we investigate the correlation of cell fitness and output response with protein expression levels of the E. coli PhoB/PhoR two-component system (TCS. In response to phosphate (Pi-depletion, the PhoB/PhoR system activates genes involved in phosphorus assimilation as well as genes encoding themselves, similarly to many other positively autoregulated TCSs. We developed a bacteria competition assay in continuous cultures and discovered that different Pi conditions have conflicting requirements of protein expression levels for optimal cell fitness. Pi-replete conditions favored cells with low levels of PhoB/PhoR while Pi-deplete conditions selected for cells with high levels of PhoB/PhoR. These two levels matched PhoB/PhoR concentrations achieved via positive autoregulation in wild-type cells under Pi-replete and -deplete conditions, respectively. The fitness optimum correlates with the wild-type expression level, above which the phosphorylation output saturates, thus further increase in expression presumably provides no additional benefits. Laboratory evolution experiments further indicate that cells with non-ideal protein levels can evolve toward the optimal levels with diverse mutational strategies. Our results suggest that the natural

Persuasion detection in conversation

OpenAIRE

Gilbert, Henry T.

2010-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited In this thesis, we present a system for annotating persuasion in conversation based on a social-psychological model. We augmented the social model developed by James Cialdini with some of our own categories for annotators to label. The conversations consisted of 37 hostage negotiation transcripts from private and public sources, with all personal information removed from the private source transcripts. We evaluated the level of agre...

Blood profiling of proteins and steroids during weight maintenance with manipulation of dietary protein level and glycaemic index

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Ping; Holst, Claus; Astrup, Arne

2012-01-01

) blood biomarkers of dietary protein and GI levels during the weight-maintenance phase. Blood samples were collected at baseline, after 8 weeks of low-energy diet-induced weight loss and after a 6-month dietary intervention period from female continued weight losers (n 48) and weight regainers (n 48......), evenly selected from four dietary groups that varied in protein and GI levels. The blood concentrations of twenty-nine proteins and three steroid hormones were measured. The changes in analytes during weight maintenance largely correlated negatively with the changes during weight loss, with some...

Hemicellulose conversion by anaerobic digestion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, S; Honry, M P; Christopher, R W

1985-01-01

This research was undertaken to study the digestibility of the hemicellulose fractions of an aquatic biomass, a land-based biomass and a biomass-waste blend under various fermentation conditions. The conversion of hemicellulose was higher than those of cellulose and protein under the mesophilic condition. Hemicellulose was converted at a much lower efficency than cellulose during thermophilic digestion. In contrast, cellulose conversion was about the same under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Cellulose was utilized in preference to hemicellulose during mesophilic fermentation of nitrogen-supplemented Bermuda grass. It was speculated that Bermuda grass cellulose was converted at a higher efficiency than hemicellulose in the pressure of external nitrogen because the metabolism of the breakdown product (glucose) of cellulose required the least investment of enzymes and energy. 4 references.

TheInfluence of Extruded Feed with a high Protein Level Upon the Bioproductive Performances Obtained on the Rainbow Trout Females (Oncorhynchus mykiss

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihaela Ancuta Boaru

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The succes ofartificial reproduction in the rainbow trout(Oncorhynchus mykiss, the development of gonads and the results obtained at incubation are significantly affected by the feeding of the breeders. The use of quality sexual  products is decisive for the assurance of the production of viable larvae and further of the estimated fish production, so that in addition to the assurance of optimal environmental parameters, the proper feeding of the breeders is required. Starting from the current stage of knowledge in the field,the main objective of the working paperwas to highlight the way the differentiatedfeeding of the rainbow trout females (Oncorhynchus mykiss influences their growth and development. The extruded peeled feed with a high protein level upon theegg weightand the gonosomatic index were followed. The extruded peeled feed with 53% protein proved to be highly effective, materialized trough high growth performances, a better conversion and the growth of gonadal  weight.

Protein intake and stress levels in nurses and housewives of Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Wattoo, Feroza Hamid; Memon, Muhammad Saleh; Memon, Allah Nawaz; Wattoo, Muhammad Hamid Sarwar; Asad, Muhammad Javaid; Siddique, Farzana

2011-01-01

Stress has many biological effects on human daily life. In the present study, dietary protein intake was correlated with the investigated stress levels of nurses and housewives of the targeted urban population. Age group ranged from 30 to 45 years and both the groups belonged to middle socioeconomic status. After calculations of environmental, psychological and physiological stresses, it was observed that the levels of stress in housewives were significantly higher than those of nurses. Recommended dietary allowances, RDA and actual protein intakes, API were also compared in both the groups. The found protein intake was less in housewives as compared to that of nurses. PMID:23961140

Optimum dietary protein requirement of Malaysian mahseer (Tor tambroides) fingerling.

Science.gov (United States)

Misieng, Josephine Dorin; Kamarudin, Mohd Salleh; Musa, Mazlinda

2011-02-01

The optimum dietary protein requirement of the Malaysian mahseer (Tor tambroides) fingerlings was determined in this study. In this completely randomized designed experiment, formulated diets of five levels of dietary protein (30, 35, 40, 45 and 50%) were tested on the T. tambroides fingerlings (initial body weight of 5.85 +/- 0.40 g), reared in aquarium fitted with a biofiltering system. The fingerlings were fed twice daily at 5% of biomass. The fingerling body weight and total length was taken at every two weeks. Mortality was recorded daily. The dietary protein had significant effects on the body weight gain and Specific Growth Rate (SGR) of the fingerlings. The body weight gain and SGR of fingerlings fed with the diet with the dietary protein level of 40% was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of 30, 35 and 50%. The feed conversion ratio of the 40% dietary protein was the significantly lowest at 2.19 +/- 0.163. The dietary protein level of 40% was the most optimum for T. tambroides fingerlings.

Feed conversion efficiency in aquaculture: do we measure it correctly?

Science.gov (United States)

Fry, Jillian P.; Mailloux, Nicholas A.; Love, David C.; Milli, Michael C.; Cao, Ling

2018-02-01

Globally, demand for food animal products is rising. At the same time, we face mounting, related pressures including limited natural resources, negative environmental externalities, climate disruption, and population growth. Governments and other stakeholders are seeking strategies to boost food production efficiency and food system resiliency, and aquaculture (farmed seafood) is commonly viewed as having a major role in improving global food security based on longstanding measures of animal production efficiency. The most widely used measurement is called the ‘feed conversion ratio’ (FCR), which is the weight of feed administered over the lifetime of an animal divided by weight gained. By this measure, fed aquaculture and chickens are similarly efficient at converting feed into animal biomass, and both are more efficient compared to pigs and cattle. FCR does not account for differences in feed content, edible portion of an animal, or nutritional quality of the final product. Given these limitations, we searched the literature for alternative efficiency measures and identified ‘nutrient retention’, which can be used to compare protein and calories in feed (inputs) and edible portions of animals (outputs). Protein and calorie retention have not been calculated for most aquaculture species. Focusing on commercial production, we collected data on feed composition, feed conversion ratios, edible portions (i.e. yield), and nutritional content of edible flesh for nine aquatic and three terrestrial farmed animal species. We estimate that 19% of protein and 10% of calories in feed for aquatic species are ultimately made available in the human food supply, with significant variation between species. Comparing all terrestrial and aquatic animals in the study, chickens are most efficient using these measures, followed by Atlantic salmon. Despite lower FCRs in aquaculture, protein and calorie retention for aquaculture production is comparable to livestock production

The non-octarepeat copper binding site of the prion protein is a key regulator of prion conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Giachin, Gabriele; Mai, Phuong Thao; Tran, Thanh Hoa; Salzano, Giulia; Benetti, Federico; Migliorati, Valentina; Arcovito, Alessandro; Longa, Stefano Della; Mancini, Giordano; D'Angelo, Paola; Legname, Giuseppe

2015-10-01

The conversion of the prion protein (PrPC) into prions plays a key role in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Despite the importance for pathogenesis, the mechanism of prion formation has escaped detailed characterization due to the insoluble nature of prions. PrPC interacts with copper through octarepeat and non-octarepeat binding sites. Copper coordination to the non-octarepeat region has garnered interest due to the possibility that this interaction may impact prion conversion. We used X-ray absorption spectroscopy to study copper coordination at pH 5.5 and 7.0 in human PrPC constructs, either wild-type (WT) or carrying pathological mutations. We show that mutations and pH cause modifications of copper coordination in the non-octarepeat region. In the WT at pH 5.5, copper is anchored to His96 and His111, while at pH 7 it is coordinated by His111. Pathological point mutations alter the copper coordination at acidic conditions where the metal is anchored to His111. By using in vitro approaches, cell-based and computational techniques, we propose a model whereby PrPC coordinating copper with one His in the non-octarepeat region converts to prions at acidic condition. Thus, the non-octarepeat region may act as the long-sought-after prion switch, critical for disease onset and propagation.

Subcritical hydrothermal conversion of organic wastes and biomass. Reaction pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Amadeus Castro Vega

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Hydrothermal conversion is a procedure which emulates organic matter’s natural conversion into bio-crude having physical and chemical properties analogous to petroleum. The artificial transformation of biomass requi- res previous knowledge of the main reaction routes and product availability. The main component of biomass (depolymerisation by hydrolysis is presented in hydrothermal cellulose conversion, producing oligosaccharides which exhibit dehydration and retro-aldol condensation reactions for transforming into furfurals and carboxylic acids. Other biomass components (such as lignin, proteins, and fat esters present both hydrolysis and pyrolysis reaction routes. As long as biomass mainly contains carbohydrates, subcritical hydrothermal conversion products and their wastes will be fundamentally analogous to those displaying cellulose. These substances have added- value by far surpassing raw material’s acquisition cost. When the main hydrothermal conversion products’ O/C, H/C molar ratios as reported in literature are plotted, an evolutionary tralectory for conversion products appears to be closely or even overlapped with fossil fuels’ geological evolution.

The predictive nature of transcript expression levels on protein expression in adult human brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauernfeind, Amy L; Babbitt, Courtney C

2017-04-24

Next generation sequencing methods are the gold standard for evaluating expression of the transcriptome. When determining the biological implications of such studies, the assumption is often made that transcript expression levels correspond to protein levels in a meaningful way. However, the strength of the overall correlation between transcript and protein expression is inconsistent, particularly in brain samples. Following high-throughput transcriptomic (RNA-Seq) and proteomic (liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry) analyses of adult human brain samples, we compared the correlation in the expression of transcripts and proteins that support various biological processes, molecular functions, and that are located in different areas of the cell. Although most categories of transcripts have extremely weak predictive value for the expression of their associated proteins (R 2 values of < 10%), transcripts coding for protein kinases and membrane-associated proteins, including those that are part of receptors or ion transporters, are among those that are most predictive of downstream protein expression levels. The predictive value of transcript expression for corresponding proteins is variable in human brain samples, reflecting the complex regulation of protein expression. However, we found that transcriptomic analyses are appropriate for assessing the expression levels of certain classes of proteins, including those that modify proteins, such as kinases and phosphatases, regulate metabolic and synaptic activity, or are associated with a cellular membrane. These findings can be used to guide the interpretation of gene expression results from primate brain samples.

Conversation and research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schuurman, Jan Gerrit; Veermans, K.H.

2001-01-01

Gordon Pask’s conversation theory was created in the 1970s. The theory encompasses a high-level framework for studying interactions between actors in artificial situations where people co-operate, have conflicts, follow rules, negotiate outcomes, invent new rules together, etc. Sadly, the theory is

Multi-level learning: improving the prediction of protein, domain and residue interactions by allowing information flow between levels

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McDermott Drew

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Proteins interact through specific binding interfaces that contain many residues in domains. Protein interactions thus occur on three different levels of a concept hierarchy: whole-proteins, domains, and residues. Each level offers a distinct and complementary set of features for computationally predicting interactions, including functional genomic features of whole proteins, evolutionary features of domain families and physical-chemical features of individual residues. The predictions at each level could benefit from using the features at all three levels. However, it is not trivial as the features are provided at different granularity. Results To link up the predictions at the three levels, we propose a multi-level machine-learning framework that allows for explicit information flow between the levels. We demonstrate, using representative yeast interaction networks, that our algorithm is able to utilize complementary feature sets to make more accurate predictions at the three levels than when the three problems are approached independently. To facilitate application of our multi-level learning framework, we discuss three key aspects of multi-level learning and the corresponding design choices that we have made in the implementation of a concrete learning algorithm. 1 Architecture of information flow: we show the greater flexibility of bidirectional flow over independent levels and unidirectional flow; 2 Coupling mechanism of the different levels: We show how this can be accomplished via augmenting the training sets at each level, and discuss the prevention of error propagation between different levels by means of soft coupling; 3 Sparseness of data: We show that the multi-level framework compounds data sparsity issues, and discuss how this can be dealt with by building local models in information-rich parts of the data. Our proof-of-concept learning algorithm demonstrates the advantage of combining levels, and opens up

GLUCOSE AND TOTAL PROTEIN LEVEL IN LABORATORY RATS UNDER CONDITIONS OF SHORT-TERM FASTING

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Damir Suljević

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Glucose level (UV enzymatic method and total protein level (Biuret method were measured in the blood samples of the rats exposed to short-term starvation. We found a statistically significant increase in the glucose level in experimental animals during starvation, which is also evident in males and females in the experimental group (p <0.05, while decrease in the total protein level was not statistically significant. During starvation, more significant weight loss was observed in females compared to males.Key words: glucose, total protein, serum, Rattus

Effects of dietary protein levels on length-weight relationships and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Feeding trial involving different protein levels on length–weight relationships and condition factor of Clarias gariepinus was conducted in floating hapa system. Fingerlings (average weight, 4.50± 0.01g and average length, 8.0±0.2 cm) were randomly stocked at 20 fish/1m3. Five diets with crude protein: 40.0, 42.5, 45.0, 47.5 ...

Conversation practices and network structure in Twitter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rossi, Luca; Magnani, Matteo

2012-01-01

The public by default nature of Twitter messages, together with the adoption of the #hashtag convention led, in few years, to the creation of a digital space able to host worldwide conversation on almost every kind of topic. From major TV shows to Natural disasters there is no contemporary event...... that does not have its own #hashtag to gather together the ongoing Twitter conversation. These topical discussions take place outside of the Twitter network made of followers and friends. Nevertheless this topical network is where many of the most studied phenomena take place. Therefore Twitter based...... communication exists on two almost autonomous levels: the Twitter network made of followers and friends that shows a certain level of stability and the topical network, characterized by a high level of contingency, that appears and disappears following the rhythm of a worldwide conversation. Despite the fact...

Nitrogen balance study in young Nigerian adult males using four levels of protein intake.

Science.gov (United States)

Atinmo, T; Mbofung, C M; Egun, G; Osotimehin, B

1988-11-01

1. The present study was carried out to estimate precisely, via the nitrogen balance technique, the protein requirement of Nigerians (earlier estimated via the obligatory N method) using graded levels of protein intake. 2. Fifteen medical students of the University of Ibadan who volunteered to participate in the study were given graded levels of protein (0.3, 0.45, 0.6 and 0.75 g/kg body-weight per d) derived from foods similar to those usually consumed by the subjects. 3. Each subject was given each of the dietary protein levels for a period of 10 d. Subjects were divided into two groups and the feeding pattern followed a criss-cross design with one group starting with the highest level of protein intake (0.3 g). Mean energy intake during each of the eleven experimental periods was maintained at 0.2 MJ/kg per d. After an initial 5 d adaptation period in each experimental period, 24 h urine and faecal samples were collected in marked containers for five consecutive days for N determination. 4. Mean N balance during consumption of the four protein levels (0.30, 0.45, 0.6 and 0.75 g/kg) were -11.02 (SD 8.07), -9.90 (SD 6.64), +9.70 (SD 4.15) and +5.13 (SD 4.62) respectively. Using regression analysis, the mean daily N requirement was estimated at 110.25 mg N/kg body-weight (0.69 g protein/kg body-weight). Estimates of allowances for individual variations to cover 97.5% of the population adjusted this value to 0.75 g protein/kg body-weight. Net protein utilization for the diet at maintenance level was estimated at 57.5.

Protein level affects the relative lysine requirement of growing rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fry.

Science.gov (United States)

Bodin, Noelie; Govaerts, Bernadette; Abboudi, Tarik; Detavernier, Christel; De Saeger, Sarah; Larondelle, Yvan; Rollin, Xavier

2009-07-01

The effect of two digestible protein levels (310 and 469 g/kg DM) on the relative lysine (Lys; g Lys/kg DM or g Lys/100 g protein) and the absolute Lys (g Lys intake/kg 0.75 per d) requirements was studied in rainbow trout fry using a dose-response trial. At each protein level, sixteen isoenergetic (22-23 MJ digestible energy/kg DM) diets were tested, involving a full range (2-70 g/kg DM) of sixteen Lys levels. Each diet was given to one group of sixty rainbow trout fry (mean initial body weight 0.78 g) reared at 15 degrees C for 31 feeding d. The Lys requirements were estimated based on the relationships between weight, protein, and Lys gains (g/kg 0.75 per d) and Lys concentration (g/kg DM or g/100 g protein) or Lys intake (g/kg 0.75 per d), using the broken-line model (BLM) and the non-linear four-parameter saturation kinetics model (SKM-4). Both the model and the response criterion chosen markedly impacted the relative Lys requirement. The relative Lys requirement for Lys gain of rainbow trout estimated with the BLM (and SKM-4 at 90 % of the maximum response) increased from 16.8 (19.6) g/kg DM at a low protein level to 23.4 (24.5) g/kg DM at a high protein level. However, the dietary protein content affected neither the absolute Lys requirement nor the relative Lys requirement expressed as g Lys/100 g protein nor the Lys requirement for maintenance (21 mg Lys/kg 0.75 per d).

Modulation of GDP-fucose level for generating proteins with reduced rate of fucosylation (WO2010141855).

Science.gov (United States)

Taupin, Philippe

2011-09-01

The application (WO2010141855) is in the field of glycobiology, and involves the control of the rate of fucosylation of proteins by exogenous factors. It aims at controlling the rate of protein fucosylation with inhibitors (drugs or nucleic acid antagonists) of enzymes involved in the synthesis of GDP-fucose. Mammalian cell lines were cultured in the presence of inhibitors, for example, siRNA. The rates of GDP-fucose in cells and during protein fucosylation were characterized. The level of protein fucosylation decreases rapidly in response to a decrease in GDP-fucose level. The relationship between the rate of fucosylation of proteins and the level of GDP-fucose in a cell is non-linear. Reduction in the rate of protein fucosylation can be achieved with a minimal reduction of the level of GDP-fucose in cells. The paradigm may be used to synthesize proteins and antibodies, with a reduced rate of fucosylation. The application claims that the use of drugs or nucleic acid antagonists that inhibit the enzymes involved in GDP-fucose biosynthesis optimizes the level of GDP-fucose present in cells, and reduces the rate of fucosylation of glycoproteins.

Stable Plastid Transformation for High-Level Recombinant Protein Expression: Promises and Challenges

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Meili Gao

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Plants are a promising expression system for the production of recombinant proteins. However, low protein productivity remains a major obstacle that limits extensive commercialization of whole plant and plant cell bioproduction platform. Plastid genetic engineering offers several advantages, including high levels of transgenic expression, transgenic containment via maternal inheritance, and multigene expression in a single transformation event. In recent years, the development of optimized expression strategies has given a huge boost to the exploitation of plastids in molecular farming. The driving forces behind the high expression level of plastid bioreactors include codon optimization, promoters and UTRs, genotypic modifications, endogenous enhancer and regulatory elements, posttranslational modification, and proteolysis. Exciting progress of the high expression level has been made with the plastid-based production of two particularly important classes of pharmaceuticals: vaccine antigens, therapeutic proteins, and antibiotics and enzymes. Approaches to overcome and solve the associated challenges of this culture system that include low transformation frequencies, the formation of inclusion bodies, and purification of recombinant proteins will also be discussed.

Preliminary investigation on the conversion of aquaculture solid ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Conversion of aquaculture solid wastes into single cell protein (SCP) for fish feed through solid state fermentation using three fungi species, Aspergilus niger, Trichodema viride and Rhizopus species were investigated. Solid aquaculture waste was collected from the sedimentation unit of a re-circulating aquaculture farm in ...

Exploring sequence characteristics related to high-level production of secreted proteins in Aspergillus niger.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bastiaan A van den Berg

Full Text Available Protein sequence features are explored in relation to the production of over-expressed extracellular proteins by fungi. Knowledge on features influencing protein production and secretion could be employed to improve enzyme production levels in industrial bioprocesses via protein engineering. A large set, over 600 homologous and nearly 2,000 heterologous fungal genes, were overexpressed in Aspergillus niger using a standardized expression cassette and scored for high versus no production. Subsequently, sequence-based machine learning techniques were applied for identifying relevant DNA and protein sequence features. The amino-acid composition of the protein sequence was found to be most predictive and interpretation revealed that, for both homologous and heterologous gene expression, the same features are important: tyrosine and asparagine composition was found to have a positive correlation with high-level production, whereas for unsuccessful production, contributions were found for methionine and lysine composition. The predictor is available online at http://bioinformatics.tudelft.nl/hipsec. Subsequent work aims at validating these findings by protein engineering as a method for increasing expression levels per gene copy.

Critical significance of the region between Helix 1 and 2 for efficient dominant-negative inhibition by conversion-incompetent prion protein.

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Yuzuru Taguchi

Full Text Available Prion diseases are fatal infectious neurodegenerative disorders in man and animals associated with the accumulation of the pathogenic isoform PrP(Sc of the host-encoded prion protein (PrP(c. A profound conformational change of PrP(c underlies formation of PrP(Sc and prion propagation involves conversion of PrP(c substrate by direct interaction with PrP(Sc template. Identifying the interfaces and modalities of inter-molecular interactions of PrPs will highly advance our understanding of prion propagation in particular and of prion-like mechanisms in general. To identify the region critical for inter-molecular interactions of PrP, we exploited here dominant-negative inhibition (DNI effects of conversion-incompetent, internally-deleted PrP (ΔPrP on co-expressed conversion-competent PrP. We created a series of ΔPrPs with different lengths of deletions in the region between first and second α-helix (H1∼H2 which was recently postulated to be of importance in prion species barrier and PrP fibril formation. As previously reported, ΔPrPs uniformly exhibited aberrant properties including detergent insolubility, limited protease digestion resistance, high-mannose type N-linked glycans, and intracellular localization. Although formerly controversial, we demonstrate here that ΔPrPs have a GPI anchor attached. Surprisingly, despite very similar biochemical and cell-biological properties, DNI efficiencies of ΔPrPs varied significantly, dependant on location and inversely correlated with the size of deletion. This data demonstrates that H1∼H2 and the region C-terminal to it are critically important for efficient DNI. It also suggests that this region is involved in PrP-PrP interaction and conversion of PrP(C into PrP(Sc. To reconcile the paradox of how an intracellular PrP can exert DNI, we demonstrate that ΔPrPs are subject to both proteasomal and lysosomal/autophagic degradation pathways. Using autophagy pathways ΔPrPs obtain access to the locale

Impact of High-Level Expression of Heterologous Protein on Lactococcus lactis Host.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Mina; Jin, Yerin; An, Hyun-Joo; Kim, Jaehan

2017-07-28

The impact of overproduction of a heterologous protein on the metabolic system of host Lactococcus lactis was investigated. The protein expression profiles of L. lactis IL1403 containing two near-identical plasmids that expressed high- and low-level of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) were examined via shotgun proteomics. Analysis of the two strains via high-throughput LC-MS/MS proteomics identified the expression of 294 proteins. The relative amount of each protein in the proteome of both strains was determined by label-free quantification using the spectral counting method. Although expression level of most proteins were similar, several significant alterations in metabolic network were identified in the high GFP-producing strain. These changes include alterations in the pyruvate fermentation pathway, oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and de novo synthesis pathway for pyrimidine RNA. Expression of enzymes for the synthesis of dTDP-rhamnose and N -acetylglucosamine from glucose was suppressed in the high GFP strain. In addition, enzymes involved in the amino acid synthesis or interconversion pathway were downregulated. The most noticeable changes in the high GFP-producing strain were a 3.4-fold increase in the expression of stress response and chaperone proteins and increase of caseinolytic peptidase family proteins. Characterization of these host expression changes witnessed during overexpression of GFP was might suggested the metabolic requirements and networks that may limit protein expression, and will aid in the future development of lactococcal hosts to produce more heterologous protein.

Protein Secondary Structures (α-helix and β-sheet) at a Cellular Level and Protein Fractions in Relation to Rumen Degradation Behaviours of Protein: A New Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, P.

2007-01-01

Studying the secondary structure of proteins leads to an understanding of the components that make up a whole protein, and such an understanding of the structure of the whole protein is often vital to understanding its digestive behaviour and nutritive value in animals. The main protein secondary structures are the α-helix and β-sheet. The percentage of these two structures in protein secondary structures influences protein nutritive value, quality and digestive behaviour. A high percentage of β-sheet structure may partly cause a low access to gastrointestinal digestive enzymes, which results in a low protein value. The objectives of the present study were to use advanced synchrotron-based Fourier transform IR (S-FTIR) microspectroscopy as a new approach to reveal the molecular chemistry of the protein secondary structures of feed tissues affected by heat-processing within intact tissue at a cellular level, and to quantify protein secondary structures using multicomponent peak modelling Gaussian and Lorentzian methods, in relation to protein digestive behaviours and nutritive value in the rumen, which was determined using the Cornell Net Carbohydrate Protein System. The synchrotron-based molecular chemistry research experiment was performed at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory, US Department of Energy. The results showed that, with S-FTIR microspectroscopy, the molecular chemistry, ultrastructural chemical make-up and nutritive characteristics could be revealed at a high ultraspatial resolution (∼10 μm). S-FTIR microspectroscopy revealed that the secondary structure of protein differed between raw and roasted golden flaxseeds in terms of the percentages and ratio of α-helixes and β-sheets in the mid-IR range at the cellular level. By using multicomponent peak modelling, the results show that the roasting reduced (P <0.05) the percentage of α-helixes (from 47.1% to 36.1%: S-FTIR absorption intensity), increased the

The effects of maternal total protein, albumin and hemoglobin levels on birth weight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Berna Haliloglu

2007-12-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to investigate the influence of third trimester maternal total protein, albumin, hemoglobin levels on birth weight.\tMATERIAL-METHOD: Between January 2005 and July 2005, 750 pregnant women applied for delivery at Zeynep Kamil Women’s and Children Education and Research Hospital at 37-40 week’s gestation were examined. Maternal total protein, albumin and hemoglobin levels were measured. Data included maternal age, gravidity, parity, gestational age, birth weight, gender, presence of iron supplementation and its duration.\tRESULTS: The birth weight was significantly higher in anemic and hypoproteinemic groups compared those with normal levels. After adjusting for counfounding factors, significance of both findings lost. The cases received iron supplementation had infants with higher birth weight, however, it was not statistically significant (p: 0.055. A significant positive relation was observed between birth weight and maternal age, gravidity, parity and gestational age. No relation found between maternal total protein, albumin, hemoglobin levels and birth weight.\tCONCLUSION: The last trimester maternal total protein, albumin, hemoglobin levels seem not to be a determining factor on infant's birth weight.

Endostatin gene variation and protein levels in breast cancer susceptibility and severity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balasubramanian, Sabapathy P; Cross, Simon S; Globe, Jenny; Cox, Angela; Brown, Nicola J; Reed, Malcolm W

2007-01-01

Endostatin is a potent endogenous anti-angiogenic agent which inhibits tumour growth. A non-synonymous coding polymorphism in the Endostatin gene is thought to affect Endostatin activity. We aimed to determine the role of this Endostatin polymorphism in breast cancer pathogenesis and any influence on serum Endostatin levels in healthy volunteers. Endostatin protein expression on a breast cancer micro array was also studied to determine any relationship to genotype and to breast cancer prognosis. The 4349G > A (coding non-synonymous) polymorphism in exon 42 of the Endostatin gene was genotyped in approximately 846 breast cancer cases and 707 appropriate controls. In a separate healthy cohort of 57 individuals, in addition to genotyping, serum Endostatin levels were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). A semi-quantitative assessment of Endostatin protein expression on immunostained tissue micro arrays (TMA) constructed from breast cancer samples of patients with genotype data was performed. The rare allele (A) was significantly associated with invasive breast cancers compared to non-invasive tumours (p = 0.03), but there was no association with tumour grade, nodal status, vascular invasion or overall survival. There was no association with breast cancer susceptibility. Serum Endostatin levels and Endostatin protein expression on the tissue micro array were not associated with genotype. The Endostatin 4349A allele is associated with invasive breast cancer. The Endostatin 4349G > A polymorphism however does not appear to be associated with breast cancer susceptibility or severity in invasive disease. By studying circulating levels and tumour Endostatin protein expression, we have shown that any influence of this polymorphism is unlikely to be through an effect on the levels of protein produced

Do infants with cow's milk protein allergy have inadequate levels of vitamin D?

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Cristiane M; Silva, Silvia A da; Antunes, Margarida M de C; Silva, Gisélia Alves Pontes da; Sarinho, Emanuel Sávio Cavalcanti; Brandt, Katia G

To verify whether infants with cow's milk protein allergy have inadequate vitamin D levels. This cross-sectional study included 120 children aged 2 years or younger, one group with cow's milk protein allergy and a control group. The children were recruited at the pediatric gastroenterology, allergology, and pediatric outpatient clinics of a university hospital in the Northeast of Brazil. A questionnaire was administered to the caregiver and blood samples were collected for vitamin D quantification. Vitamin D levels <30ng/mL were considered inadequate. Vitamin D level was expressed as mean and standard deviation, and the frequency of the degrees of sufficiency and other variables, as proportions. Infants with cow's milk protein allergy had lower mean vitamin D levels (30.93 vs.35.29ng/mL; p=0.041) and higher deficiency frequency (20.3% vs.8.2; p=0.049) than the healthy controls. Exclusively or predominantly breastfed infants with cow's milk protein allergy had higher frequency of inadequate vitamin D levels (p=0.002). Regardless of sun exposure time, the groups had similar frequencies of inadequate vitamin D levels (p=0.972). Lower vitamin D levels were found in infants with CMPA, especially those who were exclusively or predominantly breastfed, making these infants a possible risk group for vitamin D deficiency. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Do infants with cow's milk protein allergy have inadequate levels of vitamin D?

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Cristiane M. Silva

Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To verify whether infants with cow's milk protein allergy have inadequate vitamin D levels. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 120 children aged 2 years or younger, one group with cow's milk protein allergy and a control group. The children were recruited at the pediatric gastroenterology, allergology, and pediatric outpatient clinics of a university hospital in the Northeast of Brazil. A questionnaire was administered to the caregiver and blood samples were collected for vitamin D quantification. Vitamin D levels <30 ng/mL were considered inadequate. Vitamin D level was expressed as mean and standard deviation, and the frequency of the degrees of sufficiency and other variables, as proportions. Results: Infants with cow's milk protein allergy had lower mean vitamin D levels (30.93 vs.35.29 ng/mL; p = 0.041 and higher deficiency frequency (20.3% vs.8.2; p = 0.049 than the healthy controls. Exclusively or predominantly breastfed infants with cow's milk protein allergy had higher frequency of inadequate vitamin D levels (p = 0.002. Regardless of sun exposure time, the groups had similar frequencies of inadequate vitamin D levels (p = 0.972. Conclusions: Lower vitamin D levels were found in infants with CMPA, especially those who were exclusively or predominantly breastfed, making these infants a possible risk group for vitamin D deficiency.

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 negatively regulates chemokine signaling at a level downstream from G protein subunits

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jimenez-Sainz, MC; Murga, C; Kavelaars, A; Jurado-Pueyo, M; Krakstad, BF; Heijnen, CJ; Mayor, F; Aragay, AM

The G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) phosphorylates and desensitizes ligand-activated G protein-coupled-receptors. Here, evidence is shown for a novel role of GRK2 in regulating chemokine-mediated signals. The presence of increased levels of GRK2 in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells

Exploring Sequence Characteristics Related to High- Level Production of Secreted Proteins in Aspergillus niger

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van den Berg, B.A.; Reinders, M.J.T.; Hulsman, M.; Wu, L.; Pel, H.J.; Roubos, J.A.; De Ridder, D.

2012-01-01

Protein sequence features are explored in relation to the production of over-expressed extracellular proteins by fungi. Knowledge on features influencing protein production and secretion could be employed to improve enzyme production levels in industrial bioprocesses via protein engineering. A large

Effects of dietary protein level on nutrients digestibility and reproductive performance of female mink (Neovison vison during gestation

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Qingkui Jiang

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to determine whether nutrient digestibility and reproductive performance of pregnant mink (Neovison vison were affected by different dietary protein levels. One hundred and twenty female mink were randomly assigned to four groups, receiving diets of fresh material with different protein levels. The dietary protein levels, expressed as percentage of dry matter (DM, were 32, 36, 40 and 44% respectively. These values corresponded to average 320, 360, 400 and 440 g protein/kg DM, respectively. Results were as follows. All of crude protein digestibility, nitrogen (N intake, N retention increased along with dietary protein level increasing. Low protein level (32% significantly reduced the above indicators (P < 0.05. DM digestibility and ether extract digestibility were not affected by dietary protein level. Results of mated females, barren females, kids per litter, live born kids per mated female, birth survival rate, and birth weight showed that mink achieved optimal reproductive performance when dietary protein level was 36%. In conclusion, dietary protein was anticipated to significantly influence some nutrients' utilization. Adopting the appropriate dietary protein level allow better reproduction performance. The most preferable reproductive performance was achieved when diet contained 275.5 g digestible protein per kg DM for female mink in gestation.

Photon up-conversion increases biomass yield in Chlorella vulgaris.

Science.gov (United States)

Menon, Kavya R; Jose, Steffi; Suraishkumar, Gadi K

2014-12-01

Photon up-conversion, a process whereby lower energy radiations are converted to higher energy levels via the use of appropriate phosphor systems, was employed as a novel strategy for improving microalgal growth and lipid productivity. Photon up-conversion enables the utilization of regions of the solar spectrum, beyond the typical photosynthetically active radiation, that are usually wasted or are damaging to the algae. The effects of up-conversion of red light by two distinct sets of up-conversion phosphors were studied in the model microalgae Chlorella vulgaris. Up-conversion by set 1 phosphors led to a 2.85 fold increase in biomass concentration and a 3.2 fold increase in specific growth rate of the microalgae. While up-conversion by set 2 phosphors resulted in a 30% increase in biomass and 12% increase in specific intracellular neutral lipid, while the specific growth rates were comparable to that of the control. Furthermore, up-conversion resulted in higher levels of specific intracellular reactive oxygen species in C. vulgaris. Up-conversion of red light (654 nm) was shown to improve biomass yields in C. vulgaris. In principle, up-conversion can be used to increase the utilization range of the electromagnetic spectrum for improved cultivation of photosynthetic systems such as plants, algae, and microalgae. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of different protein levels on the growth performance of African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There were no significant differences (P.0.05) among treatments in initial body weight, protein efficiency ratio, average shell weight, average visceral weight, average edible weight and feed cost per kg weight gain. The results obtained in this study show that dietary protein level of about 22% is adequate for the growth of ...

Proteins in Complementary Food: What Is the Healthiest Level?

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О. K. Netrebenko

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Adequate protein consumption in infants is a heavily debated issue. First, it is related to the formation of a new scientific field — “Infant prerequisites of man’s wellness and illness,” which directly indicates that excessive intake of proteins during infancy has long-term consequences and greatly contributes to obesity and chronic infectious diseases in adults; second, it is related to new technologies, which improve the protein component of infant formulas and bring them at par with breast milk in terms of quality and quantity. High protein consumption is related to bottle feeding, because starter and further infant formulas are richer in protein than breast milk. Protein-rich menus trigger production of insulinogenic amino acids, insulin and the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1. High IFTcombined with branched-chain amino acids (leucine, valine, isoleucine, threonine activates a set of signalling molecules (mTOR, which are responsible for integrating metabolic and immune response. Repeated activation of mTOR coupled with regular intake of high-protein infant formulas causes health issues in adulthood. Diseases like diabetes type 2, obesity, arterial hypertension, cancer (particularly prostatic cancer, are related to overactivation of the mTOR signalling molecule complex. Intensive consumption of milk in today’s world is the key mTOR activator contributing to an increased risk of lifestyle diseases and triggering the mechanism of their development. The progressing infant formula industry allows to cut protein levels in starter and further infant formulas down to 12 g/l and, respectively, lower the risk of non-infectious diseases in adulthood. 

Cellulose conversion of corn pericarp without pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Daehwan; Orrego, David; Ximenes, Eduardo A; Ladisch, Michael R

2017-12-01

We report enzyme hydrolysis of cellulose in unpretreated pericarp at a cellulase loading of 0.25FPU/g pericarp solids using a phenol tolerant Aspergillus niger pectinase preparation. The overall protein added was 5mg/g and gave 98% cellulose conversion in 72h. However, for double the amount of enzyme from Trichoderma reesei, which is significantly less tolerant to phenols, conversion was only 16%. The key to achieving high conversion without pretreatment is combining phenol inhibition-resistant enzymes (such as from A. niger) with unground pericarp from which release of phenols is minimal. Size reduction of the pericarp, which is typically carried out in a corn-to-ethanol process, where corn is first ground to a fine powder, causes release of highly inhibitory phenols that interfere with cellulase enzyme activity. This work demonstrates hydrolysis without pretreatment of large particulate pericarp is a viable pathway for directly producing cellulose ethanol in corn ethanol plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance of juvenile mojarra supplied with feed containing varying levels of crude protein

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Ricardo Henrique Bastos de Souza

2016-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The growth of the Brazilian aquaculture has stimulated the development of the productive chain of native species, including marine environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth performance of juvenile mojarra fish (Diapterus rhombeus fed diets containing different concentrations of crude protein (32, 36, 40 and 44 g 100 g-1. The 80 juvenile mojarra (7.2±1.5 g were kept in 16 circular tanks (150 L. The study design used was completely randomized with four treatments and four repetitions. The fish were fed four times a day. At the end of the experiment (60 days the final weight, feed intake, weight gain (WG, feed:gain ratio (FGR, protein efficiency rate (PER, energy efficiency rate, specific growth, survival rate and, body composition were evaluated. It was verified significant effect of protein level on the WG, with the best value at the level of 38.20 g 100 g-1 of crude protein. For FGR, the best estimated value occurred with 38.06 g 100 g-1 of crude protein, similar to that reported for the PER (38.91 g 100 g-1. The other performance parameters and body composition were not influenced by crude protein levels. Diet crude protein concentrations between 38.06 and 38.91 g 100 g-1 provide the best performance indices for juvenile mojarra.

The Puf-family RNA-binding protein Puf2 controls sporozoite conversion to liver stages in the malaria parasite.

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Katja Müller

Full Text Available Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by unicellular, obligate intracellular parasites of the genus Plasmodium. During host switch the malaria parasite employs specialized latent stages that colonize the new host environment. Previous work has established that gametocytes, sexually differentiated stages that are taken up by the mosquito vector, control expression of genes required for mosquito colonization by translational repression. Sexual parasite development is controlled by a DEAD-box RNA helicase of the DDX6 family, termed DOZI. Latency of sporozoites, the transmission stage injected during an infectious blood meal, is controlled by the eIF2alpha kinase IK2, a general inhibitor of protein synthesis. Whether RNA-binding proteins participate in translational regulation in sporozoites remains to be studied. Here, we investigated the roles of two RNA-binding proteins of the Puf-family, Plasmodium Puf1 and Puf2, during sporozoite stage conversion. Our data reveal that, in the rodent malaria parasite P. berghei, Puf2 participates in the regulation of IK2 and inhibits premature sporozoite transformation. Inside mosquito salivary glands puf2⁻ sporozoites transform over time to round forms resembling early intra-hepatic stages. As a result, mutant parasites display strong defects in initiating a malaria infection. In contrast, Puf1 is dispensable in vivo throughout the entire Plasmodium life cycle. Our findings support the notion of a central role for Puf2 in parasite latency during switch between the insect and mammalian hosts.

C-Reactive Protein Levels in the Brugada Syndrome

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Aimé Bonny

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Inflammation in the Brugada syndrome (BrS and its clinical implication have been little studied. Aims. To assess the level of inflammation in BrS patients. Methods. All studied BrS patients underwent blood samples drawn for C-reactive protein (CRP levels at admission, prior to any invasive intervention. Patients with a previous ICD placement were controlled to exclude those with a recent (<14 days shock. We divided subjects into symptomatic (syncope or aborted sudden death and asymptomatic groups. In a multivariable analysis, we adjusted for significant variables (age, CRP ≥ 2 mg/L. Results. Fifty-four subjects were studied (mean age 45 ± 13 years, 49 (91% male. Twenty (37% were symptomatic. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. Mean CRP level was 1,4 ± 0,9 mg/L in asymptomatic and 2,4 ± 1,4 mg/L in symptomatic groups (P = .003. In the multivariate model, CRP concentrations ≥ 2 mg/L remained an independent marker for being symptomatic (P = .018; 95% CI: 1.3 to 19.3. Conclusion. Inflammation seems to be more active in symptomatic BrS. C-reactive protein concentrations ≥ 2 mg/L might be associated with the previous symptoms in BrS. The value of inflammation as a risk factor of arrhythmic events in BrS needs to be studied.

Effect of the level of dietary protein on the utilization of alpha-ketoisocaproate for protein synthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, C.W.; Tungsanga, K.; Walser, M.

1986-04-01

The efficiency of alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC) as a dietary substitute for leucine in rats on varying protein intake was estimated by an isotopic method, previously shown to yield the same results as comparative growth experiments. /sup 14/C-KIC and /sup 3/H-leucine are injected orally. Six hours later the ratio, R, of /sup 14/C//sup 3/H in isolated proteins, divided by the same ratio in the injectate is measured. This ratio has been shown to be approximately equal to nutritional efficiency of KIC relative to leucine. As dietary protein increased from 6.3% to 48.3%, whole body protein R decreased from 0.515 +/- 0.045 to 0.299 +/- 0.016. Variations with protein intake were noted in R of protein isolated from individual organs. The magnitude of R in these organs varied two-fold, in the following sequence: brain greater than heart greater than or equal to skeletal muscle greater than or equal to salivary gland greater than or equal to kidney greater than liver. Whole body protein R could be confidently predicted (r2 = 0.992) from R in the protein of kidney and muscle. Thus, the nutritional efficiency of KIC as a dietary substitute for leucine in individual organs as well as in the whole animal is strongly dependent on the level of protein intake.

Effect of the level of dietary protein on the utilization of alpha-ketoisocaproate for protein synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, C.W.; Tungsanga, K.; Walser, M.

1986-01-01

The efficiency of alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC) as a dietary substitute for leucine in rats on varying protein intake was estimated by an isotopic method, previously shown to yield the same results as comparative growth experiments. 14 C-KIC and 3 H-leucine are injected orally. Six hours later the ratio, R, of 14 C/ 3 H in isolated proteins, divided by the same ratio in the injectate is measured. This ratio has been shown to be approximately equal to nutritional efficiency of KIC relative to leucine. As dietary protein increased from 6.3% to 48.3%, whole body protein R decreased from 0.515 +/- 0.045 to 0.299 +/- 0.016. Variations with protein intake were noted in R of protein isolated from individual organs. The magnitude of R in these organs varied two-fold, in the following sequence: brain greater than heart greater than or equal to skeletal muscle greater than or equal to salivary gland greater than or equal to kidney greater than liver. Whole body protein R could be confidently predicted (r2 = 0.992) from R in the protein of kidney and muscle. Thus, the nutritional efficiency of KIC as a dietary substitute for leucine in individual organs as well as in the whole animal is strongly dependent on the level of protein intake

Effect of Dietary Crude Protein and Methionine on Egg Production and Egg Quality of Laying Hens During Phase II

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H Mohammadi Emarat

2012-02-01

Full Text Available An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary crude protein and methionine levels on quality and quantity of egg production. Fifteen diets formulated with 3 levels of protein (13, 14 and 15% and 5 levels of methionine (0.25, 0.28, 0.31, 0.34 and 0.37% and fed to 420 birds in a 3×5 factorial arrangement. Each diet was randomly fed to 4 replicates of 7 birds each and fed for 3 periods of 4 weeks (50-62wks of age each. Egg number and mortality was recorded daily, whereas feed consumption determined at the end of each period. The increased in dietary protein significantly increased egg production from 54 to 59.4 %. Egg weight, egg mass and feed intake increased by 1.7 g, 3.4 g, and 2.8 g, respectively during the whole experimental period. As the dietary protein increased, feed conversion, egg component (as a percent of whale egg and egg albumin percent were improved. However, the egg breaking, specific gravity and eggshell were significantly decreased with increased dietary protein. The egg yolk percent was not influenced by dietary protein levels. The increased in dietary methionine from 0.25% to 0.37% caused the overall egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed intake and egg component to improve by about 8.2%, 4g, 6.6g, 8.7g, and 6.0g, respectively. Feed conversion, specific gravity, egg breakage, egg shell, and egg yolk and albumin percent were not influenced by dietary methionine levels.

Photovoltaic solar energy conversion

CERN Document Server

Bauer, Gottfried H

2015-01-01

This concise primer on photovoltaic solar energy conversion invites readers to reflect on the conversion of solar light into energy at the most fundamental level and encourages newcomers to the field to help find meaningful answers on how photovoltaic solar energy conversion can work (better), eventually contributing to its ongoing advancement. The book is based on lectures given to graduate students in the Physics Department at the University of Oldenburg over the last two decades, yet also provides an easy-to-follow introduction for doctoral and postdoctoral students from related disciplines such as the materials sciences and electrical engineering. Inspired by classic textbooks in the field, it reflects the author’s own ideas on how to understand, visualize and eventually teach the microscopic physical mechanisms and effects, while keeping the text as concise as possible so as to introduce interested readers to the field and balancing essential knowledge with open questions.

Level of C - reactive protein as an indicator for prognosis of premature uterine contractions.

Science.gov (United States)

Najat Nakishbandy, Bayar M; Barawi, Sabat A M

2014-01-01

high concentrations of maternal C-reactive protein have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcome, and premature uterine contraction may be predicted by elevated levels of C-reactive protein. This may ultimately be simple and cost-effective enough to introduce as a low-risk screening program. an observational case control study was performed from May 1st, 2010 to December 1st, 2010 at Maternity Teaching Hospital-Erbil/ Kurdistan Region/ Iraq. The sample size was (200) cases. Hundred of them were presented with premature uterine contractions at 24(+0)-36(+6) weeks. The other hundred were control group at same gestational ages. The level of C-reactive protein was determined in both groups and both groups were followed till delivery. (93) out of (100) women with premature uterine contractions had elevated level of C-Reactive protein and 91% delivered prematurely while in the control group only (9) out of (100) women had elevated level of C-reactive protein and only 8% of them delivered preterm. Differences were statistically highly significant. C-reactive protein can be used as a biomarker in prediction of premature delivery when it is associated with premature uterine contractions. As well it can be used as a screening test to detect cases that are at risk of premature delivery.

The Common Inhalational Anesthetic Sevoflurane Induces Apoptosis and Increases β-Amyloid Protein Levels

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Yuanlin; Zhang, Guohua; Zhang, Bin; Moir, Robert D.; Xia, Weiming; Marcantonio, Edward R.; Culley, Deborah J.; Crosby, Gregory; Tanzi, Rudolph E.; Xie, Zhongcong

2009-01-01

Objective: To assess the effects of sevoflurane, the most commonly used inhalation anesthetic, on apoptosis and β-amyloid protein (Aβ) levels in vitro and in vivo. Subjects: Naive mice, H4 human neuroglioma cells, and H4 human neuroglioma cells stably transfected to express full-length amyloid precursor protein. Interventions: Human H4 neuroglioma cells stably transfected to express full-length amyloid precursor protein were exposed to 4.1% sevoflurane for 6 hours. Mice received 2.5% sevoflurane for 2 hours. Caspase-3 activation, apoptosis, and Aβ levels were assessed. Results: Sevoflurane induced apoptosis and elevated levels of β-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme and Aβ in vitro and in vivo. The caspase inhibitor Z-VAD decreased the effects of sevoflurane on apoptosis and Aβ. Sevoflurane-induced caspase-3 activation was attenuated by the γ-secretase inhibitor L-685,458 and was potentiated by Aβ. These results suggest that sevoflurane induces caspase activation which, in turn, enhances β-site amyloid precursor protein–cleaving enzyme and Aβ levels. Increased Aβ levels then induce further rounds of apoptosis. Conclusions: These results suggest that inhalational anesthetic sevoflurane may promote Alzheimer disease neuropathogenesis. If confirmed in human subjects, it may be prudent to caution against the use of sevoflurane as an anesthetic, especially in those suspected of possessing excessive levels of cerebral Aβ. PMID:19433662

Noise genetics: inferring protein function by correlating phenotype with protein levels and localization in individual human cells.

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Shlomit Farkash-Amar

2014-03-01

Full Text Available To understand gene function, genetic analysis uses large perturbations such as gene deletion, knockdown or over-expression. Large perturbations have drawbacks: they move the cell far from its normal working point, and can thus be masked by off-target effects or compensation by other genes. Here, we offer a complementary approach, called noise genetics. We use natural cell-cell variations in protein level and localization, and correlate them to the natural variations of the phenotype of the same cells. Observing these variations is made possible by recent advances in dynamic proteomics that allow measuring proteins over time in individual living cells. Using motility of human cancer cells as a model system, and time-lapse microscopy on 566 fluorescently tagged proteins, we found 74 candidate motility genes whose level or localization strongly correlate with motility in individual cells. We recovered 30 known motility genes, and validated several novel ones by mild knockdown experiments. Noise genetics can complement standard genetics for a variety of phenotypes.

The response of Heterobranchus longifilis to the combination of fish meal at different levels with 40% of groundnut cake in its diet

OpenAIRE

Ovie, S.O.; Ovie, S.I.

2008-01-01

A study was carried out on the response of Heterobranchus longifilis to the replacement of fish meal with 40% of groundnut cake in six experimental diets with varying protein levels (26.13%, 30.88%, 34.87%, 39.28%, 44.19% and 50.76%). The highest weight gain (72.46g), specific growth rate (SGR) (2.16), the best food conversion ratio (FCR) (1.91) and gross food conversion efficiency (GCE) (0.016) were recorded for fish fed diet with 50.76% (Diet VI) crude protein (40%groundnutcake and 38.15% f...

Effects of Dietary Protein and Lipid Levels on Growth and Body Composition of Juvenile Far Eastern Catfish

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Kyoung-Duck Kim

2012-03-01

Full Text Available A 3×2 factorial experiment was conducted to determine the effects of dietary protein and lipid levels on the growth and body composition of juvenile far eastern catfish. Six diets were formulated to contain three levels of protein (20%, 30% and 40% and two levels of lipid (9% and 17%. Triplicate groups of fish (initial body weight of 7.6 g were hand-fed to apparent satiation for 66 days. Final mean weight was improved with increasing dietary protein and lipid levels, and the highest final mean weight was observed in fish fed the 40/17 (% protein/% lipid diet. No significant difference was observed in final mean weight for fish fed between 30/17 diet and 40/9 diet. Feed efficiency of fish fed the diets containing over 30% protein levels with 9% and 17% lipid levels were significantly higher than those of fish fed the 20% protein levels. Feed efficiency of fish fed the 30/17 diet was not significantly different from that of fish fed the 40/9 diet or 40/17 diet. Feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio of fish fed the 20% protein diets with 17% lipid level were significantly higher than those of fish fed 9% lipid diet. Daily feed intake of fish tended to decrease with increasing dietary protein and lipid levels. Moisture content of whole body in fish fed the 9% lipid diets was significantly higher than that of fish fed the 17% lipid diets at the same protein level, but the opposite trends were found for crude lipid content. Significant effects of dietary lipid were observed for most fatty acids, according to their relative values in the diets. The results of this study suggest that the protein requirement for maximum growth of juvenile far eastern catfish may be higher than 40%, and an increase of dietary lipid level from 9% to 17% can improve growth and feed utilization.

Wavelength conversion techniques and devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Danielsen, Søren Lykke; Mikkelsen, Benny; Hansen, Peter Bukhave

1997-01-01

Taking into account the requirements to the converters e.g., bit rate transparency (at least up to 10 Gbit/s), polarisation independence, wavelength independence, moderate input power levels, high signal-to-noise ratio and high extinction ratio interferometric wavelength convertors are very...... interesting for use in WDM optical fibre networks. However, the perfect converter has probably not yet been fabricated and new techniques such as conversion relying on cross-absorption modulation in electro-absorption modulators might also be considered in pursue of effective conversion devices...

Stress and Cognitive Load in Multimodal Conversational Interactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niculescu, A.I.; Cao, Y.; Nijholt, Antinus; Stephanides, C.

2009-01-01

The quality assessment of multimodal conversational interactions is determined by many influence parameters. Stress and cognitive load are two of them. In order to assess the impact of stress and cognitive load on the perceived conversational quality it is essential to control their levels during

Ectopic ERK Expression Induces Phenotypic Conversion of C10 Cells and Alters DNA Methyltransferase Expression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sontag, Ryan L.; Weber, Thomas J.

2012-05-04

In some model systems constitutive extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) activation is sufficient to promote an oncogenic phenotype. Here we investigate whether constitutive ERK expression influences phenotypic conversion in murine C10 type II alveolar epithelial cells. C10 cells were stably transduced with an ERK1-green fluorescent protein (ERK1-GFP) chimera or empty vector and ectopic ERK expression was associated with the acquisition of soft agar focus-forming potential in late passage, but not early passage cells. Late passage ERK1-GFP cells exhibited a significant increase in the expression of DNA methyl transferases (DNMT1 and 3b) and a marked increase in sensitivity to 5-azacytidine (5-azaC)-mediated toxicity, relative to early passage ERK1-GFP cells and vector controls. The expression of xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group A (XPA) and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) were significantly increased in late passage cells, suggesting enhanced DNA damage recognition and repair activity which we interpret as a reflection of genomic instability. Phospho-ERK levels were dramatically decreased in late passage ERK1-GFP cells, relative to early passage and vector controls, and phospho-ERK levels were restored by treatment with sodium orthovanadate, indicating a role for phosphatase activity in this response. Collectively these observations suggest that ectopic ERK expression promotes phenotypic conversion of C10 cells that is associated with latent effects on epigenetic programming and phosphatase activities.

The growth of juvenile jaguar guapote (Cichlasoma managuense fed diets with different carbohydrate levels (ESP

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Juan B Ulloa R.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The experiment was conducted in a 16 45 L aquaria recirculation system. The objective was to evaluate the growth of jaguar guapote (Cichlasoma managuense when fed isocaloric diets with increasing carbohydrate levels from 11 to 36 percent. Relative metabolic growth rate and feed conversion were similar with diets containing 11.5%, 18.8% and 26.5% carbohydrate (P > 0.05 . The highest protein efficiency ratio (PER and apparent net protein utilization (NPUa values were found with the 18.8% carbohydrate diet. Growth performance, feed utilization parameters and the survival were the lowest with fish fed the highest carbohydrate level (35.6%. Fish body protein increased and body fat decreased with increasing dietary carbohydrate levels. The body ash showed a trend similar to the body protein. It is concluded that juvenile C. managuense can grow well when fed 40% protein diets containing up to 26.5% carbohydrate.

Utilizing Biotinylated Proteins Expressed in Yeast to Visualize DNA–Protein Interactions at the Single-Molecule Level

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Huijun Xue

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Much of our knowledge in conventional biochemistry has derived from bulk assays. However, many stochastic processes and transient intermediates are hidden when averaged over the ensemble. The powerful technique of single-molecule fluorescence microscopy has made great contributions to the understanding of life processes that are inaccessible when using traditional approaches. In single-molecule studies, quantum dots (Qdots have several unique advantages over other fluorescent probes, such as high brightness, extremely high photostability, and large Stokes shift, thus allowing long-time observation and improved signal-to-noise ratios. So far, however, there is no convenient way to label proteins purified from budding yeast with Qdots. Based on BirA–Avi and biotin–streptavidin systems, we have established a simple method to acquire a Qdot-labeled protein and visualize its interaction with DNA using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. For proof-of-concept, we chose replication protein A (RPA and origin recognition complex (ORC as the proteins of interest. Proteins were purified from budding yeast with high biotinylation efficiency and rapidly labeled with streptavidin-coated Qdots. Interactions between proteins and DNA were observed successfully at the single-molecule level.

Gene conversion limits divergence of mammalian TLR1 and TLR6

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Dunoyer-Geindre Sylvie

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Toll-like receptors (TLR recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns and are important mediators of the innate immune system. TLR1 and TLR6 are paralogs and located in tandem on the same chromosome in mammals. They form heterodimers with TLR2 and bind lipopeptide components of gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial cell walls. To identify conserved stretches in TLR1 and TLR6, that may be important for their function, we compared their protein sequences in nine mammalian species(Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, Macaca mulatta, Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus; Erinaceus europaeus, Bos Taurus, Sus scrofa and Canis familiaris. Results The N-terminal sequences of the orthologous proteins showed greater similarity than corresponding paralog sequences. However, we identified a region of 300 amino acids towards the C-terminus of TLR1 and TLR6, where paralogs had a greater degree of sequence identity than orthologs. Preservation of DNA sequence identity of paralogs in this region was observed in all nine mammalian species investigated, and is due to independent gene conversion events. The regions having undergone gene conversion in each species are almost identical and encode the leucine-rich repeat motifs 16 to 19, the C-terminal cap motif, the transmembrane domain and most of the intracellular Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR domain. Conclusion Our results show that, for a specific conserved region, divergence of TLR1 and TLR6 is limited by gene conversion, most likely because of the need for co-evolution with multiple intracellular and extracellular binding partners. Thus, gene conversion provides a mechanism for limiting the divergence of functional regions of protein paralogs, while allowing other domains to evolve diversified functions.

Differential proteomics study of platelets in asymptomatic constitutional macrothrombocytopenia: altered levels of cytoskeletal proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Karmakar, Shilpita; Saha, Sutapa; Banerjee, Debasis; Chakrabarti, Abhijit

2015-01-01

Harris platelet syndrome (HPS), also known as asymptomatic constitutional macrothrombocytopenia (ACMT), is an autosomal dominant platelet disorder characterized by mild-to-severe thrombocytopenia and giant platelets with normal platelet aggregation and absence of bleeding symptoms. We have attempted a comparative proteomics study for profiling of platelet proteins in healthy vs. pathological states to discover characteristic protein expression changes in macrothrombocytes and decipher the factors responsible for the functionally active yet morphologically distinct platelets. We have used 2-D gel-based protein separation techniques coupled with MALDI-ToF/ToF-based mass spectrometric identification and characterization of the proteins to investigate the differential proteome profiling of platelet proteins isolated from the peripheral blood samples of patients and normal volunteers. Our study revealed altered levels of actin-binding proteins such as myosin light chain, coactosin-like protein, actin-related protein 2/3 complex, and transgelin2 that hint toward the cytoskeletal changes necessary to maintain the structural and functional integrity of macrothrombocytes. We have also observed over expressed levels of peroxiredoxin2 that signifies the prevailing oxidative stress in these cells. Additionally, altered levels of protein disulfide isomerase and transthyretin provide insights into the measures adapted by the macrothrombocytes to maintain their normal functional activity. This first proteomics study of platelets from ACMT may provide an understanding of the structural stability and normal functioning of these platelets in spite of their large size. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Production of bacterial protein from sugar cane bagasse pith

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molina, O E; Callieri, D A.S.; Perotti de Galvez, N

1980-01-01

Bacterial protein was produced during the fermentation of sugar cane bagasse pith (BP) by a mixture of cellulolytic bacteria, one of them being a species of Cellulomonas. If the BP were treated with 1% NaOH prior to fermentation, the liquor could be used twice more without affecting the yield of bacterial protein. After that, the liquor became too dark and impaired the subsequent washing of BP. If the concentration of N (as NaN0/sub 3/) in the fermentation medium were raised, the conversion factor to protein was lowered, but the amount of protein formed per L per h and the ratio of protein to BP became higher. The evolution of pH, the dry matter content, cellulolytic activity, and protein yield were all affected by the type of N source used. The yield of bacterial protein can probably be increased by automatically controlling the pH and dissolved O levels of the culture.

78 FR 61375 - Prospective Grant of Exclusive License: Use of Quaking-Induced Conversion (QUIC) for Detection of...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-03

... ``Detection of Infectious Prion Protein by Seeded Conversion of Recombinant Prion Protein'' By Byron Caughey... of prions by using recombinant, normal, prion protein (rPrP-sen) as a marker or indicator of... assay differs from the protein-misfolding cyclic amplification assay (PMCA) because it enables the...

Enzymes and microorganisms in food industry waste processing and conversion to useful products: literature review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carroad, P A [Univ. of California, Davis; Wilke, C R

1978-01-01

Bioconversion of food processing wastes is receiving increased attention with the realization that waste components represent an available and utilizable resource for conversion to useful products. Liquid wastes are characterized as dilute streams containing sugars, starches, proteins and fats. Solid wastes are generally cellulosic, but may contain other polymers. The greatest potential for economic bioconversion is represented by processes to convert cellulose to glucose, glucose to alcohol and protein, starch to invert sugar, and dilute waste streams to methane by anaerobic digestion. Microbial or enzymatic processes to accomplish these conversions are described.

Mapping Hydrophobicity on the Protein Molecular Surface at Atom-Level Resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Nicolau Jr., Dan V.; Paszek, Ewa; Fulga, Florin; Nicolau, Dan V.

2014-01-01

A precise representation of the spatial distribution of hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity and charges on the molecular surface of proteins is critical for the understanding of the interaction with small molecules and larger systems. The representation of hydrophobicity is rarely done at atom-level, as this property is generally assigned to residues. A new methodology for the derivation of atomic hydrophobicity from any amino acid-based hydrophobicity scale was used to derive 8 sets of atomic hydrophobicities, one of which was used to generate the molecular surfaces for 35 proteins with convex structures, 5 of which, i.e., lysozyme, ribonuclease, hemoglobin, albumin and IgG, have been analyzed in more detail. Sets of the molecular surfaces of the model proteins have been constructed using spherical probes with increasingly large radii, from 1.4 to 20 Å, followed by the quantification of (i) the surface hydrophobicity; (ii) their respective molecular surface areas, i.e., total, hydrophilic and hydrophobic area; and (iii) their relative densities, i.e., divided by the total molecular area; or specific densities, i.e., divided by property-specific area. Compared with the amino acid-based formalism, the atom-level description reveals molecular surfaces which (i) present an approximately two times more hydrophilic areas; with (ii) less extended, but between 2 to 5 times more intense hydrophilic patches; and (iii) 3 to 20 times more extended hydrophobic areas. The hydrophobic areas are also approximately 2 times more hydrophobicity-intense. This, more pronounced “leopard skin”-like, design of the protein molecular surface has been confirmed by comparing the results for a restricted set of homologous proteins, i.e., hemoglobins diverging by only one residue (Trp37). These results suggest that the representation of hydrophobicity on the protein molecular surfaces at atom-level resolution, coupled with the probing of the molecular surface at different geometric resolutions

Fluorescent Photo-conversion: A second chance to label unique cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Mellott, Adam J; Shinogle, Heather E; Moore, David S; Detamore, Michael S

2015-03-01

Not all cells behave uniformly after treatment in tissue engineering studies. In fact, some treated cells display no signs of treatment or show unique characteristics not consistent with other treated cells. What if the "unique" cells could be isolated from a treated population, and further studied? Photo-convertible reporter proteins, such as Dendra2 , allow for the ability to selectively identify unique cells with a secondary label within a primary labeled treated population. In the current study, select cells were identified and labeled through photo-conversion of Dendra2 -transfected human Wharton's Jelly cells (hWJCs) for the first time. Robust photo-conversion of green-to-red fluorescence was achieved consistently in arbitrarily selected cells, allowing for precise cell identification of select hWJCs. The current study demonstrates a method that offers investigators the opportunity to selectively label and identify unique cells within a treated population for further study or isolation from the treatment population. Photo-convertible reporter proteins, such as Dendra2 , offer the ability over non-photo-convertible reporter proteins, such as green fluorescent protein, to analyze unique individual cells within a treated population, which allows investigators to gain more meaningful information on how a treatment affects all cells within a target population.

Levels of digestible protein to surubim (Pseudoplatystoma sp. reared in net cages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claucia Aparecida Honorato

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The Pseudoplatystoma sp. is species of carnivorous fish that require special attention in the diet offered. This work had the objective to determine the digestible protein requirement of juvenile the Pseudoplatystoma sp. reared in net cages. The test consisted of four isoenergetic diets (2606.69 ± 39.16 kcal kg-1 of digestible energy containing increasing levels of digestible protein (23, 24, 26 and 28%PD provided to juveniles of surubim (157.35±11.23g for five months. The parameters of growth, fillet composition, metabolic liver enzymes and morphometry of the intestine and liver were analyzed in completely randomized design with four treatments and four replicates. An increase of protein in the diet provided better weight gain. The metabolic liver enzymes increased in fish fed 24PD. The histopathological changes were not observed in the liver of the fish. The bowel histology showed adaptation to increased protein in the diet until the 26 level PD. juveniles of Pseudoplatystoma sp. Were demanding in digestible protein, showing the best results of production performance and nutrient use efficiency with the diet containing 28%PD.

BDNF downregulates 5-HT(2A) receptor protein levels in hippocampal cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trajkovska, V; Santini, M A; Marcussen, Anders Bue

2009-01-01

Both brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT(2A)) have been related to depression pathology. Specific 5-HT(2A) receptor changes seen in BDNF conditional mutant mice suggest that BDNF regulates the 5-HT(2A) receptor level. Here we show a direct effect of BDNF...... on 5-HT(2A) receptor protein levels in primary hippocampal neuronal and mature hippocampal organotypic cultures exposed to different BDNF concentrations for either 1, 3, 5 or 7 days. In vivo effects of BDNF on hippocampal 5-HT(2A) receptor levels were further corroborated in (BDNF +/-) mice...... with reduced BDNF levels. In primary neuronal cultures, 7 days exposure to 25 and 50ng/mL BDNF resulted in downregulation of 5-HT(2A), but not of 5-HT(1A), receptor protein levels. The BDNF-associated downregulation of 5-HT(2A) receptor levels was also observed in mature hippocampal organotypic cultures...

DIGESTIBLE VALINE REQUIREMENTS IN LOW-PROTEIN DIETS FOR BROILERS CHICKS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GR Nascimento

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Three experiments were carried out to evaluate the levels of digestible valine in diets with reduced crude protein on the performance, carcass yield and muscle fiber diameter of male broilers during the pre-starter (1 to 8 d of age, starter (9 to 21 d of age and grower phases (21 to 42 d of age. A total of 1,080 chickens in the pre-starter phase, 900 in the starter phase and 864 in the grower phase were distributed in a completely randomized design with six treatments, consisting of a control positive diet (C+ and diets with 2 percentage points (p.p. reduction of crude protein level and five graded levels of digestible valine (Val, with six replicates of 30, 25 and 24 birds per experimental unit, respectively. The recommended level of TID Val in the low-protein diets for broilers in the pre-starter, starter and grower stages were 1.028; 0.905 and 0.789%, respectively. The reduction of 2 percentage points of the crude protein level in diets based on corn and soybean meal impaired (p ≤0.05 the feed conversion ratio in the starter and grower stages. Likewise, the reduced-protein diets decreased (p ≤0.05 muscle fiber diameter, but did not affect (p> 0.05 carcass and parts yields, or abdominal fat percentage at 42 days.

Analog-to-digital conversion

CERN Document Server

Pelgrom, Marcel

2017-01-01

This textbook is appropriate for use in graduate-level curricula in analog-to-digital conversion, as well as for practicing engineers in need of a state-of-the-art reference on data converters. It discusses various analog-to-digital conversion principles, including sampling, quantization, reference generation, nyquist architectures and sigma-delta modulation. This book presents an overview of the state of the art in this field and focuses on issues of optimizing accuracy and speed, while reducing the power level. This new, third edition emphasizes novel calibration concepts, the specific requirements of new systems, the consequences of 22-nm technology and the need for a more statistical approach to accuracy. Pedagogical enhancements to this edition include additional, new exercises, solved examples to introduce all key, new concepts and warnings, remarks and hints, from a practitioner’s perspective, wherever appropriate. Considerable background information and practical tips, from designing a PCB, to lay-o...

Analog-to-digital conversion

CERN Document Server

Pelgrom, Marcel J. M

2013-01-01

This textbook is appropriate for use in graduate-level curricula in analog to digital conversion, as well as for practicing engineers in need of a state-of-the-art reference on data converters.  It discusses various analog-to-digital conversion principles, including sampling, quantization, reference generation, nyquist architectures and sigma-delta modulation.  This book presents an overview of the state-of-the-art in this field and focuses on issues of optimizing accuracy and speed, while reducing the power level. This new, second edition emphasizes novel calibration concepts, the specific requirements of new systems, the consequences of 45-nm technology and the need for a more statistical approach to accuracy.  Pedagogical enhancements to this edition include more than twice the exercises available in the first edition, solved examples to introduce all key, new concepts and warnings, remarks and hints, from a practitioner’s perspective, wherever appropriate.  Considerable background information and pr...

Protein levels and colony development of Africanized and European honey bees fed natural and artificial diets.

Science.gov (United States)

Morais, M M; Turcatto, A P; Pereira, R A; Francoy, T M; Guidugli-Lazzarini, K R; Gonçalves, L S; de Almeida, J M V; Ellis, J D; De Jong, D

2013-12-19

Pollen substitute diets are a valuable resource for maintaining strong and health honey bee colonies. Specific diets may be useful in one region or country and inadequate or economically unviable in others. We compared two artificial protein diets that had been formulated from locally-available ingredients in Brazil with bee bread and a non-protein sucrose diet. Groups of 100 newly-emerged, adult workers of Africanized honey bees in Brazil and European honey bees in the USA were confined in small cages and fed on one of four diets for seven days. The artificial diets included a high protein diet made of soy milk powder and albumin, and a lower protein level diet consisting of soy milk powder, brewer's yeast and rice bran. The initial protein levels in newly emerged bees were approximately 18-21 µg/µL hemolymph. After feeding on the diets for seven days, the protein levels in the hemolymph were similar among the protein diet groups (~37-49 µg/µL after seven days), although Africanized bees acquired higher protein levels, increasing 145 and 100% on diets D1 and D2, respectively, versus 83 and 60% in the European bees. All the protein diets resulted in significantly higher levels of protein than sucrose solution alone. In the field, the two pollen substitute diets were tested during periods of low pollen availability in the field in two regions of Brazil. Food consumption, population development, colony weight, and honey production were evaluated to determine the impact of the diets on colony strength parameters. The colonies fed artificial diets had a significant improvement in all parameters, while control colonies dwindled during the dearth period. We conclude that these two artificial protein diets have good potential as pollen substitutes during dearth periods and that Africanized bees more efficiently utilize artificial protein diets than do European honey bees.

Geomagnetic activity effects on plasma sheet energy conversion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Hamrin

2010-10-01

Full Text Available In this article we use three years (2001, 2002, and 2004 of Cluster plasma sheet data to investigate what happens to localized energy conversion regions (ECRs in the plasma sheet during times of high magnetospheric activity. By examining variations in the power density, E·J, where E is the electric field and J is the current density obtained by Cluster, we have studied the influence on Concentrated Load Regions (CLRs and Concentrated Generator Regions (CGRs from variations in the geomagnetic disturbance level as expressed by the Kp, the AE, and the Dst indices. We find that the ECR occurrence frequency increases during higher magnetospheric activities, and that the ECRs become stronger. This is true both for CLRs and for CGRs, and the localized energy conversion therefore concerns energy conversion in both directions between the particles and the fields in the plasma sheet. A higher geomagnetic activity hence increases the general level of energy conversion in the plasma sheet. Moreover, we have shown that CLRs live longer during magnetically disturbed times, hence converting more electromagnetic energy. The CGR lifetime, on the other hand, seems to be unaffected by the geomagnetic activity level. The evidence for increased energy conversion during geomagnetically disturbed times is most clear for Kp and for AE, but there are also some indications that energy conversion increases during large negative Dst. This is consistent with the plasma sheet magnetically mapping to the auroral zone, and therefore being more tightly coupled to auroral activities and variations in the AE and Kp indices, than to variations in the ring current region as described by the Dst index.

Alexithymia in patients with conversion disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Gulpek, Demet; Kelemence Kaplan, Figen; Kesebir, Sermin; Bora, Ozlem

2014-07-01

In the recent years, it has been observed that alexithymia is not specified for the psychosomatic disorders. It is known that alexithymia is observed frequently in various psychiatric disorders especially in the somatoform disorders. The aim of this study is to evaluate alexithymia in the patients with the conversion disorder. The study was performed in the Psychiatry Outpatients Clinics of the Izmir Atatürk Training and Research Hospital and Erenköy Psychiatry Education and Research Hospital. A total of 93 cases-47 outpatients who were diagnosed with conversion disorder according to the DSM-IV criteria and 46 age, gender and educational level matched healthy controls-were included in the study. All the cases were assessed by a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and were evaluated with a questionnaire (which included demographics and clinical data), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Somatosensory Amplification Scale. When the two groups were compared, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale scores (except "externally oriented thinking" subscale) and the Somatosensory Amplification Scale score of the conversion disorder group were statistically significantly higher than the control group. The number of the alexithymic cases of the patient group was significantly higher than the control group's. The level of alexithymia in conversion disorder patients, without any other psychiatric disorder, is higher than that of the healthy controls. During the evaluation of the psychological state of patients with conversion disorder, it could be useful to keep in mind the probability of them having alexithymia to determine the type of suitable therapy.

National level POLYSYS data for Hellwinckel et al. (2015): Simulated impact of the renewable fuels standard on US Conservation Reserve Program enrollment and conversion

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This is the data of national level land conversions, prices, assumptions, etc., in the POLYSYS runs to estimate the land use change impacts from a growing biofuels...

Protease-resistant prions selectively decrease Shadoo protein.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joel C Watts

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The central event in prion diseases is the conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C into PrP(Sc, a partially protease-resistant and infectious conformer. However, the mechanism by which PrP(Sc causes neuronal dysfunction remains poorly understood. Levels of Shadoo (Sho, a protein that resembles the flexibly disordered N-terminal domain of PrP(C, were found to be reduced in the brains of mice infected with the RML strain of prions [1], implying that Sho levels may reflect the presence of PrP(Sc in the brain. To test this hypothesis, we examined levels of Sho during prion infection using a variety of experimental systems. Sho protein levels were decreased in the brains of mice, hamsters, voles, and sheep infected with different natural and experimental prion strains. Furthermore, Sho levels were decreased in the brains of prion-infected, transgenic mice overexpressing Sho and in infected neuroblastoma cells. Time-course experiments revealed that Sho levels were inversely proportional to levels of protease-resistant PrP(Sc. Membrane anchoring and the N-terminal domain of PrP both influenced the inverse relationship between Sho and PrP(Sc. Although increased Sho levels had no discernible effect on prion replication in mice, we conclude that Sho is the first non-PrP marker specific for prion disease. Additional studies using this paradigm may provide insight into the cellular pathways and systems subverted by PrP(Sc during prion disease.

Chemical conversion of cisplatin and carboplatin with histidine in a model protein crystallized under sodium iodide conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanley, Simon W. M.; Helliwell, John R., E-mail: john.helliwell@manchester.ac.uk [University of Manchester, Brunswick Street, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom)

2014-08-29

Crystals of HEWL with cisplatin and HEWL with carboplatin grown in sodium iodide conditions both show a partial chemical transformation of cisplatin or carboplatin to a transiodoplatin (PtI{sub 2}X{sub 2}) form. The binding is only at the N{sup δ} atom of His15. A further Pt species (PtI{sub 3}X) is also seen, in both cases bound in a crevice between symmetry-related protein molecules. Cisplatin and carboplatin are platinum anticancer agents that are used to treat a variety of cancers. Previous X-ray crystallographic studies of carboplatin binding to histidine in hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) showed a partial chemical conversion of carboplatin to cisplatin owing to the high sodium chloride concentration used in the crystallization conditions. Also, the co-crystallization of HEWL with carboplatin in sodium bromide conditions resulted in the partial conversion of carboplatin to the transbromoplatin form, with a portion of the cyclobutanedicarboxylate (CBDC) moiety still present. The results of the co-crystallization of HEWL with cisplatin or carboplatin in sodium iodide conditions are now reported in order to determine whether the cisplatin and carboplatin converted to the iodo form, and whether this took place in a similar way to the partial conversion of carboplatin to cisplatin in NaCl conditions or to transbromoplatin in NaBr conditions as seen previously. It is reported here that a partial chemical transformation has taken place to a transplatin form for both ligands. The NaI-grown crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group P2{sub 1} with two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The chemically transformed cisplatin and carboplatin bind to both His15 residues, i.e. in each asymmetric unit. The binding is only at the N{sup δ} atom of His15. A third platinum species is also seen in both conditions bound in a crevice between symmetry-related molecules. Here, the platinum is bound to three I atoms identified based on their anomalous difference electron densities

Ground level environmental protein concentrations in various ecuadorian environments: potential uses of aerosolized protein for ecological research

Science.gov (United States)

Staton, Sarah J.R.; Woodward, Andrea; Castillo, Josemar A.; Swing, Kelly; Hayes, Mark A.

2014-01-01

Large quantities of free protein in the environment and other bioaerosols are ubiquitous throughout terrestrial ground level environments and may be integrative indicators of ecosystem status. Samples of ground level bioaerosols were collected from various ecosystems throughout Ecuador, including pristine humid tropical forest (pristine), highly altered secondary humid tropical forest (highly altered), secondary transitional very humid forest (regrowth transitional), and suburban dry montane deforested (suburban deforested). The results explored the sensitivity of localized aerosol protein concentrations to spatial and temporal variations within ecosystems, and their value for assessing environmental change. Ecosystem specific variations in environmental protein concentrations were observed: pristine 0.32 ± 0.09 μg/m3, highly altered 0.07 ± 0.05 μg/m3, regrowth transitional 0.17 ± 0.06 μg/m3, and suburban deforested 0.09 ± 0.04 μg/m3. Additionally, comparisons of intra-environmental differences in seasonal/daily weather (dry season 0.08 ± 0.03 μg/m3 and wet season 0.10 ± 0.04 μg/m3), environmental fragmentation (buffered 0.19 ± 0.06 μg/m3 and edge 0.15 ± 0.06 μg/m3), and sampling height (ground level 0.32 ± 0.09 μg/m3 and 10 m 0.24 ± 0.04 μg/m3) demonstrated the sensitivity of protein concentrations to environmental conditions. Local protein concentrations in altered environments correlated well with satellite-based spectral indices describing vegetation productivity: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (r2 = 0.801), net primary production (NPP) (r2 = 0.827), leaf area index (LAI) (r2 = 0.410). Moreover, protein concentrations distinguished the pristine site, which was not differentiated in spectral indices, potentially due to spectral saturation typical of highly vegetated environments. Bioaerosol concentrations represent an inexpensive method to increase understanding of environmental changes, especially in densely vegetated

Signaling Pathways Related to Protein Synthesis and Amino Acid Concentration in Pig Skeletal Muscles Depend on the Dietary Protein Level, Genotype and Developmental Stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yingying; Li, Fengna; Kong, Xiangfeng; Tan, Bie; Li, Yinghui; Duan, Yehui; Blachier, François; Hu, Chien-An A; Yin, Yulong

2015-01-01

Muscle growth is regulated by the homeostatic balance of the biosynthesis and degradation of muscle proteins. To elucidate the molecular interactions among diet, pig genotype, and physiological stage, we examined the effect of dietary protein concentration, pig genotype, and physiological stages on amino acid (AA) pools, protein deposition, and related signaling pathways in different types of skeletal muscles. The study used 48 Landrace pigs and 48 pure-bred Bama mini-pigs assigned to each of 2 dietary treatments: lower/GB (Chinese conventional diet)- or higher/NRC (National Research Council)-protein diet. Diets were fed from 5 weeks of age to respective market weights of each genotype. Samples of biceps femoris muscle (BFM, type I) and longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM, type II) were collected at nursery, growing, and finishing phases according to the physiological stage of each genotype, to determine the AA concentrations, mRNA levels for growth-related genes in muscles, and protein abundances of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. Our data showed that the concentrations of most AAs in LDM and BFM of pigs increased (Prelated AA, including Met, Phe, Tyr, Pro, and Ser, compared with Landrace pigs. The mRNA levels for myogenic determining factor, myogenin, myocyte-specific enhancer binding factor 2 A, and myostatin of Bama mini-pigs were higher (P<0.05) than those of Landrace pigs, while total and phosphorylated protein levels for protein kinase B, mTOR, and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinases (p70S6K), and ratios of p-mTOR/mTOR, p-AKT/AKT, and p-p70S6K/p70S6K were lower (P<0.05). There was a significant pig genotype-dependent effect of dietary protein on the levels for mTOR and p70S6K. When compared with the higher protein-NRC diet, the lower protein-GB diet increased (P<0.05) the levels for mTOR and p70S6K in Bama mini-pigs, but repressed (P<0.05) the level for p70S6K in Landrace pigs. The higher protein-NRC diet increased ratio of p-mTOR/mTOR in

Effect of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs on the C-reactive protein level in rheumatoid arthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tarp, Simon; Bartels, Else M.; Bliddal, Henning

2012-01-01

To evaluate the effects of oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, with a prespecified focus on the different NSAIDs.......To evaluate the effects of oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, with a prespecified focus on the different NSAIDs....

Growth hormone administration stimulates energy expenditure and extrathyroidal conversion of thyroxine to triiodothyronine in a dose-dependent manner and suppresses circadian thyrotrophin levels: studies in GH-deficient adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Torben; Jørgensen, Jens Otto Lunde; Møller, Jens

1994-01-01

. CONCLUSIONS: GH administration stimulated peripheral T4 to T3 conversion in a dose-dependent manner. Serum T3 levels were subnormal despite T4 substitution when the patients were off GH but normalized with GH therapy. Energy expenditure increased with GH and correlated with free T3 levels. GH caused......Abstract OBJECTIVE: The impact of exogenous GH on thyroid function remains controversial although most data add support to a stimulation of peripheral T4 to T3 conversion. For further elucidation we evaluated iodothyronine and circadian TSH levels in GH-deficient patients as part of a GH dose...... without GH, whereas GH therapy significantly suppressed the TSH levels and blunted the circadian rhythm (mean TSH levels (mU/l) 0.546 +/- 0.246 (no GH) vs 0.066 +/- 0.031 (2 IU GH) (P

Effect of dietary energy levels and phase feeding by protein levels on growth performance, blood profiles and carcass characteristics in growing-finishing pigs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. S. Hong

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Providing of insufficient nutrients limits the potential growth of pig, while feeding of excessive nutrients increases the economic loss and causes environment pollution. For these reasons, phase feeding had been introduced in swine farm for improving animal production. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary energy levels and phase feeding by protein levels on growth performance, blood profiles and carcass characteristics in growing-finishing pigs. Methods A total of 128 growing pigs ([Yorkshire × Landrace] × Duroc, averaging 26.62 ± 3.07 kg body weight, were assigned in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement with 4 pigs per pen. The first factor was two dietary energy level (3,265 kcal of ME/kg or 3,365 kcal of ME/kg, and the second factor was four different levels of dietary protein by phase feeding (1growing(G-2finishing(F phases, 2G-2F phases, 2G-3F phases and 2G-3F phases with low CP requirement. Results In feeding trial, there was no significant difference in growth performance. The BUN concentration was decreased as dietary protein level decreased in 6 week and blood creatinine was increased in 13 week when pigs were fed diets with different dietary energy level. The digestibility of crude fat was improved as dietary energy levels increased and excretion of urinary nitrogen was reduced when low protein diet was provided. Chemical compositions of longissimus muscle were not affected by dietary treatments. In backfat thickness (P2 at 13 week, pigs fed high energy diet had thicker backfat thickness (P = 0.06 and pigs fed low protein diet showed the trend of backfat thinness reduction (P = 0.09. In addition, water holding capacity was decreased (P = 0.01 and cooking loss was increased (P = 0.07 as dietary protein level reduced. When pigs were fed high energy diet with low subdivision of phase feeding, days to 120 kg market weight was reached earlier compared to

Predicting protein folding rate change upon point mutation using residue-level coevolutionary information.

Science.gov (United States)

Mallik, Saurav; Das, Smita; Kundu, Sudip

2016-01-01

Change in folding kinetics of globular proteins upon point mutation is crucial to a wide spectrum of biological research, such as protein misfolding, toxicity, and aggregations. Here we seek to address whether residue-level coevolutionary information of globular proteins can be informative to folding rate changes upon point mutations. Generating residue-level coevolutionary networks of globular proteins, we analyze three parameters: relative coevolution order (rCEO), network density (ND), and characteristic path length (CPL). A point mutation is considered to be equivalent to a node deletion of this network and respective percentage changes in rCEO, ND, CPL are found linearly correlated (0.84, 0.73, and -0.61, respectively) with experimental folding rate changes. The three parameters predict the folding rate change upon a point mutation with 0.031, 0.045, and 0.059 standard errors, respectively. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Derivation of pulse height to exposure rate conversion functions for aerial radiological surveys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Artuso, J.F.

1985-01-01

A method is described for deriving conversion functions that can be used to convert pulse height spectra taken at altitude to the exposure rate at the 1-m level. An integral equation is set up which involves the integration of a calculated pulse height spectrum multiplied by an unknown conversion function and then set equal to the exposure rate at ground level. This equation is then solved for the conversion function by assuming as a solution a three-term polynomial. Conversion functions have been derived for various source distributions, including surface, uniform, and exponentially distributed sources. These conversion functions are independent of source energy, which means that a conversion can be made without any knowledge of the isotopic content of the source. In the case of a uniform distribution, these conversion functions provide conversions that agree to within 10% with ground truth measurements

Levels of ABA, its precursors and dehydrin-like proteins during ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Dar es Salaam,. P.O Box 35179, Dar ... to combat stress. Levels of ABA and proteins that cross reacted with an anti – dehydrin ...... Cambridge, Melbourne). Wang, X.-Q., Ullah ...

Effect of dietary crude protein level on the performance and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ویرایه

2013-06-26

Jun 26, 2013 ... The effects of increasing dietary levels of crude protein (CP) on growth, feed intake, feed efficiency and nutrient apparent ... matter intake (DMI) than the kids fed with 10.5, 12.8, .... Food and Agriculture Organization. Database ...

Low copper and high manganese levels in prion protein plaques

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Christopher J.; Gilbert, P.U.P.A.; Abrecth, Mike; Baldwin, Katherine L.; Russell, Robin E.; Pedersen, Joel A.; McKenzie, Debbie

2013-01-01

Accumulation of aggregates rich in an abnormally folded form of the prion protein characterize the neurodegeneration caused by transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The molecular triggers of plaque formation and neurodegeneration remain unknown, but analyses of TSE-infected brain homogenates and preparations enriched for abnormal prion protein suggest that reduced levels of copper and increased levels of manganese are associated with disease. The objectives of this study were to: (1) assess copper and manganese levels in healthy and TSE-infected Syrian hamster brain homogenates; (2) determine if the distribution of these metals can be mapped in TSE-infected brain tissue using X-ray photoelectron emission microscopy (X-PEEM) with synchrotron radiation; and (3) use X-PEEM to assess the relative amounts of copper and manganese in prion plaques in situ. In agreement with studies of other TSEs and species, we found reduced brain levels of copper and increased levels of manganese associated with disease in our hamster model. We also found that the in situ levels of these metals in brainstem were sufficient to image by X-PEEM. Using immunolabeled prion plaques in directly adjacent tissue sections to identify regions to image by X-PEEM, we found a statistically significant relationship of copper-manganese dysregulation in prion plaques: copper was depleted whereas manganese was enriched. These data provide evidence for prion plaques altering local transition metal distribution in the TSE-infected central nervous system.

Integrative analysis of RNA, translation, and protein levels reveals distinct regulatory variation across humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Cenik, Can; Cenik, Elif Sarinay; Byeon, Gun W; Grubert, Fabian; Candille, Sophie I; Spacek, Damek; Alsallakh, Bilal; Tilgner, Hagen; Araya, Carlos L; Tang, Hua; Ricci, Emiliano; Snyder, Michael P

2015-11-01

Elucidating the consequences of genetic differences between humans is essential for understanding phenotypic diversity and personalized medicine. Although variation in RNA levels, transcription factor binding, and chromatin have been explored, little is known about global variation in translation and its genetic determinants. We used ribosome profiling, RNA sequencing, and mass spectrometry to perform an integrated analysis in lymphoblastoid cell lines from a diverse group of individuals. We find significant differences in RNA, translation, and protein levels suggesting diverse mechanisms of personalized gene expression control. Combined analysis of RNA expression and ribosome occupancy improves the identification of individual protein level differences. Finally, we identify genetic differences that specifically modulate ribosome occupancy--many of these differences lie close to start codons and upstream ORFs. Our results reveal a new level of gene expression variation among humans and indicate that genetic variants can cause changes in protein levels through effects on translation. © 2015 Cenik et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Conversion of autoimmune hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism.

Science.gov (United States)

Furqan, Saira; Haque, Naeem-ul; Islam, Najmul

2014-08-03

Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis are the two autoimmune spectrum of thyroid disease. Cases of conversion from hyperthyroidism to hypothyroidism have been reported but conversion from hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism is very rare. Although such cases have been reported rarely in the past we are now seeing such conversions from hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism more frequently in clinical practice. We are reporting three cases of middle aged Asian females who presented with classical symptoms of hypothyroidism and the investigations showed elevated thyroid stimulating hormone with positive thyroid antibodies. Diagnosis of autoimmune hypothyroidism was made and thyroxine replacement therapy was initiated. Patients became asymptomatic with normalization of thyroid stimulating hormone level. After few years they developed symptoms of hyperthyroidism with suppressed thyroid stimulating hormone level. Over replacement of thyroxine was considered and the dose of thyroxine was decreased, but they remain symptomatic. After gradual decrease in the dose of thyroxine it was stopped finally. Even after few months of stopping thyroxine, the symptoms of hyperthyroidism did not improve and the biochemical and imaging modalities confirmed that the patients have developed hyperthyroidism. Anti-thyroid treatment was then started and the patients became symptom free. High index of suspicion should be there for possible conversion of hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism if a patient with primary hypothyroidism develops persistent symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Otherwise it can be missed easily considering it as an over replacement with thyroid hormone.

Interactive effect of dietary protein level and zilpaterol hydrochloride ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Bonsmara type steers were used to determine the effect of dietary zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) in combination with different dietary crude protein (CP) levels (100, 120 and 140 g CP/kg) on growth performance and meat quality. Treatment groups (T) consisted of 12 steers each. T1 – 100 g CP/kg + 0.15 mg ZH/kg live weight ...

Conversion of leucine to β‐hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate by α‐keto isocaproate dioxygenase is required for a potent stimulation of protein synthesis in L6 rat myotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Vílchez, José D.; Salto, Rafael; Manzano, Manuel; Sevillano, Natalia; Campos, Nefertiti; Argilés, Josep M.; Rueda, Ricardo; López‐Pedrosa, José M.

2015-01-01

Abstract Background L‐Leu and its metabolite β‐hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate (HMB) stimulate muscle protein synthesis enhancing the phosphorylation of proteins that regulate anabolic signalling pathways. Alterations in these pathways are observed in many catabolic diseases, and HMB and L‐Leu have proven their anabolic effects in in vivo and in vitro models. The aim of this study was to compare the anabolic effects of L‐Leu and HMB in myotubes grown in the absence of any catabolic stimuli. Methods Studies were conducted in vitro using rat L6 myotubes under normal growth conditions (non‐involving L‐Leu‐deprived conditions). Protein synthesis and mechanistic target of rapamycin signalling pathway were determined. Results Only HMB was able to increase protein synthesis through a mechanism that involves the phosphorylation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin as well as its downstream elements, pS6 kinase, 4E binding protein‐1, and eIF4E. HMB was significantly more effective than L‐Leu in promoting these effects through an activation of protein kinase B/Akt. Because the conversion of L‐Leu to HMB is limited in muscle, L6 cells were transfected with a plasmid that codes for α‐keto isocaproate dioxygenase, the key enzyme involved in the catabolic conversion of α‐keto isocaproate into HMB. In these transfected cells, L‐Leu was able to promote protein synthesis and mechanistic target of rapamycin regulated pathway activation equally to HMB. Additionally, these effects of leucine were reverted to a normal state by mesotrione, a specific inhibitor of α‐keto isocaproate dioxygenase. Conclusion Our results suggest that HMB is an active L‐Leu metabolite able to maximize protein synthesis in skeletal muscle under conditions, in which no amino acid deprivation occurred. It may be proposed that supplementation with HMB may be very useful to stimulate protein synthesis in wasting conditions associated with chronic diseases, such as cancer or

Effect of methyl-β-cyclodextrin on gene expression in microbial conversion of phytosterol.

Science.gov (United States)

Shtratnikova, Victoria Y; Schelkunov, Mikhail I; Dovbnya, Dmitry V; Bragin, Eugeny Y; Donova, Marina V

2017-06-01

Modified β-cyclodextrins are widely used for the enhancement of microbial conversions of lipophilic compounds such as steroids. Multiple mechanisms of cyclodextrin-mediated enhancement of phytosterol bioconversion by mycobacteria had previously been shown to include steroid solubilization, alterations in the cell wall permeability for both steroids and nutrients, facilitation of protein leaking, and activity suppression of some steroid-transforming enzymes.In this work, we studied whether cyclodextrins might affect expression of the genes involved in the steroid catabolic pathway. Phytosterol bioconversion with 9α-hydroxy-androst-4-ene-3,17-dione accumulation by Mycobacterium sp. VKM Ac-1817D in the presence of methylated β-cyclodextrin (MCD) was investigated. RNA sequencing of the whole transcriptomes in different combinations of phytosterol and MCD showed a similar expression level of the steroid catabolism genes related to the KstR-regulon and was responsible for side chain and initial steps of steroid core oxidation; whereas, induction levels of the genes related to the KstR2-regulon were attenuated in the presence of MCD in this strain. The data were attenuated with quantitative real-time PCR.The results contribute to the understanding of cyclodextrin effects on microbial steroid conversion and provide a basis for the use of cyclodextrins as expression enhancers for studies of sterol catabolism in actinobacteria.

Overcoming difficult conversations in clinical supervision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Williams B

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Brett Williams,1 Christine King,1 Tanya Edlington,21Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice, Monash University, Franskton, VIC, 2The Conversation Clinic Pty Ltd, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Background: Clinical supervisors are responsible for managing many facets of clinical learning and face a range of challenges when the need for "difficult" conversations arises, including the need to manage conflict and relationships. Methods: Spotlight on Conversations Workshop was developed to improve the capacity of clinical supervisors to engage in difficult conversations. They were designed to challenge the mindset of clinical supervisors about difficult conversations with students, the consequences of avoiding difficult conversations, and to offer activities for practicing difficult conversations. Preworkshop, postworkshop, and 4-month follow-up evaluations assessed improvements in knowledge, intent to improve, and confidence along with workshop satisfaction. Results: Nine workshops were delivered in a range of locations across Victoria, Australia, involving a total of 117 clinical supervisors. Preworkshop evaluations illustrated that more than half of the participants had avoided up to two difficult conversations in the last month in their workplace. Postworkshop evaluation at 4 months showed very high levels of satisfaction with the workshop's relevancy, content, and training, as well as participants' intention to apply knowledge and skills. Also shown were significant changes in participants' confidence to have difficult conversations not only with students but also with other peers and colleagues. In follow-up in-depth interviews with 20 of the 117 participants, 75% said they had made definite changes in their practice because of what they learned in the workshop and another 10% said they would make changes to their practice, but had not had the opportunity yet to do so. Conclusion: We conclude that the Spotlight on

Elevated levels of the mismatch repair protein PMS2 are associated with prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Norris, Alixanna M; Woodruff, R D; D'Agostino, Ralph B; Clodfelter, Jill E; Scarpinato, Karin Drotschmann

2007-02-01

Defects in mismatch repair (MMR) proteins have been identified in various types of cancer. However, an association with prostate cancer has been controversial. Defective MMR results in genome instability with detrimental consequences that significantly contribute to tumorigenesis. This study determined alterations in key MMR protein levels in prostate cancer with the goal to identify prognostic markers. Prostatectomy samples were immunohistochemically stained and the relative presence or absence of key proteins MSH2, MLH1, and PMS2 determined. Cancer tissue of distinct grades was compared with the normal surrounding tissue. Microsatellite instability (MSI) in altered tissues was determined according to NCI guidelines. In contrast to reports that associate a lack of individual MMR proteins with tumorigenesis, a significant increase in PMS2 levels was identified in PIN lesions and prostate cancer tissue. This elevation in PMS2 was independent of changes in levels in its heterodimeric partner, MLH1. Prostate tumors with elevated levels of PMS2 were genetically unstable, which was corrected by MLH1 co-elevation. This is the first documentation of detrimental consequences associated with the increase in a MMR protein in human cancer. This study recognizes PMS2 elevation as a prognostic marker in pre-neoplastic and prostate cancer lesions. This result has significant implications for future diagnostic and treatment measures. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Hybrid system of semiconductor and photosynthetic protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Younghye; Shin, Seon Ae; Lee, Jaehun; Yang, Ki Dong; Nam, Ki Tae

2014-01-01

Photosynthetic protein has the potential to be a new attractive material for solar energy absorption and conversion. The development of semiconductor/photosynthetic protein hybrids is an example of recent progress toward efficient, clean and nanostructured photoelectric systems. In the review, two biohybrid systems interacting through different communicating methods are addressed: (1) a photosynthetic protein immobilized semiconductor electrode operating via electron transfer and (2) a hybrid of semiconductor quantum dots and photosynthetic protein operating via energy transfer. The proper selection of materials and functional and structural modification of the components and optimal conjugation between them are the main issues discussed in the review. In conclusion, we propose the direction of future biohybrid systems for solar energy conversion systems, optical biosensors and photoelectric devices. (topical reviews)

Quantum frequency conversion with ultra-broadband tuning in a Raman memory

Science.gov (United States)

Bustard, Philip J.; England, Duncan G.; Heshami, Khabat; Kupchak, Connor; Sussman, Benjamin J.

2017-05-01

Quantum frequency conversion is a powerful tool for the construction of hybrid quantum photonic technologies. Raman quantum memories are a promising method of conversion due to their broad bandwidths. Here we demonstrate frequency conversion of THz-bandwidth, fs-duration photons at the single-photon level using a Raman quantum memory based on the rotational levels of hydrogen molecules. We shift photons from 765 nm to wavelengths spanning from 673 to 590 nm—an absolute shift of up to 116 THz. We measure total conversion efficiencies of up to 10% and a maximum signal-to-noise ratio of 4.0(1):1, giving an expected conditional fidelity of 0.75, which exceeds the classical threshold of 2/3. Thermal noise could be eliminated by cooling with liquid nitrogen, giving noiseless conversion with wide tunability in the visible and infrared.

Effects of dietary protein level on growth, health and physiological parameters in growing-furring mink

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Birthe Marie; Larsen, Peter F.; Clausen, Tove

2012-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of the dietary protein level and the feeding strategy on growth, health and physiological blood and liver parameters in growing-furring male mink. Effects of dietary protein levels ranging from 22% of metabolizable energy (MEp) to experimental p...

Serum protein and enzyme levels in rats following administration of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effects of caffeinated and non-caffeinated paracetamol administration, with or without vitamins A and E supplementation on the protein and enzyme levels in Wistar albino rats were investigated using cafeinated paracetamol and paracetamol as caffeinated and non-caffeinated paracetamol respectively, and water ...

Signaling Pathways Related to Protein Synthesis and Amino Acid Concentration in Pig Skeletal Muscles Depend on the Dietary Protein Level, Genotype and Developmental Stages.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingying Liu

Full Text Available Muscle growth is regulated by the homeostatic balance of the biosynthesis and degradation of muscle proteins. To elucidate the molecular interactions among diet, pig genotype, and physiological stage, we examined the effect of dietary protein concentration, pig genotype, and physiological stages on amino acid (AA pools, protein deposition, and related signaling pathways in different types of skeletal muscles. The study used 48 Landrace pigs and 48 pure-bred Bama mini-pigs assigned to each of 2 dietary treatments: lower/GB (Chinese conventional diet- or higher/NRC (National Research Council-protein diet. Diets were fed from 5 weeks of age to respective market weights of each genotype. Samples of biceps femoris muscle (BFM, type I and longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM, type II were collected at nursery, growing, and finishing phases according to the physiological stage of each genotype, to determine the AA concentrations, mRNA levels for growth-related genes in muscles, and protein abundances of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR signaling pathway. Our data showed that the concentrations of most AAs in LDM and BFM of pigs increased (P<0.05 gradually with increasing age. Bama mini-pigs had generally higher (P<0.05 muscle concentrations of flavor-related AA, including Met, Phe, Tyr, Pro, and Ser, compared with Landrace pigs. The mRNA levels for myogenic determining factor, myogenin, myocyte-specific enhancer binding factor 2 A, and myostatin of Bama mini-pigs were higher (P<0.05 than those of Landrace pigs, while total and phosphorylated protein levels for protein kinase B, mTOR, and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinases (p70S6K, and ratios of p-mTOR/mTOR, p-AKT/AKT, and p-p70S6K/p70S6K were lower (P<0.05. There was a significant pig genotype-dependent effect of dietary protein on the levels for mTOR and p70S6K. When compared with the higher protein-NRC diet, the lower protein-GB diet increased (P<0.05 the levels for mTOR and p70S6K in Bama mini-pigs, but

Lower Squalene Epoxidase and Higher Scavenger Receptor Class B Type 1 Protein Levels Are Involved in Reduced Serum Cholesterol Levels in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Michihara, Akihiro; Mido, Mayuko; Matsuoka, Hiroshi; Mizutani, Yurika

2015-01-01

A lower serum cholesterol level was recently shown to be one of the causes of stroke in an epidemiological study. Spontaneously hypertensive rats stroke-prone (SHRSP) have lower serum cholesterol levels than normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). To elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the lower serum cholesterol levels in SHRSP, we determined whether the amounts of cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes or the receptor and transporter involved in cholesterol uptake and efflux in the liver were altered in SHRSP. When the mRNA levels of seven cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase and squalene epoxidase (SQE) levels in the liver of SHRSP were significantly lower than those in WKY. SQE protein levels were significantly reduced in tissues other than the brain of SHRSP. No significant differences were observed in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (uptake of serum LDL-cholesterol) or ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (efflux of cholesterol from the liver/formation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) protein levels in the liver and testis between SHRSP and WKY, whereas scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SRB1: uptake of serum HDL-cholesterol) protein levels were higher in the livers of SHRSP. These results indicated that the lower protein levels of SQE and higher protein levels of SRB1 in the liver were involved in the reduced serum cholesterol levels in SHRSP.

Leaf area development, dry weight accumulation and solar energy conversion efficiencies of Phaseolus vulgaris L. under different soil moisture levels near Nairobi, Kenya

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Muniafu, M.M.; Macharia, J.N.M.; Stigter, C.J.; Coulson, G.L.

1999-01-01

Leaf area development, dry weight accumulation and solar energy conversion efficiencies of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv GLP-2 under two soil moisture levels in two contrasting seasons near Nairobi, Kenya were investigated. The experiment confirms that dry weights and yields of Phaseolus vulgaris are

Effect of feeding different dietary protein levels on reproductive ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate effects of feeding different dietary protein levels on reproductive biology of African mud catfish under hapa system. Catfish fingerlings (mean body weight (4.50± 0.01g) and total length (8.0±0.2cm) were randomly stocked at 20 fish per hapa (1m3). Five experimental diets with crude ...

Genome-wide association study of CSF levels of 59 alzheimer's disease candidate proteins: significant associations with proteins involved in amyloid processing and inflammation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kauwe, John S K; Bailey, Matthew H; Ridge, Perry G; Perry, Rachel; Wadsworth, Mark E; Hoyt, Kaitlyn L; Staley, Lyndsay A; Karch, Celeste M; Harari, Oscar; Cruchaga, Carlos; Ainscough, Benjamin J; Bales, Kelly; Pickering, Eve H; Bertelsen, Sarah; Fagan, Anne M; Holtzman, David M; Morris, John C; Goate, Alison M

2014-10-01

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 42 amino acid species of amyloid beta (Aβ42) and tau levels are strongly correlated with the presence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology including amyloid plaques and neurodegeneration and have been successfully used as endophenotypes for genetic studies of AD. Additional CSF analytes may also serve as useful endophenotypes that capture other aspects of AD pathophysiology. Here we have conducted a genome-wide association study of CSF levels of 59 AD-related analytes. All analytes were measured using the Rules Based Medicine Human DiscoveryMAP Panel, which includes analytes relevant to several disease-related processes. Data from two independently collected and measured datasets, the Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), were analyzed separately, and combined results were obtained using meta-analysis. We identified genetic associations with CSF levels of 5 proteins (Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 4 (CCL4), Interleukin 6 receptor (IL6R) and Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3)) with study-wide significant p-values (pprocessing and pro-inflammatory signaling. SNPs associated with ACE, IL6R and MMP3 protein levels are located within the coding regions of the corresponding structural gene. The SNPs associated with CSF levels of CCL4 and CCL2 are located in known chemokine binding proteins. The genetic associations reported here are novel and suggest mechanisms for genetic control of CSF and plasma levels of these disease-related proteins. Significant SNPs in ACE and MMP3 also showed association with AD risk. Our findings suggest that these proteins/pathways may be valuable therapeutic targets for AD. Robust associations in cognitively normal individuals suggest that these SNPs also influence regulation of these proteins more generally and may therefore be relevant to other diseases.

Fed levels of amino acids are required for the somatotropin-induced increase in muscle protein synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Fiona A; Suryawan, Agus; Orellana, Renán A; Nguyen, Hanh V; Jeyapalan, Asumthia S; Gazzaneo, Maria C; Davis, Teresa A

2008-10-01

Chronic somatotropin (pST) treatment in pigs increases muscle protein synthesis and circulating insulin, a known promoter of protein synthesis. Previously, we showed that the pST-mediated rise in insulin could not account for the pST-induced increase in muscle protein synthesis when amino acids were maintained at fasting levels. This study aimed to determine whether the pST-induced increase in insulin promotes skeletal muscle protein synthesis when amino acids are provided at fed levels and whether the response is associated with enhanced translation initiation factor activation. Growing pigs were treated with pST (0 or 180 microg x kg(-1) x day(-1)) for 7 days, and then pancreatic-glucose-amino acid clamps were performed. Amino acids were raised to fed levels in the presence of either fasted or fed insulin concentrations; glucose was maintained at fasting throughout. Muscle protein synthesis was increased by pST treatment and by amino acids (with or without insulin) (P<0.001). In pST-treated pigs, fed, but not fasting, amino acid concentrations further increased muscle protein synthesis rates irrespective of insulin level (P<0.02). Fed amino acids, with or without raised insulin concentrations, increased the phosphorylation of S6 kinase (S6K1) and eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1), decreased inactive 4EBP1.eIF4E complex association, and increased active eIF4E.eIF4G complex formation (P<0.02). pST treatment did not alter translation initiation factor activation. We conclude that the pST-induced stimulation of muscle protein synthesis requires fed amino acid levels, but not fed insulin levels. However, under the current conditions, the response to amino acids is not mediated by the activation of translation initiation factors that regulate mRNA binding to the ribosomal complex.

Effects of polymorphisms in ovine and caprine prion protein alleles on cell-free conversion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eiden Martin

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract In sheep polymorphisms of the prion gene (PRNP at the codons 136, 154 and 171 strongly influence the susceptibility to scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE infections. In goats a number of other gene polymorphisms were found which are suspected to trigger similar effects. However, no strong correlation between polymorphisms and TSE susceptibility in goats has yet been obtained from epidemiological studies and only a low number of experimental challenge data are available at present. We have therefore studied the potential impact of these polymorphisms in vitro by cell-free conversion assays using mouse scrapie strain Me7. Mouse scrapie brain derived PrPSc served as seeds and eleven recombinant single mutation variants of sheep and goat PrPC as conversion targets. With this approach it was possible to assign reduced conversion efficiencies to specific polymorphisms, which are associated to low frequency in scrapie-affected goats or found only in healthy animals. Moreover, we could demonstrate a dominant-negative inhibition of prion polymorphisms associated with high susceptibility by alleles linked to low susceptibility in vitro.

The effect of serum magnesium levels and serum endothelin-1 levels on bone mineral density in protein energy malnutrition.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk, C F; Karakelleoglu, C; Orbak, Z; Yildiz, L

2012-06-01

An inadequate and imbalanced intake of protein and energy results in protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). It is known that bone mineral density and serum magnesium levels are low in malnourished children. However, the roles of serum magnesium and endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels in the pathophysiology of bone mineralization are obscure. Thus, the relationships between serum magnesium and ET-1 levels and the changes in bone mineral density were investigated in this study. There was a total of 32 subjects, 25 of them had PEM and seven were controls. While mean serum ET-1 levels of the children with kwashiorkor and marasmus showed no statistically significant difference, mean serum ET-1 levels of both groups were significantly higher than that of the control group. Serum magnesium levels were lower than normal value in 9 (36%) of 25 malnourished children. Malnourished children included in this study were divided into two subgroups according to their serum magnesium levels. While mean serum ET-1 levels in the group with low magnesium levels were significantly higher than that of the group with normal magnesium levels (p malnutrition. Our study suggested that lower magnesium levels and higher ET-1 levels might be important factors in changes of bone mineral density in malnutrition. We recommend that the malnourished patients, especially with hypomagnesaemia, should be treated with magnesium early.

Uranium conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliver, Lena; Peterson, Jenny; Wilhelmsen, Katarina

2006-03-01

FOI, has performed a study on uranium conversion processes that are of importance in the production of different uranium compounds in the nuclear industry. The same conversion processes are of interest both when production of nuclear fuel and production of fissile material for nuclear weapons are considered. Countries that have nuclear weapons ambitions, with the intention to produce highly enriched uranium for weapons purposes, need some degree of uranium conversion capability depending on the uranium feed material available. This report describes the processes that are needed from uranium mining and milling to the different conversion processes for converting uranium ore concentrate to uranium hexafluoride. Uranium hexafluoride is the uranium compound used in most enrichment facilities. The processes needed to produce uranium dioxide for use in nuclear fuel and the processes needed to convert different uranium compounds to uranium metal - the form of uranium that is used in a nuclear weapon - are also presented. The production of uranium ore concentrate from uranium ore is included since uranium ore concentrate is the feed material required for a uranium conversion facility. Both the chemistry and principles or the different uranium conversion processes and the equipment needed in the processes are described. Since most of the equipment that is used in a uranium conversion facility is similar to that used in conventional chemical industry, it is difficult to determine if certain equipment is considered for uranium conversion or not. However, the chemical conversion processes where UF 6 and UF 4 are present require equipment that is made of corrosion resistant material

Plasma levels of C-Reactive Protein and Fibrinogen in Pulmonary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this study, we determined the changes in plasma C- reactive protein (C-RP) and Fibrinogen levels in Drug sensitive Tuberculosis (DSTB) patients at diagnosis, Multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) patients at diagnosis and during chemotherapy. Twenty-four (24) patients MDRTB patients and 24 newly diagnosed ...

High-level expression of soluble recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli using an HE-maltotriose-binding protein fusion tag.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Yingqian; Guo, Wanying; Su, Bingqian; Guo, Yujie; Wang, Jiang; Chu, Beibei; Yang, Guoyu

2018-02-01

Recombinant proteins are commonly expressed in prokaryotic expression systems for large-scale production. The use of genetically engineered affinity and solubility enhancing fusion proteins has increased greatly in recent years, and there now exists a considerable repertoire of these that can be used to enhance the expression, stability, solubility, folding, and purification of their fusion partner. Here, a modified histidine tag (HE) used as an affinity tag was employed together with a truncated maltotriose-binding protein (MBP; consisting of residues 59-433) from Pyrococcus furiosus as a solubility enhancing tag accompanying a tobacco etch virus protease-recognition site for protein expression and purification in Escherichia coli. Various proteins tagged at the N-terminus with HE-MBP(Pyr) were expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) cells to determine expression and solubility relative to those tagged with His6-MBP or His6-MBP(Pyr). Furthermore, four HE-MBP(Pyr)-fused proteins were purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography to assess the affinity of HE with immobilized Ni 2+ . Our results showed that HE-MBP(Pyr) represents an attractive fusion protein allowing high levels of soluble expression and purification of recombinant protein in E. coli. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Occupational exposure levels of bioaerosol components are associated with serum levels of the acute phase protein Serum Amyloid A in greenhouse workers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Anne Mette; Thilsing, Trine; Bælum, Jesper

2016-01-01

to elevated levels of bioaerosols. The objective of this study is to assess whether greenhouse workers personal exposure to bioaerosol components was associated with serum levels of the acute phase proteins Serum Amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP). METHODS: SAA and CRP levels were determined......-glucan. RESULTS: Serum levels of SAA and CRP were not significantly different in greenhouse workers and a reference group, or on the two work days. In a mixed model, SAA levels were positively associated with endotoxin exposure levels (p = 0.0007). Results for fungi were not clear. CRP levels were positively...... associated with endotoxin exposures (p = 0.022). Furthermore, when workers were categorized into three groups based on SAA and CRP serum levels endotoxin exposure was highest in the group with the highest SAA levels and in the group with middle and highest CRP levels. SAA and CRP levels were elevated...

Genetic and environmental influences of surfactant protein D serum levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sorensen, G.L.; Hjelmborg, J.V.; Kyvik, K.O.

2006-01-01

defining the constitutional serum level of SP-D and determine the magnitude of the genetic contribution to serum SP-D in the adult population. Recent studies have demonstrated that serum SP-D concentrations in children are genetically determined and that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located...... in the NH(2)-terminal region (Met11Thr) of the mature protein is significantly associated with the serum SP-D levels. A classic twin study was performed on a twin population including 1,476 self-reported healthy adults. The serum SP-D levels increased with male sex, age, and smoking status. The intraclass...

Genetic and environmental influences of surfactant protein D serum levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Grith Lykke; Hjelmborg, Jacob v. B.; Kyvik, Kirsten Ohm

2006-01-01

in the NH(2)-terminal region (Met11Thr) of the mature protein is significantly associated with the serum SP-D levels. A classic twin study was performed on a twin population including 1,476 self-reported healthy adults. The serum SP-D levels increased with male sex, age, and smoking status. The intraclass...... defining the constitutional serum level of SP-D and determine the magnitude of the genetic contribution to serum SP-D in the adult population. Recent studies have demonstrated that serum SP-D concentrations in children are genetically determined and that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located...

Heightened systemic levels of neutrophil and eosinophil granular proteins in pulmonary tuberculosis and reversal following treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Moideen, Kadar; Kumar, Nathella Pavan; Nair, Dina; Banurekha, Vaithilingam V; Bethunaickan, Ramalingam; Babu, Subash

2018-04-09

Granulocytes are activated during tuberculosis (TB) infection and act as immune effector cells and granulocyte responses are implicated in TB pathogenesis. Plasma levels of neutrophil and eosinophil granular proteins provide an indirect measure of degranulation. In this study, we wanted to examine the levels of neutrophil and eosinophil granular proteins in individuals with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and to compare them with the levels in latent TB (LTB) individuals. Hence, we measured the plasma levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), neutrophil elastase, and proteinase-3; major basic protein (MBP), eosinophil derived neurotoxin (EDN), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil peroxidase (EPX) in these individuals. Finally, we also measured the levels of all of these parameters in PTB individuals following anti-tuberculosis (ATT) treatment. Our data reveal that PTB individuals are characterized by significantly higher plasma levels of MPO, elastase, human proteinase 3 as well as MBP and EDN in comparison to LTB individuals. Our data also reveal that ATT resulted in reversal of all of these changes, indicating an association with TB disease. Finally, our data show that the systemic levels of MPO and proteinase-3 can significantly discriminate PTB from LTB individuals. Thus, our data suggest that neutrophil and eosinophil granular proteins could play a potential role in the innate immune response and therefore, the pathogenesis of pulmonary TB. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Studies on proinsulin and proglucagon biosynthesis and conversion at the subcellular level: I. Fractionation procedure and characterization of the subcellular fractions

Science.gov (United States)

Noe, BD; Baste, CA; Bauer, GE

1977-01-01

Anglerfish islets were homogenized in 0.25 M sucrose and separated into seven separate subcellular fractions by differential and discontinuous density gradient centrifugation. The objective was to isolate microsomes and secretory granules in a highly purified state. The fractions were characterized by electron microscopy and chemical analyses. Each fraction was assayed for its content of protein, RNA, DNA, immunoreactive insulin (IRI), and immunoreactive glucagon (IRG). Ultrastructural examination showed that two of the seven subcellular fractions contain primarily mitochondria, and that two others consist almost exclusively of secretory granules. A fifth fraction contains rough and smooth microsomal vesicles. The remaining two fractions are the cell supernate and the nuclei and cell debris. The content of DNA and RNA in all fractions is consistent with the observed ultrastructure. More than 82 percent of the total cellular IRI and 89(percent) of the total cellular IRG are found in the fractions of secretory granules. The combined fractions of secretory granules and microsomes consistently yield >93 percent of the total IRG. These results indicate that the fractionation procedure employed yields fractions of microsomes and secretory granules that contain nearly all the immunoassayable insulin and glucagons found in whole islet tissue. These fractions are thus considered suitable for study of proinsulin and proglucagon biosynthesis and their metabolic conversion at the subcellular level. PMID:328517

Conversion of Food waste to Single Cell Protein using Aspergillus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The utilization of food waste into products like single cell protein is an alternative solution to global protein shortage and to alleviate pollution problems. This investigation was carried out with food wastes such as orange, pineapple, banana, watermelon and cucumber waste as growth media for A. niger using standard ...

Frequency conversion of high-intensity, femtosecond laser pulses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Banks, P S

1997-06-01

Almost since the invention of the laser, frequency conversion of optical pulses via non- linear processes has been an area of active interest. However, third harmonic generation using ~(~1 (THG) in solids is an area that has not received much attention because of ma- terial damage limits. Recently, the short, high-intensity pulses possible with chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) laser systems allow the use of intensities on the order of 1 TW/cm2 in thin solids without damage. As a light source to examine single-crystal THG in solids and other high field inter- actions, the design and construction of a Ti:sapphire-based CPA laser system capable of ultimately producing peak powers of 100 TW is presented. Of special interest is a novel, all-reflective pulse stretcher design which can stretch a pulse temporally by a factor of 20,000. The stretcher design can also compensate for the added material dispersion due to propagation through the amplifier chain and produce transform-limited 45 fs pulses upon compression. A series of laser-pumped amplifiers brings the peak power up to the terawatt level at 10 Hz, and the design calls for additional amplifiers to bring the power level to the 100 TW level for single shot operation. The theory for frequency conversion of these short pulses is presented, focusing on conversion to the third harmonic in single crystals of BBO, KD*P, and d-LAP (deuterated I-arginine phosphate). Conversion efficiencies of up to 6% are obtained with 500 fs pulses at 1053 nm in a 3 mm thick BBO crystal at 200 GW/cm 2. Contributions to this process by unphasematched, cascaded second harmonic generation and sum frequency generation are shown to be very significant. The angular relationship between the two orders is used to measure the tensor elements of C = xt3)/4 with Crs = -1.8 x 1O-23 m2/V2 and .15Cri + .54Crs = 4.0 x 1O-23 m2/V2. Conversion efficiency in d-LAP is about 20% that in BBO and conversion efficiency in KD*P is 1% that of BBO. It is calculated

Fusion protein-based biofilm fabrication composed of recombinant azurin–myoglobin for dual-level biomemory application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Taek [Research Institute for Basic Science, Sogang University, Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756 (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Yong-Ho; Yoon, Jinho [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, 35 Baekbeom-ro (Sinsu-dong), Mapo-gu, Seoul 121-742 (Korea, Republic of); Min, Junhong [School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jeong-Woo, E-mail: jwchoi@sogang.ac.kr [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, 35 Baekbeom-ro (Sinsu-dong), Mapo-gu, Seoul 121-742 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-11-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We developed the fusion protein-based biofilm on the inorganic surface. • For making the fusion protein, the recombinant azurin and the myoglobin was conjugated by the native chemical ligation method. • The developed fusion protein shows unique electrochemical property. • The proposed fusion protein biofilm appears to be a good method for dual-level biomemory device. - Abstract: In the present study, a fusion protein-based biofilm composed of a recombinant azurin–myoglobin (Azu-Myo) has been developed and confirmed its original electrochemical property for dual-level biomemory device application. For this purpose, the azurin was modified with cysteine residues for direct immobilization and conjugation. Then, the recombinant azurin was conjugated with the myoglobin via a sulfo-SMCC bifunctional linker using the chemical ligation method (CLM). The SDS-PAGE and UV–vis spectroscopy were performed to examine the fusion protein conjugates. The prepared Azu-Myo fusion protein was self-assembled onto Au substrate for the biofilm fabrication. Then, the atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to confirm the immobilization and the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was carried out to the surface analysis. Also, the cyclic voltammetry (CV) was carried out to observe an electrochemical property of fabricated biofilm. As a result, the two pair of redox potential values was obtained for dual-level biomemory device application. Then, the dual-level biomemory function was verified by the multi-potential chronoamperometry (MPCA). The results indicate a new fabrication method and material combination for advances in bioelectronic device development.

Fusion protein-based biofilm fabrication composed of recombinant azurin–myoglobin for dual-level biomemory application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Taek; Chung, Yong-Ho; Yoon, Jinho; Min, Junhong; Choi, Jeong-Woo

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We developed the fusion protein-based biofilm on the inorganic surface. • For making the fusion protein, the recombinant azurin and the myoglobin was conjugated by the native chemical ligation method. • The developed fusion protein shows unique electrochemical property. • The proposed fusion protein biofilm appears to be a good method for dual-level biomemory device. - Abstract: In the present study, a fusion protein-based biofilm composed of a recombinant azurin–myoglobin (Azu-Myo) has been developed and confirmed its original electrochemical property for dual-level biomemory device application. For this purpose, the azurin was modified with cysteine residues for direct immobilization and conjugation. Then, the recombinant azurin was conjugated with the myoglobin via a sulfo-SMCC bifunctional linker using the chemical ligation method (CLM). The SDS-PAGE and UV–vis spectroscopy were performed to examine the fusion protein conjugates. The prepared Azu-Myo fusion protein was self-assembled onto Au substrate for the biofilm fabrication. Then, the atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to confirm the immobilization and the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was carried out to the surface analysis. Also, the cyclic voltammetry (CV) was carried out to observe an electrochemical property of fabricated biofilm. As a result, the two pair of redox potential values was obtained for dual-level biomemory device application. Then, the dual-level biomemory function was verified by the multi-potential chronoamperometry (MPCA). The results indicate a new fabrication method and material combination for advances in bioelectronic device development

Novel 9-cis/all-trans β-carotene isomerases from plastidic oil bodies in Dunaliella bardawil catalyze the conversion of all-trans to 9-cis β-carotene.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidi, Lital; Pick, Uri

2017-06-01

We identified and demonstrated the function of 9-cis/all-trans β-carotene isomerases in plastidic globules of Dunaliella bardawil, the species accumulating the highest levels of 9-cis β-carotene that is essential for humans. The halotolerant alga Dunaliella bardawil is unique in that it accumulates under light stress high levels of β-carotene in plastidic lipid globules. The pigment is composed of two major isomers: all-trans β-carotene, the common natural form of this pigment, and 9-cis β-carotene. The biosynthetic pathway of β-carotene is known, but it is not clear how the 9-cis isomer is formed. We identified in plastidic lipid globules that were isolated from D. bardawil two proteins with high sequence homology to the D27 protein-a 9-cis/all-trans β-carotene isomerase from rice (Alder et al. Science 335:1348-1351, 2012). The proteins are enriched in the oil globules by 6- to 17-fold compared to chloroplast proteins. The expression of the corresponding genes, 9-cis-βC-iso1 and 9-cis-βC-iso2, is enhanced under light stress. The synthetic proteins catalyze in vitro conversion of all-trans to 9-cis β-carotene. Expression of the 9-cis-βC-iso1 or of 9-cis-βC-iso2 genes in an E. coli mutant line that harbors β-carotene biosynthesis genes enhanced the conversion of all-trans into 9-cis β-carotene. These results suggest that 9-cis-βC-ISO1 and 9-cis-βC-ISO2 proteins are responsible for the formation of 9-cis β-carotene in D. bardawil under stress conditions.

Less is More: Membrane Protein Digestion Beyond Urea–Trypsin Solution for Next-level Proteomics*

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xi

2015-01-01

The goal of next-level bottom-up membrane proteomics is protein function investigation, via high-coverage high-throughput peptide-centric quantitation of expression, modifications and dynamic structures at systems scale. Yet efficient digestion of mammalian membrane proteins presents a daunting barrier, and prevalent day-long urea–trypsin in-solution digestion proved insufficient to reach this goal. Many efforts contributed incremental advances over past years, but involved protein denaturation that disconnected measurement from functional states. Beyond denaturation, the recent discovery of structure/proteomics omni-compatible detergent n-dodecyl-β-d-maltopyranoside, combined with pepsin and PNGase F columns, enabled breakthroughs in membrane protein digestion: a 2010 DDM-low-TCEP (DLT) method for H/D-exchange (HDX) using human G protein-coupled receptor, and a 2015 flow/detergent-facilitated protease and de-PTM digestions (FDD) for integrative deep sequencing and quantitation using full-length human ion channel complex. Distinguishing protein solubilization from denaturation, protease digestion reliability from theoretical specificity, and reduction from alkylation, these methods shifted day(s)-long paradigms into minutes, and afforded fully automatable (HDX)-protein-peptide-(tandem mass tag)-HPLC pipelines to instantly measure functional proteins at deep coverage, high peptide reproducibility, low artifacts and minimal leakage. Promoting—not destroying—structures and activities harnessed membrane proteins for the next-level streamlined functional proteomics. This review analyzes recent advances in membrane protein digestion methods and highlights critical discoveries for future proteomics. PMID:26081834

Less is More: Membrane Protein Digestion Beyond Urea-Trypsin Solution for Next-level Proteomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xi

2015-09-01

The goal of next-level bottom-up membrane proteomics is protein function investigation, via high-coverage high-throughput peptide-centric quantitation of expression, modifications and dynamic structures at systems scale. Yet efficient digestion of mammalian membrane proteins presents a daunting barrier, and prevalent day-long urea-trypsin in-solution digestion proved insufficient to reach this goal. Many efforts contributed incremental advances over past years, but involved protein denaturation that disconnected measurement from functional states. Beyond denaturation, the recent discovery of structure/proteomics omni-compatible detergent n-dodecyl-β-d-maltopyranoside, combined with pepsin and PNGase F columns, enabled breakthroughs in membrane protein digestion: a 2010 DDM-low-TCEP (DLT) method for H/D-exchange (HDX) using human G protein-coupled receptor, and a 2015 flow/detergent-facilitated protease and de-PTM digestions (FDD) for integrative deep sequencing and quantitation using full-length human ion channel complex. Distinguishing protein solubilization from denaturation, protease digestion reliability from theoretical specificity, and reduction from alkylation, these methods shifted day(s)-long paradigms into minutes, and afforded fully automatable (HDX)-protein-peptide-(tandem mass tag)-HPLC pipelines to instantly measure functional proteins at deep coverage, high peptide reproducibility, low artifacts and minimal leakage. Promoting-not destroying-structures and activities harnessed membrane proteins for the next-level streamlined functional proteomics. This review analyzes recent advances in membrane protein digestion methods and highlights critical discoveries for future proteomics. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Effects of balanced dietary protein levels on egg production and egg quality parameters of individual commercial layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shim, M Y; Song, E; Billard, L; Aggrey, S E; Pesti, G M; Sodsee, P

2013-10-01

The effects of a series of balanced dietary protein levels on egg production and egg quality parameters of laying hens from 18 through 74 wk of age were investigated. One hundred forty-four pullets (Bovans) were randomly assigned to individual cages with separate feeders including 3 different protein level series of isocaloric diets. Diets were separated into 4 phases of 18-22, 23-32, 33-44, and 45-74 wk of age. The high protein (H) series contained 21.62, 19.05, 16.32, and 16.05% CP, respectively. Medium protein (M) and low protein (L) series were 2 and 4% lower in balanced dietary protein. The results clearly demonstrated that the balanced dietary protein level was a limiting factor for BW, ADFI, egg weight, hen day egg production (HDEP), and feed per kilogram of eggs. Feeding with the L series resulted in lower ADFI and HDEP (90.33% peak production) and more feed per kilogram of eggs compared with the H or M series (HDEP; 93.23 and 95.68% peak production, monthly basis). Egg weight responded in a linear manner to balanced dietary protein level (58.78, 55.94, and 52.73 g for H, M, and L, respectively). Feed intake of all hens, but especially those in the L series, increased considerably after wk 54 when the temperature of the house decreased due to winter conditions. Thus, hens fed the L series seemed particularly dependent on house temperature to maintain BW, ADFI, and HDEP. For egg quality parameters, percent yolk, Haugh units, and egg specific gravity were similar regardless of diets. Haugh units were found to be greatly affected by the variation of housing temperature (P = 0.025). Maximum performance cannot always be expected to lead to maximum profits. Contrary to the idea of a daily amino acid requirement for maximum performance, these results may be used to determine profit-maximizing levels of balanced dietary protein based on the cost of protein and returns from different possible protein levels that may be fed.

Modulation of phosducin-like protein 3 (PhLP3 levels promotes cytoskeletal remodelling in a MAPK and RhoA-dependent manner.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nandini V L Hayes

Full Text Available Phosducin-like protein 3 (PhLP3 forms a ternary complex with the ATP-dependent molecular chaperone CCT and its folding client tubulin. In vitro studies suggest PhLP3 plays an inhibitory role in β-tubulin folding while conversely in vivo genetic studies suggest PhLP3 is required for the correct folding of β-tubulin. We have a particular interest in the cytoskeleton, its chaperones and their role in determining cellular phenotypes associated with high level recombinant protein expression from mammalian cell expression systems.As studies into PhLP3 function have been largely carried out in non mammalian systems, we examined the effect of human PhLP3 over-expression and siRNA silencing using a single murine siRNA on both tubulin and actin systems in mammalian Chinese hamster ovary (CHO cell lines. We show that over-expression of PhLP3 promotes an imbalance of α and β tubulin subunits, microtubule disassembly and cell death. In contrast, β-actin levels are not obviously perturbed. On-the-other-hand, RNA silencing of PhLP3 increases RhoA-dependent actin filament formation and focal adhesion formation and promotes a dramatic elongated fibroblast-like change in morphology. This was accompanied by an increase in phosphorylated MAPK which has been associated with promoting focal adhesion assembly and maturation. Transient overexpression of PhLP3 in knockdown experiments rescues cells from the morphological change observed during PhLP3 silencing but mitosis is perturbed, probably reflecting a tipping back of the balance of PhLP3 levels towards the overexpression state.Our results support the hypothesis that PhLP3 is important for the maintenance of β-tubulin levels in mammalian cells but also that its modulation can promote actin-based cytoskeletal remodelling by a mechanism linked with MAPK phosphorylation and RhoA-dependent changes. PhLP3 levels in mammalian cells are thus finely poised and represents a novel target for engineering industrially

Direct conversion of surplus fissile materials, spent nuclear fuel, and other materials to high-level-waste glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.; Elam, K.R.

1995-01-01

With the end of the cold war the United States, Russia, and other countries have excess plutonium and other materials from the reductions in inventories of nuclear weapons. The United States Academy of Sciences (NAS) has recommended that these surplus fissile materials (SFMs) be processed so they are no more accessible than plutonium in spent nuclear fuel (SNF). This spent fuel standard, if adopted worldwide, would prevent rapid recovery of SFMs for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The NAS recommended investigation of three sets of options for disposition of SFMs while meeting the spent fuel standard: (1) incorporate SFMs with highly radioactive materials and dispose of as waste, (2) partly burn the SFMs in reactors with conversion of the SFMs to SNF for disposal, and (3) dispose of the SFMs in deep boreholes. The US Government is investigating these options for SFM disposition. A new method for the disposition of SFMs is described herein: the simultaneous conversion of SFMs, SNF, and other highly radioactive materials into high-level-waste (HLW) glass. The SFMs include plutonium, neptinium, americium, and 233 U. The primary SFM is plutonium. The preferred SNF is degraded SNF, which may require processing before it can be accepted by a geological repository for disposal

Locally Different Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Protein Levels in Ascending Aortic Aneurysms of Bicuspid and Tricuspid Aortic Valve

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salah A. Mohamed

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Aims. Dysregulated expression of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS is observed in aortic aneurysms associated with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV. We determined eNOS protein levels in various areas in ascending aortic aneurysms. Methods and Results. Aneurysmal specimens were collected from 19 patients, 14 with BAV and 5 with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV. ENOS protein levels were measured in the outer curve (convexity, the opposite side (concavity, the distal and above the sinotubular junction (proximal aneurysm. Cultured aortic cells were treated with NO synthesis inhibitor L-NAME and the amounts of 35 apoptosis-related proteins were determined. In patients with BAV, eNOS levels were significantly lower in the proximal aorta than in the concavity and distal aorta. ENOS protein levels were also lower in the convexity than in the concavity. While the convexity and distal aorta showed similar eNOS protein levels in BAV and TAV patients, levels were higher in TAV proximal aorta. Inhibition of NO synthesis in aneurysmal aortic cells by L-NAME led to a cytosolic increase in the levels of mitochondrial serine protease HTRA2/Omi. Conclusion. ENOS protein levels were varied at different areas of the aneurysmal aorta. The dysregulation of nitric oxide can lead to an increase in proapoptotic HTRA2/Omi.

Specific Increase of Protein Levels by Enhancing Translation Using Antisense Oligonucleotides Targeting Upstream Open Frames.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Xue-Hai; Shen, Wen; Crooke, Stanley T

2017-01-01

A number of diseases are caused by low levels of key proteins; therefore, increasing the amount of specific proteins in human bodies is of therapeutic interest. Protein expression is downregulated by some structural or sequence elements present in the 5' UTR of mRNAs, such as upstream open reading frames (uORF). Translation initiation from uORF(s) reduces translation from the downstream primary ORF encoding the main protein product in the same mRNA, leading to a less efficient protein expression. Therefore, it is possible to use antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to specifically inhibit translation of the uORF by base-pairing with the uAUG region of the mRNA, redirecting translation machinery to initiate from the primary AUG site. Here we review the recent findings that translation of specific mRNAs can be enhanced using ASOs targeting uORF regions. Appropriately designed and optimized ASOs are highly specific, and they act in a sequence- and position-dependent manner, with very minor off-target effects. Protein levels can be increased using this approach in different types of human and mouse cells, and, importantly, also in mice. Since uORFs are present in around half of human mRNAs, the uORF-targeting ASOs may thus have valuable potential as research tools and as therapeutics to increase the levels of proteins for a variety of genes.

Effect of dietary protein level on retention of nutrients, growth performance, litter composition and NH3 emission using a multi-phase feeding programme in broilers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Hernandez

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Three experiments were conducted to study the effect of dietary protein level on the retention of nutrients, growth performance, litter composition and NH3 emission in broiler chickens kept under laboratory conditions (housed in cages, Exp.1 or in commercial conditions (in pens, Exp.2; or whole houses of a farm, Exp.3. All the trials were performed according to a factorial experimental design, involving a 4-stage feeding programme and two levels of dietary crude protein (CP for each period: control vs. low crude protein (CP reduced by 1.5%. In Exp.1, the coefficients of total tract apparent retention of dry matter and CP were higher in the birds fed the low CP diet (p<0.05. On average, reducing the CP of the diet led to a 4.8% reduction in the nitrogen excreted per CP intake. In Exp.2, the feed conversion ratio was higher in birds fed the low CP diet from 22 to 35d (p<0.05, from 35 to 42d (p<0.01, and over the whole experimental period (p<0.01. In Exp.3, low CP diets decreased the nitrogen content of the litter in the finisher period (p<0.05. The average NH3 concentration and emission from 33 to 42d were lower in the low CP house (p<0.01, with a 16% decrease in the cumulative NH3 emission. Therefore, the reduction in dietary CP content by 1.5% reduced the potential environmental impact, although it had a negative effect on the feed efficiency of broilers.

Proinsulin maturation disorder is a contributor to the defect of subsequent conversion to insulin in {beta}-cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Jie, E-mail: jie.wang2@osumc.edu [Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States); Osei, Kwame [Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)

2011-07-22

Highlights: {yields} Primary proinsulin maturation disorder is inherent in Ins2{sup +/Akita} islets/{beta}-cells. {yields} A consequence is the inefficient conversion of proinsulin to insulin. {yields} Post-translational defects occur as well in the involved PC1/3 and PC2 convertases. {yields} Proinsulin maturation chaos results in defects in the following conversion process. {yields} A link of the proinsulin maturation disorder and hyperproinsulinemia is suggested. -- Abstract: Disproportionate hyperproinsulinemia is an indicator of {beta}-cell dysfunction in diabetes and the basis underlying this abnormality remains obscure. Recently, we have found proinsulin is an aggregation-prone molecule inherent with a low relative folding rate and maintains a homeostatic balance of natively and plentiful non-natively folded states (i.e., proinsulin homeostasis, PIHO) in normal {beta}-cells as a result of the integration of maturation and disposal processes. PIHO is susceptible to environmental and genetic influences. Perturbation of PIHO produces a number of toxic consequences with known association to {beta}-cell failure in diabetes. To explore whether the perturbation of PIHO has a link to disproportionate hyperproinsulinemia, we investigated proinsulin conversion and the involved prohormone convertase 1/3 (PC1/3) and 2 (PC2) in mouse Ins2{sup +/Akita} islets/{beta}-cells that preserve a primary PIHO disorder due to a mutation (C96Y) in the insulin 2 (Ins2) gene. Our metabolic-labeling studies found an increased ratio of proinsulin to insulin in the cellular or released proteins of Ins2{sup +/Akita} islets. Histological, metabolic-labeling, and RT-PCR analyses revealed decreases of the PC1/3 and PC2 immunoreactivities in the {beta}-cells of Ins2{sup +/Akita} islets in spite of no declines of these two convertases at the transcriptional and translational levels. Immunoblot analyses in cloned Ins2{sup +/Akita} {beta}-cells further confirmed the increased ratio of proinsulin

Proinsulin maturation disorder is a contributor to the defect of subsequent conversion to insulin in β-cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jie; Osei, Kwame

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Primary proinsulin maturation disorder is inherent in Ins2 +/Akita islets/β-cells. → A consequence is the inefficient conversion of proinsulin to insulin. → Post-translational defects occur as well in the involved PC1/3 and PC2 convertases. → Proinsulin maturation chaos results in defects in the following conversion process. → A link of the proinsulin maturation disorder and hyperproinsulinemia is suggested. -- Abstract: Disproportionate hyperproinsulinemia is an indicator of β-cell dysfunction in diabetes and the basis underlying this abnormality remains obscure. Recently, we have found proinsulin is an aggregation-prone molecule inherent with a low relative folding rate and maintains a homeostatic balance of natively and plentiful non-natively folded states (i.e., proinsulin homeostasis, PIHO) in normal β-cells as a result of the integration of maturation and disposal processes. PIHO is susceptible to environmental and genetic influences. Perturbation of PIHO produces a number of toxic consequences with known association to β-cell failure in diabetes. To explore whether the perturbation of PIHO has a link to disproportionate hyperproinsulinemia, we investigated proinsulin conversion and the involved prohormone convertase 1/3 (PC1/3) and 2 (PC2) in mouse Ins2 +/Akita islets/β-cells that preserve a primary PIHO disorder due to a mutation (C96Y) in the insulin 2 (Ins2) gene. Our metabolic-labeling studies found an increased ratio of proinsulin to insulin in the cellular or released proteins of Ins2 +/Akita islets. Histological, metabolic-labeling, and RT-PCR analyses revealed decreases of the PC1/3 and PC2 immunoreactivities in the β-cells of Ins2 +/Akita islets in spite of no declines of these two convertases at the transcriptional and translational levels. Immunoblot analyses in cloned Ins2 +/Akita β-cells further confirmed the increased ratio of proinsulin to insulin despite the levels of PC1/3 and PC2 proteins were not reduced

Influence of casein as a percentage of true protein and protein level on color and texture of milks containing 1 and 2% fat.

Science.gov (United States)

Misawa, Noriko; Barbano, David M; Drake, MaryAnne

2016-07-01

Combinations of fresh liquid microfiltration retentate of skim milk, ultrafiltered retentate and permeate produced from microfiltration permeate, cream, and dried lactose monohydrate were used to produce a matrix of 20 milks. The milks contained 5 levels of casein as a percentage of true protein of about 5, 25, 50, 75, and 80% and 4 levels of true protein of 3.0, 3.76, 4.34, and 5.0% with constant lactose percentage of 5%. The experiment was replicated twice and repeated for both 1 and 2% fat content. Hunter color measurements, relative viscosity, and fat globule size distribution were measured, and a trained panel documented appearance and texture attributes on all milks. Overall, casein as a percentage of true protein had stronger effects than level of true protein on Hunter L, a, b values, relative viscosity, and fat globule size when using fresh liquid micellar casein concentrates and milk serum protein concentrates produced by a combination of microfiltration and ultrafiltration. As casein as a percentage of true protein increased, the milks became more white (higher L value), less green (lower negative a value), and less yellow (lower b value). Relative viscosity increased and d(0.9) generally decreased with increasing casein as a percentage of true protein. Panelists perceived milks with increasing casein as a percentage of true protein as more white, more opaque, and less yellow. Panelists were able to detect increased throat cling and mouthcoating with increased casein as a percentage of true protein in 2% milks, even when differences in appearance among milks were masked. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Tobacco Smoke on Protein and Metal Levels in the Serum of Women during Pregnancy.

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Marta Wrześniak

Full Text Available Tobacco smoking by pregnant women has a negative effect on fetal development and increases pregnancy risk by changing the oxidative balance and microelements level. Smoking affects the concentration, structure and function of proteins, potentially leading to various negative effects on pregnancy outcomes.The influence of tobacco smoke on key protein fractions in smoking and non-smoking healthy pregnant women was determined by capillary electrophoresis (CE. Concentrations of the proteins α1-antitrypsin, α1-acid glycoprotein, α2-macroglobulin and transferrin were determined by ELISA tests. Total protein concentration was measured by the Biuret method. Smoking status was established by cotinine levels. Cadmium (Cd and Zinc (Zn concentrations were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry and the Zn/Cd ratio was calculated based on these numbers. Smoking women had a 3.7 times higher level of Cd than non-smoking women. Zn levels decreased during pregnancy for all women. The Zn/Cd ratio was three times lower in smoking women. The differences between the changes in the protein profile for smoking and non-smoking women were noted. Regarding proteins, α1-antitrypsin and α2-macroglobulin levels were lower in the non-smoking group than in the smoking group and correlated with Cd levels (r = -0.968, p = 0.032 for non-smokers; r = -0.835, p = 0.019 for smokers. Zn/Cd ratios correlated negatively with α1-, α2- and β-globulins.Exposure to tobacco smoke increases the concentration of Cd in the blood of pregnant women and may lead to an elevated risk of pregnancy disorders. During pregnancy alter concentrations of some proteins. The correlation of Cd with proteins suggests that it is one of the causes of protein aberrations.

Effects of substituting roasted soybean (Glycine max seeds by those of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata, and of the protein level in the diet, on growth performance and profitability of local-breed chickens (Gallus gallus in Burkina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Ouattara

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to evaluate the effects of substituting roasted seeds of soya (Glycine max by those of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata, and of the protein level in the diet, on growth performance and economic profitability of local-breed chickens (Gallus gallus in Burkina Faso. Three hundred 12-day-old chicks were divided into 12 batches of 25 chicks each. Four diets incorporating seeds of cowpea or soya, with different protein levels for starting and growing/finishing, were prepared. Data on various parameters (body weight, weight gain, intake and feed conversion, mortality were recorded once every two weeks from the 12th to the 138th day of age. At the 138th day, four chickens (two males and two females from each batch were slaughtered to assess the characteristics of carcasses and selected organs. The comparative profitability of the different treatments was evaluated. Results indicate that the substitution of roasted seeds of soya by those of cowpea had no devaluing effect on growth performance nor on carcass characteristics of the local chicken. In addition, the use of these seeds did not decrease profitability. Lastly, increasing the protein level in the diets significantly (p ≤ 0.05 improved weight gains and reduced the duration of the breeding period by two weeks.

Combined use of biochemical and volumetric biomarkers to assess the risk of conversion of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease

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Marta Nesteruk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction : The aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of several biomarkers in predicting the conversion of mild cognitive impairment (MCI to Alzheimer’s disease (AD: β-amyloid and tau proteins in cerebrospinal fluid and the volumetric evaluation of brain structures including the hippocampus in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI. Material and methods : MRI of the brain with the volumetric assessment of hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, superior, medial and inferior temporal gyri was performed in 40 patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. Each patient had a lumbar puncture to evaluate β-amyloid and tau protein (total and phosphorylated levels in the cerebrospinal fluid. The observation period was 2 years. Results : Amongst 40 patients with MCI, 9 (22.5% converted to AD within 2 years of observation. Discriminant analysis was conducted and sensitivity for MCI conversion to AD on the basis of volumetric measurements was 88.9% and specificity 90.3%; on the basis of β-amyloid and total tau, sensitivity was 77.8% and specificity 83.9%. The combined use of the results of volumetric measurements with the results of proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid did not increase the sensitivity (88.9% but increased specificity to 96.8% and the percentage of correct classification to 95%.

Effect of voluntary exercise and dietary protein levels on incorporation of 14C-leucine into protein by mice liver slices in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yashiro, Masanori; Kimura, Shuichi

1983-01-01

The effect of voluntary exercise on incorporation of 14 C-leucine into protein by mice liver slices in vitro were examined with mice fed 4 %, 6 % and 20 % protein diets. The incorporation of 14 C-leucine increased as dietary protein levels decreased and was significantly higher in liver slices of exercise groups than in slices of non-exercise groups. (author)

Association between protein C levels and mortality in patients with advanced prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilts, I T; Hutten, B A; Meijers, J C M; Spek, C A; Büller, H R; Kamphuisen, P W

2017-06-01

Procoagulant factors promote cancer progression and metastasis. Protein C is involved in hemostasis, inflammation and signal transduction, and has a protective effect on the endothelial barrier. In mice, administration of activated protein C reduced experimental metastasis. We assessed the association between protein C and mortality in patients with three types of cancer. The study population consisted of patients with advanced prostate, non-small cell lung or pancreatic cancer, who participated in the INPACT trial (NCT00312013). The trial evaluated the addition of nadroparin to chemotherapy in patients with advanced malignancy. Patients were divided into tertiles based on protein C at baseline. The association between protein C levels and mortality was evaluated with Cox proportional hazard models. We analysed 477 patients (protein C tertiles: C level was 107% (IQR 92-129). In the lowest tertile, 75 patients per 100 patient-years died, as compared to 60 and 54 in the middle and high tertile, respectively. Lower levels of protein C were associated with increased mortality (in tertiles: HR for trend 1.18, 95%CI 1.02-1.36, adjusted for age, sex and nadroparin use; as a continuous variable: HR 1.004, 95%CI 1.00-1.008, p=0.07). Protein C seems inversely associated with mortality in patients with advanced prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer. Further research should validate protein C as a biomarker for mortality, and explore the effects of protein C on progression of cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serum levels of C-reactive protein in adolescents with periodontitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

López, Rodrigo; Baelum, Vibeke; Hedegaard, Chris Juul

2011-01-01

Background: The results of several cross-sectional studies suggested a relationship between periodontitis and higher serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). Most of these studies were restricted to adult study groups with severe periodontal inflammation, and the potential effects of confounding...... ng/ml (31 to 183 ng/ml), respectively (P = 0.8). Conclusions: Serum levels of CRP were not significantly higher among subjects with periodontitis than among controls. However, a statistically significant positive association between percentages of sites with bleeding on probing and log...

High level secretion of cellobiohydrolases by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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Ahlgren Simon

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The main technological impediment to widespread utilization of lignocellulose for the production of fuels and chemicals is the lack of low-cost technologies to overcome its recalcitrance. Organisms that hydrolyze lignocellulose and produce a valuable product such as ethanol at a high rate and titer could significantly reduce the costs of biomass conversion technologies, and will allow separate conversion steps to be combined in a consolidated bioprocess (CBP. Development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for CBP requires the high level secretion of cellulases, particularly cellobiohydrolases. Results We expressed various cellobiohydrolases to identify enzymes that were efficiently secreted by S. cerevisiae. For enhanced cellulose hydrolysis, we engineered bimodular derivatives of a well secreted enzyme that naturally lacks the carbohydrate-binding module, and constructed strains expressing combinations of cbh1 and cbh2 genes. Though there was significant variability in the enzyme levels produced, up to approximately 0.3 g/L CBH1 and approximately 1 g/L CBH2 could be produced in high cell density fermentations. Furthermore, we could show activation of the unfolded protein response as a result of cellobiohydrolase production. Finally, we report fermentation of microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel™ to ethanol by CBH-producing S. cerevisiae strains with the addition of beta-glucosidase. Conclusions Gene or protein specific features and compatibility with the host are important for efficient cellobiohydrolase secretion in yeast. The present work demonstrated that production of both CBH1 and CBH2 could be improved to levels where the barrier to CBH sufficiency in the hydrolysis of cellulose was overcome.

Changes in human parotid salivary protein and sialic acid levels during pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Alessandro, S; Curbelo, H M; Tumilasci, O R; Tessler, J A; Houssay, A B

1989-01-01

Saliva was collected with a Carlson-Crittenden device, under citric acid stimulation, in 107 pregnant women, 9 puerperal and 7 non-pregnant controls. No significant changes were found in salivary flow rate, pH and amylase levels. The total protein levels were decreased during pregnancy and the puerperium. The sialic acid levels decreased gradually but markedly during pregnancy, returning to normal levels in the puerperium. These changes in parotid saliva may be related to the hormonal changes of pregnancy.

Association of plasma protein C levels and coronary artery disease ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Several studies have shown the risk factor causes of coronary heart disease. In this study we tested the hypothesis that plasma protein C level might be used as a biomarker for coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction. The study included 60 men that were classified into 3 groups according to clinical examination; ...

Effect Of Crude Protein Levels And Follicle Stimulation On Egg ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Two groups received 16% crude protein (CP) level diets and the other two groups, 32%. One each of the two groups received follicle stimulation, induced by administration of Clomifene citrate (1.5mg/kg) via cathetered 5ml syringe through the 10week experimental period, with feed and water offered ad libitum.

Overexpression of pucC improves the heterologous protein expression level in a Rhodobacter sphaeroides expression system.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, L; Chen, G; Ding, G; Zhao, Z; Dong, T; Hu, Z

2015-04-27

The Rhodobacter sphaeroides system has been used to express membrane proteins. However, its low yield has substantially limited its application. In order to promote the protein expression capability of this system, the pucC gene, which plays a crucial role in assembling the R. sphaeroides light-harvesting 2 complex (LH2), was overexpressed. To build a pucC overexpression strain, a pucC overexpression vector was constructed and transformed into R. sphaeroides CQU68. The overexpression efficiency was evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. A well-used reporter β-glucuronidase (GUS) was fusion-expressed with LH2 to evaluate the heterologous protein expression level. As a result, the cell culture and protein in the pucC overexpression strain showed much higher typical spectral absorption peaks at 800 and 850 nm compared with the non-overexpression strain, suggesting a higher expression level of LH2-GUS fusion protein in the pucC overexpression strain. This result was further confirmed by Western blot, which also showed a much higher level of heterologous protein expression in the pucC overexpression strain. We further compared GUS activity in pucC overexpression and non-overexpression strains, the results of which showed that GUS activity in the pucC overexpression strain was approximately ten-fold that in the non-overexpression strain. These results demonstrate that overexpressed pucC can promote heterologous protein expression levels in R. sphaeroides.

A Two-Level Sensorless MPPT Strategy Using SRF-PLL on a PMSG Wind Energy Conversion System

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Amina Echchaachouai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a two-level sensorless Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT strategy is presented for a variable speed Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS. The proposed system is composed of a wind turbine, a direct-drive Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG and a three phase controlled rectifier connected to a DC load. The realised generator output power maximization analysis justifies the use of the Field Oriented Control (FOC giving the six Pulse Width Modulation (PWM signals to the active rectifier. The generator rotor speed and position required by the FOC and the sensorless MPPT are estimated using a Synchronous Reference Frame Phase Locked Loop (SRF-PLL. The MPPT strategy used consists of two levels, the first level is a power regulation loop and the second level is an extremum seeking bloc generating the coefficient gathering the turbine characteristics. Experimental results validated on a hardware test setup using a DSP digital board (dSPACE 1104 are presented. Figures illustrating the estimated speed and angle confirm that the SRF-PLL is able to give an estimated speed and angle which closely follow the real ones. Also, the power at the DC load and the power at the generator output indicate that the MPPT gives optimum extracted power. Finally, other results show the effectiveness of the adopted approach in real time applications.

Genetic regulation ofmethylation and IL1RL1-a protein levels in asthma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijk, F Nicole; Xu, Chengjian; Melén, Erik; Carsin, Anne-Elie; Kumar, Asish; Nolte, Ilja M; Gruzieva, Olena; Pershagen, Goran; Grotenboer, Neomi S; Savenije, Olga E M; Antó, Josep Maria; Lavi, Iris; Dobaño, Carlota; Bousquet, Jean; van der Vlies, Pieter; van der Valk, Ralf J P; de Jongste, Johan C; Nawijn, Martijn C; Guerra, Stefano; Postma, Dirkje S; Koppelman, Gerard H

2018-01-01

Interleukin-1 receptor-like 1 (IL1RL1) is an important asthma gene. (Epi)genetic regulation ofIL1RL1protein expression has not been established. We assessed the association betweenIL1RL1single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs),IL1RL1methylation and serum IL1RL1-a protein levels, and aimed to identify

Protein synthesis levels are increased in a subset of individuals with Fragile X syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacquemont, Sébastien; Pacini, Laura; Jønch, Aia E

2018-01-01

architecture and plasticity. Preclinical studies revealed that pharmacological interventions restore those deficits, which are thought to mediate the FXS cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Here we characterized the de novo rate of protein synthesis in patients with FXS and their relationship with clinical...... severity. We measured the rate of protein synthesis in fibroblasts derived from 32 individuals with FXS and from 17 controls as well as in fibroblasts and primary neurons of 27 Fmr1 KO mice and 20 controls. Here we show that levels of protein synthesis are increased in fibroblasts of individuals with FXS...... and Fmr1 KO mice. However, this cellular phenotype displays a broad distribution and a proportion of fragile X individuals and Fmr1 KO mice do not show increased levels of protein synthesis, having measures in the normal range. Because the same Fmr1 KO animal measures in fibroblasts predict those...

A Bacterial Glucanotransferase Can Replace the Complex Maltose Metabolism Required for Starch to Sucrose Conversion in Leaves at Night

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruzanski, Christian; Smirnova, Julia; Rejzek, Martin

2013-01-01

Controlled conversion of leaf starch to sucrose at night is essential for the normal growth of Arabidopsis. The conversion involves the cytosolic metabolism of maltose to hexose phosphates via an unusual, multidomain protein with 4-glucanotransferase activity, DPE2, believed to transfer glucosyl ...

Improvement of skeleton conversion in ICRP reference phantom conversion project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhao Jun; Yeom, Yeon Soo; Thang, Nguyen Tat; Kim, Han Sung; Han, Min Cheol; Kim, Chan Hyeong [Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Seong Hoon [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2014-11-15

In the previous skeleton conversion, most bones were directly converted from the ICRP voxel phantoms by using the 3D rendering method whereas several complex-shape bones (cranium, ribs, spines, feet, and hands) were not able to be directly converted. We alternatively employed the corresponding well-defined polygonal models and attempted to adjust them to match the voxel models. However, this approach was unsatisfactory. The shapes of the alternative models were significantly different from those of the voxel models, making it virtually impossible to exactly match the voxel models as shown in Fig. 3 (left). In order to overcome the difficulty in the complex bone conversion, the present study developed a new conversion method and converted these complex bones voxel models of the ICRP male phantom to polygonal models. The present study developed the new conversion method and successfully improved polygonal models for cranium, ribs, and spines for the ICRP male phantom. The new conversion method will be also applied to the complex bone conversion for the ICRP female phantom as well as other complex organ conversion in the future.

Improvement of skeleton conversion in ICRP reference phantom conversion project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhao Jun; Yeom, Yeon Soo; Thang, Nguyen Tat; Kim, Han Sung; Han, Min Cheol; Kim, Chan Hyeong; Kim, Seong Hoon

2014-01-01

In the previous skeleton conversion, most bones were directly converted from the ICRP voxel phantoms by using the 3D rendering method whereas several complex-shape bones (cranium, ribs, spines, feet, and hands) were not able to be directly converted. We alternatively employed the corresponding well-defined polygonal models and attempted to adjust them to match the voxel models. However, this approach was unsatisfactory. The shapes of the alternative models were significantly different from those of the voxel models, making it virtually impossible to exactly match the voxel models as shown in Fig. 3 (left). In order to overcome the difficulty in the complex bone conversion, the present study developed a new conversion method and converted these complex bones voxel models of the ICRP male phantom to polygonal models. The present study developed the new conversion method and successfully improved polygonal models for cranium, ribs, and spines for the ICRP male phantom. The new conversion method will be also applied to the complex bone conversion for the ICRP female phantom as well as other complex organ conversion in the future

Cysteine-dependent immune regulation by TRX and MIF/GIF family proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Kondo, Norihiko; Ishii, Yasuyuki; Son, Aoi; Sakakura-Nishiyama, Junko; Kwon, Yong-Won; Tanito, Masaki; Nishinaka, Yumiko; Matsuo, Yoshiyuki; Nakayama, Toshinori; Taniguchi, Masaru; Yodoi, Junji

2004-03-29

Thioredoxin (TRX) superfamily proteins that contain a conserved redox-active site -Cys-Xa.a.-Xa.a.-Cys- includes proinflammatory cytokine, macrophage migration inhibiting factor (MIF) and the immune regulatory cytokine, glycosylation inhibiting factor (GIF) in which Cys-60 is cysteinylated. In this report, we have analyzed the functional interaction between TRX and MIF/GIF. The stable Jurkat T cell line transfected with human TRX gene (TRX-transfectant) was highly resistant to hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis, but not the cell line transfected with vector (mock-transfectant). The expression level of MIF/GIF protein of TRX-transfectant was lower than that of mock-transfectant. Conversely, the expression level of intracellular TRX protein in CD4(+)-T cells derived from MIF -/- mice were significantly higher than that from background BALB/c mice. These findings collectively suggest that oxidative stress-induced apoptosis on T lymphocytes might be protected by the reciprocal regulation of TRX and MIF/GIF expression.

Protein Consumption and the Elderly: What Is the Optimal Level of Intake?

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Jamie I. Baum

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Maintaining independence, quality of life, and health is crucial for elderly adults. One of the major threats to living independently is the loss of muscle mass, strength, and function that progressively occurs with aging, known as sarcopenia. Several studies have identified protein (especially the essential amino acids as a key nutrient for muscle health in elderly adults. Elderly adults are less responsive to the anabolic stimulus of low doses of amino acid intake compared to younger individuals. However, this lack of responsiveness in elderly adults can be overcome with higher levels of protein (or essential amino acid consumption. The requirement for a larger dose of protein to generate responses in elderly adults similar to the responses in younger adults provides the support for a beneficial effect of increased protein in older populations. The purpose of this review is to present the current evidence related to dietary protein intake and muscle health in elderly adults.

Identification of proteins regulated by curcumin in cerebral ischemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Fawad-Ali; Gim, Sang-Ah; Sung, Jin-Hee; Jeon, Seong-Jun; Kim, Myeong-Ok; Koh, Phil-Ok

2016-03-01

Curcumin is known to have a neuroprotective effect against cerebral ischemia. The objective of this study was to identify various proteins that are differentially expressed by curcumin treatment in focal cerebral ischemia using a proteomic approach. Adult male rats were treated with vehicle or curcumin 1 h after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Brain tissues were collected 24 h after the onset of middle cerebral artery occlusion, and cerebral cortices proteins were identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. We detected several proteins with altered expression levels between vehicle- and curcumin-treated animals. Among these proteins, ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1, isocitrate dehydrogenase, adenosylhomocysteinase, and eukaryotic initiation factor 4A were decreased in the vehicle-treated animal, and curcumin treatment attenuated the injury-induced decreases of these proteins. Conversely, pyridoxal phosphate phosphatase was increased in the vehicle-treated animal, and curcumin treatment prevented decreases in this protein. The identified altered proteins are associated with cellular metabolism and differentiation. The results of this study suggest that curcumin exerts a neuroprotective effect by regulating the expression of various proteins in focal cerebral ischemia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

2-Oxoglutarate levels control adenosine nucleotide binding by Herbaspirillum seropedicae PII proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Marco A S; Gerhardt, Edileusa C M; Huergo, Luciano F; Souza, Emanuel M; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Chubatsu, Leda S

2015-12-01

Nitrogen metabolism in Proteobacteria is controlled by the Ntr system, in which PII proteins play a pivotal role, controlling the activity of target proteins in response to the metabolic state of the cell. Characterization of the binding of molecular effectors to these proteins can provide information about their regulation. Here, the binding of ATP, ADP and 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) to the Herbaspirillum seropedicae PII proteins, GlnB and GlnK, was characterized using isothermal titration calorimetry. Results show that these proteins can bind three molecules of ATP, ADP and 2-OG with homotropic negative cooperativity, and 2-OG binding stabilizes the binding of ATP. Results also show that the affinity of uridylylated forms of GlnB and GlnK for nucleotides is significantly lower than that of the nonuridylylated proteins. Furthermore, fluctuations in the intracellular concentration of 2-OG in response to nitrogen availability are shown. Results suggest that under nitrogen-limiting conditions, PII proteins tend to bind ATP and 2-OG. By contrast, after an ammonium shock, a decrease in the 2-OG concentration is observed causing a decrease in the affinity of PII proteins for ATP. This phenomenon may facilitate the exchange of ATP for ADP on the ligand-binding pocket of PII proteins, thus it is likely that under low ammonium, low 2-OG levels would favor the ADP-bound state. © 2015 FEBS.

[High gene conversion frequency between genes encoding 2-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate phosphatase in 3 Saccharomyces species].

Science.gov (United States)

Piscopo, Sara-Pier; Drouin, Guy

2014-05-01

Gene conversions are nonreciprocal sequence exchanges between genes. They are relatively common in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but few studies have investigated the evolutionary fate of gene conversions or their functional impacts. Here, we analyze the evolution and impact of gene conversions between the two genes encoding 2-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate phosphatase in S. cerevisiae, Saccharomyces paradoxus and Saccharomyces mikatae. Our results demonstrate that the last half of these genes are subject to gene conversions among these three species. The greater similarity and the greater percentage of GC nucleotides in the converted regions, as well as the absence of long regions of adjacent common converted sites, suggest that these gene conversions are frequent and occur independently in all three species. The high frequency of these conversions probably result from the fact that they have little impact on the protein sequences encoded by these genes.

Effect Of Different Protein Levels on The Performance Of Growing ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

T4 was superior to other treatments in terms of feed to gain ratio, efficiency of feed utilization and reproductive performance. Snails in T1 with 10% CP failed to lay eggs and had the least developed reproductive system. A diet of 15-20% C. P is therefore recommended for growing snails. Key words: Protein levels, snails, ...

Factors associated with sputum culture conversion in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

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Greta Musteikienė

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study was to determine what factors are associated with sputum culture conversion after 1 month of tuberculosis (TB treatment. Materials and methods: A total of 52 patients with new drug susceptible pulmonary TB were included in the study. Patients completed St. George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ, they were asked about smoking, alcohol use, living conditions and education. Body mass index (BMI measurements, laboratory tests (C reactive protein [CRP], vitamin D, albumin were performed, and chest X-ray was done. After 1 month of treatment sputum culture was repeated. Results: Culture conversion after 1 month of treatment was found in 38.5% cases. None of investigated social factors appeared to have an effect on conversion, but worse overall health status (as reported in SGRQ and longer duration of tobacco smoking were detected in the “no conversion” group. Concentrations of albumin, CRP, X-ray score and the time it took Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture to grow also differed. Patients who scored 30 or more on SGRQ were more than 7 times as likely to have no conversion. However, the most important factor predicting sputum culture conversion was sputum smear grade at the beginning of treatment: patients with grade of 2+ or more had more than 20-fold higher relative risk for no conversion. Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, we also developed a risk score for no conversion. Conclusions: The most important factors in predicting sputum culture conversion after 1 month of treatment were grades of acid-fast bacilli in sputum smears at time of diagnosis and scores of SGRQ. Keywords: Smoking, Smear grade, St. George respiratory questionnaire, Tuberculosis, Culture conversion

Conversion of choledochojejunostomy stents to jejunal feeding tubes for postoperative enteral alimentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, D R; Torosian, M H; McLean, G K; Meranze, S G; Rosato, E F

1988-01-01

The problem of protein calorie malnutrition following major gastrointestinal surgery can be treated with central venous or enteric alimentation, with the latter being preferred. The authors describe a simple technique for the conversion of biliary stents placed after pancreaticoduodenal surgery into jejunal feeding tubes when the stenting function is no longer needed. Three illustrative cases are presented. In each case, the procedure took less than 30 min and had no associated morbidity. This technique allows early conversion from central venous to enteric alimentation without the need to create a second surgical enterostomy.

Discourse analysis: Conversational analysis of the internal conversation in Oracle Corporation Malaysia

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Marwa Marwa

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This study highlights the internal conversation which takes place in Oracle CorporationMalaysia. Through the study, it will be shown how conversational analysis is used toanalyze the transcription of a telephone conversation between Oracle staffs. The analysisof the transcriptions will apply a few basic concepts of conversational analysis; turntakingorganization, and the adjacency pair. The objective of the study is to find out howthe internal conversations takes place by focusing on the conversation itself, that is, theconversational structures spontaneously produced by people during talk ranging fromturn-taking strategies, how topics are introduced, conversation closings and so on. Bylooking in detail at such talk, we can gain a detailed understanding of how the staffs seethemselves in relation to the company that influence their daily lives.Keywords: conversational analysis, turn-taking, adjacency pairs

Comparison of pre- and post-levothyroxine high-sensitivity c-reactive protein and fetuin-a levels in subclinical hypothyroidism

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Oktay Bilgir

2015-02-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The objective of this trial was to determine the levels of inflammatory markers, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fetuin-A pre- and post-levothyroxine treatment in cases of subclinical hypothyroidism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 32 patients with a diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism and a control group of 30 healthy individuals were tested for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fetuin-A, followed by the administration of 50 µg of levothyroxine in the patient group for 3 months. During the post-treatment stage, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fetuin-A levels in the patient group were re-assessed and compared with pre-treatment values. RESULTS: Pre-treatment levels of both high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fetuin-A were observed to be higher in the patient group than in the control group. The decrease in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels during the post-treatment stage was not statistically significant. However, the decrease observed in post-treatment fetuin-A levels was found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The decrease in fetuin-A levels in subclinical hypothyroidism cases indicates that levothyroxine treatment exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects. Although the decrease in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels was statistically non-significant, it is predicted to reach significance with sustained treatment.

Effect of different levels of crude protein and electrolyte balance on performance, blood parameters and bone characteristics for broiler chickens in phase of 36 to 42 days old

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Franciele Clenice Navarini Giacobbo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different levels of crude protein (CP and electrolyte balance (EB of the feed of broilers. 480 male broiler of Cobb 500 strain were fed in the period 36 to 42 days of age with two basal diets, one with EB 200 and another with 240 mEq. kg-1, combined with CP levels of 18.00, 17.28, 16.56 and 15.84%. The reduction in CP levels had growing linear effect (P <0.01 on feed conversion of birds (BE 200 and 240 even with the supplementation of industrial amino acids. For weight gain, reduced levels of CP had decreasing linear effect (P <0.01 to birds consuming diets with EB of 240 mEq. kg-1 and quadratic effect (P <0.05 for those who consumed ration with EB than 200 mEq. kg-1 being the level of 17.54%, which resulted in better weight gain of birds. There was linear effect (P <0.05 of reduction in CP levels on the plasmatic values of sodium (EB200 and chlorine (EB240 and quadratic effect (P <0.05 on plasmatic concentration of potassium (EB200 of birds, being the level of 17.05%, which provided the lower potassium values. For the plasma levels of uric acid, total protein and calcium, and bone development, reduction in the levels of CP had no effect on neither one of EB levels studied. Supplementation with bicarbonate salts of sodium and potassium chloride was not effective in improving the performance characteristics the birds, in the values of electrolyte balance studied, since there were no performance improvements with increase the electrolytic balance of the diets of 200 to 240 mEq.kg-1.

An inducible expression system for high-level expression of recombinant proteins in slow growing mycobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Leotta, Lisa; Spratt, Joanne M; Kong, Carlyn U; Triccas, James A

2015-09-01

A novel protein expression vector utilising the inducible hspX promoter of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was constructed and evaluated in this study. High-level induction of three mycobacterial antigens, comprising up to 9% of bacterial sonicate, was demonstrated in recombinant Mycobacterium bovis BCG when grown under low-oxygen tension, which serves to enhance hspX promoter activity. Recombinant proteins were efficiently purified from bacterial lysates in a soluble form by virtue of a C-terminal 6-histidine tag. Purification of the immunodominant M. tuberculosis Ag85B antigen using this system resulted in a recombinant protein that stimulated significant IFN-γ release from Ag85B-reactive T cells generated after vaccination of mice with an Ag85B-expressing vaccine. Further, the M. tuberculosis L-alanine dehydrogenase (Ald) protein purified from recombinant BCG displayed strong enzymatic activity in recombinant form. This study demonstrated that high levels of native-like recombinant mycobacterial proteins can be produced in mycobacterial hosts, and this may aid the analysis of mycobacterial protein function and the development of new treatments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CSF Neurofilament Proteins Levels are Elevated in Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Eijk, Jeroen J. J.; van Everbroeck, Bart; Abdo, W. Farid; Kremer, Berry P. H.; Verbeek, Marcel M.

2010-01-01

In this study we investigated the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of neurofilament light (NFL) and heavy chain (NFHp35), total tau (t-tau), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) to detect disease specific profiles in sporadic Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (sCJD) patients and Alzheimer's disease

Altered protein and iron levels of patients with active tuberculosis in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Backgound: Tuberculosis as a state of chronic inflammation impacts on haematologic functions of the body. Objectives: This study aimed at assessing iron parameters and serum protein levels of ninety tuberculosis patients aged fifteen to sixty years, enrolled from Dr Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria.

Comparison of C-reactive protein and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in patients on hemodialysis

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Imed Helal

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Chronic inflammation is highly prevalent in patients on hemodialysis (HD, as evidenced by increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP. We compared CRP to high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP to determine whether it has any clinical implications and prognostic significance in terms of mortality. CRP was measured using a standard immunoturbidometric assay on the COBAS; INTEGRA system and hs-CRP was measured using the Dade Behring on the Konelab Nephelometer in 50 patients on HD. CRP (≥6 mg/L and hs-CRP (≥3 mg/L levels were elevated in 30% and 54% of the patients, respectively. A significant correlation was noted between hs-CRP and CRP levels (r = 0.98, P <0.001. Deming regression analysis showed that the slope was near one (r = 0.90; 0.83-0.94 and that the intercept was small. Multivariate regression confirmed that age above 40 years (RR = 3.69, P = 0.027 and duration on HD greater than five years (RR = 3.71, P = 0.028 remained significant independent predictors of serum hs-CRP. Thirteen patients died during follow-up (26%. Multivariate Cox regression demonstrated that hs-CRP (RR = 1.062, P = 0.03 and CRP levels (RR = 1.057, P = 0.009 and age (RR = 1.078, P = 0.001 were the most powerful predictors of mortality. The CRP standard assay presents a reasonable alternative to the hs-CRP assay in patients on HD. The advantages of the CRP standard assay are its online and real-time availability as well as lower costs, particularly in developing countries.

C-reactive protein levels in patients with aggressive periodontitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Salzberg, Trang N; Overstreet, Benjamin T; Rogers, Jeffrey D; Califano, Joseph V; Best, Al M; Schenkein, Harvey A

2006-06-01

Sera from patients with periodontal infections contain elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) compared to periodontally healthy individuals. Most studies to date have included patients with chronic periodontitis, and few investigators have studied CRP levels in subjects with aggressive periodontitis (AgP). The purpose of this study was to determine the relative levels of serum CRP in AgP patients and periodontally healthy subjects and to examine patients' characteristics that might account for intergroup differences. Serum samples were collected from 93 patients with generalized AgP (GAgP), from 97 patients with localized AgP (LAgP), and from 91 healthy controls (non-periodontitis [NP]). Periodontal examination consisted of plaque index, gingival index, probing depth, bleeding index, and attachment loss measurements. Current smoking was assessed by determination of serum cotinine levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and serum CRP levels were determined using a high-sensitivity ELISA assay. The three groups were significantly different from one another (P periodontal and demographic variables and current smoking, both mean probing depth and periodontal diagnosis remained correlated with CRP levels. Patients with AgP have statistically significant elevations in serum CRP levels compared to subjects without periodontitis. Elevated CRP in these subjects might represent a contribution of periodontal infections to systemic inflammation in relatively young individuals.

The effects of enactment on communicative competence in aphasic casual conversation: a functional linguistic perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Groenewold, Rimke; Armstrong, Elizabeth

2018-05-14

Previous research has shown that speakers with aphasia rely on enactment more often than non-brain-damaged language users. Several studies have been conducted to explain this observed increase, demonstrating that spoken language containing enactment is easier to produce and is more engaging to the conversation partner. This paper describes the effects of the occurrence of enactment in casual conversation involving individuals with aphasia on its level of conversational assertiveness. To evaluate whether and to what extent the occurrence of enactment in speech of individuals with aphasia contributes to its conversational assertiveness. Conversations between a speaker with aphasia and his wife (drawn from AphasiaBank) were analysed in several steps. First, the transcripts were divided into moves, and all moves were coded according to the systemic functional linguistics (SFL) framework. Next, all moves were labelled in terms of their level of conversational assertiveness, as defined in the previous literature. Finally, all enactments were identified and their level of conversational assertiveness was compared with that of non-enactments. Throughout their conversations, the non-brain-damaged speaker was more assertive than the speaker with aphasia. However, the speaker with aphasia produced more enactments than the non-brain-damaged speaker. The moves of the speaker with aphasia containing enactment were more assertive than those without enactment. The use of enactment in the conversations under study positively affected the level of conversational assertiveness of the speaker with aphasia, a competence that is important for speakers with aphasia because it contributes to their floor time, chances to be heard seriously and degree of control over the conversation topic. © 2018 The Authors International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Intake of Mung Bean Protein Isolate Reduces Plasma Triglyceride Level in Rats

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Nobuhiko Tachibana

2013-09-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACTBackground: Mung bean is well known as a starch source, but the physiological effects of mung bean protein have received little attention. In this study, we isolated mung bean protein from de-starched mung bean solutions, and investigated its influence on lipid metabolism. Objective: The aim of this study is to clarify the influence of the lipid metabolism by consumption of mung bean protein isolate (MPIMethods: Diets containing either mung bean protein isolate (MPI or casein were fed to normal rats for 28 days.Results: Both groups ate the same amount of food, but the plasma triglyceride level, relative liver weight and liver lipid contents (cholesterol and triglyceride pool in the MPI group were significantly lower than in the casein group. In the MPI group, the expression of sterol regulatory-element binding factor 1 (SREBF1 mRNA in the liver was significantly different when compared with the casein group. The significantly lower levels of insulin and free fatty acids in the MPI-fed rats may be due to the regulation of genes related to lipid metabolism in the liver.Conclusions: These results suggest that MPI may improve the plasma lipid profile by normalizing insulin sensitivity.Keywords: mung bean, Vigna radiata L., 8S globulin, triglyceride, β-conglycinin, 7S globulin, insulin sensitivity, SREBF1

Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification of Infectious Prions.

Science.gov (United States)

Moda, Fabio

2017-01-01

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or prion diseases, are a group of incurable disorders caused by the accumulation of an abnormally folded prion protein (PrP Sc ) in the brain. According to the "protein-only" hypothesis, PrP Sc is the infectious agent able to propagate the disease by acting as a template for the conversion of the correctly folded prion protein (PrP C ) into the pathological isoform. Recently, the mechanism of PrP C conversion has been mimicked in vitro using an innovative technique named protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). This technology represents a great tool for studying diverse aspects of prion biology in the field of basic research and diagnosis. Moreover, PMCA can be expanded for the study of the misfolding process associated to other neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nutrient management in farms in conversion to organic

OpenAIRE

Kolbe, Hartmut

2008-01-01

This report, adapted for Saxony, serves converting farmers supported by local advisors as a guideline for a balanced nutrient management at farm level. Essentials of nutrient supply and management measures to consider during the conversion are described to guarantee a successful farming with a naturally based nutrient management. Especially for the conversion phase it is recommended to calculate nitrogen balance after each crop rotation with the help of advisors. This report shows the me...

Refractometric total protein concentrations in icteric serum from dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Aradhana; Stockham, Steven L

2014-01-01

To determine whether high serum bilirubin concentrations interfere with the measurement of serum total protein concentration by refractometry and to assess potential biases among refractometer measurements. Evaluation study. Sera from 2 healthy Greyhounds. Bilirubin was dissolved in 0.1M NaOH, and the resulting solution was mixed with sera from 2 dogs from which food had been withheld to achieve various bilirubin concentrations up to 40 mg/dL. Refractometric total protein concentrations were estimated with 3 clinical refractometers. A biochemical analyzer was used to measure biuret assay-based total protein and bilirubin concentrations with spectrophotometric assays. No interference with refractometric measurement of total protein concentrations was detected with bilirubin concentrations up to 41.5 mg/dL. Biases in refractometric total protein concentrations were detected and were related to the conversion of refractive index values to total protein concentrations. Hyperbilirubinemia did not interfere with the refractometric estimation of serum total protein concentration. The agreement among total protein concentrations estimated by 3 refractometers was dependent on the method of conversion of refractive index to total protein concentration and was independent of hyperbilirubinemia.

Small protease sensitive oligomers of PrPSc in distinct human prions determine conversion rate of PrP(C.

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Chae Kim

Full Text Available The mammalian prions replicate by converting cellular prion protein (PrP(C into pathogenic conformational isoform (PrP(Sc. Variations in prions, which cause different disease phenotypes, are referred to as strains. The mechanism of high-fidelity replication of prion strains in the absence of nucleic acid remains unsolved. We investigated the impact of different conformational characteristics of PrP(Sc on conversion of PrP(C in vitro using PrP(Sc seeds from the most frequent human prion disease worldwide, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD. The conversion potency of a broad spectrum of distinct sCJD prions was governed by the level, conformation, and stability of small oligomers of the protease-sensitive (s PrP(Sc. The smallest most potent prions present in sCJD brains were composed only of∼20 monomers of PrP(Sc. The tight correlation between conversion potency of small oligomers of human sPrP(Sc observed in vitro and duration of the disease suggests that sPrP(Sc conformers are an important determinant of prion strain characteristics that control the progression rate of the disease.

Serum heart type fatty acid binding protein levels are not changed in hyperthyroidism.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozbek, Mustafa; Gungunes, Askin; Sahin, Mustafa; Ginis, Zeynep; Ucan, Bekir; Sayki, Muyesser; Tutal, Esra; Cakal, Erman; Kuşkonmaz, Serife M; Öztürk, Mehmet A; Delibasi, Tuncay

2016-09-01

Heart type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) is a small protein and released into the circulation when myocardial damage has occurred. Previous studies have demonstrated that H-FABP is closely associated with cardiac and some endocrinologic disorders including prediabetes, metabolic syndrome, and acromegaly. Hyperthyroism is a well-known disorder associated with cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to investigate the effect of hyperthyrodism on H-FABP levels. Forty six patients with hyperthyroidism with no known history of coronary artery disease and 40 healthy controls are involved in the study. Serum H-FABP levels are measured using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. There was no significant difference between serum H-FABP levels of patients with hyperthyroidism and controls (871±66 pg/mL, and 816±66 pg/mL, respectively P=0.56). There was no significant correlation between H-FABP, free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in patients and controls. Serum H-FABP levels are not altered in patients with hyperthyroidism.

LRP1 controls biosynthetic and endocytic trafficking of neuronal prion protein

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parkyn, Celia J; Vermeulen, Esmeralda G M; Mootoosamy, Roy C

2008-01-01

The trafficking of normal cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is believed to control its conversion to the altered conformation (designated PrP(Sc)) associated with prion disease. Although anchored to the membrane by means of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI), PrP(C) on neurons is rapidly and consti......The trafficking of normal cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is believed to control its conversion to the altered conformation (designated PrP(Sc)) associated with prion disease. Although anchored to the membrane by means of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI), PrP(C) on neurons is rapidly...... required for this process. Moreover, sustained inhibition of LRP1 levels by siRNA leads to the accumulation of PrP(C) in biosynthetic compartments, with a concomitant lowering of surface PrP(C), suggesting that LRP1 expedites the trafficking of PrP(C) to the neuronal surface. PrP(C) and LRP1 can be co......-immunoprecipitated from the endoplasmic reticulum in normal neurons. The N-terminal domain of PrP(C) binds to purified human LRP1 with nanomolar affinity, even in the presence of 1 microM of the LRP-specific chaperone, receptor-associated protein (RAP). Taken together, these data argue that LRP1 controls both the surface...

Evaluation of multiphoton effects in down-conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshimi, Kazuyoshi; Koshino, Kazuki

2010-01-01

Multiphoton effects in down-conversion are investigated based on the full-quantum multimode formalism by considering a three-level system as a prototype nonlinear system. We analytically derive the three-photon output wave function for two input photons, where one of the two input photons is down-converted and the other one is not. Using this output wave function, we calculate the down-conversion probability, the purity, and the fidelity to evaluate the entanglement between a down-converted photon pair and a non-down-converted photon. It is shown that the saturation effect occurs by multiphoton input and that it affects both the down-conversion probability and the quantum correlation between the down-converted photon pair and the non-down-converted photon. We also reveal the necessary conditions for multiphoton effects to be strong.

Mechanistic prospective for human PrPC conversion to PrPSc: Molecular dynamic insights

OpenAIRE

Nooshin Azari; Mohammad Reza Dayer; Nematollah Razmi; Mohammad Saaid Dayer

2013-01-01

PrPC conversion to PrPSc isoform is the main known cause for prion diseases including Crutzfeldt-Jakob, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Sheinker syndrome and fatal familial insomnia in human. The precise mechanism underling this conversion is yet to be well understood. In the present work, using the coordinate file of PrPC (available on the Protein Data Bank) as a starting structure, separate molecular dynamic simulations were carried out at neutral and acidic pH in an explicit water box at 37°C and 1 ...

Effects of dietary protein levels on growth performance and body composition of juvenile parrot fish, Oplegnathus fasciatus

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Kang-Woong Kim

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary protein levels on growth, biometrics, hematology and body composition in juvenile parrot fish Oplegnathus fasciatus. Fish averaging 7.1 ± 0.06 g (mean ± SD was randomly distributed into 15 net cages (each size: 60 × 40 × 90 cm, W × L × H as groups of 20 fish. Five isocaloric diets (16.7 kJ/g energy were formulated to contain crude protein levels (CP as 35 (CP35, 40 (CP40, 45 (CP45, 50 (CP50 and 60 % (CP60 in the diets. Fish were fed one of the experimental diets at apparent satiation twice a day in triplicate groups. At the end of 8-week feeding trial, weight gain (WG of fish fed with CP50 and CP60 diets were significantly higher than those of fish fed with CP35, CP40 and CP45 diets. Fish fed with CP45, CP50 and CP60 diets had higher feed efficiency (FE and specific growth rate (SGR than those of fish fed with CP35 and CP40 diets. Protein retention efficiency (PRE decreased with increase of dietary protein levels among fish fed with the experimental diets. Whole-body crude protein and lipid contents increased with the dietary protein level up to CP50 diet. In conclusion, analysis of variance (ANOVA revealed that the optimum dietary protein level could be 50 % for maximum growth of juvenile parrot fish, while the broken-line analysis of WG suggested that the level could be 48.5 %, in a diet containing 16.7 kJ/g energy.

F-box only protein 2 (Fbxo2) regulates amyloid precursor protein levels and processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Atkin, Graham; Hunt, Jack; Minakawa, Eiko; Sharkey, Lisa; Tipper, Nathan; Tennant, William; Paulson, Henry L

2014-03-07

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) is an integral membrane glycoprotein whose cleavage products, particularly amyloid-β, accumulate in Alzheimer disease (AD). APP is present at synapses and is thought to play a role in both the formation and plasticity of these critical neuronal structures. Despite the central role suggested for APP in AD pathogenesis, the mechanisms regulating APP in neurons and its processing into cleavage products remain incompletely understood. F-box only protein 2 (Fbxo2), a neuron-enriched ubiquitin ligase substrate adaptor that preferentially binds high-mannose glycans on glycoproteins, was previously implicated in APP processing by facilitating the degradation of the APP-cleaving β-secretase, β-site APP-cleaving enzyme. Here, we sought to determine whether Fbxo2 plays a similar role for other glycoproteins in the amyloid processing pathway. We present in vitro and in vivo evidence that APP is itself a substrate for Fbxo2. APP levels were decreased in the presence of Fbxo2 in non-neuronal cells, and increased in both cultured hippocampal neurons and brain tissue from Fbxo2 knock-out mice. The processing of APP into its cleavage products was also increased in hippocampi and cultured hippocampal neurons lacking Fbxo2. In hippocampal slices, this increase in cleavage products was accompanied by a significant reduction in APP at the cell surface. Taken together, these results suggest that Fbxo2 regulates APP levels and processing in the brain and may play a role in modulating AD pathogenesis.

Suitability of Yin Yang 1 transcript and protein levels for biomarker studies in B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Arribas Arranz, Jéssica; Winter, Dalia Nilufar; Drexler, Hans Günter; Eberth, Sonja

2018-01-01

Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a transcription factor that plays an important role during all stages of B cell differentiation. Several studies reported upregulation of YY1 in B cell derived lymphoma, indicating that it might act as an oncogene. Furthermore, aberrant YY1 expression has been associated with survival in some entities of B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), suggesting that YY1 could be a valuable biomarker in B-NHL. However, studies are controversial and methodologically disparate, partially because some studies are based on transcript levels while others rely on YY1 protein data. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the dependence of YY1 protein levels on YY1 transcription. A panel of human cell lines representing different B-NHL subtypes was used to test for the correlation of YY1 mRNA and protein levels which were determined by quantitative PCR and immunoblotting. To analyze YY1 mRNA and YY1 protein stability cells were treated with actinomycin-D and cycloheximide, respectively. siRNAs were transfected to knockdown YY1 . Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed with data from published patient cohorts. Pearson's correlation analyses were assessed and statistical power was examined by Student's t-test. In the analyzed panel of B-NHL cell lines YY1 transcript levels do not correlate with their cellular protein amounts. YY1 protein levels were unaffected by transient block of transcription or by targeting YY1 mRNA using siRNA. Additionally, global inhibition of translation up to 48 h did not alter protein levels of YY1, indicating that YY1 is a highly stable protein in B-NHL. Furthermore, in a retrospective analysis of two different B-NHL cohorts, YY1 transcript levels had no impact on patients' survival probabilities. Our results point out the necessity to focus on YY1 protein expression to understand the potential role of YY1 as an oncogene and to unravel its suitability as clinical biomarker in B-NHL.

Effect of heat stress on the pattern of protein synthesis in wheat endosperm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inwood, W.; Bernardin, J.

1990-01-01

The exposure of detached wheat heads (T. aestivum L. cv Cheyenne) to elevated temperatures resulted not only in the induction of a typical set of high and low molecular weight heat shock proteins (hsps), but also in a differential effect on the synthesis of wheat storage proteins in endosperm tissue when monitored by SDS PAGE of 35 S-labeled polypeptides. The synthesis of hsps in the endosperm had a rapid onset, reached a maximum rate within the first 2 hours at 40 degree C, and then steadily decreased during the next four hours. When heads were returned to 25 degree C after 3 hours at 40 degree C, hsp synthesis did not cease abruptly, but gradually declined over the next several hours. High molecular weight glutenin protein synthesis was drastically reduced with the same time course as heat shock protein synthesis was induced at 40 degree C. Conversely, the synthesis of gliadin proteins remained at a high level at 40 degree C. The synthesis rates for glutenin and gliadin proteins remained at low and high levels, respectively, for as long as the elevated temperature was maintained up to 7 hours

Conversion of carbon dioxide to value-added chemicals in atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paulussen, Sabine; Verheyde, Bert; Tu Xin; Sels, Bert; De Bie, Christophe; Martens, Tom; Petrovic, Dragana; Bogaerts, Annemie

2010-01-01

The aim of this work consists of the evaluation of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges for the conversion of greenhouse gases into useful compounds. Therefore, pure CO 2 feed flows are administered to the discharge zone at varying discharge frequency, power input, gas temperature and feed flow rates, aiming at the formation of CO and O 2 . The discharge obtained in CO 2 is characterized as a filamentary mode with a microdischarge zone in each half cycle of the applied voltage. It is shown that the most important parameter affecting the CO 2 -conversion levels is the gas flow rate. At low flow rates, both the conversion and the CO-yield are significantly higher. In addition, also an increase in the gas temperature and the power input give rise to higher conversion levels, although the effect on the CO-yield is limited. The optimum discharge frequency depends on the power input level and it cannot be unambiguously stated that higher frequencies give rise to increased conversion levels. A maximum CO 2 conversion of 30% is achieved at a flow rate of 0.05 L min -1 , a power density of 14.75 W cm -3 and a frequency of 60 kHz. The most energy efficient conversions are achieved at a flow rate of 0.2 L min -1 , a power density of 11 W cm -3 and a discharge frequency of 30 kHz.

A comprehensive approach to assess feathermeal as an alternative protein source in Aquafeed

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jasour, Mohammad Sedigh; Wagner, Liane; Sundekilde, Ulrik Kræmer

2017-01-01

The effect of partially replacing fishmeal in aquafeed with feathermeal (FTH) at three levels (0%: FTH0, 8%: FTH8, 24%: FTH24) and two extrusion temperatures (100 and 130 °C) were evaluated in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with respect to growth performance, metabolism response, and oxidative...... status of the feed proteins. Multivariate data analyses revealed that FTH24 correlated positively with high levels of: oxidation products, amino acids (AA) racemization, glucogenic AAs level in liver, feed intake (FI), specific growth rate (SGR), and feed conversion ratio (FCR); and low AAs digestibility...... be considered as fishmeal substitute in aquafeed for rainbow trout....

Optimum dietary protein requirement in nondiabetic maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohkawa, Sakae; Kaizu, Yukiko; Odamaki, Mari; Ikegaya, Naoki; Hibi, Ikuo; Miyaji, Kunihiko; Kumagai, Hiromichi

2004-03-01

There is controversy about whether the dietary protein requirement of 1.2 g/kg/d for hemodialysis (HD) patients, in the nutritional guidelines recommended by the National Kidney Foundation-Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF-KDOQI), is reasonable. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 129 stable HD patients without diabetes (84 men, 45 women) to investigate the association between the protein equivalent of nitrogen appearance normalized by ideal body weight (nPNAibw), an index of protein intake, and skeletal muscle mass or other metabolic consequences. Patients were divided into 5 groups according to nPNAibw index. Midthigh muscle area (TMA), midthigh subcutaneous fat area (TSFA), abdominal muscle area (AMA), abdominal subcutaneous fat area (ASFA), and visceral fat area (AVFA) were measured using computed tomography, and various nutritional parameters were compared among these groups. TMA and AMA values increased with increasing dietary protein intake from less than 0.7 g/kg/d to 0.9-1.1 g/kg/d and showed a plateau at greater than 0.9 to 1.1 g/kg/d of dietary protein intake. Conversely, fat mass, including TSFA, ASFA, and AVFA, and serum potassium concentration increased with graded protein intake, and no plateau was formed. Patients with nPNAibw greater than 1.3 g/kg/d satisfied the criterion of visceral obesity. Although serum prealbumin levels showed a trend similar to that of muscle mass, there was no significant difference in serum albumin levels among the study groups. Optimal dietary protein requirement for patients undergoing maintenance HD in a stable condition appears to be less than the level recommended by the NKF-KDOQI nutritional guidelines.

Pronunciation and Conversation Challenges among Saudi EFL Students

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Issa Mohammad Muflih Naser

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This study aims to identify the difficulties of pronunciation and conversation faced by EFL learners who undertook a Preparatory Year Program (PYP in Saudi Arabia, It highlights the main issues in pronunciation and conversations (e.g., textbooks, teaching methods, and students' attitude and motivation and techniques to address these problems. The instruments used in the study were classroom observations and teachers' discussions. The results revealed that firstly, students did not have a sound knowledge of grammar. Secondly, students' outside environment was influenced by their mother tongue. Thirdly, the teaching methods did not suit their proficiency levels. Finally, they were demotivated and thought that they have an impossible mission to improve their English pronunciation and conversation.

Influence of Protein and Energy Level in Finishing Diets for Feedlot Hair Lambs: Growth Performance, Dietary Energetics and Carcass Characteristics

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F. G. Ríos-Rincón

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Forty-eight Pelibuey×Katahdin male intact lambs (23.87±2.84 kg were used in an 84-d feeding trial, with six pens per treatment in a 2×2 factorial design arrangement. The aim of the study was to evaluate the interaction of two dietary energy levels (3.05 and 2.83 Mcal/kg ME and two dietary protein levels (17.5% and 14.5% on growth performance, dietary energetics and carcass traits. The dietary treatments used were: i High protein-high energy (HP-HE; ii High protein-low energy (HP-LE; iii Low protein-high energy (LP-HE, and iv Low protein-low energy (LP-LE. With a high-energy level, dry matter intake (DMI values were 6.1% lower in the low-protein diets, while with low-energy, the DMI values did not differ between the dietary protein levels. Energy levels did not influence the final weight and average daily gain (ADG, but resulted in lower DMI values and higher gain efficiencies. No effects of protein level were detected on growth performance. The observed dietary net energy (NE ratio and observed DMI were closer than expected in all treatments and were not affected by the different treatments. There was an interaction (p2.80 Mcal/kg ME. Providing a level of protein above 14.5% does not improves growth-performance, dietary energetics or carcass dressing percentage.

Protein C and antithrombin levels in patients with sickle cell anemia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Alterations in the components of hemostasis, namely platelet function, the procoagulant, anticoagulant, and the fibrinolytic systems, are observed in sickle cell anemia (SCA) and are in favor of a procoagulant phenotype. Therefore, study of protein C and antithrombin (AT) levels in patients with SCA in steady ...

Conversion of Questionnaire Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powell, Danny H.; Elwood, Robert H. Jr.

2011-01-01

During the survey, respondents are asked to provide qualitative answers (well, adequate, needs improvement) on how well material control and accountability (MC and A) functions are being performed. These responses can be used to develop failure probabilities for basic events performed during routine operation of the MC and A systems. The failure frequencies for individual events may be used to estimate total system effectiveness using a fault tree in a probabilistic risk analysis (PRA). Numeric risk values are required for the PRA fault tree calculations that are performed to evaluate system effectiveness. So, the performance ratings in the questionnaire must be converted to relative risk values for all of the basic MC and A tasks performed in the facility. If a specific material protection, control, and accountability (MPC and A) task is being performed at the 'perfect' level, the task is considered to have a near zero risk of failure. If the task is performed at a less than perfect level, the deficiency in performance represents some risk of failure for the event. As the degree of deficiency in performance increases, the risk of failure increases. If a task that should be performed is not being performed, that task is in a state of failure. The failure probabilities of all basic events contribute to the total system risk. Conversion of questionnaire MPC and A system performance data to numeric values is a separate function from the process of completing the questionnaire. When specific questions in the questionnaire are answered, the focus is on correctly assessing and reporting, in an adjectival manner, the actual performance of the related MC and A function. Prior to conversion, consideration should not be given to the numeric value that will be assigned during the conversion process. In the conversion process, adjectival responses to questions on system performance are quantified based on a log normal scale typically used in human error analysis (see A

Interaction betwen Lead and Bone Protein to Affect Bone Calcium Level Using UV-Vis Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Noor, Z.; Azharuddin, A.; Aflanie, I.; Kania, N.; Suhartono, E.

2018-05-01

This present study aim to evaluate the interactions between lead (Pb) and with bone protein by UV-Vis approach. In addition, this prsent study also aim to investigate the effect of Pb on bone calcium (Ca) level. The present study was a true experimental study design to examine the impact of Pb exposure in bone of male rats (Rattus novergicus). The study involved 5 groups, P1 was the control group, while the other (P2-P5) were the case group with exposure of Pb in different concentration within 4 weeks. At the end of the exposure, the interaction between Pb and protein was determined using UV-Vis spectrophotometric method, and the Ca level was determined using permanganometric method. The results shows that that there is an interaction between Pb and bone protein. The result also shows that the value of the binding constant of Protein-Pb is 32.71. It means Pb have an high affinity to bind with bone protein, which promote a further reaction to induced the release of bone Ca from the bone protein. In conclusion, this present study found an obvious relationship between Pb and bone protein which promote a further reaction to increase the releasing of bone calcium.

Influence of genetic variation on plasma protein levels in older adults using a multi-analyte panel.

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Sungeun Kim

Full Text Available Proteins, widely studied as potential biomarkers, play important roles in numerous physiological functions and diseases. Genetic variation may modulate corresponding protein levels and point to the role of these variants in disease pathophysiology. Effects of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs within a gene were analyzed for corresponding plasma protein levels using genome-wide association study (GWAS genotype data and proteomic panel data with 132 quality-controlled analytes from 521 Caucasian participants in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI cohort. Linear regression analysis detected 112 significant (Bonferroni threshold p=2.44×10(-5 associations between 27 analytes and 112 SNPs. 107 out of these 112 associations were tested in the Indiana Memory and Aging Study (IMAS cohort for replication and 50 associations were replicated at uncorrected p<0.05 in the same direction of effect as those in the ADNI. We identified multiple novel associations including the association of rs7517126 with plasma complement factor H-related protein 1 (CFHR1 level at p<1.46×10(-60, accounting for 40 percent of total variation of the protein level. We serendipitously found the association of rs6677604 with the same protein at p<9.29×10(-112. Although these two SNPs were not in the strong linkage disequilibrium, 61 percent of total variation of CFHR1 was accounted for by rs6677604 without additional variation by rs7517126 when both SNPs were tested together. 78 other SNP-protein associations in the ADNI sample exceeded genome-wide significance (5×10(-8. Our results confirmed previously identified gene-protein associations for interleukin-6 receptor, chemokine CC-4, angiotensin-converting enzyme, and angiotensinogen, although the direction of effect was reversed in some cases. This study is among the first analyses of gene-protein product relationships integrating multiplex-panel proteomics and targeted genes extracted from a GWAS

Maternal high-fat diet and offspring expression levels of vitamin K-dependent proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Lanham, S A; Cagampang, F R; Oreffo, R O C

2014-12-01

Studies suggest that bone growth and development and susceptibility to vascular disease in later life are influenced by maternal nutrition during intrauterine and early postnatal life. There is evidence for a role of vitamin K-dependent proteins (VKDPs) including osteocalcin, matrix Gla protein, periostin, and growth-arrest specific- protein 6, in both bone and vascular development. We have examined whether there are alterations in these VKDPs in bone and vascular tissue from offspring of mothers subjected to a nutritional challenge: a high-fat diet during pregnancy and postnatally, using 6-week-old mouse offspring. Bone site-specific and sex-specific differences across femoral and vertebral bone in male and female offspring were observed. Overall a high-fat maternal diet and offspring diet exacerbated the bone changes observed. Sex-specific differences and tissue-specific differences were observed in VKDP levels in aorta tissue from high-fat diet-fed female offspring from high-fat diet-fed mothers displaying increased levels of Gas6 and Ggcx compared with those of female controls. In contrast, differences were seen in VKDP levels in femoral bone of female offspring with lower expression levels of Mgp in offspring of mothers fed a high-fat diet compared with those of controls. We observed a significant correlation in Mgp expression levels within the femur to measures of bone structure of the femur and vertebra, particularly in the male offspring cohort. In summary, the current study has highlighted the importance of maternal nutrition on offspring bone development and the correlation of VKDPs to bone structure.

Uranium conversion; Urankonvertering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliver, Lena; Peterson, Jenny; Wilhelmsen, Katarina [Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), Stockholm (Sweden)

2006-03-15

FOI, has performed a study on uranium conversion processes that are of importance in the production of different uranium compounds in the nuclear industry. The same conversion processes are of interest both when production of nuclear fuel and production of fissile material for nuclear weapons are considered. Countries that have nuclear weapons ambitions, with the intention to produce highly enriched uranium for weapons purposes, need some degree of uranium conversion capability depending on the uranium feed material available. This report describes the processes that are needed from uranium mining and milling to the different conversion processes for converting uranium ore concentrate to uranium hexafluoride. Uranium hexafluoride is the uranium compound used in most enrichment facilities. The processes needed to produce uranium dioxide for use in nuclear fuel and the processes needed to convert different uranium compounds to uranium metal - the form of uranium that is used in a nuclear weapon - are also presented. The production of uranium ore concentrate from uranium ore is included since uranium ore concentrate is the feed material required for a uranium conversion facility. Both the chemistry and principles or the different uranium conversion processes and the equipment needed in the processes are described. Since most of the equipment that is used in a uranium conversion facility is similar to that used in conventional chemical industry, it is difficult to determine if certain equipment is considered for uranium conversion or not. However, the chemical conversion processes where UF{sub 6} and UF{sub 4} are present require equipment that is made of corrosion resistant material.

Supplementation of suckling beef calves with different levels of crude protein on tropical pasture.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, Sidnei Antonio; Paulino, Mário Fonseca; Detmann, Edenio; de Campos Valadares Filho, Sebastião; Valente, Eriton Egídio Lisboa; Barros, Lívia Vieira; Cardenas, Javier Enrique Garces; Almeida, Daniel Mageste; Martins, Leandro Soares; Silva, Aline Gomes

2014-02-01

The effects of supplementation with different levels of crude protein on performance, intake and nutrient digestibility and efficiency of microbial protein synthesis in suckling beef calves on pasture were assessed. Fifty-five calves, with an average age of 100 days and an initial average body weight of 110 ± 7.5 kg and their respective dams, were used. The experimental design was completely randomised with five treatments and 11 replications. The experimental treatments for calves were as follows: control = calves received only mineral mixture; supplementation levels = calves received supplement containing 8, 19, 30 or 41% of crude protein (CP, at a rate of 0.5% of body weight (BW)). The cows received only mineral mixture ad libitum. Supplemented calves had higher (P calves. There was no difference in total dry matter (DM) intake (P > 0.1). However, intake of dry matter forage (DMF) presented cubic profiles (P calves on creep feeding. The intake of supplements with CP levels between 8 and 30% partially replaces of the pasture ingested by calves and increases the digestibility of the diet.

Anti-carbamylated Protein Antibody Levels Correlate with Anti-Sa (Citrullinated Vimentin) Antibody Levels in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Challener, Gregory J; Jones, Jonathan D; Pelzek, Adam J; Hamilton, B JoNell; Boire, Gilles; de Brum-Fernandes, Artur José; Masetto, Ariel; Carrier, Nathalie; Ménard, Henri A; Silverman, Gregg J; Rigby, William F C

2016-02-01

The presence of anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) indicates a breach in immune tolerance. Recent studies indicate that this breach extends to homocitrullination of lysines with the formation of anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies. We analyzed the clinical and serologic relationships of anti-CarP in 2 RA cohorts. Circulating levels of immunoglobulin G anti-CarP antibodies were determined by ELISA in established (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center) and early (Sherbrooke University Hospital Center) cohorts and evaluated for anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP), specific ACPA, and rheumatoid factor (RF) levels using the Student t test and correlation analysis. We identified elevated anti-CarP antibodies titers in 47.0% of seropositive patients (Dartmouth, n = 164), with relationships to anti-CCP (p < 0.0001) and IgM-RF (p = 0.001). Similarly, 38.2% of seropositive patients from the Sherbrooke cohort (n = 171) had elevated anti-CarP antibodies; titers correlated to anti-CCP (p = 0.01) but not IgM-RF (p = 0.09). A strong correlation with anti-Sa was observed: 47.9% anti-Sa+ patients were anti-CarP antibodies+ versus only 25.4% anti-Sa- in the Sherbrooke cohort (p = 0.0002), and 62.6% anti-Sa+ patients versus 26.9% anti-Sa- were anti-CarP antibodies+ in Dartmouth (p < 0.0001). We found a more variable response for reactivity to citrullinated fibrinogen or to citrullinated peptides from fibrinogen and α enolase. In 2 North American RA cohorts, we observed a high prevalence of anti-CarP antibody positivity. We also describe a surprising and unexpected association of anti-CarP with anti-Sa antibodies that could not be explained by cross-reactivity. Further, considerable heterogeneity exists between anti-CarP reactivity and other citrullinated peptide reactivity, raising the question of how the pathogenesis of antibody responses for carbamylated proteins and citrullinated proteins may be linked in vivo.

The influences of ambient temperature and crude protein levels on performance and serum biochemical parameters in broilers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Q W; Feng, J H; Chao, Z; Chen, Y; Wei, L M; Wang, F; Sun, R P; Zhang, M H

2016-04-01

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of ambient temperature, crude protein levels and their interaction on performance and serum biochemical parameters of broiler chickens. A total of 216 Arbor Acre broiler chickens (108 males and 108 females) were used in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement and randomly reared at two temperatures (normal temperature: 23 °C; daily cyclic high temperature: 28-32 °C) and fed on three diets with different crude protein levels (153.3, 183.3 or 213.3 g/kg, with constant essential amino acids) from 28 to 42 days of age. Daily cyclic high ambient temperature decreased final body weight, average daily weight gain, average daily feed intake and serum total protein contents (p chickens was interacted by daily cyclic high ambient temperature and dietary crude protein levels (p = 0.003). These results indicated that daily cyclic high ambient temperature had a great effect on performance and serum biochemical parameters in broiler chickens, whereas dietary crude protein levels affected them partially. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Lexical Cues of Interaction Involvement in Dyadic Instant Messaging Conversations

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Duyen T.; Fussell, Susan R.

2014-01-01

We explore how people express and interpret lexical cues of interaction involvement in dyadic conversations via instant messaging (IM) in two studies. In Study 1, an experiment with 60 participants, we manipulated level of involvement in a conversation with a distraction task. We examined how participants' uses of verbal cues such as pronouns…

Advanced conversion technology review panel report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frazier, T.A.

1998-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) established a DOE lead management team and an Advanced Conversion Technology Review Panel. The panel was tasked with providing the management team with an assessment and ranking of the three advanced conversion technologies. The three advanced conversion technologies were alkali metal thermal to electric converter (AMTEC), Stirling engine converter (SEC), and thermophotovoltaic (TPV). To rate and rank these three technologies, five criteria were developed: (1) Performance, (2) Development and Cost/Production and Cost/Schedule Risk, (3) Spacecraft Interface and Operations, (4) Ability to Scale Conversion, and (5) Safety. Discussed are the relative importance of each of these criteria and the rankings of the three advanced conversion technologies. It was the conclusion of the panel that the technology decision should be based on the risk that DOE and NASA are willing to accept. SEC is the most mature technology and would provide the lowest risk option. However, if more risk is acceptable, AMTEC not only provides benefits in the spacecraft interface but is also predicted to outperform the SEC. It was proposed that if AMTEC were selected, funding should be provided at a reasonable level to support back-up technology to be developed in a parallel fashion until AMTEC has proven its capability. The panel report and conclusion were provided to DOE in February 1997

Internal conversion theory of gamma radiation in unfilled atomic shells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, Eh.M.; Trusov, V.F.; Ehglajs, M.O.

1980-01-01

The internal conversion theory of gamma radiation in unfilled shells, when the atom is in a state with certain energy and momentum, is considered. A formula for the conversion coefficient between the atom and ion levels is obtained. This coefficient turns to be dependent on genealogic characteristics of the atom. It is discussed when the conversion coefficients are proportional to the numbers of filling subshells in the atom. Exact calculations have been carried out in the multiconfigurational approximation taking into account intermediate coupling for the d-shell of the Fe atom Single-electron radial wave functions have been calculated on the basis of the relativistic method of the Hartree-Fock-Dirak self-consistent field. Conversion coefficients on certain subshells as well as submatrix elements of the production operator are calculated. The electric coefficient of internal conversion (CIC) in the calculation for one electron does not depend on spin orientation. That is why the electric CIC from the level will not depend on filling number distribution by subshells. For magnetic CIC the dependence on the atom state is significant. Using multiconfiguration basis for calculating energy matrix and its succeeding diagonalization means the account of the intermediate coupling type, which takes place for the unfilled shells

Autoregulation of kinase dephosphorylation by ATP binding in AGC protein kinases.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Tung O; Pascal, John M; Armen, Roger S; Rodeck, Ulrich

2012-02-01

AGC kinases, including the three Akt (protein kinase B) isoforms, protein kinase A (PKA) and all protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, require activation loop phosphorylation (threonine 308 in Akt1) as well as phosphorylation of a C-terminal residue (serine 473 in Akt1) for catalytic activity and phosphorylation of downstream targets. Conversely, phosphatases reverse these phosphorylations. Virtually all cellular processes are affected by AGC kinases, a circumstance that has led to intense scrutiny of the molecular mechanisms that regulate phosphorylation of these kinases. Here, we review a new layer of control of phosphorylation in Akt, PKA and PKC pointing to ATP binding pocket occupancy as a means to decelerate dephosphorylation of these and, potentially, other kinases. This additional level of kinase regulation opens the door to search for new functional motifs for the rational design of non- ATP-competitive kinase inhibitors that discriminate within and between protein kinase families.

Performance of juveniles of Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum fed graded levels of corn gluten meal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Álvaro José de Almeida Bicudo

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate corn gluten meal (CGM as a substitute for fish meal in diets for striped catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum juveniles. Eight isonitrogenous (46% crude protein and isoenergetic (3,450 kcal kg-1 digestible energy diets, with increasing levels of CGM - 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, and 42% -, were fed to juvenile striped catfish (113.56±5.10 g for seven weeks. Maximum values for weight gain, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio and feed conversion ratio, evaluated by polynomial quadratic regression, were observed with 10.4, 11.4, 15.4 and 15% of CGM inclusion, respectively. Feed intake decreased significantly from 0.8% CGM. Mesenteric fat index and body gross energy decreased linearly with increasing levels of CGM; minimum body protein contents were observed with 34.1% CGM. Yellow pigmentation of fillets significantly increased until 26.5% CGM, and decreased from this point forth. Both plasma glucose and protein concentrations decreased with increased CGM levels. The inclusion of 10-15% CGM promotes optimum of striped catfish juveniles depending on the parameter evaluated. Yellow coloration in fillets produced by CGM diets can have marketing implications.

Blood profile of proteins and steroid hormones predicts weight change after weight loss with interactions of dietary protein level and glycemic index.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Wang

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Weight regain after weight loss is common. In the Diogenes dietary intervention study, high protein and low glycemic index (GI diet improved weight maintenance.To identify blood predictors for weight change after weight loss following the dietary intervention within the Diogenes study.Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 8-week low caloric diet-induced weight loss from 48 women who continued to lose weight and 48 women who regained weight during subsequent 6-month dietary intervention period with 4 diets varying in protein and GI levels. Thirty-one proteins and 3 steroid hormones were measured.Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE was the most important predictor. Its greater reduction during the 8-week weight loss was related to continued weight loss during the subsequent 6 months, identified by both Logistic Regression and Random Forests analyses. The prediction power of ACE was influenced by immunoproteins, particularly fibrinogen. Leptin, luteinizing hormone and some immunoproteins showed interactions with dietary protein level, while interleukin 8 showed interaction with GI level on the prediction of weight maintenance. A predictor panel of 15 variables enabled an optimal classification by Random Forests with an error rate of 24±1%. A logistic regression model with independent variables from 9 blood analytes had a prediction accuracy of 92%.A selected panel of blood proteins/steroids can predict the weight change after weight loss. ACE may play an important role in weight maintenance. The interactions of blood factors with dietary components are important for personalized dietary advice after weight loss.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00390637.

Chemical Conversion of Human Fibroblasts into Functional Schwann Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva C. Thoma

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Direct transdifferentiation of somatic cells is a promising approach to obtain patient-specific cells for numerous applications. However, conversion across germ-layer borders often requires ectopic gene expression with unpredictable side effects. Here, we present a gene-free approach that allows efficient conversion of human fibroblasts via a transient progenitor stage into Schwann cells, the major glial cell type of peripheral nerves. Using a multikinase inhibitor, we transdifferentiated fibroblasts into transient neural precursors that were subsequently further differentiated into Schwann cells. The resulting induced Schwann cells (iSCs expressed numerous Schwann cell-specific proteins and displayed neurosupportive and myelination capacity in vitro. Thus, we established a strategy to obtain mature Schwann cells from human postnatal fibroblasts under chemically defined conditions without the introduction of ectopic genes.

Protein enrichment of cassava peel by submerged fermentation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PRECIOUS

2010-01-11

Jan 11, 2010 ... enzyme and non-enzyme pre-treated cassava peel. ... T. viride in the fermentor revealed that dry biomass increased in crude protein, true protein, crude fat, ... either directly for human food or indirectly by conversion to animal ...

Protein logic: a statistical mechanical study of signal integration at the single-molecule level.

Science.gov (United States)

de Ronde, Wiet; Rein ten Wolde, Pieter; Mugler, Andrew

2012-09-05

Information processing and decision-making is based upon logic operations, which in cellular networks has been well characterized at the level of transcription. In recent years, however, both experimentalists and theorists have begun to appreciate that cellular decision-making can also be performed at the level of a single protein, giving rise to the notion of protein logic. Here we systematically explore protein logic using a well-known statistical mechanical model. As an example system, we focus on receptors that bind either one or two ligands, and their associated dimers. Notably, we find that a single heterodimer can realize any of the 16 possible logic gates, including the XOR gate, by variation of biochemical parameters. We then introduce what to our knowledge is a novel idea: that a set of receptors with fixed parameters can encode functionally unique logic gates simply by forming different dimeric combinations. An exhaustive search reveals that the simplest set of receptors (two single-ligand receptors and one double-ligand receptor) can realize several different groups of three unique gates, a result for which the parametric analysis of single receptors and dimers provides a clear interpretation. Both results underscore the surprising functional freedom readily available to cells at the single-protein level. Copyright © 2012 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High levels of X-linked Inhibitor-of-Apoptosis Protein (XIAP) are indicative of radio chemotherapy resistance in rectal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flanagan, L.; Kehoe, J.; Fay, J.; Bacon, O.; Lindner, A.U.; Kay, E.W.; Deasy, J.; McNamara, D.A.; Prehn, J.H.M.

2015-01-01

The mainstay of treatment in rectal cancer is neoadjuvant radio chemotherapy prior to surgery, in an attempt to downstage the tumour, allowing for more complete removal during surgery. In 40 % of cases however, this neoadjuvant radio chemotherapy fails to achieve tumour regression, partly due insufficient apoptosis signaling. X-linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (XIAP) is an anti-apoptotic protein that has been reported to contribute to disease progression and chemotherapy resistance. We obtained rectal biopsy normal and matched tumour tissue from 29 rectal cancer patients with varying degrees of tumour regression, and using Western blot, examined anti-apoptotic XIAP and pro-apoptotic Smac protein levels in these tissues, with the aim to examine whether disturbed XIAP/Smac levels may be an indicator of neoadjuvant radio chemotherapy resistance. Expression of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins cIAP-1 and cIAP-2 was also examined. We found that levels of XIAP increased in accordance with the degree of radio chemotherapy resistance of the tissue. Levels of this protein were also significantly higher in tumour tissue, compared to matched normal tissue in highly resistant tissue. In contrast, Smac protein levels did not increase with radio chemotherapy resistance, and the protein was similarly expressed in normal and tumour tissue, indicating a shift in the balance of these proteins. Post treatment surgical resection tissue was available for 8 patients. When we compared matched tissue pre- and post- radio chemotherapy we found that XIAP levels increased significantly during treatment in both normal and tumour tissue, while Smac levels did not change. cIAP-1 and cIAP-2 levels were not differentially expressed in varying degrees of radio chemotherapy resistance, and neoadjuvant therapy did not alter expression of these proteins. These data indicate that disturbance of the XIAP/Smac balance may be a driver of radio chemotherapy resistance, and hence high levels of XIAP may

Predicting protein folding pathways at the mesoscopic level based on native interactions between secondary structure elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sze Sing-Hoi

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Since experimental determination of protein folding pathways remains difficult, computational techniques are often used to simulate protein folding. Most current techniques to predict protein folding pathways are computationally intensive and are suitable only for small proteins. Results By assuming that the native structure of a protein is known and representing each intermediate conformation as a collection of fully folded structures in which each of them contains a set of interacting secondary structure elements, we show that it is possible to significantly reduce the conformation space while still being able to predict the most energetically favorable folding pathway of large proteins with hundreds of residues at the mesoscopic level, including the pig muscle phosphoglycerate kinase with 416 residues. The model is detailed enough to distinguish between different folding pathways of structurally very similar proteins, including the streptococcal protein G and the peptostreptococcal protein L. The model is also able to recognize the differences between the folding pathways of protein G and its two structurally similar variants NuG1 and NuG2, which are even harder to distinguish. We show that this strategy can produce accurate predictions on many other proteins with experimentally determined intermediate folding states. Conclusion Our technique is efficient enough to predict folding pathways for both large and small proteins at the mesoscopic level. Such a strategy is often the only feasible choice for large proteins. A software program implementing this strategy (SSFold is available at http://faculty.cs.tamu.edu/shsze/ssfold.

Conversation therapy with people with aphasia and conversation partners using video feedback: a group and case series investigation of changes in interaction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wendy Best

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Conversation therapies employing video for feedback and to facilitate outcome measurement are increasingly used with people with post-stroke aphasia and their conversation partners; however the evidence base for change in everyday interaction remains limited. We investigated the effect of Better Conversations with Aphasia, an intervention that is freely available online (https:// extend.ucl.ac.uk/. Eight people with chronic agrammatic aphasia, and their regular conversation partners participated in the tailored 8 week program involving significant video feedback. We explored changes in (i conversation facilitators (such as multi-modal turns by people with aphasia and (ii conversation barriers (such as use of test questions by conversation partners. The outcome of intervention was evaluated directly by measuring change in video-recorded everyday conversations. The study employed a pre-post design with multiple 5 minute samples of conversation before and after intervention, scored by trained raters blind to the point of data collection. Group level analysis showed no significant increase in conversation facilitators. There was, however, a significant reduction in the number of conversation barriers. The case series data revealed variability in conversation behaviors across occasions for the same dyad and between different dyads. Specifically, post-intervention there was a significant increase in facilitator behaviors for two dyads, a decrease for one and no significant change for five dyads. There was a significant decrease in barrier behaviors for five dyads and no significant change for three dyads. The reduction in barrier behaviors was considerable; on average change from over 8 to fewer than 3 barrier behaviors in 5 minutes conversation. The pre-post design has the limitation of no comparison group. However, change occurs in targeted conversational behaviors and in people with chronic aphasia and their partners. The findings suggest change

Effect of dietary protein level on ewe milk yield and on air quality under different ventilation rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Sevi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of dietary N utilization for milk protein synthesis in dairy animals is quite low (15 to 35% (NRC, 1988; Tamminga, 1992, therefore farmers are driven to use high protein level diets for sustaining milk production in lactating animals. Previous experiments have demonstrated that an increase in the protein level of diet from 13 to 16% resulted in higher blood urea concentrations (Jaime and Purroy, 1995 and increased N excretion in urine in sheep (Gonzalez et al., 1984.

Fungal Fermented Protein (FFP : Alternative Ingredient to be Used in Muscovy Duck Diets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Usaneeporn Soipeth

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Fungal fermented protein (FFP was the alternative feedstuff from Aspergillus niger and can be an interesting choice in poultry diets because these product was containing 20.49 % of crude protein and high leucine (0.58 %, phenylalanine (0.58 % and lysine (0.38 % and contained no aflatoxin. The experiments were performed using a completely randomized design with 6 treatments and 3 replications employing eight 1-day-old, mixed sex muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata per experimental unit. The control birds were fed with a basal diet whereas the test birds were fed with FFP at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 % of diet. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. The feed intake of the starter showed no significant difference while the grower and finisher had higher feed intake with higher levels of FFP. In contrast, the high level of FFP yielded the lower final body weight and body weight gain, resulting in the high feed conversion ratio (4.38. For the performance of overall period, the ducks fed with 20 % FFP had higher average daily gain (29.40 g/b/d, body weight gain (2,471 g/b and feed conversion ratio (3.63. No deaths were found in any pens and the ducks remained in good health.

The near-symmetry of proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonjack-Shterengartz, Maayan; Avnir, David

2015-04-01

The majority of protein oligomers form clusters which are nearly symmetric. Understanding of that imperfection, its origins, and perhaps also its advantages requires the conversion of the currently used vague qualitative descriptive language of the near-symmetry into an accurate quantitative measure that will allow to answer questions such as: "What is the degree of symmetry deviation of the protein?," "how do these deviations compare within a family of proteins?," and so on. We developed quantitative methods to answer this type of questions, which are capable of analyzing the whole protein, its backbone or selected portions of it, down to comparison of symmetry-related specific amino-acids, and which are capable of visualizing the various levels of symmetry deviations in the form of symmetry maps. We have applied these methods on an extensive list of homomers and heteromers and found that apparently all proteins never reach perfect symmetry. Strikingly, even homomeric protein clusters are never ideally symmetric. We also found that the main burden of symmetry distortion is on the amino-acids near the symmetry axis; that it is mainly the more hydrophilic amino-acids that take place in symmetry-distortive interactions; and more. The remarkable ability of heteromers to preserve near-symmetry, despite the different sequences, was also shown and analyzed. The comprehensive literature on the suggested advantages symmetric oligomerizations raises a yet-unsolved key question: If symmetry is so advantageous, why do proteins stop shy of perfect symmetry? Some tentative answers to be tested in further studies are suggested in a concluding outlook. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Plasma levels of selenium-containing proteins in Inuit adults from Nunavik.

Science.gov (United States)

Achouba, Adel; Dumas, Pierre; Ouellet, Nathalie; Lemire, Mélanie; Ayotte, Pierre

2016-11-01

Selenium (Se) is highly abundant in marine foods traditionally consumed by Inuit of Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada) and accordingly, their Se intake is among the highest in the world. However, little is known regarding the biological implications of this high Se status in this Arctic indigenous population. We used a method combining affinity chromatography and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry with quantification by post-column isotope dilution to determine total Se levels and concentrations of Se-containing proteins in archived plasma samples of Inuit adults who participated to the 2004 Nunavik Inuit Health Survey (N = 852). Amounts of mercury (Hg) associated with Se-containing proteins were also quantified. Results show that glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3), selenoprotein P (SelP) and selenoalbumin (SeAlb) represented respectively 25%, 52% and 23% of total plasma Se concentrations. In addition, small amounts of Hg co-eluted with each Se-containing protein and up to 50% of plasma Hg was associated to SelP. Total plasma Se concentrations (median = 139 μg L− 1; interquartile range (IQR) = 22.7 μg L− 1) were markedly lower and less variable than whole blood Se concentration (median = 261 μg L− 1, IQR = 166 μg L− 1). A non linear relation was observed between whole blood Se and plasma Se levels, with plasma Se concentrations leveling off at approximately 200 μg L− 1, whereas 16% and 3% of individuals exhibited whole blood concentrations higher than 500 μg L− 1 and 1000 μg L− 1, respectively. In contrast, a linear relationship was previously reported in communities consuming Brazil nuts which are rich Se, mainly present as selenomethionine. This suggests that a different selenocompound, possibly selenoneine, is present in the Arctic marine food chain and accumulates in the blood cellular fraction of Inuit.

Efficient co-conversion process of chicken manure into protein feed and organic fertilizer by Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xiao, Xiaopeng; Mazza, Lorenzo; Yu, Yongqiang; Cai, Minmin; Zheng, Longyu; Tomberlin, Jeffery K.; Yu, Jeffrey; Huis, van Arnold; Yu, Ziniu; Fasulo, Salvatore; Zhang, Jibin

2018-01-01

A chicken manure management process was carried out through co-conversion of Hermetia illucens L. larvae (BSFL) with functional bacteria for producing larvae as feed stuff and organic fertilizer. Thirteen days co-conversion of 1000 kg of chicken manure inoculated with one million 6-day-old BSFL and

The level of neuron-specific enolase and S-100 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with acute bacterial meningitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Sokhan

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Aim. To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic role of neuron-specific enolase (NSE and S-100 protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF of patients with acute bacterial meningitis in the course of the disease. Materials and Methods. 54 cases of acute bacterial meningitis were analyzed, among them – 26 with pneumococcal and 28 with meningococcal etiology. Patients were divided into groups depending on the severity and etiology of disease. In addition to routine laboratory methods, we analyzed the CSF levels of S-100 protein and NSE at admission and after 10 – 12 days of treatment. 12 patients with acute respiratory infections and meningism were examined as a comparison group. Results. In all patients with acute bacterial meningitis CSF NSE and protein S-100 levels were significantly higher than in the control group (P <0,05. CSF neuro specific proteins level was in direct dependence on severity of the disease, and in patients with severe disease was significantly higher than in patients with moderate severity and in the control group (P <0,01. After 10 – 12 days of treatment, the level of the NSE and S-100 protein decreased, but in severe cases was still higher than in the control group (P <0,05. Conclusions. Increased cerebrospinal fluid NSE and S – 100 protein levels shows the presence and value of neurons and glial cells damage in patients with acute bacterial meningitis. CSF S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase levels help to determine the severity of neurons destruction and glial cells in patients with acute bacterial meningitis. Level of neurospecific protein is in direct proportion to the severity of the disease and is the highest in patients with severe cases (P<0,05. It confirms the diagnostic and prognostic value of CSF neurospecific protein determination in patients with bacterial meningitis.

Ischemia - reperfusion induced changes in levels of ion transport proteins in gerbil brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehotsky, J.; Racay, P.; Kaplan, P.; Mezesova, V.; Raeymaekers, L.

1998-01-01

A quantitative Western blotting was used to asses the levels of ion transport proteins in gerbil brain in control and in animals after ischemic-reperfusion injury (IRI). The gene products of plasma membrane Ca 2+ pump (PMCA) were detected in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex and cerebellum. However, they showed a distinct distribution pattern. Inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (Ins 3 ) receptor and reticular Ca 2+ pump are the most abundant in cerebellum and hippocampus. The IRI leads to a selective decrease in content of PMCA and InsP 3 receptor I isoforms. The levels of α 3 isoform of Na + pump and reticular proteins: Ca 2+ pump and calreticulin remained constant. InsP 3 receptor and organellar Ca 2+ (SERCA) are the most abundant in cerebellum and hippocampus. Ischemia and reperfusion up to 10 days leads to a signal decrease of PMCA immuno-signal. We suppose that alteration of number of ion transport proteins, can contribute to changes which participate or follow the delayed death of neurons in hippocampus. (authors)

A synthetic arabinose-inducible promoter confers high levels of recombinant protein expression in hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peng, Nan; Deng, Ling; Mei, Yuxia

2012-01-01

Despite major progresses in genetic studies of hyperthermophilic archaea, recombinant protein production in these organisms always suffers from low yields and a robust expression system is still in great demand. Here we report a versatile vector that confers high levels of protein expression...... to remove the peptide tags from expressed recombinant proteins. While pEXA employed an araS promoter for protein expression, pSeSD utilized P(araS-SD), an araS derivative promoter carrying an engineered ribosome-binding site (RBS; a Shine-Dalgarno [SD] sequence). We found that P(araS-SD) directed high...... levels of target gene expression. More strikingly, N-terminal amino acid sequencing of recombinant proteins unraveled that the protein synthesized from pEXA-N-lacS lacked the designed 6×His tag and that translation initiation did not start at the ATG codon of the fusion gene. Instead, it started...

Evidence of G-protein-coupled receptor and substrate transporter heteromerization at a single molecule level.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Jana; Kleinau, Gunnar; Rutz, Claudia; Zwanziger, Denise; Khajavi, Noushafarin; Müller, Anne; Rehders, Maren; Brix, Klaudia; Worth, Catherine L; Führer, Dagmar; Krude, Heiko; Wiesner, Burkhard; Schülein, Ralf; Biebermann, Heike

2018-06-01

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can constitute complexes with non-GPCR integral membrane proteins, while such interaction has not been demonstrated at a single molecule level so far. We here investigated the potential interaction between the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) and the monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8), a member of the major facilitator superfamily (MFS), using fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS). Both the proteins are expressed endogenously on the basolateral plasma membrane of the thyrocytes and are involved in stimulation of thyroid hormone production and release. Indeed, we demonstrate strong interaction between both the proteins which causes a suppressed activation of G q/11 by TSH-stimulated TSHR. Thus, we provide not only evidence for a novel interaction between the TSHR and MCT8, but could also prove this interaction on a single molecule level. Moreover, this interaction forces biased signaling at the TSHR. These results are of general interest for both the GPCR and the MFS research fields.

Comparison of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fetuin-A levels before and after treatment for subjects with subclinical hyperthyroidism.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilgir, Oktay; Bilgir, Ferda; Topcuoglu, Tuba; Calan, Mehmet; Calan, Ozlem

2014-03-01

This study was designed to show the effect of propylthiouracil treatment on sCD40L, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fetuin-A levels on subjects with subclinical hyperthyroidism. After checking sCD40L, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fetuin-A levels of 35 patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism, each was given 50 mg tablets of propylthiouracil three times daily. After 3 months, sCD40L, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fetuin-A levels were then compared to the levels before treatment. Although high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and sCD40L levels were normal in the subclinical hyperthyroidism patients compared to the healthy controls, fetuin-A levels were statistically significantly higher (*p = 0.022). After treatment, fetuin-A levels of subclinical hyperthyroidism patients decreased statistically significantly compared to the levels before treatment (**p = 0.026). sCD40L and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels did not have a statistically significant difference compared to the control group and post-propylthiouracil treatment. In subclinical hyperthyroidism patients, high fetuin-A levels before propylthiouracil treatment and decreases in these levels after treatment in cases with subclinical hyperthyroidism indicated the possibility of preventing long-term cardiac complications with propylthiouracil treatment.

Does vitamin D deficiency predict early conversion of clinically isolated syndrome? A preliminary Egyptian study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaheen, Hala A; Sayed, Sayed S; Daker, Lamiaa I; AbdelAziz, Hossam Eldin; Taha, Mohamed A

2018-03-15

It has been suggested that vitamin D influences the immunoregulation and subsequently affects the risk for conversion of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS). There is little information regarding the relationship between levels of vitamin D and CIS conversion to MS in Egyptian patients. It is to study contribution of vitamin D deficiency to conversion of CIS to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) and correlation of vitamin D level to cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results. A longitudinal prospective case control study was conducted on 43 Egyptian patients diagnosed as CIS according to McDonald criteria (2010). Clinical presentation, brain MRI and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were evaluated at baseline and after one-year follow-up. The CIS patients that converted to MS showed significant lower vitamin D level (p < 0.001) than the non-convertors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the CIS patients with lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D level (p < 0.001) are at higher risk for early conversion to MS. There was a significant positive correlation between the vitamin D level and PASAT (r = 0.36, p = 0.02). It was found that there was a significant negative correlation between vitamin D level and MRI T 2 load (r = -0.38, p = 0.01). The low level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D may predict early conversion to clinically definite MS. Early vitamin D supplementation is recommended in patients with CIS.

Stiff person case misdiagnosed as conversion disorder: A case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Razmeh, Saeed; Habibi, Amir Hasan; Sina, Farzad; Alizadeh, Elham; Eslami, Monireh

2017-01-01

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurological disease resulting in stiffness and spasm of muscles. It initially affects the axial muscles and then spread to limb muscles. Emotional stress exacerbated the symptoms and signs of the disease. The pathophysiology of the disease is caused by the decreased level of the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) activity due to an autoantibody against GAD that decreases the level of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In this paper, we present a case of atypical presentation of SPS with lower limb stiffness misdiagnosed as conversion disorder. We report a patient with atypical presentation of SPS with lower limb stiffness and gait disorder misdiagnosed as conversion disorder for a year. Her antithyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO Ab) level was 75 IU (normal value: 0-34 IU). Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was administered (2gr/kg, 5 days) for the patient that showed significant improvement in the follow-up visit. It is essential that in any patient with bizarre gait disorder and suspicious to conversion disorder due to the reversibility of symptoms, SPS and other movement disorder should be considered.

Metabolizable energy levels for meat quails from 15 to 35 days of age

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Jorge Cunha Lima Muniz

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietetic metabolizable energy levels on performance and carcass traits of meat quails from 15 to 35 days old. Five hundred sixty, 15-d old, meat quails were randomly assigned to five treatments (2.850; 2.950; 3.050; 3.150 e 3.250kcal of ME kg-1 of diet, with eight replicates and fourteen birds per experimental unit. Feed intake, protein and lysine intake and feed conversion decreased linearly as the metabolizable energy content of diets increased (P0.05 by the treatments. Diets did not influence (P>0.05 carcass traits as dry matter, moisture and protein content in carcass. However a quadratic effect (P<0.04 were observed on carcass fat content. Based on these results, the adequate metabolizable energy level to ensure better meat quails' growth is 3.250kcal of ME kg-1 diet, that corresponds to a metabolizable energy: crude protein ratio of 139,24.

Deficiency of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein family DNA binding prevents malignant conversion of adenoma to carcinoma in NNK-induced lung carcinogenesis in the mouse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kimura Shioko

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs play important roles in carcinogenesis of many tumors including the lung. Since multiple C/EBPs are expressed in lung, the combinatorial expression of these C/EBPs on lung carcinogenesis is not known. Methods A transgenic mouse line expressing a dominant negative A-C/EBP under the promoter of lung epithelial Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP gene in doxycycline dependent fashion was subjected to 4-(methylnitrosamino-1-(3-pyridyl-1-butanone (NNK-induced lung carcinogenesis bioassay in the presence and absence of doxycycline, and the effect of abolition of DNA binding activities of C/EBPs on lung carcinogenesis was examined. Results A-C/EBP expression was found not to interfere with tumor development; however, it suppressed the malignant conversion of adenoma to carcinoma during NNK-induced lung carcinogenesis. The results suggested that Ki67 may be used as a marker for lung carcinomas in mouse. Conclusions The DNA binding of C/EBP family members can be used as a potential molecular target for lung cancer therapy.

Elevated Systemic Levels of Eosinophil, Neutrophil, and Mast Cell Granular Proteins in Strongyloides Stercoralis Infection that Diminish following Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajamanickam, Anuradha; Munisankar, Saravanan; Bhootra, Yukthi; Dolla, Chandra Kumar; Nutman, Thomas B; Babu, Subash

2018-01-01

Infection with the helminth parasite Strongyloides stercoralis ( Ss ) is commonly clinically asymptomatic that is often accompanied by peripheral eosinophilia. Granulocytes are activated during helminth infection and can act as immune effector cells. Plasma levels of eosinophil and neutrophil granular proteins convey an indirect measure of granulocyte degranulation and are prominently augmented in numerous helminth-infected patients. In this study, we sought to examine the levels of eosinophil, neutrophil, and mast cell activation-associated granule proteins in asymptomatic Ss infection and to understand their kinetics following anthelmintic therapy. To this end, we measured the plasma levels of eosinophil cationic protein, eosinophil-derived neurotoxin, eosinophil peroxidase, eosinophil major basic protein, neutrophil elastase, myeloperoxidase, neutrophil proteinase-3, mast cell tryptase, leukotriene C4, and mast cell carboxypeptidase-A3 in individuals with asymptomatic Ss infection or without Ss infection [uninfected (UN)]. We also estimated the levels of all of these analytes in infected individuals following definitive treatment of Ss infection. We demonstrated that those infected individuals have significantly enhanced plasma levels of eosinophil cationic protein, eosinophil-derived neurotoxin, eosinophil peroxidase, eosinophil major basic protein, elastase, myeloperoxidase, mast cell tryptase, leukotriene C4, and carboxypeptidase-A3 compared to UN individuals. Following the treatment of Ss infection, each of these granulocyte-associated proteins drops significantly. Our data suggest that eosinophil, neutrophil, and mast cell activation may play a role in the response to Ss infection.

Down-conversion IM-DD RF photonic link utilizing MQW MZ modulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Longtao; Jin, Shilei; Li, Yifei

2016-04-18

We present the first down-conversion intensity modulated-direct detection (IM-DD) RF photonic link that achieves frequency down-conversion using the nonlinear optical phase modulation inside a Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulator. The nonlinear phase modulation is very sensitive and it can enable high RF-to-IF conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the link linearity is enhanced by canceling the nonlinear distortions from the nonlinear phase modulation and the MZ interferometer. Proof-of-concept measurement was performed. The down-conversion IM-DD link demonstrated 28dB improvement in distortion levels over that of a conventional IM-DD link using a LiNbO3 MZ modulator.

Blood parameters in growing pigs fed increasing levels of bacterial protein meal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hellwing, Anne Louise Frydendahl; Tauson, Anne-Helene; Skrede, Anders

2007-01-01

The experiment investigated the effects of increasing dietary levels of bacterial protein meal (BPM) on various blood parameters reflecting protein and fat metabolism, liver function, and purine base metabolism in growing pigs. Sixteen barrows were allocated to four different experimental diets....... The control diet was based on soybean meal. In the other three diets soybean meal was replaced with increasing levels of BPM, approximately 17%, 35%, and 50% of the nitrogen being derived from BPM. Blood samples from the jugular vein were taken when the body weights of the pigs were approximately 10 kg, 21 kg......, 45 kg, and 77 kg. The blood parameters reflecting fat metabolism and liver funtion were not affected by diet. Both the plasma albumin and uric acid concentrations tended to decrease (P = 0.07 and 0.01, respectively) with increasing dietary BPM content, whereas the plasma glucose concentration tended...

Identification of cytosolic peroxisome proliferator binding protein as a member of the heat shock protein HSP70 family.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvares, K; Carrillo, A; Yuan, P M; Kawano, H; Morimoto, R I; Reddy, J K

1990-01-01

Clofibrate and many of its structural analogues induce proliferation of peroxisomes in the hepatic parenchymal cells of rodents and certain nonrodent species including primates. This induction is tissue specific, occurring mainly in the liver parenchymal cells and to a lesser extent in the kidney cortical epithelium. The induction of peroxisomes is associated with a predictable pleiotropic response, characterized by hepatomegaly, and increased activities and mRNA levels of certain peroxisomal enzymes. Using affinity chromatography, we had previously isolated a protein that binds to clofibric acid. We now show that this protein is homologous with the heat shock protein HSP70 family by analysis of amino acid sequences of isolated peptides from trypsin-treated clofibric acid binding protein and by cross-reactivity with a monoclonal antibody raised against the conserved region of the 70-kDa heat shock proteins. The clofibric acid-Sepharose column could bind HSP70 proteins isolated from various species, which could then be eluted with either clofibric acid or ATP. Conversely, when a rat liver cytosol containing multiple members of the HSP70 family was passed through an ATP-agarose column, and eluted with clofibric acid, only P72 (HSC70) was eluted. These results suggest that clofibric acid, a peroxisome proliferator, preferentially interacts with P72 at or near the ATP binding site. Images PMID:2371272

Comparison Of Blood Proteins And Some Hormonal Levels In Pregnant And Non-Pregnant Cows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TEAMA, F.E.

2010-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the changes in serum protein and its fractions by using electrophoresis in Holstein cows during different months of pregnancy in comparison with non-pregnant cows and to determine hormonal levels including T4, T3 and progesterone hormones. The samples were taken from 40 pregnant cows during deferent months and 10 non-pregnant cows. Significant decrease in the levels of total protein, albumin and globulin were observed in the third and late month of pregnancy than in mid pregnancy where the values were 6.5, 3.1 and 3.4 g/dl for early months and 6.5, 3.2 and 3.3 g/dl for late month as compared to the non-pregnant cows. Significant increase in α-1globulin was observed during months of pregnancy by about 33.3%. The decrease in the levels of α-2, β and γ-globulins were recorded by about 10%, 45.3% and 21.6%, respectively. A marked decrease in T4 hormone (5.0 μg/dl) was observed in pregnant cows than in non-pregnant ones (7.1 μg/dl). Also, a decreasing T3 level (169 ng/dl) was recorded as compared to non-pregnant cows (221 ng/dl). High significant increase in progesterone level was recorded in the mid pregnancy until reached the maximum value (49.94 ng/ml) at the 7 th month of pregnancy then declined (2.42 ng/ml) at the late month of pregnancy. In conclusion, during pregnancy of Holstein dairy cows, a decline in protein fractions and thyroid hormonal levels were recorded during different months as compared to non- pregnant cows. The opposite trend was observed in progesterone levels. The increasing progesterone level at the mid pregnancy indicated its importance in the continuation of pregnancy and maintenance of fetus against maternal rejection.

High Level Soluble Expression and ATPase Characterization of Human Heat Shock Protein GRP78.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shuang; Zhang, Hongpeng; Luo, Miao; Chen, Ke; Yang, Wei; Bai, Lei; Huang, Ailong; Wang, Deqiang

2017-02-01

Human GRP78 has been shown to promote cancer progression and is regarded as a novel target for anticancer drugs. However, generation of recombinant full-length GRP78 remains challenging. This report demonstrates that E. coli autoinduction is an excellent method for the preparation of active recombinant GRP78 protein. The final yield was approximately 50 mg/liter of autoinduction culture. Gel-filtration experiments confirmed that the chaperone is a monomer. The purified human GRP78 catalyzed the conversion of ATP to ADP without requiring metal ions as cofactors. Three mutants, T38A, T229A, and S300A, exhibited much lower activity than wild-type GRP78, indicating that the active sites of the ATPase are located at the negatively charged cavity. Three mutants in the negatively charged cavity region dramatically reduced GRP78 activity, further confirming the region as the site of ATPase activity.

Effects of energy and protein levels on growth and nutrient utilization ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effects of energy and protein levels on growth and nutrient utilization of weaned rabbits. ML Egbo, TA Adegbola, EO Oyawoye, MM Abubakar. Abstract. No Abstract. Animal Production Research Advances Vol. 3 (4) 2007: pp. 306-310. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/apra.v3i4.36411 · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE ...

Comparison of Selected Protein Levels in Tumour and Surgical Margin in a Group of Patients with Oral Cavity Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Strzelczyk, Joanna Katarzyna; Gołąbek, Karolina; Cuber, Piotr; Krakowczyk, Łukasz; Owczarek, Aleksander Jerzy; Fronczek, Martyna; Choręża, Piotr; Hudziec, Edyta; Ostrowska, Zofia

2017-08-01

Oral cavity cancer belongs to head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma group. The purpose of the study was to assess the levels of certain proteins in a tumour and surgical margin in a group of patients with oral cavity cancer. The levels of DAPK1, MGMT, CDH1, SFRP1, SFRP2, RORA, TIMP3, p16, APC and RASSF1 proteins were measured by ELISA in tissue homogenates. The protein levels of DAPK1, MGMT, CDH1, SFRP2 and RASSF1 were significantly higher in tumour tissue than in the margin, contrary to TIMP3 which was lower in the tumour itself. DAPK1 level in the tumour was significantly higher in females than in males, the MGMT and p16 levels were lower in the tumours with lymph node metastasis (N1 + N2) than in N0 samples. The CDH1 expression was higher in a group with smoking habits, whereas TIMP3 was lower in this group. Changes in the levels of proteins in tumour and surgical margin may be either reflective of tumour occurrence and development, or they might be also responsible for the progress and reoccurrence of the disease. Levels of the studied proteins might be good prognostic factors; however, further studies are required.

Computers and conversation

CERN Document Server

Luff, Paul; Gilbert, Nigel G

1986-01-01

In the past few years a branch of sociology, conversation analysis, has begun to have a significant impact on the design of human*b1computer interaction (HCI). The investigation of human*b1human dialogue has emerged as a fruitful foundation for interactive system design.****This book includes eleven original chapters by leading researchers who are applying conversation analysis to HCI. The fundamentals of conversation analysis are outlined, a number of systems are described, and a critical view of their value for HCI is offered.****Computers and Conversation will be of interest to all concerne

Structural basis for the aminoacid composition of proteins from halophilic archea.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xavier Tadeo

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Proteins from halophilic organisms, which live in extreme saline conditions, have evolved to remain folded at very high ionic strengths. The surfaces of halophilic proteins show a biased amino acid composition with a high prevalence of aspartic and glutamic acids, a low frequency of lysine, and a high occurrence of amino acids with a low hydrophobic character. Using extensive mutational studies on the protein surfaces, we show that it is possible to decrease the salt dependence of a typical halophilic protein to the level of a mesophilic form and engineer a protein from a mesophilic organism into an obligate halophilic form. NMR studies demonstrate complete preservation of the three-dimensional structure of extreme mutants and confirm that salt dependency is conferred exclusively by surface residues. In spite of the statistically established fact that most halophilic proteins are strongly acidic, analysis of a very large number of mutants showed that the effect of salt on protein stability is largely independent of the total protein charge. Conversely, we quantitatively demonstrate that halophilicity is directly related to a decrease in the accessible surface area.

Conversion of transuranic waste to low level waste by decontamination: a technical and economic evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, R.P.; Hazelton, R.F.

1984-12-01

A study was conducted to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of using in-situ decontamination techniques to convert glove boxes and other large TRU-contaminated components directly into LLW. The results of the technical evaluation indicate that in-situ decontamination of these types of components to non-TRU levels is technically feasible. Applicable decontamination techniques include electropolishing, hand scrubbing, chemical washes/sprays, strippable coatings and Freon spray-cleaning. The removal of contamination from crevices and other holdup areas remains a problem, but may be solved through further advances in decontamination technology. Also, the increase in the allowable maximum TRU level from 10 nCi/g to 100 nCi/g as defined in DOE Order 5820.2 reduces the removal requirement and facilitates measurement of the remaining quantities. The major emphasis of the study was on a cost/benefit evaluation that included a review and update of previous analyses and evaluations of TRU-waste volume reduction and conversion options. The results of the economic evaluation show, for the assumptions used, that there is a definite cost incentive to size reduce large components, and that decontamination of sectioned material has become cost competitive with the size reduction options. In-situ decontamination appears to be the lowest cost option when based on routine-type operations conducted by well-trained and properly equipped personnel. 16 references, 1 figure, 7 tables

Ecological conversion efficiency and its influencers in twelve species of fish in the Yellow Sea Ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Qisheng; Guo, Xuewu; Sun, Yao; Zhang, Bo

2007-09-01

The ecological conversion efficiencies in twelve species of fish in the Yellow Sea Ecosystem, i.e., anchovy ( Engraulis japonicus), rednose anchovy ( Thrissa kammalensis), chub mackerel ( Scomber japonicus), halfbeak ( Hyporhamphus sajori), gizzard shad ( Konosirus punctatus), sand lance ( Ammodytes personatus), red seabream ( Pagrus major), black porgy ( Acanthopagrus schlegeli), black rockfish ( Sebastes schlegeli), finespot goby ( Chaeturichthys stigmatias), tiger puffer ( Takifugu rubripes), and fat greenling ( Hexagrammos otakii), were estimated through experiments conducted either in situ or in a laboratory. The ecological conversion efficiencies were significantly different among these species. As indicated, the food conversion efficiencies and the energy conversion efficiencies varied from 12.9% to 42.1% and from 12.7% to 43.0%, respectively. Water temperature and ration level are the main factors influencing the ecological conversion efficiencies of marine fish. The higher conversion efficiency of a given species in a natural ecosystem is acquired only under the moderate environment conditions. A negative relationship between ecological conversion efficiency and trophic level among ten species was observed. Such a relationship indicates that the ecological efficiency in the upper trophic levels would increase after fishing down marine food web in the Yellow Sea ecosystem.

Influence of protein level and supplemental methionine in practical rations for young endangered masked bobwhite quail

Science.gov (United States)

Serafin, J.A.

1982-01-01

A study was conducted to examine the protein requirement of young endangered masked Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi). Five practical starting rations containing 24 to 32% protein were fed alone and supplemented with methionine for 5 weeks. Supplemental methionine significantly improved growth of quail fed diets containing 24 and 26% protein. Increasing the protein level improved growth of quail fed unsupplemented diets but did not do so when diets contained supplemental methionine. A methionine-supplemented ration containing 24% protein appeared adequate for supporting rapid growth of masked Bobwhite quail.

In vitro effect of dietary protein level and nondigestible oligosaccharides on feline fecal microbiota.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinna, C; Stefanelli, C; Biagi, G

2014-12-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate in vitro the effect of some prebiotic substances and 2 dietary protein levels on the composition and activity of feline fecal microbiota. Two in vitro studies were conducted. First, 6 nondigestible oligosaccharides were studied; treatments were control diet (CTRL), gluconic acid (GA), carrot fiber (CF), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), lactitol (LAC), and pectins from citrus fruit (PEC). Substrates were added to feline fecal cultures at 2 g/L for 24 h incubation. Compared with the CTRL, ammonia had been reduced (Pmicrobiota and that high dietary protein levels in a cat's diet can have negative effects on the animal intestinal environment.

Honey bee protein atlas at organ-level resolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Queenie W T; Chan, Man Yi; Logan, Michelle; Fang, Yuan; Higo, Heather; Foster, Leonard J

2013-11-01

Genome sequencing has provided us with gene lists but cannot tell us where and how their encoded products work together to support life. Complex organisms rely on differential expression of subsets of genes/proteins in organs and tissues, and, in concert, evolved to their present state as they function together to improve an organism's overall reproductive fitness. Proteomics studies of individual organs help us understand their basic functions, but this reductionist approach misses the larger context of the whole organism. This problem could be circumvented if all the organs in an organism were comprehensively studied by the same methodology and analyzed together. Using honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) as a model system, we report here an initial whole proteome of a complex organism, measuring 29 different organ/tissue types among the three honey bee castes: queen, drone, and worker. The data reveal that, e.g., workers have a heightened capacity to deal with environmental toxins and queens have a far more robust pheromone detection system than their nestmates. The data also suggest that workers altruistically sacrifice not only their own reproductive capacity but also their immune potential in favor of their queen. Finally, organ-level resolution of protein expression offers a systematic insight into how organs may have developed.

Metformin induces oxidative stress in white adipocytes and raises uncoupling protein 2 levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Anedda, Andrea; Rial, Eduardo; González-Barroso, M Mar

2008-10-01

Metformin is a drug widely used to treat type 2 diabetes. It enhances insulin sensitivity by improving glucose utilization in tissues like liver or muscle. Metformin inhibits respiration, and the decrease in cellular energy activates the AMP-activated protein kinase that in turn switches on catabolic pathways. Moreover, metformin increases lipolysis and beta-oxidation in white adipose tissue, thereby reducing the triglyceride stores. The uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are transporters that lower the efficiency of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. UCP2 is thought to protect against oxidative stress although, alternatively, it could play an energy dissipation role. The aim of this work was to analyse the involvement of UCP2 on the effects of metformin in white adipocytes. We studied the effect of this drug in differentiating 3T3-L1 adipocytes and found that metformin causes oxidative stress since it increases the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lowers the aconitase activity. Variations in UCP2 protein levels parallel those of ROS. Metformin also increases lipolysis in these cells although only when the levels of ROS and UCP2 have decreased. Hence, UCP2 does not appear to be needed to facilitate fatty acid oxidation. Furthermore, treatment of C57BL/6 mice with metformin also augmented the levels of UCP2 in epididymal white adipose tissue. We conclude that metformin treatment leads to the overexpression of UCP2 in adipocytes to minimize the oxidative stress that is probably due to the inhibition of respiration caused by the drug.

Microbial Energy Conversion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buckley, Merry [American Society for Microbiology (ASM), Washington, DC (United States); Wall, Judy D. [Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States)

2006-10-01

production. Research should focus on the actions of enzymes and enzyme complexes within the context of the whole cell, how they’re regulated, where they’re placed, and what they interact with. Better modeling tools are needed to facilitate progress in microbial energy transformations. Models of metabolic dynamics, including levels of reductants and regulation of electron flow need to be improved. Global techno-economic models of microbial energy conversion systems, which seek to simultaneously describe the resource flows into and out of a system as well as its economics, are needed and should be made publicly available on the internet. Finally, more emphasis needs to be placed on multidisciplinary education and training and on cooperation between disciplines in order to make the most of microbial energy conversion technologies and to meet the research needs of the future.

Immunization with a recombinant vaccinia virus that encodes nonstructural proteins of the hepatitis C virus suppresses viral protein levels in mouse liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Sekiguchi, Satoshi; Kimura, Kiminori; Chiyo, Tomoko; Ohtsuki, Takahiro; Tobita, Yoshimi; Tokunaga, Yuko; Yasui, Fumihiko; Tsukiyama-Kohara, Kyoko; Wakita, Takaji; Tanaka, Toshiyuki; Miyasaka, Masayuki; Mizuno, Kyosuke; Hayashi, Yukiko; Hishima, Tsunekazu; Matsushima, Kouji; Kohara, Michinori

2012-01-01

Chronic hepatitis C, which is caused by infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), is a global health problem. Using a mouse model of hepatitis C, we examined the therapeutic effects of a recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV) that encodes an HCV protein. We generated immunocompetent mice that each expressed multiple HCV proteins via a Cre/loxP switching system and established several distinct attenuated rVV strains. The HCV core protein was expressed consistently in the liver after polyinosinic acid-polycytidylic acid injection, and these mice showed chronic hepatitis C-related pathological findings (hepatocyte abnormalities, accumulation of glycogen, steatosis), liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Immunization with one rVV strain (rVV-N25), which encoded nonstructural HCV proteins, suppressed serum inflammatory cytokine levels and alleviated the symptoms of pathological chronic hepatitis C within 7 days after injection. Furthermore, HCV protein levels in liver tissue also decreased in a CD4 and CD8 T-cell-dependent manner. Consistent with these results, we showed that rVV-N25 immunization induced a robust CD8 T-cell immune response that was specific to the HCV nonstructural protein 2. We also demonstrated that the onset of chronic hepatitis in CN2-29((+/-))/MxCre((+/-)) mice was mainly attributable to inflammatory cytokines, (tumor necrosis factor) TNF-α and (interleukin) IL-6. Thus, our generated mice model should be useful for further investigation of the immunological processes associated with persistent expression of HCV proteins because these mice had not developed immune tolerance to the HCV antigen. In addition, we propose that rVV-N25 could be developed as an effective therapeutic vaccine.

Immunization with a recombinant vaccinia virus that encodes nonstructural proteins of the hepatitis C virus suppresses viral protein levels in mouse liver.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoshi Sekiguchi

Full Text Available Chronic hepatitis C, which is caused by infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV, is a global health problem. Using a mouse model of hepatitis C, we examined the therapeutic effects of a recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV that encodes an HCV protein. We generated immunocompetent mice that each expressed multiple HCV proteins via a Cre/loxP switching system and established several distinct attenuated rVV strains. The HCV core protein was expressed consistently in the liver after polyinosinic acid-polycytidylic acid injection, and these mice showed chronic hepatitis C-related pathological findings (hepatocyte abnormalities, accumulation of glycogen, steatosis, liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Immunization with one rVV strain (rVV-N25, which encoded nonstructural HCV proteins, suppressed serum inflammatory cytokine levels and alleviated the symptoms of pathological chronic hepatitis C within 7 days after injection. Furthermore, HCV protein levels in liver tissue also decreased in a CD4 and CD8 T-cell-dependent manner. Consistent with these results, we showed that rVV-N25 immunization induced a robust CD8 T-cell immune response that was specific to the HCV nonstructural protein 2. We also demonstrated that the onset of chronic hepatitis in CN2-29((+/-/MxCre((+/- mice was mainly attributable to inflammatory cytokines, (tumor necrosis factor TNF-α and (interleukin IL-6. Thus, our generated mice model should be useful for further investigation of the immunological processes associated with persistent expression of HCV proteins because these mice had not developed immune tolerance to the HCV antigen. In addition, we propose that rVV-N25 could be developed as an effective therapeutic vaccine.

Aging of the skeletal muscle extracellular matrix drives a stem cell fibrogenic conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Stearns-Reider, Kristen M; D'Amore, Antonio; Beezhold, Kevin; Rothrauff, Benjamin; Cavalli, Loredana; Wagner, William R; Vorp, David A; Tsamis, Alkiviadis; Shinde, Sunita; Zhang, Changqing; Barchowsky, Aaron; Rando, Thomas A; Tuan, Rocky S; Ambrosio, Fabrisia

2017-06-01

Age-related declines in skeletal muscle regeneration have been attributed to muscle stem cell (MuSC) dysfunction. Aged MuSCs display a fibrogenic conversion, leading to fibrosis and impaired recovery after injury. Although studies have demonstrated the influence of in vitro substrate characteristics on stem cell fate, whether and how aging of the extracellular matrix (ECM) affects stem cell behavior has not been investigated. Here, we investigated the direct effect of the aged muscle ECM on MuSC lineage specification. Quantification of ECM topology and muscle mechanical properties reveals decreased collagen tortuosity and muscle stiffening with increasing age. Age-related ECM alterations directly disrupt MuSC responses, and MuSCs seeded ex vivo onto decellularized ECM constructs derived from aged muscle display increased expression of fibrogenic markers and decreased myogenicity, compared to MuSCs seeded onto young ECM. This fibrogenic conversion is recapitulated in vitro when MuSCs are seeded directly onto matrices elaborated by aged fibroblasts. When compared to young fibroblasts, fibroblasts isolated from aged muscle display increased nuclear levels of the mechanosensors, Yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), consistent with exposure to a stiff microenvironment in vivo. Accordingly, preconditioning of young fibroblasts by seeding them onto a substrate engineered to mimic the stiffness of aged muscle increases YAP/TAZ nuclear translocation and promotes secretion of a matrix that favors MuSC fibrogenesis. The findings here suggest that an age-related increase in muscle stiffness drives YAP/TAZ-mediated pathogenic expression of matricellular proteins by fibroblasts, ultimately disrupting MuSC fate. © 2017 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Antisense oligonucleotides targeting translation inhibitory elements in 5' UTRs can selectively increase protein levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Xue-Hai; Sun, Hong; Shen, Wen; Wang, Shiyu; Yao, Joyee; Migawa, Michael T; Bui, Huynh-Hoa; Damle, Sagar S; Riney, Stan; Graham, Mark J; Crooke, Rosanne M; Crooke, Stanley T

2017-09-19

A variety of diseases are caused by deficiencies in amounts or activity of key proteins. An approach that increases the amount of a specific protein might be of therapeutic benefit. We reasoned that translation could be specifically enhanced using trans-acting agents that counter the function of negative regulatory elements present in the 5' UTRs of some mRNAs. We recently showed that translation can be enhanced by antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that target upstream open reading frames. Here we report the amount of a protein can also be selectively increased using ASOs designed to hybridize to other translation inhibitory elements in 5' UTRs. Levels of human RNASEH1, LDLR, and ACP1 and of mouse ACP1 and ARF1 were increased up to 2.7-fold in different cell types and species upon treatment with chemically modified ASOs targeting 5' UTR inhibitory regions in the mRNAs encoding these proteins. The activities of ASOs in enhancing translation were sequence and position dependent and required helicase activity. The ASOs appear to improve the recruitment of translation initiation factors to the target mRNA. Importantly, ASOs targeting ACP1 mRNA significantly increased the level of ACP1 protein in mice, suggesting that this approach has therapeutic and research potentials. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Fish protein intake induces fast-muscle hypertrophy and reduces liver lipids and serum glucose levels in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawabata, Fuminori; Mizushige, Takafumi; Uozumi, Keisuke; Hayamizu, Kohsuke; Han, Li; Tsuji, Tomoko; Kishida, Taro

2015-01-01

In our previous study, fish protein was proven to reduce serum lipids and body fat accumulation by skeletal muscle hypertrophy and enhancing basal energy expenditure in rats. In the present study, we examined the precise effects of fish protein intake on different skeletal muscle fiber types and metabolic gene expression of the muscle. Fish protein increased fast-twitch muscle weight, reduced liver triglycerides and serum glucose levels, compared with the casein diet after 6 or 8 weeks of feeding. Furthermore, fish protein upregulated the gene expressions of a fast-twitch muscle-type marker and a glucose transporter in the muscle. These results suggest that fish protein induces fast-muscle hypertrophy, and the enhancement of basal energy expenditure by muscle hypertrophy and the increase in muscle glucose uptake reduced liver lipids and serum glucose levels. The present results also imply that fish protein intake causes a slow-to-fast shift in muscle fiber type.

Ultraviolet-ozone treatment reduces levels of disease-associated prion protein and prion infectivity

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, C.J.; Gilbert, P.; McKenzie, D.; Pedersen, J.A.; Aiken, Judd M.

2009-01-01

Background. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by novel infectious agents referred to as prions. Prions appear to be composed primarily, if not exclusively, of a misfolded isoform of the cellular prion protein. TSE infectivity is remarkably stable and can resist many aggressive decontamination procedures, increasing human, livestock and wildlife exposure to TSEs. Findings. We tested the hypothesis that UV-ozone treatment reduces levels of the pathogenic prion protein and inactivates the infectious agent. We found that UV-ozone treatment decreased the carbon and prion protein content in infected brain homogenate to levels undetectable by dry-ashing carbon analysis or immunoblotting, respectively. After 8 weeks of ashing, UV-ozone treatment reduced the infectious titer of treated material by a factor of at least 105. A small amount of infectivity, however, persisted despite UV-ozone treatment. When bound to either montmorillonite clay or quartz surfaces, PrPTSE was still susceptible to degradation by UV-ozone. Conclusion. Our findings strongly suggest that UV-ozone treatment can degrade pathogenic prion protein and inactivate prions, even when the agent is associated with surfaces. Using larger UV-ozone doses or combining UV-ozone treatment with other decontaminant methods may allow the sterilization of TSE-contaminated materials. ?? 2009 Aiken et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Electron transfer in proteins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Farver, O; Pecht, I

1991-01-01

Electron migration between and within proteins is one of the most prevalent forms of biological energy conversion processes. Electron transfer reactions take place between active centers such as transition metal ions or organic cofactors over considerable distances at fast rates and with remarkable...... specificity. The electron transfer is attained through weak electronic interaction between the active sites, so that considerable research efforts are centered on resolving the factors that control the rates of long-distance electron transfer reactions in proteins. These factors include (in addition......-containing proteins. These proteins serve almost exclusively in electron transfer reactions, and as it turns out, their metal coordination sites are endowed with properties uniquely optimized for their function....

Autoregulation of kinase dephosphorylation by ATP binding to AGC protein kinases

Science.gov (United States)

Pascal, John M; Armen, Roger S

2012-01-01

AGC kinases, including the three Akt (protein kinase B) isoforms, protein kinase A (PKA) and all protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, require activation loop phosphorylation (threonine 308 in Akt1) as well as phosphorylation of a C-terminal residue (serine 473 in Akt1) for catalytic activity and phosphorylation of downstream targets. Conversely, phosphatases reverse these phosphorylations. Virtually all cellular processes are affected by AGC kinases, a circumstance that has led to intense scrutiny of the molecular mechanisms that regulate phosphorylation of these kinases. Here, we review a new layer of control of phosphorylation in Akt, PKA and PKC pointing to ATP binding pocket occupancy as a means to decelerate dephosphorylation of these and, potentially, other kinases. This additional level of kinase regulation opens the door to search for new functional motifs for the rational design of non-ATP-competitive kinase inhibitors that discriminate within and between protein kinase families. PMID:22262182

Efeito de níveis de proteína bruta e de energia metabolizável na dieta sobre o desempenho de codornas de postura Dietary crude protein and metabolizable energy levels on laying quails performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Almir Chalegre de Freitas

2005-06-01

randomized design, with the treatments in a factorial arrangement of 4 x 4 (protein x energy, with six replication of seven birds per experimental unit. The levels evaluated were: 16, 18, 20 and 22% of crude protein and 2,585; 2,685; 2,785 and 2,885 kcal of metabolizable energy/kg of diet. The treatments did not showed significantly effect on the energy intake and egg production. However, the increase in energy level caused a linear reduction in feed intake, protein intake, egg weight and eggs mass; while, the increase in protein level caused a linear increase in daily intake of crude protein, eggs mass, feed conversion and variation in body weight of the birds and a quadratic effect on the egg weight. The estimated level of crude protein in the diet to obtain the maximum egg weight was 21,16%. It was concluded that Japanese quails regulate feed intake according to the energy level of the diet. In order to obtain higher egg production and better feed conversion diets for laying quails the diets should contain 2,585 kcal ME/kg and 18% crude protein. However, if the objective is to obtain heavier eggs, the protein level in the should increase to 21.16%.

Urea metabolism in buffalo calves fed on rations containing two levels of crude protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verma, D.N.; Singh, U.B.; Lal, M.; Varma, A.; Ranjhan, S.K.

1974-01-01

Urea entry rates into the body pools of Murrah Buffalo calves have been estimated using a single injection isotope dilution technique using 14 C-urea. The animals were fed two levels of crude proteins, namely, 13 percent lower and 19 percent higher than N.R.C. recommendations. Results show that the recycling of urea is significantly better in animals given low crude protein contents. (M.G.B.)

Elements of energy conversion

CERN Document Server

Russell, Charles R

2013-01-01

Elements of Energy Conversion brings together scattered information on the subject of energy conversion and presents it in terms of the fundamental thermodynamics that apply to energy conversion by any process. Emphasis is given to the development of the theory of heat engines because these are and will remain most important power sources. Descriptive material is then presented to provide elementary information on all important energy conversion devices. The book contains 10 chapters and opens with a discussion of forms of energy, energy sources and storage, and energy conversion. This is foll

Alcohol-Binding Sites in Distinct Brain Proteins: The Quest for Atomic Level Resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Rebecca J.; Slesinger, Paul A.; Davies, Daryl L.; Das, Joydip; Trudell, James R.; Harris, R. Adron

2011-01-01

Defining the sites of action of ethanol on brain proteins is a major prerequisite to understanding the molecular pharmacology of this drug. The main barrier to reaching an atomic-level understanding of alcohol action is the low potency of alcohols, ethanol in particular, which is a reflection of transient, low-affinity interactions with their targets. These mechanisms are difficult or impossible to study with traditional techniques such as radioligand binding or spectroscopy. However, there has been considerable recent progress in combining X-ray crystallography, structural modeling, and site-directed mutagenesis to define the sites and mechanisms of action of ethanol and related alcohols on key brain proteins. We review such insights for several diverse classes of proteins including inwardly rectifying potassium, transient receptor potential, and neurotransmit-ter-gated ion channels, as well as protein kinase C epsilon. Some common themes are beginning to emerge from these proteins, including hydrogen bonding of the hydroxyl group and van der Waals interactions of the methylene groups of ethanol with specific amino acid residues. The resulting binding energy is proposed to facilitate or stabilize low-energy state transitions in the bound proteins, allowing ethanol to act as a “molecular lubricant” for protein function. We discuss evidence for characteristic, discrete alcohol-binding sites on protein targets, as well as evidence that binding to some proteins is better characterized by an interaction region that can accommodate multiple molecules of ethanol. PMID:21676006

ffects of different levels of digestible arginine and protein in starter diets containing ideal amino acids ratio on Eperformance, carcass traits and serum parameters in broiler chickens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mostafa Gholami

2015-12-01

initially set at 32 °C on d 1 and decreased linearly by 0.5 °C per day up to 42d and kept constant thempreture. During the study, the birds received a lighting regimen of 23 L: 1 d from d 1 to 42. Weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were measured weekly. Blood samples were collected from wing veins of birds at 10 d of age. After 15 minutes, the blood samples were centrifuged at 3000xg for 15 minutes and serum samples were separated into tubes. Then, serums were stored at -20ºC until analyses were carried out. At 10 and 42 d of age, one bird from each pen with body weight close to the mean of each pen were selected for carcass analyses. After feed withdrawal, the selected birds were transported to the university pilot for processing. The chickens were slaughtered by cervical dislocation to determine the carcass characteristics. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance using GLM procedures (SAS, 2001. Means were compared using Duncan's new multiple ranges test (Duncan, 1955. The level of significance was reported at (P < 0.05. Resuls and Disscusiion: The results showed that feed intake, daily weight gain and feed to gain ratio (FCR, as well as their interactions were significantly affected by (digestible argenine, DA and (digestible protein, DP levels in starter diet. The best feed conversion ratio during starter period was related to 20 % DA and 1.31 % DA. DP levels in starter diet had a significant effect on relative weights of liver and abdominal fat (AF on day 10 and relative weights of gizzard and ileum and also relative lengths of duodenum and ileum on day 42. DA levels significantly affected liver and AF relative weights on day 10. DA and DP interactions had significant effects on relative weight of liver and relative lengths of duodenum, jejunum and ileum on day 10 of age. Effects of DP levels on serum total protein, albumin and phosphorus concentrations were significant. DA levels had significant effects on serum concentrations of uric acid and

Quantitative feasibility study of magnetocaloric energy conversion utilizing industrial waste heat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuarnoz, D.; Kitanovski, A.; Gonin, C.; Borgeaud, Y.; Delessert, M.; Meinen, M.; Egolf, P.W.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We model magnetic energy conversion machine for the use of industrial waste heat. ► Efficiencies and masses of the system are evaluated by a numerical model. ► Excellent potential of profitability is expected with large low-exergy heat sources. -- Abstract: The main objective of this theoretical study was to investigate under which conditions a magnetic energy conversion device (MECD) – utilizing industrial waste heat – is economically feasible. Furthermore, it was evaluated if magnetic energy conversion (MCE) has the potential of being a serious concurrent to already existing conventional energy conversion technologies. Up-today the availability of magnetocaloric materials with a high Curie temperature and a high magnetocaloric effect is rather limited. Therefore, this study was mainly focused on applications with heat sources of low to medium temperature levels. Magnetic energy conversion machines, containing permanent magnets, are numerically investigated for operation conditions with different temperature levels, defined by industrial waste heat sources and environmental heat sinks, different magnetic field intensities and different frequencies of operation (number of thermodynamic cycles per unit of time). Theoretical modeling and numerical simulations were performed in order to determine thermodynamic efficiencies and the exergy efficiencies as function of different operation conditions. From extracted data of our numerical results, approximate values of the total mass and total volume of magnetic energy conversion machines could be determined. These important results are presented dependent on the produced electric power. An economic feasibility study supplements the scientific study. It shows an excellent potential of profitability for certain machines. The most important result of this article is that the magnetic energy conversion technology can be economically and technically competitive to or even beat conventional energy

Fasting Lipoprotein Lipase Protein Levels Can Predict a Postmeal Increment of Triglyceride Levels in Fasting Normohypertriglyceridemic Subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuzaki, Kokoro; Kotani, Kazuhiko; Yamada, Kazunori; Sakane, Naoki

2016-09-01

Although a postprandial increment in triglyceride (TG) levels is considered to be a risk factor for atherogenesis, tests (e.g., fat load) to assess postprandial changes in TG levels cannot be easily applied to clinical practice. Therefore, fasting markers that predict postprandial TG states are needed to be developed. One current candidate is lipoprotein lipase (LPL) protein, a molecule that hydrides TGs. This study investigated whether fasting LPL levels could predict postprandial TG levels. A total of 17 subjects (11 men, 6 women, mean age 52 ± 11 years) with normotriglyceridemia during fasting underwent the meal test. Several fasting parameters, including LPL, were measured for the area under the curve of postprandial TGs (AUC-TG). The subjects' mean fasting TG level was 1.30 mmol/l, and their mean LPL level was 41.6 ng/ml. The subjects' TG levels increased after loading (they peaked after two postprandial hours). Stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrated that fasting TG levels were a predictor of the AUC-TG. In addition, fasting LPL mass levels were found to be a predictor of the AUC-TG (β = 0.65, P fasting TG levels. Fasting LPL levels may be useful to predict postprandial TG increment in this population. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography mutation analysis in patients with reduced Protein S levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bathum, Lise; Münster, Anna-Marie; Nybo, Mads

2008-01-01

diagnosis and risk estimation. The aim was to design a high-throughput genetic analysis based on denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography to identify sequence variations in the gene coding for Protein S. PATIENTS: In total, 55 patients referred to the Section of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Odense......BACKGROUND: Patients with congenital Protein S deficiency have increased risk of venous thromboembolism. However, Protein S levels show large intra-individual variation and the biochemical assays have low accuracy and a high interlaboratory variability. Genetic analysis might aid in a more precise......, giving a precise diagnosis and subsequently a better risk estimation....

2A and the auxin-based degron system facilitate control of protein levels in Plasmodium falciparum.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Kreidenweiss

Full Text Available Analysis of gene function in Plasmodium falciparum, the most important human malaria parasite, is restricted by the lack of robust and simple reverse genetic tools. Approaches to manipulate protein levels post-translationally are powerful tools to study protein-off effects especially in the haploid malaria parasite where genetic knockouts of essential genes are lethal. We investigated if the auxin-inducible degron system is functional in P. falciparum and found that degron-tagged yellow fluorescent protein levels were efficiently reduced upon addition of auxin which otherwise had no effect on parasite viability. The genetic components required in this conditional approach were co-expressed in P. falciparum by applying the small peptide 2A. 2A is a self-processing peptide from Foot-And-Mouth Disease virus that allows the whole conditional system to be accommodated on a single plasmid vector and ensures stoichiometric expression levels.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery suppresses hypothalamic PTP1B protein level and alleviates leptin resistance in obese rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jia-Yu; Mu, Song; Zhang, Shu-Ping; Guo, Wei; Li, Qi-Fu; Xiao, Xiao-Qiu; Zhang, Jun; Wang, Zhi-Hong

2017-09-01

The present study aimed to explore the effect of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery on protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) expression levels and leptin activity in hypothalami of obese rats. Obese rats induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) that underwent RYGB (n=11) or sham operation (SO, n=9), as well as an obese control cohort (Obese, n=10) and an additional normal-diet group (ND, n=10) were used. Food efficiency was measured at 8 weeks post-operation. Plasma leptin levels were evaluated and hypothalamic protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) levels and leptin signaling activity were examined at the genetic and protein levels. The results indicated that food efficiency was typically lower in RYGB rats compared with that in the Obese and SO rats. In the RYGB group, leptin receptor expression and proopiomelanocortin was significantly higher, while Neuropeptide Y levels were lower than those in the Obese and SO groups. Furthermore, the gene and protein expression levels of PTP1B in the RYGB group were lower, while levels of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 protein were much higher compared with those in the Obese and SO groups. In conclusion, RYGB surgery significantly suppressed hypothalamic PTP1B protein expression. PTP1B regulation may partially alleviate leptin resistance.

Algal Energy Conversion and Capture

Science.gov (United States)

Hazendonk, P.

2015-12-01

We address the potential for energy conversions and capture for: energy generation; reduction in energy use; reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; remediation of water and air pollution; protection and enhancement of soil fertility. These processes have the potential to sequester carbon at scales that may have global impact. Energy conversion and capture strategies evaluate energy use and production from agriculture, urban areas and industries, and apply existing and emerging technologies to reduce and recapture energy embedded in waste products. The basis of biocrude production from Micro-algal feedstocks: 1) The nutrients from the liquid fraction of waste streams are concentrated and fed into photo bioreactors (essentially large vessels in which microalgae are grown) along with CO2 from flue gasses from down stream processes. 2) The algae are processed to remove high value products such as proteins and beta-carotenes. The advantage of algae feedstocks is the high biomass productivity is 30-50 times that of land based crops and the remaining biomass contains minimal components that are difficult to convert to biocrude. 3) The remaining biomass undergoes hydrothermal liquefaction to produces biocrude and biochar. The flue gasses of this process can be used to produce electricity (fuel cell) and subsequently fed back into the photobioreactor. The thermal energy required for this process is small, hence readily obtained from solar-thermal sources, and furthermore no drying or preprocessing is required keeping the energy overhead extremely small. 4) The biocrude can be upgraded and refined as conventional crude oil, creating a range of liquid fuels. In principle this process can be applied on the farm scale to the municipal scale. Overall, our primary food production is too dependent on fossil fuels. Energy conversion and capture can make food production sustainable.

Caffeine Increases Apolipoprotein A-1 and Paraoxonase-1 but not Paraoxonase-3 Protein Levels in Human-Derived Liver (HepG2) Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayılan Özgün, Gülben; Özgün, Eray; Tabakçıoğlu, Kıymet; Süer Gökmen, Selma; Eskiocak, Sevgi; Çakır, Erol

2017-12-01

Apolipoprotein A-1, paraoxonase-1 and paraoxonase-3 are antioxidant and anti-atherosclerotic structural high-density lipoprotein proteins that are mainly synthesized by the liver. No study has ever been performed to specifically examine the effects of caffeine on paraoxonase enzymes and on liver apolipoprotein A-1 protein levels. To investigate the dose-dependent effects of caffeine on liver apolipoprotein A-1, paraoxonase-1 and paraoxonase-3 protein levels. In vitro experimental study. HepG2 cells were incubated with 0 (control), 10, 50 and 200 μM of caffeine for 24 hours. Cell viability was evaluated by 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay. Apolipoprotein A-1, paraoxonase-1 and paraoxonase-3 protein levels were measured by western blotting. We observed a significant increase on apolipoprotein A-1 and paraoxonase-1 protein levels in the cells incubated with 50 µM of caffeine and a significant increase on paraoxonase-1 protein level in the cells incubated with 200 µM of caffeine. Our study showed that caffeine does not change paraoxonase-3 protein level, but the higher doses used in our study do cause an increase in both apolipoprotein A-1 and paraoxonase-1 protein levels in liver cells.

Iterated multidimensional wave conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brizard, A. J.; Tracy, E. R.; Johnston, D.; Kaufman, A. N.; Richardson, A. S.; Zobin, N.

2011-01-01

Mode conversion can occur repeatedly in a two-dimensional cavity (e.g., the poloidal cross section of an axisymmetric tokamak). We report on two novel concepts that allow for a complete and global visualization of the ray evolution under iterated conversions. First, iterated conversion is discussed in terms of ray-induced maps from the two-dimensional conversion surface to itself (which can be visualized in terms of three-dimensional rooms). Second, the two-dimensional conversion surface is shown to possess a symplectic structure derived from Dirac constraints associated with the two dispersion surfaces of the interacting waves.

Plasminogen stimulates propagation of protease-resistant prion protein in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Mays, Charles E; Ryou, Chongsuk

2010-12-01

To clarify the role of plasminogen as a cofactor for prion propagation, we conducted functional assays using a cell-free prion protein (PrP) conversion assay termed protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) and prion-infected cell lines. Here, we report that plasminogen stimulates propagation of the protease-resistant scrapie PrP (PrP(Sc)). Compared to control PMCA conducted without plasminogen, addition of plasminogen in PMCA using wild-type brain material significantly increased PrP conversion, with an EC(50) = ∼56 nM. PrP conversion in PMCA was substantially less efficient with plasminogen-deficient brain material than with wild-type material. The activity stimulating PrP conversion was specific for plasminogen and conserved in its kringle domains. Such activity was abrogated by modification of plasminogen structure and interference of PrP-plasminogen interaction. Kinetic analysis of PrP(Sc) generation demonstrated that the presence of plasminogen in PMCA enhanced the PrP(Sc) production rate to ∼0.97 U/μl/h and reduced turnover time to ∼1 h compared to those (∼0.4 U/μl/h and ∼2.5 h) obtained without supplementation. Furthermore, as observed in PMCA, plasminogen and kringles promoted PrP(Sc) propagation in ScN2a and Elk 21(+) cells. Our results demonstrate that plasminogen functions in stimulating conversion processes and represents the first cellular protein cofactor that enhances the hypothetical mechanism of prion propagation.

In silico peptide-binding predictions of passerine MHC class I reveal similarities across distantly related species, suggesting convergence on the level of protein function.

Science.gov (United States)

Follin, Elna; Karlsson, Maria; Lundegaard, Claus; Nielsen, Morten; Wallin, Stefan; Paulsson, Kajsa; Westerdahl, Helena

2013-04-01

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are the most polymorphic genes found in the vertebrate genome, and they encode proteins that play an essential role in the adaptive immune response. Many songbirds (passerines) have been shown to have a large number of transcribed MHC class I genes compared to most mammals. To elucidate the reason for this large number of genes, we compared 14 MHC class I alleles (α1-α3 domains), from great reed warbler, house sparrow and tree sparrow, via phylogenetic analysis, homology modelling and in silico peptide-binding predictions to investigate their functional and genetic relationships. We found more pronounced clustering of the MHC class I allomorphs (allele specific proteins) in regards to their function (peptide-binding specificities) compared to their genetic relationships (amino acid sequences), indicating that the high number of alleles is of functional significance. The MHC class I allomorphs from house sparrow and tree sparrow, species that diverged 10 million years ago (MYA), had overlapping peptide-binding specificities, and these similarities across species were also confirmed in phylogenetic analyses based on amino acid sequences. Notably, there were also overlapping peptide-binding specificities in the allomorphs from house sparrow and great reed warbler, although these species diverged 30 MYA. This overlap was not found in a tree based on amino acid sequences. Our interpretation is that convergent evolution on the level of the protein function, possibly driven by selection from shared pathogens, has resulted in allomorphs with similar peptide-binding repertoires, although trans-species evolution in combination with gene conversion cannot be ruled out.

Krill protein hydrolysate reduces plasma triacylglycerol level with concurrent increase in plasma bile acid level and hepatic fatty acid catabolism in high-fat fed mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie S. Ramsvik

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Krill powder, consisting of both lipids and proteins, has been reported to modulate hepatic lipid catabolism in animals. Fish protein hydrolysate diets have also been reported to affect lipid metabolism and to elevate bile acid (BA level in plasma. BA interacts with a number of nuclear receptors and thus affects a variety of signaling pathways, including very low density lipoprotein (VLDL secretion. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a krill protein hydrolysate (KPH could affect lipid and BA metabolism in mice. Method: C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat (21%, w/w diet containing 20% crude protein (w/w as casein (control group or KPH for 6 weeks. Lipids and fatty acid composition were measured from plasma, enzyme activity and gene expression were analyzed from liver samples, and BA was measured from plasma. Results: The effect of dietary treatment with KPH resulted in reduced levels of plasma triacylglycerols (TAG and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs. The KPH treated mice had also a marked increased plasma BA concentration. The increased plasma BA level was associated with induction of genes related to membrane canalicular exporter proteins (Abcc2, Abcb4 and to BA exporters to blood (Abcc3 and Abcc4. Of note, we observed a 2-fold increased nuclear farnesoid X receptor (Fxr mRNA levels in the liver of mice fed KPH. We also observed increased activity of the nuclear peroxiosme proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα target gene carnitine plamitoyltransferase 2 (CPT-2. Conclusion: The KPH diet showed to influence lipid and BA metabolism in high-fat fed mice. Moreover, increased mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and elevation of BA concentration may regulate the plasma level of TAGs and NEFAs.

Maternal protein restriction induced-hypertension is associated to oxidative disruption at transcriptional and functional levels in the medulla oblongata.

Science.gov (United States)

de Brito Alves, José L; de Oliveira, Jéssica M D; Ferreira, Diorginis J S; Barros, Monique A de V; Nogueira, Viviane O; Alves, Débora S; Vidal, Hubert; Leandro, Carol G; Lagranha, Cláudia J; Pirola, Luciano; da Costa-Silva, João H

2016-12-01

Maternal protein restriction during pregnancy and lactation predisposes the adult offspring to sympathetic overactivity and arterial hypertension. Although the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood, dysregulation of the oxidative balance has been proposed as a putative trigger of neural-induced hypertension. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between the oxidative status at transcriptional and functional levels in the medulla oblongata and maternal protein restriction induced-hypertension. Wistar rat dams were fed a control (normal protein; 17% protein) or a low protein ((Lp); 8% protein) diet during pregnancy and lactation, and male offspring was studied at 90 days of age. Direct measurements of baseline arterial blood pressure (ABP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded in awakened offspring. In addition, quantitative RT-PCR was used to assess the mRNA expression of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and 2 (SOD2), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), Glutamatergic receptors (Grin1, Gria1 and Grm1) and GABA(A)-receptor-associated protein like 1 (Gabarapl1). Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, CAT and SOD activities were examined in ventral and dorsal medulla. Lp rats exhibited higher ABP. The mRNA expression levels of SOD2, GPx and Gabarapl1 were down regulated in medullary tissue of Lp rats (Pmedulla. Taken together, our data suggest that maternal protein restriction induced-hypertension is associated with medullary oxidative dysfunction at transcriptional level and with impaired antioxidant capacity in the ventral medulla. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Macrocyclic peptides decrease c-Myc protein levels and reduce prostate cancer cell growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhopadhyay, Archana; Hanold, Laura E; Thayele Purayil, Hamsa; Gisemba, Solomon A; Senadheera, Sanjeewa N; Aldrich, Jane V

2017-08-03

The oncoprotein c-Myc is often overexpressed in cancer cells, and the stability of this protein has major significance in deciding the fate of a cell. Thus, targeting c-Myc levels is an attractive approach for developing therapeutic agents for cancer treatment. In this study, we report the anti-cancer activity of the macrocyclic peptides [D-Trp]CJ-15,208 (cyclo[Phe-D-Pro-Phe-D-Trp]) and the natural product CJ-15,208 (cyclo[Phe-D-Pro-Phe-Trp]). [D-Trp]CJ-15,208 reduced c-Myc protein levels in prostate cancer cells and decreased cell proliferation with IC 50 values ranging from 2.0 to 16 µM in multiple PC cell lines. [D-Trp]CJ-15,208 induced early and late apoptosis in PC-3 cells following 48 hours treatment, and growth arrest in the G2 cell cycle phase following both 24 and 48 hours treatment. Down regulation of c-Myc in PC-3 cells resulted in loss of sensitivity to [D-Trp]CJ-15,208 treatment, while overexpression of c-Myc in HEK-293 cells imparted sensitivity of these cells to [D-Trp]CJ-15,208 treatment. This macrocyclic tetrapeptide also regulated PP2A by reducing the levels of its phosphorylated form which regulates the stability of cellular c-Myc protein. Thus [D-Trp]CJ-15,208 represents a new lead compound for the potential development of an effective treatment of prostate cancer.

Conversion of L-thyroxine to L-triiodothyronine in the rat liver under in vitro conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nauman, A.; Kaminski, T.; Pastuszko, D.

1979-01-01

Conversion of thyroxine (T 4 ) to triiodothyronine (T 3 ) has been studied in liver homogenates obtained from normal and hypothyroid rats. Liver homogenates were incubated for 0-60 minutes at 37 0 C in Tris buffer containing sucrose and T 4 , pH 7.4. T 3 generated during incubation was measured by a specific radioimmunoassay of an ethanol extract of the incubates. Conversion rate of T 4 to T 3 by liver homogenates from intact rats was found to be time, protein concentration and substrate concentration (T 4 ) dependent. Heating of homogenate above 60 0 C abolished while cooling significantly decreased the monodeiodination. In homogenates from hypothyroid rats the conversion and its rate were significantly decreased. The results of present study confirmed enzymatic character of monodeiodination reaction. Decreased conversion of T 4 to T 3 in hypothyroidism suggests that biosynthesis of converting enzyme may be regulated by thyroid hormones. (author)

Hydrolyzed whey protein prevents the development of food allergy to β-lactoglobulin in sensitized mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes-Santos, Ana Cristina; Fonseca, Roberta Cristelli; Lemos, Luisa; Reis, Daniela Silva; Moreira, Thaís Garcias; Souza, Adna Luciana; Silva, Mauro Ramalho; Silvestre, Marialice Pinto Coelho; Cara, Denise Carmona; Faria, Ana Maria Caetano

2015-01-01

Food allergy is an adverse immune response to dietary proteins. Hydrolysates are frequently used for children with milk allergy. However, hydrolysates effects afterwards are poorly studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the immunological consequences of hydrolyzed whey protein in allergic mice. For that, we developed a novel model of food allergy in BALB/c mice sensitized with alum-adsorbed β-lactoglobulin. These mice were orally challenged with either whey protein or whey hydrolysate. Whey-challenged mice had elevated levels of specific IgE and lost weight. They also presented gut inflammation, enhanced levels of SIgA and IL-5 as well as decreased production of IL-4 and IL-10 in the intestinal mucosa. Conversely, mice challenged with hydrolyzate maintained normal levels of IgE, IL-4 and IL-5 and showed no sign of gut inflammation probably due to increased IL-12 production in the gut. Thus, consumption of hydrolysate prevented the development of clinical signs of food allergy in mice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Serum eosinophil cationic protein levels can be useful for predicting acute exacerbation of asthma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitsuhiro Kamimura

1998-01-01

Full Text Available We report on a case in which five consecutive exacerbations of asthma were monitored by following serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP levels. The serum ECP level correlated well with each exacerbation and tended to increase even before the exacerbations of asthma became apparent. This case shows that serum levels of ECP can be useful markers of disease activity and may also be predictive markers for acute exacerbation.

Relation of soya bean meal level to the concentration of plasma free amino acids and body growth in white rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Tapas K; Parvin, Nargish; Mondal, Santanu; Saxena, Vijaylaxmi; Saxena, Ashok K; Sarkar, Sabyasachi; Saha, Mitali

2012-04-01

Amino acid (AA) levels in plasma and body growth were determined in rats (n20) fed diets with different soya bean meal levels. Free AA in plasma was determined by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. We have used four levels of protein diets like 8%, 15%, 23% and 35% in this trial. Rats which were fed the low-protein (8%) diet with low percentage of soya bean meal were found to be growth-retarded. The body weight gain of high protein group (35%) was lower than that of the 23% groups. In the rats fed with the low-soya bean meal diet, some nonessential AA (NEAA) in plasma like asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid and serine increased, whereas the essential AA (EAA), with the exception of arginine, methionine and valine decreased. Here, plasma EAA-to-NEAA ratios were not correlated to growth and experimental diet. We hypothesize that AA metabolism is associated to changes in growth in rats on different protein intake. This study has showed the sensitivity of body mass gain, feed intake, feed conversion rate of rats to four levels of protein in the diet under controlled experimental conditions. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Modifying a standard method allows simultaneous extraction of RNA and protein, enabling detection of enzymes in the rat retina with low expressions and protein levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Agardh, Elisabet; Gustavsson, Carin; Hagert, Per; Nilsson, Marie; Agardh, Carl-David

2006-02-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate messenger RNA and protein expression in limited amounts of tissue with low protein content. The Chomczynski method was used for simultaneous extraction of RNA, and protein was modified in the protein isolation step. Template mass and cycling time for the complementary DNA synthesis step of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for analysis of catalase, copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, manganese superoxide dismutase, the catalytic subunit of glutamylcysteine ligase, glutathione peroxidase 1, and the endogenous control cyclophilin B (CypB) were optimized before PCR. Polymerase chain reaction accuracy and efficacy were demonstrated by calculating the regression (R2) values of the separate amplification curves. Appropriate antibodies, blocking buffers, and running conditions were established for Western blot, and protein detection and multiplex assays with CypB were performed for each target. During the extraction procedure, the protein phase was dissolved in a modified washing buffer containing 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, followed by ultrafiltration. Enzyme expression on real-time RT-PCR was accomplished with high reliability and reproducibility (R2, 0.990-0.999), and all enzymes except for glutathione peroxidase 1 were detectable in individual retinas on Western blot. Western blot multiplexing with CypB was possible for all targets. In conclusion, connecting gene expression directly to protein levels in the individual rat retina was possible by simultaneous extraction of RNA and protein. Real-time RT-PCR and Western blot allowed accurate detection of retinal protein expressions and levels.

Elevated pre-treatment levels of plasma C-reactive protein are associated with poor prognosis after breast cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Allin, Kristine H; Nordestgaard, Børge G; Flyger, Henrik

2011-01-01

We examined whether plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at the time of diagnosis of breast cancer are associated with overall survival, disease-free survival, death from breast cancer, and recurrence of breast cancer.......We examined whether plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at the time of diagnosis of breast cancer are associated with overall survival, disease-free survival, death from breast cancer, and recurrence of breast cancer....

Effects of dietary starch and protein levels on milk production and composition of dairy cows fed high concentrate diet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa Güçlü Sucak

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Twenty eight Holstein cows (averaged 41±31.5 and 82±24 days in milk, and 30.4±3.49 and 29.0±2.22 kg/d milk yield were fed a high concentrate diet (70:30 concentrate to forage to examine effects on milk production and composition. The cows were randomly assigned to receive four dietary treatments according to a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. Factors were starch (14% and 22% and protein (15% and 18%. Wheat straw was used as forage source. The study lasted 6 weeks. Dry matter intake was not affected (P> 0.05 by the dietary treatments in the study. Milk yield increased with increased dietary protein level (P< 0.01. Milk urea nitrogen concentrations were affected by dietary protein and starch levels, but there was no interaction effect. Nitrogen efficiency (Milk N/N intake was decreased by increasing in dietary protein level (P< 0.01. In conclusion, the cows fed total mixed ration (TMR containing low level of wheat straw responded better when dietary protein increased. But, efficiency of N use and N excretion to the environment were worsened. Key words: Dairy cattle, milk composition, protein, starch, wheat straw

Infrared up-conversion microscope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2014-01-01

There is presented an up-conversion infrared microscope (110) arranged for imaging an associated object (130), wherein the up-conversion infrared microscope (110) comprises a non-linear crystal (120) arranged for up-conversion of infrared electromagnetic radiation, and wherein an objective optical...

Infrared up-conversion telescope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2014-01-01

There is presented to an up-conversion infrared telescope (110) arranged for imaging an associated scene (130), wherein the up-conversion infrared telescope (110) comprises a non-linear crystal (120) arranged for up-conversion of infrared electromagnetic radiation, and wherein a first optical...

Conversion-electron experiment to characterize the decay of the 237Np shape isomer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henry, E.A.; Becker, J.A.; Bauer, R.W.; Gardner, D.G.; Decman, D.J.; Meyer, R.A.; Roy, N.; Sale, K.E.

1987-01-01

Conversion electrons from the decay of low-lying levels of 237 Np have been measured to detect the population of these levels by gamma-ray decay of the 237 Np shape isomer. Analysis of the 208-keV transition L conversion-electron peak gives an upper limit of about 17 μb for the population of the 3/2 - 267-keV level in 237 Np from the shape isomer decay. Model calculations are compared with the measured limit. Improvements are suggested for this experiment. 9 refs., 4 figs

The Impacts on Illegal Farmland Conversion of Adopting Remote Sensing Technology for Land Inspection in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taiyang Zhong

2014-07-01

Full Text Available While China’s central government has adopted remote sensing technology in land inspection since 2000, little empirical research has been done on its effect. This study aims to measure the effect of satellite imagery-based land inspection (SIBI on illegal farmland conversion. The data used in this study were collected for the period from 1997 to 2010 at the province-level. The econometrics approach for panel data model was used in this research. The results showed that SIBI has a deterrent effect of approximately 2.42 ha for every increase of 1% in proportion to the area of prefecture-level regions inspected in a province-level region. The results also indicate land inspections with RS (Remote Sensing technology saved approximately 11,880 ha farmland from illegal conversion during 2000–2010 with an estimated contribution of reducing illegal farmland conversion by nearly 11%. Furthermore, the governance structure change for land inspection has also contributed to deterring illegal farmland conversion. The deterrent effects due to land inspection by the Supervisor of State Land (SSL are about 7332 ha during 2008–2010 with an estimated contribution of reducing illegal farmland conversion by nearly 33%. In conclusion, although SIBI has strengthened China’s central capacity to uncover illegal farmland conversion and weakened local governments’ abilities to hide illegal farmland conversion, it has limited impact on illegal farmland conversion since it is just a technical tool. Improvements in the land inspection governance structure have also helped to deter illegal farmland conversion.

Impact of whey proteins on the systemic and local intestinal level of mice with diet induced obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Swiątecka, D; Złotkowska, D; Markiewicz, L H; Szyc, A M; Wróblewska, B

2017-04-19

Obesity is a serious public health problem and being multifactorial is difficult to tackle. Since the intestinal ecosystem's homeostasis is, at least partially, diet-dependent, its modulation may be triggered by food components that are designed to exert a modulatory action leading to a health-promoting effect. Milk whey proteins, are considered as such promising factors since they influence satiation as well as body weight and constitute the source of biologically active peptides which may modulate health status locally and systemically. This way, whey proteins are associated with obesity. Therefore, this paper is aimed at the estimation of the impact of whey proteins using a commercially available whey protein isolate on the physiological response of mice with diet-induced obesity. The physiological response was evaluated on the local-intestinal level, scrutinizing intestinal microbiota as one of the important factors in obesity and on the systemic level, analyzing the response of the organism. Whey proteins brought about the decrease of the fat mass with a simultaneous increase of the lean mass of animals with diet induced obesity, which is a promising, health-promoting effect. Whey proteins also proved to act beneficially helping restore the number of beneficial bifidobacteria in obese animals and decreasing the calorie intake and fat mass as well as the LDL level. Overall, supplementation of the high fat diet with whey proteins acted locally by restoration of the intestinal ecosystem, thus preventing dysbiosis and its effects and also acted systemically by strengthening the organism increasing the lean mass and thus hindering obesity-related detrimental effects.

Modeling of DNA and Protein Organization Levels with Cn3D Software

Science.gov (United States)

Stasinakis, Panagiotis K.; Nicolaou, Despoina

2017-01-01

The molecular structure of living organisms and the complex interactions amongst its components are the basis for the diversity observed at the macroscopic level. Proteins and nucleic acids are some of the major molecular components, and play a key role in several biological functions, such as those of development and evolution. This article…

Carbon conversion efficiency and central metabolic fluxes in developing sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) embryos.

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, Ana P; Goffman, Fernando D; Ohlrogge, John B; Shachar-Hill, Yair

2007-10-01

The efficiency with which developing sunflower embryos convert substrates into seed storage reserves was determined by labeling embryos with [U-(14)C6]glucose or [U-(14)C5]glutamine and measuring their conversion to CO2, oil, protein and other biomass compounds. The average carbon conversion efficiency was 50%, which contrasts with a value of over 80% previously observed in Brassica napus embryos (Goffman et al., 2005), in which light and the RuBisCO bypass pathway allow more efficient conversion of hexose to oil. Labeling levels after incubating sunflower embryos with [U-(14)C4]malate indicated that some carbon from malate enters the plastidic compartment and contributes to oil synthesis. To test this and to map the underlying pattern of metabolic fluxes, separate experiments were carried out in which embryos were labeled to isotopic steady state using [1-(13)C1]glucose, [2-(13)C1]glucose, or [U-(13)C5]glutamine. The resultant labeling in sugars, starch, fatty acids and amino acids was analyzed by NMR and GC-MS. The fluxes through intermediary metabolism were then quantified by computer-aided modeling. The resulting flux map accounted well for the labeling data, was in good agreement with the observed carbon efficiency, and was further validated by testing for agreement with gas exchange measurements. The map shows that the influx of malate into oil is low and that flux through futile cycles (wasting ATP) is low, which contrasts with the high rates previously determined for growing root tips and heterotrophic cell cultures.

From electricity to heat: A discourse-analytical policy study of the energy system conversion at national, municipal and household levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perman, Karin

2009-01-01

The aim of this thesis is to analyse how space heating for single-family houses, and energy system conversion has been constructed and discussed at national, municipal and household levels. Political documents have been studied, and interviews have been carried out with politicians, civil servants and householders in the municipality of Falun. In order to study and analyse similarities and differences between these three political levels, the following main questions were asked: In which sense is the use of electrical heating formulated as problematic? How are the causes of these problems presented, and which solutions are suggested? What are the effects of how problems, causes and solutions are constructed? At the national level, the use of electricity produced by nuclear power was considered a problem. Initially the municipality's policy documents present the same problem, but there is a change of focus to the problem of imported electricity produced by fossil fuel, and the resulting emissions. At household level, the problem was often an old and badly functioning space-heating system. But some households did not formulate a problem before they converted. Instead they were influenced by their neighbours and thereby convinced. At all three political levels, there is consensus on the households' responsibility concerning energy transition. While industry tends to be considered incapable of cutting down its energy consumption, households are expected to take the responsibility seriously. Furthermore, within the household, the heating system tends to be constructed as a predominantly male concern. At all three levels, households are perceived as dependant on economical subsidies when taking the decision to convert from electrical heating. Although it is interesting that the interviewed householders only apply this view to others than themselves. They are convinced that other households need subsidies to act in an environmentally correct way. The discourse concerning

[Non-enzymatic glycosylation of dietary protein in vitro].

Science.gov (United States)

Bednykh, B S; Evdokimov, I A; Sokolov, A I

2015-01-01

Non-enzymatic glycosylation of proteins, based on discovered by Mayarn reaction of carbohydrate aldehyde group with a free amino group of a protein molecule, is well known to experts in biochemistry of food industry. Generated brown solid in some cases give the product marketable qualities--crackling bread--in others conversely, worsen the product. The biological effects of far-advanced products of non-enzymatic protein glycosylation reaction have not been studied enough, although it was reported previously that they are not split by digestive enzymes and couldn't be absorbed by animals. The objective of this work was to compare the depth of glycosylation of different food proteins of animal and vegetable origin. The objects of the study were proteins of animal (casein, lactoglobulin, albumin) and vegetable (soy isolate, proteins of rice flour, buckwheat, oatmeal) origin, glucose and fructose were selected as glycosylation agents, exposure 15 days at 37 degrees C. Lactoglobulin was glycosylated to a lesser extent among the proteins of animal origin while protein of oatmeal was glycosylated in the least degree among vegetable proteins. Conversely, such proteins as casein and soya isolate protein bound rather large amounts of carbohydrates. Fructose binding with protein was generally higher than the binding of glucose. The only exception was a protein of oatmeal. When of glucose and fructose simultaneously presented in the incubation medium, glucose binding usually increased while binding of fructose, in contrast, reduced. According to the total amount of carbohydrate (mcg), which is able to attach a protein (mg) the studied food proteins located in the following order: albumin (38) > soy protein isolate (23) > casein (15,) > whey protein rice flour protein (6) > protein from buckwheat flour (3) > globulin (2) > protein of oatmeal (0.3). The results obtained are to be used to select the optimal combination of proteins and carbohydrates, in which the glycosylation

A Model for Conversation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ayres, Phil

2012-01-01

This essay discusses models. It examines what models are, the roles models perform and suggests various intentions that underlie their construction and use. It discusses how models act as a conversational partner, and how they support various forms of conversation within the conversational activity...

Overall energy conversion efficiency of a photosynthetic vesicle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sener, Melih [Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States; Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States; Strumpfer, Johan [Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States; Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States; Singharoy, Abhishek [Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States; Hunter, C. Neil [Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom; Schulten, Klaus [Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States; Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States; Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States

2016-08-26

The chromatophore of purple bacteria is an intracellular spherical vesicle that exists in numerous copies in the cell and that efficiently converts sunlight into ATP synthesis, operating typically under low light conditions. Building on an atomic-level structural model of a low-light-adapted chromatophore vesicle from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, we investigate the cooperation between more than a hundred protein complexes in the vesicle. The steady-state ATP production rate as a function of incident light intensity is determined after identifying quinol turnover at the cytochrome bc1 complex (cytbc1) as rate limiting and assuming that the quinone/quinol pool of about 900 molecules acts in a quasi-stationary state. For an illumination condition equivalent to 1% of full sunlight, the vesicle exhibits an ATP production rate of 82 ATP molecules/s. The energy conversion efficiency of ATP synthesis at illuminations corresponding to 1%–5% of full sunlight is calculated to be 0.12-0.04, respectively. The vesicle stoichiometry, evolutionarily adapted to the low light intensities in the habitat of purple bacteria, is suboptimal for steady-state ATP turnover for the benefit of protection against over-illumination.

Single-organelle tracking by two-photon conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Wataru; Shimada, Tomoko; Matsunaga, Sachihiro; Kurihara, Daisuke; Fukui, Kiichi; Shin-Ichi Arimura, Shin-Ichi; Tsutsumi, Nobuhiro; Isobe, Keisuke; Itoh, Kazuyoshi

2007-03-01

Spatial and temporal information about intracellular objects and their dynamics within a living cell are essential for dynamic analysis of such objects in cell biology. A specific intracellular object can be discriminated by photoactivatable fluorescent proteins that exhibit pronounced light-induced spectral changes. Here, we report on selective labeling and tracking of a single organelle by using two-photon conversion of a photoconvertible fluorescent protein with near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses. We performed selective labeling of a single mitochondrion in a living tobacco BY-2 cell using two-photon photoconversion of Kaede. Using this technique, we demonstrated that, in plants, the directed movement of individual mitochondria along the cytoskeletons was mediated by actin filaments, whereas microtubules were not required for the movement of mitochondria. This single-organelle labeling technique enabled us to track the dynamics of a single organelle, revealing the mechanisms involved in organelle dynamics. The technique has potential application in direct tracking of selective cellular and intracellular structures.

Regulation of c-myc and c-fos mRNA levels by polyomavirus: distinct roles for the capsid protein VP1 and the viral early proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zullo, J.; Stiles, C.D.; Garcea, R.L.

1987-01-01

The levels of c-myc, c-fos, and JE mRNAs accumulate in a biphasic pattern following infection of quiescent BALB/c 3T3 mouse cells with polyomavirus. Maximal levels of c-myc and c-fos mRNAs were seen within 1 hr and were nearly undetectable at 6 hr after infection. At 12 hr after infection mRNA levels were again maximal and remained elevated thereafter. Empty virions (capsids) and recombinant VP 1 protein, purified from Escherichia coli, induced the early but not the late phase of mRNA accumulation. Virions, capsids, and recombinant VP 1 protein stimulated [ 3 H]thymidine nuclear labeling and c-myc mRNA accumulation in a dose-responsive manner paralleling their affinity for the cell receptor for polyoma. The second phase of mRNA accumulation is regulated by the viral early gene products, as shown by polyomavirus early gene mutants and by a transfected cell line (336a) expressing middle tumor antigen upon glucocorticoid addition. These results suggest that polyomavirus interacts with the cell membrane at the onset of infection to increase the levels of mRNA for the cellular genes associated with cell competence for DNA replication, and subsequently these levels are maintained by the action of the early viral proteins

Starting the Conversation: University-Wide Research Data Management Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Erway, Ricky

2013-01-01

This call for action addresses the high-level benefits of adopting a university-wide policy regarding research data management. It identifies the various university stakeholders and suggests that the library initiate a conversation among them in order to get buy-in for a proactive, rather than reactive, high-level policy for responsible data…

Effects of dietary protein levels during rearing and dietary energy levels during lay on body composition and reproduction in broiler breeder females

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Emous, van R.A.; Kwakkel, R.P.; Krimpen, van M.M.; Hendriks, W.H.

2015-01-01

A study with a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial arrangement was conducted to determine the effects of 2 dietary protein levels (high = CPh and low = CPl) during rearing, 3 dietary energy levels (3,000, MEh1; 2,800, MEs1; and 2,600, MEl1, kcal/kg AMEn, respectively) during the first phase of lay, and 2 dietary

Conversation Analysis and Classroom Interaction

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

DING A-ning; LI Fan; CUI Jing

2015-01-01

Conversation Analysis shows the evidence of the social nature of people’s action including talk-in-interaction from a micro-level perspective. The method for basing its analysis on the authentic data rather than the retrospective interviews for gain⁃ing the participants’perception makes it unique in discovering the emic perspective of the social interaction. CA, often called as a“micro”methodology, provides theoretical insights and useful analytical tool for exploring the interaction in classrooms.

Energy conversion using hydrogen PEM fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoenescu, D.; Patularu, L.; Culcer, M.; Lazar, R.; Mirica, D.; Varlam, M.; Carcadea, E.; Stefanescu, I.

2004-01-01

It is well known that hydrogen is the most promising solution of future energy, both for long and medium term strategies. Hydrogen can be produced using many primary sources (naphthalene, natural gas, methanol, coal, biomass), solar cells power, etc. It can be burned or chemically reacted having a high yield of energy conversion and is a non-polluted fuel. This paper presents the results obtained by ICSI Rm. Valcea in an experimental-demonstrative conversion energy system consisting in a catalytic methane reforming plant for hydrogen production and three synthesis gas purification units in order to get pure hydrogen with a CO level lower than 10 ppm that finally feeds a hydrogen fuel stock. (authors)

Iron Loading Selectively Increases Hippocampal Levels of Ubiquitinated Proteins and Impairs Hippocampus-Dependent Memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Figueiredo, Luciana Silva; de Freitas, Betânia Souza; Garcia, Vanessa Athaíde; Dargél, Vinícius Ayub; Köbe, Luiza Machado; Kist, Luiza Wilges; Bogo, Maurício Reis; Schröder, Nadja

2016-11-01

Alterations of brain iron levels have been observed in a number of neurodegenerative disorders. We have previously demonstrated that iron overload in the neonatal period results in severe and persistent memory deficits in the adulthood. Protein degradation mediated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) plays a central regulatory role in several cellular processes. Impairment of the UPS has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we examined the effects of iron exposure in the neonatal period (12th-14th day of postnatal life) on the expression of proteasome β-1, β-2, and β-5 subunits, and ubiquitinated proteins in brains of 15-day-old rats, to evaluate the immediate effect of the treatment, and in adulthood to assess long-lasting effects. Two different memory types, emotionally motivated conditioning and object recognition were assessed in adult animals. We found that iron administered in the neonatal period impairs both emotionally motivated and recognition memory. Polyubiquitinated protein levels were increased in the hippocampus, but not in the cortex, of adult animals treated with iron. Gene expression of subunits β1 and β5 was affected by age, being higher in the early stages of development in the hippocampus, accompanied by an age-related increase in polyubiquitinated protein levels in adults. In the cortex, gene expression of the three proteasome subunits was significantly higher in adulthood than in the neonatal period. These findings suggest that expression of proteasome subunits and activity are age-dependently regulated. Iron exposure in the neonatal period produces long-lasting harmful effects on the UPS functioning, which may be related with iron-induced memory impairment.

Ski protein levels increase during in vitro progression of HPV16-immortalized human keratinocytes and in cervical cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Yi; Pirisi, Lucia; Creek, Kim E.

2013-01-01

We compared the levels of the Ski oncoprotein, an inhibitor of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling, in normal human keratinocytes (HKc), HPV16 immortalized HKc (HKc/HPV16), and differentiation resistant HKc/HPV16 (HKc/DR) in the absence and presence of TGF-β. Steady-state Ski protein levels increased in HKc/HPV16 and even further in HKc/DR, compared to HKc. TGF-β treatment of HKc, HKc/HPV16, and HKc/DR dramatically decreased Ski. TGF-β-induced Ski degradation was delayed in HKc/DR. Ski and phospho-Ski protein levels are cell cycle dependent with maximal Ski expression and localization to centrosomes and mitotic spindles during G2/M. ShRNA knock down of Ski in HKc/DR inhibited cell proliferation. More intense nuclear and cytoplasmic Ski staining and altered Ski localization were found in cervical cancer samples compared to adjacent normal tissue in a cervical cancer tissue array. Overall, these studies demonstrate altered Ski protein levels, degradation and localization in HPV16-transformed human keratinocytes and in cervical cancer. - Highlights: • Ski oncoprotein levels increase during progression of HPV16-transformed cells. • Ski and phospho-Ski protein levels are cell cycle dependent. • Ski knock-down in HPV16-transformed keratinocytes inhibited cell proliferation. • Cervical cancer samples overexpress Ski

Increased CSF levels of phosphorylated neurofilament heavy protein following bout in amateur boxers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanna Neselius

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis of mild TBI is hampered by the lack of imaging or biochemical measurements for identifying or quantifying mild TBI in a clinical setting. We have previously shown increased biomarker levels of protein reflecting axonal (neurofilament light protein and tau and glial (GFAP and S-100B damage in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF after a boxing bout. The aims of this study were to find other biomarkers of mild TBI, which may help clinicians diagnose and monitor mild TBI, and to calculate the role of APOE ε4 allele genotype which has been associated with poor outcome after TBI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty amateur boxers with a minimum of 45 bouts and 25 non-boxing matched controls were included in a prospective cohort study. CSF and blood were collected at one occasion between 1 and 6 days after a bout, and after a rest period for at least 14 days (follow up. The controls were tested once. CSF levels of neurofilament heavy (pNFH, amyloid precursor proteins (sAPPα and sAPPβ, ApoE and ApoA1 were analyzed. In blood, plasma levels of Aβ42 and ApoE genotype were analyzed. RESULTS: CSF levels of pNFH were significantly increased between 1 and 6 days after boxing as compared with controls (p<0.001. The concentrations decreased at follow up but were still significantly increased compared to controls (p = 0.018. CSF pNFH concentrations correlated with NFL (r =  0.57 after bout and 0.64 at follow up, p<0.001. No significant change was found in the other biomarkers, as compared to controls. Boxers carrying the APOE ε4 allele had similar biomarker concentrations as non-carriers. CONCLUSIONS: Subconcussive repetitive trauma in amateur boxing causes a mild TBI that may be diagnosed by CSF analysis of pNFH, even without unconsciousness or concussion symptoms. Possession of the APOE ε4 allele was not found to influence biomarker levels after acute TBI.

Growth Response of White Shrimp (Litopenaeus Vannamei) Reared in Low Salinity Medium, Fed Different Protein and Calcium Levels

OpenAIRE

Kaligis, Erly

2015-01-01

The white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) has been an important commercial shrimp species in Indonesia. This species is tolerance to low salinity therefore, it is important to develop its aquaculture. The purpose of this study was to study the effect of protein and calcium levels in diet on growth performance of the white shrimp post larvae. A factorial experiment at three levels of dietary protein (25, 35, 45%) and three levels of calcium (0, 2, 4%) with three replicates were used in this expe...

Níveis de proteína e de arginina digestível na ração pré-inicial de frangos de corte Protein and digestible arginine levels in pre-starter broiler rations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mônica Schaitl Thon

2010-05-01

21 days of age. A total of 600 Cobb chicks was assigned to a block randomized design in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of 4 levels of digestible arginine (1.363; 1.463; 1.563 and 1.663% and two levels of crude protein (20 and 22% with eight treatments, each one with five replicates of 15 broilers each. For the experiment, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, gastrointestinal biometry, digestibility and retention of dry matter and nitrogen were evaluated. The highest weight gain from 1 to 14 days old was obtained with the 22% crude protein feed. The levels of digestible arginine had a quadratic effect in feed conversion from 1 to 10 days old. The esophagus and crop weights were higher for broilers fed 20% crude protein based diet; however, there was a quadratic effect of the digestible arginine levels on the intestine length at the age of 10 days and on the esophagus + crop weight at 3 days of age. At 14 days of age, there was interaction among crude protein and digestible arginine levels for liver relative weight, which showed quadratic response to 20% of crude protein, and for intestine length, whose highest value was obtained with 22% of crude protein and 1.603% of digestible arginine. Nitrogen balance and retention were the highest for levels of 22% of crude protein. The level of 1.363% of digestible arginine meets nutritional requirements of pre-starter broilers.

Four questions and a conversation: Can theory enrich conversation partner training?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pound, Carole; Ahlsén, Elisabeth; Simmons-Mackie, NIna

Background and aimsConversation partner training (CPT) is an umbrella term for different approaches to intervention aiming to facilitate and improve communication between people with aphasia (PWA) and their conversation partners (CP). Some approaches are grounded in a bottom-up approach...... and interactions. Philosophically informed by existential-phenomenological perspectives, the humanisation framework encourages reflection on what practices can make people feel more (or less) human. Reviewing experiences of conversation against the eight suggested dimensions of what it means to be human may offer...

Direct Conversion of Energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Corliss, William R.

This publication is one of a series of information booklets for the general public published by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Direct energy conversion involves energy transformation without moving parts. The concepts of direct and dynamic energy conversion plus the laws governing energy conversion are investigated. Among the topics…

The effect of dietary protein and lysine on egg quality and production of laying hens during 28-42 weeks of age

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hasan Mohammadi Emarat

2015-04-01

Full Text Available An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary crude protein and lysine levels on quality and quantity of egg production. Fifteen diets consisted of 3 levels of protein (14, 15 and 16% and 5 levels of lysine (0.71, 0.74, 0.77, 0.80 and 0.83 % in a 35 factorial arrangement were provided. Each diet was randomly fed to 4 replicates of 12 birds, during four periods of 4 weeks (28-44wks of age. Egg number and mortality was recorded daily, whereas feed consumption determined for each period. Eggs from each replicate were weighed at the end of three consecutive days of each period and six eggs were used to measure the egg quality characteristics. Although the feed intake did not affected by dietary protein but the egg production, egg mass and feed conversion were improved significantly (p

Diets formulated on total or digestible amino acid basis with different energy levels and physical form on broiler performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Maiorka

2005-03-01

Full Text Available We studied the effects of two different systems of expressing amino acid requirements (total - TAA or digestible - DAA, two energy levels (2,900 or 3,200 kcal of ME/kg and two physical forms (mash or pellet on the performance of male broilers from 21 to 42 d of age. Diets formulated on DAA basis improved feed conversion (p<0.001 and the conversion of consumed ME into body weight gain (p<0.001. Birds fed 3,200 kcal ME/kg presented better feed conversion (p<0.001, higher abdominal fat deposition (p<0.001 and worse conversion of consumed ME into body weight gain (p<0.001 as compared to birds fed 2,900 kcal ME/kg. Birds fed pelleted feed had higher feed intake (p<0.001, higher weight gain (p<0.001, better feed conversion (p<0.001, better conversion of consumed ME into body weight gain (p<0.001 and higher abdominal fat deposition (p<0.001. The results obtained in the present study suggest that feed formulation based on DAA is required when diets contain protein sources which amino acid digestibility is unreliable. Besides, pelleted feed improves performance parameters of broilers.

BAG3 regulates total MAP1LC3B protein levels through a translational but not transcriptional mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez, Andrea E; López-Crisosto, Camila; Peña-Oyarzún, Daniel; Salas, Daniela; Parra, Valentina; Quiroga, Clara; Morawe, Tobias; Chiong, Mario; Behl, Christian; Lavandero, Sergio

2016-01-01

Autophagy is mainly regulated by post-translational and lipid modifications of ATG proteins. In some scenarios, the induction of autophagy is accompanied by increased levels of certain ATG mRNAs such as MAP1LC3B/LC3B, ATG5 or ATG12. However, little is known about the regulation of ATG protein synthesis at the translational level. The cochaperone of the HSP70 system BAG3 (BCL2-associated athanogene 3) has been associated to LC3B lipidation through an unknown mechanism. In the present work, we studied how BAG3 controls autophagy in HeLa and HEK293 cells. Our results showed that BAG3 regulates the basal amount of total cellular LC3B protein by controlling its mRNA translation. This effect was apparently specific to LC3B because other ATG protein levels were not affected. BAG3 knockdown did not affect LC3B lipidation induced by nutrient deprivation or proteasome inhibition. We concluded that BAG3 maintains the basal amount of LC3B protein by controlling the translation of its mRNA in HeLa and HEK293 cells.

Nanochemistry of protein-based delivery agents

Science.gov (United States)

Rajendran, Subin; Udenigwe, Chibuike; Yada, Rickey

2016-07-01

The past decade has seen an increased interest in the conversion of food proteins into functional biomaterials, including their use for loading and delivery of physiologically active compounds such as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Proteins possess a competitive advantage over other platforms for the development of nanodelivery systems since they are biocompatible, amphipathic, and widely available. Proteins also have unique molecular structures and diverse functional groups that can be selectively modified to alter encapsulation and release properties. A number of physical and chemical methods have been used for preparing protein nanoformulations, each based on different underlying protein chemistry. This review focuses on the chemistry of the reorganization and/or modification of proteins into functional nanostructures for delivery, from the perspective of their preparation, functionality, stability and physiological behavior.

Transcriptomic and proteomic approach to identify differentially expressed genes and proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana mutants lacking chloroplastic 1 and cytosolic FBPases reveals several levels of metabolic regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Soto-Suárez, Mauricio; Serrato, Antonio J; Rojas-González, José A; Bautista, Rocío; Sahrawy, Mariam

2016-12-01

During the photosynthesis, two isoforms of the fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), the chloroplastidial (cFBP1) and the cytosolic (cyFBP), catalyse the first irreversible step during the conversion of triose phosphates (TP) to starch or sucrose, respectively. Deficiency in cyFBP and cFBP1 isoforms provokes an imbalance of the starch/sucrose ratio, causing a dramatic effect on plant development when the plastidial enzyme is lacking. We study the correlation between the transcriptome and proteome profile in rosettes and roots when cFBP1 or cyFBP genes are disrupted in Arabidopsis thaliana knock-out mutants. By using a 70-mer oligonucleotide microarray representing the genome of Arabidopsis we were able to identify 1067 and 1243 genes whose expressions are altered in the rosettes and roots of the cfbp1 mutant respectively; whilst in rosettes and roots of cyfbp mutant 1068 and 1079 genes are being up- or down-regulated respectively. Quantitative real-time PCR validated 100% of a set of 14 selected genes differentially expressed according to our microarray analysis. Two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis-based proteomic analysis revealed quantitative differences in 36 and 26 proteins regulated in rosettes and roots of cfbp1, respectively, whereas the 18 and 48 others were regulated in rosettes and roots of cyfbp mutant, respectively. The genes differentially expressed and the proteins more or less abundant revealed changes in protein metabolism, RNA regulation, cell signalling and organization, carbon metabolism, redox regulation, and transport together with biotic and abiotic stress. Notably, a significant set (25%) of the proteins identified were also found to be regulated at a transcriptional level. This transcriptomic and proteomic analysis is the first comprehensive and comparative study of the gene/protein re-adjustment that occurs in photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic organs of Arabidopsis mutants lacking FBPase isoforms.

Conversion of Food waste to Single Cell Protein using Aspergillus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ADOWIE PERE

2018-03-13

Mar 13, 2018 ... as orange, pineapple, banana, watermelon and cucumber waste as growth ... compared to plant and animal proteins with good ... not affected by weather condition, short generation .... found to be the least source of chemical composition ... Food waste. Proximate composition (%). Moisture. Ash. Crude fibre.

Association between pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A levels in the first trimester and gestational diabetes mellitus in Chinese women.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheuk, Q Ky; Lo, T K; Wong, S F; Lee, C P

2016-02-01

Several studies have shown that women with pre-existing diabetes mellitus have significantly lower pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A levels than those without. This study aimed to evaluate whether first-trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A multiple of median is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus in Chinese pregnant women. This prospectively collected case series was conducted in a regional hospital in Hong Kong. All consecutive Chinese women with a singleton pregnancy who attended the hospital for their first antenatal visit (before 14 weeks' gestation) from April to July 2014 were included. Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A multiple of median was compared between the gestational diabetic (especially for early-onset gestational diabetes) and non-diabetic groups. The correlation between pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A level and glycosylated haemoglobin level in women with gestational diabetes was also examined. Of the 520 women recruited, gestational diabetes was diagnosed in 169 (32.5%). Among them, 43 (25.4%) had an early diagnosis, and 167 (98.8%) with the disease were managed by diet alone. The gestational diabetic group did not differ significantly to the non-diabetic group in pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (0.97 vs 0.99, P=0.40) or free β-human chorionic gonadotrophin multiple of median (1.05 vs 1.02, P=0.29). Compared with the non-gestational diabetic group, women with early diagnosis of gestational diabetes had a non-significant reduction in pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A multiple of median (median, interquartile range: 0.86, 0.57-1.23 vs 0.99, 0.67-1.44; P=0.11). Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and glycosylated haemoglobin levels were not correlated in women with gestational diabetes (r=0.027; P=0.74). Chinese women with non-insulin-dependent gestational diabetes did not exhibit significant changes to pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A multiple of median nor a correlation between pregnancy

Energy conversion statics

CERN Document Server

Messerle, H K; Declaris, Nicholas

2013-01-01

Energy Conversion Statics deals with equilibrium situations and processes linking equilibrium states. A development of the basic theory of energy conversion statics and its applications is presented. In the applications the emphasis is on processes involving electrical energy. The text commences by introducing the general concept of energy with a survey of primary and secondary energy forms, their availability, and use. The second chapter presents the basic laws of energy conversion. Four postulates defining the overall range of applicability of the general theory are set out, demonstrating th

Uranium Conversion & Enrichment