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Sample records for reductive tca cycle

  1. Localisation of gluconeogenesis and tricarboxylic acid (TCA)-cycle enzymes and first functional analysis of the TCA cycle in Toxoplasma gondii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleige, Tobias; Pfaff, Nils; Gross, Uwe; Bohne, Wolfgang

    2008-08-01

    The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii displays some unusual localisations of carbohydrate converting enzymes, which is due to the presence of a vestigial, non-photosynthetic plastid, referred to as the apicoplast. It was recently demonstrated that the single pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH) in T. gondii is exclusively localised inside the apicoplast but absent in the mitochondrion. This raises the question about expression, localisation and function of enzymes for the tricarboxylic acid (TCA)-cycle, which normally depends on PDH generated acetyl-CoA. Based on the expression and localisation of epitope-tagged fusion proteins, we show that all analysed TCA cycle enzymes are localised in the mitochondrion, including both isoforms of malate dehydrogenase. The absence of a cytosolic malate dehydrogenase suggests that a typical malate-aspartate shuttle for transfer of reduction equivalents is missing in T. gondii. We also localised various enzymes which catalyse the irreversible steps in gluconeogenesis to a cellular compartment and examined mRNA expression levels for gluconeogenesis and TCA cycle genes between tachyzoites and in vitro bradyzoites. In order to get functional information on the TCA cycle for the parasite energy metabolism, we created a conditional knock-out mutant for the succinyl-CoA synthetase. Disruption of the sixth step in the TCA cycle should leave the biosynthetic parts of the cycle intact, but prevent FADH2 production. The succinyl-CoA synthetase depletion mutant displayed a 30% reduction in growth rate, which could be restored by supplementation with 2 microM succinate in the tissue culture medium. The mitochondrial membrane potential in these parasites was found to be unaltered. The lack of a more severe phenotype suggests that a functional TCA cycle is not essential for T. gondii replication and for maintenance of the mitochondrial membrane potential.

  2. Cofactor balance by nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) coordinates reductive carboxylation and glucose catabolism in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle.

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    Gameiro, Paulo A; Laviolette, Laura A; Kelleher, Joanne K; Iliopoulos, Othon; Stephanopoulos, Gregory

    2013-05-03

    Cancer and proliferating cells exhibit an increased demand for glutamine-derived carbons to support anabolic processes. In addition, reductive carboxylation of α-ketoglutarate by isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and 2 (IDH2) was recently shown to be a major source of citrate synthesis from glutamine. The role of NAD(P)H/NAD(P)(+) cofactors in coordinating glucose and glutamine utilization in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is not well understood, with the source(s) of NADPH for the reductive carboxylation reaction remaining unexplored. Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) is a mitochondrial enzyme that transfers reducing equivalents from NADH to NADPH. Here, we show that knockdown of NNT inhibits the contribution of glutamine to the TCA cycle and activates glucose catabolism in SkMel5 melanoma cells. The increase in glucose oxidation partially occurred through pyruvate carboxylase and rendered NNT knockdown cells more sensitive to glucose deprivation. Importantly, knocking down NNT inhibits reductive carboxylation in SkMel5 and 786-O renal carcinoma cells. Overexpression of NNT is sufficient to stimulate glutamine oxidation and reductive carboxylation, whereas it inhibits glucose catabolism in the TCA cycle. These observations are supported by an impairment of the NAD(P)H/NAD(P)(+) ratios. Our findings underscore the role of NNT in regulating central carbon metabolism via redox balance, calling for other mechanisms that coordinate substrate preference to maintain a functional TCA cycle.

  3. Cofactor Balance by Nicotinamide Nucleotide Transhydrogenase (NNT) Coordinates Reductive Carboxylation and Glucose Catabolism in the Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA) Cycle*♦

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gameiro, Paulo A.; Laviolette, Laura A.; Kelleher, Joanne K.; Iliopoulos, Othon; Stephanopoulos, Gregory

    2013-01-01

    Cancer and proliferating cells exhibit an increased demand for glutamine-derived carbons to support anabolic processes. In addition, reductive carboxylation of α-ketoglutarate by isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and 2 (IDH2) was recently shown to be a major source of citrate synthesis from glutamine. The role of NAD(P)H/NAD(P)+ cofactors in coordinating glucose and glutamine utilization in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is not well understood, with the source(s) of NADPH for the reductive carboxylation reaction remaining unexplored. Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) is a mitochondrial enzyme that transfers reducing equivalents from NADH to NADPH. Here, we show that knockdown of NNT inhibits the contribution of glutamine to the TCA cycle and activates glucose catabolism in SkMel5 melanoma cells. The increase in glucose oxidation partially occurred through pyruvate carboxylase and rendered NNT knockdown cells more sensitive to glucose deprivation. Importantly, knocking down NNT inhibits reductive carboxylation in SkMel5 and 786-O renal carcinoma cells. Overexpression of NNT is sufficient to stimulate glutamine oxidation and reductive carboxylation, whereas it inhibits glucose catabolism in the TCA cycle. These observations are supported by an impairment of the NAD(P)H/NAD(P)+ ratios. Our findings underscore the role of NNT in regulating central carbon metabolism via redox balance, calling for other mechanisms that coordinate substrate preference to maintain a functional TCA cycle. PMID:23504317

  4. A primordial and reversible TCA cycle in a facultatively chemolithoautotrophic thermophile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nunoura, Takuro; Chikaraishi, Yoshito; Izaki, Rikihisa; Suwa, Takashi; Sato, Takaaki; Harada, Takeshi; Mori, Koji; Kato, Yumiko; Miyazaki, Masayuki; Shimamura, Shigeru; Yanagawa, Katsunori; Shuto, Aya; Ohkouchi, Naohiko; Fujita, Nobuyuki; Takaki, Yoshihiro; Atomi, Haruyuki; Takai, Ken

    2018-02-02

    Inorganic carbon fixation is essential to sustain life on Earth, and the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle is one of the most ancient carbon fixation metabolisms. A combination of genomic, enzymatic, and metabolomic analyses of a deeply branching chemolithotrophic Thermosulfidibacter takaii ABI70S6 T revealed a previously unknown reversible TCA cycle whose direction was controlled by the available carbon source(s). Under a chemolithoautotrophic condition, a rTCA cycle occurred with the reverse reaction of citrate synthase (CS) and not with the adenosine 5'-triphosphate-dependent citrate cleavage reactions that had been regarded as essential for the conventional rTCA cycle. Phylometabolic evaluation suggests that the TCA cycle with reversible CS may represent an ancestral mode of the rTCA cycle and raises the possibility of a facultatively chemolithomixotrophic origin of life. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

  5. Dysfunctional TCA-Cycle Metabolism in Glutamate Dehydrogenase Deficient Astrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nissen, Jakob D; Pajęcka, Kamilla; Stridh, Malin H; Skytt, Dorte M; Waagepetersen, Helle S

    2015-12-01

    Astrocytes take up glutamate in the synaptic area subsequent to glutamatergic transmission by the aid of high affinity glutamate transporters. Glutamate is converted to glutamine or metabolized to support intermediary metabolism and energy production. Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) catalyze the reversible reaction between glutamate and α-ketoglutarate, which is the initial step for glutamate to enter TCA cycle metabolism. In contrast to GDH, AAT requires a concomitant interconversion of oxaloacetate and aspartate. We have investigated the role of GDH in astrocyte glutamate and glucose metabolism employing siRNA mediated knock down (KD) of GDH in cultured astrocytes using stable and radioactive isotopes for metabolic mapping. An increased level of aspartate was observed upon exposure to [U-(13) C]glutamate in astrocytes exhibiting reduced GDH activity. (13) C Labeling of aspartate and TCA cycle intermediates confirmed that the increased amount of aspartate is associated with elevated TCA cycle flux from α-ketoglutarate to oxaloacetate, i.e. truncated TCA cycle. (13) C Glucose metabolism was elevated in GDH deficient astrocytes as observed by increased de novo synthesis of aspartate via pyruvate carboxylation. In the absence of glucose, lactate production from glutamate via malic enzyme was lower in GDH deficient astrocytes. In conclusions, our studies reveal that metabolism via GDH serves an important anaplerotic role by adding net carbon to the TCA cycle. A reduction in GDH activity seems to cause the astrocytes to up-regulate activity in pathways involved in maintaining the amount of TCA cycle intermediates such as pyruvate carboxylation as well as utilization of alternate substrates such as branched chain amino acids. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Origin of the Reductive Tricarboxylic Acid (rTCA Cycle-Type CO2 Fixation: A Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Norio Kitadai

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA cycle is among the most plausible candidates for the first autotrophic metabolism in the earliest life. Extant enzymes fixing CO2 in this cycle contain cofactors at the catalytic centers, but it is unlikely that the protein/cofactor system emerged at once in a prebiotic process. Here, we discuss the feasibility of non-enzymatic cofactor-assisted drive of the rTCA reactions in the primitive Earth environments, particularly focusing on the acetyl-CoA conversion to pyruvate. Based on the energetic and mechanistic aspects of this reaction, we propose that the deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments with active electricity generation in the presence of various sulfide catalysts are a promising setting for it to progress. Our view supports the theory of an autotrophic origin of life from primordial carbon assimilation within a sulfide-rich hydrothermal vent.

  7. Revisiting the TCA cycle: signaling to tumor formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raimundo, Nuno; Baysal, Bora E; Shadel, Gerald S

    2011-11-01

    A role for mitochondria in tumor formation is suggested by mutations in enzymes of the TCA cycle: isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and fumarate hydratase (FH). Although they are all components of the TCA cycle, the resulting clinical presentations do not overlap. Activation of the hypoxia pathway can explain SDH phenotypes, but recent data suggest that FH and IDH mutations lead to tumor formation by repressing cellular differentiation. In this review, we discuss recent findings in the context of both mitochondrial and cytoplasmic components of the TCA cycle, and we propose that extrametabolic roles of TCA cycle metabolites result in reduced cellular differentiation. Furthermore, activation of the pseudohypoxia pathway likely promotes the growth of these neoplasias into tumors. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Glucose feeds the TCA cycle via circulating lactate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hui, Sheng; Ghergurovich, Jonathan M; Morscher, Raphael J; Jang, Cholsoon; Teng, Xin; Lu, Wenyun; Esparza, Lourdes A; Reya, Tannishtha; Le Zhan; Yanxiang Guo, Jessie; White, Eileen; Rabinowitz, Joshua D

    2017-11-02

    Mammalian tissues are fuelled by circulating nutrients, including glucose, amino acids, and various intermediary metabolites. Under aerobic conditions, glucose is generally assumed to be burned fully by tissues via the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) to carbon dioxide. Alternatively, glucose can be catabolized anaerobically via glycolysis to lactate, which is itself also a potential nutrient for tissues and tumours. The quantitative relevance of circulating lactate or other metabolic intermediates as fuels remains unclear. Here we systematically examine the fluxes of circulating metabolites in mice, and find that lactate can be a primary source of carbon for the TCA cycle and thus of energy. Intravenous infusions of 13 C-labelled nutrients reveal that, on a molar basis, the circulatory turnover flux of lactate is the highest of all metabolites and exceeds that of glucose by 1.1-fold in fed mice and 2.5-fold in fasting mice; lactate is made primarily from glucose but also from other sources. In both fed and fasted mice, 13 C-lactate extensively labels TCA cycle intermediates in all tissues. Quantitative analysis reveals that during the fasted state, the contribution of glucose to tissue TCA metabolism is primarily indirect (via circulating lactate) in all tissues except the brain. In genetically engineered lung and pancreatic cancer tumours in fasted mice, the contribution of circulating lactate to TCA cycle intermediates exceeds that of glucose, with glutamine making a larger contribution than lactate in pancreatic cancer. Thus, glycolysis and the TCA cycle are uncoupled at the level of lactate, which is a primary circulating TCA substrate in most tissues and tumours.

  9. Dysfunctional TCA-Cycle Metabolism in Glutamate Dehydrogenase Deficient Astrocytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nissen, Jakob D; Pajęcka, Kamilla; Stridh, Malin H

    2015-01-01

    aminotransferase (AAT) catalyze the reversible reaction between glutamate and α-ketoglutarate, which is the initial step for glutamate to enter TCA cycle metabolism. In contrast to GDH, AAT requires a concomitant interconversion of oxaloacetate and aspartate. We have investigated the role of GDH in astrocyte...... Labeling of aspartate and TCA cycle intermediates confirmed that the increased amount of aspartate is associated with elevated TCA cycle flux from α-ketoglutarate to oxaloacetate, i.e. truncated TCA cycle. (13) C Glucose metabolism was elevated in GDH deficient astrocytes as observed by increased de novo...... synthesis of aspartate via pyruvate carboxylation. In the absence of glucose, lactate production from glutamate via malic enzyme was lower in GDH deficient astrocytes. In conclusions, our studies reveal that metabolism via GDH serves an important anaplerotic role by adding net carbon to the TCA cycle...

  10. Metabolic Engineering of TCA Cycle for Production of Chemicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vuoristo, Kiira S; Mars, Astrid E; Sanders, Johan P M; Eggink, Gerrit; Weusthuis, Ruud A

    2016-03-01

    The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle has been used for decades in the microbial production of chemicals such as citrate, L-glutamate, and succinate. Maximizing yield is key for cost-competitive production. However, for most TCA cycle products, the maximum pathway yield is lower than the theoretical maximum yield (Y(E)). For succinate, this was solved by creating two pathways to the product, using both branches of the TCA cycle, connected by the glyoxylate shunt (GS). A similar solution cannot be applied directly for production of compounds from the oxidative branch of the TCA cycle because irreversible reactions are involved. Here, we describe how this can be overcome and what the impact is on the yield. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Reverse TCA cycle flux through isocitrate dehydrogenases 1 and 2 is required for lipogenesis in hypoxic melanoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filipp, Fabian V; Scott, David A; Ronai, Ze'ev A; Osterman, Andrei L; Smith, Jeffrey W

    2012-05-01

    The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is the central hub of oxidative metabolism, running in the classic forward direction to provide carbon for biosynthesis and reducing agents for generation of ATP. Our metabolic tracer studies in melanoma cells showed that in hypoxic conditions the TCA cycle is largely disconnected from glycolysis. By studying the TCA branch point metabolites, acetyl CoA and citrate, as well as the metabolic endpoint glutamine and fatty acids, we developed a comprehensive picture of the rewiring of the TCA cycle that occurs in hypoxia. Hypoxic tumor cells maintain proliferation by running the TCA cycle in reverse. The source of carbon for acetyl CoA, citrate, and fatty acids switches from glucose in normoxia to glutamine in hypoxia. This hypoxic flux from glutamine into fatty acids is mediated by reductive carboxylation. This reductive carboxylation is catalyzed by two isocitrate dehydrogenases, IDH1 and IDH2. Their combined action is necessary and sufficient to effect the reverse TCA flux and maintain cellular viability. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  12. Metabolic Engineering of TCA Cycle for Production of Chemicals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vuoristo, K.S.; Mars, A.E.; Sanders, J.P.M.; Eggink, G.; Weusthuis, R.A.

    2016-01-01

    The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle has been used for decades in the microbial production of chemicals such as citrate, L-glutamate, and succinate. Maximizing yield is key for cost-competitive production. However, for most TCA cycle products, the maximum pathway yield is lower than the theoretical

  13. Metabolism: Part II. The Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA), Citric Acid, or Krebs Cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodner, George M.

    1986-01-01

    Differentiates the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (or Krebs cycle) from glycolysis, and describes the bridge between the two as being the conversion of pyruvate into acetyl coenzyme A. Discusses the eight steps in the TCA cycle, the results of isotopic labeling experiments, and the net effects of the TCA cycle. (TW)

  14. TCA Cycle Defects and Cancer: When Metabolism Tunes Redox State.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardaci, Simone; Ciriolo, Maria Rosa

    2012-01-01

    Inborn defects of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes have been known for more than twenty years. Until recently, only recessive mutations were described which, although resulted in severe multisystem syndromes, did not predispose to cancer onset. In the last ten years, a causal role in carcinogenesis has been documented for inherited and acquired alterations in three TCA cycle enzymes, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), fumarate hydratase (FH), and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), pointing towards metabolic alterations as the underlying hallmark of cancer. This paper summarizes the neoplastic alterations of the TCA cycle enzymes focusing on the generation of pseudohypoxic phenotype and the alteration of epigenetic homeostasis as the main tumor-promoting effects of the TCA cycle affecting defects. Moreover, we debate on the ability of these mutations to affect cellular redox state and to promote carcinogenesis by impacting on redox biology.

  15. TCA Cycle Defects and Cancer: When Metabolism Tunes Redox State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simone Cardaci

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Inborn defects of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle enzymes have been known for more than twenty years. Until recently, only recessive mutations were described which, although resulted in severe multisystem syndromes, did not predispose to cancer onset. In the last ten years, a causal role in carcinogenesis has been documented for inherited and acquired alterations in three TCA cycle enzymes, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH, fumarate hydratase (FH, and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH, pointing towards metabolic alterations as the underlying hallmark of cancer. This paper summarizes the neoplastic alterations of the TCA cycle enzymes focusing on the generation of pseudohypoxic phenotype and the alteration of epigenetic homeostasis as the main tumor-promoting effects of the TCA cycle affecting defects. Moreover, we debate on the ability of these mutations to affect cellular redox state and to promote carcinogenesis by impacting on redox biology.

  16. The emerging role and targetability of the TCA cycle in cancer metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Nicole M; Mucka, Patrick; Kern, Joseph G; Feng, Hui

    2018-02-01

    The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is a central route for oxidative phosphorylation in cells, and fulfills their bioenergetic, biosynthetic, and redox balance requirements. Despite early dogma that cancer cells bypass the TCA cycle and primarily utilize aerobic glycolysis, emerging evidence demonstrates that certain cancer cells, especially those with deregulated oncogene and tumor suppressor expression, rely heavily on the TCA cycle for energy production and macromolecule synthesis. As the field progresses, the importance of aberrant TCA cycle function in tumorigenesis and the potentials of applying small molecule inhibitors to perturb the enhanced cycle function for cancer treatment start to evolve. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the fuels feeding the cycle, effects of oncogenes and tumor suppressors on fuel and cycle usage, common genetic alterations and deregulation of cycle enzymes, and potential therapeutic opportunities for targeting the TCA cycle in cancer cells. With the application of advanced technology and in vivo model organism studies, it is our hope that studies of this previously overlooked biochemical hub will provide fresh insights into cancer metabolism and tumorigenesis, subsequently revealing vulnerabilities for therapeutic interventions in various cancer types.

  17. The emerging role and targetability of the TCA cycle in cancer metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicole M. Anderson

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle is a central route for oxidative phosphorylation in cells, and fulfills their bioenergetic, biosynthetic, and redox balance requirements. Despite early dogma that cancer cells bypass the TCA cycle and primarily utilize aerobic glycolysis, emerging evidence demonstrates that certain cancer cells, especially those with deregulated oncogene and tumor suppressor expression, rely heavily on the TCA cycle for energy production and macromolecule synthesis. As the field progresses, the importance of aberrant TCA cycle function in tumorigenesis and the potentials of applying small molecule inhibitors to perturb the enhanced cycle function for cancer treatment start to evolve. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the fuels feeding the cycle, effects of oncogenes and tumor suppressors on fuel and cycle usage, common genetic alterations and deregulation of cycle enzymes, and potential therapeutic opportunities for targeting the TCA cycle in cancer cells. With the application of advanced technology and in vivo model organism studies, it is our hope that studies of this previously overlooked biochemical hub will provide fresh insights into cancer metabolism and tumorigenesis, subsequently revealing vulnerabilities for therapeutic interventions in various cancer types.

  18. Convergent evolution of a modified, acetate-driven TCA cycle in bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwong, Waldan K; Zheng, Hao; Moran, Nancy A

    2017-04-28

    The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is central to energy production and biosynthetic precursor synthesis in aerobic organisms. There are few known variations of a complete TCA cycle, with the common notion being that the enzymes involved have already evolved towards optimal performance. Here, we present evidence that an alternative TCA cycle, in which acetate:succinate CoA-transferase (ASCT) replaces the enzymatic step typically performed by succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS), has arisen in diverse bacterial groups, including microbial symbionts of animals such as humans and insects.

  19. Micro-coulometric study of bioelectrochemical reaction coupled with TCA cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsujimura, Seiya; Fukuda, Jun; Shirai, Osamu; Kano, Kenji; Sakai, Hideki; Tokita, Yuichi; Hatazawa, Tsuyonobu

    2012-04-15

    The mediated electro-enzymatic electrolysis systems based on the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle reaction were examined on a micro-bulk electrolytic system. A series of the enzyme-catalyzed reactions in the TCA cycle was coupled with electrode reaction. Electrochemical oxidation of NADH was catalyzed by diaphorase with an aid of a redox mediator with a formal potential of -0.15 V vs. Ag|AgCl. The mediator was also able to shuttle electrons between succinate dehydrogenase and electrode. The charge during the electrolysis increased on each addition of dehydrogenase reaction in a cascade of the TCA cycle. However, the electrolysis efficiencies were close to or less than 90% because of the product inhibition. Lactate oxidation to acetyl-CoA catalyzed by two NAD-dependent dehydrogenases was coupled with the bioelectrochemical TCA cycle reaction to achieve the 12-electron oxidation of lactate to CO(2). The charge passed in the bioelectrocatalytic oxidation of 5 nmol of lactate was 4 mC, which corresponds to 70% of the electrolysis efficiency. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. The TCA cycle as a bridge between oncometabolism and DNA transactions in cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciccarone, Fabio; Vegliante, Rolando; Di Leo, Luca; Ciriolo, Maria Rosa

    2017-12-01

    Cancer cells exploit metabolic rearrangements for sustaining their high proliferation rate and energy demand. The TCA cycle is a central metabolic hub necessary for ATP production and for providing precursors used in many biosynthetic pathways. Thus, dysregulation of the TCA cycle flux is frequently observed in cancer. The identification of mutations in several enzymes of the TCA cycle in human tumours demonstrated a direct connection between this metabolic pathway and cancer occurrence. Moreover, changes in the expression/activity of these enzymes were also shown to promote metabolic adaptation of cancer cells. In this review, the main genetic and non-genetic alterations of TCA cycle in cancer will be described. Particular attention will be given to extrametabolic roles of TCA cycle enzymes and metabolites underlying the regulation of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA transactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Boosted TCA cycle enhances survival of zebrafish to Vibrio alginolyticus infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Man-Jun; Cheng, Zhi-Xue; Jiang, Ming; Zeng, Zao-Hai; Peng, Bo; Peng, Xuan-Xian; Li, Hui

    2018-01-01

    Vibrio alginolyticus is a waterborne pathogen that infects a wide variety of hosts including fish and human, and the outbreak of this pathogen can cause a huge economic loss in aquaculture. Thus, enhancing host's capability to survive from V. alginolyticus infection is key to fighting infection and this remains still unexplored. In the present study, we established a V. alginolyticus-zebrafish interaction model by which we explored how zebrafish survived from V. alginolyticus infection. We used GC-MS based metabolomic approaches to characterize differential metabolomes between survival and dying zebrafish upon infection. Pattern recognition analysis identified the TCA cycle as the most impacted pathway. The metabolites in the TCA cycle were decreased in the dying host, whereas the metabolites were increased in the survival host. Furthermore, the enzymatic activities of the TCA cycle including pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), α-ketoglutaric dehydrogenase (KGDH) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) also supported this conclusion. Among the increased metabolites in the TCA cycle, malic acid was the most crucial biomarker for fish survival. Indeed, exogenous malate promoted zebrafish survival in a dose-dependent manner. The corresponding activities of KGDH and SDH were also increased. These results indicate that the TCA cycle is a key pathway responsible for the survival or death in response to infection caused by V. alginolyticus, and highlight the way on development of metabolic modulation to control the infection.

  2. The TCA cycle transferase DLST is important for MYC-mediated leukemogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, N M; Li, D; Peng, H L; Laroche, F J F; Mansour, M R; Gjini, E; Aioub, M; Helman, D J; Roderick, J E; Cheng, T; Harrold, I; Samaha, Y; Meng, L; Amsterdam, A; Neuberg, D S; Denton, T T; Sanda, T; Kelliher, M A; Singh, A; Look, A T; Feng, H

    2016-06-01

    Despite the pivotal role of MYC in the pathogenesis of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and many other cancers, the mechanisms underlying MYC-mediated tumorigenesis remain inadequately understood. Here we utilized a well-characterized zebrafish model of Myc-induced T-ALL for genetic studies to identify novel genes contributing to disease onset. We found that heterozygous inactivation of a tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzyme, dihydrolipoamide S-succinyltransferase (Dlst), significantly delayed tumor onset in zebrafish without detectable effects on fish development. DLST is the E2 transferase of the α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC), which converts α-KG to succinyl-CoA in the TCA cycle. RNAi knockdown of DLST led to decreased cell viability and induction of apoptosis in human T-ALL cell lines. Polar metabolomics profiling revealed that the TCA cycle was disrupted by DLST knockdown in human T-ALL cells, as demonstrated by an accumulation of α-KG and a decrease of succinyl-CoA. Addition of succinate, the downstream TCA cycle intermediate, to human T-ALL cells was sufficient to rescue defects in cell viability caused by DLST inactivation. Together, our studies uncovered an important role for DLST in MYC-mediated leukemogenesis and demonstrated the metabolic dependence of T-lymphoblasts on the TCA cycle, thus providing implications for targeted therapy.

  3. Impaired TCA cycle flux in mitochondria in skeletal muscle from type 2 diabetic subjects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gaster, Michael; Nehlin, Jan O; Minet, Ariane D

    2012-01-01

    The diabetic phenotype is complex, requiring elucidation of key initiating defects. Recent research has shown that diabetic myotubes express a primary reduced tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux. A reduced TCA cycle flux has also been shown both in insulin resistant offspring of T2D patients...... and exercising T2D patients in vivo. This review will discuss the latest advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the TCA cycle with focus on possible underlying mechanism which could explain the impaired TCA flux in insulin resistant human skeletal muscle in type 2 diabetes....... A reduced TCA is both a marker and a maker of the diabetic phenotype....

  4. Mitochondrial dysfunctions in cancer: genetic defects and oncogenic signaling impinging on TCA cycle activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desideri, Enrico; Vegliante, Rolando; Ciriolo, Maria Rosa

    2015-01-28

    The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is a central route for oxidative metabolism. Besides being responsible for the production of NADH and FADH2, which fuel the mitochondrial electron transport chain to generate ATP, the TCA cycle is also a robust source of metabolic intermediates required for anabolic reactions. This is particularly important for highly proliferating cells, like tumour cells, which require a continuous supply of precursors for the synthesis of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. A number of mutations among the TCA cycle enzymes have been discovered and their association with some tumour types has been established. In this review we summarise the current knowledge regarding alterations of the TCA cycle in tumours, with particular attention to the three germline mutations of the enzymes succinate dehydrogenase, fumarate hydratase and isocitrate dehydrogenase, which are involved in the pathogenesis of tumours, and to the aberrant regulation of TCA cycle components that are under the control of oncogenes and tumour suppressors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Relative estimates of TCA cycle pool size from 14CO2 production profiles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelleher, J.K.; Cesta, M.L.; Holleran, A.L.

    1986-01-01

    In metabolic and isotopic steady state, the rate of 14 CO 2 production by TCA cycle intermediates labeled at different positions is linear. However, before the system reaches isotopic steady state, the rate of 14 CO 2 production is non-linear. The x-intercept extrapolated from the linear phase indicates the turnover rate of all metabolic pools the tracer must pass through. By exposing identical systems to 14 C succinate labeled in different positions, the contribution of TCA cycle pools to the non-linear phase may be considered. Specifically, the extrapolated x-intercept for [2,3 14 C] succinate will be greater than the x-intercept for [1,4 14 C] succinate if the TCA cycle pools are a contributing factor to the non-linear phase. The authors have used this method to analyze pyruvate oxidation in AS 30D hepatoma cells. They found that the extrapolated x-intercepts for the two tracers were identical. This indicates that the non-linear phase resulted from equilibration of the tracer with pools prior to entering the TCA cycle, i.e. lactate. Using this technique, it may be possible to estimate the variations in TCA cycle pool sizes in vivo

  6. Temporal fluxomics reveals oscillations in TCA cycle flux throughout the mammalian cell cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Eunyong; Kumar, Praveen; Mukha, Dzmitry; Tzur, Amit; Shlomi, Tomer

    2017-11-06

    Cellular metabolic demands change throughout the cell cycle. Nevertheless, a characterization of how metabolic fluxes adapt to the changing demands throughout the cell cycle is lacking. Here, we developed a temporal-fluxomics approach to derive a comprehensive and quantitative view of alterations in metabolic fluxes throughout the mammalian cell cycle. This is achieved by combining pulse-chase LC-MS-based isotope tracing in synchronized cell populations with computational deconvolution and metabolic flux modeling. We find that TCA cycle fluxes are rewired as cells progress through the cell cycle with complementary oscillations of glucose versus glutamine-derived fluxes: Oxidation of glucose-derived flux peaks in late G1 phase, while oxidative and reductive glutamine metabolism dominates S phase. These complementary flux oscillations maintain a constant production rate of reducing equivalents and oxidative phosphorylation flux throughout the cell cycle. The shift from glucose to glutamine oxidation in S phase plays an important role in cell cycle progression and cell proliferation. © 2017 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

  7. Formal TCA cycle description based on elementary actions

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Prakash

    2006-12-20

    Dec 20, 2006 ... Applied to the description of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), we show that. BioΨ allows ... BAs, biological activities; BEAs, basic elements of action; BFs, biological ..... the mitochondria, such as respiratory chain and fatty acid.

  8. Abnormalities in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in the brains of schizophrenia patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bubber, P; Hartounian, V; Gibson, G E; Blass, J P

    2011-03-01

    Images of brain metabolism and measurements of activities of components of the electron transport chain support earlier studies that suggest that brain glucose oxidation is inherently abnormal in a significant proportion of persons with schizophrenia. Therefore, we measured the activities of enzymes of the tricarboxylic (TCA) cycle in dorsolateral-prefrontal-cortex from schizophrenia patients (N=13) and non-psychiatric disease controls (N=13): the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC), citrate synthase (CS), aconitase, isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH), the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC), succinate thiokinase (STH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), fumarase and malate dehydrogenase (MDH). Activities of aconitase (18.4%, pTCA cycle, were lower, but SDH (18.3%, pTCA cycle and cognitive function, age or choline acetyl transferase activity, except for aconitase activity which decreased slightly with age (r=0.55, p=003). The increased activities of dehydrogenases in the second half of the TCA cycle may reflect a compensatory response to reduced activities of enzymes in the first half. Such alterations in the components of TCA cycle are adequate to alter the rate of brain metabolism. These results are consistent with the imaging studies of hypometabolism in schizophrenia. They suggest that deficiencies in mitochondrial enzymes can be associated with mental disease that takes the form of schizophrenia. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

  9. Glutamatergic and GABAergic TCA cycle and neurotransmitter cycling fluxes in different regions of mouse brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Vivek; Ambadipudi, Susmitha; Patel, Anant B

    2013-10-01

    The (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies together with the infusion of (13)C-labeled substrates in rats and humans have provided important insight into brain energy metabolism. In the present study, we have extended a three-compartment metabolic model in mouse to investigate glutamatergic and GABAergic tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and neurotransmitter cycle fluxes across different regions of the brain. The (13)C turnover of amino acids from [1,6-(13)C2]glucose was monitored ex vivo using (1)H-[(13)C]-NMR spectroscopy. The astroglial glutamate pool size, one of the important parameters of the model, was estimated by a short infusion of [2-(13)C]acetate. The ratio Vcyc/VTCA was calculated from the steady-state acetate experiment. The (13)C turnover curves of [4-(13)C]/[3-(13)C]glutamate, [4-(13)C]glutamine, [2-(13)C]/[3-(13)C]GABA, and [3-(13)C]aspartate from [1,6-(13)C2]glucose were analyzed using a three-compartment metabolic model to estimate the rates of the TCA cycle and neurotransmitter cycle associated with glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. The glutamatergic TCA cycle rate was found to be highest in the cerebral cortex (0.91 ± 0.05 μmol/g per minute) and least in the hippocampal region (0.64 ± 0.07 μmol/g per minute) of the mouse brain. In contrast, the GABAergic TCA cycle flux was found to be highest in the thalamus-hypothalamus (0.28 ± 0.01 μmol/g per minute) and least in the cerebral cortex (0.24 ± 0.02 μmol/g per minute). These findings indicate that the energetics of excitatory and inhibitory function is distinct across the mouse brain.

  10. GATOR1 regulates nitrogenic cataplerotic reactions of the mitochondrial TCA cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jun; Sutter, Benjamin M; Shi, Lei; Tu, Benjamin P

    2017-11-01

    The GATOR1 (SEACIT) complex consisting of Iml1-Npr2-Npr3 inhibits target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) in response to amino acid insufficiency. In glucose medium, Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants lacking the function of this complex grow poorly in the absence of amino acid supplementation, despite showing hallmarks of increased TORC1 signaling. Such mutants sense that they are amino acid replete and thus repress metabolic activities that are important for achieving this state. We found that npr2Δ mutants have defective mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA)-cycle activity and retrograde response. Supplementation with glutamine, and especially aspartate, which are nitrogen-containing forms of TCA-cycle intermediates, rescues growth of npr2Δ mutants. These amino acids are then consumed in biosynthetic pathways that require nitrogen to support proliferative metabolism. Our findings revealed that negative regulators of TORC1, such as GATOR1 (SEACIT), regulate the cataplerotic synthesis of these amino acids from the TCA cycle, in tune with the amino acid and nitrogen status of cells.

  11. TCA Cycle and Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Are Necessary for Diverse Biological Functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Reyes, Inmaculada; Diebold, Lauren P; Kong, Hyewon; Schieber, Michael; Huang, He; Hensley, Christopher T; Mehta, Manan M; Wang, Tianyuan; Santos, Janine H; Woychik, Richard; Dufour, Eric; Spelbrink, Johannes N; Weinberg, Samuel E; Zhao, Yingming; DeBerardinis, Ralph J; Chandel, Navdeep S

    2016-01-21

    Mitochondrial metabolism is necessary for the maintenance of oxidative TCA cycle function and mitochondrial membrane potential. Previous attempts to decipher whether mitochondria are necessary for biological outcomes have been hampered by genetic and pharmacologic methods that simultaneously disrupt multiple functions linked to mitochondrial metabolism. Here, we report that inducible depletion of mitochondrial DNA (ρ(ο) cells) diminished respiration, oxidative TCA cycle function, and the mitochondrial membrane potential, resulting in diminished cell proliferation, hypoxic activation of HIF-1, and specific histone acetylation marks. Genetic reconstitution only of the oxidative TCA cycle function specifically in these inducible ρ(ο) cells restored metabolites, resulting in re-establishment of histone acetylation. In contrast, genetic reconstitution of the mitochondrial membrane potential restored ROS, which were necessary for hypoxic activation of HIF-1 and cell proliferation. These results indicate that distinct mitochondrial functions associated with respiration are necessary for cell proliferation, epigenetics, and HIF-1 activation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. GC/MS-based profiling of amino acids and TCA cycle-related molecules in ulcerative colitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ooi, Makoto; Nishiumi, Shin; Yoshie, Tomoo; Shiomi, Yuuki; Kohashi, Michitaka; Fukunaga, Ken; Nakamura, Shiro; Matsumoto, Takayuki; Hatano, Naoya; Shinohara, Masakazu; Irino, Yasuhiro; Takenawa, Tadaomi; Azuma, Takeshi; Yoshida, Masaru

    2011-09-01

    The roles that amino acids play in immunity and inflammation are well defined, and the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and certain amino acids has recently attracted attention. In this study, the levels of amino acids and trichloroacetic acid (TCA) cycle-related molecules in the colonic tissues and sera of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) were profiled by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), with the aim of evaluating whether the clinical state induced by UC leads to variations in the amino acid profile. Colonic biopsy samples from 22 UC patients were used, as well as serum samples from UC patients (n = 13), Crohn's disease (CD) patients (n = 21), and healthy volunteers (n = 17). In the GC/MS-based profiling of amino acids and TCA cycle-related molecules, lower levels of 16 amino acids and 5 TCA cycle-related molecules were observed in the colonic lesion tissues of the UC patients, and the serum profiles of amino acids and TCA cycle-related molecules of the UC patients were different from those of the CD patients and healthy volunteers. Our study raises the possibility that GC/MS-based profiling of amino acids and TCA cycle-related molecules is a useful early diagnostic tool for UC.

  13. Elevated TCA cycle function in the pathology of diet-induced hepatic insulin resistance and fatty liver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satapati, Santhosh; Sunny, Nishanth E; Kucejova, Blanka; Fu, Xiaorong; He, Tian Teng; Méndez-Lucas, Andrés; Shelton, John M; Perales, Jose C; Browning, Jeffrey D; Burgess, Shawn C

    2012-06-01

    The manner in which insulin resistance impinges on hepatic mitochondrial function is complex. Although liver insulin resistance is associated with respiratory dysfunction, the effect on fat oxidation remains controversial, and biosynthetic pathways that traverse mitochondria are actually increased. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is the site of terminal fat oxidation, chief source of electrons for respiration, and a metabolic progenitor of gluconeogenesis. Therefore, we tested whether insulin resistance promotes hepatic TCA cycle flux in mice progressing to insulin resistance and fatty liver on a high-fat diet (HFD) for 32 weeks using standard biomolecular and in vivo (2)H/(13)C tracer methods. Relative mitochondrial content increased, but respiratory efficiency declined by 32 weeks of HFD. Fasting ketogenesis became unresponsive to feeding or insulin clamp, indicating blunted but constitutively active mitochondrial β-oxidation. Impaired insulin signaling was marked by elevated in vivo gluconeogenesis and anaplerotic and oxidative TCA cycle flux. The induction of TCA cycle function corresponded to the development of mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction, hepatic oxidative stress, and inflammation. Thus, the hepatic TCA cycle appears to enable mitochondrial dysfunction during insulin resistance by increasing electron deposition into an inefficient respiratory chain prone to reactive oxygen species production and by providing mitochondria-derived substrate for elevated gluconeogenesis.

  14. Correlation between TCA cycle flux and glucose uptake rate during respiro-fermentative growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heyland, Jan; Fu, Jianan; Blank, Lars M

    2009-12-01

    Glucose repression of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated under different environmental conditions using (13)C-tracer experiments. Real-time quantification of the volatile metabolites ethanol and CO(2) allowed accurate carbon balancing. In all experiments with the wild-type, a strong correlation between the rates of growth and glucose uptake was observed, indicating a constant yield of biomass. In contrast, glycerol and acetate production rates were less dependent on the rate of glucose uptake, but were affected by environmental conditions. The glycerol production rate was highest during growth in high-osmolarity medium (2.9 mmol g(-1) h(-1)), while the highest acetate production rate of 2.1 mmol g(-1) h(-1) was observed in alkaline medium of pH 6.9. Under standard growth conditions (25 g glucose l(-1) , pH 5.0, 30 degrees C) S. cerevisiae had low fluxes through the pentose phosphate pathway and the TCA cycle. A significant increase in TCA cycle activity from 0.03 mmol g(-1) h(-1) to about 1.7 mmol g(-1) h(-1) was observed when S. cerevisiae grew more slowly as a result of environmental perturbations, including unfavourable pH values and sodium chloride stress. Compared to experiments with high glucose uptake rates, the ratio of CO(2) to ethanol increased more than 50 %, indicating an increase in flux through the TCA cycle. Although glycolysis and the ethanol production pathway still exhibited the highest fluxes, the net flux through the TCA cycle increased significantly with decreasing glucose uptake rates. Results from experiments with single gene deletion mutants partially impaired in glucose repression (hxk2, grr1) indicated that the rate of glucose uptake correlates with this increase in TCA cycle flux. These findings are discussed in the context of regulation of glucose repression.

  15. Mathematical modeling of (13)C label incorporation of the TCA cycle: the concept of composite precursor function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uffmann, Kai; Gruetter, Rolf

    2007-11-15

    A novel approach for the mathematical modeling of (13)C label incorporation into amino acids via the TCA cycle that eliminates the explicit calculation of the labeling of the TCA cycle intermediates is described, resulting in one differential equation per measurable time course of labeled amino acid. The equations demonstrate that both glutamate C4 and C3 labeling depend in a predictable manner on both transmitochondrial exchange rate, V(X), and TCA cycle rate, V(TCA). For example, glutamate C4 labeling alone does not provide any information on either V(X) or V(TCA) but rather a composite "flux". Interestingly, glutamate C3 simultaneously receives label not only from pyruvate C3 but also from glutamate C4, described by composite precursor functions that depend in a probabilistic way on the ratio of V(X) to V(TCA): An initial rate of labeling of glutamate C3 (or C2) being close to zero is indicative of a high V(X)/V(TCA). The derived analytical solution of these equations shows that, when the labeling of the precursor pool pyruvate reaches steady state quickly compared with the turnover rate of the measured amino acids, instantaneous labeling can be assumed for pyruvate. The derived analytical solution has acceptable errors compared with experimental uncertainty, thus obviating precise knowledge on the labeling kinetics of the precursor. In conclusion, a substantial reformulation of the modeling of label flow via the TCA cycle turnover into the amino acids is presented in the current study. This approach allows one to determine metabolic rates by fitting explicit mathematical functions to measured time courses.

  16. Elevated TCA cycle function in the pathology of diet-induced hepatic insulin resistance and fatty liver[S

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satapati, Santhosh; Sunny, Nishanth E.; Kucejova, Blanka; Fu, Xiaorong; He, Tian Teng; Méndez-Lucas, Andrés; Shelton, John M.; Perales, Jose C.; Browning, Jeffrey D.; Burgess, Shawn C.

    2012-01-01

    The manner in which insulin resistance impinges on hepatic mitochondrial function is complex. Although liver insulin resistance is associated with respiratory dysfunction, the effect on fat oxidation remains controversial, and biosynthetic pathways that traverse mitochondria are actually increased. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is the site of terminal fat oxidation, chief source of electrons for respiration, and a metabolic progenitor of gluconeogenesis. Therefore, we tested whether insulin resistance promotes hepatic TCA cycle flux in mice progressing to insulin resistance and fatty liver on a high-fat diet (HFD) for 32 weeks using standard biomolecular and in vivo 2H/13C tracer methods. Relative mitochondrial content increased, but respiratory efficiency declined by 32 weeks of HFD. Fasting ketogenesis became unresponsive to feeding or insulin clamp, indicating blunted but constitutively active mitochondrial β-oxidation. Impaired insulin signaling was marked by elevated in vivo gluconeogenesis and anaplerotic and oxidative TCA cycle flux. The induction of TCA cycle function corresponded to the development of mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction, hepatic oxidative stress, and inflammation. Thus, the hepatic TCA cycle appears to enable mitochondrial dysfunction during insulin resistance by increasing electron deposition into an inefficient respiratory chain prone to reactive oxygen species production and by providing mitochondria-derived substrate for elevated gluconeogenesis. PMID:22493093

  17. The transcription factor bZIP14 regulates the TCA cycle in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthijs, Michiel; Fabris, Michele; Obata, Toshihiro; Foubert, Imogen; Franco-Zorrilla, José Manuel; Solano, Roberto; Fernie, Alisdair R; Vyverman, Wim; Goossens, Alain

    2017-06-01

    Diatoms are amongst the most important marine microalgae in terms of biomass, but little is known concerning the molecular mechanisms that regulate their versatile metabolism. Here, the pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum was studied at the metabolite and transcriptome level during nitrogen starvation and following imposition of three other stresses that impede growth. The coordinated upregulation of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle during the nitrogen stress response was the most striking observation. Through co-expression analysis and DNA binding assays, the transcription factor bZIP14 was identified as a regulator of the TCA cycle, also beyond the nitrogen starvation response, namely in diurnal regulation. Accordingly, metabolic and transcriptional shifts were observed upon overexpression of bZIP14 in transformed P. tricornutum cells. Our data indicate that the TCA cycle is a tightly regulated and important hub for carbon reallocation in the diatom cell during nutrient starvation and that bZIP14 is a conserved regulator of this cycle. © 2017 The Authors.

  18. Systematic engineering of TCA cycle for optimal production of a four-carbon platform chemical 4-hydroxybutyric acid in Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Sol; Kim, Hyun Uk; Kim, Tae Yong; Lee, Sang Yup

    2016-11-01

    To address climate change and environmental problems, it is becoming increasingly important to establish biorefineries for the production of chemicals from renewable non-food biomass. Here we report the development of Escherichia coli strains capable of overproducing a four-carbon platform chemical 4-hybroxybutyric acid (4-HB). Because 4-HB production is significantly affected by aeration level, genome-scale metabolic model-based engineering strategies were designed under aerobic and microaerobic conditions with emphasis on oxidative/reductive TCA branches and glyoxylate shunt. Several different metabolic engineering strategies were employed to develop strains suitable for fermentation both under aerobic and microaerobic conditions. It was found that microaerobic condition was more efficient than aerobic condition in achieving higher titer and productivity of 4-HB. The final engineered strain produced 103.4g/L of 4-HB by microaerobic fed-batch fermentation using glycerol. The aeration-dependent optimization strategy of TCA cycle will be useful for developing microbial strains producing other reduced derivative chemicals of TCA cycle intermediates. Copyright © 2016 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Down-regulation of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle genes blocks progression through the first mitotic division in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Mohammad M; Rosu, Simona; Joseph-Strauss, Daphna; Cohen-Fix, Orna

    2014-02-18

    The cell cycle is a highly regulated process that enables the accurate transmission of chromosomes to daughter cells. Here we uncover a previously unknown link between the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and cell cycle progression in the Caenorhabditis elegans early embryo. We found that down-regulation of TCA cycle components, including citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase, and aconitase, resulted in a one-cell stage arrest before entry into mitosis: pronuclear meeting occurred normally, but nuclear envelope breakdown, centrosome separation, and chromosome condensation did not take place. Mitotic entry is controlled by the cyclin B-cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) complex, and the inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdk1 must be removed in order for the complex to be active. We found that following down-regulation of the TCA cycle, cyclin B levels were normal but CDK-1 remained inhibitory-phosphorylated in one-cell stage-arrested embryos, indicative of a G2-like arrest. Moreover, this was not due to an indirect effect caused by checkpoint activation by DNA damage or replication defects. These observations suggest that CDK-1 activation in the C. elegans one-cell embryo is sensitive to the metabolic state of the cell, and that down-regulation of the TCA cycle prevents the removal of CDK-1 inhibitory phosphorylation. The TCA cycle was previously shown to be necessary for the development of the early embryo in mammals, but the molecular processes affected were not known. Our study demonstrates a link between the TCA cycle and a specific cell cycle transition in the one-cell stage embryo.

  20. Impaired TCA cycle flux in mitochondria in skeletal muscle from type 2 diabetic subjects: marker or maker of the diabetic phenotype?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaster, Michael; Nehlin, Jan O; Minet, Ariane D

    2012-07-01

    The diabetic phenotype is complex, requiring elucidation of key initiating defects. Recent research has shown that diabetic myotubes express a primary reduced tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux. A reduced TCA cycle flux has also been shown both in insulin resistant offspring of T2D patients and exercising T2D patients in vivo. This review will discuss the latest advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the TCA cycle with focus on possible underlying mechanism which could explain the impaired TCA flux in insulin resistant human skeletal muscle in type 2 diabetes. A reduced TCA is both a marker and a maker of the diabetic phenotype.

  1. An incomplete TCA cycle increases survival of Salmonella Typhimurium during infection of resting and activated murine macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowden, Steven D; Ramachandran, Vinoy K; Knudsen, Gitte M; Hinton, Jay C D; Thompson, Arthur

    2010-11-08

    In comparison to the comprehensive analyses performed on virulence gene expression, regulation and action, the intracellular metabolism of Salmonella during infection is a relatively under-studied area. We investigated the role of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in the intracellular replication of Salmonella Typhimurium in resting and activated macrophages, epithelial cells, and during infection of mice. We constructed deletion mutations of 5 TCA cycle genes in S. Typhimurium including gltA, mdh, sdhCDAB, sucAB, and sucCD. We found that the mutants exhibited increased net intracellular replication in resting and activated murine macrophages compared to the wild-type. In contrast, an epithelial cell infection model showed that the S. Typhimurium ΔsucCD and ΔgltA strains had reduced net intracellular replication compared to the wild-type. The glyoxylate shunt was not responsible for the net increased replication of the TCA cycle mutants within resting macrophages. We also confirmed that, in a murine infection model, the S. Typhimurium ΔsucAB and ΔsucCD strains are attenuated for virulence. Our results suggest that disruption of the TCA cycle increases the ability of S. Typhimurium to survive within resting and activated murine macrophages. In contrast, epithelial cells are non-phagocytic cells and unlike macrophages cannot mount an oxidative and nitrosative defence response against pathogens; our results show that in HeLa cells the S. Typhimurium TCA cycle mutant strains show reduced or no change in intracellular levels compared to the wild-type. The attenuation of the S. Typhimurium ΔsucAB and ΔsucCD mutants in mice, compared to their increased net intracellular replication in resting and activated macrophages suggest that Salmonella may encounter environments within the host where a complete TCA cycle is advantageous.

  2. Genetic Dissociation of Glycolysis and the TCA Cycle Affects Neither Normal nor Neoplastic Proliferation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Laura E; Kulkarni, Sucheta; Wang, Huabo; Lu, Jie; Dolezal, James M; Bharathi, Sivakama S; Ranganathan, Sarangarajan; Patel, Mulchand S; Deshpande, Rahul; Alencastro, Frances; Wendell, Stacy G; Goetzman, Eric S; Duncan, Andrew W; Prochownik, Edward V

    2017-11-01

    Rapidly proliferating cells increase glycolysis at the expense of oxidative phosphorylation (oxphos) to generate sufficient levels of glycolytic intermediates for use as anabolic substrates. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a critical mitochondrial enzyme that catalyzes pyruvate's conversion to acetyl coenzyme A (AcCoA), thereby connecting these two pathways in response to complex energetic, enzymatic, and metabolic cues. Here we utilized a mouse model of hepatocyte-specific PDC inactivation to determine the need for this metabolic link during normal hepatocyte regeneration and malignant transformation. In PDC "knockout" (KO) animals, the long-term regenerative potential of hepatocytes was unimpaired, and growth of aggressive experimental hepatoblastomas was only modestly slowed in the face of 80%-90% reductions in AcCoA and significant alterations in the levels of key tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and amino acids. Overall, oxphos activity in KO livers and hepatoblastoma was comparable with that of control counterparts, with evidence that metabolic substrate abnormalities were compensated for by increased mitochondrial mass. These findings demonstrate that the biochemical link between glycolysis and the TCA cycle can be completely severed without affecting normal or neoplastic proliferation, even under the most demanding circumstances. Cancer Res; 77(21); 5795-807. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  3. The mitochondrial pyruvate carrier mediates high fat diet-induced increases in hepatic TCA cycle capacity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rauckhorst, Adam J; Gray, Lawrence R; Sheldon, Ryan D; Fu, Xiaorong; Pewa, Alvin D; Feddersen, Charlotte R; Dupuy, Adam J; Gibson-Corley, Katherine N; Cox, James E; Burgess, Shawn C; Taylor, Eric B

    2017-11-01

    Excessive hepatic gluconeogenesis is a defining feature of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Most gluconeogenic flux is routed through mitochondria. The mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) transports pyruvate from the cytosol into the mitochondrial matrix, thereby gating pyruvate-driven gluconeogenesis. Disruption of the hepatocyte MPC attenuates hyperglycemia in mice during high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity but exerts minimal effects on glycemia in normal chow diet (NCD)-fed conditions. The goal of this investigation was to test whether hepatocyte MPC disruption provides sustained protection from hyperglycemia during long-term HFD and the differential effects of hepatocyte MPC disruption on TCA cycle metabolism in NCD versus HFD conditions. We utilized long-term high fat feeding, serial measurements of postabsorptive blood glucose and metabolomic profiling and 13 C-lactate/ 13 C-pyruvate tracing to investigate the contribution of the MPC to hyperglycemia and altered hepatic TCA cycle metabolism during HFD-induced obesity. Hepatocyte MPC disruption resulted in long-term attenuation of hyperglycemia induced by HFD. HFD increased hepatic mitochondrial pyruvate utilization and TCA cycle capacity in an MPC-dependent manner. Furthermore, MPC disruption decreased progression of fibrosis and levels of transcript markers of inflammation. By contributing to chronic hyperglycemia, fibrosis, and TCA cycle expansion, the hepatocyte MPC is a key mediator of the pathophysiology induced in the HFD model of T2D. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.

  4. Cancer cell metabolism and mitochondria: Nutrient plasticity for TCA cycle fueling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corbet, Cyril; Feron, Olivier

    2017-08-01

    Warburg's hypothesis that cancer cells take up a lot of glucose in the presence of ambient oxygen but convert pyruvate into lactate due to impaired mitochondrial function led to the misconception that cancer cells rely on glycolysis as their major source of energy. Most recent 13 C-based metabolomic studies, including in cancer patients, indicate that cancer cells may also fully oxidize glucose. In addition to glucose-derived pyruvate, lactate, fatty acids and amino acids supply substrates to the TCA cycle to sustain mitochondrial metabolism. Here, we discuss how the metabolic flexibility afforded by these multiple mitochondrial inputs allows cancer cells to adapt according to the availability of the different fuels and the microenvironmental conditions such as hypoxia and acidosis. In particular, we focused on the role of the TCA cycle in interconnecting numerous metabolic routes in order to highlight metabolic vulnerabilities that represent attractive targets for a new generation of anticancer drugs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Waste Not, Want Not: Lactate Oxidation Fuels the TCA Cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Reyes, Inmaculada; Chandel, Navdeep S

    2017-12-05

    Previous studies have demonstrated that mitochondrial respiration is essential for tumorigenesis. Hui et al. (2017) and Faubert et al. (2017) demonstrate that lactate, traditionally viewed as a waste product of anaerobic and aerobic glycolysis, is a major carbon source to fuel the mitochondrial TCA cycle in normal tissue and in tumors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. 2-Oxoglutarate: linking TCA cycle function with amino acid, glucosinolate, flavonoid, alkaloid, and gibberellin biosynthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araújo, Wagner L; Martins, Auxiliadora O; Fernie, Alisdair R; Tohge, Takayuki

    2014-01-01

    The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) is used as an obligatory substrate in a range of oxidative reactions catalyzed by 2-OG-dependent dioxygenases. These enzymes are widespread in nature being involved in several important biochemical processes. We have recently demonstrated that tomato plants in which the TCA cycle enzyme 2-OG dehydrogenase (2-ODD) was antisense inhibited were characterized by early senescence and modified fruit ripening associated with differences in the levels of bioactive gibberellin (GA). Accordingly, there is now compelling evidence that the TCA cycle plays an important role in modulating the rate of flux from 2-OG to amino acid metabolism. Here we discuss recent advances in the biochemistry and molecular biology of 2-OG metabolism occurring in different biological systems indicating the importance of 2-OG and 2-OG dependent dioxygenases not only in glucosinolate, flavonoid and alkaloid metabolism but also in GA and amino acid metabolism. We additionally summarize recent findings regarding the impact of modification of 2-OG metabolism on biosynthetic pathways involving 2-ODDs.

  7. Coordinated activation of PTA-ACS and TCA cycles strongly reduces overflow metabolism of acetate in Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peebo, Karl; Valgepea, Kaspar; Nahku, Ranno; Riis, Gethe; Oun, Mikk; Adamberg, Kaarel; Vilu, Raivo

    2014-06-01

    Elimination of acetate overflow in aerobic cultivation of Escherichia coli would improve many bioprocesses as acetate accumulation in the growth environment leads to numerous negative effects, e.g. loss of carbon, inhibition of growth, target product synthesis, etc. Despite many years of studies, the mechanism and regulation of acetate overflow are still not completely understood. Therefore, we studied the growth of E. coli K-12 BW25113 and several of its mutant strains affecting acetate-related pathways using the continuous culture method accelerostat (A-stat) at various specific glucose consumption rates with the aim of diminishing acetate overflow. Absolute quantitative exo-metabolome and proteome analyses coupled to metabolic flux analysis enabled us to demonstrate that onset of acetate overflow can be postponed and acetate excretion strongly reduced in E. coli by coordinated activation of phosphotransacetylase-acetyl-CoA synthetase (PTA-ACS) and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycles. Fourfold reduction of acetate excretion (2 vs. 8 % from total carbon) at fastest growth compared to wild type was achieved by deleting the genes responsible for inactivation of acetyl-CoA synthetase protein (pka) and TCA cycle regulator arcA. The Δpka ΔarcA strain did not accumulate any other detrimental by-product besides acetate and showed identical μ max and only ~5 % lower biomass yield compared to wild type. We conclude that a fine-tuned coordination between increasing the recycling capabilities of acetate in the PTA-ACS node through a higher concentration of active acetate scavenging Acs protein and downstream metabolism throughput in the TCA cycle is necessary for diminishing overflow metabolism of acetate in E. coli and achieving higher target product production in bioprocesses.

  8. Glutamate availability is important in intramuscular amino acid metabolism and TCA cycle intermediates but does not affect peak oxidative metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mourtzakis, M; Graham, T E; González-Alonso, J; Saltin, B

    2008-08-01

    Muscle glutamate is central to reactions producing 2-oxoglutarate, a tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate that essentially expands the TCA cycle intermediate pool during exercise. Paradoxically, muscle glutamate drops approximately 40-80% with the onset of exercise and 2-oxoglutarate declines in early exercise. To investigate the physiological relationship between glutamate, oxidative metabolism, and TCA cycle intermediates (i.e., fumarate, malate, 2-oxoglutarate), healthy subjects trained (T) the quadriceps of one thigh on the single-legged knee extensor ergometer (1 h/day at 70% maximum workload for 5 days/wk), while their contralateral quadriceps remained untrained (UT). After 5 wk of training, peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) in the T thigh was greater than that in the UT thigh (PTCA cycle intermediates. In the UT thigh, peak exercise (vs. rest) induced an increase in fumarate (0.33+/-0.07 vs. 0.02+/-0.01 mmol/kg dry wt (dw), PTCA cycle, glutamate and TCA cycle intermediates do not directly affect VO2peak in either trained or untrained muscle.

  9. Nuclear Localization of Mitochondrial TCA Cycle Enzymes as a Critical Step in Mammalian Zygotic Genome Activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagaraj, Raghavendra; Sharpley, Mark S; Chi, Fangtao; Braas, Daniel; Zhou, Yonggang; Kim, Rachel; Clark, Amander T; Banerjee, Utpal

    2017-01-12

    Transcriptional control requires epigenetic changes directed by mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites. In the mouse embryo, global epigenetic changes occur during zygotic genome activation (ZGA) at the 2-cell stage. Pyruvate is essential for development beyond this stage, which is at odds with the low activity of mitochondria in this period. We now show that a number of enzymatically active mitochondrial enzymes associated with the TCA cycle are essential for epigenetic remodeling and are transiently and partially localized to the nucleus. Pyruvate is essential for this nuclear localization, and a failure of TCA cycle enzymes to enter the nucleus correlates with loss of specific histone modifications and a block in ZGA. At later stages, however, these enzymes are exclusively mitochondrial. In humans, the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase is transiently nuclear at the 4/8-cell stage coincident with timing of human embryonic genome activation, suggesting a conserved metabolic control mechanism underlying early pre-implantation development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Analyses of SLC13A5-epilepsy patients reveal perturbations of TCA cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bainbridge, Matthew N; Cooney, Erin; Miller, Marcus; Kennedy, Adam D; Wulff, Jacob E; Donti, Taraka; Jhangiani, Shalini N; Gibbs, Richard A; Elsea, Sarah H; Porter, Brenda E; Graham, Brett H

    2017-08-01

    To interrogate the metabolic profile of five subjects from three families with rare, nonsense and missense mutations in SLC13A5 and Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathies (EIEE) characterized by severe, neonatal onset seizures, psychomotor retardation and global developmental delay. Mass spectrometry of plasma, CSF and urine was used to identify consistently dysregulated analytes in our subjects. Distinctive elevations of citrate and dysregulation of citric acid cycle intermediates, supporting the hypothesis that loss of SLC13A5 function alters tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) metabolism and may disrupt metabolic compartmentation in the brain. Our results indicate that analysis of plasma citrate and other TCA analytes in SLC13A5 deficient patients define a diagnostic metabolic signature that can aid in diagnosing children with this disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The oxidative TCA cycle operates during methanotrophic growth of the Type I methanotroph Methylomicrobium buryatense 5GB1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Yanfen; Li, Yi; Lidstrom, Mary

    2017-07-01

    Methanotrophs are a group of bacteria that use methane as sole carbon and energy source. Type I methanotrophs are gamma-proteobacterial methanotrophs using the ribulose monophosphate cycle (RuMP) cycle for methane assimilation. In order to facilitate metabolic engineering in the industrially promising Type I methanotroph Methylomicrobium buryatense 5GB1, flux analysis of cellular metabolism is needed and 13 C tracer analysis is a foundational tool for such work. This biological system has a single-carbon input and a special network topology that together pose challenges to the current well-established methodology for 13 C tracer analysis using a multi-carbon input such as glucose, and to date, no 13 C tracer analysis of flux in a Type I methanotroph has been reported. In this study, we showed that by monitoring labeling patterns of several key intermediate metabolites in core metabolism, it is possible to quantitate the relative flux ratios for important branch points, such as the malate node. In addition, it is possible to assess the operation of the TCA cycle, which has been thought to be incomplete in Type I methanotrophs. Surprisingly, our analysis provides direct evidence of a complete, oxidative TCA cycle operating in M. buryatense 5GB1 using methane as sole carbon and energy substrate, contributing about 45% of the total flux for de novo malate production. Combined with mutant analysis, this method was able to identify fumA (METBUDRAFT_1453/MBURv2__60244) as the primary fumarase involved in the oxidative TCA cycle, among 2 predicted fumarases, supported by 13 C tracer analysis on both fumA and fumC single knockouts. Interrupting the oxidative TCA cycle leads to a severe growth defect, suggesting that the oxidative TCA cycle functions to not only provide precursors for de novo biomass synthesis, but also to provide reducing power to the system. This information provides new opportunities for metabolic engineering of M. buryatense for the production of

  12. Glutamate availability is important in intramuscular amino acid metabolism and TCA cycle intermediates but does not affect peak oxidative metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mourtzakis, M.; Graham, T.E.; Gonzalez-Alonso, J.

    2008-01-01

    Muscle glutamate is central to reactions producing 2-oxoglutarate, a tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate that essentially expands the TCA cycle intermediate pool during exercise. Paradoxically, muscle glutamate drops approximately 40-80% with the onset of exercise and 2-oxoglutarate...... declines in early exercise. To investigate the physiological relationship between glutamate, oxidative metabolism, and TCA cycle intermediates (i.e., fumarate, malate, 2-oxoglutarate), healthy subjects trained (T) the quadriceps of one thigh on the single-legged knee extensor ergometer (1 h/day at 70......% maximum workload for 5 days/wk), while their contralateral quadriceps remained untrained (UT). After 5 wk of training, peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) in the T thigh was greater than that in the UT thigh (Pglutamate infusion. Peak...

  13. Reduced TCA Flux in Diabetic Myotubes: Determined by Single Defects?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaster, Michael

    2012-01-01

    The diabetic phenotype is complex, requiring elucidation of key initiating defects. Diabetic myotubes express a primary reduced tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux but at present it is unclear in which part of the TCA cycle the defect is localised. In order to localise the defect we studied ATP production in isolated mitochondria from substrates entering the TCA cycle at various points. ATP production was measured by luminescence with or without concomitant ATP utilisation by hexokinase in mitochondria isolated from myotubes established from eight lean and eight type 2 diabetic subjects. The ATP production of investigated substrate combinations was significantly reduced in mitochondria isolated from type 2 diabetic subjects compared to lean. However, when ATP synthesis rates at different substrate combinations were normalized to the corresponding individual pyruvate-malate rate, there was no significant difference between groups. These results show that the primary reduced TCA cycle flux in diabetic myotubes is not explained by defects in specific part of the TCA cycle but rather results from a general downregulation of the TCA cycle.

  14. Integration of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle with cAMP signaling and Sfl2 pathways in the regulation of CO2 sensing and hyphal development in Candida albicans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Li; Zhang, Yulong; Fan, Shuru; Nobile, Clarissa J; Guan, Guobo; Huang, Guanghua

    2017-08-01

    Morphological transitions and metabolic regulation are critical for the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans to adapt to the changing host environment. In this study, we generated a library of central metabolic pathway mutants in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and investigated the functional consequences of these gene deletions on C. albicans biology. Inactivation of the TCA cycle impairs the ability of C. albicans to utilize non-fermentable carbon sources and dramatically attenuates cell growth rates under several culture conditions. By integrating the Ras1-cAMP signaling pathway and the heat shock factor-type transcription regulator Sfl2, we found that the TCA cycle plays fundamental roles in the regulation of CO2 sensing and hyphal development. The TCA cycle and cAMP signaling pathways coordinately regulate hyphal growth through the molecular linkers ATP and CO2. Inactivation of the TCA cycle leads to lowered intracellular ATP and cAMP levels and thus affects the activation of the Ras1-regulated cAMP signaling pathway. In turn, the Ras1-cAMP signaling pathway controls the TCA cycle through both Efg1- and Sfl2-mediated transcriptional regulation in response to elevated CO2 levels. The protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunit Tpk1, but not Tpk2, may play a major role in this regulation. Sfl2 specifically binds to several TCA cycle and hypha-associated genes under high CO2 conditions. Global transcriptional profiling experiments indicate that Sfl2 is indeed required for the gene expression changes occurring in response to these elevated CO2 levels. Our study reveals the regulatory role of the TCA cycle in CO2 sensing and hyphal development and establishes a novel link between the TCA cycle and Ras1-cAMP signaling pathways.

  15. Integration of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle with cAMP signaling and Sfl2 pathways in the regulation of CO2 sensing and hyphal development in Candida albicans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Tao

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Morphological transitions and metabolic regulation are critical for the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans to adapt to the changing host environment. In this study, we generated a library of central metabolic pathway mutants in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle, and investigated the functional consequences of these gene deletions on C. albicans biology. Inactivation of the TCA cycle impairs the ability of C. albicans to utilize non-fermentable carbon sources and dramatically attenuates cell growth rates under several culture conditions. By integrating the Ras1-cAMP signaling pathway and the heat shock factor-type transcription regulator Sfl2, we found that the TCA cycle plays fundamental roles in the regulation of CO2 sensing and hyphal development. The TCA cycle and cAMP signaling pathways coordinately regulate hyphal growth through the molecular linkers ATP and CO2. Inactivation of the TCA cycle leads to lowered intracellular ATP and cAMP levels and thus affects the activation of the Ras1-regulated cAMP signaling pathway. In turn, the Ras1-cAMP signaling pathway controls the TCA cycle through both Efg1- and Sfl2-mediated transcriptional regulation in response to elevated CO2 levels. The protein kinase A (PKA catalytic subunit Tpk1, but not Tpk2, may play a major role in this regulation. Sfl2 specifically binds to several TCA cycle and hypha-associated genes under high CO2 conditions. Global transcriptional profiling experiments indicate that Sfl2 is indeed required for the gene expression changes occurring in response to these elevated CO2 levels. Our study reveals the regulatory role of the TCA cycle in CO2 sensing and hyphal development and establishes a novel link between the TCA cycle and Ras1-cAMP signaling pathways.

  16. The effect of Walterinnesia aegyptia venom proteins on TCA cycle activity and mitochondrial NAD(+)-redox state in cultured human fibroblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghneim, Hazem K; Al-Sheikh, Yazeed A; Aboul-Soud, Mourad A M

    2015-01-01

    Fibroblast cultures were used to study the effects of crude Walterinnesia aegyptia venom and its F1-F7 protein fractions on TCA cycle enzyme activities and mitochondrial NAD-redox state. Confluent cells were incubated with 10 μg of venom proteins for 4 hours at 37°C. The activities of all studied TCA enzymes and the non-TCA mitochondrial NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase underwent significant reductions of similar magnitude (50-60% of control activity) upon incubation of cells with the crude venom and fractions F4, F5, and F7 and 60-70% for fractions F3 and F6. In addition, the crude and fractions F3-F7 venom proteins caused a drop in mitochondrial NAD(+) and NADP(+) levels equivalent to around 25% of control values. Whereas the crude and fractions F4, F5, and F7 venom proteins caused similar magnitude drops in NADH and NADPH (around 55% of control levels), fractions F3 and F6 caused a more drastic drop (60-70% of control levels) of both reduced coenzymes. Results indicate that the effects of venom proteins could be directed at the mitochondrial level and/or the rates of NAD(+) and NADP(+) biosynthesis.

  17. Reduced TCA Flux in Diabetic Myotubes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gaster, Michael

    2012-01-01

    The diabetic phenotype is complex, requiring elucidation of key initiating defects. Diabetic myotubes express a primary reduced tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux but at present it is unclear in which part of the TCA cycle the defect is localised. In order to localise the defect we studied ATP p...... production of investigated substrate combinations was significantly reduced in mitochondria isolated from type 2 diabetic subjects compared to lean. However, when ATP synthesis rates at different substrate combinations were normalized to the corresponding individual pyruvate-malate rate...

  18. Blocking anaplerotic entry of glutamine into the TCA cycle sensitizes K-Ras mutant cancer cells to cytotoxic drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saqcena, M; Mukhopadhyay, S; Hosny, C; Alhamed, A; Chatterjee, A; Foster, D A

    2015-05-14

    Cancer cells undergo a metabolic transformation that allows for increased anabolic demands, wherein glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates are shunted away for the synthesis of biological molecules required for cell growth and division. One of the key shunts is the exit of citrate from the mitochondria and the TCA cycle for the generation of cytosolic acetyl-coenzyme A that can be used for fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. With the loss of mitochondrial citrate, cancer cells rely on the 'conditionally essential' amino acid glutamine (Q) as an anaplerotic carbon source for TCA cycle intermediates. Although Q deprivation causes G1 cell cycle arrest in non-transformed cells, its impact on the cancer cell cycle is not well characterized. We report here a correlation between bypass of the Q-dependent G1 checkpoint and cancer cells harboring K-Ras mutations. Instead of arresting in G1 in response to Q-deprivation, K-Ras-driven cancer cells arrest in either S- or G2/M-phase. Inhibition of K-Ras effector pathways was able to revert cells to G1 arrest upon Q deprivation. Blocking anaplerotic utilization of Q mimicked Q deprivation--causing S- and G2/M-phase arrest in K-Ras mutant cancer cells. Significantly, Q deprivation or suppression of anaplerotic Q utilization created synthetic lethality to the cell cycle phase-specific cytotoxic drugs, capecitabine and paclitaxel. These data suggest that disabling of the G1 Q checkpoint could represent a novel vulnerability of cancer cells harboring K-Ras and possibly other mutations that disable the Q-dependent checkpoint.

  19. Effects of thermal cycle annealing on reduction of defect density in lattice-mismatched InGaAs solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, T.; Arafune, K.; Lee, H.S.; Ekins-Daukes, N.J.; Tanaka, S.; Ohshita, Y.; Yamaguchi, M.

    2006-01-01

    Lattice-mismatched In 0.16 Ga 0.84 As solar cells were grown on GaAs substrates using graded In x Ga 1- x As buffer layers and homogenous In 0.16 Ga 0.84 As buffer layers. The indium composition x in the graded buffer changed from 0% to 16% continuously. Thermal cycle annealing (TCA) was performed after the growth of the graded buffer layers. The effects of TCA on the solar cell open-circuit voltage and quantum efficiency have been investigated. The minority carrier lifetime is observed to increase in the p-type In 0.16 Ga 0.84 As layer after applying the TCA process. Electron-beam-induced current microscopy also shows a related reduction in dislocation density in the p-type In 0.16 Ga 0.84 As layer after TCA processing. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy performed on the graded buffer layer suggests that the strain present in the cell layers is reduced after the TCA process, implying that the TCA treatment promotes strain relaxation in the graded buffer layers

  20. Oxaloacetate-to-malate conversion by mineral photoelectrochemistry: implications for the viability of the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle in prebiotic chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guzman, Marcelo I.; Martin, Scot T.

    2008-10-01

    The carboxylic acids produced by the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle are possibly a biosynthetic core of initial life, although several steps such as the reductive kinetics of oxaloacetate (OAA) to malate (MA) are problematic by conventional chemical routes. In this context, we studied the kinetics of this reaction as promoted by ZnS mineral photoelectrochemistry. The quantum efficiency φMA of MA production from the photoelectrochemical reduction of OAA followed φMA=0.13 [OAA] (2.1×10-3+[OAA])-1 and was independent of temperature (5 to 50°C). To evaluate the importance of this forward rate under a prebiotic scenario, we also studied the temperature-dependent rate of the backward thermal decarboxylation of OAA to pyruvate (PA), which followed an Arrhenius behavior as log (k-2)=11.74 4956/T, where k-2 is in units of s-1. These measured rates were employed in conjunction with the indirectly estimated carboxylation rate of PA to OAA to assess the possible importance of mineral photoelectrochemistry in the conversion of OAA to MA under several scenarios of prebiotic conditions on early Earth. As an example, our analysis shows that there is 90% efficiency with a forward velocity of 3 yr/cycle for the OAA→MA step of the rTCA cycle at 280 K. Efficiency and velocity both decrease for increasing temperature. These results suggest high viability for mineral photoelectrochemistry as an enzyme-free engine to drive the rTCA cycle through the early aeons of early Earth, at least for the investigated OAA→MA step.

  1. Reduced TCA flux in diabetic myotubes: A governing influence on the diabetic phenotype?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaster, Michael

    2009-10-02

    The diabetic phenotype is complex, requiring elucidation of key initiating defects. It is unknown whether the reduced tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) flux in skeletal muscle of obese and obese type 2 diabetic (T2D) subjects is of primary origin. Acetate oxidation (measurement of TCA-flux) was significantly reduced in primary myotube cultures established from T2D versus lean subjects. Acetate oxidation was acutely stimulated by insulin and respiratory uncoupling. Inhibition of TCA flux in lean myotubes by malonate was followed by a measured decline in; acetate oxidation, complete palmitate oxidation, lipid uptake, glycogen synthesis, ATP content and increased glucose uptake, while glucose oxidation was unaffected. Acute TCA inhibition did not induce insulin resistance. Thus the reduced TCA cycle flux in T2D skeletal muscle may be of primary origin. The diabetic phenotype of increased basal glucose uptake and glucose oxidation, the reduced complete lipid oxidation and increased respiratory quotient, are likely to be adaptive responses to the reduced TCA cycle flux.

  2. Reduced TCA flux in diabetic myotubes: A governing influence on the diabetic phenotype?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gaster, Michael

    2009-01-01

    The diabetic phenotype is complex, requiring elucidation of key initiating defects. It is unknown whether the reduced tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) flux in skeletal muscle of obese and obese type 2 diabetic (T2D) subjects is of primary origin. Acetate oxidation (measurement of TCA-flux) was sign......The diabetic phenotype is complex, requiring elucidation of key initiating defects. It is unknown whether the reduced tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) flux in skeletal muscle of obese and obese type 2 diabetic (T2D) subjects is of primary origin. Acetate oxidation (measurement of TCA...

  3. Cold boronisation in TCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hollenstein, C.; Duval, B.P.; Wit, T.D. de; Joye, B.

    1990-01-01

    Boronisation of the TCA vacuum vessel was performed at ambient temperature. The paper presents detailed surface analysis of the coating and a description of the tokamak performance after boronisation. The obtained coatings showed a film composition close to the feed gas composition although a high oxygen content was measured. Apart from the dominating carbidic B-C bonds, the existence of at least two non-equivalent carbon bonding sites were found. Boronisation gave an immediate and long-term improvement of many plasma parameters in TCA with a strong reduction of both low and high-Z impurities in the plasma. In particular oxygen was reduced by over 20 despite a high level oxygen contamination in the coating. The gas retention in the film has been shown to be temporarily reduced by glow discharge cleaning. With these techniques we are able to obtain nearly isotropically pure discharges. Boronisation has been shown to be a very efficient wall conditioning procedure in TCA. (orig.)

  4. An artificial TCA cycle selects for efficient α-ketoglutarate dependent hydroxylase catalysis in engineered Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theodosiou, Eleni; Breisch, Marina; Julsing, Mattijs K; Falcioni, Francesco; Bühler, Bruno; Schmid, Andreas

    2017-07-01

    Amino acid hydroxylases depend directly on the cellular TCA cycle via their cosubstrate α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) and are highly useful for the selective biocatalytic oxyfunctionalization of amino acids. This study evaluates TCA cycle engineering strategies to force and increase α-KG flux through proline-4-hydroxylase (P4H). The genes sucA (α-KG dehydrogenase E1 subunit) and sucC (succinyl-CoA synthetase β subunit) were alternately deleted together with aceA (isocitrate lyase) in proline degradation-deficient Escherichia coli strains (ΔputA) expressing the p4h gene. Whereas, the ΔsucCΔaceAΔputA strain grew in minimal medium in the absence of P4H, relying on the activity of fumarate reductase, growth of the ΔsucAΔaceAΔputA strictly depended on P4H activity, thus coupling growth to proline hydroxylation. P4H restored growth, even when proline was not externally added. However, the reduced succinyl-CoA pool caused a 27% decrease of the average cell size compared to the wildtype strain. Medium supplementation partially restored the morphology and, in some cases, enhanced proline hydroxylation activity. The specific proline hydroxylation rate doubled when putP, encoding the Na + /l-proline transporter, was overexpressed in the ΔsucAΔaceAΔputA strain. This is in contrast to wildtype and ΔputA single-knock out strains, in which α-KG availability obviously limited proline hydroxylation. Such α-KG limitation was relieved in the ΔsucAΔaceAΔputA strain. Furthermore, the ΔsucAΔaceAΔputA strain was used to demonstrate an agar plate-based method for the identification and selection of active α-KG dependent hydroxylases. This together with the possibility to waive selection pressure and overcome α-KG limitation in respective hydroxylation processes based on living cells emphasizes the potential of TCA cycle engineering for the productive application of α-KG dependent hydroxylases. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1511-1520. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. TCA cycle rewiring fosters metabolic adaptation to oxygen restriction in skeletal muscle from rodents and humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capitanio, Daniele; Fania, Chiara; Torretta, Enrica; Viganò, Agnese; Moriggi, Manuela; Bravatà, Valentina; Caretti, Anna; Levett, Denny Z H; Grocott, Michael P W; Samaja, Michele; Cerretelli, Paolo; Gelfi, Cecilia

    2017-08-29

    In mammals, hypoxic stress management is under the control of the Hypoxia Inducible Factors, whose activity depends on the stabilization of their labile α subunit. In particular, the skeletal muscle appears to be able to react to changes in substrates and O 2 delivery by tuning its metabolism. The present study provides a comprehensive overview of skeletal muscle metabolic adaptation to hypoxia in mice and in human subjects exposed for 7/9 and 19 days to high altitude levels. The investigation was carried out combining proteomics, qRT-PCR mRNA transcripts analysis, and enzyme activities assessment in rodents, and protein detection by antigen antibody reactions in humans and rodents. Results indicate that the skeletal muscle react to a decreased O 2 delivery by rewiring the TCA cycle. The first TCA rewiring occurs in mice in 2-day hypoxia and is mediated by cytosolic malate whereas in 10-day hypoxia the rewiring is mediated by Idh1 and Fasn, supported by glutamine and HIF-2α increments. The combination of these specific anaplerotic steps can support energy demand despite HIFs degradation. These results were confirmed in human subjects, demonstrating that the TCA double rewiring represents an essential factor for the maintenance of muscle homeostasis during adaptation to hypoxia.

  6. Isotopomer profiling of Leishmania mexicana promastigotes reveals important roles for succinate fermentation and aspartate uptake in tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) anaplerosis, glutamate synthesis, and growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, Eleanor C; Ng, William W; Chambers, Jennifer M; Ng, Milica; Naderer, Thomas; Krömer, Jens O; Likic, Vladimir A; McConville, Malcolm J

    2011-08-05

    Leishmania parasites proliferate within nutritionally complex niches in their sandfly vector and mammalian hosts. However, the extent to which these parasites utilize different carbon sources remains poorly defined. In this study, we have followed the incorporation of various (13)C-labeled carbon sources into the intracellular and secreted metabolites of Leishmania mexicana promastigotes using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and (13)C NMR. [U-(13)C]Glucose was rapidly incorporated into intermediates in glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the cytoplasmic carbohydrate reserve material, mannogen. Enzymes involved in the upper glycolytic pathway are sequestered within glycosomes, and the ATP and NAD(+) consumed by these reactions were primarily regenerated by the fermentation of phosphoenolpyruvate to succinate (glycosomal succinate fermentation). The initiating enzyme in this pathway, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, was exclusively localized to the glycosome. Although some of the glycosomal succinate was secreted, most of the C4 dicarboxylic acids generated during succinate fermentation were further catabolized in the TCA cycle. A high rate of TCA cycle anaplerosis was further suggested by measurement of [U-(13)C]aspartate and [U-(13)C]alanine uptake and catabolism. TCA cycle anaplerosis is apparently needed to sustain glutamate production under standard culture conditions. Specifically, inhibition of mitochondrial aconitase with sodium fluoroacetate resulted in the rapid depletion of intracellular glutamate pools and growth arrest. Addition of high concentrations of exogenous glutamate alleviated this growth arrest. These findings suggest that glycosomal and mitochondrial metabolism in Leishmania promastigotes is tightly coupled and that, in contrast to the situation in some other trypanosomatid parasites, the TCA cycle has crucial anabolic functions.

  7. Contribution of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and the glyoxylate shunt in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to succinic acid production during dough fermentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rezaei, Mohammad N; Aslankoohi, Elham; Verstrepen, Kevin J; Courtin, Christophe M

    2015-07-02

    Succinic acid produced by yeast during bread dough fermentation can significantly affect the rheological properties of the dough. By introducing mutations in the model S288C yeast strain, we show that the oxidative pathway of the TCA cycle and the glyoxylate shunt contribute significantly to succinic acid production during dough fermentation. More specifically, deletion of ACO1 and double deletion of ACO1 and ICL1 resulted in a 36 and 77% decrease in succinic acid levels in fermented dough, respectively. Similarly, double deletion of IDH1 and IDP1 decreased succinic acid production by 85%, while also affecting the fermentation rate. By contrast, double deletion of SDH1 and SDH2 resulted in a two-fold higher succinic acid accumulation compared to the wild-type. Deletion of fumarate reductase activity (FRD1 and OSM1) in the reductive pathway of the TCA cycle did not affect the fermentation rate and succinic acid production. The changes in the levels of succinic acid produced by mutants Δidh1Δidp1 (low level) and Δsdh1Δsdh2 (high level) in fermented dough only resulted in small pH differences, reflecting the buffering capacity of dough at a pH of around 5.1. Moreover, Rheofermentometer analysis using these mutants revealed no difference in maximum dough height and gas retention capacity with the dough prepared with S288C. The impact of the changed succinic acid profile on the organoleptic or antimicrobial properties of bread remains to be demonstrated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. The Variations of Glycolysis and TCA Cycle Intermediate Levels Grown in Iron and Copper Mediums of Trichoderma harzianum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavsan, Zehra; Ayar Kayali, Hulya

    2015-05-01

    The efficiency of optimal metabolic function by microorganism depends on various parameters, especially essential metal supplementation. In the present study, the effects of iron and copper metals on metabolism were investigated by determination of glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites' levels with respect to the metal concentrations and incubation period in Trichoderma harzianum. The pyruvate and citrate levels of T. harzianum increased up to 15 mg/L of copper via redirection of carbon flux though glycolysis by suppression of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). However, the α-ketoglutarate levels decreased at concentration higher than 5 mg/L of copper to overcome damage of oxidative stress. The fumarate levels correlated with the α-ketoglutarate levels because of substrate limitation. Besides, in T. harzianum cells grown in various concentrations of iron-containing medium, the intracellular pyruvate, citrate, and α-ketoglutarate levels showed positive correlation with iron concentration due to modifying of expression of glycolysis and TCA cycle enzymes via a mechanism involving cofactor or allosteric regulation. However, as a result of consuming of prior substrates required for fumarate production, its levels rose up to 10 mg/L.

  9. Anaerobic Respiration Using a Complete Oxidative TCA Cycle Drives Multicellular Swarming in Proteus mirabilis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alteri, Christopher J.; Himpsl, Stephanie D.; Engstrom, Michael D.; Mobley, Harry L. T.

    2012-01-01

    ABSTRACT Proteus mirabilis rapidly migrates across surfaces using a periodic developmental process of differentiation alternating between short swimmer cells and elongated hyperflagellated swarmer cells. To undergo this vigorous flagellum-mediated motility, bacteria must generate a substantial proton gradient across their cytoplasmic membranes by using available energy pathways. We sought to identify the link between energy pathways and swarming differentiation by examining the behavior of defined central metabolism mutants. Mutations in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (fumC and sdhB mutants) caused altered patterns of swarming periodicity, suggesting an aerobic pathway. Surprisingly, the wild-type strain swarmed on agar containing sodium azide, which poisons aerobic respiration; the fumC TCA cycle mutant, however, was unable to swarm on azide. To identify other contributing energy pathways, we screened transposon mutants for loss of swarming on sodium azide and found insertions in the following genes that involved fumarate metabolism or respiration: hybB, encoding hydrogenase; fumC, encoding fumarase; argH, encoding argininosuccinate lyase (generates fumarate); and a quinone hydroxylase gene. These findings validated the screen and suggested involvement of anaerobic electron transport chain components. Abnormal swarming periodicity of fumC and sdhB mutants was associated with the excretion of reduced acidic fermentation end products. Bacteria lacking SdhB were rescued to wild-type pH and periodicity by providing fumarate, independent of carbon source but dependent on oxygen, while fumC mutants were rescued by glycerol, independent of fumarate only under anaerobic conditions. These findings link multicellular swarming patterns with fumarate metabolism and membrane electron transport using a previously unappreciated configuration of both aerobic and anaerobic respiratory chain components. PMID:23111869

  10. Disruption of TCA Cycle and Glutamate Metabolism Identified by Metabolomics in an In Vitro Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veyrat-Durebex, Charlotte; Corcia, Philippe; Piver, Eric; Devos, David; Dangoumau, Audrey; Gouel, Flore; Vourc'h, Patrick; Emond, Patrick; Laumonnier, Frédéric; Nadal-Desbarats, Lydie; Gordon, Paul H; Andres, Christian R; Blasco, Hélène

    2016-12-01

    This study aims to develop a cellular metabolomics model that reproduces the pathophysiological conditions found in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in order to improve knowledge of disease physiology. We used a co-culture model combining the motor neuron-like cell line NSC-34 and the astrocyte clone C8-D1A, with each over-expressing wild-type or G93C mutant human SOD1, to examine amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) physiology. We focused on the effects of mutant human SOD1 as well as oxidative stress induced by menadione on intracellular metabolism using a metabolomics approach through gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Preliminary non-supervised analysis by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that cell type, genetic environment, and time of culture influenced the metabolomics profiles. Supervised analysis using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) on data from intracellular metabolomics profiles of SOD1 G93C co-cultures produced metabolites involved in glutamate metabolism and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) cycle. This study revealed the feasibility of using a metabolomics approach in a cellular model of ALS. We identified potential disruption of the TCA cycle and glutamate metabolism under oxidative stress, which is consistent with prior research in the disease. Analysis of metabolic alterations in an in vitro model is a novel approach to investigation of disease physiology.

  11. GC/TOFMS analysis of metabolites in serum and urine reveals metabolic perturbation of TCA cycle in db/db mice involved in diabetic nephropathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Mengjie; Wang, Xufang; Aa, Jiye; Qin, Weisong; Zha, Weibin; Ge, Yongchun; Liu, Linsheng; Zheng, Tian; Cao, Bei; Shi, Jian; Zhao, Chunyan; Wang, Xinwen; Yu, Xiaoyi; Wang, Guangji; Liu, Zhihong

    2013-06-01

    Early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is difficult although it is of crucial importance to prevent its development. To probe potential markers and the underlying mechanism of DN, an animal model of DN, the db/db mice, was used and serum and urine metabolites were profiled using gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Metabolic patterns were evaluated based on serum and urine data. Principal component analysis of the data revealed an obvious metabonomic difference between db/db mice and controls, and db/db mice showed distinctly different metabolic patterns during the progression from diabetes to early, medium, and later DN. The identified metabolites discriminating between db/db mice and controls suggested that db/db mice have perturbations in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA, citrate, malate, succinate, and aconitate), lipid metabolism, glycolysis, and amino acid turnover. The db/db mice were characterized by acidic urine, high TCA intermediates in serum at week 6 and a sharp decline thereafter, and gradual elevation of free fatty acids in the serum. The sharp drop of serum TCA intermediates from week 6 to 8 indicated the downregulated glycolysis and insulin resistance. However, urinary TCA intermediates did not decrease in parallel with those in the serum from week 6 to 10, and an increased portion of TCA intermediates in the serum was excreted into the urine at 8, 10, and 12 wk than at 6 wk, indicating kidney dysfunction occurred. The relative abundances of TCA intermediates in urine relative to those in serum were suggested as an index of renal damage.

  12. HSulf-1 deficiency dictates a metabolic reprograming of glycolysis and TCA cycle in ovarian cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mondal, Susmita; Roy, Debarshi; Camacho-Pereira, Juliana; Khurana, Ashwani; Chini, Eduardo; Yang, Lifeng; Baddour, Joelle; Stilles, Katherine; Padmabandu, Seth; Leung, Sam; Kalloger, Steve; Gilks, Blake; Lowe, Val; Dierks, Thomas; Hammond, Edward; Dredge, Keith; Nagrath, Deepak; Shridhar, Viji

    2015-10-20

    Warburg effect has emerged as a potential hallmark of many cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms that led to this metabolic state of aerobic glycolysis, particularly in ovarian cancer (OVCA) have not been completely elucidated. HSulf-1 predominantly functions by limiting the bioavailability of heparan binding growth factors and hence their downstream signaling. Here we report that HSulf-1, a known putative tumor suppressor, is a negative regulator of glycolysis. Silencing of HSulf-1 expression in OV202 cell line increased glucose uptake and lactate production by upregulating glycolytic genes such as Glut1, HKII, LDHA, as well as metabolites. Conversely, HSulf-1 overexpression in TOV21G cells resulted in the down regulation of glycolytic enzymes and reduced glycolytic phenotype, supporting the role of HSulf-1 loss in enhanced aerobic glycolysis. HSulf-1 deficiency mediated glycolytic enhancement also resulted in increased inhibitory phosphorylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) thus blocking the entry of glucose flux into TCA cycle. Consistent with this, metabolomic and isotope tracer analysis showed reduced glucose flux into TCA cycle. Moreover, HSulf-1 loss is associated with lower oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and impaired mitochondrial function. Mechanistically, lack of HSulf-1 promotes c-Myc induction through HB-EGF-mediated p-ERK activation. Pharmacological inhibition of c-Myc reduced HB-EGF induced glycolytic enzymes implicating a major role of c-Myc in loss of HSulf-1 mediated altered glycolytic pathway in OVCA. Similarly, PG545 treatment, an agent that binds to heparan binding growth factors and sequesters growth factors away from their ligand also blocked HB-EGF signaling and reduced glucose uptake in vivo in HSulf-1 deficient cells.

  13. Enhanced 1,3-propanediol production in Klebsiella pneumoniae by a combined strategy of strengthening the TCA cycle and weakening the glucose effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, X Y; Ren, S L; Lu, J Z; Zong, H; Song, J; Zhuge, B

    2018-03-01

    This study aimed to strengthen the reducing equivalent generation in Klebsiella pneumoniae for improving 1,3-propanediol (PDO) production. Disruption of the arcA gene activated the transcription levels of the TCA cycle genes and thus increased the NADH/NAD + ratio by 54·2%, leading to the improved PDO titre and yield per cell from 16·1 g l -1 and 4·0 g gDCW -1 to 18·8 g l -1 and 6·4 g gDCW -1 respectively. Further ldhA gene deletion eliminated lactate accumulation and promoted the PDO titre to 19·9 g l -1 . Finally, the glucose effect was weakened by deleting the crr gene to enhance the co-utilization of glucose and glycerol, resulting in the increased PDO production to 23·8 g l -1 with the glycerol conversion rate of 59·5%. The PDO titre in bioreactor was promoted from 61·2 to 78·1 g l -1 . Deletions of the arcA and the crr genes showed positive effects on the TCA cycle activity and the co-utilization of glucose and glycerol, leading to the strengthened reducing equivalent generation and the improved PDO titre by 47·8% in shaker. The PDO titre in the bioreactor was enhanced to 78·1 g l -1 . This study provided novel information on generating reducing equivalent for the PDO biosynthesis by strengthening the TCA cycle and weakening the glucose effect in K. pneumoniae. © 2018 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  14. Spheroid cancer stem cells display reprogrammed metabolism and obtain energy by actively running the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Masakazu; Kawana, Kei; Adachi, Katsuyuki; Fujimoto, Asaha; Yoshida, Mitsuyo; Nakamura, Hiroe; Nishida, Haruka; Inoue, Tomoko; Taguchi, Ayumi; Takahashi, Juri; Eguchi, Satoko; Yamashita, Aki; Tomio, Kensuke; Wada-Hiraike, Osamu; Oda, Katsutoshi; Nagamatsu, Takeshi; Osuga, Yutaka; Fujii, Tomoyuki

    2016-05-31

    The Warburg effect is a metabolic hallmark of cancer cells; cancer cells, unlike normal cells, exclusively activate glycolysis, even in the presence of enough oxygen. On the other hand, intratumoral heterogeneity is currently of interest in cancer research, including that involving cancer stem cells (CSCs). In the present study, we attempted to gain an understanding of metabolism in CSCs that is distinct from that in non-CSCs. After forming spheroids from the OVTOKO (ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma) and SiHa (cervical squamous cell carcinoma) cell lines, the metabolites of these cells were compared with the metabolites of cancer cells that were cultured in adherent plates. A principle components analysis clearly divided their metabolic features. Amino acids that participate in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle reactions, such as serine and glutamine, were significantly increased in the spheroids. Indeed, spheroids from each cell line contained more total adenylates than did their corresponding cells in adherent cultures. This study demonstrated that cancer metabolism is not limited to aerobic glycolysis (i.e. the Warburg effect), but is flexible and context-dependent. In addition, activation of TCA cycles was suggested to be a metabolic feature of CSCs that was distinct from non-CSCs. The amino acid metabolic pathways discussed here are already considered as targets for cancer therapy, and they are additionally proposed as potential targets for CSC treatment.

  15. TCA High Lift Preliminary Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyatt, G. H.; Polito, R. C.; Yeh, D. T.; Elzey, M. E.; Tran, J. T.; Meredith, Paul T.

    1999-01-01

    This paper presents a TCA (Technology Concept Airplane) High lift Preliminary Assessment. The topics discussed are: 1) Model Description; 2) Data Repeatability; 3) Effect of Inboard L.E. (Leading Edge) Flap Span; 4) Comparison of 14'x22' TCA-1 With NTF (National Transonic Facility) Modified Ref. H; 5) Comparison of 14'x22' and NTF Ref. H Results; 6) Effect of Outboard Sealed Slat on TCA; 7) TCA Full Scale Build-ups; 8) Full Scale L/D Comparisons; 9) TCA Full Scale; and 10) Touchdown Lift Curves. This paper is in viewgraph form.

  16. TCA cycle activity in Staphylococcus aureus is essential for iron-regulated synthesis of staphyloferrin A, but not staphyloferrin B: the benefit of a second citrate synthase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheldon, Jessica R; Marolda, Cristina L; Heinrichs, David E

    2014-05-01

    Staphylococcus aureus elaborates two citrate-containing siderophores, staphyloferrin A (SA) and staphyloferrin B (SB), that enhance growth under iron-restriction, yet, paradoxically, expression of the TCA cycle citrate synthase, CitZ, is downregulated during iron starvation. Iron starvation does, however, result in expression of SbnG, recently identified as a novel citrate synthase that is encoded from within the iron-regulated SB biosynthetic locus, suggesting an important role for SbnG in staphyloferrin production. We demonstrate that during growth of S. aureus in iron-restricted media containing glucose, SB is produced but, in contrast, SA production is severely repressed; accordingly, SB-deficient mutants grow poorly in these media. Hypothesizing that reduced TCA cycle activity hinders SA production, we show that a citZ mutant is capable of SB synthesis, but not SA synthesis, providing evidence that SbnG does not generate citrate for incorporation into SA. A citZ sbnG mutant synthesizes neither staphyloferrin, is severely compromised for growth in iron-restricted media, and is significantly more impaired for virulence than either of the single-deletion mutants. We propose that SB is the more important of the two siderophores for S. aureus insofar as it is synthesized, and supports iron-restricted growth, without need of TCA cycle activity. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Exposure of clinical MRSA heterogeneous strains to β-lactams redirects metabolism to optimize energy production through the TCA cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keaton, Mignon A; Rosato, Roberto R; Plata, Konrad B; Singh, Christopher R; Rosato, Adriana E

    2013-01-01

    Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as one of the most important pathogens both in health care and community-onset infections. The prerequisite for methicillin resistance is mecA, which encodes a β-lactam-insensitive penicillin binding protein PBP2a. A characteristic of MRSA strains from hospital and community associated infections is their heterogeneous expression of resistance to β-lactam (HeR) in which only a small portion (≤ 0.1%) of the population expresses resistance to oxacillin (OXA) ≥ 10 µg/ml, while in other isolates, most of the population expresses resistance to a high level (homotypic resistance, HoR). The mechanism associated with heterogeneous expression requires both increase expression of mecA and a mutational event that involved the triggering of a β-lactam-mediated SOS response and related lexA and recA genes. In the present study we investigated the cellular physiology of HeR-MRSA strains during the process of β-lactam-mediated HeR/HoR selection at sub-inhibitory concentrations by using a combinatorial approach of microarray analyses and global biochemical profiling employing gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) to investigate changes in metabolic pathways and the metabolome associated with β-lactam-mediated HeR/HoR selection in clinically relevant heterogeneous MRSA. We found unique features present in the oxacillin-selected SA13011-HoR derivative when compared to the corresponding SA13011-HeR parental strain that included significant increases in tricarboxyl citric acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and a concomitant decrease in fermentative pathways. Inactivation of the TCA cycle enzyme cis-aconitase gene in the SA13011-HeR strain abolished β-lactam-mediated HeR/HoR selection demonstrating the significance of altered TCA cycle activity during the HeR/HoR selection. These results provide evidence of both the metabolic cost and the adaptation that He

  18. Exposure of clinical MRSA heterogeneous strains to β-lactams redirects metabolism to optimize energy production through the TCA cycle.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mignon A Keaton

    Full Text Available Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA has emerged as one of the most important pathogens both in health care and community-onset infections. The prerequisite for methicillin resistance is mecA, which encodes a β-lactam-insensitive penicillin binding protein PBP2a. A characteristic of MRSA strains from hospital and community associated infections is their heterogeneous expression of resistance to β-lactam (HeR in which only a small portion (≤ 0.1% of the population expresses resistance to oxacillin (OXA ≥ 10 µg/ml, while in other isolates, most of the population expresses resistance to a high level (homotypic resistance, HoR. The mechanism associated with heterogeneous expression requires both increase expression of mecA and a mutational event that involved the triggering of a β-lactam-mediated SOS response and related lexA and recA genes. In the present study we investigated the cellular physiology of HeR-MRSA strains during the process of β-lactam-mediated HeR/HoR selection at sub-inhibitory concentrations by using a combinatorial approach of microarray analyses and global biochemical profiling employing gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS to investigate changes in metabolic pathways and the metabolome associated with β-lactam-mediated HeR/HoR selection in clinically relevant heterogeneous MRSA. We found unique features present in the oxacillin-selected SA13011-HoR derivative when compared to the corresponding SA13011-HeR parental strain that included significant increases in tricarboxyl citric acid (TCA cycle intermediates and a concomitant decrease in fermentative pathways. Inactivation of the TCA cycle enzyme cis-aconitase gene in the SA13011-HeR strain abolished β-lactam-mediated HeR/HoR selection demonstrating the significance of altered TCA cycle activity during the HeR/HoR selection. These results provide evidence of both the metabolic cost and the

  19. TCA precipitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koontz, Laura

    2014-01-01

    Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation of proteins is commonly used to concentrate protein samples or remove contaminants, including salts and detergents, prior to downstream applications such as SDS-PAGE or 2D-gels. TCA precipitation denatures the protein, so it should not be used if the protein must remain in its folded state (e.g., if you want to measure a biochemical activity of the protein). © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Advanced TCA Backplane Tester

    CERN Document Server

    Oltean, Alexandra Dana

    2004-01-01

    At the beginning of 2003, the PICMG group adopted the AdvancedTCA (Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) standard. The 10Gb/s backplane of the AdvancedTCA chassis is well specified in the standard but it remains however a high end product, which can be itself subject to printed circuit board manufacturing control problems that could greatly affect its quality control. In order to study the practical aspects of high speed Ethernet switching at 10Gb/s and to validate the signal integrity of the AdvancedTCA backplane, we developed a Backplane Tester. The tester system is able of running monitored PRBS traffic at 3.125Gb/s over every link on the AdvancedTCA backplane simultaneously and to monitor any possible connectivity failure immediately in terms of link and slot position inside the chassis. The present report presents the architectural hardware design, the control structure and software aspects of the AdvancedTCA Backplane Tester design.

  1. A Process-Based Model of TCA Cycle Functioning to Analyze Citrate Accumulation in Pre- and Post-Harvest Fruits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Etienne, Audrey; Génard, Michel; Bugaud, Christophe

    2015-01-01

    Citrate is one of the most important organic acids in many fruits and its concentration plays a critical role in organoleptic properties. The regulation of citrate accumulation throughout fruit development, and the origins of the phenotypic variability of the citrate concentration within fruit species remain to be clarified. In the present study, we developed a process-based model of citrate accumulation based on a simplified representation of the TCA cycle to predict citrate concentration in fruit pulp during the pre- and post-harvest stages. Banana fruit was taken as a reference because it has the particularity of having post-harvest ripening, during which citrate concentration undergoes substantial changes. The model was calibrated and validated on the two stages, using data sets from three contrasting cultivars in terms of citrate accumulation, and incorporated different fruit load, potassium supply, and harvest dates. The model predicted the pre and post-harvest dynamics of citrate concentration with fairly good accuracy for the three cultivars. The model suggested major differences in TCA cycle functioning among cultivars during post-harvest ripening of banana, and pointed to a potential role for NAD-malic enzyme and mitochondrial malate carriers in the genotypic variability of citrate concentration. The sensitivity of citrate accumulation to growth parameters and temperature differed among cultivars during post-harvest ripening. Finally, the model can be used as a conceptual basis to study citrate accumulation in fleshy fruits and may be a powerful tool to improve our understanding of fruit acidity.

  2. Importance of glutamine metabolism in leukemia cells by energy production through TCA cycle and by redox homeostasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goto, Mineaki; Miwa, Hiroshi; Shikami, Masato; Tsunekawa-Imai, Norikazu; Suganuma, Kazuto; Mizuno, Shohei; Takahashi, Miyuki; Mizutani, Motonori; Hanamura, Ichiro; Nitta, Masakazu

    2014-07-01

    Some cancer cells depend on glutamine despite of pronounced glycolysis. We examined the glutamine metabolism in leukemia cells, and found that HL-60 cells most depended on glutamine in the 4 acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cell lines examined: growth of HL-60 cells was most suppressed by glutamine deprivation and by inhibition of glutaminolysis, which was rescued by tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate, oxaloacetic acid. Glutamine is also involved in antioxidant defense function by increasing glutathione. Glutamine deprivation suppressed the glutathione content and elevated reactive oxygen species most evidently in HL-60 cells. Glutamine metabolism might be a therapeutic target in some leukemia.

  3. 1,25(OH)2D3 disrupts glucose metabolism in prostate cancer cells leading to a truncation of the TCA cycle and inhibition of TXNIP expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abu El Maaty, Mohamed A; Alborzinia, Hamed; Khan, Shehryar J; Büttner, Michael; Wölfl, Stefan

    2017-10-01

    Prostate cell metabolism exhibits distinct profiles pre- and post-malignancy. The malignant metabolic shift converts prostate cells from "citrate-producing" to "citrate-oxidizing" cells, thereby enhancing glucose metabolism, a phenotype that contrasts classical tumoral Warburg metabolism. An on-line biosensor chip system (BIONAS 2500) was used to monitor metabolic changes (glycolysis and respiration) in response to the putative anti-cancer nutraceutical 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 [1,25(OH) 2 D 3 ], in different prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines (LNCaP, VCaP, DU145 and PC3). LNCaP cells exhibited profound metabolic responsiveness to the treatment and thus extensive analysis of metabolism-modulating effects of 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 were performed, including mRNA expression analysis of key metabolic genes (e.g. GLUT1 and PDHK1), analysis of TCA cycle metabolites, glucose uptake/consumption measurements, ATP production, and mitochondrial biogenesis/activity. Altogether, data demonstrate a vivid disruption of glucose metabolism by 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 , illustrated by a decreased glucose uptake and an accumulation of citrate/isocitrate due to TCA cycle truncation. Depletion of glycolytic intermediates led to a consistent decrease in TXNIP expression in response to 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 , an effect that coincided with the activation of AMPK signaling and a reduction in c-MYC expression. Reduction in TXNIP levels in response to 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 was rescued by an AMPK signaling inhibitor and mimicked by a MYC inhibitor highlighting the possible involvement of both pathways in mediating 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 's metabolic effects in PCa cells. Furthermore, pharmacological and genetic modulation of the androgen receptor showed similar and disparate effects on metabolic parameters compared to 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 treatment, highlighting the AR-independent nature of 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 's metabolism-modulating effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. A Process-Based Model of TCA Cycle Functioning to Analyze Citrate Accumulation in Pre- and Post-Harvest Fruits.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Audrey Etienne

    Full Text Available Citrate is one of the most important organic acids in many fruits and its concentration plays a critical role in organoleptic properties. The regulation of citrate accumulation throughout fruit development, and the origins of the phenotypic variability of the citrate concentration within fruit species remain to be clarified. In the present study, we developed a process-based model of citrate accumulation based on a simplified representation of the TCA cycle to predict citrate concentration in fruit pulp during the pre- and post-harvest stages. Banana fruit was taken as a reference because it has the particularity of having post-harvest ripening, during which citrate concentration undergoes substantial changes. The model was calibrated and validated on the two stages, using data sets from three contrasting cultivars in terms of citrate accumulation, and incorporated different fruit load, potassium supply, and harvest dates. The model predicted the pre and post-harvest dynamics of citrate concentration with fairly good accuracy for the three cultivars. The model suggested major differences in TCA cycle functioning among cultivars during post-harvest ripening of banana, and pointed to a potential role for NAD-malic enzyme and mitochondrial malate carriers in the genotypic variability of citrate concentration. The sensitivity of citrate accumulation to growth parameters and temperature differed among cultivars during post-harvest ripening. Finally, the model can be used as a conceptual basis to study citrate accumulation in fleshy fruits and may be a powerful tool to improve our understanding of fruit acidity.

  5. Reconstitution of TCA cycle with DAOCS to engineer Escherichia coli into an efficient whole cell catalyst of penicillin G.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Baixue; Fan, Keqiang; Zhao, Jian; Ji, Junjie; Wu, Linjun; Yang, Keqian; Tao, Yong

    2015-08-11

    Many medically useful semisynthetic cephalosporins are derived from 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporanic acid (7-ADCA), which has been traditionally made by the polluting chemical method. Here, a whole-cell biocatalytic process based on an engineered Escherichia coli strain expressing 2-oxoglutarate-dependent deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase (DAOCS) for converting penicillin G to G-7-ADCA is developed. The major engineering strategy is to reconstitute the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle of E. coli to force the metabolic flux to go through DAOCS catalyzed reaction for 2-oxoglutarate to succinate conversion. Then the glyoxylate bypass was disrupted to eliminate metabolic flux that may circumvent the reconstituted TCA cycle. Additional engineering steps were taken to reduce the degradation of penicillin G and G-7-ADCA in the bioconversion process. These steps include engineering strategies to reduce acetate accumulation in the biocatalytic process and to knock out a host β-lactamase involved in the degradation of penicillin G and G-7-ADCA. By combining these manipulations in an engineered strain, the yield of G-7-ADCA was increased from 2.50 ± 0.79 mM (0.89 ± 0.28 g/L, 0.07 ± 0.02 g/gDCW) to 29.01 ± 1.27 mM (10.31 ± 0.46 g/L, 0.77 ± 0.03 g/gDCW) with a conversion rate of 29.01 mol%, representing an 11-fold increase compared with the starting strain (2.50 mol%).

  6. Advanced TCA BAckplane Tester

    CERN Document Server

    Oltean, Alexandra Dana; PGNet2005

    2005-01-01

    The “Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture” (AdvancedTCA) is a modular standard chassis based system designed to support the needs of carrier class telecommunication applications. It is defined by a set of industry standards under the direction of the PICMG group. One early deployment of the standard technology has been a 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch developed in the framework of the EU funded ESTA project. In order to study the practical aspects of high speed Ethernet switching at 10 Gigabit and above and to validate the signal integrity of the AdvancedTCA backplane, we developed a Backplane Tester. This system is able to run pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) traffic at 3.125 Gbps over every link on the AdvancedTCA backplane simultaneously, and to monitor any possible connectivity failure immediately in terms of the link and slot positions inside the chassis. In this paper, we describe the design and the practical architectural hardware and software aspects of the AdvancedTCA Backplane Tester. We also pr...

  7. Expression of the human isoform of glutamate dehydrogenase, hGDH2, augments TCA cycle capacity and oxidative metabolism of glutamate during glucose deprivation in astrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nissen, Jakob D; Lykke, Kasper; Bryk, Jaroslaw; Stridh, Malin H; Zaganas, Ioannis; Skytt, Dorte M; Schousboe, Arne; Bak, Lasse K; Enard, Wolfgang; Pääbo, Svante; Waagepetersen, Helle S

    2017-03-01

    A key enzyme in brain glutamate homeostasis is glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) which links carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism mediating glutamate degradation to CO 2 and expanding tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle capacity with intermediates, i.e. anaplerosis. Humans express two GDH isoforms, GDH1 and 2, whereas most other mammals express only GDH1. hGDH1 is widely expressed in human brain while hGDH2 is confined to astrocytes. The two isoforms display different enzymatic properties and the nature of these supports that hGDH2 expression in astrocytes potentially increases glutamate oxidation and supports the TCA cycle during energy-demanding processes such as high intensity glutamatergic signaling. However, little is known about how expression of hGDH2 affects the handling of glutamate and TCA cycle metabolism in astrocytes. Therefore, we cultured astrocytes from cerebral cortical tissue of hGDH2-expressing transgenic mice. We measured glutamate uptake and metabolism using [ 3 H]glutamate, while the effect on metabolic pathways of glutamate and glucose was evaluated by use of 13 C and 14 C substrates and analysis by mass spectrometry and determination of radioactively labeled metabolites including CO 2 , respectively. We conclude that hGDH2 expression increases capacity for uptake and oxidative metabolism of glutamate, particularly during increased workload and aglycemia. Additionally, hGDH2 expression increased utilization of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) during aglycemia and caused a general decrease in oxidative glucose metabolism. We speculate, that expression of hGDH2 allows astrocytes to spare glucose and utilize BCAAs during substrate shortages. These findings support the proposed role of hGDH2 in astrocytes as an important fail-safe during situations of intense glutamatergic activity. GLIA 2017;65:474-488. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Efficacy of Modified Jessner's Peel and 20% TCA Versus 20% TCA Peel Alone for the Treatment of Acne Scars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puri, Neerja

    2015-01-01

    There is a paucity of studies on the use of chemical peels for acne scars among the Asian population. A trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and Jessner's combination chemical peel, originally described by Monheit, is said to be better than a TCA peel alone. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of 20% TCA and Jessner's solution versus 20% TCA alone for the treatment of acne scars. : The patients were divided into two groups of 25 patients each. Chemical peeling was done in both the groups. In Group I, chemical peeling with Jessner's peel followed by 20% TCA was done and in Group II patients chemical peeling with 20% TCA peel alone was done. In Group I (Jessner's peel and 20% TCA), mild improvement of acne scars was seen in 8% cases, moderate improvement in 32% cases and marked improvement of acne scars was seen in 60% patients. In Group II (20% TCA), mild improvement of acne scars was seen in 32% cases, moderate improvement in 40% cases and marked improvement of acne scars was seen in 28% patients. But, the difference in improvement of acne scars was not statistically significant in both the groups (P value > 0.05).

  9. Neuronal glucose metabolism is impaired while astrocytic TCA cycling is unaffected at symptomatic stages in the hSOD1G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tefera, Tesfaye W; Borges, Karin

    2018-01-01

    Although alterations in energy metabolism are known in ALS, the specific mechanisms leading to energy deficit are not understood. We measured metabolite levels derived from injected [1- 13 C]glucose and [1,2- 13 C]acetate (i.p.) in cerebral cortex and spinal cord extracts of wild type and hSOD1 G93A mice at onset and mid disease stages using high-pressure liquid chromatography, 1 H and 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Levels of spinal and cortical CNS total lactate, [3- 13 C]lactate, total alanine and [3- 13 C]alanine, but not cortical glucose and [1- 13 C]glucose, were reduced mostly at mid stage indicating impaired glycolysis. The [1- 13 C]glucose-derived [4- 13 C]glutamate, [4- 13 C]glutamine and [2- 13 C]GABA amounts were diminished at mid stage in cortex and both time points in spinal cord, suggesting decreased [3- 13 C]pyruvate entry into the TCA cycle. Lack of changes in [1,2- 13 C]acetate-derived [4,5- 13 C]glutamate, [4,5- 13 C]glutamine and [1,2- 13 C]GABA levels indicate unchanged astrocytic 13 C-acetate metabolism. Reduced levels of leucine, isoleucine and valine in CNS suggest compensatory breakdown to refill TCA cycle intermediate levels. Unlabelled, [2- 13 C] and [4- 13 C]GABA concentrations were decreased in spinal cord indicating that impaired glucose metabolism contributes to hyperexcitability and supporting the use of treatments which increase GABA amounts. In conclusion, CNS glucose metabolism is compromised, while astrocytic TCA cycling appears to be normal in the hSOD1 G93A mouse model at symptomatic disease stages.

  10. Efficacy of modified Jessner′s peel and 20% TCA versus 20% TCA peel alone for the treatment of acne scars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neerja Puri

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: There is a paucity of studies on the use of chemical peels for acne scars among the Asian population. A trichloroacetic acid (TCA and Jessner′s combination chemical peel, originally described by Monheit, is said to be better than a TCA peel alone. Aims: The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of 20% TCA and Jessner′s solution versus 20% TCA alone for the treatment of acne scars. Materials and Methods : The patients were divided into two groups of 25 patients each. Chemical peeling was done in both the groups. In Group I, chemical peeling with Jessner′s peel followed by 20% TCA was done and in Group II patients chemical peeling with 20% TCA peel alone was done. Results: In Group I (Jessner′s peel and 20% TCA, mild improvement of acne scars was seen in 8% cases, moderate improvement in 32% cases and marked improvement of acne scars was seen in 60% patients. In Group II (20% TCA, mild improvement of acne scars was seen in 32% cases, moderate improvement in 40% cases and marked improvement of acne scars was seen in 28% patients. But, the difference in improvement of acne scars was not statistically significant in both the groups (P value > 0.05.

  11. Reactor physics experiment plan using TCA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimada, Shoichiro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    2000-06-01

    The Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR) is one of the next generation water-cooled reactors, which aims at effective utilization of uranium resource, high burn-up, long operation cycle, and plutonium multi-recycle. For verification of the feasibility, negative void reactivity coefficient and conversion ratio more than 1.0 must be confirmed. This report is to plan critical experiments using TCA in JAERI. Critical Experiments performed so far in Europe and Japan are reviewed, and no useful data are available for RMWR development. Critical experiments using TCA (Tank Type Critical Assembly) in JAERI are planned. MOX fuel rods should be prepared for the experiments and some modifications of equipment are needed for use of MOX fuel rods. This report describes the preliminary plan of physics experiments. The number of MOX-fuel rods used in the experiments is obtained by calculations and modification of the equipment for the experiments are shown. New MOX fuel and UO{sub 2} fuel rods are necessary for the RMWR critical experiments. Number of MOX fuel rods is 1000 for Plutonium fissile enrichment of 5 wt%, 1000 for 10 wt%, 1500 for 15 wt% and 500 for 20 wt%, respectively. Depleted UO{sub 2} fuel rods for blanket/buffer region are 4000. Driver fuel rods of 4.9 wt% UO{sub 2} are 3000. Modification of TCA facility is requested to treat the large amount of MOX fuels from safety point of view. Additional shielding device at the top of the tank for loading the MOX fuels and additional safety plates to ensure safety are requested. The core is divided into two regions by inserting an inner tank to avoid criticality in MOX region only. The test region is composed by MOX fuel rods in the inner tank. Criticality is established by UO{sub 2} driver fuel rods outside of the inner tank. (Tsuchihashi, K.)

  12. ATCA/muTCA for Physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeznski, Tomasz

    2012-01-01

    ATCA/μTCA platforms are attractive because of the modern serial link architecture, high availability features and many packaging options. Less-demanding availability applications can be met economically by scaling back speed and redundancy. The ATCA specification was originally targeted for the Telecom industry but has gained recently a much wider user audience. The purpose of this paper is to report on present hardware and software R and D efforts where ATCA and μTCA are planned, already being used or in development using selected examples for accelerator and detectors in the Physics community. It will present also the status of a proposal for physics extensions to ATCA/μTCA specifications to promote inter-operability of laboratory and industry designs for physics.

  13. Balancing the carbon flux distributions between the TCA cycle and glyoxylate shunt to produce glycolate at high yield and titer in Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Yu; Ma, Ning; Zhu, Kangjia; Mao, Yin; Wei, Xuetuan; Zhao, Yunying

    2018-03-01

    The glyoxylate shunt is a branch of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle which directly determines the synthesis of glycolate, and the balance between the glyoxylate shunt and TCA cycle is very important for the growth of Escherichia coli. In order to accumulate glycolate at high yield and titer, strategies for over-expressing glycolate pathway enzymes including isocitrate lyase (AceA), isocitrate dehydrogenase kinase/phosphatase (AceK) and glyoxylate reductase (YcdW) were analyzed. The genes encoding these three enzymes were transcribed under the control of promoter pTrc on pTrc99A, to form pJNU-3, which was harbored by strain Mgly1, resulting in strain Mgly13. Strain Mgly13 produced glycolate with 0.385 g/g-glucose yield (45.2% of the theoretical yield). Citrate synthase (GltA) converted excess acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate to citrate and was over-expressed by pJNU-4 (pCDFDuet-1 backbone). Thus, the resulting strain Mgly134 produced glycolate with a 0.504 g/g-glucose yield (59.3% of the theoretical yield). We then eliminated the pathways involved in the degradation of glycolate, resulting in strain Mgly434, which produced glycolate with 92.9% of the theoretical yield. Following optimization of fermentation, the maximum glycolate titer from strain Mgly434 was 65.5 g/L. Copyright © 2018 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Induction of PDGF-B in TCA-treated epidermal keratinocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yonei, Nozomi; Kanazawa, Nobuo; Ohtani, Toshio; Furukawa, Fukumi; Yamamoto, Yuki

    2007-11-01

    Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) is one of the most widely used peeling agents, and induces full necrosis of the whole epidermis, followed by reconstitution of the epidermis and the matrix of the papillary dermis. The cytotoxic effects of TCA, such as suppressing proliferation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts and protein synthesis by fibroblasts, have already been reported. However, the entire biological mechanism responsible for TCA peeling has yet to be determined. Hypothetical activation effects of TCA treatment on epidermal cells to induce production of growth factors and cytokines are examined, and are compared with its cytotoxic effects in terms of time course and applied TCA concentrations. After various periods of incubation with TCA, viability of Pam212 murine keratinocytes was investigated with MTT assay and dye exclusion assay, and production of growth factors and cytokines with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Changes in platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B mRNA expression and protein production in the human skin specimens after TCA application were then examined by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Incubation with TCA showed cytotoxicity and induced death of Pam212 cells, depending on the incubation period and the TCA concentration. In addition, expressions of PDGF-B, tumor growth factor (TGF)-alpha, TGF- beta1 and vascular endothelial growth factor, which are the growth factors reportedly secreted from keratinocytes during wound healing, were all detected in Pam212 cells after short-term treatment with TCA. Expressions of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-10 were also induced. In TCA-treated NIH-3T3 fibroblasts, in contrast, observed was upregulation of only keratinocyte growth factor, which is reportedly secreted from fibroblasts, as well as the similar cytotoxic effect. In human skin, PDGF-B mRNA expression became significantly upregulated after TCA application, and then immediately

  15. Nuclear medical quality control of transluminal coronary angioplastic (TCA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klepzig, H. Jr.; Scherer, D.; Kober, G.; Kaltenbach, M.; Maul, F.D.; Standke, R.; Hoer, G.; Kanemoto, N.

    1984-01-01

    To assess the results of transluminal coronary angioplasty 48 patients with coronary heart disease were investigated at rest and during exercise with the ECG (46 patients), thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy (26 patients), and equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (38 patients). Exercise stress test was quantified by means of an ischemia score, myocardial scintigraphy by an vitality index and by corresponding redistribution factors, and radionuclide ventriculography by ejection fraction and maximum systolic volume change as a fraction of enddiastolic volume. The patients were divided into three groups: 36 patients had successful TCA (group 1); 6 patients underwent aortocoronary bypass operation (ACB, group 2); in 6 patients TCA was unsuccessful, they served as control (group 3). On average TCA yielded a reduction of coronary artery stenosis from 83% to 44%. Functional improvement was comparable in group 1 and 2: Ischemia score was reduced significantly. Perfusion index increased, the corresponding redistribution factors decreased. Left ventricular ejection fraction increased at rest and during exercise. Maximum systolic volume change increased correspondingly. Only slight changes were noted in group 3. Three months later 2 of 16 reinvestigated patients showed a restenosis and one a new narrowing distal to the successfully dilated stenosis. Functional deterioration could be demonstrated in these, whilst maintainance of the good functional results was documented in the others. (orig./MG) [de

  16. The TCA Pathway is an Important Player in the Regulatory Network Governing Vibrio alginolyticus Adhesion Under Adversity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lixing; Huang, Li; Yan, Qingpi; Qin, Yingxue; Ma, Ying; Lin, Mao; Xu, Xiaojin; Zheng, Jiang

    2016-01-01

    Adhesion is a critical step in the initial stage of Vibrio alginolyticus infection; therefore, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms governing the adhesion of V. alginolyticus and determine if environmental factors have any effect. A greater understanding of this process may assist in developing preventive measures for reducing infection. In our previous research, we presented the first RNA-seq data from V. alginolyticus cultured under stress conditions that resulted in reduced adhesion. Based on the RNA-seq data, we found that the Tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA pathway) might be closely related to adhesion. Environmental interactions with the TCA pathway might alter adhesion. To validate this, bioinformatics analysis, quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR), RNAi, and in vitro adhesion assays were performed, while V. alginolyticus was treated with various stresses including temperature, pH, salinity, and starvation. The expression of genes involved in the TCA pathway was confirmed by qPCR, which reinforced the reliability of the sequencing data. Silencing of these genes was capable of reducing the adhesion ability of V. alginolyticus. Adhesion of V. alginolyticus is influenced substantially by environmental factors and the TCA pathway is sensitive to some environmental stresses, especially changes in pH and starvation. Our results indicated that (1) the TCA pathway plays a key role in V. alginolyticus adhesion: (2) the TCA pathway is sensitive to environmental stresses.

  17. The TCA pathway is an important player in the regulatory network governing Vibrio alginolyticus adhesion under adversity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lixing eHuang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Adhesion is a critical step in the initial stage of Vibrio alginolyticus infection; therefore, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms governing the adhesion of V. alginolyticus and determine if environmental factors have any effect. A greater understanding of this process may assist in developing preventive measures for reducing infection. In our previous research, we presented the first RNA-seq data from V. alginolyticus cultured under stress conditions that resulted in reduced adhesion. Based on the RNA-seq data, we found that the Tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA pathway might be closely related to adhesion. Environmental interactions with the TCA pathway might alter adhesion. To validate this, bioinformatics analysis, qPCR, RNAi and in vitro adhesion assays were performed, while V. alginolyticus was treated with various stresses including temperature, pH, salinity and starvation. The expression of genes involved in the TCA pathway was confirmed by qPCR, which reinforced the reliability of the sequencing data. Silencing of these genes was capable of reducing the adhesion ability of V. alginolyticus. Adhesion of V. alginolyticus is influenced substantially by environmental factors and the TCA pathway is sensitive to some environmental stresses, especially changes in pH and starvation. Our results indicated that 1 the TCA pathway plays a key role in V. alginolyticus adhesion: 2 the TCA pathway is sensitive to environmental stresses.

  18. The antidiabetic drug metformin decreases mitochondrial respiration and tricarboxylic acid cycle activity in cultured primary rat astrocytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hohnholt, Michaela C; Blumrich, Eva-Maria; Waagepetersen, Helle S

    2017-01-01

    , and malate, as well as the MCL of the TCA cycle intermediate-derived amino acids glutamate, glutamine, and aspartate. In addition to the total molecular 13 C labeling, analysis of the individual isotopomers of TCA cycle intermediates confirmed a severe decline in labeling and a significant lowering in TCA...... tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolism in astrocytes are unknown. We investigated this by mapping 13 C labeling in TCA cycle intermediates and corresponding amino acids after incubation of primary rat astrocytes with [U-13 C]glucose. The presence of metformin did not compromise the viability of cultured...

  19. Temperature-dependent dynamic control of the TCA cycle increases volumetric productivity of itaconic acid production by Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harder, Björn-Johannes; Bettenbrock, Katja; Klamt, Steffen

    2018-01-01

    Based on the recently constructed Escherichia coli itaconic acid production strain ita23, we aimed to improve the productivity by applying a two-stage process strategy with decoupled production of biomass and itaconic acid. We constructed a strain ita32 (MG1655 ΔaceA Δpta ΔpykF ΔpykA pCadCs), which, in contrast to ita23, has an active tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and a fast growth rate of 0.52 hr -1 at 37°C, thus representing an ideal phenotype for the first stage, the growth phase. Subsequently we implemented a synthetic genetic control allowing the downregulation of the TCA cycle and thus the switch from growth to itaconic acid production in the second stage. The promoter of the isocitrate dehydrogenase was replaced by the Lambda promoter (p R ) and its expression was controlled by the temperature-sensitive repressor CI857 which is active at lower temperatures (30°C). With glucose as substrate, the respective strain ita36A grew with a fast growth rate at 37°C and switched to production of itaconic acid at 28°C. To study the impact of the process strategy on productivity, we performed one-stage and two-stage bioreactor cultivations. The two-stage process enabled fast formation of biomass resulting in improved peak productivity of 0.86 g/L/hr (+48%) and volumetric productivity of 0.39 g/L/hr (+22%) in comparison to the one-stage process. With our dynamic production strain, we also resolved the glutamate auxotrophy of ita23 and increased the itaconic acid titer to 47 g/L. The temperature-dependent activation of gene expression by the Lambda promoters (p R /p L ) has been frequently used to improve protein or, in a few cases, metabolite production in two-stage processes. Here we demonstrate that the system can be as well used in the opposite direction to selectively knock-down an essential gene (icd) in E. coli to design a two-stage process for improved volumetric productivity. The control by temperature avoids expensive inducers and has the

  20. Enzymatic mechanism of oxalate production in the TCA and glyoxylate pathways using various isolates of Antrodia radiculosa

    Science.gov (United States)

    K.M. Jenkins; S.V. Diehl; C.A. Clausen; F. Green

    2011-01-01

    Brown-rot fungi produce oxalate in large amounts; however, levels of accumulation and function vary by species. Copper-tolerant fungi, like Antrodia radiculosa, produce and accumulate high levels of oxalate in response to copper. Oxalate biosynthesis in copper-tolerant fungi has been linked to the glyoxylate and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycles. Within these two cycles...

  1. Mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduced (NADH) oxidation links the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle with methionine metabolism and nuclear DNA methylation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lozoya, Oswaldo A; Martinez-Reyes, Inmaculada; Wang, Tianyuan; Grenet, Dagoberto; Bushel, Pierre; Li, Jianying; Chandel, Navdeep; Woychik, Richard P; Santos, Janine H

    2018-04-18

    Mitochondrial function affects many aspects of cellular physiology, and, most recently, its role in epigenetics has been reported. Mechanistically, how mitochondrial function alters DNA methylation patterns in the nucleus remains ill defined. Using a cell culture model of induced mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion, in this study we show that progressive mitochondrial dysfunction leads to an early transcriptional and metabolic program centered on the metabolism of various amino acids, including those involved in the methionine cycle. We find that this program also increases DNA methylation, which occurs primarily in the genes that are differentially expressed. Maintenance of mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduced (NADH) oxidation in the context of mtDNA loss rescues methionine salvage and polyamine synthesis and prevents changes in DNA methylation and gene expression but does not affect serine/folate metabolism or transsulfuration. This work provides a novel mechanistic link between mitochondrial function and epigenetic regulation of gene expression that involves polyamine and methionine metabolism responding to changes in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Given the implications of these findings, future studies across different physiological contexts and in vivo are warranted.

  2. Expression of the human isoform of glutamate dehydrogenase, hGDH2, augments TCA cycle capacity and oxidative metabolism of glutamate during glucose deprivation in astrocytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nissen, Jakob D; Lykke, Kasper; Bryk, Jaroslaw

    2017-01-01

    A key enzyme in brain glutamate homeostasis is glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) which links carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism mediating glutamate degradation to CO2 and expanding tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle capacity with intermediates, i.e. anaplerosis. Humans express two GDH isoforms, GDH1...... and 2, whereas most other mammals express only GDH1. hGDH1 is widely expressed in human brain while hGDH2 is confined to astrocytes. The two isoforms display different enzymatic properties and the nature of these supports that hGDH2 expression in astrocytes potentially increases glutamate oxidation...

  3. A pilot pharmacokinetic study of tricyclic antidepressant ovine Fab for TCA poisoning in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yalindağ-Oztürk, Nilüfer; Goto, Collin S; Shepherd, Greene; Torres, Olivia Nayeli; Giroir, Brett

    2010-06-01

    A pilot study of tricyclic antidepressant (TCA)-specific antibody fragments (TCA Fab) in TCA-intoxicated adults showed a marked increase in serum total TCA concentrations following TCA Fab infusion with no worsening signs of TCA toxicity. TCA Fab pharmacokinetics (PK) was not described in this adult study. The objective of this study was to evaluate the PK of TCA Fab in children with TCA poisoning. This was an open-label, single-center, dose escalation pilot trial of three patients. Inclusion criteria were documented TCA ingestion with at least one serious complication (QRS prolongation, dysrhythmia, hypotension, seizure, or coma). Patients were assigned to either a low-dose intravenous TCA Fab regimen (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg) or a high-dose regimen (30, 60, and 120 mg/kg) as needed to reverse TCA toxicity. Following the administration of TCA Fab, samples of blood and urine were obtained for PK evaluations. The outcomes of interest were serum and urine TCA concentrations (free and total), serum and urine Fab concentrations, improvement or worsening of TCA toxicity, and adverse effects. Three study patients were 11, 11, and 14 years of age. Two patients received 15 mg/kg of TCA Fab and one patient received a total of 90 mg/kg of TCA Fab (30 + 60 mg/kg). Serum-bound TCA increased significantly following TCA Fab administration with concomitant enhanced urinary elimination. Serum-free TCA concentrations were minimal to undetectable. Fab data were available for two patients. The serum TCA Fab area under the curve was 306.12 mg/L/h for the 15 mg/kg dose and 2,198.10 mg/L/h for the 90 mg/kg dose of TCA Fab. Maximum Fab concentrations correlated with maximum bound TCA in serum. The volume of distribution (V(D)) of TCA Fab was 0.2-0.3 L/kg. The clearance was 0.036-0.05 L/kg/h and the elimination half-life was 4 h. No adverse effects were observed. The limited PK data from this study are consistent with binding of TCA to TCA Fab and redistribution of TCA from the tissue to

  4. Transluminal coronary angioplasty (TCA) techniques, indications and results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kober, G.; Lang, H.; Vallbracht, C.; Bussmann, W.D.; Hopf, R.; Kunkel, B.; Kaltenbach, M.

    1985-01-01

    Transluminal coronary angioplasty (TCA) was introduced in 1977 for dilatation of coronary stenoses. From October 1977 to December 1984 1087 procedures have been performed in Frankfurt. The mean success rate was 77% with an increase from 58% to 84% since 1977. Recurrences were seen within the first year in 15% of the patients, which could be treated successfully in a high percentage with a second TCA. Emergency bypass operations were necessary in 5.2%. Four patients (fatality rate 0.37%) died as the consequence of the intervention. Within few years TCA has become an established procedure for myocardial revascularisation, with a high success rate. Major progress has been possible in the last few years due to technical developments, which are still going on. They may lead to further improvement of the results and enlargement of the indication for TCA. (orig.) [de

  5. Streptomyces clavuligerus shows a strong association between TCA cycle intermediate accumulation and clavulanic acid biosynthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez-Malule, Howard; Junne, Stefan; Nicolás Cruz-Bournazou, Mariano; Neubauer, Peter; Ríos-Estepa, Rigoberto

    2018-05-01

    Clavulanic acid (CA) is produced by Streptomyces clavuligerus (S. clavuligerus) as a secondary metabolite. Knowledge about the carbon flux distribution along the various routes that supply CA precursors would certainly provide insights about metabolic performance. In order to evaluate metabolic patterns and the possible accumulation of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates during CA biosynthesis, batch and subsequent continuous cultures with steadily declining feed rates were performed with glycerol as the main substrate. The data were used to in silico explore the metabolic capabilities and the accumulation of metabolic intermediates in S. clavuligerus. While clavulanic acid accumulated at glycerol excess, it steadily decreased at declining dilution rates; CA synthesis stopped when glycerol became the limiting substrate. A strong association of succinate, oxaloacetate, malate, and acetate accumulation with CA production in S. clavuligerus was observed, and flux balance analysis (FBA) was used to describe the carbon flux distribution in the network. This combined experimental and numerical approach also identified bottlenecks during the synthesis of CA in a batch and subsequent continuous cultivation and demonstrated the importance of this type of methodologies for a more advanced understanding of metabolism; this potentially derives valuable insights for future successful metabolic engineering studies in S. clavuligerus.

  6. Unstructured Navier-Stokes Analysis of Full TCA Configuration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frink, Neal T.; Pirzadeh, Shahyar Z.

    1999-01-01

    This paper presents an Unstructured Navier-Stokes Analysis of Full TCA (Technology Concept Airplane) Configuration. The topics include: 1) Motivation; 2) Milestone and approach; 3) Overview of the unstructured-grid system; 4) Results on full TCA W/B/N/D/E configuration; 5) Concluding remarks; and 6) Future directions.

  7. The Krebs Uric Acid Cycle: A Forgotten Krebs Cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salway, Jack G

    2018-05-25

    Hans Kornberg wrote a paper entitled 'Krebs and his trinity of cycles' commenting that every school biology student knows of the Krebs cycle, but few know that Krebs discovered two other cycles. These are (i) the ornithine cycle (urea cycle), (ii) the citric acid cycle (tricarboxylic acid or TCA cycle), and (iii) the glyoxylate cycle that was described by Krebs and Kornberg. Ironically, Kornberg, codiscoverer of the 'glyoxylate cycle', overlooked a fourth Krebs cycle - (iv) the uric acid cycle. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Magnetic diagnostic plasma position in the TCA/BR tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galvao, R.M.O.; Kuznetsov, Yu.K.; Nascimento, I.C.

    1996-01-01

    The cross-section of the plasma column is TCA/BR has a nearly circular plasma shape. This allows implementation of simplified methods of magnetic diagnostics. Although these methods were in may tokamaks and are well described, their accuracies are not clearly defined because the very simplified theoretical model of plasma equilibrium on which they are based differs from the real conditions in tokamaks like TCA/BR. In this paper we present the methods of plasma position diagnostics in TCA/BR from external magnetic measurements with an error analysis. (author). 4 refs., 3 figs

  9. Astrocytic and neuronal oxidative metabolism are coupled to the rate of glutamate-glutamine cycle in the tree shrew visual cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonnay, Sarah; Poirot, Jordan; Just, Nathalie; Clerc, Anne-Catherine; Gruetter, Rolf; Rainer, Gregor; Duarte, João M N

    2018-03-01

    Astrocytes play an important role in glutamatergic neurotransmission, namely by clearing synaptic glutamate and converting it into glutamine that is transferred back to neurons. The rate of this glutamate-glutamine cycle (V NT ) has been proposed to couple to that of glucose utilization and of neuronal tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that glutamatergic neurotransmission is also coupled to the TCA cycle rate in astrocytes. For that we investigated energy metabolism by means of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the primary visual cortex of tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri) under light isoflurane anesthesia at rest and during continuous visual stimulation. After identifying the activated cortical volume by blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging, 1 H MRS was performed to measure stimulation-induced variations in metabolite concentrations. Relative to baseline, stimulation of cortical activity for 20 min caused a reduction of glucose concentration by -0.34 ± 0.09 µmol/g (p glucose infusion was employed to measure fluxes of energy metabolism. Stimulation of glutamatergic activity, as indicated by a 20% increase of V NT , resulted in increased TCA cycle rates in neurons by 12% ( VTCAn, p glucose oxidation and to mitochondrial metabolism in both neurons and astrocytes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Agreement among graders on Heidelberg retina tomograph (HRT) topographic change analysis (TCA) glaucoma progression interpretation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iester, Michele M; Wollstein, Gadi; Bilonick, Richard A; Xu, Juan; Ishikawa, Hiroshi; Kagemann, Larry; Schuman, Joel S

    2015-04-01

    To evaluate agreement among experts of Heidelberg retina tomography's (HRT) topographic change analysis (TCA) printout interpretations of glaucoma progression and explore methods for improving agreement. 109 eyes of glaucoma, glaucoma suspect and healthy subjects with ≥5 visits and 2 good quality HRT scans acquired at each visit were enrolled. TCA printouts were graded as progression or non-progression. Each grader was presented with 2 sets of tests: a randomly selected single test from each visit and both tests from each visit. Furthermore, the TCA printouts were classified with grader's individual criteria and with predefined criteria (reproducible changes within the optic nerve head, disregarding changes along blood vessels or at steep rim locations and signs of image distortion). Agreement among graders was modelled using common latent factor measurement error structural equation models for ordinal data. Assessment of two scans per visit without using the predefined criteria reduced overall agreement, as indicated by a reduction in the slope, reflecting the correlation with the common factor, for all graders with no effect on reducing the range of the intercepts between the graders. Using the predefined criteria improved grader agreement, as indicated by the narrower range of intercepts among the graders compared with assessment using individual grader's criteria. A simple set of predefined common criteria improves agreement between graders in assessing TCA progression. The inclusion of additional scans from each visit does not improve the agreement. We, therefore, recommend setting standardised criteria for TCA progression evaluation. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  11. Viscous Design of TCA Configuration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krist, Steven E.; Bauer, Steven X. S.; Campbell, Richard L.

    1999-01-01

    The goal in this effort is to redesign the baseline TCA configuration for improved performance at both supersonic and transonic cruise. Viscous analyses are conducted with OVERFLOW, a Navier-Stokes code for overset grids, using PEGSUS to compute the interpolations between overset grids. Viscous designs are conducted with OVERDISC, a script which couples OVERFLOW with the Constrained Direct Iterative Surface Curvature (CDISC) inverse design method. The successful execution of any computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based aerodynamic design method for complex configurations requires an efficient method for regenerating the computational grids to account for modifications to the configuration shape. The first section of this presentation deals with the automated regridding procedure used to generate overset grids for the fuselage/wing/diverter/nacelle configurations analysed in this effort. The second section outlines the procedures utilized to conduct OVERDISC inverse designs. The third section briefly covers the work conducted by Dick Campbell, in which a dual-point design at Mach 2.4 and 0.9 was attempted using OVERDISC; the initial configuration from which this design effort was started is an early version of the optimized shape for the TCA configuration developed by the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group (BCAG), which eventually evolved into the NCV design. The final section presents results from application of the Natural Flow Wing design philosophy to the TCA configuration.

  12. PIE Nacelle Flow Analysis and TCA Inlet Flow Quality Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shieh, C. F.; Arslan, Alan; Sundaran, P.; Kim, Suk; Won, Mark J.

    1999-01-01

    This presentation includes three topics: (1) Analysis of isolated boattail drag; (2) Computation of Technology Concept Airplane (TCA)-installed nacelle effects on aerodynamic performance; and (3) Assessment of TCA inlet flow quality.

  13. Present status of TCA/BR Tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nascimento, I.C.; Galvao, R.M.O.; Tuszel, A.G.

    1997-01-01

    The TCA tokamak is being partially reconstructed and reassembled in the Plasma Laboratory of The University of Sao Paulo, and afterwards it will be named TCA/BR. The first discharges are expected by June/July of next year. The main scientific objectives envisaged for the machine are: Alfven wave heating and current drive, confinement improvement, disruptions and turbulence. In this paper we also describe: (i) the present status of the project; (ii) the diagnostic system; (iii) the control and data acquisition system; (iv) the RF system for the excitation of Alfven waves, that are being developed, and also the results of predictive transport simulations of its performance. (author)

  14. CERN-IPMC solution for AdvancedTCA blades

    CERN Document Server

    Mendez, Julian Maxime; Haas, Stefan Ludwig; Joos, Markus; Mico, Sylvain; Vasey, Francois

    2018-01-01

    The AdvancedTCA standard has been selected as one of the hardware platforms for the upgrades of the back-end electronics of the CMS and ATLAS experiments of the Large Hadron Collider. In this context, the CERN EP-ESE group has designed and produced an IPMC mezzanine card for the management of AdvancedTCA blades. This paper presents the CERN-IPMC hardware and the software environment to be used for its customization and describes a test pad that can also be used as a development kit.

  15. The antidiabetic drug metformin decreases mitochondrial respiration and tricarboxylic acid cycle activity in cultured primary rat astrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hohnholt, Michaela C; Blumrich, Eva-Maria; Waagepetersen, Helle S; Dringen, Ralf

    2017-11-01

    Metformin is an antidiabetic drug that is used daily by millions of patients worldwide. Metformin is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and has recently been shown to increase glucose consumption and lactate release in cultured astrocytes. However, potential effects of metformin on mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolism in astrocytes are unknown. We investigated this by mapping 13 C labeling in TCA cycle intermediates and corresponding amino acids after incubation of primary rat astrocytes with [U- 13 C]glucose. The presence of metformin did not compromise the viability of cultured astrocytes during 4 hr of incubation, but almost doubled cellular glucose consumption and lactate release. Compared with control cells, the presence of metformin dramatically lowered the molecular 13 C carbon labeling (MCL) of the cellular TCA cycle intermediates citrate, α-ketoglutarate, succinate, fumarate, and malate, as well as the MCL of the TCA cycle intermediate-derived amino acids glutamate, glutamine, and aspartate. In addition to the total molecular 13 C labeling, analysis of the individual isotopomers of TCA cycle intermediates confirmed a severe decline in labeling and a significant lowering in TCA cycling ratio in metformin-treated astrocytes. Finally, the oxygen consumption of mitochondria isolated from metformin-treated astrocytes was drastically reduced in the presence of complex I substrates, but not of complex II substrates. These data demonstrate that exposure to metformin strongly impairs complex I-mediated mitochondrial respiration in astrocytes, which is likely to cause the observed decrease in labeling of mitochondrial TCA cycle intermediates and the stimulation of glycolytic lactate production. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Brownian dynamic study of an enzyme metabolon in the TCA cycle: Substrate kinetics and channeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yu-Ming M; Huber, Gary A; Wang, Nuo; Minteer, Shelley D; McCammon, J Andrew

    2018-02-01

    Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and citrate synthase (CS) are two pacemaking enzymes involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Oxaloacetate (OAA) molecules are the intermediate substrates that are transferred from the MDH to CS to carry out sequential catalysis. It is known that, to achieve a high flux of intermediate transport and reduce the probability of substrate leaking, a MDH-CS metabolon forms to enhance the OAA substrate channeling. In this study, we aim to understand the OAA channeling within possible MDH-CS metabolons that have different structural orientations in their complexes. Three MDH-CS metabolons from native bovine, wild-type porcine, and recombinant sources, published in recent work, were selected to calculate OAA transfer efficiency by Brownian dynamics (BD) simulations and to study, through electrostatic potential calculations, a possible role of charges that drive the substrate channeling. Our results show that an electrostatic channel is formed in the metabolons of native bovine and recombinant porcine enzymes, which guides the oppositely charged OAA molecules passing through the channel and enhances the transfer efficiency. However, the channeling probability in a suggested wild-type porcine metabolon conformation is reduced due to an extended diffusion length between the MDH and CS active sites, implying that the corresponding arrangements of MDH and CS result in the decrease of electrostatic steering between substrates and protein surface and then reduce the substrate transfer efficiency from one active site to another. © 2017 The Protein Society.

  17. Educational reactor-physics experiments with the critical assemble TCA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsutsui, Hiroaki; Okubo, Masaaki; Igashira, Masayuki [Tokyo Inst. of Tech. (Japan); Horiki, Oichiro; Suzaki, Takenori

    1997-10-01

    The Tank-Type Critical Assembly (TCA) of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute is research equipment for light water reactor physics. In the present report, the lectures given to the graduate students of Tokyo Institute of Technology who participated in the educational experiment course held on 26-30 August at TCA are rearranged to provide useful information for those who will implement educational basic experiments with TCA in the future. This report describes the principles, procedures, and data analyses for (1) Critical approach and Exponential experiment, (2) Measurement of neutron flux distribution, (3) Measurement of power distribution, (4) Measurement of fuel rod worth distribution, and (5) Measurement of safety plate worth by the rod drop method. (author)

  18. Educational reactor-physics experiments with the critical assembly TCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsutsui, Hiroaki; Okubo, Masaaki; Igashira, Masayuki; Horiki, Oichiro; Suzaki, Takenori.

    1997-10-01

    The Tank-Type Critical Assembly (TCA) of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute is research equipment for light water reactor physics. In the present report, the lectures given to the graduate students of Tokyo Institute of Technology who participated in the educational experiment course held on 26-30 August at TCA are rearranged to provide useful information for those who will implement educational basic experiments with TCA in the future. This report describes the principles, procedures, and data analyses for 1) Critical approach and Exponential experiment, 2) Measurement of neutron flux distribution, 3) Measurement of power distribution, 4) Measurement of fuel rod worth distribution, and 5) Measurement of safety plate worth by the rod drop method. (author)

  19. Preliminary Evaluation of Nonlinear Effects on TCA Flutter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arslan, Alan E.; Hartwich, Peter M.; Baker, Myles L.

    1998-01-01

    The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of nonlinear aerodynamics, especially at high angles-of-attack with leading-edge separation, on the TCA flutter properties at transonic speeds. In order to achieve that objective, flutter simulations with Navier-Stokes CFD must be performed. To this end, time-marching Navier-Stokes solutions are computed for the TCA wing/body configuration at high angles-of-attack in transonic flight regimes. The approach is to perform non-linear flutter calculations on the TCA at two angles-of-attack, the first one being a case with attached flow (a=2.8 degrees) and the second one being a high angle-of-attack case with a wing leading edge vortex (a=12.11 degrees). Comparisons of the resulting histories and frequency damping information for both angles-of-attack will evaluate the impact of high-alpha aerodynamics on flutter.

  20. Extraction-less, rapid assay for the direct detection of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) in cork samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apostolou, Theofylaktos; Pascual, Nuria; Marco, M-Pilar; Moschos, Anastassios; Petropoulos, Anastassios; Kaltsas, Grigoris; Kintzios, Spyridon

    2014-07-01

    2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), the cork taint molecule, has been the target of several analytical approaches over the few past years. In spite of the development of highly efficient and sensitive tools for its detection, ranging from advanced chromatography to biosensor-based techniques, a practical breakthrough for routine cork screening purposes has not yet been realized, in part due to the requirement of a lengthy extraction of TCA in organic solvents, mostly 12% ethanol and the high detectability required. In the present report, we present a modification of a previously reported biosensor system based on the measurement of the electric response of cultured fibroblast cells membrane-engineered with the pAb78 TCA-specific antibody. Samples were prepared by macerating cork tissue and mixing it directly with the cellular biorecognition elements, without any intervening extraction process. By using this novel approach, we were able to detect TCA in just five minutes at extremely low concentrations (down to 0.2 ppt). The novel biosensor offers a number of practical benefits, including a very considerable reduction in the total assay time by one day, and a full portability, enabling its direct employment for on-site, high throughput screening of cork in the field and production facilities, without requiring any type of supporting infrastructure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Quantitative importance of the pentose phosphate pathway determined by incorporation of 13C from [2-13C]- and [3-13C]glucose into TCA cycle intermediates and neurotransmitter amino acids in functionally intact neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brekke, Eva M F; Walls, Anne B; Schousboe, Arne; Waagepetersen, Helle S; Sonnewald, Ursula

    2012-09-01

    The brain is highly susceptible to oxidative injury, and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) has been shown to be affected by pathological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury. While this pathway has been investigated in the intact brain and in astrocytes, little is known about the PPP in neurons. The activity of the PPP was quantified in cultured cerebral cortical and cerebellar neurons after incubation in the presence of [2-(13)C]glucose or [3-(13)C]glucose. The activity of the PPP was several fold lower than glycolysis in both types of neurons. While metabolism of (13)C-labeled glucose via the PPP does not appear to contribute to the production of releasable lactate, it contributes to labeling of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and related amino acids. Based on glutamate isotopomers, it was calculated that PPP activity accounts for ~6% of glucose metabolism in cortical neurons and ~4% in cerebellar neurons. This is the first demonstration that pyruvate generated from glucose via the PPP contributes to the synthesis of acetyl CoA for oxidation in the TCA cycle. Moreover, the fact that (13)C labeling from glucose is incorporated into glutamate proves that both the oxidative and the nonoxidative stages of the PPP are active in neurons.

  2. [Removal of high-abundance proteins in plasma of the obese by improved TCA/acetone precipitation method].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jun; Feng, Liru; Yu, Wei; Xu, Jian; Yang, Hui; Liu, Xiaoli

    2013-09-01

    To develop an improved trichloroacetic acid (TCA)/acetone precipitation method for removal of high-abundance proteins in plasma of the obese. Volumes of TCA/acetone solution (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 20 times of the sample) and concentrations of TCA (10%, 30%, 50%, 60%, 70% TCA/acetone solution) have been investigated to optimize the conditions of sample preparation. SDS-PAGE were used to separate and tested proteins in the supernatant and sediment. The best concentration of the TCA/acetone solution was first determined by SDS-PAGE. The protein in precipitation from 10% TCA/acetone solution processing and the new determined concentration TCA/acetone solution processing were verified by 2-D-SDS-PAGE. And then the digested products of the protein in precipitation and supernatant by trypsin were analyzed by nano HPLC-Chip-MS/MS to verify which is the best concentration to process the plasma. The best volume of TCA/acetone is four times to sample, which less or more TCA/acetone would reduce the removal efficiency of high-abundance proteins. The concentration of TCA in acetone solution should be 60%, which may remove more high-abundance proteins in plasma than 10%, 30%, 50% TCA in acetone solution. If the TCA concentration is more than 60%, the reproducibility will be much poorer due to fast precipitation of proteins. The results of mass identification showed that human plasma prepared with 60% TCA/acetone (4 times sample volume) could be verified more low-abundance proteins than 10%. The most desirable conditions for removal of high-abundance proteins in plasma is 60% TCA/acetone (4 times sample volume), especially for the plasma of obesity.

  3. Quantum chemical study, spectroscopic investigations, NBO and HOMO-LUMO analyses of 3-aminoquinoline (3AQ) and [Ag(3AQ)2(TCA)] complex (TCA = Trichloroacetate)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soliman, Saied M.; Kassem, Taher S.; Badr, Ahmed M. A.; Abu Youssef, Morsy A.; Assem, Rania

    2014-09-01

    The new [Ag(3AQ)2(TCA)]; (3AQ = 3-aminoquinoline and TCA = Trichloroacetate) complex is synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR and mass spectroscopy. The molecular geometry, vibrational frequencies, gauge-including atomic orbital (GIAO) 1H chemical shift values of the free and coordinated 3AQ in the ground state have been calculated by using DFT/B3LYP method. The TD-DFT results of the [Ag(3AQ)2(TCA)] complex showed a π-π* transition band at 240.3-242.6 nm (f = 0.1334-0.1348) which has longer wavelength and lower absorption intensity than that for the free 3AQ (233.2 nm, f = 0.3958). Dipole moment, polarizability and HOMO-LUMO gap values predicted better nonlinear optical properties (NLO) for the [Ag(3AQ)2(TCA)] than the 3AQ ligand. NBO analysis has been used to predict the most accurate Lewis structure of the studied molecules. The energies of the different intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) interactions within the studied molecules were estimated using second order perturbation theory.

  4. Exposure of ELF-EMF and RF-EMF Increase the Rate of Glucose Transport and TCA Cycle in Budding Yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Kang-Wei; Yang, Chuan-Jun; Lian, Hui-Yong; Cai, Peng

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we investigated the transcriptional response to 50 Hz extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) and 2.0 GHz radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure by Illumina sequencing technology using budding yeast as the model organism. The transcription levels of 28 genes were upregulated and those of four genes were downregulated under ELF-EMF exposure, while the transcription levels of 29 genes were upregulated and those of 24 genes were downregulated under RF-EMF exposure. After validation by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), a concordant direction of change both in differential gene expression (DGE) and RT-qPCR was demonstrated for nine genes under ELF-EMF exposure and for 10 genes under RF-EMF exposure. The RT-qPCR results revealed that ELF-EMF and RF-EMF exposure can upregulate the expression of genes involved in glucose transportation and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, but not the glycolysis pathway. Energy metabolism is closely related with the cell response to environmental stress including EMF exposure. Our findings may throw light on the mechanism underlying the biological effects of EMF.

  5. Pyruvate cycle increases aminoglycoside efficacy and provides respiratory energy in bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Yu-Bin; Peng, Bo; Li, Hui; Cheng, Zhi-Xue; Zhang, Tian-Tuo; Zhu, Jia-Xin; Li, Dan; Li, Min-Yi; Ye, Jin-Zhou; Du, Chao-Chao; Zhang, Song; Zhao, Xian-Liang; Yang, Man-Jun; Peng, Xuan-Xian

    2018-02-13

    The emergence and ongoing spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria puts humans and other species at risk for potentially lethal infections. Thus, novel antibiotics or alternative approaches are needed to target drug-resistant bacteria, and metabolic modulation has been documented to improve antibiotic efficacy, but the relevant metabolic mechanisms require more studies. Here, we show that glutamate potentiates aminoglycoside antibiotics, resulting in improved elimination of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. When exploring the metabolic flux of glutamate, it was found that the enzymes that link the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-pyruvate-AcCoA pathway to the TCA cycle were key players in this increased efficacy. Together, the PEP-pyruvate-AcCoA pathway and TCA cycle can be considered the pyruvate cycle (P cycle). Our results show that inhibition or gene depletion of the enzymes in the P cycle shut down the TCA cycle even in the presence of excess carbon sources, and that the P cycle operates routinely as a general mechanism for energy production and regulation in Escherichia coli and Edwardsiella tarda These findings address metabolic mechanisms of metabolite-induced potentiation and fundamental questions about bacterial biochemistry and energy metabolism.

  6. Development of a LC-MS/MS Method for the Simultaneous Detection of Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Intermediates in a Range of Biological Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omar Al Kadhi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available It is now well-established that perturbations in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle play an important role in the metabolic transformation occurring in cancer including that of the prostate. A method for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of TCA cycle intermediates in body fluids, tissues, and cultured cell lines of human origin was developed using a common C18 reversed-phase column by LC-MS/MS technique. This LC-MS/MS method for profiling TCA cycle intermediates offers significant advantages including simple and fast preparation of a wide range of human biological samples. The analytical method was validated according to the guideline of the Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Methods Committee. The limits of detection were below 60 nM for most of the TCA intermediates with the exception of lactic and fumaric acids. The calibration curves of all TCA analytes showed linearity with correlation coefficients r2>0.9998. Recoveries were >95% for all TCA analytes. This method was established taking into consideration problems and limitations of existing techniques. We envisage that its application to different biological matrices will facilitate deeper understanding of the metabolic changes in the TCA cycle from in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies.

  7. IPbus A flexible Ethernet-based control system for xTCA hardware

    CERN Document Server

    Williams, Thomas Stephen

    2014-01-01

    The ATCA and uTCA standards include industry-standard data pathway technologies such as Gigabit Ethernet which can be used for control communication, but no specific hardware control protocol is defined. The IPbus suite of software and firmware implements a reliable high-performance control link for particle physics electronics, and has successfully replaced VME control in several large projects. In this paper, we outline the IPbus system architecture, and describe recent developments in the reliability, scalability and performance of IPbus systems, carried out in preparation for deployment of uTCA-based CMS upgrades before the LHC 2015 run. We also discuss plans for future development of the IPbus suite.SUMMARY IPbus will be used for controlling the uTCA electronics in the CMS HCAL, TCDS, Pixel and Level-1 trigger upgrades. IPbus control has already been extensively used in the work of these upgrade projects so far, and final uTCA systems will be deployed in the experiment starting from Autumn 2014. IPbus is...

  8. In Folio Respiratory Fluxomics Revealed by 13C Isotopic Labeling and H/D Isotope Effects Highlight the Non-cyclic Nature of the Tricarboxylic Acid 'Cycle' in Illuminated Leaves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tcherkez, G.; Mahe, A.; Gauthier, P.; Hodges, M.; Tcherkez, G.; Mauve, C.; Cornic, G.; Gout, E.; Bligny, R.

    2009-01-01

    While the possible importance of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle reactions for leaf photosynthesis operation has been recognized, many uncertainties remain on whether TCA cycle biochemistry is similar in the light compared with the dark. It is widely accepted that leaf day respiration and the metabolic commitment to TCA decarboxylation are down-regulated in illuminated leaves. However, the metabolic basis (i.e. the limiting steps involved in such a down-regulation) is not well known. Here, we investigated the in vivo metabolic fluxes of individual reactions of the TCA cycle by developing two isotopic methods, 13 C tracing and fluxomics and the use of H/D isotope effects, with Xanthium strumarium leaves. We provide evidence that the TCA 'cycle' does not work in the forward direction like a proper cycle but, rather, operates in both the reverse and forward directions to produce fumarate and glutamate, respectively. Such a functional division of the cycle plausibly reflects the compromise between two contrasted forces: (1) the feedback inhibition by NADH and ATP on TCA enzymes in the light, and (2) the need to provide pH-buffering organic acids and carbon skeletons for nitrate absorption and assimilation. (authors)

  9. The Aspergillus nidulans acuL gene encodes a mitochondrial carrier required for the utilization of carbon sources that are metabolized via the TCA cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flipphi, Michel; Oestreicher, Nathalie; Nicolas, Valérie; Guitton, Audrey; Vélot, Christian

    2014-07-01

    In Aspergillus nidulans, the utilization of acetate as sole carbon source requires several genes (acu). Most of them are also required for the utilization of fatty acids. This is the case for acuD and acuE, which encode the two glyoxylate cycle-specific enzymes, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase, respectively, but also for acuL that we have identified as AN7287, and characterized in this study. Deletion of acuL resulted in the same phenotype as the original acuL217 mutant. acuL encodes a 322-amino acid protein which displays all the structural features of a mitochondrial membrane carrier, and shares 60% identity with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae succinate/fumarate mitochondrial antiporter Sfc1p (also named Acr1p). Consistently, the AcuL protein was shown to localize in mitochondria, and partial cross-complementation was observed between the S. cerevisiae and A. nidulans homologues. Extensive phenotypic characterization suggested that the acuL gene is involved in the utilization of carbon sources that are catabolized via the TCA cycle, and therefore require gluconeogenesis. In addition, acuL proves to be co-regulated with acuD and acuE. Overall, our data suggest that AcuL could link the glyoxylate cycle to gluconeogenesis by exchanging cytoplasmic succinate for mitochondrial fumarate. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Genetic Investigation of Tricarboxylic Acid Metabolism during the Plasmodium falciparum Life Cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hangjun Ke

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available New antimalarial drugs are urgently needed to control drug-resistant forms of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Mitochondrial electron transport is the target of both existing and new antimalarials. Herein, we describe 11 genetic knockout (KO lines that delete six of the eight mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle enzymes. Although all TCA KOs grew normally in asexual blood stages, these metabolic deficiencies halted life-cycle progression in later stages. Specifically, aconitase KO parasites arrested as late gametocytes, whereas α-ketoglutarate-dehydrogenase-deficient parasites failed to develop oocysts in the mosquitoes. Mass spectrometry analysis of 13C-isotope-labeled TCA mutant parasites showed that P. falciparum has significant flexibility in TCA metabolism. This flexibility manifested itself through changes in pathway fluxes and through altered exchange of substrates between cytosolic and mitochondrial pools. Our findings suggest that mitochondrial metabolic plasticity is essential for parasite development.

  11. In Folio Respiratory Fluxomics Revealed by {sup 13}C Isotopic Labeling and H/D Isotope Effects Highlight the Non-cyclic Nature of the Tricarboxylic Acid 'Cycle' in Illuminated Leaves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tcherkez, G; Mahe, A; Gauthier, P; Hodges, M [Institut de Biotechnologie des Plantes, Plateforme Metabolisme-Metabolome IFR87, Batiment 630, Universite Paris-Sud 11, 91405 Orsay cedex (France); Tcherkez, G; Mauve, C; Cornic, G [Laboratoire d' Ecophysiologie Vegetale, Ecologie Systematique Evolution (G.C.), Batiment 630, Universite Paris-Sud 11, 91405 Orsay cedex (France); Gout, E; Bligny, R [Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire Vegetale, Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique-Grenoble, 38054 Grenoble cedex 9 (France)

    2009-07-01

    While the possible importance of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle reactions for leaf photosynthesis operation has been recognized, many uncertainties remain on whether TCA cycle biochemistry is similar in the light compared with the dark. It is widely accepted that leaf day respiration and the metabolic commitment to TCA decarboxylation are down-regulated in illuminated leaves. However, the metabolic basis (i.e. the limiting steps involved in such a down-regulation) is not well known. Here, we investigated the in vivo metabolic fluxes of individual reactions of the TCA cycle by developing two isotopic methods, {sup 13}C tracing and fluxomics and the use of H/D isotope effects, with Xanthium strumarium leaves. We provide evidence that the TCA 'cycle' does not work in the forward direction like a proper cycle but, rather, operates in both the reverse and forward directions to produce fumarate and glutamate, respectively. Such a functional division of the cycle plausibly reflects the compromise between two contrasted forces: (1) the feedback inhibition by NADH and ATP on TCA enzymes in the light, and (2) the need to provide pH-buffering organic acids and carbon skeletons for nitrate absorption and assimilation. (authors)

  12. Limits of 2D-TCA in detecting BOLD responses to epileptic activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khatamian, Yasha Borna; Fahoum, Firas; Gotman, Jean

    2011-05-01

    Two-dimensional temporal clustering analysis (2D-TCA) is a relatively new functional MRI (fMRI) based technique that breaks blood oxygen level dependent activity into separate components based on timing and has shown potential for localizing epileptic activity independently of electroencephalography (EEG). 2D-TCA has only been applied to detect epileptic activity in a few studies and its limits in detecting activity of various forms (i.e. activation size, amplitude, and frequency) have not been investigated. This study evaluated 2D-TCA's ability to detect various forms of both simulated epileptic activity and EEG-fMRI activity detected in patients. When applied to simulated data, 2D-TCA consistently detected activity in 6min runs containing 5 spikes/run, 10 spikes/run, and one 5s long event with hemodynamic response function amplitudes of at least 1.5%, 1.25%, and 1% above baseline respectively. When applied to patient data, while detection of interictal spikes was inconsistent, 2D-TCA consistently produced results similar to those obtained by EEG-fMRI when at least 2 prolonged interictal events (a few seconds each) occurred during the run. However, even for such cases it was determined that 2D-TCA can only be used to validate localization by other means or to create hypotheses as to where activity may occur, as it also detects changes not caused by epileptic activity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Genetic investigation of tricarboxylic acid metabolism during the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, Hangjun; Lewis, Ian A; Morrisey, Joanne M; McLean, Kyle J; Ganesan, Suresh M; Painter, Heather J; Mather, Michael W; Jacobs-Lorena, Marcelo; Llinás, Manuel; Vaidya, Akhil B

    2015-04-07

    New antimalarial drugs are urgently needed to control drug-resistant forms of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Mitochondrial electron transport is the target of both existing and new antimalarials. Herein, we describe 11 genetic knockout (KO) lines that delete six of the eight mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes. Although all TCA KOs grew normally in asexual blood stages, these metabolic deficiencies halted life-cycle progression in later stages. Specifically, aconitase KO parasites arrested as late gametocytes, whereas α-ketoglutarate-dehydrogenase-deficient parasites failed to develop oocysts in the mosquitoes. Mass spectrometry analysis of (13)C-isotope-labeled TCA mutant parasites showed that P. falciparum has significant flexibility in TCA metabolism. This flexibility manifested itself through changes in pathway fluxes and through altered exchange of substrates between cytosolic and mitochondrial pools. Our findings suggest that mitochondrial metabolic plasticity is essential for parasite development. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. In Folio Respiratory Fluxomics Revealed by {sup 13}C Isotopic Labeling and H/D Isotope Effects Highlight the Non-cyclic Nature of the Tricarboxylic Acid 'Cycle' in Illuminated Leaves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tcherkez, G.; Mahe, A.; Gauthier, P.; Hodges, M. [Institut de Biotechnologie des Plantes, Plateforme Metabolisme-Metabolome IFR87, Batiment 630, Universite Paris-Sud 11, 91405 Orsay cedex (France); Tcherkez, G.; Mauve, C.; Cornic, G. [Laboratoire d' Ecophysiologie Vegetale, Ecologie Systematique Evolution (G.C.), Batiment 630, Universite Paris-Sud 11, 91405 Orsay cedex (France); Gout, E.; Bligny, R. [Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire Vegetale, Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique-Grenoble, 38054 Grenoble cedex 9 (France)

    2009-07-01

    While the possible importance of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle reactions for leaf photosynthesis operation has been recognized, many uncertainties remain on whether TCA cycle biochemistry is similar in the light compared with the dark. It is widely accepted that leaf day respiration and the metabolic commitment to TCA decarboxylation are down-regulated in illuminated leaves. However, the metabolic basis (i.e. the limiting steps involved in such a down-regulation) is not well known. Here, we investigated the in vivo metabolic fluxes of individual reactions of the TCA cycle by developing two isotopic methods, {sup 13}C tracing and fluxomics and the use of H/D isotope effects, with Xanthium strumarium leaves. We provide evidence that the TCA 'cycle' does not work in the forward direction like a proper cycle but, rather, operates in both the reverse and forward directions to produce fumarate and glutamate, respectively. Such a functional division of the cycle plausibly reflects the compromise between two contrasted forces: (1) the feedback inhibition by NADH and ATP on TCA enzymes in the light, and (2) the need to provide pH-buffering organic acids and carbon skeletons for nitrate absorption and assimilation. (authors)

  15. Evaluation the efficacy of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) 33% in treatment of oral retinoid-induced cheilitis compared with placebo (Vaseline): a randomized pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansouri, Parvin; Azizian, Zahra; Hejazi, Somayeh; Chalangari, Reza; Chalangari, Katalin Martits

    2018-03-06

    Oral Isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) is a gold standardtreatment for severe forms of acne with cheilitis as a most frequent complication. We designed this novel study to investigate the therapeutic effect of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) 33% as compared with placebo to treat cheilitis. In this pilot study, 90 acne vulgaris patients between 18 and 50 years, who referred dermatologic clinic with cheilitis, were assigned to either case (TCA) or control (Vaseline) group using permuted-block randomization from 2013 to 2015 with data analysis in 2016. Patients had follow-up visits after 2 and 6 weeks, at which their lesions were photographed. Two blinded expert dermatologists recorded physician International global score for each image. Ninety eligible patients were randomly allocated into two groups. This included 45 patients in each group. At the end of follow-up, 44 patients in the intervention group and 37 patients in control group completed the final assessment. Compared to the control group, the TCA group had a greater reduction in the mean ICGS value from baseline to Week 6 (mean difference 2.59 points, p TCA can be considered as a good strategy in improvement of cheilitis to isotretinoin therapy.

  16. Development of a MicroTCA Carrier Hub for CMS at HL-LHC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dimitriyev, M; Hazen, E; Wu, S X; Rohlf, J

    2010-01-01

    We are developing a Micro TCA Carrier Hub card which provides timing, control and data acquisition functions in a Micro TCA crate for HL-LHC readout electronics. This module may be mounted in the primary or redundant MCH slot in a Micro TCA crate, and distributes low-jitter LHC RF clock and encoded fast timing signals to up to 12 AMC modules. In addition, it receives buffer status signals and DAQ data at up to 600 MBytes/sec from each AMC. The prototype module is built on a commercial MCH base board with a custom mezzanine board stack. The latest Xilinx(R) Virtex(R)-6 FPGA are used to provide a clear upgrade path. Prototype modules have been developed for a CMS HCAL test beam in summer 2010. We describe the specifications of the module, its application in a Micro TCA system beyond CMS HCAL, and our experience in commissioning the module for the test beam.

  17. Development of a MicroTCA Carrier Hub for CMS at HL-LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Dimitriyev, M; Wu, S X; Rohlf, J; 10.1088/1748-0221/5/12/C12042

    2010-01-01

    We are developing a Micro TCA Carrier Hub card which provides timing, control and data acquisition functions in a Micro TCA crate for HL-LHC readout electronics. This module may be mounted in the primary or redundant MCH slot in a Micro TCA crate, and distributes low-jitter LHC RF clock and encoded fast timing signals to up to 12 AMC modules. In addition, it receives buffer status signals and DAQ data at up to 600 MBytes/sec from each AMC. The prototype module is built on a commercial MCH base board with a custom mezzanine board stack. The latest Xilinx® Virtex®-6 FPGA are used to provide a clear upgrade path. Prototype modules have been developed for a CMS HCAL test beam in summer 2010. We describe the specifications of the module, its application in a Micro TCA system beyond CMS HCAL, and our experience in commissioning the module for the test beam

  18. Preliminary Results of the 1.5% TCA (Modular) Controls Model in the NASA Langley UPWT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubiatko, Paul; McMillin, Naomi; Cameron, Douglas C.

    1999-01-01

    To summarize the significant highlights in this report: (1) Data quality, determined by multiple repeat runs performed on the TCA baseline configuration, and long-term repeatability, determined by comparing baseline Reference H data from this test to a previous test, have been shown to be good. (2) The longitudinal stability of the TCA is more non-linear than for the Reference H, and while it is similar at normal lift values, the TCA has considerably more pitch-up at higher lift. (3) Longitudinal control effectiveness of the TCA is similar to the Reference H and the ratio of elevator effectiveness to horizontal tail effectiveness is approximately 0.3. (4) The directional stability of the TCA is improved relative to Reference H at higher angles-of attack. The chine is effective for improving directional stability.

  19. Equilibrium reconstruction in the TCA/Br tokamak; Reconstrucao do equilibrio no tokamak TCA/BR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sa, Wanderley Pires de

    1996-12-31

    The accurate and rapid determination of the Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium configuration in tokamaks is a subject for the magnetic confinement of the plasma. With the knowledge of characteristic plasma MHD equilibrium parameters it is possible to control the plasma position during its formation using feed-back techniques. It is also necessary an on-line analysis between successive discharges to program external parameters for the subsequent discharges. In this work it is investigated the MHD equilibrium configuration reconstruction of the TCA/BR tokamak from external magnetic measurements, using a method that is able to fast determine the main parameters of discharge. The thesis has two parts. Firstly it is presented the development of an equilibrium code that solves de Grad-Shafranov equation for the TCA/BR tokamak geometry. Secondly it is presented the MHD equilibrium reconstruction process from external magnetic field and flux measurements using the Function Parametrization FP method. this method. This method is based on the statistical analysis of a database of simulated equilibrium configurations, with the goal of obtaining a simple relationship between the parameters that characterize the equilibrium and the measurements. The results from FP are compared with conventional methods. (author) 68 refs., 31 figs., 16 tabs.

  20. Development of a cellular biosensor for the detection of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varelas, Vassileios; Sanvicens, Nuria; M-Pilar-Marco; Kintzios, Spiridon

    2011-05-15

    2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) is a microbial metabolite formed from chlorophenols through the activity of several natural fungal strains present on the cork oak bark. TCA is the primary compound responsible for the mousty/mould off-odour known as "cork taint" present in cork stoppers, wine, water and alcoholic beverages. Chromatographic and electrochemical methods are currently used for the determination of TCA, however its detection at low concentrations remains a technical challenge. The aim of this study was the development of a rapid novel biosensor system based on the Bioelectric Recognition Assay (BERA). The sensor measured the electric response of cultured membrane-engineered fibroblast cells suspended in an alginate gel matrix due to the change of their membrane potential in the presence of the analyte. Membrane-engineered cells were prepared by osmotic insertion of 0.5 μg/l of specific TCA antibodies into the membrane of the cells. The BERA-based sensor was able to detect TCA in a few minutes (3-5 min) at extremely low concentrations (10(-1)ppt), thus demonstrating higher sensitivity than the human sensory threshold. In addition, the assay was quite selective against other haloanisoles and halophenols structurally related to or co-occurring with TCA. Finally the sensor was tested against real white wine samples from cork soaks. At this real test, the BERA sensor was able to detect TCA from cork soaks rapidly (3-5 min) at very low concentrations (1.02-12 ng/l), covering the whole range for the detection threshold for wines (1.4-10 ng/l). Therefore, this novel biosensor offers new perspectives for ultra-rapid, ultra-sensitive and low-cost monitoring of TCA presence in cork and wine and possibly also other food commodities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Effects of 1,1,1-Trichloroethane and Triclocarban on Reductive Dechlorination of Trichloroethene in a TCE-Reducing Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Li-Lian; Chen, Jia-Xian; Fang, Jia-Yi; Li, Ang; Zhao, He-Ping

    2017-01-01

    Chlorinated compounds were generally present in the environment due to widespread use in the industry. A short-term study was performed to evaluate the effects of 1,1,1- trichloroethane (TCA) and triclocarban (TCC) on trichloroethene (TCE) removal in a reactor fed with lactate as the sole electron donor. Both TCA and TCC inhibited TCE reduction, but the TCC had a more pronounced effect compared to TCA. The TCE-reducing culture, which had never been exposed to TCA before, reductively dechlorinated TCA to 1,1-dichloroethane (DCA). Below 15 μM, TCA had little effect on the transformation of TCE to cis -dichloroethene (DCE); however, the reduction of cis -DCE and vinyl chloride (VC) were more sensitive to TCA, and ethene production was completely inhibited when the concentration of TCA was above 15 μM. In cultures amended with TCC, the reduction of TCE was severely affected, even at concentrations as low as 0.3 μM; all the cultures stalled at VC, and no ethene was detected. The cultures that fully transformed TCE to ethene contained 5.2-8.1% Dehalococcoides . Geobacter and Desulfovibrio , the bacteria capable of partially reducing TCE to DCE, were detected in all cultures, but both represented a larger proportion of the community in TCC-amended cultures. All cultures were dominated by Clostridium _sensu_stricto_7, a genus that belongs to Firmicutes with proportions ranging from 40.9% (in a high TCC (15 μM) culture) to 88.2%. Methanobacteria was detected at levels of 1.1-12.7%, except in cultures added with 15 and 30 μM TCA, in which they only accounted for ∼0.4%. This study implies further environmental factors needed to be considered in the successful bioremediation of TCE in contaminated sites.

  2. Effects of 1,1,1-Trichloroethane and Triclocarban on Reductive Dechlorination of Trichloroethene in a TCE-Reducing Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li-Lian Wen

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Chlorinated compounds were generally present in the environment due to widespread use in the industry. A short-term study was performed to evaluate the effects of 1,1,1- trichloroethane (TCA and triclocarban (TCC on trichloroethene (TCE removal in a reactor fed with lactate as the sole electron donor. Both TCA and TCC inhibited TCE reduction, but the TCC had a more pronounced effect compared to TCA. The TCE-reducing culture, which had never been exposed to TCA before, reductively dechlorinated TCA to 1,1-dichloroethane (DCA. Below 15 μM, TCA had little effect on the transformation of TCE to cis-dichloroethene (DCE; however, the reduction of cis-DCE and vinyl chloride (VC were more sensitive to TCA, and ethene production was completely inhibited when the concentration of TCA was above 15 μM. In cultures amended with TCC, the reduction of TCE was severely affected, even at concentrations as low as 0.3 μM; all the cultures stalled at VC, and no ethene was detected. The cultures that fully transformed TCE to ethene contained 5.2–8.1% Dehalococcoides. Geobacter and Desulfovibrio, the bacteria capable of partially reducing TCE to DCE, were detected in all cultures, but both represented a larger proportion of the community in TCC-amended cultures. All cultures were dominated by Clostridium_sensu_stricto_7, a genus that belongs to Firmicutes with proportions ranging from 40.9% (in a high TCC (15 μM culture to 88.2%. Methanobacteria was detected at levels of 1.1–12.7%, except in cultures added with 15 and 30 μM TCA, in which they only accounted for ∼0.4%. This study implies further environmental factors needed to be considered in the successful bioremediation of TCE in contaminated sites.

  3. The annual course of TCA formation in the lower troposphere: a modeling study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Folberth, Gerd; Pfister, Gabriele; Baumgartner, Dietmar; Putz, Erich; Weissflog, Ludwig; Elansky, Nikolai P.

    2003-01-01

    The Caspian Catchment Area is affected by many pollutants and prevailing climate conditions. - We present a modeling study investigating the influence of climate conditions and solar radiation intensity on gas-phase trichloroacetic acid (TCA) formation. As part of the ECCA-project (Ecotoxicological Risk in the Caspian Catchment Area), this modeling study uses climate data specific for the two individual climate regimes, namely 'Kalmykia' and 'Kola Peninsula'. A third regime has also been included in this study, namely 'Central Europe', which serves as a reference to somehow more moderate climate conditions. The simulations have been performed with a box modeling package (SBOX, photoRACM), which uses Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism (RACM) as its chemistry scheme. For this model a mechanism supplement has been developed including the reaction pathways of methyl chloroform photooxidation. The investigations are completed by a detailed sensitivity study addressing the impact of temperature and relative humidity. Atmospheric OH and HO 2 concentrations and the NO x /HO 2 ratio were identified as the governing quantities controlling the TCA formation trough methyl chloroform oxidation in the gas phase. Model calculations show a TCA production rate ranging between almost zero and 6.5x10 3 molecules cm -3 day -1 depending on location and season. In the Kalmykia regime the model predicts mean TCA production rates of 1.3x10 -4 and 5.4x10 -5 μg m -3 year -1 for the urban and rural environment, respectively. From the comparison of model calculations with measured TCA burdens in the soil ranging between 130 μg m -3 and 1750 μg m -3 we conclude that TCA formation through methyl chloroform photooxidation in the gas-phase is probably not the principal atmospheric TCA source in this region

  4. Effects of boronisation on the plasma parameters in TCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dudok de Wit, Th.; Duval, B.P.; Hollenstein, Ch.; Joye, B.

    1990-01-01

    Wall conditioning and deposition of low Z materials on the first wall and limiters play an important role in plasma impurity control. Carbon film deposition (carbonisation) is already used on many Tokamaks. As proposed by Veprek, a film containing boron and carbon would be more resistant to chemical erosion and could also getter the oxygen. This procedure (boronisation) has been tried on Textor, Asdex and recently on TCA. The TCA vacuum vessel, the 8 rf antenna groups and 4 antenna screens are stainless steel and there are 4 carbon limiters placed in one poloidal plane. (author) 6 refs., 3 figs

  5. Comments on the Alfven wave spectrum as measured on the TCA tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Puri, S.

    1986-06-01

    The heating in the TCA tokamak is ascribed to a combination of compressional Alfven wave heating (CAW) and discrete Alfven wave (DAW) heating. In this communication we invoke an alternative plasma heating mechanism by the direct excitation of torsional Alfven waves (TAW) to account for the observed features of the TCA experiment. (orig./GG)

  6. Performance of confocal scanning laser tomograph Topographic Change Analysis (TCA) for assessing glaucomatous progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowd, Christopher; Balasubramanian, Madhusudhanan; Weinreb, Robert N; Vizzeri, Gianmarco; Alencar, Luciana M; O'Leary, Neil; Sample, Pamela A; Zangwill, Linda M

    2009-02-01

    To determine the sensitivity and specificity of confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope's Topographic Change Analysis (TCA; Heidelberg Retina Tomograph [HRT]; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) parameters for discriminating between progressing glaucomatous and stable healthy eyes. The 0.90, 0.95, and 0.99 specificity cutoffs for various (n=70) TCA parameters were developed by using 1000 permuted topographic series derived from HRT images of 18 healthy eyes from Moorfields Eye Hospital, imaged at least four times. The cutoffs were then applied to topographic series from 36 eyes with known glaucomatous progression (by optic disc stereophotograph assessment and/or standard automated perimetry guided progression analysis, [GPA]) and 21 healthy eyes from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study (DIGS), all imaged at least four times, to determine TCA sensitivity and specificity. Cutoffs also were applied to 210 DIGS patients' eyes imaged at least four times with no evidence of progression (nonprogressed) by stereophotography or GPA. The TCA parameter providing the best sensitivity/specificity tradeoff using the 0.90, 0.95, and 0.99 cutoffs was the largest clustered superpixel area within the optic disc margin (CAREA(disc) mm(2)). Sensitivities/specificities for classifying progressing (by stereophotography and/or GPA) and healthy eyes were 0.778/0.809, 0.639/0.857, and 0.611/1.00, respectively. In nonprogressing eyes, specificities were 0.464, 0.570, and 0.647 (i.e., lower than in the healthy eyes). In addition, TCA parameter measurements of nonprogressing eyes were similar to those of progressing eyes. TCA parameters can discriminate between progressing and longitudinally observed healthy eyes. Low specificity in apparently nonprogressing patients' eyes suggests early progression detection using TCA.

  7. Comparison of Optimal Thermodynamic Models of the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle from Heterotrophs, Cyanobacteria, and Green Sulfur Bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, Dennis G.; Jaramillo Riveri, Sebastian I.; Baxter, Douglas J.; Cannon, William R.

    2014-12-15

    We have applied a new stochastic simulation approach to predict the metabolite levels, energy flow, and material flux in the different oxidative TCA cycles found in E. coli and Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, and in the reductive TCA cycle typical of chemolithoautotrophs and phototrophic green sulfur bacteria such as Chlorobaculum tepidum. The simulation approach is based on equations of state and employs an assumption similar to that used in transition state theory. The ability to evaluate the thermodynamics of metabolic pathways allows one to understand the relationship between coupling of energy and material gradients in the environment and the selforganization of stable biological systems, and it is shown that each cycle operates in the direction expected due to its environmental niche. The simulations predict changes in metabolite levels and flux in response to changes in cofactor concentrations that would be hard to predict without an elaborate model based on the law of mass action. In fact, we show that a thermodynamically unfavorable reaction can still have flux in the forward direction when it is part of a reaction network. The ability to predict metabolite levels, energy flow and material flux should be significant for understanding the dynamics of natural systems and for understanding principles for engineering organisms for production of specialty chemicals, such as biofuels.

  8. Comparison of Optimal Thermodynamic Models of the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle from Heterotrophs, Cyanobacteria, and Green Sulfur Bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Dennis G; Jaramillo-Riveri, Sebastian; Baxter, Douglas J; Cannon, William R

    2014-12-26

    We have applied a new stochastic simulation approach to predict the metabolite levels, material flux, and thermodynamic profiles of the oxidative TCA cycles found in E. coli and Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, and in the reductive TCA cycle typical of chemolithoautotrophs and phototrophic green sulfur bacteria such as Chlorobaculum tepidum. The simulation approach is based on modeling states using statistical thermodynamics and employs an assumption similar to that used in transition state theory. The ability to evaluate the thermodynamics of metabolic pathways allows one to understand the relationship between coupling of energy and material gradients in the environment and the self-organization of stable biological systems, and it is shown that each cycle operates in the direction expected due to its environmental niche. The simulations predict changes in metabolite levels and flux in response to changes in cofactor concentrations that would be hard to predict without an elaborate model based on the law of mass action. In fact, we show that a thermodynamically unfavorable reaction can still have flux in the forward direction when it is part of a reaction network. The ability to predict metabolite levels, energy flow, and material flux should be significant for understanding the dynamics of natural systems and for understanding principles for engineering organisms for production of specialty chemicals.

  9. Biostimulation induces syntrophic interactions that impact C, S and N cycling in a sediment microbial community

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Handley, KM [University of California, Berkeley; Verberkmoes, Nathan C [ORNL; Steefel, Carl I [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL); Sharon, I [University of California, Berkeley; Williams, Ken [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL); Miller, CS [University of California, Berkeley; Frischkorn, Kyle C [University of California, Berkeley; Chourey, Karuna [ORNL; Thomas, Brian [University of California, Berkeley; Shah, Manesh B [ORNL; Long, Phil [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL); Hettich, Robert {Bob} L [ORNL; Banfield, Jillian F. [University of California, Berkeley

    2013-01-01

    Stimulation of subsurface microorganisms to induce reductive immobilization of metals is a promising approach for bioremediation, yet the overall microbial community response is typically poorly understood. Here we used community proteogenomics to test the hypothesis that excess input of acetate activates syntrophic interactions among autotrophs and heterotrophs. A flow-through sediment column was incubated in a groundwater well of an acetate-amended aquifer. Genomic sequences from the community recovered during microbial sulfate reduction were used to econstruct, de novo, near-complete genomes for Desulfobacter (Deltaproteobacteria) and relatives of Sulfurovum and Sulfurimonas (Epsilonproteobacteria), and Bacteroidetes. Partial genomes were obtained for Clostridiales (Firmicutes) and Desulfuromonadales-like Deltaproteobacteria. The majority of proteins identified by mass spectrometry corresponded to Desulfobacter-like species, and demonstrate the role of this organism in sulfate reduction (Dsr and APS), nitrogen-fixation (Nif) and acetate oxidation to CO2 during amendment. Results suggest less abundant Desulfuromonadales and Bacteroidetes also actively contributed to CO2 production via the TCA cycle. Proteomic data indicate that sulfide was partially re-oxidized by Epsilonproteobacteria through nitrate-dependent sulfide oxidation (using Nap, Nir, Nos, SQR and Sox), with CO2 fixed using the reverse TCA cycle. Modeling shows that this reaction was thermodynamically possible, and kinetically favorable relative to acetate-dependent denitrification. We conclude that high-levels of carbon amendment aimed to stimulate anaerobic heterotrophy led to carbon fixation in co-dependent chemoautotrophs. These results have implications for understanding complex ecosystem behavior, and show that high levels of organic carbon supplementation can expand the range of microbial functionalities accessible for ecosystem manipulation.

  10. The modeling of the RF system performance in TCA/BR tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruchko, L.; Galvao, R.M.O.; Nascimento, I.; Ozono, E.; Lerche, E.; Degasperi, F.T.; Tuszel, A.G.

    1996-01-01

    The results of numerical simulation of RF Alfven wave heating system that is intended to be used in TCA/BR tokamak are presented. The problem of monochromatic travelling RF field excitation in TCA/BR tokamak is analyzed by means of numerical simulation. The spectrum of the excited Alfven waves is determined using a one-dimensional MHD code. The transient time and AC analysis of the RF generator performance with antenna loading are discussed. (author). 9 refs., 6 figs

  11. Functional studies of ssDNA binding ability of MarR family protein TcaR from Staphylococcus epidermidis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Ming Chang

    Full Text Available The negative transcription regulator of the ica locus, TcaR, regulates proteins involved in the biosynthesis of poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG. Absence of TcaR increases PNAG production and promotes biofilm formation in Staphylococci. Previously, the 3D structure of TcaR in its apo form and its complex structure with several antibiotics have been analyzed. However, the detailed mechanism of multiple antibiotic resistance regulator (MarR family proteins such as TcaR is unclear and only restricted on the binding ability of double-strand DNA (dsDNA. Here we show by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA, electron microscopy (EM, circular dichroism (CD, and Biacore analysis that TcaR can interact strongly with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA, thereby identifying a new role in MarR family proteins. Moreover, we show that TcaR preferentially binds 33-mer ssDNA over double-stranded DNA and inhibits viral ssDNA replication. In contrast, such ssDNA binding properties were not observed for other MarR family protein and TetR family protein, suggesting that the results from our studies are not an artifact due to simple charge interactions between TcaR and ssDNA. Overall, these results suggest a novel role for TcaR in regulation of DNA replication. We anticipate that the results of this work will extend our understanding of MarR family protein and broaden the development of new therapeutic strategies for Staphylococci.

  12. The MicroTCA acquisition and processing back-end for FERMI-Elettra diagnostics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borga, A.O.; Monte, R. de; Pavlovic, L.; Predonzani, M.; Rossi, F.; Gaio, G.; Ferianis, M.

    2012-01-01

    During the construction and commissioning of the FERMI-Elettra Free Electron Laser (FEL) facility, tight requirements for diagnostics readout, processing, and control electronics had been specified; together with a complete integration in the main machine control system. Among the diagnostics devices to be controlled, the Bunch Arrival Monitors (BAM) and the Cavity Beam Position Monitors (C-BPM). The back-end platform, based on the MicroTCA (or uTCA) standard, provides a robust environment for accommodating such electronics, including reliable infrastructure features for slow control and monitoring of the electronics inside the crates. Two types of Advanced Mezzanine Cards (AMC) had been conceived, developed and manufactured in order to meet the demanding requisites. The first is a fast (160 MSps) and high-resolution (16 bits) Analog to Digital and Digital to Analog (A-D-A) Convert Board, hosting two A-D and two D-A converters controlled by an FPGA. The onboard logic is also responsible for service and host interface handling. The latter board is an Analog to Digital Only (A-DO) Converter, derived from the A-D-A, with an analog front side stage made of four A-D converters. Timing synthesis and distribution from a MicroTCA Central Hub (MCH) slot can be provided by means of a custom MicroTCA Timing Central Hub (MiTiCH), specifically designed for accurate (sub ps range) timing distribution over uTCA back-planes. The overall systems' architectures, together with the AMCs and MCH concept and functionalities, are described hereafter. A summary of the achievements, for each specific use case, together with our experience in the field with the new architecture, are then summarized. (authors)

  13. Alternative Fuels in Epilepsy and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tefera, Tesfaye W; Tan, Kah Ni; McDonald, Tanya S; Borges, Karin

    2017-06-01

    This review summarises the recent findings on metabolic treatments for epilepsy and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in honour of Professor Ursula Sonnewald. The metabolic impairments in rodent models of these disorders as well as affected patients are being discussed. In both epilepsy and ALS, there are defects in glucose uptake and reduced tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycling, at least in part due to reduced amounts of C4 TCA cycle intermediates. In addition there are impairments in glycolysis in ALS. A reduction in glucose uptake can be addressed by providing the brain with alternative fuels, such as ketones or medium-chain triglycerides. As anaplerotic fuels, such as the triglyceride of heptanoate, triheptanoin, refill the TCA cycle C4/C5 intermediate pool that is deficient, they are ideal to boost TCA cycling and thus the oxidative metabolism of all fuels.

  14. Scrape-off measurements during Alfven wave heating in the TCA tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, F.; Hollenstein, C.; Joye, B.; Lietti, A.; Lister, J.B.; Pochelon, A.; Gimzewski, J.K.; Veprek, S.

    1984-01-01

    Plasma parameters and impurity fluxes in the scrape-off layer of the TCA tokamak have been measured during Alfven wave heating. Langmuir probes are used to measure electron density, electron temperature and plasma potential. Collection probes, in conjunction with XPS surface analysis, are used to determine impurity fluxes and ion impact energies. During RF heating, the electron edge temperature rises, the plasma potential drops and impurity fluxes are enhanced. Probe erosion due to impurity sputtering is clearly observed. The measurements are correlated with other diagnostics on TCA. (orig.)

  15. The Tribolium castaneum cell line TcA: a new tool kit for cell biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silver, Kristopher; Jiang, Hongbo; Fu, Jinping; Phillips, Thomas W; Beeman, Richard W; Park, Yoonseong

    2014-10-30

    The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, is an agriculturally important insect pest that has been widely used as a model organism. Recently, an adherent cell line (BCIRL-TcA-CLG1 or TcA) was developed from late pupae of the red flour beetle. Next generation transcriptome sequencing of TcA cells demonstrated expression of a wide variety of genes associated with specialized functions in chitin metabolism, immune responses and cellular and systemic RNAi pathways. Accordingly, we evaluated the sensitivity of TcA cells to dsRNA to initiate an RNAi response. TcA cells were highly sensitive to minute amounts of dsRNA, with a minimum effective dose of 100 pg/mL resulting in significant suppression of gene expression. We have also developed a plasmid containing two TcA-specific promoters, the promoter from the 40S ribosomal protein subunit (TC006550) and a bi-directional heat shock promoter (TcHS70) from the intergenic space between heat shock proteins 68a and b. These promoters have been employed to provide high levels of either constitutive (TC006550) or inducible (TcHS70) gene expression of the reporter proteins. Our results show that the TcA cell line, with its sensitivity to RNAi and functional TcA-specific promoters, is an invaluable resource for studying basic molecular and physiological questions.

  16. Equilibrium reconstruction in the TCA/Br tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sa, Wanderley Pires de

    1996-01-01

    The accurate and rapid determination of the Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium configuration in tokamaks is a subject for the magnetic confinement of the plasma. With the knowledge of characteristic plasma MHD equilibrium parameters it is possible to control the plasma position during its formation using feed-back techniques. It is also necessary an on-line analysis between successive discharges to program external parameters for the subsequent discharges. In this work it is investigated the MHD equilibrium configuration reconstruction of the TCA/BR tokamak from external magnetic measurements, using a method that is able to fast determine the main parameters of discharge. The thesis has two parts. Firstly it is presented the development of an equilibrium code that solves de Grad-Shafranov equation for the TCA/BR tokamak geometry. Secondly it is presented the MHD equilibrium reconstruction process from external magnetic field and flux measurements using the Function Parametrization FP method. this method. This method is based on the statistical analysis of a database of simulated equilibrium configurations, with the goal of obtaining a simple relationship between the parameters that characterize the equilibrium and the measurements. The results from FP are compared with conventional methods. (author)

  17. An assessment of the efficacy and safety of cross technique with 100% TCA in the management of ice pick acne scars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deepali Bhardwaj

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Background : Chemical reconstruction of skin scars (CROSS is a technique using high concentrations of trichloroacetic acid (TCA focally on atrophic acne scars to induce inflammation followed by collagenisation. This can lead to reduction in the appearance of scars and cosmetic improvement. Aims : The aim of this pilot study is to investigate the safety of the CROSS technique, using 100% TCA, for atrophic ice pick acne scars. Settings and Design : Open prospective study. Materials and Methods : Twelve patients with predominant atrophic ice pick post acne scars were treated with the CROSS technique, using 100% TCA, applied with a wooden toothpick, at two weekly intervals for four sittings. Efficacy was assessed on the basis of the physician′s clinical assessment, photographic evaluation at each sitting and patient′s feedback after the fourth treatment, and at the three-month and six-month follow-up period, after the last treatment. Results : More than 70% improvement was seen in eight out of ten patients evaluated and good results (50 - 70% improvement were observed in the remaining two patients. No significant side effects were noted. Transient hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation was observed in one patient each. Physician′s findings were in conformity with the patient′s assessment. Three months after the last treatment, one patient noted a decrease in improvement with no further improvement even at the six-month follow-up period. Conclusion : The CROSS technique with 100% TCA is a safe, efficacious, cost-effective and minimally invasive technique for the management of ice pick acne scars that are otherwise generally difficult to treat. In few patients the improvement may not be sustained, probably due to inadequate or delayed collagenisation.

  18. IRIS Toxicological Review of Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA is conducting a peer review and public comment of the scientific basis supporting the human health hazard and dose-response assessment of Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) that when finalized will appear on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. The draft Toxicological Review of trichloroacetic acid provides scientific support and rationale for the hazard and dose-response assessment pertaining to chronic exposure to trichloroacetic acid.

  19. Glycation inhibits trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-induced whey protein precipitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Four different WPI saccharide conjugates were successfully prepared to test whether glycation could inhibit WPI precipitation induced by trichloroacetic acid (TCA). Conjugates molecular weights after glycation were analyzed with SDS-PAGE. No significant secondary structure change due to glycation wa...

  20. Analysis and Multipoint Design of the TCA Concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krist, Steven E.; Bauer, Steven X. S.; Buning, Pieter G.

    1999-01-01

    The goal in this effort is to analyze the baseline TCA concept at transonic and supersonic cruise, then apply the natural flow wing design concept to obtain multipoint performance improvements. Analyses are conducted with OVERFLOW, a Navier-Stokes code for overset grids, using PEGSUS to compute the interpolations between the overset grids.

  1. Aqueous Extract of Black Maca Prevents Metabolism Disorder via Regulating the Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis-TCA Cycle and PPARα Signaling Activation in Golden Hamsters Fed a High-Fat, High-Fructose Diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Wenting; Li, Hongxiang; Xiang, Jiamei; Yi, Fan; Xu, Lijia; Jiang, Baoping; Xiao, Peigen

    2018-01-01

    Maca ( Lepidium meyenii Walpers) has been used as a dietary supplement and ethnomedicine for centuries. Recently, maca has become a high profile functional food worldwide because of its multiple biological activities. This study is the first explorative research to investigate the prevention and amelioration capacity of the aqueous extract of black maca (AEM) on high-fat, high-fructose diet (HFD)-induced metabolism disorder in golden hamsters and to identify the potential mechanisms involved in these effects. For 20 weeks, 6-week-old male golden hamsters were fed the following respective diets: (1) a standard diet, (2) HFD, (3) HFD supplemented with metformin, or (4) HFD supplemented with three doses of AEM (300, 600, or 1,200 mg/kg). After 20 weeks, the golden hamsters that received daily AEM supplementation presented with the beneficial effects of improved hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and hepatic steatosis in vivo . Based on the hepatic metabolomic analysis results, alterations in metabolites associated with pathological changes were examined. A total of 194 identified metabolites were mapped to 46 relative metabolic pathways, including those of energy metabolism. In addition, via in silico profiling for secondary maca metabolites by a joint pharmacophore- and structure-based approach, a compound-target-disease network was established. The results revealed that 32 bioactive compounds in maca targeted 16 proteins involved in metabolism disorder. Considering the combined metabolomics and virtual screening results, we employed quantitative real-time PCR assays to verify the gene expression of key enzymes in the relevant pathways. AEM promoted glycolysis and inhibited gluconeogenesis via regulating the expression of key genes such as Gck and Pfkm . Moreover, AEM upregulated tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux by changing the concentrations of intermediates and increasing the mRNA levels of Aco2 , Fh , and Mdh2 . In addition, the lipid

  2. Aqueous Extract of Black Maca Prevents Metabolism Disorder via Regulating the Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis-TCA Cycle and PPARα Signaling Activation in Golden Hamsters Fed a High-Fat, High-Fructose Diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenting Wan

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walpers has been used as a dietary supplement and ethnomedicine for centuries. Recently, maca has become a high profile functional food worldwide because of its multiple biological activities. This study is the first explorative research to investigate the prevention and amelioration capacity of the aqueous extract of black maca (AEM on high-fat, high-fructose diet (HFD-induced metabolism disorder in golden hamsters and to identify the potential mechanisms involved in these effects. For 20 weeks, 6-week-old male golden hamsters were fed the following respective diets: (1 a standard diet, (2 HFD, (3 HFD supplemented with metformin, or (4 HFD supplemented with three doses of AEM (300, 600, or 1,200 mg/kg. After 20 weeks, the golden hamsters that received daily AEM supplementation presented with the beneficial effects of improved hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and hepatic steatosis in vivo. Based on the hepatic metabolomic analysis results, alterations in metabolites associated with pathological changes were examined. A total of 194 identified metabolites were mapped to 46 relative metabolic pathways, including those of energy metabolism. In addition, via in silico profiling for secondary maca metabolites by a joint pharmacophore- and structure-based approach, a compound-target-disease network was established. The results revealed that 32 bioactive compounds in maca targeted 16 proteins involved in metabolism disorder. Considering the combined metabolomics and virtual screening results, we employed quantitative real-time PCR assays to verify the gene expression of key enzymes in the relevant pathways. AEM promoted glycolysis and inhibited gluconeogenesis via regulating the expression of key genes such as Gck and Pfkm. Moreover, AEM upregulated tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle flux by changing the concentrations of intermediates and increasing the mRNA levels of Aco2, Fh, and Mdh2. In addition, the lipid

  3. Measurement of the ion temperature by analysing the neutral particles in TCA (Tokamak Chauffage Alfven)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chambrier, A. de; Heym, A.; Hofmann, F.; Joye, B.; Keller, R.; Lietti, A.; Lister, J.B.; Pochelon, A.; Simm, W.

    1983-01-01

    The aim of the TCA project is to investigate the heating effects of resonant absorption of Alfven waves in a Tokamak plasma. In TCA, the ion temperature increases linearly with the heating. Depending on the conditions, the ion temperature rises from 150 eV to 225 eV. (Auth./G.T.H.)

  4. Association of ECRG2 TCA short tandem repeat polymorphism with the risk of oesophageal cancer in a North Indian population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Meenu; Kumar, Shaleen; Ghoshal, Uday C; Mittal, Balraj

    2008-06-01

    Oesophageal cancer-related gene (ECRG2) is a tumour suppressor gene and it has been suggested that a triplet TCA short tandem repeat (STR) in the noncoding region of exon 4 plays a role in genetic susceptibility to oesophageal cancer. In the present study, ECRG2 STR polymorphism was studied in 134 patients with oesophageal cancer and 194 controls, using PCR and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results showed a higher frequency of the ECRG2 TCA (3)/TCA (4) genotype in cancer patients than in controls (odds ratio 2.6, 95% CI 1.0-6.4, p = 0.03). The association of the ECRG2 TCA (3)/TCA (4) genotype with clinical characteristics showed an increased risk for squamous cell histology (2.8, 95% CI 1.1-7.1, p = 0.03), while no association with tumor location or lymph node involvement was observed. Interaction of tobacco, alcohol and occupational exposure with the ECRG2 genotypes did not show modulation of risk. In conclusion, the ECRG2 TCA (3)/TCA (4) genotype is associated with the risk of oesophageal carcinoma in a North Indian population.

  5. Design of the RF system for Alfven wave heating and current drive in a TCA/BR tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruchko, L.; Andrade, M.L.; Ozono, E.; Galvao, R.M.O.; Degaspari, F.T.; Nascimento, I.C.

    1995-01-01

    The advanced RF system for Alfven wave plasma heating and current drive in TCA/BR tokamak is presented. The antenna system is capable of exciting the standing and travelling wave M = -1,N = 1,N =-4,-6 with single helicity and thus provides the possibility to improve Alfven wave plasma heating efficiency in TCA/BR tokamak and to increase input power level up to P ≅ 1 MW, without the uncontrolled density rise which was encountered in previous TCA (Switzerland) experiments. (author). 4 refs., 3 figs

  6. Coordination polymers of Fe(iii) and Al(iii) ions with TCA ligand: distinctive fluorescence, CO2 uptake, redox-activity and oxygen evolution reaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhara, Barun; Sappati, Subrahmanyam; Singh, Santosh K; Kurungot, Sreekumar; Ghosh, Prasenjit; Ballav, Nirmalya

    2016-04-28

    Fe and Al belong to different groups in the periodic table, one from the p-block and the other from the d-block. In spite of their different groups, they have the similarity of exhibiting a stable 3+ oxidation state. Here we have prepared Fe(iii) and Al(iii) based coordination polymers in the form of metal-organic gels with the 4,4',4''-tricarboxyltriphenylamine (TCA) ligand, namely Fe-TCA and Al-TCA, and evaluated some important physicochemical properties. Specifically, the electrical conductivity, redox-activity, porosity, and electrocatalytic activity (oxygen evolution reaction) of the Fe-TCA system were noted to be remarkably higher than those of the Al-TCA system. As for the photophysical properties, almost complete quenching of the fluorescence originating from TCA was observed in case of the Fe-TCA system, whereas for the Al-TCA system a significant retention of fluorescence with red-shifted emission was observed. Quantum mechanical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) were performed to unravel the origin of such discriminative behaviour of these coordination polymer systems.

  7. A stage-wise approach to exploring performance effects of cycle time reduction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eling, K.; Langerak, F.; Griffin, A.

    2013-01-01

    Research on reducing new product development (NPD) cycle time has shown that firms tend to adopt different cycle time reduction mechanisms for different process stages. However, the vast majority of previous studies investigating the relationship between new product performance and NPD cycle time

  8. IRIS Toxicological Review of Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) (External Review Draft)

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA is conducting a peer review and public comment of the scientific basis supporting the human health hazard and dose-response assessment of Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) that when finalized will appear on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database.

  9. A comparative study on 100% tca versus 88% phenol for the treatment of vitiligo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neerja Puri

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available There are various medical and surgical modalities for the treatment of vitiligo. Surgical modalities are used in the patients who fail to respond to medical therapy. We selected thirty patients of stable vitiligo from the department of dermatology for the study. The patients were divided into two groups of 15 patients each. In Group I patients application of 100% TCA was done on the vitiliginous sites and in Group II patients 88% phenol was applied on the affected sites. Comparing the results of repigmentation in both the groups it was seen that marked pigmentation was seen in 66.6% patients in the TCA group and 80% in the Phenol group. Moderate pigmentation was seen in 13.3% patients in both the groups and mild pigmentation was seen in 20% patients in the TCA group and 6.6% in the Phenol group.

  10. Comparative study of 15% TCA peel versus 35% glycolic acid peel for the treatment of melasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puri, Neerja

    2012-05-01

    Chemical peels are the mainstay of a cosmetic practitioner's armamentarium because they can be used to treat some skin disorders and can provide aesthetic benefit. To compare 15% TCA peel and 35% glycolic acid peel for the treatment of melasma. We selected 30 participants of melasma aged between 20 and 50 years from the dermatology outpatient department and treated equal numbers with 15% TCA and 35% glycolic acid. Subjective response as graded by the patient showed good or very good response in 70% participants in the glycolic acid group and 64% in the TCA group. There was statistically insignificant difference in the efficacy between the two groups for the treatment of melasma.

  11. High night temperature strongly impacts TCA cycle, amino acid and polyamine biosynthetic pathways in rice in a sensitivity-dependent manner.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glaubitz, Ulrike; Erban, Alexander; Kopka, Joachim; Hincha, Dirk K; Zuther, Ellen

    2015-10-01

    Global climate change combined with asymmetric warming can have detrimental effects on the yield of crop plants such as rice (Oryza sativa L.). Little is known about metabolic responses of rice to high night temperature (HNT) conditions. Twelve cultivars with different HNT sensitivity were used to investigate metabolic changes in the vegetative stage under HNT compared to control conditions. Central metabolism, especially TCA cycle and amino acid biosynthesis, were strongly affected particularly in sensitive cultivars. Levels of several metabolites were correlated with HNT sensitivity. Furthermore, pool sizes of some metabolites negatively correlated with HNT sensitivity under control conditions, indicating metabolic pre-adaptation in tolerant cultivars. The polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine showed increased abundance in sensitive cultivars under HNT conditions. Correlations between the content of polyamines and 75 other metabolites indicated metabolic shifts from correlations with sugar-phosphates and 1-kestose under control to correlations with sugars and amino and organic acids under HNT conditions. Increased expression levels of ADC2 and ODC1, genes encoding enzymes catalysing the first committed steps of putrescine biosynthesis, were restricted to sensitive cultivars under HNT. Additionally, transcript levels of eight polyamine biosynthesis genes were correlated with HNT sensitivity. Responses to HNT in the vegetative stage result in distinct differences between differently responding cultivars with a dysregulation of central metabolism and an increase of polyamine biosynthesis restricted to sensitive cultivars under HNT conditions and a pre-adaptation of tolerant cultivars already under control conditions with higher levels of potentially protective compatible solutes. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  12. IRIS Toxicological Review of Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) (Interagency Science Discussion Draft)

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA is releasing the draft report, Toxicological Review of Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA), that was distributed to Federal agencies and White House Offices for comment during the Science Discussion step of the IRIS Assessment Development ...

  13. Modelling urea-cycle disorder citrullinemia type 1 with disease-specific iPSCs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshitoshi-Uebayashi, Elena Yukie; Toyoda, Taro; Yasuda, Katsutaro; Kotaka, Maki; Nomoto, Keiko; Okita, Keisuke; Yasuchika, Kentaro; Okamoto, Shinya; Takubo, Noriyuki; Nishikubo, Toshiya; Soga, Tomoyoshi; Uemoto, Shinji; Osafune, Kenji

    2017-05-06

    Citrullinemia type 1 (CTLN1) is a urea cycle disorder (UCD) caused by mutations of the ASS1 gene, which is responsible for production of the enzyme argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS), and classically presented as life-threatening hyperammonemia in newborns. Therapeutic options are limited, and neurological sequelae may persist. To understand the pathophysiology and find novel treatments, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated from a CTLN1 patient and differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs). CTLN1-HLCs have lower ureagenesis, recapitulating part of the patient's phenotype. l-arginine, an amino acid clinically used for UCD treatment, improved this phenotype in vitro. Metabolome analysis revealed an increase in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites in CTLN1, suggesting a connection between CTLN1 and the TCA cycle. This CTLN1-iPSC model improves the understanding of CTLN1 pathophysiology and can be used to pursue new therapeutic approaches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Molecular structure and spectral properties of ethyl 3-quinolinecarboxylate (E3Q) and [Ag(E3Q)2(TCA)] complex (TCA = Trichloroacetate)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soliman, Saied M.; Kassem, Taher S.; Badr, Ahmed M. A.; Abou Youssef, Morsy A.; Assem, Rania

    2014-09-01

    A new [Ag(E3Q)2(TCA)] complex; (E3Q = Ethyl 3-quinolinecarboxylate and TCA = Trichloroacetate) has been synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR and mass spectroscopy. The molecular geometry and spectroscopic properties of the complex as well as the free ligand have been calculated using the hybrid B3LYP method. The calculations predicted a distorted tetrahedral arrangement around Ag(I) ion. The vibrational spectra of the studied compounds have been assigned using potential energy distribution (PED). TD-DFT method was used to predict the electronic absorption spectra. The most intense absorption band showed a bathochromic shift and lowering of intensity in case of the complex (233.7 nm, f = 0.5604) compared to E3Q (λmax = 228.0 nm, f = 0.9072). The calculated 1H NMR chemical shifts using GIAO method showed good correlations with the experimental data. The computed dipole moment, polarizability and HOMO-LUMO energy gap were used to predict the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. It is found that Ag(I) enhances the NLO activity. The natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses were used to elucidate the intramolecular charge transfer interactions causing stabilization for the investigated systems.

  15. TcA, the putative transposase of the C. elegans Tc1 transposon, has an N-terminal DNA binding domain.

    OpenAIRE

    Schukkink, R F; Plasterk, R H

    1990-01-01

    Tc1 is a transposon present in several copies in the genome of all natural isolates of the nematode C.elegans; it is actively transposing in many strains. In those strains Tc1 insertion is the main cause of spontaneous mutations. The transposon contains one large ORF that we call TcA; we assume that the TcA protein is the transposase of Tc1. We expressed TcA in E.coli, purified the protein and showed that it has a strong affinity for DNA (both single stranded and double stranded). A fusion pr...

  16. Brain mitochondrial metabolic dysfunction and glutamate level reduction in the pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy in mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smeland, Olav B; Hadera, Mussie G; McDonald, Tanya S; Sonnewald, Ursula; Borges, Karin

    2013-01-01

    Although certain metabolic characteristics such as interictal glucose hypometabolism are well established for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), its pathogenesis still remains unclear. Here, we performed a comprehensive study of brain metabolism in a mouse model of TLE, induced by pilocarpine–status epilepticus (SE). To investigate glucose metabolism, we injected mice 3.5–4 weeks after SE with [1,2-13C]glucose before microwave fixation of the head. Using 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gas chromatography—mass spectrometry and high-pressure liquid chromatography, we quantified metabolites and 13C labeling in extracts of cortex and hippocampal formation (HF). Hippocampal levels of glutamate, glutathione and alanine were decreased in pilocarpine–SE mice compared with controls. Moreover, the contents of N-acetyl aspartate, succinate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) NAD(P)H were decreased in HF indicating impairment of mitochondrial function. In addition, the reduction in 13C enrichment of hippocampal citrate and malate suggests decreased tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle turnover in this region. In cortex, we found reduced 13C labeling of glutamate, glutamine and aspartate via the pyruvate carboxylation and pyruvate dehydrogenation pathways, suggesting slower turnover of these amino acids and/or the TCA cycle. In conclusion, mitochondrial metabolic dysfunction and altered amino-acid metabolism is found in both cortex and HF in this epilepsy model. PMID:23611869

  17. 39GHz ECRH system for breakdown studies on the TCA tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pochelon, A.; Goodman, T.; Whaley, D.; Tran, M.Q.; Reinhard, D.; Perrenoud, A.; Joedicke, B.; Mathews, H.G.; Kasparek, W.; Thumm, M.

    1990-01-01

    The design construction and first operation of a 39GHz ECRH system (300 kW, 100 ms) for low loop-voltage breakdown and startup-assist experiments on the TCA tokamak is described. (author) 5 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

  18. The kinetics and properties of thermal oxidation of silicon in TCA-O/sub 2/

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, W.; Ahmed, E.

    1993-01-01

    The oxidation of silicon using dry O/sub 2/ is now well established as a key process for the fabrication of electronic devices in the semiconductor industry. However, this process is complicated by its sensitivity to impurities which reduce device yields. HCl can be added to O/sub 2/ to remove these impurities but due to its highly corrosive nature a safer and cleaner alternative such as trichloroethane (TCA) is desirable. In this paper, the thermal oxidation of silicon using a mixture of TCA-O/sub 2/ has been investigated in a large scale industrial system. The growth kinetics and the properties of these films have been studies and compared to oxides produced from dry 2. The addition of TCA generates HCl in situ, enhances the oxidation rate by approximately 54% nd improves the electrical properties. It was found that a 1 mol.% mixture gives the optimum process. An analysis of the data suggests that a liner parabolic growth model is applicable and provides a valuable insight into the physical phenomena governing this important process. (author)

  19. Measurement and analysis of reactivity worth of 237Np sample in cores of TCA and FCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Takeshi; Mori, Takamasa; Okajima, Shigeaki; Tani, Kazuhiro; Suzaki, Takenori; Saito, Masaki

    2009-01-01

    The reactivity worth of 22.87 grams of 237 Np oxide sample was measured and analyzed in seven uranium cores in the Tank-Type Critical Assembly (TCA) and two uranium cores in the Fast Critical Assembly (FCA) at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The TCA cores provided a systematic variation in the neutron spectrum between the thermal and resonance energy regions. The FCA cores, XXI and XXV, provided a hard neutron spectrum of the fast reactor and a soft one of the resonance energy region, respectively. Analyses were carried out using the JENDL-3.3 nuclear data library with a Monte Carlo method for the TCA cores and a deterministic method for the FCA cores. The ratios of calculated to experimental (C/E) reactivity worth were between 0.97 and 0.91, and showed no apparent dependence on the neutron spectrum. (author)

  20. A Systematic Cycle Time Reduction Procedure for Enhancing the Competitiveness and Sustainability of a Semiconductor Manufacturer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toly Chen

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Cycle time reduction plays an important role in improving the competitiveness and sustainability of a semiconductor manufacturer. However, in the past, cycle time reduction was usually unplanned owing to the lack of a systematic and quantitative procedure. To tackle this problem, a systematic procedure was established in this study for planning cycle time reduction actions to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of a semiconductor manufacturer. First, some controllable factors that are influential to the job cycle time are identified. Subsequently, the relationship between the controllable factors and the job cycle time is fitted with a back propagation network. Based on this relationship, actions to shorten the job cycle time can be planned. The feasibility and effectiveness of an action have to be assessed before it can be taken in practice. An example containing the real data of hundreds of jobs has been used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed methodology. In addition, the financial benefits of the cycle time reduction action were analyzed, which provided the evidence that the proposed methodology enabled the sustainable development of the semiconductor manufacturer, since capital adequacy is very important in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

  1. Injection of pellets into the TCA tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, Y.

    1993-05-01

    This thesis presents experimental results from the analysis of the ablation process of pellets injected into the TCA tokamak. The determination of scaling laws relating the pellet penetration to the pellet and plasma parameters preceding injection, were used to improve the understanding of the interaction of the pellet with the plasma since a) the pellet and plasma conditions preceding injection were varied over a large range, and b) the estimation of the penetration depth takes into account the influence of striations in the deposition profile. Over 400 pellets with a range of sizes and speeds were injected into a range of plasma parameters in order to create a database from which the scaling laws could be deduced. The ablation characteristics were principally measured with two CCD video cameras, which provided good spatial resolution, and two filtered photomultiplier tubes, which provided good temporal resolution of the light emitted from the pellet ablation cloud. In the text, the traditional methods of analysing these diagnostics are examined with special reference to the presumptions that a) the pellet velocity is constant in the plasma, and b) the light intensity determined from the ablation cloud is proportional to the ablation rate. After successive data reduction from the database, in order to separate the effects of varying different parameters, the main observations were that, a) the pellet penetration varies as the square root of the pellet velocity, b) the scaling laws for the other parameters strongly depend on whether the pellet has sufficient velocity to reach the q=1 rational magnetic surface in the tokamak. (author) 45 refs

  2. Power Effects on High Lift, Stability and Control Characteristics of the TCA Model Tested in the LaRC 14 x 22 Ft Wind Tunnel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glessner, Paul T.

    1999-01-01

    The TCA-2 wind-tunnel test was the second in a series of planned tests utilizing the 5% Technology Concept Airplane (TCA) model. Each of the tests was planned to utilize the unique capabilities of the NASA Langley 14'x22' and the NASA Ames 12' test facilities, in order to assess specific aspects of the high lift and stability and control characteristics of the TCA configuration. However, shortly after the completion of the TCA-1 test, an early projection of the Technology Configuration (TC) identified the need for several significant changes to the baseline TCA configuration. These changes were necessary in order to meet more stringent noise certification levels, as well as, to provide a means to control dynamic structural modes. The projected changes included a change to the outboard wing (increased aspect ratio and lower sweep) and a reconfiguration of the longitudinal control surfaces to include a medium size canard and a reduced horizontal tail. The impact of these proposed changes did not affect the TCA-2 test, because it was specifically planned to address power effects on the empennage and a smaller horizontal tail was in the plan to be tested. However, the focus of future tests was reevaluated and the emphasis was shifted away from assessment of TCA specific configurations to a more general assessment of configurations that encompass the projected design space for the TC.

  3. Commissioning of CMS Forward Hadron Calorimeters with Upgraded Multi-anode PMTs and uTCA Readout

    CERN Document Server

    Tiras, Emrah; Onel, Yasar

    2016-01-01

    The high flux of charged particles interacting with the CMS Forward Hadron Calorimeter PMT windows introduced a significant background for the trigger and offline data analysis. During Long Shutdown 1, all of the original PMTs were replaced with multi-anode, thin window photomultiplier tubes. At the same time, the back-end electronic readout system was upgraded to uTCA readout. The experience with commissioning and calibration of the Forward Hadron Calorimeter is described as well as the uTCA system. The upgrade was successful and provided quality data for Run 2 data-analysis at 13 TeV.

  4. A plan of reactor physics experiments for reduced-moderation water reactors with MOX fuel in TCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimada, Shoichiro; Akie, Hiroshi; Suzaki, Takenori; Okubo, Tutomu; Usui, Shuji; Shirakawa, Toshihisa; Iwamura, Takamiti; Kugo, Teruhiko; Ishikawa, Nobuyuki

    2000-06-01

    The Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR) is one of the next generation water-cooled reactors which aim at effective utilization of uranium resource, high burn-up, long operation cycle, and plutonium multi-recycle. For verification of the feasibility, negative void reactivity coefficient and conversion ratio more than 1.0 must be confirmed. Critical Experiments performed so far in Eualope and Japan were reviewed, and no useful data are available for RMWR development. Critical experiments using TCA (Tank Type Critical Assembly) in JAERI are planned. MOX fuel rods should be prepared for the experiments and some modifications of the equipment are needed for use of MOX fuel rods. This report describes the preliminary plan of physics experiments. The number of MOX fuel rods used in the experiments are obtained by calculations and the modification of the equipment for the experiments are shown. (author)

  5. Energy balance in the TCA tokamak plasma with Alfven wave heating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding Ning; Qu Wenxiao; Huang Li; Long Yongxing; Qiu Xiaoming

    1993-01-01

    The energy balance in TCA tokamak plasma with Alfven wave heating is studied, in which the equivalent electron thermal conductivity is determined by using the profile consistency principle. The results are in good agreement with experiments. It is shown that this method is applicable to various devices and other heating methods

  6. Coordinating bracket torque and incisor inclination : Part 2: Reproducibility and statistical measures of the torque coordination angle (TCA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sino, H; Zimmer, B; Schelper, I; Schenk-Kazan, S; Streibelt, F

    2018-03-09

    To determine the reproducibility and statistical measures of the torque coordination angle (TCA). A total of 107 final cephalograms and corresponding casts were included, all reflecting treatment outcomes that met high qualitative standards, one of them being a Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) score of ≤3. Based on these records, the TCA was measured as a parameter to identify differences related to tooth morphology and bracket position between the torque-relevant reference plane at the bracket base and the long axis of a tooth. All measurements were performed on upper and lower central incisors (U1 and L1). Several reproducibility assessments for the TCA measurements yielded good results, including objectivity at 1.26 ± 0.81° (U1) or 1.41 ± 1.18° (L1), examiner reliability at 1.30 ± 0.97° (U1) or 1.25 ± 0.82° (L1), and method reliability at 1.80 ± 1.13° (U1) or 1.53 ± 1.07° (L1). The statistical measures revealed a high degree of interindividual variability. With bracket placement 4.5 mm (U1) or 4.0 mm (L1) above the incisal edge, the differences between the maximum and minimum TCA values were similarly large in both jaws (21.0° for U1 or 20.0° for L1), given mean TCA values of 24.6 ± 3.6° (U1) or 22.9 ± 4.3° (L1). Moving the bracket placement from 3.5 to 5.5 mm (U1) or from 3.0 to 5.0 mm (L1) changed the mean TCA values by 4.5° (U1) or 3.2° (L1). The TCA is a suitable cephalometric parameter to identify differences related to tooth morphology and bracket placement. Given its high interindividual variability, the fixed torque value of a specific bracket system should not be expected to produce the same incisor inclinations across patients.

  7. Phase-amplitude reduction of transient dynamics far from attractors for limit-cycling systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shirasaka, Sho; Kurebayashi, Wataru; Nakao, Hiroya

    2017-02-01

    Phase reduction framework for limit-cycling systems based on isochrons has been used as a powerful tool for analyzing the rhythmic phenomena. Recently, the notion of isostables, which complements the isochrons by characterizing amplitudes of the system state, i.e., deviations from the limit-cycle attractor, has been introduced to describe the transient dynamics around the limit cycle [Wilson and Moehlis, Phys. Rev. E 94, 052213 (2016)]. In this study, we introduce a framework for a reduced phase-amplitude description of transient dynamics of stable limit-cycling systems. In contrast to the preceding study, the isostables are treated in a fully consistent way with the Koopman operator analysis, which enables us to avoid discontinuities of the isostables and to apply the framework to system states far from the limit cycle. We also propose a new, convenient bi-orthogonalization method to obtain the response functions of the amplitudes, which can be interpreted as an extension of the adjoint covariant Lyapunov vector to transient dynamics in limit-cycling systems. We illustrate the utility of the proposed reduction framework by estimating the optimal injection timing of external input that efficiently suppresses deviations of the system state from the limit cycle in a model of a biochemical oscillator.

  8. Dwell Time and Surface Parameter Effects on Removal of Silicone Oil From D6ac Steel Using TCA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boothe, R. E.

    2003-01-01

    This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of dwell time, surface roughness, and the surface activation state on 1,1,1-trichloroethane's (TCA's) effectiveness for removing silicone oil from D6ac steel. Silicone-contaminated test articles were washed with TCA solvent, and then the surfaces were analyzed for residue, using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The predominant factor affecting the ability to remove the silicone oil was surface roughness.

  9. Mechanisms of bacterially catalyzed reductive dehalogenation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Picardal, Flynn William [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)

    1992-01-01

    Nine bacteria were tested for the ability to dehalogenate tetrachloromethane (CT), tetrachloroethene (PCE), and 1, 1, 1-trichloroethane (TCA) under anaerobic conditions. Three bacteria were able to reductively dehalogenate CT. Dehalogenation ability was not readily linked to a common metabolism or changes in culture redox potential. None of the bacteria tested were able to dehalogenate PCE or TCA. One of the bacteria capable of dehalogenating CT, Shewanella putrefaciens, was chosen as a model organism to study mechanisms of bacterially catalyzed reductive dehalogenation. The effect of a variety of alternate electron acceptors on CT dehalogenation ability by S. putrefaciens was determined. oxygen and nitrogen oxides were inhibitory but Fe (III), trimethylamine oxide, and fumarate were not. A model of the electron transport chain of S. putrefaciens was developed to explain inhibition patterns. A period of microaerobic growth prior to CT exposure increased the ability of S. putrefaciens to dehalogenate CT. A microaerobic growth period also increased cytochrome concentrations. A relationship between cytochrome content and dehalogenation ability was developed from studies in which cytochrome concentrations in S. putrefaciens were manipulated by changing growth conditions. Stoichiometry studies using 14C-CT suggested that CT was first reduced to form a trichloromethyl radical. Reduction of the radical to produce chloroform and reaction of the radical with cellular biochemicals explained observed product distributions. Carbon dioxide or other fully dehalogenated products were not found.

  10. Interconnection between tricarboxylic acid cycle and energy generation in microbial fuel cell performed by desulfuromonas acetoxidans IMV B-7384

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasyliv, Oresta M.; Maslovska, Olga D.; Ferensovych, Yaroslav P.; Bilyy, Oleksandr I.; Hnatush, Svitlana O.

    2015-05-01

    Desulfuromonas acetoxidans IMV B-7384 is exoelectrogenic obligate anaerobic sulfur-reducing bacterium. Its one of the first described electrogenic bacterium that performs complete oxidation of an organic substrate with electron transfer directly to the electrode in microbial fuel cell (MFC). This bacterium is very promising for MFC development because of inexpensive cultivation medium, high survival rate and selective resistance to various heavy metal ions. The size of D. acetoxidans IMV B-7384 cells is comparatively small (0.4-0.8×1-2 μm) that is highly beneficial while application of porous anode material because of complete bacterial cover of an electrode area with further significant improvement of the effectiveness of its usage. The interconnection between functioning of reductive stage of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle under anaerobic conditions, and MFC performance was established. Malic, pyruvic, fumaric and succinic acids in concentration 42 mM were separately added into the anode chamber of MFC as the redox agents. Application of malic acid caused the most stabile and the highest power generation in comparison with other investigated organic acids. Its maximum equaled 10.07±0.17mW/m2 on 136 hour of bacterial cultivation. Under addition of pyruvic, succinic and fumaric acids into the anode chamber of MFC the maximal power values equaled 5.80±0.25 mW/m2; 3.2±0.11 mW/m2, and 2.14±0.19 mW/m2 respectively on 40, 56 and 32 hour of bacterial cultivation. Hence the malic acid conversion via reductive stage of TCA cycle is shown to be the most efficient process in terms of electricity generation by D. acetoxidans IMV B-7384 in MFC under anaerobic conditions.

  11. Parametric study of ohmic discharges in the TCA tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Chambrier, A.; Collins, G.A.; Heym, A.; Hofmann, F.; Hollenstein, Ch.; Joye, B.; Keller, R.; Lietti, A.; Lister, J.B.; Moret, J.-M.; Nowak, S.; O'Rourke, J.; Pochelon, A.; Simm, W.

    1983-01-01

    The study of the energy confinement in a tokamak is an important aspect in the characterisation of its performance. The TCA tokamak has been in operation now for more than two years and the state of the machine and of its diagnostics have permitted such work to be performed. The authors describe the proper method for this type of approach and then present the results concerning the energy confinement of the electrons and ions. (Auth./G.T.H.)

  12. TCA UO2/MOX core analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tahara, Yoshihisa; Noda, Hideyuki

    2000-01-01

    In order to examine the adequacy of nuclear data, the TCA UO 2 and MOX core experiments were analyzed with MVP using the libraries based on ENDF/B-VI Mod.3 and JENDL-3.2. The ENDF/B-VI data underpredict k eff values. The replacement of 238 U data with the JENDL-3.2 data and the adjustment of 235 ν-value raise the k eff values by 0.3% for UO 2 cores, but still underpredict k eff values. On the other hand, the nuclear data of JENDL-3.2 for H, O, Al, 238 U and 235 U of ENDF/B-VI whose 235 ν-value in thermal energy region is adjusted to the average value of JENDL-3.2 give a good prediction of k eff . (author)

  13. Experience utilizing a 3.7 MeV tandem cascade accelerator (TCA) for PET radioisotope production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Welch, M.J.; Gaehle, G.; Dence, C.S.

    1994-01-01

    A 3.7 MeV TCA was installed at Washington University in the Spring of 1993 for evaluation as a PET isotope production accelerator. The accelerator was installed in a specially designed suite consisting of the accelerator room, a open-quotes hot labclose quotes and a open-quotes cold labclose quotes. The accelerator has been utilized routinely for PET isotope production since it's installation. Although the major radionuclide produced utilizing the TCA is oxygen-15, techniques for the production of fluorine-18 and nitrogen-13 have been developed. The novel techniques used to produce usable quantities of these latter two isotopes will be discussed

  14. Volume reduction technology development for solid wastes from the nuclear fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oh, Won Zin; Lee, Kune Woo; Song, Kee Chan; Choi, Wang Kyu; Kim, Young Min

    1998-07-01

    A great deal of solid wastes, which have various physical, chemical, and radiological characteristics, are generated from the nuclear fuel cycle facility as well as radioactive gaseous and liquid wastes. The treatment of the large quantity of solid wastes from the nuclear fuel cycle have great technical, economical and social effects on the domestic policy decision on the nuclear fuel cycle, such as operation and maintenance of the facility, waste disposal, etc. Cement immobilization, super compaction, and electrochemical dissolution were selected as the volume reduction technologies for solid wastes, which will generated from the domestic nuclear fuel cycle facility in the future. And the assessment of annual arisings and the preliminary conceptual design of volume reduction processes were followed. Electrochemical decontamination of α-radionuclides from the spent fuel hulls were experimentally investigated, and showed the successful results. However, β/γ radioactivity did not reduce to the level below which hulls can be classified as the low-level radioactive waste and sent to the disposal site for the shallow land burial. The effects of the various process variables in the electrochemical decontamination were experimentally analysed on the process. (author). 32 refs., 32 tabs., 52 figs

  15. Excision versus trichloroacetic acid (TCA) chemocauterization for branchial sinus of the pyriform fossa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Jihee; Kim, Seong Chul; Kim, Dae Yeon; Namgoong, Jung-Man; Nam, Soon Yuhl; Roh, Jong-Lyel

    2015-11-01

    We analyzed the outcomes of open surgical excision and endoscopic trichloroacetic acid (TCA) chemocauterization for the treatment of branchial sinus of the pyriform fossa (BSPF). We retrospectively reviewed the records of 27 patients (16 males and 11 females) who were treated for BSPF at the Asan Medical Center between 1996 and 2013. The median age of the 27 patients was 4.5years (range, 0 to 15years). Before definitive surgery, 19 (70.3%) of the patients had histories of neck infection, and 16 (59.2%) patients had neck abscesses that were drained. The lesions were predominantly located on the left side (26 of 27; 96.2%). Excisions were performed for 14 (48.1%) patients. TCA chemocauterizations were performed for 13 patients. After a median follow-up period of 5.5years, 11 patients developed recurrence. The recurrence rates were not significantly different between the excision and chemocauterization groups (35.7% vs 46.1%, respectively, p=0.704). All of the recurred patients were successfully treated with repeated chemocauterization or reexcision. Analyses of the risk factors for recurrence revealed that a previous infection history tended to increase the rate of recurrence (90.9% vs 56.2%, p=0.090). Our experience suggests that the outcomes of excision and TCA chemocauterization are not significantly different. Additional studies are needed to reach a consensus regarding the best treatment strategy for BSPF. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. The broadly insecticidal Photorhabdus luminescens toxin complex a (Tca): Activity against the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, and sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci

    OpenAIRE

    Blackburn, Michael B.; Domek, John M.; Gelman, Dale B.; Hu, Jing S.

    2005-01-01

    Toxin complex a (Tca), a high molecular weight insecticidal protein complex produced by the entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens, has been found to be orally toxic to both the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, and the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype B. The 48 hour LC50 for Tca against neonate L. decemlineata was found to be 2.7 ppm, and the growth of 2nd instar L. decemlineata exposed to Tca for 72 hours was almost entirely inhibited at concentrat...

  17. Sulfate Reduction and Thiosulfate Transformations in a Cyanobacterial Mat during a Diel Oxygen Cycle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    JØRGENSEN, BB

    1994-01-01

    Bacterial sulfate reduction and transformations of thiosulfate were studied with radiotracers in a Microcoleus chthono-plastes-dominated microbial mat growing in a hypersaline pond at the Red Sea. The study showed how a diel cycle of oxygen evolution affected respiration by sulfate-reducing bacte......Bacterial sulfate reduction and transformations of thiosulfate were studied with radiotracers in a Microcoleus chthono-plastes-dominated microbial mat growing in a hypersaline pond at the Red Sea. The study showed how a diel cycle of oxygen evolution affected respiration by sulfate......-reducing bacteria and the metabolism of thiosulfate through oxidative and reductive pathways. Sulfate reduction occurred in both oxic and anoxic layers of the mat and varied diurnally, apparently according to temperature rather than to oxygen. Time course experiments showed that the radiotracer method...... underestimated sulfate reduction in the oxic zone due to rapid reoxidation of the produced sulfide. Extremely high reduction rates of up to 10 mu mol cm(-3) d(-1) were measured just below the euphotic zone. Although thiosulfate was simultaneously oxidized, reduced and disproportionated by bacteria in all layers...

  18. Impacts of Vehicle Weight Reduction via Material Substitution on Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Jarod C; Sullivan, John L; Burnham, Andrew; Elgowainy, Amgad

    2015-10-20

    This study examines the vehicle-cycle and vehicle total life-cycle impacts of substituting lightweight materials into vehicles. We determine part-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emission ratios by collecting material substitution data and evaluating that alongside known mass-based GHG ratios (using and updating Argonne National Laboratory's GREET model) associated with material pair substitutions. Several vehicle parts are lightweighted via material substitution, using substitution ratios from a U.S. Department of Energy report, to determine GHG emissions. We then examine fuel-cycle GHG reductions from lightweighting. The fuel reduction value methodology is applied using FRV estimates of 0.15-0.25, and 0.25-0.5 L/(100km·100 kg), with and without powertrain adjustments, respectively. GHG breakeven values are derived for both driving distance and material substitution ratio. While material substitution can reduce vehicle weight, it often increases vehicle-cycle GHGs. It is likely that replacing steel (the dominant vehicle material) with wrought aluminum, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CRFP), or magnesium will increase vehicle-cycle GHGs. However, lifetime fuel economy benefits often outweigh the vehicle-cycle, resulting in a net total life-cycle GHG benefit. This is the case for steel replaced by wrought aluminum in all assumed cases, and for CFRP and magnesium except for high substitution ratio and low FRV.

  19. Multichannel bolometer for radiation measurements on the TCA tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joye, B.; Marmillod, P.; Nowak, S.

    1986-01-01

    A multichannel radiation bolometer has been developed for the Tokamak Chauffage Alfven (TCA) tokamak. It has 16 equally spaced chords that view the plasma through a narrow horizontal slit. Almost an entire vertical plasma cross section can be observed. The bolometer operates on the basis of a semiconducting element which serves as a temperature-dependent resistance. A new electronic circuit has been developed which takes advantage of the semiconductor characteristics of the detector by using feedback techniques. Measurements made with this instrument are discussed

  20. Application of dynamic metabolomics to examine in vivo skeletal muscle glucose metabolism in the chronically high-fat fed mouse

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kowalski, Greg M., E-mail: greg.kowalski@deakin.edu.au [Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125 (Australia); De Souza, David P. [Metabolomics Australia, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Burch, Micah L. [Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Department of Medicine, Boston, MA (United States); Hamley, Steven [Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125 (Australia); Kloehn, Joachim [Metabolomics Australia, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Selathurai, Ahrathy [Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125 (Australia); Tull, Dedreia; O' Callaghan, Sean; McConville, Malcolm J. [Metabolomics Australia, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Bruce, Clinton R. [Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125 (Australia)

    2015-06-19

    Rationale: Defects in muscle glucose metabolism are linked to type 2 diabetes. Mechanistic studies examining these defects rely on the use of high fat-fed rodent models and typically involve the determination of muscle glucose uptake under insulin-stimulated conditions. While insightful, they do not necessarily reflect the physiology of the postprandial state. In addition, most studies do not examine aspects of glucose metabolism beyond the uptake process. Here we present an approach to study rodent muscle glucose and intermediary metabolism under the dynamic and physiologically relevant setting of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Methods and results: In vivo muscle glucose and intermediary metabolism was investigated following oral administration of [U-{sup 13}C] glucose. Quadriceps muscles were collected 15 and 60 min after glucose administration and metabolite flux profiling was determined by measuring {sup 13}C mass isotopomers in glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. While no dietary effects were noted in the glycolytic pathway, muscle from mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) exhibited a reduction in labelling in TCA intermediates. Interestingly, this appeared to be independent of alterations in flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase. In addition, our findings suggest that TCA cycle anaplerosis is negligible in muscle during an OGTT. Conclusions: Under the dynamic physiologically relevant conditions of the OGTT, skeletal muscle from HFD fed mice exhibits alterations in glucose metabolism at the level of the TCA cycle. - Highlights: • Dynamic metabolomics was used to investigate muscle glucose metabolism in vivo. • Mitochondrial TCA cycle metabolism is altered in muscle of HFD mice. • This defect was not pyruvate dehydrogenase mediated, as has been previously thought. • Mitochondrial TCA cycle anaplerosis in muscle is virtually absent during the OGTT.

  1. Application of dynamic metabolomics to examine in vivo skeletal muscle glucose metabolism in the chronically high-fat fed mouse

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kowalski, Greg M.; De Souza, David P.; Burch, Micah L.; Hamley, Steven; Kloehn, Joachim; Selathurai, Ahrathy; Tull, Dedreia; O'Callaghan, Sean; McConville, Malcolm J.; Bruce, Clinton R.

    2015-01-01

    Rationale: Defects in muscle glucose metabolism are linked to type 2 diabetes. Mechanistic studies examining these defects rely on the use of high fat-fed rodent models and typically involve the determination of muscle glucose uptake under insulin-stimulated conditions. While insightful, they do not necessarily reflect the physiology of the postprandial state. In addition, most studies do not examine aspects of glucose metabolism beyond the uptake process. Here we present an approach to study rodent muscle glucose and intermediary metabolism under the dynamic and physiologically relevant setting of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Methods and results: In vivo muscle glucose and intermediary metabolism was investigated following oral administration of [U- 13 C] glucose. Quadriceps muscles were collected 15 and 60 min after glucose administration and metabolite flux profiling was determined by measuring 13 C mass isotopomers in glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. While no dietary effects were noted in the glycolytic pathway, muscle from mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) exhibited a reduction in labelling in TCA intermediates. Interestingly, this appeared to be independent of alterations in flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase. In addition, our findings suggest that TCA cycle anaplerosis is negligible in muscle during an OGTT. Conclusions: Under the dynamic physiologically relevant conditions of the OGTT, skeletal muscle from HFD fed mice exhibits alterations in glucose metabolism at the level of the TCA cycle. - Highlights: • Dynamic metabolomics was used to investigate muscle glucose metabolism in vivo. • Mitochondrial TCA cycle metabolism is altered in muscle of HFD mice. • This defect was not pyruvate dehydrogenase mediated, as has been previously thought. • Mitochondrial TCA cycle anaplerosis in muscle is virtually absent during the OGTT

  2. Tests of alternative reductants in the second uranium purification cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, M.C.

    1980-05-01

    Miniature mixer-settler tests of the second uranium purification cycle show that plutonium cannot be removed by hydroxylamine-hydrazine (NH 2 OH-N 2 H 4 ) because the acidity is too high, or by 2,5-di-t-pentylhydroquinone because HNO 3 oxidizes the hydroquinone. Plutonium can be removed satisfactorily when U(IV)-hydrazine is used as the reductant

  3. Induction of Tca8113 tumor cell apoptosis by icotinib is associated with reactive oxygen species mediated p38-MAPK activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Cailing; Yan, Jianguo; Yuan, Guoyan; Zhang, Yinghua; Lu, Derong; Ren, Mingxin; Cui, Weigang

    2014-08-01

    Icotinib, a selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), has been shown to exhibit anti-tumor activity against several tumor cell lines. However, the exact molecular mechanism of icotinib's anti-tumor effect remains unknown. This study aims to examine the zytotoxic effect of icotinib on Tca8113 cells and its potential molecular mechanism. Icotinib significantly resulted in dose-dependent cell death as determined by MTT assay, accompanied by increased levels of Bax and DNA fragmentation. Icotinib could also induce Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation. Further studies confirmed that scavenging of reactive oxygen species by N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and pharmacological inhibition of MAPK reversed icotinib-induced apoptosis in Tca8113 cells. Our data provide evidence that icotinib induces apoptosis, possibly via ROS-mediated MAPK pathway in Tca8113 cells.

  4. Treatment technologies and mechanisms for three odorants at trace level: IPMP, IBMP, and TCA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xin; Lin, Pengfei; Wang, Jun; Liu, Yuanyuan; Li, Yong; Zhang, Xiaojian; Chen, Chao

    2016-01-01

    Odour episodes caused by algal metabolites are gaining more and more attention in recent years. Besides geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IPMP), 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IBMP), and 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) have emerged to be important off-flavour sources. Their low odour threshold concentrations (several ng ·L(-1)), which are even lower than those of MIB and geosmin, pose challenges for treatment strategies. Hence, a practical and efficient mitigation technology is needed. The possible practical technologies, including powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption and oxidation by chlorine and potassium permanganate, were investigated. The results indicated that chlorine and potassium permanganate oxidation of the three odorants were unfeasible while PAC adsorption was effective. As for adsorption, TCA, followed by IBMP and IPMP, was most easily removed by PAC. The Freundlich model could well describe the adsorption isotherm data. The adsorption capacities for IPMP, IBMP, and TCA were described as follows: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. For five earthy/musty odorants including geosmin and MIB, octanol/water partition coefficient, molecular weight, and polarizability all promoted adsorption while aqueous solubility showed a negative influence. The hydrophobic interaction was believed to be the dominant force in the adsorption mechanism while the π-electron interaction enhanced adsorption when a benzene ring was present. This result could be used to predict the adsorption performance of emerging odorants.

  5. The tricarboxylic acid cycle activity in cultured primary astrocytes is strongly accelerated by the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin 23

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hohnholt, Michaela C; Blumrich, Eva-Maria; Waagepetersen, Helle S

    2017-01-01

    production. In addition, T23-treatment strongly increased the molecular carbon labeling of the TCA cycle intermediates citrate, succinate, fumarate and malate, and significantly increased the incorporation of (13)C-labelling into the amino acids glutamate, glutamine and aspartate. These results clearly......Tyrphostin 23 (T23) is a well-known inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinases and has been considered as potential anti-cancer drug. T23 was recently reported to acutely stimulate the glycolytic flux in primary cultured astrocytes. To investigate whether T23 also affects the tricarboxylic acid (TCA...

  6. The potential of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for detection of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (2,4,6-TCA) in wine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karpas, Zeev; Guamán, Ana V; Calvo, Daniel; Pardo, Antonio; Marco, Santiago

    2012-05-15

    The off-flavor of "tainted wine" is attributed mainly to the presence of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (2,4,6-TCA) in the wine. In the present study the atmospheric pressure gas-phase ion chemistry, pertaining to ion mobility spectrometry, of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole was investigated. In positive ion mode the dominant species is a monomer ion with a lower intensity dimer species with reduced mobility values (K(0)) of 1.58 and 1.20 cm(2)V(-1) s(-1), respectively. In negative mode the ion with K(0) =1.64 cm(2)V(-1)s(-1) is ascribed to a trichlorophenoxide species while the ions with K(0) =1.48 and 1.13 cm(2)V(-1)s(-1) are attributed to chloride attachment adducts of a TCA monomer and dimer, respectively. The limit of detection of the system for 2,4,6-TCA dissolved in dichloromethane deposited on a filter paper was 2.1 μg and 1.7 ppm in the gas phase. In ethanol and in wine the limit of detection is higher implying that pre-concentration and pre-separation are required before IMS can be used to monitor the level of TCA in wine. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Expression of long non-coding RNA-HOTAIR in oral squamous cell carcinoma Tca8113 cells and its associated biological behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Huawei; Li, Zhiyong; Wang, Chao; Feng, Lin; Huang, Haitao; Liu, Changkui; Li, Fengxia

    2016-01-01

    As a long noncoding RNA, HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) is highly expressed in many types of tumors. However, its expression and function in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells and tissues remains largely unknown. We herein studied the biological functions of HOTAIR in OSCC Tca8113 cells. Real-time quantitative PCR showed that HOTAIR, p21 and p53 mRNA expressions in doxorubicin (DOX)-treated or γ-ray-irradiated Tca8113 cells were up-regulated. Knockdown of p53 expression inhibited DOX-induced HOTAIR up-regulation, suggesting that DNA damage-induced HOTAIR expression may be associated with p53. Transfection and CCK-8 assays showed that compared with the control group, overexpression of HOTAIR promoted the proliferation of Tca8113 cells, while interfering with its expression played an opposite role. Flow cytometry exhibited that HOTAIR overexpression decreased the rate of DOX-induced apoptosis. When HOTAIR expression was inhibited by siRNA, the proportions of cells in G2/M and S phases increased and decreased respectively. Meanwhile, the rate of DOX-induced apoptosis rose. DNA damage-induced HOTAIR expression facilitated the proliferation of Tca8113 cells and decreased their apoptosis. However, whether the up-regulation depends on p53 still needs in-depth studies. PMID:27904675

  8. NO reduction by CO over noble-metal catalysts under cycled feedstreams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muraki, H.; Fujitani, Y.

    1986-01-01

    The reduction of NO with CO was studied over α-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/-supported Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, and Ir catalysts. The activities were measured by using cycled feeds and steady noncycled feed. The activity sequence of the catalysts tested was Rh > Ru > Ir > Pd > Pt. The activities of Pt and Pd catalysts were increased under the cycled feed. The periodic operation effect on the Pt catalyst was more predominant than that on the Pd catalyst. The order of periodic operation effect corresponded to the order of their susceptibility to CO self-poisoning

  9. Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmitter cycling and energy metabolism in rat cerebral cortex during postnatal development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chowdhury, Golam M I; Patel, Anant B; Mason, Graeme F; Rothman, Douglas L; Behar, Kevin L

    2007-12-01

    The contribution of glutamatergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons to oxidative energy metabolism and neurotransmission in the developing brain is not known. Glutamatergic and GABAergic fluxes were assessed in neocortex of postnatal day 10 (P10) and 30 (P30) urethane-anesthetized rats infused intravenously with [1,6-(13)C(2)]glucose for different time intervals (time course) or with [2-(13)C]acetate for 2 to 3 h (steady state). Amino acid levels and (13)C enrichments were determined in tissue extracts ex vivo using (1)H-[(13)C]-NMR spectroscopy. Metabolic fluxes were estimated from the best fits of a three-compartment metabolic model (glutamatergic neurons, GABAergic neurons, and astroglia) to the (13)C-enrichment time courses of amino acids from [1,6-(13)C(2)]glucose, constrained by the ratios of neurotransmitter cycling (V(cyc))-to-tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux (V(TCAn)) calculated from the steady-state [2-(13)C]acetate enrichment data. From P10 to P30 increases in total neuronal (glutamate plus GABA) TCA cycle flux (3 x ; 0.24+/-0.05 versus 0.71+/-0.07 micromol per g per min, Pcycling flux (3.1 to 5 x ; 0.07 to 0.11 (+/-0.03) versus 0.34+/-0.03 micromol per g per min, Pcycling (DeltaV(cyc(tot))) and neuronal TCA cycle flux (DeltaV(TCAn(tot))) between P10 and P30 were 0.23 to 0.27 and 0.47 micromol per g per min, respectively, similar to the approximately 1:2 relationship previously reported for adult cortex. For the individual neurons, increases in V(TCAn) and V(cyc) were similar in magnitude (glutamatergic neurons, 2.7 x versus 2.8 to 4.6 x ; GABAergic neurons, approximately 5 x versus approximately 7 x), although GABAergic flux changes were larger. The findings show that glutamate and GABA neurons undergo large and approximately proportional increases in neurotransmitter cycling and oxidative energy metabolism during this major postnatal growth spurt.

  10. Successful treatment of hypertrophic lichen planus with betamethasone under occlusion and TCA-peelings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theodosiou, Grigorios; Papageorgiou, Marina; Vakirlis, Efstratios; Mandekou-Lefaki, Ioanna

    2016-09-01

    Hypertrophic lichen planus (HLP) is a variant of lichen planus characterized by marked epidermal hyperplasia and severe pruritus. We present a case of a female patient with HLP and concomitant primary biliary cirrhosis, which responded to topical therapy with betamethasone under occlusion and TCA-peelings. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Topology of modified helical gears and Tooth Contact Analysis (TCA) program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litvin, Faydor L.; Zhang, Jiao

    1989-01-01

    The contents of this report covers: (1) development of optimal geometries for crowned helical gears; (2) a method for their generation; (3) tooth contact analysis (TCA) computer programs for the analysis of meshing and bearing contact of the crowned helical gears; and (4) modelling and simulation of gear shaft deflection. The developed method for synthesis was used to determine the optimal geometry for a crowned helical pinion surface and was directed to localize the bearing contact and guarantee favorable shape and a low level of transmission errors. Two new methods for generation of the crowned helical pinion surface are proposed. One is based on the application of a tool with a surface of revolution that slightly deviates from a regular cone surface. The tool can be used as a grinding wheel or as a shaver. The other is based on a crowning pinion tooth surface with predesigned transmission errors. The pinion tooth surface can be generated by a computer-controlled automatic grinding machine. The TCA program simulates the meshing and bearing contact of the misaligned gears. The transmission errors are also determined. The gear shaft deformation was modelled and investigated. It was found that the deflection of gear shafts has the same effect as gear misalignment.

  12. Reductive glutamine metabolism by IDH1 mediates lipogenesis under hypoxia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metallo, Christian M.; Gameiro, Paulo A.; Bell, Eric L.; Mattaini, Katherine R.; Yang, Juanjuan; Hiller, Karsten; Jewell, Christopher M.; Johnson, Zachary R.; Irvine, Darrell J.; Guarente, Leonard; Kelleher, Joanne K.; Vander Heiden, Matthew G.; Iliopoulos, Othon; Stephanopoulos, Gregory

    2013-01-01

    Acetyl coenzyme A (AcCoA) is the central biosynthetic precursor for fatty acid synthesis and protein acetylation. In the conventional view of mammalian cell metabolism, AcCoA is primarily generated from glucose-derived pyruvate through the citrate shuttle and adenosine triphosphate citrate lyase (ACL) in the cytosol1-3. However, proliferating cells that exhibit aerobic glycolysis and those exposed to hypoxia convert glucose to lactate at near stoichiometric levels, directing glucose carbon away from the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and fatty acid synthesis4. Although glutamine is consumed at levels exceeding that required for nitrogen biosynthesis5, the regulation and utilization of glutamine metabolism in hypoxic cells is not well understood. Here we show that human cells employ reductive metabolism of alpha-ketoglutarate (αKG) to synthesize AcCoA for lipid synthesis. This isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) dependent pathway is active in most cell lines under normal culture conditions, but cells grown under hypoxia rely almost exclusively on the reductive carboxylation of glutamine-derived αKG for de novo lipogenesis. Furthermore, renal cell lines deficient in the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor protein preferentially utilize reductive glutamine metabolism for lipid biosynthesis even at normal oxygen levels. These results identify a critical role for oxygen in regulating carbon utilization in order to produce AcCoA and support lipid synthesis in mammalian cells. PMID:22101433

  13. Criticality Analysis Of TCA Critical Lattices With MNCP-4C Monte Carlo Calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zuhair

    2002-01-01

    The use of uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel in electric generation light water reactor (PWR, BWR) is being planned in Japan. Therefore, the accuracy evaluations of neutronic analysis code for MOX cores have been employed by many scientists and reactor physicists. Benchmark evaluations for TCA was done using various calculation methods. The Monte Carlo become the most reliable method to predict criticality of various reactor types. In this analysis, the MCNP-4C code was chosen because various superiorities the code has. All in all, the MCNP-4C calculation for TCA core with 38 MOX critical lattice configurations gave the results with high accuracy. The JENDL-3.2 library showed significantly closer results to the ENDF/B-V. The k eff values calculated with the ENDF/B-VI library gave underestimated results. The ENDF/B-V library gave the best estimation. It can be concluded that MCNP-4C calculation, especially with ENDF/B-V and JENDL-3.2 libraries, for MOX fuel utilized NPP design in reactor core is the best choice

  14. Spur gears: Optimal geometry, methods for generation and Tooth Contact Analysis (TCA) program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litvin, Faydor L.; Zhang, Jiao

    1988-01-01

    The contents of this report include the following: (1) development of optimal geometry for crowned spur gears; (2) methods for their generation; and (3) tooth contact analysis (TCA) computer programs for the analysis of meshing and bearing contact on the crowned spur gears. The method developed for synthesis is used for the determination of the optimal geometry for crowned pinion surface and is directed to reduce the sensitivity of the gears to misalignment, localize the bearing contact, and guarantee the favorable shape and low level of the transmission errors. A new method for the generation of the crowned pinion surface has been proposed. This method is based on application of the tool with a surface of revolution that slightly deviates from a regular cone surface. The tool can be used as a grinding wheel or as a shaver. The crowned pinion surface can also be generated by a generating plane whose motion is provided by an automatic grinding machine controlled by a computer. The TCA program simulates the meshing and bearing contact of the misaligned gears. The transmission errors are also determined.

  15. Effect of tricarboxylic acid cycle regulator on carbon retention and organic component transformation during food waste composting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Qian; Zhao, Yue; Gao, Xintong; Wu, Junqiu; Zhou, Haixuan; Tang, Pengfei; Wei, Qingbin; Wei, Zimin

    2018-05-01

    Composting is an environment friendly method to recycling organic waste. However, with the increasing concern about greenhouse gases generated in global atmosphere, it is significant to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). This study analyzes tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle regulators on the effect of reducing CO 2 emission, and the relationship among organic component (OC) degradation and transformation and microorganism during composting. The results showed that adding adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) could enhance the transformation of OC and increase the diversity of microorganism community. Malonic acid (MA) as a competitive inhibitor could decrease the emission of CO 2 by inhibiting the TCA cycle. A structural equation model was established to explore effects of different OC and microorganism on humic acid (HA) concentration during composting. Furthermore, added MA provided an environmental benefit in reducing the greenhouse gas emission for manufacture sustainable products. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Reduction of repository heat load using advanced fuel cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Preston, Jeff; Miller, L.F.

    2008-01-01

    With the geologic repository at Yucca Mountain already nearing capacity full before opening, advanced fuel cycles that introduce reprocessing, fast reactors, and temporary storage sites have the potential to allow the repository to support the current reactor fleet and future expansion. An uncertainty analysis methodology that combines Monte Carlo distribution sampling, reactor physics data simulation, and neural network interpolation methods enable investigation into the factor reduction of heat capacity by using the hybrid fuel cycle. Using a Super PRISM fast reactor with a conversion ratio of 0.75, burn ups reach up to 200 MWd/t that decrease the plutonium inventory by about 5 metric tons every 12 years. Using the long burn up allows the footprint of 1 single core loading of FR fuel to have an integral decay heat of about 2.5x10 5 MW*yr over a 1500 year period that replaces the footprint of about 6 full core loadings of LWR fuel for the number of years required to fuel the FR, which have an integral decay heat of about.3 MW*yr for the same time integral. This results in an increase of a factor of 4 in repository support capacity from implementing a single fast reactor in an equilibrium cycle. (authors)

  17. A systematic analysis of TCA Escherichia coli mutants reveals suitable genetic backgrounds for enhanced hydrogen and ethanol production using glycerol as main carbon source.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valle, Antonio; Cabrera, Gema; Muhamadali, Howbeer; Trivedi, Drupad K; Ratray, Nicholas J W; Goodacre, Royston; Cantero, Domingo; Bolivar, Jorge

    2015-09-01

    Biodiesel has emerged as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels; however, the low price of glycerol feed-stocks generated from the biodiesel industry has become a burden to this industry. A feasible alternative is the microbial biotransformation of waste glycerol to hydrogen and ethanol. Escherichia coli, a microorganism commonly used for metabolic engineering, is able to biotransform glycerol into these products. Nevertheless, the wild type strain yields can be improved by rewiring the carbon flux to the desired products by genetic engineering. Due to the importance of the central carbon metabolism in hydrogen and ethanol synthesis, E. coli single null mutant strains for enzymes of the TCA cycle and other related reactions were studied in this work. These strains were grown anaerobically in a glycerol-based medium and the concentrations of ethanol, glycerol, succinate and hydrogen were analysed by HPLC and GC. It was found that the reductive branch is the more relevant pathway for the aim of this work, with malate playing a central role. It was also found that the putative C4-transporter dcuD mutant improved the target product yields. These results will contribute to reveal novel metabolic engineering strategies for improving hydrogen and ethanol production by E. coli. Copyright © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Enhanced citrate production through gene insertion in Aspergillus niger

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jongh, Wian de; Nielsen, Jens

    2007-01-01

    The effect of inserting genes involved in the reductive branch of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle on citrate production by Aspergillus niger was evaluated. Several different genes were inserted individually and in combination, i.e. malate dehydrogenase (mdh2) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two...

  19. Study of a novel agent for TCA precipitated proteins washing - comprehensive insights into the role of ethanol/HCl on molten globule state by multi-spectroscopic analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eddhif, Balkis; Lange, Justin; Guignard, Nadia; Batonneau, Yann; Clarhaut, Jonathan; Papot, Sébastien; Geffroy-Rodier, Claude; Poinot, Pauline

    2018-02-20

    Sample preparation for mass spectrometry-based proteomics is a key step for ensuring reliable data. In gel-free experimental workflows, protein purification often starts with a precipitation stage using trichloroacetic acid (TCA). In presence of TCA, proteins precipitate in a stable molten globule state making the pellet difficult to solubilize in aqueous buffer for proteolytic digestion and MS analysis. In this context, the objective of this work was to study the suitability of a novel agent, ethanol/HCl, for the washing of TCA-precipitated proteins. This method optimized the recovery of proteins in aqueous buffer (50 to 96%) while current organic solvents led to losses of material. Following a mechanistic study, the effect of ethanol/HCl on the conformation of TCA-precipitated proteins was investigated. It was shown that the reagent triggered the unfolding of TCA-stabilized molten globule into a reversible intermediate, characterized by a specific Raman signature, which favored protein subsequent resolubilization. Finally, the efficiency of ethanol/HCl for the washing of TCA-precipitated proteins extracted from a biofilm, a soil or a mouse liver was demonstrated (data available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD008110). Being versatile and simple, it could be of great interest to include an ethanol/HCl wash-step to produce high-quality protein extracts. In mass spectrometry-based proteomics workflows, proteins precipitation and/or washing usually involves the use of acetone. In fact, this solvent is effective for removing both biological interferences (e.g. lipids) and chemicals employed in protein extraction/purification protocols (e.g. TCA, SDS). However, the use of acetone can lead to significant protein losses. Moreover, when proteins are precipitated with TCA, the acetone-treated precipitate remains hard to disperse, leading to poor resolubilization of proteins in aqueous buffers. Here, we investigated the use of ethanol/HCl for washing TCA

  20. A micro-TCA based data acquisition system for the Triple-GEM detectors for the upgrade of the CMS forward muon spectrometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenzi, T.

    2017-01-01

    The Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) upgrade project aims at improving the performance of the muon spectrometer of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment which will suffer from the increase in luminosity of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The GEM collaboration proposes to instrument the first muon station with Triple-GEM detectors, a technology which has proven to be resistant to high fluxes of particles. The architecture of the readout system is based on the use of the microTCA standard hosting FPGA-based Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) and of the Versatile Link with the GBT chipset to link the on-detector electronics to the micro-TCA boards. For the front-end electronics a new ASIC, called VFAT3, is being developed. On the detector, a Xilinx Virtex-6 FPGA mezzanine board, called the OptoHybrid, has to collect the data from 24 VFAT3s and to transmit the data optically to the off-detector micro-TCA electronics, as well as to transmit the trigger data at 40 MHz to the CMS Cathode Strip Chamber (CSC) trigger. The microTCA electronics provides the interfaces from the detector (and front-end electronics) to the CMS DAQ, TTC (Timing, Trigger and Control) and Trigger systems. In this paper, we will describe the DAQ system of the Triple-GEM project and provide results from the latest test beam campaigns done at CERN.

  1. Reduction of environmental impact by FR cycle deployment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katoh, Atsushi; Nakai, Ryodai

    2005-03-01

    In this report radioactive waste generations in terms of disposal volume or disposal field equivalent, and the radioactive toxicity of HLW are evaluated to clarify the promising nuclear scenario for the sake of realization of sustainable society in 21st century. This analysis was conducted based on the outcomes of the mass flow evaluation tool 'FAMILY-21' which calculates a material balance for TRU in the following scenarios. 1) LWR once-through scenario, 2) Pu partly recycling in LWR scenario, 3) Pu full recycling in LWR scenario, 4) FBR deployment scenario, 5) Interim storage scenario. The result shows that the cumulative area of low level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal field at 2150 in the FR cycle deployment scenario is 1.8 times larger than that in the LWR once-through scenario. The area of LLW disposal field at 2150 is a few km 2 in all the scenarios. In contrast, the cumulative area of high level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal field at 2150 in the FR cycle deployment scenario is less than half of that in the LWR once-through scenario. The area of HLW disposal field at 2150 is about 10 times of the area of LLW disposal field. Moreover, the FR deployment reduces the radioactive toxicity of HLW by U/TRU recycling, and shortens the period to decay under the natural Uranium toxicity level. Considering the area of radioactive waste disposal field and the radioactive toxicity of HLW, the advantage of the FR cycle deployment is indicated quantitatively from the viewpoint of the environmental burden reduction. (author)

  2. An elaborated feeding cycle model for reductions in vectorial capacity of night-biting mosquitoes by insecticide-treated nets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Menach, Arnaud; Takala, Shannon; McKenzie, F Ellis; Perisse, Andre; Harris, Anthony; Flahault, Antoine; Smith, David L

    2007-01-25

    Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) are an important tool for malaria control. ITNs are effective because they work on several parts of the mosquito feeding cycle, including both adult killing and repelling effects. Using an elaborated description of the classic feeding cycle model, simple formulas have been derived to describe how ITNs change mosquito behaviour and the intensity of malaria transmission, as summarized by vectorial capacity and EIR. The predicted changes are illustrated as a function of the frequency of ITN use for four different vector populations using parameter estimates from the literature. The model demonstrates that ITNs simultaneously reduce mosquitoes' lifespans, lengthen the feeding cycle, and by discouraging human biting divert more bites onto non-human hosts. ITNs can substantially reduce vectorial capacity through small changes to all of these quantities. The total reductions in vectorial capacity differ, moreover, depending on baseline behavior in the absence of ITNs. Reductions in lifespan and vectorial capacity are strongest for vector species with high baseline survival. Anthropophilic and zoophilic species are affected differently by ITNs; the feeding cycle is lengthened more for anthrophilic species, and the proportion of bites that are diverted onto non-human hosts is higher for zoophilic species. This model suggests that the efficacy of ITNs should be measured as a total reduction in transmission intensity, and that the quantitative effects will differ by species and by transmission intensity. At very high rates of ITN use, ITNs can generate large reductions in transmission intensity that could provide very large reductions in transmission intensity, and effective malaria control in some areas, especially when used in combination with other control measures. At high EIR, ITNs will probably not substantially reduce the parasite rate, but when transmission intensity is low, reductions in vectorial capacity combine with reductions in

  3. Solar fuel processing efficiency for ceria redox cycling using alternative oxygen partial pressure reduction methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Meng; Haussener, Sophia

    2015-01-01

    Solar-driven non-stoichiometric thermochemical redox cycling of ceria for the conversion of solar energy into fuels shows promise in achieving high solar-to-fuel efficiency. This efficiency is significantly affected by the operating conditions, e.g. redox temperatures, reduction and oxidation pressures, solar irradiation concentration, or heat recovery effectiveness. We present a thermodynamic analysis of five redox cycle designs to investigate the effects of working conditions on the fuel production. We focused on the influence of approaches to reduce the partial pressure of oxygen in the reduction step, namely by mechanical approaches (sweep gassing or vacuum pumping), chemical approaches (chemical scavenger), and combinations thereof. The results indicated that the sweep gas schemes work more efficient at non-isothermal than isothermal conditions, and efficient gas phase heat recovery and sweep gas recycling was important to ensure efficient fuel processing. The vacuum pump scheme achieved best efficiencies at isothermal conditions, and at non-isothermal conditions heat recovery was less essential. The use of oxygen scavengers combined with sweep gas and vacuum pump schemes further increased the system efficiency. The present work can be used to predict the performance of solar-driven non-stoichiometric redox cycles and further offers quantifiable guidelines for system design and operation. - Highlights: • A thermodynamic analysis was conducted for ceria-based thermochemical cycles. • Five novel cycle designs and various operating conditions were proposed and investigated. • Pressure reduction method affects optimal operating conditions for maximized efficiency. • Chemical oxygen scavenger proves to be promising in further increasing efficiency. • Formulation of quantifiable design guidelines for economical competitive solar fuel processing

  4. Comparing the performances of electrochemical sensors using p-aminophenol redox cycling by different reductants on gold electrodes modified with self-assembled monolayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia, Ning; Ma, Fengji; Zhao, Feng; He, Qige; Du, Jimin; Li, Sujuan; Chen, Jing; Liu, Lin

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Performances of p-AP redox cycling using different reductants on gold surface are compared. • Background current decreases in order of hydrazine, Na 2 SO 3 , NaBH 4 , NADH, cysteamine, and TCEP. • Chemical reaction rate with QI increases in order of NADH, TCEP, and cysteamine. • NADH, TCEP and cysteamine are suitable for p-AP redox cycling on gold electrode. -- Abstract: p-Aminophenol (p-AP) redox cycling using chemical reductants is one strategy for developing sensitive electrochemical sensors. However, most of the reported reductants are only used on indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes but not gold electrodes due to the high background current caused by the oxidation reaction of the reductants on the highly electrocatalytic gold electrodes. Therefore, new strategies and/or reductants are in demand for expanding the application of p-AP redox cycling on gold electrodes. In this work, we compared the performances of several reductants in p-AP redox cycling on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs)-modified gold electrodes. Among the tested reagents, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) and cysteamine were demonstrated to be suitable for p-AP redox cycling on the alkanethiol-modified gold electrodes because of their low background current. The rate of chemical reaction between reductants and p-quinone imine (QI, the electrochemically oxidized product of p-AP) increases in the order of NADH −1 was achieved. We believe that our work will be valuable for the development of electrochemical sensors using p-AP redox cycling on gold electrodes

  5. TLNS3D/CDISC Multipoint Design of the TCA Concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Richard L.; Mann, Michael J.

    1999-01-01

    This paper presents the work done to date by the authors on developing an efficient approach to multipoint design and applying it to the design of the HSR TCA configuration. While the title indicates that this exploratory study has been performed using the TLNS3DMB flow solver and the CDISC design method, the CDISC method could have been used with any flow solver, and the multipoint design approach does not require the use of CDISC. The goal of the study was to develop a multipoint design method that could achieve a design in about the same time as 10 analysis runs.

  6. Basic experiments of reactor physics using the critical assembly TCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Obara, Toru; Igashira, Masayuki; Sekimoto, Hiroshi; Nakajima, Ken; Suzaki, Takenori.

    1994-02-01

    This report is based on lectures given to graduate students of Tokyo Institute of Technology. It covers educational experiments conducted with the Tank-Type Critical Assembly (TCA) at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute in July, 1993. During this period, the following basic experiments on reactor physics were performed: (1) Critical approach experiment, (2) Measurement of neutron flux distribution, (3) Measurement of power distribution, (4) Measurement of fuel rod worth distribution, (5) Measurement of safety sheet worth by the rod drop method. The principle of experiments, experimental procedure, and analysis of results are described in this report. (author)

  7. The Proliferation Resistance of a Nuclear Fuel Cycle Using Fuel Recovered from the Electrolytic Reduction of Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Jung Min; Cochran, Thomas; Mckinzie, Matthew [NRDC, Washington, (United States)

    2016-05-15

    At some points in the fuel cycle, a level of intrinsic or technical proliferation-resistance can be provided by radiation barriers that surround weapons-usable materials. In this report we examine some aspects of intrinsic proliferation resistance of a fuel cycle for a fast neutron reactor that uses fuel recovered from the electrolytic reduction process of pressurized water reactor spent fuel, followed by a melt-refining process. This fuel cycle, proposed by a nuclear engineer at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), is being examined with respect to its potential merits of higher fuel utilization, lower production of radioactive byproducts, and better economics relative to a pyroprocesing-based fuel cycle. With respect to intrinsic proliferation resistance, however, we show that since europium is separated out during the electrolytic reduction process, this fuel cycle has little merit beyond that of a pyroprocessing-based fuel cycle because of the lower radiation barrier of its recovered materials containing weapons-usable actinides. Unless europium is not separated following voloxidation, the proposed KAIST fuel cycle is not intrinsically proliferation resistant and in this regard does not represent a significant improvement over pyroprocessing. We suggest further modification of the proposed KAIST fuel cycle, namely, omitting electrolytic reduction and melt reduction, and producing the fast reactor fuel directly following voloxidation.

  8. Aortic Hemostasis and Resuscitation Advanced REBOA for NCTH and Reversal of HiTCA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-06-01

    animal model by effectively achieving ROSC, providing hemodynamic support, and increase pre- hospital transport and long-term survival. Non-compressible...other Internet site(s)  Technologies or techniques American Heart Association Resuscitation Conference Abstract submission June 12, 2017. Draft...swine NCTH and HiTCA in a series of experiments in which each animal underwent a liver laceration and allowed to free bleed for five minutes through

  9. A LATIN-based model reduction approach for the simulation of cycling damage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharyya, Mainak; Fau, Amelie; Nackenhorst, Udo; Néron, David; Ladevèze, Pierre

    2017-11-01

    The objective of this article is to introduce a new method including model order reduction for the life prediction of structures subjected to cycling damage. Contrary to classical incremental schemes for damage computation, a non-incremental technique, the LATIN method, is used herein as a solution framework. This approach allows to introduce a PGD model reduction technique which leads to a drastic reduction of the computational cost. The proposed framework is exemplified for structures subjected to cyclic loading, where damage is considered to be isotropic and micro-defect closure effects are taken into account. A difficulty herein for the use of the LATIN method comes from the state laws which can not be transformed into linear relations through an internal variable transformation. A specific treatment of this issue is introduced in this work.

  10. Trichloroacetic acid cycling in Sitka spruce saplings and effects on sapling health following long term exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dickey, C.A.; Heal, K.V.; Stidson, R.T.; Koren, R.; Schroeder, P.; Cape, J.N.; Heal, M.R.

    2004-01-01

    Trichloroacetic acid (TCA, CCl 3 COOH) has been associated with forest damage but the source of TCA to trees is poorly characterised. To investigate the routes and effects of TCA uptake in conifers, 120 Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr) saplings were exposed to control, 10 or 100 μg l -1 solutions of TCA applied twice weekly to foliage only or soil only over two consecutive 5-month growing seasons. At the end of each growing season similar elevated TCA concentrations (approximate range 200-300 ng g -1 dwt) were detected in both foliage and soil-dosed saplings exposed to 100 μg l -1 TCA solutions showing that TCA uptake can occur from both exposure routes. Higher TCA concentrations in branchwood of foliage-dosed saplings suggest that atmospheric TCA in solution is taken up indirectly into conifer needles via branch and stemwood. TCA concentrations in needles declined slowly by only 25-30% over 6 months of winter without dosing. No effect of TCA exposure on sapling growth was measured during the experiment. However at the end of the first growing season needles of saplings exposed to 10 or 100 μg l -1 foliage-applied TCA showed significantly more visible damage, higher activities of some detoxifying enzymes, lower protein contents and poorer water control than needles of saplings dosed with the same TCA concentrations to the soil. At the end of each growing season the combined TCA storage in needles, stemwood, branchwood and soil of each sapling was <6% of TCA applied. Even with an estimated half-life of tens of days for within-sapling elimination of TCA during the growing season, this indicates that TCA is eliminated rapidly before uptake or accumulates in another compartment. Although TCA stored in sapling needles accounted for only a small proportion of TCA stored in the sapling/soil system it appears to significantly affect some measures of sapling health. - TCA stored in Sitka spruce needles may affect the health of saplings

  11. Plasma metabolomic profiles reflective of glucose homeostasis in non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic obese African-American women.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oliver Fiehn

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Insulin resistance progressing to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM is marked by a broad perturbation of macronutrient intermediary metabolism. Understanding the biochemical networks that underlie metabolic homeostasis and how they associate with insulin action will help unravel diabetes etiology and should foster discovery of new biomarkers of disease risk and severity. We examined differences in plasma concentrations of >350 metabolites in fasted obese T2DM vs. obese non-diabetic African-American women, and utilized principal components analysis to identify 158 metabolite components that strongly correlated with fasting HbA1c over a broad range of the latter (r = -0.631; p<0.0001. In addition to many unidentified small molecules, specific metabolites that were increased significantly in T2DM subjects included certain amino acids and their derivatives (i.e., leucine, 2-ketoisocaproate, valine, cystine, histidine, 2-hydroxybutanoate, long-chain fatty acids, and carbohydrate derivatives. Leucine and valine concentrations rose with increasing HbA1c, and significantly correlated with plasma acetylcarnitine concentrations. It is hypothesized that this reflects a close link between abnormalities in glucose homeostasis, amino acid catabolism, and efficiency of fuel combustion in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle. It is speculated that a mechanism for potential TCA cycle inefficiency concurrent with insulin resistance is "anaplerotic stress" emanating from reduced amino acid-derived carbon flux to TCA cycle intermediates, which if coupled to perturbation in cataplerosis would lead to net reduction in TCA cycle capacity relative to fuel delivery.

  12. Role of the vomeronasal organ on the estral cycle reduction by pheromones in the rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mora, O A; Sánchez-Criado, J E; Guisado, S

    1985-09-01

    The role of he vomeronasal organ on the estral cycle reduction induced by pheromones is studied in adult female wistar rats. The animals were divided in three groups: I, intact rats; II, vomeronasalectomized rats (VNX); and III, sham operated rats (sham). Each group was submitted to another three distinct conditions from the day they were weaned (21 days old): Isolated female rats; with male odors from two adult males of tested sexual potency, and isolated rats again. The isolated intact rats show mainly 5 day length cycles. The groups I and III (intacts and sham) with male odors, show 4 day length cycles. The VNX animals show 5 day cycles in any one experimental conditions. These results support the idea that the vomeronasal organ is the receptor of the male reducing cycle pheromone in the female rat.

  13. The nitrogen cycle in anaerobic methanotrophic mats of the Black Sea is linked to sulfate reduction and biomass decomposition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegert, Michael; Taubert, Martin; Seifert, Jana; von Bergen-Tomm, Martin; Basen, Mirko; Bastida, Felipe; Gehre, Matthias; Richnow, Hans-Hermann; Krüger, Martin

    2013-11-01

    Anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) mats host methane-oxidizing archaea and sulfate-reducing prokaryotes. Little is known about the nitrogen cycle in these communities. Here, we link the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) to the nitrogen cycle in microbial mats of the Black Sea by using stable isotope probing. We used four different (15)N-labeled sources of nitrogen: dinitrogen, nitrate, nitrite and ammonium. We estimated the nitrogen incorporation rates into the total biomass and the methyl coenzyme M reductase (MCR). Dinitrogen played an insignificant role as nitrogen source. Assimilatory and dissimilatory nitrate reduction occurred. High rates of nitrate reduction to dinitrogen were stimulated by methane and sulfate, suggesting that oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds such as sulfides was necessary for AOM with nitrate as electron acceptor. Nitrate reduction to dinitrogen occurred also in the absence of methane as electron donor but at six times slower rates. Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium was independent of AOM. Ammonium was used for biomass synthesis under all conditions. The pivotal enzyme in AOM coupled to sulfate reduction, MCR, was synthesized from nitrate and ammonium. Results show that AOM coupled to sulfate reduction along with biomass decomposition drive the nitrogen cycle in the ANME mats of the Black Sea and that MCR enzymes are involved in this process. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Integral blow moulding for cycle time reduction of CFR-TP aluminium contour joint processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barfuss, Daniel; Würfel, Veit; Grützner, Raik; Gude, Maik; Müller, Roland

    2018-05-01

    Integral blow moulding (IBM) as a joining technology of carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic (CFR-TP) hollow profiles with metallic load introduction elements enables significant cycle time reduction by shortening of the process chain. As the composite part is joined to the metallic part during its consolidation process subsequent joining steps are omitted. In combination with a multi-scale structured load introduction element its form closure function enables to pass very high loads and is capable to achieve high degrees of material utilization. This paper first shows the process set-up utilizing thermoplastic tape braided preforms and two-staged press and internal hydro formed load introduction elements. Second focuses on heating technologies and process optimization. Aiming at cycle time reduction convection and induction heating in regard to the resulting product quality is inspected by photo micrographs and computer tomographic scans. Concluding remarks give final recommendations for the process design in regard to the structural design.

  15. Cycle time reduction using lean six sigma in make-to-order (MTO) environment: Conceptual framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Man, Siti Mariam; Zain, Zakiyah; Nawawi, Mohd Kamal Mohd

    2015-12-01

    This paper outlines the framework for application of lean six sigma (LSS) methodology to improve semiconductor assembly cycle time in a make-to-order (MTO) business environment. The cycle time reduction is the prime objective in the context of an overall productivity improvement particularly in the MTO environment. The interaction of the production rate and cycle time is described, while the emphasis is on Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) and Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) activities. A framework for the conceptual understanding is provided along with practical implementation issues. A relevant measure for the degree of flexibility (DOF) in the context of quick setup is also discussed.

  16. Correlation of Etch Pits and Dislocations in As-grown and Thermal Cycle-Annealed HgCdTe(211) Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaghayenegar, M.; Jacobs, R. N.; Benson, J. D.; Stoltz, A. J.; Almeida, L. A.; Smith, David J.

    2017-08-01

    This paper reports observations of the different types of etch pits and dislocations present in thick HgCdTe (211) layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on CdTe/Si (211) composite substrates. Dislocation analysis for as-grown and thermal cycle-annealed samples has been carried out using bright-field transmission electron microscopy. Triangular pits present in as-grown material are associated with a mixture of Frank partials and perfect dislocations, while pits with fish-eye shapes have perfect dislocations with 1/2[0\\bar{1}1] Burgers vector. The dislocations beneath skew pits are more complex as they have two different crystallographic directions, and are associated with a mixture of Shockley partials and perfect dislocations. Dislocation analysis of samples after thermal cycle annealing (TCA) shows that the majority of dislocations under the etch pits are short segments of perfect dislocations with 1/2[0\\bar{1}1] Burgers vector while the remainder are Shockley partials. The absence of fish-eye shape pits in TCA samples suggests that they are associated with mobile dislocations that have reacted during annealing, causing the overall etch pit density to be reduced. Very large pits with a density ˜2×103 cm-2 are observed in as-grown and TCA samples. These defects thread from within the CdTe buffer layer into the upper regions of the HgCdTe layers. Their depth in as-grown material is so large that it is not possible to locate and identify the underlying defects.

  17. Metabolic flux profiling of MDCK cells during growth and canine adenovirus vector production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carinhas, Nuno; Pais, Daniel A M; Koshkin, Alexey; Fernandes, Paulo; Coroadinha, Ana S; Carrondo, Manuel J T; Alves, Paula M; Teixeira, Ana P

    2016-03-23

    Canine adenovirus vector type 2 (CAV2) represents an alternative to human adenovirus vectors for certain gene therapy applications, particularly neurodegenerative diseases. However, more efficient production processes, assisted by a greater understanding of the effect of infection on producer cells, are required. Combining [1,2-(13)C]glucose and [U-(13)C]glutamine, we apply for the first time (13)C-Metabolic flux analysis ((13)C-MFA) to study E1-transformed Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells metabolism during growth and CAV2 production. MDCK cells displayed a marked glycolytic and ammoniagenic metabolism, and (13)C data revealed a large fraction of glutamine-derived labelling in TCA cycle intermediates, emphasizing the role of glutamine anaplerosis. (13)C-MFA demonstrated the importance of pyruvate cycling in balancing glycolytic and TCA cycle activities, as well as occurrence of reductive alphaketoglutarate (AKG) carboxylation. By turn, CAV2 infection significantly upregulated fluxes through most central metabolism, including glycolysis, pentose-phosphate pathway, glutamine anaplerosis and, more prominently, reductive AKG carboxylation and cytosolic acetyl-coenzyme A formation, suggestive of increased lipogenesis. Based on these results, we suggest culture supplementation strategies to stimulate nucleic acid and lipid biosynthesis for improved canine adenoviral vector production.

  18. Cycle update : advanced fuels and technologies for emissions reduction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smallwood, G. [National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

    2009-07-01

    This paper provided a summary of key achievements of the Program of Energy Research and Development advanced fuels and technologies for emissions reduction (AFTER) program over the funding cycle from fiscal year 2005/2006 to 2008/2009. The purpose of the paper was to inform interested parties of recent advances in knowledge and in science and technology capacities in a concise manner. The paper discussed the high level research and development themes of the AFTER program through the following 4 overarching questions: how could advanced fuels and internal combustion engine designs influence emissions; how could emissions be reduced through the use of engine hardware including aftertreatment devices; how do real-world duty cycles and advanced technology vehicles operating on Canadian fuels compare with existing technologies, models and estimates; and what are the health risks associated with transportation-related emissions. It was concluded that the main issues regarding the use of biodiesel blends in current technology diesel engines are the lack of consistency in product quality; shorter shelf life of biodiesel due to poorer oxidative stability; and a need to develop characterization methods for the final oxygenated product because most standard methods are developed for hydrocarbons and are therefore inadequate. 2 tabs., 13 figs.

  19. In Folio Respiratory Fluxomics Revealed by 13C Isotopic Labeling and H/D Isotope Effects Highlight the Noncyclic Nature of the Tricarboxylic Acid “Cycle” in Illuminated Leaves1[W

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tcherkez, Guillaume; Mahé, Aline; Gauthier, Paul; Mauve, Caroline; Gout, Elizabeth; Bligny, Richard; Cornic, Gabriel; Hodges, Michael

    2009-01-01

    While the possible importance of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle reactions for leaf photosynthesis operation has been recognized, many uncertainties remain on whether TCA cycle biochemistry is similar in the light compared with the dark. It is widely accepted that leaf day respiration and the metabolic commitment to TCA decarboxylation are down-regulated in illuminated leaves. However, the metabolic basis (i.e. the limiting steps involved in such a down-regulation) is not well known. Here, we investigated the in vivo metabolic fluxes of individual reactions of the TCA cycle by developing two isotopic methods, 13C tracing and fluxomics and the use of H/D isotope effects, with Xanthium strumarium leaves. We provide evidence that the TCA “cycle” does not work in the forward direction like a proper cycle but, rather, operates in both the reverse and forward directions to produce fumarate and glutamate, respectively. Such a functional division of the cycle plausibly reflects the compromise between two contrasted forces: (1) the feedback inhibition by NADH and ATP on TCA enzymes in the light, and (2) the need to provide pH-buffering organic acids and carbon skeletons for nitrate absorption and assimilation. PMID:19675152

  20. Extension of cycle 8 of Angra-1 reactor, optimization of electric power generation reduction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miranda, Anselmo Ferreira; Moreira, Francisco Jose; Valladares, Gastao Lommez

    2000-01-01

    The main objective of extending fuel cycle length of Angra-1 reactor, is in fact of that each normal refueling are changed about 40 fuel elements of the reactor core. Considering that these elements do not return for the reactor core, this procedure has became possible a more gain of energy of these elements. The extension consists in, after power generation corresponding to a cycle burnup of 13700 MWD/TMU or 363.3 days, to use the reactivity gain by reduction of power and temperature of primary system for power generation in a low energy patamar

  1. Nuclear medical control of the efficiency of transluminal coronary angioplasty (TCA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klepzig, H. Jr.; Scherer, D.; Kober, G.; Maul, F.D.; Kanemoto, N.; Standke, R.; Hoer, G.; Kaltenbach, M.; Frankfurt Univ.

    1982-01-01

    To assess the results of transluminal coronary angioplasty 48 patients with coronary heart disease were investigated at rest and during exercise with the ECG (46 patients), thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy (26 patients), and equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (38 patients). Exercise stress test was quantified by means of an ischemia score, myocardial scintigraphy by an vitality index and by corresponding redistribution factors, and radionuclide ventriculography by ejection fraction and maximum systolic volume change as a fraction of enddiastolic volume. This, the results show, that in selected cases, TCA can achieve improved left ventricular function and perfusion comparable to that of aortocoronary bypass surgery. (orig./MG) [de

  2. Control, acquisition and data retrieval for the TCA Tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lister, J.B.; Simik, A.

    1981-01-01

    A Modular Control and Acquisition System based on the extensive use of distributed processing power using microprocessors has been designed and implemented in Lausanne for use on the TCA Tokamak experiment. The control system is entirely software-driven. Standardization of the main components has allowed the rapid realisation of a variety of functions for both control and data acquisition. Although there has been a considerable initial investment of design effort, we are now in a position to gain from the simplicity inherent in the modularity of both hardware and software, allowing the rapid realisation of new units tailored to the exact requirements of the physicist or engineer. The communication between these units and the PDP 11/60 analysis computer is via the RS232 terminal interface. This solution has demonstrated considerable advantages during its implementation. (author)

  3. Enhanced reductive de-chlorination of a solvent contaminated aquifer through addition and apparent fermentation of cyclodextrin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanford, William James; Pecoraro, Michael Philip; Heinrichs, Rebecca; Boving, Thomas Bernhard

    2018-01-01

    In a field study, aqueous cyclodextrin (CD) was investigated for its ability to extract chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOC), such as trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA), and dichloroethene (DCE) through in-situ flushing of a sandy aquifer. After cessation of aquifer flushing, a plume of CD was left. Changes in CD, cVOC, and inorganic terminal electron acceptors (TEAs) (DO, nitrate, sulfate, iron) were monitored in four rounds of wellwater sampling (20, 210, 342, and 425 days after cessation of active pumping). Post-CD flushing VOC levels rebounded (850% for TCE, 190% for TCA, and 53% for DCE) between the first two sampling rounds, apparently due to rate-limited desorption from aquifer media and dissolution from remaining NAPL. However, substantial reduction in the mass of TCE (6.3 to 0.11 mol: 98%) and TCA (2.8 to 0.73 mol: 74%) in groundwater was observed between 210 and 425 days. DCE should primarily be produced from the degradation of TCE and is expected to subsequently degrade to chloroethene. Since DCE levels decreased only slightly (0.23 to 0.17 mol: 26%), its degradation rate should be similar to that produced from the decaying TCE. Cyclodextrin was monitored starting from day 210. The mass of residual CD (as measured by Total Organic Carbon) decreased from 150 mol (day 210) to 66 (day 425) (56% decrease). The naturally anaerobic zone within the aquifer where residual CD mass decreased coincided with a loss of other major potential TEAs: nitrate (97% loss), sulfate (31%) and iron (31%). In other studies, TCE and 1,1,1-TCA have been found to be more energetically favorable TEAs than sulfate and iron and their degradation via reductive dechlorination has been found to be enhanced by the fermentation of carbohydrates. Such processes can explain these observations, but more investigation is needed to evaluate whether residual levels of CD can facilitate the anaerobic degradation of chlorinated VOCs.

  4. Comparison of CFD Predictions of the TCA Baseline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cappuccio, Gelsomina

    1999-01-01

    The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) comparisons being presented are compared to each other and to wind tunnel (WT) data on the baseline TCA. Some of the CFD computations were done prior to the tests and others later. Only force data (CL vs CD) from CFD will be presented as part of this report. The WT data presented comes from the testing of the baseline TCA in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT), Test Section #2. There are 2 sets of wind tunnel data being presented: one from test 1671 of model 2a (flapped wing) and the other from test 1679 of model 2b (solid wing). Most of the plots show only one run from each of the WT tests per configuration. But many repeat runs were taken during the tests. The WT repeat runs showed an uncertainty in the drag of +/- 0.5 count. There were times when the uncertainty in drag was better, +/- 0.25 count. Test 1671 data was of forces and pressures measured from model 2a. The wing had cutouts for installing various leading and trailing edge flaps at lower Mach numbers. The internal duct of the nacelles are not designed and fabricated as defined in the outer mold lines (OML) iges file. The internal duct was fabricated such that a linear transition occurs from the inlet to exhaust. Whereas, the iges definition has a constant area internal duct that quickly transitions from the inlet to exhaust cross sectional shape. The nacelle internal duct was fabricated, the way described, to save time and money. The variation in the cross sectional area is less than 1% from the iges definition. The nacelles were also installed with and without fairings. Fairings are defined as the build up of the nacelles on the upper wing surface so that the nacelles poke through the upper surface as defined in the OML iges file. Test 1679 data was of forces measured from model 2a and 2b. The wing for model 2b was a solid wing. The nacelles were built the same way as for model 2a, except for the nacelle base pressure installation. The nacelles were only

  5. Efectos de la publicidad de productos de alimentación en pacientes ingresadas con TCA

    OpenAIRE

    Añaños, Elena

    2016-01-01

    Se estudian los efectos de la publicidad de alimentación, especialmente la relacionada con la estética corporal, en las actitudes y los comportamientos incitados en pacientes ingresadas por TCA. Se analizan las diferencias de los efectos de la publicidad en función de la edad (adolescentes, jóvenes y adultas) y la influencia de la variable enfermedad (anorexia o bulimia).

  6. Microbial reductive dehalogenation of trihalomethanes by a Dehalobacter-containing co-culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Siyan; Rogers, Matthew J; He, Jianzhong

    2017-07-01

    Trihalomethanes such as chloroform and bromoform, although well-known as a prominent class of disinfection by-products, are ubiquitously distributed in the environment due to widespread industrial usage in the past decades. Chloroform and bromoform are particularly concerning, of high concentrations detected and with long half-lives up to several hundred days in soils and groundwater. In this study, we report a Dehalobacter- and Desulfovibrio-containing co-culture that exhibits dehalogenation of chloroform (~0.61 mM) to dichloromethane and bromoform (~0.67 mM) to dibromomethane within 10-15 days. This co-culture was further found to dechlorinate 1,1,1-trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCA) (~0.65 mM) to 1,1-dichloroethane within 12 days. The Dehalobacter species present in this co-culture, designated Dehalobacter sp. THM1, was found to couple growth with dehalogenation of chloroform, bromoform, and 1,1,1-TCA. Strain THM1 harbors a newly identified reductive dehalogenase (RDase), ThmA, which catalyzes chloroform, bromoform, and 1,1,1-TCA dehalogenation. Additionally, based on the sequences of thmA and other identified chloroform RDase genes, ctrA, cfrA, and tmrA, a pair of chloroform RDase gene-specific primers were designed and successfully applied to investigate the chloroform dechlorinating potential of microbial communities. The comparative analysis of chloroform RDases with tetrachloroethene RDases suggests a possible approach in predicting the substrate specificity of uncharacterized RDases in the future.

  7. Gluconeogenesis is associated with high rates of tricarboxylic acid and pyruvate cycling in fasting northern elephant seals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Champagne, Cory D; Houser, Dorian S; Fowler, Melinda A; Costa, Daniel P; Crocker, Daniel E

    2012-08-01

    Animals that endure prolonged periods of food deprivation preserve vital organ function by sparing protein from catabolism. Much of this protein sparing is achieved by reducing metabolic rate and suppressing gluconeogenesis while fasting. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) endure prolonged fasts of up to 3 mo at multiple life stages. During these fasts, elephant seals maintain high levels of activity and energy expenditure associated with breeding, reproduction, lactation, and development while maintaining rates of glucose production typical of a postabsorptive mammal. Therefore, we investigated how fasting elephant seals meet the requirements of glucose-dependent tissues while suppressing protein catabolism by measuring the contribution of glycogenolysis, glycerol, and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to endogenous glucose production (EGP) during their natural 2-mo postweaning fast. Additionally, pathway flux rates associated with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle were measured specifically, flux through phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and pyruvate cycling. The rate of glucose production decreased during the fast (F(1,13) = 5.7, P = 0.04) but remained similar to that of postabsorptive mammals. The fractional contributions of glycogen, glycerol, and PEP did not change with fasting; PEP was the primary gluconeogenic precursor and accounted for ∼95% of EGP. This large contribution of PEP to glucose production occurred without substantial protein loss. Fluxes through the TCA cycle, PEPCK, and pyruvate cycling were higher than reported in other species and were the most energetically costly component of hepatic carbohydrate metabolism. The active pyruvate recycling fluxes detected in elephant seals may serve to rectify gluconeogeneic PEP production during restricted anaplerotic inflow in these fasting-adapted animals.

  8. Status and future program of reactor physics experiments in JAERI Critical facilities, FCA and TCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okajima, Shigeaki; Osugi, Toshitaka; Nakajima, Ken; Suzaki, Takenori; Miyoshi, Yoshinori

    1999-01-01

    The critical facilities in JAERI, FCA (Fast Critical Assembly) and TCA (Tank-type Critical Assembly), have been used to provide integral data for evaluation of nuclear data as well as for development of various types of reactor since they went critical in 1960's. In this paper a review is presented on the experimental programs in both facilities. And the experimental programs in next 5 years are also shown. (author)

  9. Unstructured Grid Euler Method Assessment for Aerodynamics Performance Prediction of the Complete TCA Configuration at Supersonic Cruise Speed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghaffari, Farhad

    1999-01-01

    Unstructured grid Euler computations, performed at supersonic cruise speed, are presented for a proposed high speed civil transport configuration, designated as the Technology Concept Airplane (TCA) within the High Speed Research (HSR) Program. The numerical results are obtained for the complete TCA cruise configuration which includes the wing, fuselage, empennage, diverters, and flow through nacelles at Mach 2.4 for a range of angles-of-attack and sideslip. The computed surface and off-surface flow characteristics are analyzed and the pressure coefficient contours on the wing lower surface are shown to correlate reasonably well with the available pressure sensitive paint results, particularly, for the complex shock wave structures around the nacelles. The predicted longitudinal and lateral/directional performance characteristics are shown to correlate very well with the measured data across the examined range of angles-of-attack and sideslip. The results from the present effort have been documented into a NASA Controlled-Distribution report which is being presently reviewed for publication.

  10. Investigation of the energy transport mechanism in the TCA tokamak by studying the plasma dynamical response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dudok de Wit, Th.; Duval, B.P.; Joye, B.; Lister, J.B.; Moret, J.M.

    1989-01-01

    The energy transport mechanisms that govern the electron temperature behaviour of a tokamak remain very badly understood and up to now no proper model has been proposed that can explain experimental observations such as profile consistency or the influence of the density profile. One approach to this problem, extensively used on TCA, is to study the dynamical response of the plasma due to externally imposed modifications of parameters which have an influence on the plasma energy content. The temporal evolution of the electron temperature will closely depend on the type and the characteristics of the implied mechanisms. Thus a detailed measurement of the dynamical response would reveal experimentally the dominant properties that would have to be taken into account in the elaboration of a model of the transport processes. Most of the results presented here were obtained by analysing the electron temperature response inferred from soft X-ray emissivity during modification of the plasma density due to either gas puffing, laser impurity ablation or alfven wave heating on TCA (a = 0.18 m, R = 0.61 m, B Φ = 1.52 T). 4 refs., 3 figs

  11. A primary reduced TCA flux governs substrate oxidation in T2D skeletal muscle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gaster, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Our current knowledge on substrate oxidation in skeletal muscle in relation to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D) originate mainly from in vivo studies. The oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle is highly influenced by physical activity, ageing, hormonal status, and fiber type composition...... further regulatory mechanism to our understanding of substrate oxidation in human skeletal muscle during normo- an pathophysiological conditions, focusing especially on the governing influence of a primary reduced TCA flux for the diabetic phenotype in skeletal muscle....

  12. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) fuels the tricarboxylic acid cycle and de novo lipid biosynthesis during Bacillus anthracis sporulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadykov, Marat R; Ahn, Jong-Sam; Widhelm, Todd J; Eckrich, Valerie M; Endres, Jennifer L; Driks, Adam; Rutkowski, Gregory E; Wingerd, Kevin L; Bayles, Kenneth W

    2017-06-01

    Numerous bacteria accumulate poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) as an intracellular reservoir of carbon and energy in response to imbalanced nutritional conditions. In Bacillus spp., where PHB biosynthesis precedes the formation of the dormant cell type called the spore (sporulation), the direct link between PHB accumulation and efficiency of sporulation was observed in multiple studies. Although the idea of PHB as an intracellular carbon and energy source fueling sporulation was proposed several decades ago, the mechanisms underlying PHB contribution to sporulation have not been defined. Here, we demonstrate that PHB deficiency impairs Bacillus anthracis sporulation through diminishing the energy status of the cells and by reducing carbon flux into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and de novo lipid biosynthesis. Consequently, this metabolic imbalance decreased biosynthesis of the critical components required for spore integrity and resistance, such as dipicolinic acid (DPA) and the spore's inner membrane. Supplementation of the PHB deficient mutant with exogenous fatty acids overcame these sporulation defects, highlighting the importance of the TCA cycle and lipid biosynthesis during sporulation. Combined, the results of this work reveal the molecular mechanisms of PHB contribution to B. anthracis sporulation and provide valuable insight into the metabolic requirements for this developmental process in Bacillus species. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Inhibitors of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex alter [1-13C]glucose and [U-13C]glutamate metabolism in cerebellar granule neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, Sónia Sá; Gibson, Gary E; Cooper, Arthur J L; Denton, Travis T; Thompson, Charles M; Bunik, Victoria I; Alves, Paula M; Sonnewald, Ursula

    2006-02-15

    Diminished activity of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC), an important component of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, occurs in several neurological diseases. The effect of specific KGDHC inhibitors [phosphonoethyl ester of succinyl phosphonate (PESP) and the carboxy ethyl ester of succinyl phosphonate (CESP)] on [1-13C]glucose and [U-13C]glutamate metabolism in intact cerebellar granule neurons was investigated. Both inhibitors decreased formation of [4-13C]glutamate from [1-13C]glucose, a reduction in label in glutamate derived from [1-13C]glucose/[U-13C]glutamate through a second turn of the TCA cycle and a decline in the amounts of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), aspartate, and alanine. PESP decreased formation of [U-13C]aspartate and total glutathione, whereas CESP decreased concentrations of valine and leucine. The findings are consistent with decreased KGDHC activity; increased alpha-ketoglutarate formation; increased transamination of alpha-ketoglutarate with valine, leucine, and GABA; and new equilibrium position of the aspartate aminotransferase reaction. Overall, the findings also suggest that some carbon derived from alpha-ketoglutarate may bypass the block in the TCA cycle at KGDHC by means of the GABA shunt and/or conversion of valine to succinate. The results suggest the potential of succinyl phosphonate esters for modeling the biochemical and pathophysiological consequences of reduced KGDHC activity in brain diseases.

  14. Icotinib inhibits the invasion of Tca8113 cells via downregulation of nuclear factor κB-mediated matrix metalloproteinase expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Cailing; Yan, Jianguo; Yuan, Guoyan; Zhang, Yinghua; Lu, Derong; Ren, Mingxin; Cui, Weigang

    2014-09-01

    Icotinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which has been revealed to inhibit proliferation in tumor cells. However, the effect of icotinib on cancer cell metastasis remains to be explained. This study examines the effect of icotinib on the migration and invasion of squamous cells of tongue carcinoma (Tca8113 cells) in vitro . The results of the Boyden chamber invasion assay demonstrated that icotinib reduced cell invasion, suppressed the protein levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), MMP-2 and MMP-9, and increased the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1. In addition, icotinib was found to significantly decrease the protein levels of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p65, which suggested that icotinib inhibits NF-κB activity. Furthermore, treatment with the NF-κB inhibitor, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, suppressed cell invasion and MMP-2 expression. These results suggested that icotinib inhibits the invasion of Tca8113 cells by downregulating MMP via the inactivation of the NF-κB signaling pathways.

  15. Influence of the Alfven wave spectrum on the scrape-off layer of the TCA tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, Y.; Hollenstein, C.

    1989-01-01

    The study of the scrape-off layer (SOL) during Alfven wave heating may lead to a better understanding of the antenna-plasma interaction. The scrape-off layer of the TCA tokamak has been widely investigated by means of Langmuir probes. The aim of this work is to present measurements on the influence of the Alfven wave spectrum on the scrape-off layer. These experiments have shown that the plasma boundary layer is strongly affected by the wave field, in particular the ion saturation current and the floating potential. In TCA, as the spectrum evolves due to a density rise, the passage of the Alfven continua and their associated eigenmodes, the Discrete Alfven Wave (DAW) induces a strong depletion in the edge density of up to 70% during the continuum part and a density increase during the crossing of an eigenmode. The floating potential becomes negative during the continua and even more negative crossing the eigenmodes. In case of MHD mode activity, this behaviour changes for power exceeding 100 kW. The profiles of basic parameters are modified, depending on the wave spectrum. MHD mode activity which can occur during the RF (radio frequency) phase considerably alters the behaviour mentioned above. Finally, the modulation of the RF power allows us to characterize the coupling between RF power and typical edge parameters. (orig.)

  16. Configurable Crossbar Switch for Deterministic, Low-latency Inter-blade Communications in a MicroTCA Platform

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karamooz, Saeed [Vadatech Inc. (United States); Breeding, John Eric [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Justice, T Alan [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2017-08-01

    As MicroTCA expands into applications beyond the telecommunications industry from which it originated, it faces new challenges in the area of inter-blade communications. The ability to achieve deterministic, low-latency communications between blades is critical to realizing a scalable architecture. In the past, legacy bus architectures accomplished inter-blade communications using dedicated parallel buses across the backplane. Because of limited fabric resources on its backplane, MicroTCA uses the carrier hub (MCH) for this purpose. Unfortunately, MCH products from commercial vendors are limited to standard bus protocols such as PCI Express, Serial Rapid IO and 10/40GbE. While these protocols have exceptional throughput capability, they are neither deterministic nor necessarily low-latency. To overcome this limitation, an MCH has been developed based on the Xilinx Virtex-7 690T FPGA. This MCH provides the system architect/developer complete flexibility in both the interface protocol and routing of information between blades. In this paper, we present the application of this configurable MCH concept to the Machine Protection System under development for the Spallation Neutron Sources's proton accelerator. Specifically, we demonstrate the use of the configurable MCH as a 12x4-lane crossbar switch using the Aurora protocol to achieve a deterministic, low-latency data link. In this configuration, the crossbar has an aggregate bandwidth of 48 GB/s.

  17. Estimation of subcriticality of TCA using 'indirect estimation method for calculation error'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naito, Yoshitaka; Yamamoto, Toshihiro; Arakawa, Takuya; Sakurai, Kiyoshi

    1996-01-01

    To estimate the subcriticality of neutron multiplication factor in a fissile system, 'Indirect Estimation Method for Calculation Error' is proposed. This method obtains the calculational error of neutron multiplication factor by correlating measured values with the corresponding calculated ones. This method was applied to the source multiplication and to the pulse neutron experiments conducted at TCA, and the calculation error of MCNP 4A was estimated. In the source multiplication method, the deviation of measured neutron count rate distributions from the calculated ones estimates the accuracy of calculated k eff . In the pulse neutron method, the calculation errors of prompt neutron decay constants give the accuracy of the calculated k eff . (author)

  18. Economic assessment of greenhouse gas reduction through low-grade waste heat recovery using organic Rankine cycle (ORC)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Imran, Muhammad; Park, Byung Sik; Kim, Hyouck Ju; Usman, Muhammad [University of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Dong Hyun [Korea Institute of Energy Research, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-02-15

    Low-grade waste heat recovery technologies reduce the environmental impact of fossil fuels and improve overall efficiency. This paper presents the economic assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction through waste heat recovery using organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The ORC engine is one of the mature low temperature heat engines. The low boiling temperature of organic working fluid enables ORC to recover low-temperature waste heat. The recovered waste heat is utilized to produce electricity and hot water. The GHG emissions for equivalent power and hot water from three fossil fuels-coal, natural gas, and diesel oil-are estimated using the fuel analysis approach and corresponding emission factors. The relative decrease in GHG emission is calculated using fossil fuels as the base case. The total cost of the ORC system is used to analyze the GHG reduction cost for each of the considered fossil fuels. A sensitivity analysis is also conducted to investigate the effect of the key parameter of the ORC system on the cost of GHG reduction. Throughout the 20-year life cycle of the ORC plant, the GHG reduction cost for R245fa is 0.02 $/kg to 0.04 $/kg and that for pentane is 0.04 $/kg to 0.05 $/kg. The working fluid, evaporation pressure, and pinch point temperature difference considerably affect the GHG emission.

  19. Relevancia de Factores de Riesgo, Psicopatología Alimentaria, Insatisfacción Corporal y Funcionamiento Psicológico en Pacientes con TCA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Carretero García

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo: El primer objetivo del estudio es evaluar restrospectivamente, la relevancia de factores de riesgo en pacientes con Trastorno de la Conducta Alimentaria (TCA en función de la categoría diagnóstica. El segundo objetivo, es evaluar la psicopatología alimentaria, la insatisfacción corporal y el funcionamiento psicológico en cada grupo diagnóstico. Método: Se evalúa en el momento previo al tratamiento de TCA, un total de 73 pacientes con diferentes criterios diagnósticos: Bulimia Nerviosa Purgativa (BN-P; n=29, la provisional forma diagnóstica del Trastorno por Atracón (TA; n=6, el Trastorno de la Conducta Alimentaria No Especificado tipo Purgativo (TCANE-P; n=17 y el Trastorno de la Conducta Alimentaria No Especificado tipo Restrictivo (TCANE-R; n=21. Resultados: Se hallan como factores de riesgo de consistencia el antecedente de obesidad y el inicio del TCA en la adolescencia. El inicio de la menarquia en la edad temprana no resulta ser un factor de riesgo. El Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC refleja la sintomatología alimentaria de cada cuadro diagnóstico. El grupo BN-P, se caracteriza por presentar mayor severidad en la sintomatología alimentaria. La mayoría de grupos presenta larga duración de la enfermedad, dificultades en la imagen corporal, el funcionamiento psicosocial y características de personalidad. El sentimiento de ineficacia no fue una característica clínica en casos de TA. Conclusiones: El que los antecedentes de obesidad se hayan mostrado como un factor de riesgo de consistencia en los TCA es un argumento más a favor de la necesidad de su prevención. Las dificultades en el funcionamiento psicosocial encontradas en casos clínicos con TA, avalarían la necesidad de líneas de intervención de tipo más interpersonal en este tipo de pacientes.

  20. Wave propagation and absorption in the electron cyclotron frequency range for TCA and TCV machines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardinali, A.

    1990-01-01

    The main theoretical aspects of the propagation and absorption of electron cyclotron frequency waves are reviewed and applied to TCA and TCV tokamak plasmas. In particular the electromagnetic cold dispersion relation is solved analytically and numerically in order to recall the basic properties of mode propagation and to calculate the ray-trajectories by means of geometric optics. A numerical code which integrates the coupled first order differential ray-equations, has been developed and applied to the cases of interest. (author) 4 figs., 23 refs

  1. Isomerization of α-pinene in the terpentin oil with TCA/Natural Zeolite using microwave irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wijayati, N.; Supartono; Kusumastuti, E.

    2018-04-01

    The catalytic potensial of trichloroacetic acid (TCA)//Natural Zeolite in the isomerization of α-pinene in the terpentin oil was investigated. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the power of microvawe on activity and selectivity of catalyst. The main product were champhene, terpinene, limonene, p-cymene, and terpinolene. The highest selectivity was 28.26% with a conversion of 23.25%, whereas the higher conversion was 98.99% with selectivity of 16.90% at room temperature using power of microwave 640 W.

  2. Effects of bioaugmentation on enhanced reductive dechlorination of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in groundwater - a comparison of three sites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scheutz, Charlotte; Durant, Neal D.; Broholm, Mette Martina

    2014-01-01

    , microcosms were amended with various concentrations of chloroethanes (TCA or monochloroethane [CA]) and/or chloroethenes (tetrachloroethene [PCE], trichloroethene [TCE], or 1,1-dichloroethene [1,1-DCE]). Results showed that combined electron donor addition and bioaugmentation stimulated dechlorination of TCA...... and 1,1-dichloroethane (1,1-DCA) to CA, and dechlorination of PCE, TCE, 1,1-DCE and cDCE to ethane. Dechlorination of CA was not observed. Bioaugmentation improved the rate and extent of TCA and 1,1-DCA dechlorination at two sites, but did not accelerate dechlorination at a third site where geochemical...... conditions were reducing and Dhc and Dhb were indigenous. TCA at initial concentrations of 5 mg/L inhibited (i.e., slowed the rate of) TCA dechlorination, TCE dechlorination, donor fermentation, and methanogenesis. 1 mg/L TCA did not inhibit dechlorination of TCA, TCE or cDCE. Moreover, complete...

  3. Upregulated ROS production induced by the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 on XBP1 gene expression and cell apoptosis in Tca-8113 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hai-ying; Ren, Xiao-yan; Wang, Wei-hua; Zhang, Ying-xin; Chen, Shuang-feng; Zhang, Bin; Wang, Le-xin

    2014-07-01

    Exposure of Tca-8113 cells to proteasome inhibitor carbobenzoxy-Leu-Leu-leucinal (MG-132) causing apoptosis is associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. X-box-binding protein-1 (XBP1) is an important regulator of a subset of genes active during ER stress, which is related to cell survival and is required for tumor growth. The present study is to evaluate the effect of MG-132 on ROS production, XBP1 gene expression, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2), ASK1 and c-jun protein expression in tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line Tca-8113 cells. ROS production was measured by reactive oxygen species assay. X-box binding protein-1 (XBP1) mRNA was analyzed by real-time-PCR, TRAF2, ASK1 and c-jun protein were investigated by western blot and immunocytochemistry respectively. The result indicated that ROS production, TRAF2, ASK1 and c-jun were elevated in MG-132 treated cells. Giving ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) largely prevented the effects of MG-132. Furthermore, treating with MG-132 lead to decreased XBP1 mRNA expression but could not completely block the expression of XBP1. Taken together, these findings provide the evidence that MG-132 induced ER stress lead to Tca-8113 cells apoptosis through ROS generation and TRAF2-ASK1-JNK signal pathway activation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  4. Influence of the Alfven wave spectrum on the scrape-off layer of the TCA tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, Y.; Hollenstein, Ch.

    1988-01-01

    The study of the Scrape-Off Layer (SOL) during Alfven wave heating may lead to a better understanding of the antenna-plasma interaction. The SOL of the TCA tokamak has been widely investigated by means of Langmuir probes. The aim of the present work is to present in detail the influence of the Alfven wave spectrum on the SOL. The experiments have shown that the plasma boundary layer is strongly affected by the RF, in particular the ion density, the electron temperature and the floating potential. In TCA, as the spectrum evolves due to a density rise, the passage of the Alfven continua and their associated eigenmodes (DAW) induces a strong depletion in the edge density of up to 70% during the continuum part and a density increase during the crossing of an eigenmode. The floating potential becomes negative during the continua and even more negative crossing the eigenmodes. This behaviour changes as a function of the power transmitted to the plasma through the antennae, especially we have found with MHD modes a change around 100 kW. The profiles of the basic parameters are modified, depending on the wave spectrum. MHD mode activity which can occur during the RF phase considerably alters the behaviour mentioned above. Finally, the modulation of the RF power allows us to characterize the difference in coupling, for the continua and the eigenmodes, between the Alfven wave field and the scrape-off layer. (author) 5 figs., 6 refs

  5. Rates of insulin secretion in INS-1 cells are enhanced by coupling to anaplerosis and Kreb’s cycle flux independent of ATP synthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cline, Gary W.; Pongratz, Rebecca L.; Zhao, Xiaojian; Papas, Klearchos K.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: ► We studied media effects on mechanisms of insulin secretion of INS-1 cells. ► Insulin secretion was higher in DMEM than KRB despite identical ATP synthesis rates. ► Insulin secretion rates correlated with rates of anaplerosis and TCA cycle. ► Mitochondria metabolism and substrate cycles augment secretion signal of ATP. -- Abstract: Mechanistic models of glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) established in minimal media in vitro, may not accurately describe the complexity of coupling metabolism with insulin secretion that occurs in vivo. As a first approximation, we have evaluated metabolic pathways in a typical growth media, DMEM as a surrogate in vivo medium, for comparison to metabolic fluxes observed under the typical experimental conditions using the simple salt-buffer of KRB. Changes in metabolism in response to glucose and amino acids and coupling to insulin secretion were measured in INS-1 832/13 cells. Media effects on mitochondrial function and the coupling efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation were determined by fluorometrically measured oxygen consumption rates (OCRs) combined with 31 P NMR measured rates of ATP synthesis. Substrate preferences and pathways into the TCA cycle, and the synthesis of mitochondrial 2nd messengers by anaplerosis were determined by 13 C NMR isotopomer analysis of the fate of [U- 13 C] glucose metabolism. Despite similar incremental increases in insulin secretion, the changes of OCR in response to increasing glucose from 2.5 to 15 mM were blunted in DMEM relative to KRB. Basal and stimulated rates of insulin secretion rates were consistently higher in DMEM, while ATP synthesis rates were identical in both DMEM and KRB, suggesting greater mitochondrial uncoupling in DMEM. The relative rates of anaplerosis, and hence synthesis and export of 2nd messengers from the mitochondria were found to be similar in DMEM to those in KRB. And, the correlation of total PC flux with insulin secretion rates in DMEM

  6. Research of high speed data readout and pre-processing system based on xTCA for silicon pixel detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Jingzhou; Lin Haichuan; Guo Fang; Liu Zhen'an; Xu Hao; Gong Wenxuan; Liu Zhao

    2012-01-01

    As the development of the detector, Silicon pixel detectors have been widely used in high energy physics experiments. It needs data processing system with high speed, high bandwidth and high availability to read data from silicon pixel detectors which generate more large data. The same question occurs on Belle II Pixel Detector which is a new style silicon pixel detector used in SuperKEKB accelerator with high luminance. The paper describes the research of High speed data readout and pre-processing system based on xTCA for silicon pixel detector. The system consists of High Performance Computer Node (HPCN) based on xTCA and ATCA frame. The HPCN consists of 4XFPs based on AMC, 1 AMC Carrier ATCA Board (ACAB) and 1 Rear Transmission Module. It characterized by 5 high performance FPGAs, 16 fiber links based on RocketIO, 5 Gbit Ethernet ports and DDR2 with capacity up to 18GB. In a ATCA frame, 14 HPCNs make up a system using the high speed backplane to achieve the function of data pre-processing and trigger. This system will be used on the trigger and data acquisition system of Belle II Pixel detector. (authors)

  7. Transformation of Leaf-like Zinc Dendrite in Oxidation and Reduction Cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakata, Akiyoshi; Murayama, Haruno; Fukuda, Katsutoshi; Yamane, Tomokazu; Arai, Hajime; Hirai, Toshiro; Uchimoto, Yoshiharu; Yamaki, Jun-ichi; Ogumi, Zempachi

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Leaf-like zinc dendrites change to leaf-like residual oxides at high oxidation current density (10 mA cm −2 ) whereas it completely dissolves at low oxidation current density (1 mA cm −2 ). • Leaf-like residual oxide products is transformed to zinc deposits with particulate morphology, resulting in good rechargeability. • The residual zinc oxide provides sufficient zincate on its reduction, preventing the diffusion-limited condition that causes leaf-like dendrite formation. - Abstract: Zinc is a promising negative electrode material for aqueous battery systems whereas it shows insufficient rechargeability for use in secondary batteries. It has been reported that leaf-like dendrite deposits are often the origin of cell-failure, however, their nature and behavior on discharge (oxidation) - charge (reduction) cycling have been only poorly understood. Here we investigate the transformation of the leaf-like zinc dendrites using ex-situ scanning electron microscopy, X-ray computational tomography and in-situ X-ray diffraction. It is shown that the leaf-like zinc dendrites obtained under diffusion-limited conditions are nearly completely dissolved at a low oxidation current density of 1 mA cm −2 and cause re-evolution of the zinc dendrites. Oxidation at a high current density of 10 mA cm −2 leads to the formation of leaf-like zinc oxide residual products that result in particulate zinc deposits in the following reduction process, enabling good rechargeability. The reaction behavior of this oxide residue is detailed and discussed for the development of long-life zinc electrodes

  8. Addition of urea and thiourea to electrophoresis sample buffer improves efficiency of protein extraction from TCA/acetone-treated smooth muscle tissues for phos-tag SDS-PAGE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeya, Kosuke; Kaneko, Toshiyuki; Miyazu, Motoi; Takai, Akira

    2018-01-01

    Phosphorylation analysis by using phos-tag technique has been reported to be suitable for highly sensitive quantification of smooth muscle myosin regulatory light chain (LC 20 ) phosphorylation. However, there is another factor that will affect the sensitivity of phosphorylation analysis, that is, protein extraction. Here, we optimized the conditions for total protein extraction out of trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-fixed tissues. Standard SDS sample buffer extracted less LC 20 , actin and myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1) from TCA/acetone treated ciliary muscle strips. On the other hand, sample buffer containing urea and thiourea in addition to lithium dodecyl sulfate (LDS) or SDS extracted those proteins more efficiently, and thus increased the detection sensitivity up to 4-5 fold. Phos-tag SDS-PAGE separated dephosphorylated and phosphorylated LC 20 s extracted in LDS/urea/thiourea sample buffer to the same extent as those in standard SDS buffer. We have concluded that LDS (or SDS) /urea/thiourea sample buffer is suitable for highly sensitive phosphorylation analysis in smooth muscle, especially when it is treated with TCA/acetone. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Propionate Increases Hepatic Pyruvate Cycling and Anaplerosis and Alters Mitochondrial Metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perry, Rachel J; Borders, Candace B; Cline, Gary W

    2016-01-01

    /tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to directly assess pyruvate cycling relative to mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism (VPyr-Cyc/VMito) in vivo using [3-(13)C]lactate as a tracer. Using this approach, VPyr-Cyc/VMito was only 6% in overnight fasted rats. In contrast, when propionate was infused simultaneously...... at doses previously used as a tracer, it increased VPyr-Cyc/VMito by 20-30-fold, increased hepatic TCA metabolite concentrations 2-3-fold, and increased endogenous glucose production rates by 20-100%. The physiologic stimuli, glucagon and epinephrine, both increased hepatic glucose production, but only...... tracer to assess hepatic glycolytic, gluconeogenic, and mitochondrial metabolism in vivo....

  10. Reductive dechlorination of chlorinated hydrocarbons as non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL): Preliminary investigation on effects of cement doses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Do, Si-Hyun, E-mail: sihyun2@hanyang.ac.kr [Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Batchelor, Bill [Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States)

    2012-07-15

    The reactivities of various types of iron mixtures to degrade chlorinated hydrocarbons (PCE, TCE and 1,1,1-TCA) in the form of non-aqueous phase liquids were investigated. The iron mixtures included a mixture of Fe(II) and Portland cement (Fe(II)-C), a mixture of Fe(II), Fe(III) and Ca(OH){sub 2} (Fe(II/III)-L), and a mixture of Fe(II), Fe(III), Ca(OH){sub 2}, and Portland cement (Fe(II/III)-C). When the same amount of Fe(II) was used, Fe(II)-C was more reactive with chlorinated ethylenes (i.e. PCE and TCE) than Fe(II/III)-L. The reductive pathway for high concentrations of total PCE (i.e. above solubility) with Fe(II)-C was determined to be a combination of two-electron transfer, {beta}-elimination and hydrogenolysis. Increasing the cement dose from 5% to 10% in Fe(II)-C did not affect PCE dechlorination rates, but it did favor the {beta}-elimination pathway. In addition, when Fe(II/III)-C with 5%C was used, PCE dechlorination was similar to that by Fe(II)-C, but this mixture did not effectively degrade TCE. A modified second-order kinetic model was developed and shown to appropriately describe degradation of TCE at high concentrations. Fe(II/III)-L effectively degraded high concentrations of 1,1,1-TCA at rates that were similar to those obtained with Fe(II)-C using 10% C. Moreover, both increasing cement doses and the presence of Fe(III) increased dechlorination rates of 1,1,1-TCA, which was mainly through the hydrogenolysis pathway. The reactivity of Fe(II/III)-L was strongly dependent on the target compound (i.e. less reactivity with TCE, more with 1,1,1-TCA). Therefore, Fe(II/III)-L could be a potential mixture for degrading 1,1,1-TCA, but it should be modified to degrade TCE more effectively. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer TCE yield indicated that PCE dechlorination was through hydrogenolysis and {beta}-elimination. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer {beta}-elimination, especially PCE to dichloroacetylene, was favored with the higher cement doses. Black

  11. Branched-Chain Aminotransferases Control TORC1 Signaling in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanne M Kingsbury

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The conserved target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1 integrates nutrient signals to orchestrate cell growth and proliferation. Leucine availability is conveyed to control TORC1 activity via the leu-tRNA synthetase/EGOC-GTPase module in yeast and mammals, but the mechanisms sensing leucine remain only partially understood. We show here that both leucine and its α-ketoacid metabolite, α-ketoisocaproate, effectively activate the yeast TORC1 kinase via both EGOC GTPase-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Leucine and α-ketoisocaproate are interconverted by ubiquitous branched-chain aminotransferases (BCAT, which in yeast are represented by the mitochondrial and cytosolic enzymes Bat1 and Bat2, respectively. BCAT yeast mutants exhibit severely compromised TORC1 activity, which is partially restored by expression of Bat1 active site mutants, implicating both catalytic and structural roles of BCATs in TORC1 control. We find that Bat1 interacts with branched-chain amino acid metabolic enzymes and, in a leucine-dependent fashion, with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA-cycle enzyme aconitase. BCAT mutation perturbed TCA-cycle intermediate levels, consistent with a TCA-cycle block, and resulted in low ATP levels, activation of AMPK, and TORC1 inhibition. We propose the biosynthetic capacity of BCAT and its role in forming multicomplex metabolons connecting branched-chain amino acids and TCA-cycle metabolism governs TCA-cycle flux to activate TORC1 signaling. Because mammalian mitochondrial BCAT is known to form a supramolecular branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase enzyme complex that links leucine metabolism to the TCA-cycle, these findings establish a precedent for understanding TORC1 signaling in mammals.

  12. Rates of insulin secretion in INS-1 cells are enhanced by coupling to anaplerosis and Kreb's cycle flux independent of ATP synthesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cline, Gary W., E-mail: gary.cline@yale.edu [The Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Pongratz, Rebecca L.; Zhao, Xiaojian [The Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); Papas, Klearchos K. [Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States)

    2011-11-11

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We studied media effects on mechanisms of insulin secretion of INS-1 cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Insulin secretion was higher in DMEM than KRB despite identical ATP synthesis rates. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Insulin secretion rates correlated with rates of anaplerosis and TCA cycle. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mitochondria metabolism and substrate cycles augment secretion signal of ATP. -- Abstract: Mechanistic models of glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) established in minimal media in vitro, may not accurately describe the complexity of coupling metabolism with insulin secretion that occurs in vivo. As a first approximation, we have evaluated metabolic pathways in a typical growth media, DMEM as a surrogate in vivo medium, for comparison to metabolic fluxes observed under the typical experimental conditions using the simple salt-buffer of KRB. Changes in metabolism in response to glucose and amino acids and coupling to insulin secretion were measured in INS-1 832/13 cells. Media effects on mitochondrial function and the coupling efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation were determined by fluorometrically measured oxygen consumption rates (OCRs) combined with {sup 31}P NMR measured rates of ATP synthesis. Substrate preferences and pathways into the TCA cycle, and the synthesis of mitochondrial 2nd messengers by anaplerosis were determined by {sup 13}C NMR isotopomer analysis of the fate of [U-{sup 13}C] glucose metabolism. Despite similar incremental increases in insulin secretion, the changes of OCR in response to increasing glucose from 2.5 to 15 mM were blunted in DMEM relative to KRB. Basal and stimulated rates of insulin secretion rates were consistently higher in DMEM, while ATP synthesis rates were identical in both DMEM and KRB, suggesting greater mitochondrial uncoupling in DMEM. The relative rates of anaplerosis, and hence synthesis and export of 2nd messengers from the mitochondria were found

  13. Growth and characterization of InP/GaAs on SOI by MOCVD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karam, N.H.; Haven, V.; Vernon, S.M.; Namavar, F.; El-Masry, N.; Haegel, N.; Al-Jassin, M.M.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports that epitaxial InP films have been successfully deposited on GaAs coated silicon wafers with a buried oxide for the first time by MOCVD. The SOI wafers were prepared using the Separation by Implantation of Oxygen (SIMOX) process. The quality of InP on SIMOX is comparable to the best of InP on Si deposited in the same reactor. Preliminary results on defect reduction techniques such as Thermal Cycle Growth (TCG) show an order of magnitude increase in the photoluminescence intensity and a factor of five reduction in the defect density. TCG has been found more effective than Thermal Cycle Annealing (TCA) in improving the crystalline perfection and optical properties of the deposited films

  14. Modes of carbon fixation in an arsenic and CO2-rich shallow hydrothermal ecosystem

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Callac, Nolwenn; Posth, Nicole R.; Rattray, Jayne E.

    2017-01-01

    for autotrophic carbon fixation used in the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) and reverse tricaboxylic acid (rTCA) cycles. Both forms of RuBisCO, together with ATP citrate lyase genes in the rTCA cycle, increase with distance from the active hydrothermal centres and decrease with sediment depth. Clustering of Ru...

  15. A Natural Light/Dark Cycle Regulation of Carbon-Nitrogen Metabolism and Gene Expression in Rice Shoots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haixing; Liang, Zhijun; Ding, Guangda; Shi, Lei; Xu, Fangsen; Cai, Hongmei

    2016-01-01

    Light and temperature are two particularly important environmental cues for plant survival. Carbon and nitrogen are two essential macronutrients required for plant growth and development, and cellular carbon and nitrogen metabolism must be tightly coordinated. In order to understand how the natural light/dark cycle regulates carbon and nitrogen metabolism in rice plants, we analyzed the photosynthesis, key carbon-nitrogen metabolites, and enzyme activities, and differentially expressed genes and miRNAs involved in the carbon and nitrogen metabolic pathway in rice shoots at the following times: 2:00, 6:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00, and 22:00. Our results indicated that more CO2 was fixed into carbohydrates by a high net photosynthetic rate, respiratory rate, and stomatal conductance in the daytime. Although high levels of the nitrate reductase activity, free ammonium and carbohydrates were exhibited in the daytime, the protein synthesis was not significantly facilitated by the light and temperature. In mRNA sequencing, the carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related differentially expressed genes were obtained, which could be divided into eight groups: photosynthesis, TCA cycle, sugar transport, sugar metabolism, nitrogen transport, nitrogen reduction, amino acid metabolism, and nitrogen regulation. Additionally, a total of 78,306 alternative splicing events have been identified, which primarily belong to alternative 5' donor sites, alternative 3' acceptor sites, intron retention, and exon skipping. In sRNA sequencing, four carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related miRNAs (osa-miR1440b, osa-miR2876-5p, osa-miR1877 and osa-miR5799) were determined to be regulated by natural light/dark cycle. The expression level analysis showed that the four carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related miRNAs negatively regulated their target genes. These results may provide a good strategy to study how natural light/dark cycle regulates carbon and nitrogen metabolism to ensure plant growth and

  16. A natural light/dark cycle regulation of carbon-nitrogen metabolism and gene expression in rice shoots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haixing Li

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Light and temperature are two particularly important environmental cues for plant survival. Carbon and nitrogen are two essential macronutrients required for plant growth and development, and cellular carbon and nitrogen metabolism must be tightly coordinated. In order to understand how the natural light/dark cycle regulates carbon and nitrogen metabolism in rice plants, we analyzed the photosynthesis, key carbon-nitrogen metabolites and enzyme activities, and differentially expressed genes and miRNAs involved in the carbon and nitrogen metabolic pathway in rice shoots at the following times: 2:00, 6:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00 and 22:00. Our results indicated that more CO2 was fixed into carbohydrates by a high net photosynthetic rate, respiratory rate and stomatal conductance in the daytime. Although high levels of the nitrate reductase activity, free ammonium and carbohydrates were exhibited in the daytime, the protein synthesis was not significantly facilitated by the light and temperature. In mRNA sequencing, the carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related differentially expressed genes were obtained, which could be divided into eight groups: photosynthesis, TCA cycle, sugar transport, sugar metabolism, nitrogen transport, nitrogen reduction, amino acid metabolism and nitrogen regulation. Additionally, a total of 78,306 alternative splicing events have been identified, which primarily belong to alternative 5' donor sites, alternative 3' acceptor sites, intron retention and exon skipping. In sRNA sequencing, four carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related miRNAs (osa-miR1440b, osa-miR2876-5p, osa-miR1877 and osa-miR5799 were determined to be regulated by natural light/dark cycle. The expression level analysis showed that the four carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related miRNAs negatively regulated their target genes. These results may provide a good strategy to study how natural light/dark cycle regulates carbon and nitrogen metabolism to ensure plant

  17. Greenhouse gas reductions through enhanced use of residues in the life cycle of Malaysian palm oil derived biodiesel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Sune Balle; Olsen, Stig Irving; Ujang, Zaini

    2012-01-01

    This study identifies the potential greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, which can be achieved by optimizing the use of residues in the life cycle of palm oil derived biodiesel. This is done through compilation of data on existing and prospective treatment technologies as well as practical experiments...... extraction from empty fruit bunches was found to be the most significant in the biodiesel production life cycle. All the studied waste treatment technologies performed significantly better than the conventional practices and with dedicated efforts of optimized use in the palm oil industry, the production...

  18. Common Variance Among Three Measures of Nonverbal Cognitive Ability: WISC-R Performance Scale, WJPB-TCA Reasoning Cluster, and Halstead Category Test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Telzrow, Cathy F.; Harr, Gale A.

    1987-01-01

    Examined the relationships among two psychometric measures of nonverbal cognitive ability - The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJPB-TCA) and a neuropsychological test of abstract reasoning and concept formation (Halstead Category Test) in 25…

  19. Measurement of toroidal and poloidal plasma rotation in TCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duval, B.P.; Joye, B.; Marchal, B.

    1991-01-01

    With optimal observation geometry we have measured both the toroidal and poloidal rotation velocities in the edge and in the bulk of the TCA plasma. Regular calibration and correction for variations in the spectrometer temperature permitted a measurement with an error of ∼0.5 km/s which is an order of magnitude smaller than the range of measured velocities. In general, changes in the velocities are observed to be stronger and faster in the plasma edge than in the plasma bulk. With increasing density, the toroidal velocity is observed to change sign and follow the plasma density, while the poloidal velocity increases. These two effects lead to an increase in the absolute value of the radial electric field. With very strong gas puffing, the toroidal velocity is observed to again reverse and tend to zero, an effect which is stronger as the gradient of the density ramp is increased. Comparison between gas puffing and high power AWH does not show a significant difference in the radial electric field that could be responsible for the large associated density rise, which still remains unexplained. (author) 4 figs., 2 refs

  20. Impact of global transcriptional regulation by ArcA, ArcB, Cra, Crp, Cya, Fnr, and Mlc on glucose catabolism in Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perrenoud, Annik; Sauer, Uwe

    2005-05-01

    Even though transcriptional regulation plays a key role in establishing the metabolic network, the extent to which it actually controls the in vivo distribution of metabolic fluxes through different pathways is essentially unknown. Based on metabolism-wide quantification of intracellular fluxes, we systematically elucidated the relevance of global transcriptional regulation by ArcA, ArcB, Cra, Crp, Cya, Fnr, and Mlc for aerobic glucose catabolism in batch cultures of Escherichia coli. Knockouts of ArcB, Cra, Fnr, and Mlc were phenotypically silent, while deletion of the catabolite repression regulators Crp and Cya resulted in a pronounced slow-growth phenotype but had only a nonspecific effect on the actual flux distribution. Knockout of ArcA-dependent redox regulation, however, increased the aerobic tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity by over 60%. Like aerobic conditions, anaerobic derepression of TCA cycle enzymes in an ArcA mutant significantly increased the in vivo TCA flux when nitrate was present as an electron acceptor. The in vivo and in vitro data demonstrate that ArcA-dependent transcriptional regulation directly or indirectly controls TCA cycle flux in both aerobic and anaerobic glucose batch cultures of E. coli. This control goes well beyond the previously known ArcA-dependent regulation of the TCA cycle during microaerobiosis.

  1. Urinary Loss of Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Intermediates As Revealed by Metabolomics Studies: An Underlying Mechanism to Reduce Lipid Accretion by Whey Protein Ingestion?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Whey protein intake is associated with the modulation of energy metabolism and altered body composition both in human subjects and in animals, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet elucidated. We fed obesity-prone C57BL/6J mice high-fat diets with either casein (HF casein) or whey (HF whey) for 6 weeks. At equal energy intake and apparent fat and nitrogen digestibility, mice fed HF whey stored less energy as lipids, evident both as lower white adipose tissue mass and as reduced liver lipids, compared with HF-casein-fed mice. Explorative analyses of 48 h urine, both by 1H NMR and LC–MS metabolomic platforms, demonstrated higher urinary excretion of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates citric acid and succinic acid (identified by both platforms), and cis-aconitic acid and isocitric acid (identified by LC–MS platform) in the HF whey, relative to in the HF-casein-fed mice. Targeted LC–MS analyses revealed higher citric acid and cis-aconitic acid concentrations in fed state plasma, but not in liver of HF-whey-fed mice. We propose that enhanced urinary loss of TCA cycle metabolites drain available substrates for anabolic processes, such as lipogenesis, thereby leading to reduced lipid accretion in HF-whey-fed compared to HF-casein-fed mice. PMID:24702026

  2. Sulfur cycle

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    LokaBharathi, P.A.

    Microbes, especially bacteria, play an important role in oxidative and reductive cycle of sulfur. The oxidative part of the cycle is mediated by photosynthetic bacteria in the presence of light energy and chemosynthetic forms in the absence of light...

  3. An object oriented framework of EPICS for MicroTCA based control system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geng, Z.

    2012-01-01

    EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) is a distributed control system platform which has been widely used for large scientific devices control like particle accelerators and fusion plant. EPICS has introduced object oriented (C ++ ) interfaces to most of the core services. But the major part of EPICS, the run-time database, only provides C interfaces, which is hard to involve the EPICS record concerned data and routines in the object oriented architecture of the software. This paper presents an object oriented framework which contains some abstract classes to encapsulate the EPICS record concerned data and routines in C ++ classes so that full OOA (Objected Oriented Analysis) and OOD (Object Oriented Design) methodologies can be used for EPICS IOC design. We also present a dynamic device management scheme for the hot swap capability of the MicroTCA based control system. (authors)

  4. Ammonia-induced energy disorders interfere with bilirubin metabolism in hepatocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qiongye; Wang, Yanfang; Yu, Zujiang; Li, Duolu; Jia, Bin; Li, Jingjing; Guan, Kelei; Zhou, Yubing; Chen, Yanling; Kan, Quancheng

    2014-08-01

    Hyperammonemia and jaundice are the most common clinical symptoms of hepatic failure. Decreasing the level of ammonia in the blood is often accompanied by a reduction in bilirubin in patients with hepatic failure. Previous studies have shown that hyperammonemia can cause bilirubin metabolism disorders, however it is unclear exactly how hyperammonemia interferes with bilirubin metabolism in hepatocytes. The purpose of the current study was to determine the mechanism or mechanisms by which hyperammonemia interferes with bilirubin metabolism in hepatocytes. Cell viability and apoptosis were analyzed in primary hepatocytes that had been exposed to ammonium chloride. Mitochondrial morphology and permeability were observed and analyzed, intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle were determined and changes in the expression of enzymes related to bilirubin metabolism were analyzed after ammonia exposure. Hyperammonemia inhibited cell growth, induced apoptosis, damaged the mitochondria and hindered the TCA cycle in hepatocytes. This led to a reduction in energy synthesis, eventually affecting the expression of enzymes related to bilirubin metabolism, which then caused further problems with bilirubin metabolism. These effects were significant, but could be reversed with the addition of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This study demonstrates that ammonia can cause problems with bilirubin metabolism by interfering with energy synthesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. A micro-TCA based data acquisition system for the Triple-GEM detectors for the upgrade of the CMS forward muon spectrometer

    CERN Document Server

    Lenzi, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    We will present the electronic and DAQ system being developed for TripleGEM detectors which will be installed in the CMS muon spectrometer. The microTCA system uses an Advanced Mezzanine Card equipped with an FPGA and the Versatile Link with the GBT chipset to link the front and back-end. On the detector an FPGA mezzanine board, the OptoHybrid, has to collect the data from the detector readout chips to transmit them optically to the microTCA boards using the GBT protocol. We will describe the hardware architecture, report on the status of the developments, and present results obtained with the system.In this contribution we will report on the progress of the design of the electronic readout and data acquisition (DAQ) system being developed for Triple-GEM detectors which will be installed in the forward region (1.5 < eta < 2.2) of the CMS muon spectrometer during the 2nd long shutdown of the LHC, planed for the period 2018-2019. The architecture of the Triple-GEM readout system is based on the use of the...

  6. Effects of pentylenetetrazole and glutamate on metabolism of [U-(13)C]glucose in cultured cerebellar granule neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eloqayli, Haytham; Qu, Hong; Unsgård, Geirmund; Sletvold, Olav; Hadidi, Hakam; Sonnewald, Ursula

    2002-02-01

    This study was performed to analyze the effects of glutamate and the epileptogenic agent pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) on neuronal glucose metabolism. Cerebellar granule neurons were incubated for 2 h in medium containing 3 mM [U-(13)C]glucose, with and without 0.25 mM glutamate and/or 10 mM PTZ. In the presence of PTZ, decreased glucose consumption with unchanged lactate release was observed, indicating decreased glucose oxidation. PTZ also slowed down tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity as evidenced by the decreased amounts of labeled aspartate and [1,2-(13)C]glutamate. When glutamate was present, glucose consumption was also decreased. However, the amount of glutamate, derived from [U-(13)C]glucose via the first turn of the TCA cycle, was increased. The decreased amount of [1,2-(13)C]glutamate, derived from the second turn in the TCA cycle, and increased amount of aspartate indicated the dilution of label due to the entrance of unlabeled glutamate into TCA cycle. In the presence of glutamate plus PTZ, the effect of PTZ was enhanced by glutamate. Labeled alanine was detected only in the presence of glutamate plus PTZ, which indicated that oxaloacetate was a better amino acid acceptor than pyruvate. Furthermore, there was also evidence for intracellular compartmentation of oxaloacetate metabolism. Glutamate and PTZ caused similar metabolic changes, however, via different mechanisms. Glutamate substituted for glucose as energy substrate in the TCA cycle, whereas, PTZ appeared to decrease mitochondrial activity.

  7. Cross-talk between branched-chain amino acids and hepatic mitochondria is compromised in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sunny, Nishanth E; Kalavalapalli, Srilaxmi; Bril, Fernando; Garrett, Timothy J; Nautiyal, Manisha; Mathew, Justin T; Williams, Caroline M; Cusi, Kenneth

    2015-08-15

    Elevated plasma branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) in the setting of insulin resistance have been relevant in predicting type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) onset, but their role in the etiology of hepatic insulin resistance remains uncertain. We determined the link between BCAA and dysfunctional hepatic tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which is a central feature of hepatic insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Plasma metabolites under basal fasting and euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps (insulin stimulation) were measured in 94 human subjects with varying degrees of insulin sensitivity to identify their relationships with insulin resistance. Furthermore, the impact of elevated BCAA on hepatic TCA cycle was determined in a diet-induced mouse model of NAFLD, utilizing targeted metabolomics and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolic flux analysis. Insulin stimulation revealed robust relationships between human plasma BCAA and indices of insulin resistance, indicating chronic metabolic overload from BCAA. Human plasma BCAA and long-chain acylcarnitines also showed a positive correlation, suggesting modulation of mitochondrial metabolism by BCAA. Concurrently, mice with NAFLD failed to optimally induce hepatic mTORC1, plasma ketones, and hepatic long-chain acylcarnitines, following acute elevation of plasma BCAA. Furthermore, elevated BCAA failed to induce multiple fluxes through hepatic TCA cycle in mice with NAFLD. Our data suggest that BCAA are essential to mediate efficient channeling of carbon substrates for oxidation through mitochondrial TCA cycle. Impairment of BCAA-mediated upregulation of the TCA cycle could be a significant contributor to mitochondrial dysfunction in NAFLD.

  8. Direct evidence for activity-dependent glucose phosphorylation in neurons with implications for the astrocyte-to-neuron lactate shuttle

    OpenAIRE

    Patel, Anant B.; Lai, James C. K.; Chowdhury, Golam M. I.; Hyder, Fahmeed; Rothman, Douglas L.; Shulman, Robert G.; Behar, Kevin L.

    2014-01-01

    A near one-to-one relationship had previously been observed between increments in the fluxes of the glutamate−glutamine neurotransmitter cycle and neuronal glucose oxidation in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. This flux relationship was consistent with a hypothesized mechanism involving glycolytic ATP in astrocytes and astrocyte-to-neuron lactate shuttling. Here, 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose was used to evaluate the glucose flux through glycolysis and the TCA cycle in nerve terminals isolate...

  9. Broadband magnetic and density fluctuations in the TCA tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hollenstein, Ch.; Keller, R.; Pochelon, A.; Ryter, F.; Sawley, M.L.; Simm, W.; Weisen, H.

    1987-01-01

    The results of comparative studies of broadband magnetic and density fluctuations during ohmic discharges in the TCA tokamak are described. Long coherence lengths are observed in poloidal and toroidal directions between magnetic probes in the scrape-off layer. A phase contrast diagnostic provides a newly accessible range of density fluctuations in the bulk plasma with very long wavelengths. Langmuir probes provide similar measurements in the scrape-off layer. Statistical dispersion relations for both density and magnetic fluctuations are deduced and are shown to be substantially different. Low mean poloidal wavenumbers (m ∼ 2 at 100 kHz) are obtained for the magnetic fluctuations, in contrast to the much higher values measured for density fluctuations. The difference between magnetic and density fluctuations is also reflected in different scalings with plasma parameters and with electron confinement time. The helicity of the coherent magnetic structures is analyzed to show that interior regions of the plasma, such as the q = 2 region contribute to the magnetic activity at the edge. This explains why the magnetic fluctuations measured at the edge are likely to reflect the confinement properties of the bulk plasma. The results of detailed probe rotation experiments and coherence measurements give indications of the physical nature and origin of magnetic fluctuations

  10. A synthetic NO reduction cycle on a bis(pyrazolato)-bridged dinuclear ruthenium complex including photo-induced transformation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arikawa, Yasuhiro; Hiura, Junko; Tsuchii, Chika; Kodama, Mika; Matsumoto, Naoki; Umakoshi, Keisuke

    2018-05-17

    A synthetic NO reduction cycle (2NO + 2H+ + 2e- → N2O + H2O) on a dinuclear platform {(TpRu)2(μ-pz)2} (Tp = HB(pyrazol-1-yl)3) was achieved, where an unusual N-N coupling complex was included. Moreover, an interesting photo-induced conversion of the N-N coupling complex to an oxido-bridged complex was revealed.

  11. Pathway confirmation and flux analysis of central metabolic pathways in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Yinjie; Pingitore, Francesco; Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila; Phan, Richard; Hazen, Terry C.; Keasling, Jay D.

    2007-01-01

    Flux distribution in central metabolic pathways of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough was examined using 13C tracer experiments. Consistent with the current genome annotation and independent evidence from enzyme activity assays, the isotopomer results from both GC-MS and Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) indicate the lack of oxidatively functional TCA cycle and an incomplete pentose phosphate pathway. Results from this study suggest that fluxes through both pathways are limited to biosynthesis. The data also indicate that >80 percent of the lactate was converted to acetate and the reactions involved are the primary route of energy production (NAD(P)H and ATP production). Independent of the TCA cycle, direct cleavage of acetyl-CoA to CO and 5,10-methyl-THF also leads to production of NADH and ATP. Although the genome annotation implicates a ferredoxin-dependent oxoglutarate synthase, isotopic evidence does not support flux through this reaction in either the oxidative or reductive mode; therefore, the TCA cycle is incomplete. FT-ICR MS was used to locate the labeled carbon distribution in aspartate and glutamate and confirmed the presence of an atypical enzyme for citrate formation suggested in previous reports (the citrate synthesized by this enzyme is the isotopic antipode of the citrate synthesized by the (S)-citrate synthase). These findings enable a better understanding of the relation between genome annotation and actual metabolic pathways in D. vulgaris, and also demonstrate FT-ICR MS as a powerful tool for isotopomer analysis, overcoming problems in both GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy

  12. The FEROL40, a microTCA card interfacing custom point-to-point links and standard TCP/IP

    CERN Document Server

    Gigi, Dominique; Behrens, Ulf; Branson, James; Chaze, Olivier; Cittolin, Sergio; Contescu, Cristian; da Silva Gomes, Diego; Darlea, Georgiana-Lavinia; Deldicque, Christian; Demiragli, Zeynep; Dobson, Marc; Doualot, Nicolas; Erhan, Samim; Fulcher, Jonathan Richard; Gladki, Maciej; Glege, Frank; Gomez-Ceballos, Guillelmo; Hegeman, Jeroen; Holzner, Andre; Janulis, Mindaugas; Lettrich, Michael; Meijers, Frans; Meschi, Emilio; Mommsen, Remigius K; Morovic, Srecko; O'Dell, Vivian; Orn, Samuel Johan; Orsini, Luciano; Papakrivopoulos, Ioannis; Paus, Christoph; Petrova, Petia; Petrucci, Andrea; Pieri, Marco; Rabady, Dinyar; Racz, Attila; Reis, Thomas; Sakulin, Hannes; Schwick, Christoph; Simelevicius, Dainius; Vazquez Velez, Cristina; Vougioukas, Michail; Zejdl, Petr

    2017-01-01

    In order to accommodate new back-end electronics of upgraded CMS sub-detectors, a new FEROL40 card in the microTCA standard has been developed. The main function of the FEROL40 is to acquire event data over multiple point-to-point serial optical links, provide buffering, perform protocol conversion, and transmit multiple TCP/IP streams (4x10Gbps) to the Ethernet network of the aggregation layer of the CMS DAQ (data acquisition) event builder. This contribution discusses the design of the FEROL40 and experience from operation.

  13. Use of 14CO2 ratios in metabolic assessment of human spermatozoa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holleran, A.L.; Mendez, C.M.; Kelleher, J.K.; Naz, R.K.

    1987-01-01

    Comparison of 14 CO 2 production for [1- 14 C], [2- 14 C] and [3- 14 C] pyruvate indicates the metabolic fate of pyruvate. Assuming that all pyruvate oxidized enters the TCA cycle via pyruvate dehydrogenase, the ratio of steady state 14 CO 2 production, [2- 14 C] pyruvate: [3- 14 C] pyruvate, determines the probability that specific citrate carbons will complete a turn of the TCA cycle. Comparing this probability and the 14 CO 2 production from [1- 14 C] pyruvate estimates the flux pyruvate to products derived from acetate that do not enter the TCA cycle. Data was collected for human sperm metabolizing glutamine and pyruvate over a four-hour period. The ratio of 14 CO 2 production, [2- 14 C] pyruvate: [3- 14 C] pyruvate even when correction was made for the fact that not all carbon derived from [2- 14 C] pyruvate that enters the TCA cycle is converted to CO 2 . 14 CO 2 production from [U- 14 C] glutamine was linear for glutamine concentration below 0.5 mM. In conclusion, CO 2 ratios methods are applicable in metabolic analysis of small samples of human sperm where metabolite measurements are impractical

  14. An Effective Delay Reduction Approach through a Portion of Nodes with a Larger Duty Cycle for Industrial WSNs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Minrui; Wu, Yanhui; Liu, Chuyao; Cai, Zhiping; Xiong, Neal N; Liu, Anfeng; Ma, Ming

    2018-05-12

    For Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks (IWSNs), sending data with timely style to the stink (or control center, CC) that is monitored by sensor nodes is a challenging issue. However, in order to save energy, wireless sensor networks based on a duty cycle are widely used in the industrial field, which can bring great delay to data transmission. We observe that if the duty cycle of a small number of nodes in the network is set to 1, the sleep delay caused by the duty cycle can be effectively reduced. Thus, in this paper, a novel Portion of Nodes with Larger Duty Cycle (PNLDC) scheme is proposed to reduce delay and optimize energy efficiency for IWSNs. In the PNLDC scheme, a portion of nodes are selected to set their duty cycle to 1, and the proportion of nodes with the duty cycle of 1 is determined according to the energy abundance of the area in which the node is located. The more the residual energy in the region, the greater the proportion of the selected nodes. Because there are a certain proportion of nodes with the duty cycle of 1 in the network, the PNLDC scheme can effectively reduce delay in IWSNs. The performance analysis and experimental results show that the proposed scheme significantly reduces the delay for forwarding data by 8.9~26.4% and delay for detection by 2.1~24.6% without reducing the network lifetime when compared with the fixed duty cycle method. Meanwhile, compared with the dynamic duty cycle strategy, the proposed scheme has certain advantages in terms of energy utilization and delay reduction.

  15. FMC-based Neutron and Gamma Radiation Monitoring Module for xTCA Applications

    CERN Document Server

    Kozak, T; Napieralski, A

    2012-01-01

    The machines used in High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments, such as accelerators or tokamaks, are sources of gamma and neutron radiation fields. The radiation has a negative influence on electronics and can lead to the incorrect functioning of complex control and diagnostic system designed for HEP machines. Therefore, in most cases the electronic equipments is installed in radiation-safe areas, but in some cases this rule is omitted to decrease costs of the project. The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (E-XFEL), being under construction at DESY research center, is a good example. The E-XFEL uses single tunnel and part of the electronic system will be installed next to main beam pipe and exposed to radiation. The modern Advanced/Micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA/μTCA) standards are foreseen as a base for control and diagnostic system for this new project. These flexible standards provide high reliability, availability and usability for the system which can be decreased by negative influe...

  16. Compression module for the BCM1F microTCA raw data readout

    CERN Document Server

    Dostanic, Milica

    2017-01-01

    BCM1F is a diamond based detector and one of the luminometers and background monitors operated by the BRIL group, part of the CMS experiment. BCM1F's front-end produces analog signals which are digitized in a new microTCA back-end. An FPGA in the back-end part takes care of signal processing and stores raw data. The raw data readout has been improved by implementing a data compression module in the firmware. This module has allowed storing larger amount of data in short time intervals. The module has been implemented in VHDL, using a zero suppression algorithm: only data above a defined threshold is stored into memory, while the samples around the base line are discarded. Thanks to metadata, describing the suppressed data, the shape of input signals and time information are preserved. Tests with simulations and a pulse generator showed good results and proved that the module can achieve large compression factor.

  17. Icotinib inhibits the invasion of Tca8113 cells via downregulation of nuclear factor κB-mediated matrix metalloproteinase expression

    OpenAIRE

    YANG, CAILING; YAN, JIANGUO; YUAN, GUOYAN; ZHANG, YINGHUA; LU, DERONG; REN, MINGXIN; CUI, WEIGANG

    2014-01-01

    Icotinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which has been revealed to inhibit proliferation in tumor cells. However, the effect of icotinib on cancer cell metastasis remains to be explained. This study examines the effect of icotinib on the migration and invasion of squamous cells of tongue carcinoma (Tca8113 cells) in vitro. The results of the Boyden chamber invasion assay demonstrated that icotinib reduced cell invasion, suppressed the protein levels of matri...

  18. Identification of genes associated with cisplatin resistance in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Ping; Zhang, Zhiyuan; Zhou, Xiaojian; Qiu, Weiliu; Chen, Fangan; Chen, Wantao

    2006-01-01

    Cisplatin is widely used for chemotherapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, details of the molecular mechanism responsible for cisplatin resistance are still unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the expression of genes related to cisplatin resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. A cisplatin-resistant cell line, Tca/cisplatin, was established from a cisplatin-sensitive cell line, Tca8113, which was derived from moderately-differentiated tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Global gene expression in this resistant cell line and its sensitive parent cell line was analyzed using Affymetrix HG-U95Av2 microarrays. Candidate genes involved in DNA repair, the MAP pathway and cell cycle regulation were chosen to validate the microarray analysis results. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis following cisplatin exposure were also investigated. Cisplatin resistance in Tca/cisplatin cells was stable for two years in cisplatin-free culture medium. The IC50 for cisplatin in Tca/cisplatin was 6.5-fold higher than that in Tca8113. Microarray analysis identified 38 genes that were up-regulated and 25 that were down-regulated in this cell line. Some were novel candidates, while others are involved in well-characterized mechanisms that could be relevant to cisplatin resistance, such as RECQL for DNA repair and MAP2K6 in the MAP pathway; all the genes were further validated by Real-time PCR. The cell cycle-regulated genes CCND1 and CCND3 were involved in cisplatin resistance; 24-hour exposure to 10 μM cisplatin induced a marked S phase block in Tca/cisplatin cells but not in Tca8113 cells. The Tca8113 cell line and its stable drug-resistant variant Tca/cisplatin provided a useful model for identifying candidate genes responsible for the mechanism of cisplatin resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Our data provide a useful basis for screening candidate targets for early diagnosis and further intervention in cisplatin resistance

  19. Identification of genes associated with cisplatin resistance in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Ping

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cisplatin is widely used for chemotherapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, details of the molecular mechanism responsible for cisplatin resistance are still unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the expression of genes related to cisplatin resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. Methods A cisplatin-resistant cell line, Tca/cisplatin, was established from a cisplatin-sensitive cell line, Tca8113, which was derived from moderately-differentiated tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Global gene expression in this resistant cell line and its sensitive parent cell line was analyzed using Affymetrix HG-U95Av2 microarrays. Candidate genes involved in DNA repair, the MAP pathway and cell cycle regulation were chosen to validate the microarray analysis results. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis following cisplatin exposure were also investigated. Results Cisplatin resistance in Tca/cisplatin cells was stable for two years in cisplatin-free culture medium. The IC50 for cisplatin in Tca/cisplatin was 6.5-fold higher than that in Tca8113. Microarray analysis identified 38 genes that were up-regulated and 25 that were down-regulated in this cell line. Some were novel candidates, while others are involved in well-characterized mechanisms that could be relevant to cisplatin resistance, such as RECQL for DNA repair and MAP2K6 in the MAP pathway; all the genes were further validated by Real-time PCR. The cell cycle-regulated genes CCND1 and CCND3 were involved in cisplatin resistance; 24-hour exposure to 10 μM cisplatin induced a marked S phase block in Tca/cisplatin cells but not in Tca8113 cells. Conclusion The Tca8113 cell line and its stable drug-resistant variant Tca/cisplatin provided a useful model for identifying candidate genes responsible for the mechanism of cisplatin resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Our data provide a useful basis for screening candidate targets for early diagnosis

  20. Detoxification of ammonia in mouse cortical GABAergic cell cultures increases neuronal oxidative metabolism and reveals an emerging role for release of glucose-derived alanine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leke, Renata; Bak, Lasse Kristoffer; Anker, Malene

    2011-01-01

    Cerebral hyperammonemia is believed to play a pivotal role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a debilitating condition arising due to acute or chronic liver disease. In the brain, ammonia is thought to be detoxified via the activity of glutamine synthetase, an astrocytic enzyme....... Moreover, it has been suggested that cerebral tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolism is inhibited and glycolysis enhanced during hyperammonemia. The aim of this study was to characterize the ammonia-detoxifying mechanisms as well as the effects of ammonia on energy-generating metabolic pathways...... in a mouse neuronal-astrocytic co-culture model of the GABAergic system. We found that 5 mM ammonium chloride affected energy metabolism by increasing the neuronal TCA cycle activity and switching the astrocytic TCA cycle toward synthesis of substrate for glutamine synthesis. Furthermore, ammonia exposure...

  1. High-density natural luffa sponge as anaerobic microorganisms carrier for degrading 1,1,1-TCA in groundwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wenbing; Wu, Yanqing; Zhang, Chi

    2017-03-01

    Anaerobic microorganisms were applied to degrade organic contaminants in groundwater with permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). However, anaerobic microorganisms need to select optimal immobilizing material as carrier. The potential of high-density natural luffa sponge (HDLS) (a new variety of luffa) for the immobilization and protection of anaerobic microorganisms was investigated. The HDLS has a dense structure composed of a complicated interwoven fibrous network. Therefore, the abrasion rate of HDLS (0.0068 g s -1 ) was the smallest among the four carriers [HDLS, ordinary natural luffa sponge (OLS), polyurethane sponge (PS), and gel carrier AQUAPOROUSGEL (APG)]. The results suggest that it also had the greatest water retention (10.26 H 2 O-g dry carrier-g -1 ) and SS retention (0.21 g dry carrier-g -1 ). In comparison to well-established commercialized gel carrier APG, HDLS was of much better mechanical strength, hydrophilicity and stability. Microbial-immobilized HDLS also had the best performance for the remediation of 1,1,1-TCA simulated groundwater. Analysis of the clone libraries from microorganism-immobilized HDLS showed the HDLS could protect microorganisms from the toxicity of 1,1,1-TCA and maintain the stability of microbial community diversity. The mechanism of HDLS immobilizing and protecting microorganisms was proposed as follows. The HDLS had a micron-scale honeycomb structure (30-40 μm) and an irregular ravine structure (4-20 μm), which facilitate the immobilization of anaerobic microorganisms and protect the anaerobic microorganisms.

  2. Nonproliferation and safeguards aspects of fuel cycle programs in reduction of excess separated plutonium and high-enriched uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Persiani, P.J.

    1995-01-01

    The purpose of this preliminary investigation is to explore alternatives and strategies aimed at the gradual reduction of the excess inventories of separated plutonium and high-enriched uranium (HEU) in the civilian nuclear power industry. The study attempts to establish a technical and economic basis to assist in the formation of alternative approaches consistent with nonproliferation and safeguards concerns. Reference annual mass flows and inventories for a representative 1,400 Mwe Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel cycle have been investigated for three cases: the 100 percent uranium oxide UO 2 fuel loading once through cycle, and the 33 percent mixed oxide MOX loading configuration for a first and second plutonium recycle. The analysis addresses fuel cycle developments; plutonium and uranium inventory and flow balances; nuclear fuel processing operations; UO 2 once-through and MOX first and second recycles; and the economic incentives to draw-down the excess separated plutonium stores. The preliminary analysis explores several options in reducing the excess separated plutonium arisings and HEU, and the consequences of the interacting synergistic effects between fuel cycle processes and isotopic signatures of nuclear materials on nonproliferation and safeguards policy assessments

  3. Ion temperature measurements of H-, D- and He-plasmas in the TCA tokamak by collective Thomson scattering of D2O laser radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Behn, R.; Dicken, D.; Hackmann, J.; Salito, S.A.; Siegrist, M.R.

    1989-01-01

    Development of collective Thomson scattering as a method to measure the ion temperature of a tokamak plasma has been successful and encouraging results have been obtained during experiments on TCA in H-, D- and He-plasmas. Using a laser source in the far-infrared spectral region allows scattering angles close to 90 o , which results in excellent spatial resolution. The system installed on the TCA tokamak comprises an optically pumped D 2 O laser emitting 0.5 J in a 1.4 μs pulse on its Raman transition at 385μm. A heterodyne receiver with a Schottky barrier diode mixer has been chosen to detect the scattered radiation and analyze its spectral distribution in 12 channels of 80 MHz. Recent improvements of the mixer and 1st IF-amplifier yielded a system NEP of 2.2·10 -19 W/Hz. As a consequence we have obtained results which allow for the first time to evaluate the ion temperature T i in a single laser shot. (author) 3 figs., 1 tab

  4. Improved sugar-free succinate production by Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 following identification of the limiting steps in glycogen catabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomohisa Hasunuma

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Succinate produced by microorganisms can replace currently used petroleum-based succinate but typically requires mono- or poly-saccharides as a feedstock. The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 can produce organic acids such as succinate from CO2 not supplemented with sugars under dark anoxic conditions using an unknown metabolic pathway. The TCA cycle in cyanobacteria branches into oxidative and reductive routes. Time-course analyses of the metabolome, transcriptome and metabolic turnover described here revealed dynamic changes in the metabolism of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 cultivated under dark anoxic conditions, allowing identification of the carbon flow and rate-limiting steps in glycogen catabolism. Glycogen biosynthesized from CO2 assimilated during periods of light exposure is catabolized to succinate via glycolysis, the anaplerotic pathway, and the reductive TCA cycle under dark anoxic conditions. Expression of the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP carboxylase gene (ppc was identified as a rate-limiting step in succinate biosynthesis and this rate limitation was alleviated by ppc overexpression, resulting in improved succinate excretion. The sugar-free succinate production was further enhanced by the addition of bicarbonate. In vivo labeling with NaH13CO3 clearly showed carbon incorporation into succinate via the anaplerotic pathway. Bicarbonate is in equilibrium with CO2. Succinate production by Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 therefore holds significant promise for CO2 capture and utilization. Keywords: Autofermentation, Cyanobacteria, Dynamic metabolic profiling, Metabolomics, Succinate, Synechocystis

  5. Reduction of impurity contamination in a working gas for closed-cycle MHD power generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Endo, N.; Yoshikawa, K.; Shioda, S.

    1989-01-01

    The reduction of impurity contamination in a working inert gas for closed-cycle MHD power generation is examined. A conceptual operation system of regenerative heat exchangers is proposed for minimizing the amount of combustion gas which mixes in the working inert gas. Experiments have shown that this mixing can be reduced significantly by evacuating and flushing the heat exchangers after being heated by combustion gas. Calculations have shown that, among the main molecular contaminants in the working inert gas, CO 2 , H 2 O and O 2 can be removed as compounds with the seed material, while N 2 and H 2 can be reduced by a partial purification of the circulating working inert gas. (author)

  6. A new MicroTCA-based waveform digitizer for the Muon g-2 experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sweigart, David A. [Cornell U.

    2016-12-15

    We present the design of a new $\\mu$TCA-based waveform digitizer, which will be deployed in the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab and will allow our pileup identification requirement to be met. This digitizer features five independent channels, each with 12-bit, 800-MSPS digitization and a 1-Gbit memory buffer. The data storage and readout along with configuration are handled by six Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGAs. In addition, the digitizer is equipped with a mezzanine card for analog signal conditioning prior to digitization, further widening its range of possible applications. The performance results of this design are also presented, highlighting its $0.51 \\pm 0.13$ mV intrinsic noise level and $< 22$ ps intrinsic timing resolution between channels. We believe that its performance, together with its flexible design, could be of interest to future experiments in search of a cost-effective waveform digitizer.

  7. Stable carbon isotope analysis to distinguish biotic and abiotic degradation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in groundwater sediments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Broholm, Mette Martina; Hunkeler, Daniel; Tuxen, Nina

    2014-01-01

    not appear to be reductive dechlorination via 1,1-DCA. In the biotic microcosms, the degradation of 1,1,1-TCA occurred under iron and sulfate reducing conditions. Biotic reduction of iron and sulfate likely resulted in formation of FeS, which can abiotically degrade 1,1,1-TCA. Hence, abiotic degradation of 1...

  8. Impact of Dose Reductions, Delays Between Chemotherapy Cycles, and/or Shorter Courses of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage II and III Colorectal Cancer Patients: a Single-Center Retrospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sgouros, Joseph; Aravantinos, Gerasimos; Kouvatseas, George; Rapti, Anna; Stamoulis, George; Bisvikis, Anastasios; Res, Helen; Samantas, Epameinondas

    2015-12-01

    Most stage II or III colorectal cancer patients are receiving nowadays a 4 to 6-month course of adjuvant chemotherapy. However, delays between cycles, reductions in the doses of chemotherapy drugs, or even permanent omissions of chemotherapy cycles might take place due to side effects or patient's preference. We examined the impact of these treatment modifications on recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). We retrospectively collected data from colorectal cancer patients who had received adjuvant chemotherapy in our Department. Patients were categorized in five groups based on whether they had or not delays between chemotherapy cycles, dose reductions, and permanent omissions of chemotherapy cycles. Three-year RFS and OS of the five different groups were compared using the log-rank test and the Sidak approach. Five hundred and eight patients received treatment. Twenty seven percent of the patients had the full course of chemotherapy; the others had delays, dose reductions, or early termination of the treatment. No statistically significant differences were observed in 3-year RFS and OS between the five groups. A trend for worse RFS was noticed with early termination of treatment. A similar trend was also noticed for OS but only for stage II patients. In colorectal cancer patients, receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, delays between chemotherapy cycles, dose reductions of chemotherapy drugs, or even early termination of the treatment course do not seem to have a negative impact in 3-year RFS and OS; however, due to the trend of worse RFS in patients receiving shorter courses of chemotherapy, further studies are needed.

  9. Tricarboxylic acid cycle activity measured by 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy in rats subjected to the kaolin model of obstructed hydrocephalus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Melø, Torun M; Håberg, Asta K; Risa, Øystein

    2011-01-01

    in the amounts of glutamate, alanine and taurine. In addition, the concentration of the neuronal marker N-acetyl aspartate was decreased. (13)C Labelling of most amino acids derived from [1,6-(13)C]glucose was unchanged 2 weeks after hydrocephalus induction. The only indication of astrocyte impairment......Evaluating early changes in cerebral metabolism in hydrocephalus can help in the decision making and the timing of surgical intervention. This study was aimed at examining the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle rate and (13)C label incorporation into neurotransmitter amino acids and other compounds 2...

  10. TCA precipitation and ethanol/HCl single-step purification evaluation: One-dimensional gel electrophoresis, bradford assays, spectrofluorometry and Raman spectroscopy data on HSA, Rnase, lysozyme - Mascots and Skyline data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Balkis Eddhif

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The data presented here are related to the research paper entitled “Study of a Novel Agent for TCA Precipitated Proteins Washing - Comprehensive Insights into the Role of Ethanol/HCl on Molten Globule State by Multi-Spectroscopic Analyses” (Eddhif et al., submitted for publication [1]. The suitability of ethanol/HCl for the washing of TCA-precipitated proteins was first investigated on standard solution of HSA, cellulase, ribonuclease and lysozyme. Recoveries were assessed by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis, Bradford assays and UPLC-HRMS. The mechanistic that triggers protein conformational changes at each purification stage was then investigated by Raman spectroscopy and spectrofluorometry. Finally, the efficiency of the method was evaluated on three different complex samples (mouse liver, river biofilm, loamy soil surface. Proteins profiling was assessed by gel electrophoresis and by UPLC-HRMS.

  11. Simulation of reactor noise analysis measurement for light-water critical assembly TCA using MCNP-DSP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Toshihiro; Sakurai, Kiyoshi; Tonoike, Kotaro; Miyoshi, Yoshinori

    2001-01-01

    Reactor noise analysis methods using Monte Carlo technique have been proposed and developed in the field of nuclear criticality safety. The Monte Carlo simulation for noise analysis can be made by simulating physical phenomena in the course of neutron transport in a nuclear fuel as practically as possible. MCNP-DSP was developed by T. Valentine of ORNL for this purpose and it is a modified version of MCNP-4A. The authors applied this code to frequency analysis measurements performed in light-water critical assembly TCA. Prompt neutron generation times for critical and subcritical cores were measured by doing the frequency analysis of detector signals. The Monte Carlo simulations for these experiments were carried out using MCNP-DSP, and prompt neutron generation times were calculated. (author)

  12. Functional tests of 2S modules for the CMS Phase-2 Tracker Upgrade with a MicroTCA-based readout system

    CERN Document Server

    Preuten, Marius; Klein, Katja; Lipinski, Martin; Rauch, Max; Feld, Lutz

    2017-01-01

    First full size 2S module prototypes for the CMS Phase-2 Outer Tracker Upgrade have been assembled. With two sensors of realistic dimensions and 16 CBC2 readout ASICs on two front-end hybrids, the characteristics of these novel and complex objects can be studied.A MicroTCA based readout system was developed to test multiple front-end hybrids simultaneously. Therefore the concurrent information of the full module can be used for noise and signal studies.

  13. Abiotic and biotic transformations of 1,1,1-trichloroethane under methanogenic conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vogel, T.M.; McCarty, P.L.

    1987-01-01

    A common industrial solvent, 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA), is one of the most frequently found contaminants in ground water. The fate of TCA in ground water is complicated by the different possible abiotic and biotic transformations that it may undergo. Abiotic transformation of TCA can result in a mixture of 1,1-dichloro-ethylene (1,1-DCE) and acetic acid, as shown by others. This study confirms that TCA can be biotransformed by reductive dehalogenation to 1,1-dichloroethane (1,1-DCA) and chloroethane (CA) under methanogenic conditions. Also, reductive dehalogenation of 1,1-DCE to vinyl chloride (VC) is confirmed. This study demonstrates that these transformations can occur stoichiometrically. In addition, [ 14 C]TCA, [ 14 C]-1,1-DCA, [ 14 C]-1,1-DCE, [ 14 C]CA, and [ 14 C]VC were at least partially mineralized to 14 CO 2 under similar methanogenic conditions.23 references, 3 figures, 4 tables

  14. Metabolic reprogramming by PCK1 promotes TCA cataplerosis, oxidative stress and apoptosis in liver cancer cells and suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Meng-Xi; Jin, Lei; Sun, Si-Jia; Liu, Peng; Feng, Xu; Cheng, Zhou-Li; Liu, Wei-Ren; Guan, Kun-Liang; Shi, Ying-Hong; Yuan, Hai-Xin; Xiong, Yue

    2018-03-01

    Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK or PCK) catalyzes the first rate-limiting step in hepatic gluconeogenesis pathway to maintain blood glucose levels. Mammalian cells express two PCK genes, encoding for a cytoplasmic (PCPEK-C or PCK1) and a mitochondrial (PEPCK-M or PCK2) isoforms, respectively. Increased expressions of both PCK genes are found in cancer of several organs, including colon, lung, and skin, and linked to increased anabolic metabolism and cell proliferation. Here, we report that the expressions of both PCK1 and PCK2 genes are downregulated in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and low PCK expression was associated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Forced expression of either PCK1 or PCK2 in liver cancer cell lines results in severe apoptosis under the condition of glucose deprivation and suppressed liver tumorigenesis in mice. Mechanistically, we show that the pro-apoptotic effect of PCK1 requires its catalytic activity. We demonstrate that forced PCK1 expression in glucose-starved liver cancer cells induced TCA cataplerosis, leading to energy crisis and oxidative stress. Replenishing TCA intermediate α-ketoglutarate or inhibition of reactive oxygen species production blocked the cell death caused by PCK expression. Taken together, our data reveal that PCK1 is detrimental to malignant hepatocytes and suggest activating PCK1 expression as a potential treatment strategy for patients with HCC.

  15. The CMS Fast Beams Condition Monitor Backend Electronics based on MicroTCA technology

    CERN Document Server

    Zagozdzinska, Agnieszka Anna

    2016-01-01

    The Fast Beams Condition Monitor (BCM1F), upgraded for LHC Run II, is one sub-system of the Beam Radiation Instrumentation and Luminosity Project of the CMS experiment. It is based on 24 single crystal CVD diamond sensors. Each sensor is metallised with two pads, being read out by a dedicated fast frontend chip produced in 130 nm CMOS technology. Signals for real time monitoring are processed by custom-made back-end electronics to measure separately rates corresponding to LHC collision products, machine induced background and residual activation exploiting different arrival times. The system is built in MicroTCA technology and uses high speed analog-to-digital converters. The data processing module designed for the FPGA allows a distinguishing of collision and machine induced background, both synchronous to the LHC clock, from the residual activation products. In operational modes of high rates, consecutive events, spaced in time by less than 12.5 ns, may partially overlap. Hence, novel signal processing tec...

  16. Integrated biomass utilization system developments (Kyoto-Bio-Cycle Project) and the effects of greenhouse gas reduction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Kazuo; Hori, Hiroaki; Deguchi, Shinguo; Yano, Junya; Sakai, Shinichi

    2010-01-01

    Full text: The biomass available in Kyoto City located in urban area of Japan was estimated to be 2.02x10 6 t-wet/ yr (0.14x10 6 k liter/ yr oil equivalent), of which waste paper, waste timber, waste food, unused forest wood from the surrounding mountains and sewage sludge account for the largest amounts on an energy basis. These types of biomass can contribute to utilize for the reduction of fossil fuel consumption and for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Therefore we started the Kyoto-Bio-Cycle Project (FY 2007-2009), which is the demonstration of renewable energy conversion technologies from the biomass. Specifically, we aimed for the greening of necessary materials such as methanol and the cyclic use of byproducts, with the bio diesel fuel production from used cooking oil (5 k liter-methyl ester/ day) as the core activity. Two technologies are being developed as part of the project. One is gasification and methanol synthesis to synthesize methanol with the pyrolytic gas generated from woody biomass. The other is high efficiency bio gasification that treats waste food, waste paper, and waste glycerin. This technology can improve the production rate of biogas and reduce the residue through the introduction of 80 degree Celsius-hyper-thermophilic hydrolysis in the 55 degree Celsius-thermophilic anaerobic fermentation process. These systems can produce 4 types of renewable energy such as bio diesel fuel, biogas, electricity and heat. And we conducted the life-cycle system analysis of GHG reduction effect for the demonstrating technologies, additionally we examined an optimum method of biomass utilization in the future low-carbon-society. As a result, the method that produces the liquid fuel (methanol, Ft oil) from dry biomass (waste timber, etc.) and the biogas from wet biomass (waste food, etc.) can reduce GHG emission highly at present and in the future, compared with the current direct combustion of biomass for the power generation. (author)

  17. Prospects for energy efficiency improvement and reduction of emissions and life cycle costs for natural gas vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozlov, A. V.; Terenchenko, A. S.; Luksho, V. A.; Karpukhin, K. E.

    2017-01-01

    This work is devoted to the experimental investigation of the possibilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to increase energy efficiency of engines that use natural gas as the main fuel and the analysis of economic efficiency of use of dual fuel engines in vehicles compared to conventional diesel. The results of experimental investigation of a 190 kW dual-fuel engine are presented; it is shown that quantitative and qualitative working process control may ensure thermal efficiency at the same level as that of the diesel engine and in certain conditions 5...8% higher. The prospects for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions have been assessed. The technical and economic evaluation of use of dual fuel engines in heavy-duty vehicles has been performed, taking into account the total life cycle. It is shown that it is possible to reduce life cycle costs by two times.

  18. A reverse KREBS cycle in photosynthesis: consensus at last

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchanan, B. B.; Arnon, D. I.

    1990-01-01

    The Krebs cycle (citric acid or tricarboxylic acid cycle), the final common pathway in aerobic metabolism for the oxidation of carbohydrates, fatty acids and amino acids, is known to be irreversible. It liberates CO2 and generates NADH whose aerobic oxidation yields ATP but it does not operate in reverse as a biosynthetic pathway for CO2 assimilation. In 1966, our laboratory described a cyclic pathway for CO2 assimilation (Evans, Buchanan and Arnon 1966) that was unusual in two respects: (i) it provided the first instance of an obligate photoautotroph that assimilated CO2 by a pathway different from Calvin's reductive pentose phosphate cycle (Calvin 1962) and (ii) in its overall effect the new cycle was a reversal of the Krebs cycle. Named the 'reductive carboxylic acid cycle' (sometimes also called the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle) the new cycle appeared to be the sole CO2 assimilation pathway in Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum (Evans et al. 1966) (now known as Chlorobium limicola forma thiosulfatophilum). Chlorobium is a photosynthetic green sulfur bacterium that grows anaerobically in an inorganic medium with sulfide and thiosulfate as electron donors and CO2 as an obligatory carbon source. In the ensuing years, the new cycle was viewed with skepticism. Not only was it in conflict with the prevailing doctrine that the 'one important property ... shared by all (our emphasis) autotrophic species is the assimilation of CO2 via the Calvin cycle' (McFadden 1973) but also some of its experimental underpinnings were challenged. It is only now that in the words of one of its early skeptics (Tabita 1988) 'a long and tortuous controversy' has ended with general acceptance of the reductive carboxylic acid cycle as a photosynthetic CO2 assimilation pathway distinct from the pentose cycle. (Henceforth, to minimize repetitiveness, the reductive pentose phosphate cycle will often be referred to as the pentose cycle and the reductive carboxylic acid cycle as the carboxylic

  19. Data Corrections and Wind-Tunnel Data Comparisons of a 5% TCA Model in the NASA Ames 12-ft Pressure Tunnel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuniga, Fanny A.

    1999-01-01

    The objectives of this research are: 1) To determine the effect of geometric variations near the inboard leading-edge flap on high-lift and stability and control performance data; 2) To determine Re effects on TCA (Technology Concept Aircraft) high-lift configuration for optimum high-lift and stability and control performance at takeoff, climbout, approach and landing conditions; and 3) To obtain flow-visualization data on upper surface of wing for CFD validations. This paper is presented in viewgraph form.

  20. Greater Reduction of Balance as a Result of Increased Plantar Fascia Elasticity at Ovulation during the Menstrual Cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrofsky, Jerrold; Lee, Haneul

    2015-11-01

    One of the sexual hormones, estrogen, increases elasticity of human connective tissue such as the anterior cruciate ligament during the menstrual cycle in women. In the present investigation, the plantar fascia was investigated to see if there is a difference in elasticity with the menstrual cycle. Fifteen young healthy females in the age range of 18-35 years old with a regular menstrual cycle were tested twice throughout one full menstrual cycle; once during the early follicular phases and once at ovulation. Foot length, while standing on both feet and one foot were used to assess plantar fascia elasticity, ultrasound measured plantar fascia thickness while lying and standing, and posture sway and tremor using a balance platform during 8 different balance tests were assessed to see the impact of elasticity changes. Foot length increased significantly at ovulation compared to menstruation when standing on two feet (p = 0.03) and standing on one foot (p plantar fascia in thinning per kilogram weight applied to the foot at ovulation compared to menstruation (p = 0.014). Associated with this increase in elasticity at ovulation, there was a reduction in balance in the most difficult balance tasks and an increase in tremor during ovulation (p Plantar fascia elasticity change during the menstrual cycle might have effects on posture sway and tremor, which could have a potential risk of falling. Therefore, healthy professionals working with young female adults should recognize these physiological effects.

  1. Biochemical Validation of the Glyoxylate Cycle in the Cyanobacterium Chlorogloeopsis fritschii Strain PCC 9212.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shuyi; Bryant, Donald A

    2015-05-29

    Cyanobacteria are important photoautotrophic bacteria with extensive but variable metabolic capacities. The existence of the glyoxylate cycle, a variant of the TCA cycle, is still poorly documented in cyanobacteria. Previous studies reported the activities of isocitrate lyase and malate synthase, the key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle in some cyanobacteria, but other studies concluded that these enzymes are missing. In this study the genes encoding isocitrate lyase and malate synthase from Chlorogloeopsis fritschii PCC 9212 were identified, and the recombinant enzymes were biochemically characterized. Consistent with the presence of the enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, C. fritschii could assimilate acetate under both light and dark growth conditions. Transcript abundances for isocitrate lyase and malate synthase increased, and C. fritschii grew faster, when the growth medium was supplemented with acetate. Adding acetate to the growth medium also increased the yield of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate. When the genes encoding isocitrate lyase and malate synthase were expressed in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, the acetate assimilation capacity of the resulting strain was greater than that of wild type. Database searches showed that the genes for the glyoxylate cycle exist in only a few other cyanobacteria, all of which are able to fix nitrogen. This study demonstrates that the glyoxylate cycle exists in a few cyanobacteria, and that this pathway plays an important role in the assimilation of acetate for growth in one of those organisms. The glyoxylate cycle might play a role in coordinating carbon and nitrogen metabolism under conditions of nitrogen fixation. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  2. Measurement of the ion temperature in the tokamak TCA by collective Thomson diffusion in the far infrared

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salito, S.A.

    1989-07-01

    This paper covers the analysis of spectra obtained by collective Thomson diffusion and the measurement, by this method, of the ionic temperature in the plasmas of the TCA tokamak. The experimental equipment we have used consists of a D 2 O laser and of a heterodyne detection system analyzing the spectra diffused by the plasma. The diffused spectra were obtained using a geometry determining a diffusion angle Θ s of 90 o . We could choose two different angles β between the wave vector k and the direction of the magnetic field (β=90 o , β=86 o ). We have performed the measurement of the coherent (collective) spectrum in the hydrogen, deuterium and helium plasmas of the TCA tokamak. When the electron density exceeded 4x10 19 m -3 , the diffused spectra were analyzed on the basis of a single laser shot of 1.4 μs duration. The ionic acoustic resonance was observed in the helium plasma for an angle β of 86 o . When β was 90 o , we observed that the experimental spectra were heavily disturbed by the effects of the magnetic field, and their shapes became triangular. A small concentration of light impurities affected the shape of the spectra up to their extremities. By collective diffusion we could measure the typical ionic temperatures of 330 eV for the hydrogen plasmas and of 390 eV for the deuterium and helium plasmas. The precision of this measurement was 10% at an average of 10 shots, and it was 25% for a single measurement of 1.4 μs duration. It is mainly limited by the signal/noise ratio which is in the order of 3 for one measurement during a single laser shot of 1.4 μs. (author) 70 figs., 5 tabs., 106 refs

  3. Gluconeogenesis from labeled carbon: estimating isotope dilution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelleher, J.K.

    1986-01-01

    To estimate the rate of gluconeogenesis from steady-state incorporation of labeled 3-carbon precursors into glucose, isotope dilution must be considered so that the rate of labeling of glucose can be quantitatively converted to the rate of gluconeogenesis. An expression for the value of this isotope dilution can be derived using mathematical techniques and a model of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The present investigation employs a more complex model than that used in previous studies. This model includes the following pathways that may affect the correction for isotope dilution: 1) flux of 3-carbon precursor to the oxaloacetate pool via acetyl-CoA and the TCA cycle; 2) flux of 4- or 5-carbon compounds into the TCA cycle; 3) reversible flux between oxaloacetate (OAA) and pyruvate and between OAA and fumarate; 4) incomplete equilibrium between OAA pools; and 5) isotope dilution of 3-carbon tracers between the experimentally measured pool and the precursor for the TCA-cycle OAA pool. Experimental tests are outlined which investigators can use to determine whether these pathways are significant in a specific steady-state system. The study indicated that flux through these five pathways can significantly affect the correction for isotope dilution. To correct for the effects of these pathways an alternative method for calculating isotope dilution is proposed using citrate to relate the specific activities of acetyl-CoA and OAA

  4. Redox cycles of vitamin E: Hydrolysis and ascorbic acid dependent reduction of 8a-(alkyldioxy)tocopherones

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liebler, D.C.; Kaysen, K.L.; Kennedy, T.A.

    1989-01-01

    Oxidation of the biological antioxidant α-tocopherol (vitamin E; TH) by peroxyl radicals yields 8a-(alkyldioxy)tocopherones, which either may hydrolyze to α-tocopheryl quinone (TQ) or may be reduced by ascorbic acid to regenerate TH. To define the chemistry of this putative two-electron TH redox cycle, we studied the hydrolysis and reduction of 8a-[(2,4-dimethyl-1-nitrilopent-2-yl)dioxyl]tocopherone (1) in acetonitrile/buffer mixtures and in phospholipid liposomes. TQ formation in acetonitrile/buffer mixtures, which was monitored spectrophotometrically, declined with increasing pH and could not be detected above pH 4. The rate of TQ formation from 1 first increased with time and then decreased in a first-order terminal phase. Rearrangement of 8a-hydroxy-α-tocopherone (2) to TQ displayed first-order kinetics identical with the terminal phase for TQ formation from 1. Both rate constants increased with decreasing pH. Hydrolysis of 1 in acetonitrile/H 2 18 O yielded [ 18 O]TQ. These observations suggest that 1 loses the 8a-(alkyldioxy) moiety to produce the tocopherone cation (T + ), which hydrolyzes to 2, the TQ-forming intermediate. Incubation of either 1 or 2 with ascorbic acid in acetonitrile/buffer yielded TH. Reduction of both 1 and 2 decreased with increasing pH. In phosphatidylcholine liposomes at pH 7, approximately 10% of the T + generated from 1 was reduced to TH by 5 mM ascorbic acid. The results collectively demonstrate that T + is the ascorbic acid reducible intermediate in a two-electron TH redox cycle, a process that probably would require biocatalysis to proceed in biological membranes

  5. Protein precipitation of diluted samples in SDS-containing buffer with acetone leads to higher protein recovery and reproducibility in comparison with TCA/acetone approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santa, Cátia; Anjo, Sandra I; Manadas, Bruno

    2016-07-01

    Proteomic approaches are extremely valuable in many fields of research, where mass spectrometry methods have gained an increasing interest, especially because of the ability to perform quantitative analysis. Nonetheless, sample preparation prior to mass spectrometry analysis is of the utmost importance. In this work, two protein precipitation approaches, widely used for cleaning and concentrating protein samples, were tested and compared in very diluted samples solubilized in a strong buffer (containing SDS). The amount of protein recovered after acetone and TCA/acetone precipitation was assessed, as well as the protein identification and relative quantification by SWATH-MS yields were compared with the results from the same sample without precipitation. From this study, it was possible to conclude that in the case of diluted samples in denaturing buffers, the use of cold acetone as precipitation protocol is more favourable than the use of TCA/acetone in terms of reproducibility in protein recovery and number of identified and quantified proteins. Furthermore, the reproducibility in relative quantification of the proteins is even higher in samples precipitated with acetone compared with the original sample. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Nitric Oxide Regulates Seedling Growth and Mitochondrial Responses in Aged Oat Seeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunli Mao

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Mitochondria are the source of reactive oxygen species (ROS in plant cells and play a central role in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC and tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycles; however, ROS production and regulation for seed germination, seedling growth, as well as mitochondrial responses to abiotic stress, are not clear. This study was conducted to obtain basic information on seed germination, embryo mitochondrial antioxidant responses, and protein profile changes in artificial aging in oat seeds (Avena sativa L. exposed to exogenous nitric oxide (NO treatment. The results showed that the accumulation of H2O2 in mitochondria increased significantly in aged seeds. Artificial aging can lead to a loss of seed vigor, which was shown by a decline in seed germination and the extension of mean germination time (MGT. Seedling growth was also inhibited. Some enzymes, including catalase (CAT, glutathione reductase (GR, dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR, and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR, maintained a lower level in the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH scavenging system. Proteomic analysis revealed that the expression of some proteins related to the TCA cycle were down-regulated and several enzymes related to mitochondrial ETC were up-regulated. With the application of 0.05 mM NO in aged oat seeds, a protective effect was observed, demonstrated by an improvement in seed vigor and increased H2O2 scavenging ability in mitochondria. There were also higher activities of CAT, GR, MDHAR, and DHAR in the AsA-GSH scavenging system, enhanced TCA cycle-related enzymes (malate dehydrogenase, succinate-CoA ligase, fumarate hydratase, and activated alternative pathways, as the cytochrome pathway was inhibited. Therefore, our results indicated that seedling growth and seed germinability could retain a certain level in aged oat seeds, predominantly depending on the lower NO regulation of the TCA cycle and AsA-GSH. Thus, it could be concluded that the

  7. Metabolomic Analysis and Mode of Action of Metabolites of Tea Tree Oil Involved in the Suppression of Botrytis cinerea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiayu Xu

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Tea tree oil (TTO, a volatile essential oil, has been widely used as an antimicrobial agent. However, the mechanism underlying TTO antifungal activity is not fully understood. In this study, a comprehensive metabolomics survey was undertaken to identify changes in metabolite production in Botrytis cinerea cells treated with TTO. Significant differences in 91 metabolites were observed, including 8 upregulated and 83 downregulated metabolites in TTO-treated cells. The results indicate that TTO inhibits primary metabolic pathways through the suppression of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle and fatty acid metabolism. Further experiments show that TTO treatment decreases the activities of key enzymes in the TCA cycle and increases the level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2. Membrane damage is also induced by TTO treatment. We hypothesize that the effect of TTO on B. cinerea is achieved mainly by disruption of the TCA cycle and fatty acid metabolism, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.

  8. Cyanobacterial carbon metabolism: Fluxome plasticity and oxygen dependence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wan, Ni; Delorenzo, Drew M.; He, Lian

    2017-01-01

    Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 has been widely used as a photo-biorefinery chassis. Based on its genome annotation, this species contains a complete TCA cycle, an Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway (EMPP), an oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP), and an Entner-Doudoroff pathway (EDP). To eva...... the ability to regulate their fluxes under various growth conditions (plastic), whereas its TCA cycle always maintains at low levels (rigid). This work also demonstrates how genetic profiles do not always reflect actual metabolic flux through native or heterologous pathways....

  9. Fitness of Escherichia coli during urinary tract infection requires gluconeogenesis and the TCA cycle.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher J Alteri

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Microbial pathogenesis studies traditionally encompass dissection of virulence properties such as the bacterium's ability to elaborate toxins, adhere to and invade host cells, cause tissue damage, or otherwise disrupt normal host immune and cellular functions. In contrast, bacterial metabolism during infection has only been recently appreciated to contribute to persistence as much as their virulence properties. In this study, we used comparative proteomics to investigate the expression of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC cytoplasmic proteins during growth in the urinary tract environment and systematic disruption of central metabolic pathways to better understand bacterial metabolism during infection. Using two-dimensional fluorescence difference in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE and tandem mass spectrometry, it was found that UPEC differentially expresses 84 cytoplasmic proteins between growth in LB medium and growth in human urine (P<0.005. Proteins induced during growth in urine included those involved in the import of short peptides and enzymes required for the transport and catabolism of sialic acid, gluconate, and the pentose sugars xylose and arabinose. Proteins required for the biosynthesis of arginine and serine along with the enzyme agmatinase that is used to produce the polyamine putrescine were also up-regulated in urine. To complement these data, we constructed mutants in these genes and created mutants defective in each central metabolic pathway and tested the relative fitness of these UPEC mutants in vivo in an infection model. Import of peptides, gluconeogenesis, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle are required for E. coli fitness during urinary tract infection while glycolysis, both the non-oxidative and oxidative branches of the pentose phosphate pathway, and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway were dispensable in vivo. These findings suggest that peptides and amino acids are the primary carbon source for E. coli during infection of

  10. The nuclear fuel cycle versus the carbon cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ewing, R.C.

    2005-01-01

    Nuclear power provides approximately 17% of the world's electricity, which is equivalent to a reduction in carbon emissions of ∼0.5 gigatonnes (Gt) of C/yr. This is a modest reduction as compared with global emissions of carbon, ∼7 Gt C/yr. Most analyses suggest that in order to have a significant and timely impact on carbon emissions, carbon-free sources, such as nuclear power, would have to expand total production of energy by factors of three to ten by 2050. A three-fold increase in nuclear power capacity would result in a projected reduction in carbon emissions of 1 to 2 Gt C/yr, depending on the type of carbon-based energy source that is displaced. This three-fold increase utilizing present nuclear technologies would result in 25,000 metric tonnes (t) of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) per year, containing over 200 t of plutonium. This is compared to a present global inventory of approximately 280,000 t of SNF and >1,700 t of Pu. A nuclear weapon can be fashioned from as little as 5 kg of 239 Pu. However, there is considerable technological flexibility in the nuclear fuel cycle. There are three types of nuclear fuel cycles that might be utilized for the increased production of energy: open, closed, or a symbiotic combination of different types of reactor (such as, thermal and fast neutron reactors). The neutron energy spectrum has a significant effect on the fission product yield, and the consumption of long-lived actinides, by fission, is best achieved by fast neutrons. Within each cycle, the volume and composition of the high-level nuclear waste and fissile material depend on the type of nuclear fuel, the amount of burn-up, the extent of radionuclide separation during reprocessing, and the types of materials used to immobilize different radionuclides. As an example, a 232 Th-based fuel cycle can be used to breed fissile 233 U with minimum production of Pu. In this paper, I will contrast the production of excess carbon in the form of CO 2 from fossil fuels with

  11. Combined Turbine and Cycle Optimization for Organic Rankine Cycle Power Systems—Part B

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    La Seta, Angelo; Meroni, Andrea; Andreasen, Jesper Graa

    2016-01-01

    Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power systems have recently emerged as promising solutions for waste heat recovery in low- and medium-size power plants. Their performance and economic feasibility strongly depend on the expander. The design process and efficiency estimation are particularly challenging...... due to the peculiar physical properties of the working fluid and the gas-dynamic phenomena occurring in the machine. Unlike steam Rankine and Brayton engines, organic Rankine cycle expanders combine small enthalpy drops with large expansion ratios. These features yield turbine designs with few highly...... is the preliminary design of an organic Rankine cycle turbogenerator to increase the overall energy efficiency of an offshore platform. For an increase in expander pressure ratio from 10 to 35, the results indicate up to 10% point reduction in expander performance. This corresponds to a relative reduction in net...

  12. Tidal pumping facilitates dissimilatory nitrate reduction in intertidal marshes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Yanling; Hou, Lijun; Liu, Min; Liu, Zhanfei; Li, Xiaofei; Lin, Xianbiao; Yin, Guoyu; Gao, Juan; Yu, Chendi; Wang, Rong; Jiang, Xiaofen

    2016-01-01

    Intertidal marshes are alternately exposed and submerged due to periodic ebb and flood tides. The tidal cycle is important in controlling the biogeochemical processes of these ecosystems. Intertidal sediments are important hotspots of dissimilatory nitrate reduction and interacting nitrogen cycling microorganisms, but the effect of tides on dissimilatory nitrate reduction, including denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, remains unexplored in these habitats. Here, we use isotope-tracing and molecular approaches simultaneously to show that both nitrate-reduction activities and associated functional bacterial abundances are enhanced at the sediment-tidal water interface and at the tide-induced groundwater fluctuating layer. This pattern suggests that tidal pumping may sustain dissimilatory nitrate reduction in intertidal zones. The tidal effect is supported further by nutrient profiles, fluctuations in nitrogen components over flood-ebb tidal cycles, and tidal simulation experiments. This study demonstrates the importance of tides in regulating the dynamics of dissimilatory nitrate-reducing pathways and thus provides new insights into the biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen and other elements in intertidal marshes. PMID:26883983

  13. Ames Optimized TCA Configuration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cliff, Susan E.; Reuther, James J.; Hicks, Raymond M.

    1999-01-01

    Configuration design at Ames was carried out with the SYN87-SB (single block) Euler code using a 193 x 49 x 65 C-H grid. The Euler solver is coupled to the constrained (NPSOL) and the unconstrained (QNMDIF) optimization packages. Since the single block grid is able to model only wing-body configurations, the nacelle/diverter effects were included in the optimization process by SYN87's option to superimpose the nacelle/diverter interference pressures on the wing. These interference pressures were calculated using the AIRPLANE code. AIRPLANE is an Euler solver that uses a unstructured tetrahedral mesh and is capable of computations about arbitrary complete configurations. In addition, the buoyancy effects of the nacelle/diverters were also included in the design process by imposing the pressure field obtained during the design process onto the triangulated surfaces of the nacelle/diverter mesh generated by AIRPLANE. The interference pressures and nacelle buoyancy effects are added to the final forces after each flow field calculation. Full details of the (recently enhanced) ghost nacelle capability are given in a related talk. The pseudo nacelle corrections were greatly improved during this design cycle. During the Ref H and Cycle 1 design activities, the nacelles were only translated and pitched. In the cycle 2 design effort the nacelles can translate vertically, and pitch to accommodate the changes in the lower surface geometry. The diverter heights (between their leading and trailing edges) were modified during design as the shape of the lower wing changed, with the drag of the diverter changing accordingly. Both adjoint and finite difference gradients were used during optimization. The adjoint-based gradients were found to give good direction in the design space for configurations near the starting point, but as the design approached a minimum, the finite difference gradients were found to be more accurate. Use of finite difference gradients was limited by the

  14. Cortex and hippocampus DNA epigenetic response to a long-term arsenic exposure via drinking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Xiaoyan; Tian, Meiping; Wang, Xiaoxue; Zhang, Jie; Huang, Qingyu; Liu, Liangpo; Shen, Heqing

    2018-03-01

    The neurotoxicity of arsenic is a serious health problem, especially for children. DNA epigenetic change may be an important pathogenic mechanism, but the molecular pathway remains obscure. In this study, the weaned male Sprague-Dawly (SD) rats were treated with arsenic trioxide via drinking water for 6 months, simulating real developmental exposure situation of children. Arsenic exposure impaired the cognitive abilities, and altered the expression of neuronal activity-regulated genes. Total arsenic concentrations of cortex and hippocampus tissues were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. The reduction in 5-methylcytosine (5 mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) levels as well as the down-regulation of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and ten-eleven translocations (TETs) expression suggested that DNA methylation/demethylation processes were significantly suppressed in brain tissues. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) level wasn't changed, but the expression of the important indicators of oxidative/anti-oxidative balance and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle was significantly deregulated. Overall, arsenic can disrupt oxidative/anti-oxidative balance, further inhibit TETs expression through TCA cycle and alpha-ketoglutarate (α-KG) pathway, and consequently cause DNA methylation/demethylation disruption. The present study implies oxidative stress but not SAM depletion may lead to DNA epigenetic alteration and arsenic neurotoxicity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Screening the yeast genome for energetic metabolism pathways involved in a phenotypic response to the anti-cancer agent 3-bromopyruvate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lis, Paweł; Jurkiewicz, Paweł; Cal-Bąkowska, Magdalena; Ko, Young H; Pedersen, Peter L; Goffeau, Andre; Ułaszewski, Stanisław

    2016-03-01

    In this study the detailed characteristic of the anti-cancer agent 3-bromopyruvate (3-BP) activity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae model is described, with the emphasis on its influence on energetic metabolism of the cell. It shows that 3-BP toxicity in yeast is strain-dependent and influenced by the glucose-repression system. Its toxic effect is mainly due to the rapid depletion of intracellular ATP. Moreover, lack of the Whi2p phosphatase results in strongly increased sensitivity of yeast cells to 3-BP, possibly due to the non-functional system of mitophagy of damaged mitochondria through the Ras-cAMP-PKA pathway. Single deletions of genes encoding glycolytic enzymes, the TCA cycle enzymes and mitochondrial carriers result in multiple effects after 3-BP treatment. However, it can be concluded that activity of the pentose phosphate pathway is necessary to prevent the toxicity of 3-BP, probably due to the fact that large amounts of NADPH are produced by this pathway, ensuring the reducing force needed for glutathione reduction, crucial to cope with the oxidative stress. Moreover, single deletions of genes encoding the TCA cycle enzymes and mitochondrial carriers generally cause sensitivity to 3-BP, while totally inactive mitochondrial respiration in the rho0 mutant resulted in increased resistance to 3-BP.

  16. Metabolic flux analysis of the halophilic archaeon Haladaptatus paucihalophilus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Guangxiu; Zhang, Manxiao; Mo, Tianlu; He, Lian; Zhang, Wei; Yu, Yi; Zhang, Qi; Ding, Wei

    2015-11-27

    This work reports the (13)C-assisted metabolic flux analysis of Haladaptatus paucihalophilus, a halophilic archaeon possessing an intriguing osmoadaption mechanism. We showed that the carbon flow is through the oxidative tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle whereas the reductive TCA cycle is not operative in H. paucihalophilus. In addition, both threonine and the citramalate pathways contribute to isoleucine biosynthesis, whereas lysine is synthesized through the diaminopimelate pathway and not through the α-aminoadipate pathway. Unexpected, the labeling patterns of glycine from the cells grown on [1-(13)C]pyruvate and [2-(13)C]pyruvate suggest that, unlike all the organisms investigated so far, in which glycine is produced exclusively from the serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) pathway, glycine biosynthesis in H. paucihalophilus involves different pathways including SHMT, threonine aldolase (TA) and the reverse reaction of glycine cleavage system (GCS), demonstrating for the first time that other pathways instead of SHMT can also make a significant contribution to the cellular glycine pool. Transcriptional analysis confirmed that both TA and GCS genes were transcribed in H. paucihalophilus, and the transcriptional level is independent of salt concentrations in the culture media. This study expands our understanding of amino acid biosynthesis and provides valuable insights into the metabolism of halophilic archaea. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Study on the FBR cycle introduction scenario. 4. Evaluation of the FBR cycle introduction scenario from the viewpoints of the fuel cycle requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ono, Kiyoshi; Shiotani, Hiroki; Hirao, Kazunori

    2003-07-01

    This report is intended to explain the outline of the scenario studies on FBR (Fast Breeder Reactor) cycle introduction. Recently, people value the reduction of environmental impact in addition to the recycle of energy resources and the energy security in these scenario studies. This report summarizes the analysis about the necessity of plutonium recycling in LWR (Light water Reactor) from short-term view and about the necessity of FBR cycle introduction from a long-term view in Japan, by comparing 'FBR scenario' with 'LWR once-through scenario' and 'Pu recycle in LWR scenario', from the viewpoints of cumulative uranium demand, spent fuel storage, radioactive waste arising, etc. It becomes clear that the plutonium recycling in LWR has a good effect on the reduction of spent fuel storage and the cumulative natural uranium demand before FBR cycle introduction, from short-term view (20-30 years). On the other hand, this analysis also shows that there is much effect of FBR deployment not only on saving amount of uranium use and energy security but also on reduction of high-level radioactive waste (spent fuels and vitrified waste) and minor actinide arising, from long-term view (100-200 years). (author)

  18. The reactivity of Fe(II) associated with goethite formed during short redox cycles toward Cr(VI) reduction under oxic conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tomaszewski, Elizabeth J.; Lee, Seungyeol; Rudolph, Jared; Xu, Huifang; Ginder-Vogel, Matthew (UW)

    2017-08-01

    Chromium (Cr) is a toxic metal that causes a myriad of health problems and enters the environment as a result of anthropogenic activities and/or natural processes. The toxicity and solubility of chromium is linked to its oxidation state; Cr(III) is poorly soluble and relatively nontoxic, while Cr(VI) is soluble and a known carcinogen. Solid Fe(II) in iron-bearing minerals, such as pyrite, magnetite, and green rusts, reduce the oxidation state of chromium, reducing its toxicity and mobility. However, these minerals are not the only potential sources of solid-associated Fe(II) available for Cr(VI) reduction. For example, ferric (Fe(III)) (hydr)oxides, such as goethite or hematite, can have Fe(II) in the solid without phase transformation; however, the reactivity of Fe(II) within Fe(III) (hydr)oxides with contaminants, has not been previously investigated. Here, we cyclically react goethite with dissolved Fe(II) followed by dissolved O2, leading to the formation of reactive Fe(II) associated with goethite. In separate reactors, the reactivity of this Fe(II) is probed under oxic conditions, by exposure to chromate (CrO42 -) after either one, two, three or four redox cycles. Cr is not present during redox cycling; rather, it is introduced to a subset of the solid after each oxidation half-cycle. Analysis of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra reveals that the extent of Cr(VI) reduction to Cr(III) depends not only on solid Fe(II) content but also surface area and mean size of ordered crystalline domains, determined by BET surface area analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Shell-by-shell fitting of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra demonstrates chromium forms both single and double corner sharing complexes on the surface of goethite, in addition to sorbed Cr(III) species. Finally, transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging and X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) illustrate that Cr preferentially

  19. Criteria for achieving actinide reduction goals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liljenzin, J.O.

    1996-01-01

    In order to discuss various criteria for achieving actinide reduction goals, the goals for actinide reduction must be defined themselves. In this context the term actinides is interpreted to mean plutonium and the so called ''minor actinides'' neptunium, americium and curium, but also protactinium. Some possible goals and the reasons behind these will be presented. On the basis of the suggested goals it is possible to analyze various types of devices for production of nuclear energy from uranium or thorium, such as thermal or fast reactors and accelerator driven system, with their associated fuel cycles with regard to their ability to reach the actinide reduction goals. The relation between necessary single cycle burn-up values, fuel cycle processing losses and losses to waste will be defined and discussed. Finally, an attempt is made to arrange the possible systems on order of performance with regard to their potential to reduce the actinide inventory and the actinide losses to wastes. (author). 3 refs, 3 figs, 2 tabs

  20. Cyanobacterial carbon metabolism: Fluxome plasticity and oxygen dependence: Cyanobacterial Carbon Metabolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wan, Ni [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); DeLorenzo, Drew M. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); He, Lian [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); You, Le [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Immethun, Cheryl M. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Wang, George [Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Baidoo, Edward E. K. [Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Hollinshead, Whitney [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Keasling, Jay D. [Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Technical Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark); Moon, Tae Seok [Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis Missouri 63130; Tang, Yinjie J. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)

    2017-03-30

    Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 has been widely used as a photo-biorefinery chassis. Based on its genome annotation, this species contains a complete TCA cycle, an Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway (EMPP), an oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP), and an Entner–Doudoroff pathway (EDP). To evaluate how Synechocystis 6803 catabolizes glucose under heterotrophic conditions, we performed 13C metabolic flux analysis, metabolite pool size analysis, gene knockouts, and heterologous expressions. The results revealed a cyclic mode of flux through the OPPP. Small, but non-zero, fluxes were observed through the TCA cycle and the malic shunt. Independent knockouts of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (gnd) and malic enzyme (me) corroborated these results, as neither mutant could grow under dark heterotrophic conditions. Our data also indicate that Synechocystis 6803 metabolism relies upon oxidative phosphorylation to generate ATP from NADPH under dark or insufficient light conditions. The pool sizes of intermediates in the TCA cycle, particularly acetyl-CoA, were found to be several fold lower in Synechocystis 6803 (compared to E. coli metabolite pool sizes), while its sugar phosphate intermediates were several-fold higher. Moreover, negligible flux was detected through the native, or heterologous, EDP in the wild type or Δgnd strains under heterotrophic conditions. Comparing photoautotrophic, photomixotrophic, and heterotrophic conditions, the Calvin cycle, OPPP, and EMPP in Synechocystis 6803 possess the ability to regulate their fluxes under various growth conditions (plastic), whereas its TCA cycle always maintains at low levels (rigid). This work also demonstrates how genetic profiles do not always reflect actual metabolic flux through native or heterologous pathways. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1593–1602. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. System reduction for nanoscale IC design

    CERN Document Server

    2017-01-01

    This book describes the computational challenges posed by the progression toward nanoscale electronic devices and increasingly short design cycles in the microelectronics industry, and proposes methods of model reduction which facilitate circuit and device simulation for specific tasks in the design cycle. The goal is to develop and compare methods for system reduction in the design of high dimensional nanoelectronic ICs, and to test these methods in the practice of semiconductor development. Six chapters describe the challenges for numerical simulation of nanoelectronic circuits and suggest model reduction methods for constituting equations. These include linear and nonlinear differential equations tailored to circuit equations and drift diffusion equations for semiconductor devices. The performance of these methods is illustrated with numerical experiments using real-world data. Readers will benefit from an up-to-date overview of the latest model reduction methods in computational nanoelectronics.

  2. An advanced purex process based on salt-free reductants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Hui; Ye, Guoan; Tang, Hongbin; Zheng, Weifang; Li, Gaoliang; Lin, Rushan [China Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing (China). Dept. of Radiochemistry

    2014-04-01

    An advanced plutonium and uranium recovery process has been established based on two organic reductants, N,N-dimethylhydroxylamine (DMHAN) and methylhydrazine (MH), as U/Pu separation reagents. This Advanced Purex process based on Organic Reductants (APOR) is composed of three cycles, including U/Pu co-decontamination/separation cycle, uranium purification cycle and plutonium purification cycle. Using DMHAN and MH as plutonium stripping reagents in the U/Pu co-decontamination/separation cycle and plutonium purification cycle, the APOR process exhibits high performance with following highlights: (1) the process is much simpler because of the elimination of Tc scrubbing operation and the supplement extraction operation, (2) high efficiency of U/Pu separation can be achieved in the first cycle, (3) plutonium product solution of high concentration can be obtained in the Pu purification cycle with a simple extraction operation instead of circumfluent extraction or evaporation of the plutonium solution. (orig.)

  3. Exergy Losses in the Szewalski Binary Vapor Cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomasz Kowalczyk

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available In this publication, we present an energy and exergy analysis of the Szewalski binary vapor cycle based on a model of a supercritical steam power plant. We used energy analysis to conduct a preliminary optimization of the cycle. Exergy loss analysis was employed to perform a comparison of heat-transfer processes, which are essential for hierarchical cycles. The Szewalski binary vapor cycle consists of a steam cycle bottomed with an organic Rankine cycle installation. This coupling has a negative influence on the thermal efficiency of the cycle. However, the primary aim of this modification is to reduce the size of the power unit by decreasing the low-pressure steam turbine cylinder and the steam condenser. The reduction of the “cold end” of the turbine is desirable from economic and technical standpoints. We present the Szewalski binary vapor cycle in addition to a mathematical model of the chosen power plant’s thermodynamic cycle. We elaborate on the procedure of the Szewalski cycle design and its optimization in order to attain an optimal size reduction of the power unit and limit exergy loss.

  4. Influence of carbofuran on certain metabolic and symbiotic activities of a cowpea Rhizobium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palaniappan, S.; Balasubramanian, A.

    1983-01-01

    Using carbon 14 radioisotope an in-vitro study of the effect of insecticides, carbofuran, on the metabolic and symbiotic activities of Rhizobium sp. cowpea group, was carried out. The study indicated that at 10 ppm carbofuran inhibited the in-vitro growth of the bacterium, suppressed the oxidation of all the Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, significantly reduced glucose oxidation and translocation and affected the growth and symbiotic activities of the cowpea as reflected by a reduction in the dry matter production and total nitrogen content. The insecticide was itself degraded by the Rhizobium sp. within 30 days of incubation

  5. Life cycle assessment of biomass-to-energy systems in Ireland modelled with biomass supply chain optimisation based on greenhouse gas emission reduction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murphy, Fionnuala; Sosa, Amanda; McDonnell, Kevin; Devlin, Ger

    2016-01-01

    The energy sector is the major contributor to GHG (greenhouse gas emissions) in Ireland. Under EU Renewable energy targets, Ireland must achieve contributions of 40%, 12% and 10% from renewables to electricity, heat and transport respectively by 2020, in addition to a 20% reduction in GHG emissions. Life cycle assessment methodology was used to carry out a comprehensive, holistic evaluation of biomass-to-energy systems in 2020 based on indigenous biomass supply chains optimised to reduce production and transportation GHG emissions. Impact categories assessed include; global warming, acidification, eutrophication potentials, and energy demand. Two biomass energy conversion technologies are considered; co-firing with peat, and biomass CHP (combined heat and power) systems. Biomass is allocated to each plant according to a supply optimisation model which ensures minimal GHG emissions. The study shows that while CHP systems produce lower environmental impacts than co-firing systems in isolation, determining overall environmental impacts requires analysis of the reference energy systems which are displaced. In addition, if the aims of these systems are to increase renewable energy penetration in line with the renewable electricity and renewable heat targets, the optimal scenario may not be the one which achieves the greatest environmental impact reductions. - Highlights: • Life cycle assessment of biomass co-firing and CHP systems in Ireland is carried out. • GWP, acidification and eutrophication potentials, and energy demand are assessed. • Biomass supply is optimised based on minimising GHG emissions. • CHP systems cause lower environmental impacts than biomass co-firing with peat. • Displacing peat achieves higher GHG emission reductions than replacing fossil heat.

  6. Systematic review and meta-analysis of reduction in all-cause mortality from walking and cycling and shape of dose response relationship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Paul; Kahlmeier, Sonja; Götschi, Thomas; Orsini, Nicola; Richards, Justin; Roberts, Nia; Scarborough, Peter; Foster, Charlie

    2014-10-24

    Walking and cycling have shown beneficial effects on population risk of all-cause mortality (ACM). This paper aims to review the evidence and quantify these effects, adjusted for other physical activity (PA). We conducted a systematic review to identify relevant studies. Searches were conducted in November 2013 using the following health databases of publications: Embase (OvidSP); Medline (OvidSP); Web of Knowledge; CINAHL; SCOPUS; SPORTDiscus. We also searched reference lists of relevant texts and reviews. Eligible studies were prospective cohort design and reporting walking or cycling exposure and mortality as an outcome. Only cohorts of individuals healthy at baseline were considered eligible. Extracted data included study population and location, sample size, population characteristics (age and sex), follow-up in years, walking or cycling exposure, mortality outcome, and adjustment for other co-variables. We used random-effects meta-analyses to investigate the beneficial effects of regular walking and cycling. Walking (18 results from 14 studies) and cycling (8 results from 7 studies) were shown to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality, adjusted for other PA. For a standardised dose of 11.25 MET.hours per week (or 675 MET.minutes per week), the reduction in risk for ACM was 11% (95% CI = 4 to 17%) for walking and 10% (95% CI = 6 to 13%) for cycling. The estimates for walking are based on 280,000 participants and 2.6 million person-years and for cycling they are based on 187,000 individuals and 2.1 million person-years. The shape of the dose-response relationship was modelled through meta-analysis of pooled relative risks within three exposure intervals. The dose-response analysis showed that walking or cycling had the greatest effect on risk for ACM in the first (lowest) exposure interval. The analysis shows that walking and cycling have population-level health benefits even after adjustment for other PA. Public health approaches would have the biggest impact

  7. Biotic and a-biotic Mn and Fe cycling in deep sediments across a gradient of sulfate reduction rates along the California margin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider-Mor, A.; Steefel, C.; Maher, K.

    2011-12-01

    The coupling between the biological and a-biotic processes controlling trace metals in deep marine sediments are not well understood, although the fluxes of elements and trace metals across the sediment-water interface can be a major contribution to ocean water. Four marine sediment profiles (ODP leg 167 sites 1011, 1017, 1018 and 1020)were examined to evaluate and quantify the biotic and abiotic reaction networks and fluxes that occur in deep marine sediments. We compared biogeochemical processes across a gradient of sulfate reduction (SR) rates with the objective of studying the processes that control these rates and how they affect major elements as well as trace metal redistribution. The rates of sulfate reduction, methanogenesis and anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO) were constrained using a multicomponent reactive transport model (CrunchFlow). Constraints for the model include: sediment and pore water concentrations, as well as %CaCO3, %biogenic silica, wt% carbon and δ13C of total organic carbon (TOC), particulate organic matter (POC) and mineral associated carbon (MAC). The sites are distinguished by the depth of AMO: a shallow zone is observed at sites 1018 (9 to 19 meters composite depth (mcd)) and 1017 (19 to 30 mcd), while deeper zones occur at sites 1011 (56 to 76 mcd) and 1020 (101 to 116 mcd). Sulfate reduction rates at the shallow AMO sites are on the order 1x10-16 mol/L/yr, much faster than rates in the deeper zone sulfate reduction (1-3x10-17 mol/L/yr), as expected. The dissolved metal ion concentrations varied between the sites, with Fe (0.01-7 μM) and Mn (0.01-57 μM) concentrations highest at Site 1020 and lowest at site 1017. The highest Fe and Mn concentrations occurred at various depths, and were not directly correlated with the rates of sulfate reduction and the maximum alkalinity values. The main processes that control cycling of Fe are the production of sulfide from sulfate reduction and the distribution of Fe-oxides. The Mn distribution

  8. Aircraft Emission Scenarios Projected in Year 2015 for the NASA Technology Concept Aircraft (TCA) High Speed Civil Transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baughcum, Steven L.; Henderson, Stephen C.

    1998-01-01

    This report describes the development of a three-dimensional database of aircraft fuel burn and emissions (fuel burned, NOx, CO, and hydrocarbons) from projected fleets of high speed civil transports (HSCTs) on a universal airline network. Inventories for 500 and 1000 HSCT fleets, as well as the concurrent subsonic fleets, were calculated. The HSCT scenarios are calculated using the NASA technology concept airplane (TCA) and update an earlier report. These emissions inventories are available for use by atmospheric scientists conducting the Atmospheric Effects of Stratospheric Aircraft (AESA) modeling studies. Fuel burned and emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx as NO2), carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons have been calculated on a 1 degree latitude x 1 degree longitude x 1 kilometer pressure altitude grid and delivered to NASA as electronic files.

  9. Prediction and attendance of Angra 2 nuclear power plant cycle extension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dias, Amory; Ferreira Junior, Decio Brandes M.; Morgado, Mario Monteiro; Santos, Barbara Oliveira dos; Oliveira, Monica Georgia Nunes

    2007-01-01

    The Report Project Nuclear and Thermohydraulic (RPNT) of the Nuclear Power Plant Angra 2 previews extension of the cycle, using a feedback of core reactor reactivity, through the reduction of the moderator average temperature and power. In this phase, the reactor power remains almost invariable. Furthermore, the extension of cycle can be stretch after the limit of the temperature reduction has been reached, through of reactor power fall until the determined date for the end cycle and the start outage for the next cycle. The proposal of this work is to show the Power Plant results during the phase of moderator temperature reduction and to compare with the predict values obtained from reactivity balance calculation methodology used for the Reactor Physics. In general, the results of this work can collaborate for the extension behavior evaluation of the cycles of the Nuclear Power Plant 2, being used the procedure of cooling reduction average temperature, as well as, it will also collaborate for methodology qualification applied for the Reactor Physics during the reactivity balance calculation. (author)

  10. Model reduction and physical understanding of slowly oscillating processes : the circadian cycle.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goussis, Dimitris A. (Ploutonos 7, Palaio Faliro, Greece); Najm, Habib N.

    2006-01-01

    A differential system that models the circadian rhythm in Drosophila is analyzed with the computational singular perturbation (CSP) algorithm. Reduced nonstiff models of prespecified accuracy are constructed, the form and size of which are time-dependent. When compared with conventional asymptotic analysis, CSP exhibits superior performance in constructing reduced models, since it can algorithmically identify and apply all the required order of magnitude estimates and algebraic manipulations. A similar performance is demonstrated by CSP in generating data that allow for the acquisition of physical understanding. It is shown that the processes driving the circadian cycle are (i) mRNA translation into monomer protein, and monomer protein destruction by phosphorylation and degradation (along the largest portion of the cycle); and (ii) mRNA synthesis (along a short portion of the cycle). These are slow processes. Their action in driving the cycle is allowed by the equilibration of the fastest processes; (1) the monomer dimerization with the dimer dissociation (along the largest portion of the cycle); and (2) the net production of monomer+dimmer proteins with that of mRNA (along the short portion of the cycle). Additional results (regarding the time scales of the established equilibria, their origin, the rate limiting steps, the couplings among the variables, etc.) highlight the utility of CSP for automated identification of the important underlying dynamical features, otherwise accessible only for simple systems whose various suitable simplifications can easily be recognized.

  11. Research for the deep inelastic collision induced by 93 MeV /sup 14/N on /sup n//sup a//sup t/Ca

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shu-Zhi, Yin; Yong-Tai, Zhu; Wen-Qing, Shen; Zhong-Yan, Guo; Wen-Long, Zhan; Wei-Min, Qiao; En-Chiu, Wu; Zhi-hao, Zheng

    1987-03-01

    The projectile-like fragments produced by 93 MeV /sup 14/N on /sup n//sup a//sup t/Ca have been measured with a large area position sensitive ionization chamber. Energy spectra, angular distributions and contour plots of d/sup 3/sigma/d..cap omega..dEdZ and TKE-theta plane for various elements from Li to Mg have been obtained. The variances of the charge distributions sigma/sub z//sup 2/ as a function of the dissipated energy have been deduced too. In the framework of a simple diffusion model the experimental results have been anlaysed and discussed.

  12. Impaired hippocampal glucose metabolism during and after flurothyl-induced seizures in mice: Reduced phosphorylation coincides with reduced activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Tanya S; Borges, Karin

    2017-07-01

    To determine changes in glucose metabolism and the enzymes involved in the hippocampus ictally and postictally in the acute mouse flurothyl seizure model. [U- 13 C]-Glucose was injected (i.p.) prior to, or following a 5 min flurothyl-induced seizure. Fifteen minutes later, mice were killed and the total metabolite levels and % 13 C enrichment were analyzed in the hippocampal formation using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Activities of key metabolic and antioxidant enzymes and the phosphorylation status of pyruvate dehydrogenase were measured, along with lipid peroxidation. During seizures, total lactate levels increased 1.7-fold; however, [M + 3] enrichment of both lactate and alanine were reduced by 30% and 43%, respectively, along with a 28% decrease in phosphofructokinase activity. Postictally the % 13 C enrichments of all measured tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and the amino acids were reduced by 46-93%. At this time, pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity was 56% of that measured in controls, and there was a 1.9-fold increase in the phosphorylation of PDH at ser232. Phosphorylation of PDH is known to decrease its activity. Here, we show that the increase of lactate levels during flurothyl seizures is from a source other than [U- 13 C]-glucose, such as glycogen. Surprisingly, although we saw a reduction in phosphofructokinase activity during the seizure, metabolism of [U- 13 C]-glucose into the TCA cycle seemed unaffected. Similar to our recent findings in the chronic phase of the pilocarpine model, postictally the metabolism of glucose by glycolysis and the TCA cycle was impaired along with reduced PDH activity. Although this decrease in activity may be a protective mechanism to reduce oxidative stress, which is observed in the flurothyl model, ATP is critical to the recovery of ion and neurotransmitter balance and return to normal brain function. Thus we identified promising novel strategies to enhance energy metabolism and recovery from

  13. Rewiring the reductive tricarboxylic acid pathway and L-malate transport pathway of Aspergillus oryzae for overproduction of L-malate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jingjing; Xie, Zhipeng; Shin, Hyun-Dong; Li, Jianghua; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian; Liu, Long

    2017-07-10

    Aspergillus oryzae finds wide application in the food, feed, and wine industries, and is an excellent cell factory platform for production of organic acids. In this work, we achieved the overproduction of L-malate by rewiring the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) pathway and L-malate transport pathway of A. oryzae NRRL 3488. First, overexpression of native pyruvate carboxylase and malate dehydrogenase in the rTCA pathway improved the L-malate titer from 26.1gL -1 to 42.3gL -1 in shake flask culture. Then, the oxaloacetate anaplerotic reaction was constructed by heterologous expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from Escherichia coli, increasing the L-malate titer to 58.5gL -1 . Next, the export of L-malate from the cytoplasm to the external medium was strengthened by overexpression of a C4-dicarboxylate transporter gene from A. oryzae and an L-malate permease gene from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, improving the L-malate titer from 58.5gL -1 to 89.5gL -1 . Lastly, guided by transcription analysis of the expression profile of key genes related to L-malate synthesis, the 6-phosphofructokinase encoded by the pfk gene was identified as a potential limiting step for L-malate synthesis. Overexpression of pfk with the strong sodM promoter increased the L-malate titer to 93.2gL -1 . The final engineered A. oryzae strain produced 165gL -1 L-malate with a productivity of 1.38gL -1 h -1 in 3-L fed-batch culture. Overall, we constructed an efficient L-malate producer by rewiring the rTCA pathway and L-malate transport pathway of A. oryzae NRRL 3488, and the engineering strategy adopted here may be useful for the construction of A. oryzae cell factories to produce other organic acids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Shortening the Defense Acquisition Cycle: A Transformational Imperative?

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Vollmecke, Kirk

    2004-01-01

    .... The acquisition system is both political and complex. This Strategy Research Project paper explores the effectiveness of past policy changes to reduce cycle time, and reviews current acquisition issues or problems related to cycle time reduction...

  15. Process improvement by cycle time reduction through Lean Methodology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siva, R.; patan, Mahamed naveed khan; lakshmi pavan kumar, Mane; Purusothaman, M.; pitchai, S. Antony; Jegathish, Y.

    2017-05-01

    In present world, every customer needs their products to get on time with good quality. Presently every industry is striving to satisfy their customer requirements. An aviation concern trying to accomplish continuous improvement in all its projects. In this project the maintenance service for the customer is analyzed. The maintenance part service is split up into four levels. Out of it, three levels are done in service shops and the fourth level falls under customer’s privilege to change the parts in their aircraft engines at their location. An enhancement for electronics initial provisioning (eIP) is done for fourth level. Customers request service shops to get their requirements through Recommended Spare Parts List (RSPL) by eIP. To complete this RSPL for one customer, it takes 61.5 hours as a cycle time which is very high. By mapping current state VSM and takt time, future state improvement can be done in order to reduce cycle time using Lean tools such as Poke-Yoke, Jidoka, 5S, Muda etc.,

  16. Loss of Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier 2 in Liver Leads to Defects in Gluconeogenesis and Compensation via Pyruvate-Alanine Cycling

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCommis, Kyle S.; Chen, Zhouji; Fu, Xiaorong; McDonald, William G.; Colca, Jerry R.; Kletzien, Rolf F.; Burgess, Shawn C.; Finck, Brian N.

    2015-01-01

    SUMMARY Pyruvate transport across the inner mitochondrial membrane is believed to be a prerequisite step for gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes, which is important for maintenance of normoglycemia during prolonged food deprivation, but also contributes to hyperglycemia in diabetes. To determine the requirement for mitochondrial pyruvate import in gluconeogenesis, mice with liver-specific deletion of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 2 (LS-Mpc2−/−) were generated. Loss of MPC2 impaired, but did not completely abolish, hepatocyte pyruvate metabolism, labelled pyruvate conversion to TCA cycle intermediates and glucose, and glucose production from pyruvate. Unbiased metabolomic analyses of livers from fasted LS-Mpc2−/− mice suggested that alterations in amino acid metabolism, including pyruvate-alanine cycling, might compensate for loss of MPC2. Indeed, inhibition of pyruvate-alanine transamination further reduced mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism and glucose production by LS-Mpc2−/− hepatocytes. These data demonstrate an important role for MPC2 in controlling hepatic gluconeogenesis and illuminate a compensatory mechanism for circumventing a block in mitochondrial pyruvate import. PMID:26344101

  17. Detoxification of ammonia in mouse cortical GABAergic cell cultures increases neuronal oxidative metabolism and reveals an emerging role for release of glucose-derived alanine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leke, Renata; Bak, Lasse K; Anker, Malene; Melø, Torun M; Sørensen, Michael; Keiding, Susanne; Vilstrup, Hendrik; Ott, Peter; Portela, Luis V; Sonnewald, Ursula; Schousboe, Arne; Waagepetersen, Helle S

    2011-04-01

    Cerebral hyperammonemia is believed to play a pivotal role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a debilitating condition arising due to acute or chronic liver disease. In the brain, ammonia is thought to be detoxified via the activity of glutamine synthetase, an astrocytic enzyme. Moreover, it has been suggested that cerebral tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolism is inhibited and glycolysis enhanced during hyperammonemia. The aim of this study was to characterize the ammonia-detoxifying mechanisms as well as the effects of ammonia on energy-generating metabolic pathways in a mouse neuronal-astrocytic co-culture model of the GABAergic system. We found that 5 mM ammonium chloride affected energy metabolism by increasing the neuronal TCA cycle activity and switching the astrocytic TCA cycle toward synthesis of substrate for glutamine synthesis. Furthermore, ammonia exposure enhanced the synthesis and release of alanine. Collectively, our results demonstrate that (1) formation of glutamine is seminal for detoxification of ammonia; (2) neuronal oxidative metabolism is increased in the presence of ammonia; and (3) synthesis and release of alanine is likely to be important for ammonia detoxification as a supplement to formation of glutamine.

  18. The cerebral metabolism of amino acids and related metabolites as studied by {sup 13}C and {sup 14}C labelling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hassel, B

    1995-11-01

    The present investigations show the feasibility of analyzing the cerebral metabolism of amino acids and related metabolites by {sup 13}C-and {sup 14}C-labelling using labelled acetate and glucose as markers for glial and neuronal metabolism, respectively. Using [{sup 13}C]acetate, it was shown that glial cells export {approx}60% of their TCA cycle intermediates, mostly as glutamine, and that this glutamine is used by neurons partly as an energy reserve, and partly it is converted directly to glutamate and GABA. Using [{sup 13}C]glucose, the glial process or pyruvate carboxylation was shown to compensate fully for the loss of glutamine. The mechanism of action of two neurotoxins, fluorocitrate and 3-nitropropionate was elucidated. The latter toxin was shown to inhibit the TCA cycle of GABAergic neurons selectively. Formation of pyruvate and lactate from glial TCA cycle intermediates was demonstrated in vivo. This pathway may be important for glial inactivation of transmitter glutamate and GABA. The results illustrate glianeuronal interactions, and they suggest the applicability of {sup 13}CNMR spectroscopy to the detailed study of the cerebral metabolism of amino acids in the intact, unanesthetized human brain. 174 refs.

  19. The cerebral metabolism of amino acids and related metabolites as studied by 13C and 14C labelling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hassel, B.

    1995-11-01

    The present investigations show the feasibility of analyzing the cerebral metabolism of amino acids and related metabolites by 13 C-and 14 C-labelling using labelled acetate and glucose as markers for glial and neuronal metabolism, respectively. Using [ 13 C[acetate, it was shown that glial cells export ∼60% of their TCA cycle intermediates, mostly as glutamine, and that this glutamine is used by neurons partly as an energy reserve, and partly it is converted directly to glutamate and GABA. Using [ 13 C[glucose, the glial process or pyruvate carboxylation was shown to compensate fully for the loss of glutamine. The mechanism of action of two neurotoxins, fluorocitrate and 3-nitropropionate was elucidated. The latter toxin was shown to inhibit the TCA cycle of GABAergic neurons selectively. Formation of pyruvate and lactate from glial TCA cycle intermediates was demonstrated in vivo. This pathway may be important for glial inactivation of transmitter glutamate and GABA. The results illustrate glianeuronal interactions, and they suggest the applicability of 13 CNMR spectroscopy to the detailed study of the cerebral metabolism of amino acids in the intact, unanesthetized human brain. 174 refs

  20. Pathway confirmation and flux analysis of central metabolic pathways in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Yinjie; Pingitore, Francesco; Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila; Phan, Richard; Hazen, Terry C.; Keasling, Jay D.

    2006-01-01

    It has been proposed that during growth under anaerobic or oxygen-limited conditions Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 uses the serine-isocitrate lyase pathway common to many methylotrophic anaerobes, in which formaldehyde produced from pyruvate is condensed with glycine to form serine. The serine is then transformed through hydroxypyruvate and glycerate to enter central metabolism at phosphoglycerate. To examine its use of the serine-isocitrate lyase pathway under anaerobic conditions, we grew S. oneidensis MR-1 on [1-13C] lactate as the sole carbon source with either trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) or fumarate as an electron acceptor. Analysis of cellular metabolites indicates that a large percentage (>75 percent) of lactate was partially oxidized to either acetate or pyruvate. The 13C isotope distributions in amino acids and other key metabolites indicate that, under anaerobic conditions, a complete serine pathway is not present, and lactate is oxidized via a highly reversible serine degradation pathway. The labeling data also suggest significant activity in the anaplerotic (malic enzyme and phosphoenolpyruvatecarboxylase) and glyoxylate shunt (isocitrate lyase and malate synthase) reactions. Although the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is often observed to be incomplete in many other anaerobes (absence of 2-oxoglutaratede hydrogenase activity), isotopic labeling supports the existence of a complete TCA cycle in S. oneidensis MR-1 under TMAO reduction condition

  1. REDUCTION OF CYCLE TIME IN SCREW AIR COMPRESSOR ASSEMBLY LINE USING KAIZEN SURVEY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Rajenthirakumar

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this competitive world, any company has to fulfill its customer needs to survive in the market. Lean manufacturing is a technique that can be adopted in a company to improve the quality of its products, reduce the cost of the production and also deliver the products in less time. The goal of this work is to show the applicability of lean manufacturing’s body of knowledge in a screw air compressor manufacturing company. Here, the main objective is to evolve and test several methodologies to eliminate wastes in the assembly line as the company at present unable to meet the customer demand. A systematic approach is suggested for the implementation of lean principles to showcase that lean could be applied to the compressor assembly line to enhance the productivity thereby making the line more efficient. In the current assembly line there was no work standardization followed by absence of kaizen that has led to an increased assembly time. Thus with the help of lean tools and techniques such as 5S, kaizen, standardization, visual management, poke yoke and string diagram the total cycle time has been reduced from 236 to 209 minutes. This reduction has benefitted the company in meeting the customer demand, increased profit and work satisfaction.

  2. BWROPT: A multi-cycle BWR fuel cycle optimization code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ottinger, Keith E.; Maldonado, G. Ivan, E-mail: Ivan.Maldonado@utk.edu

    2015-09-15

    Highlights: • A multi-cycle BWR fuel cycle optimization algorithm is presented. • New fuel inventory and core loading pattern determination. • The parallel simulated annealing algorithm was used for the optimization. • Variable sampling probabilities were compared to constant sampling probabilities. - Abstract: A new computer code for performing BWR in-core and out-of-core fuel cycle optimization for multiple cycles simultaneously has been developed. Parallel simulated annealing (PSA) is used to optimize the new fuel inventory and placement of new and reload fuel for each cycle considered. Several algorithm improvements were implemented and evaluated. The most significant of these are variable sampling probabilities and sampling new fuel types from an ordered array. A heuristic control rod pattern (CRP) search algorithm was also implemented, which is useful for single CRP determinations, however, this feature requires significant computational resources and is currently not practical for use in a full multi-cycle optimization. The PSA algorithm was demonstrated to be capable of significant objective function reduction and finding candidate loading patterns without constraint violations. The use of variable sampling probabilities was shown to reduce runtime while producing better results compared to using constant sampling probabilities. Sampling new fuel types from an ordered array was shown to have a mixed effect compared to random new fuel type sampling, whereby using both random and ordered sampling produced better results but required longer runtimes.

  3. Tunnel-Structured KxTiO2 Nanorods by in Situ Carbothermal Reduction as a Long Cycle and High Rate Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qing; Wei, Yaqing; Yang, Haotian; Su, Dong; Ma, Ying; Li, Huiqiao; Zhai, Tianyou

    2017-03-01

    The low electronic conductivity and the sluggish sodium-ion diffusion in the compact crystal structure of Ti-based anodes seriously restrict their development in sodium-ion batteries. In this study, a new hollandite K x TiO 2 with large (2 × 2) tunnels is synthesized by a facile carbothermal reduction method, and its sodium storage performance is investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses illustrate the formation mechanism of the hollandite K x TiO 2 upon the carbothermal reduction process. Compared to the traditional layered or small (1 × 1) tunnel-type Ti-based materials, the hollandite K x TiO 2 with large (2 × 2) tunnels may accommodate more sodium ions and facilitate the Na + diffusion in the structure; thus, it is expected to get a large capacity and realize high rate capability. The synthesized K x TiO 2 with large (2 × 2) tunnels shows a stable reversible capacity of 131 mAh g -1 (nearly 3 times of (1 × 1) tunnel-structured Na 2 Ti 6 O 13 ) and superior cycling stability with no obvious capacity decay even after 1000 cycles, which is significantly better than the traditional layered Na 2 Ti 3 O 7 (only 40% of capacity retention in 20 cycles). Moreover, the carbothermal process can naturally introduce oxygen vacancy and low-valent titanium as well as the surface carbon coating layer to the structure, which would greatly enhance the electronic conductivity of K x TiO 2 and thus endow this material high rate capability. With a good rate capability and long cyclability, this hollandite K x TiO 2 can serve as a new promising anode material for room-temperature long-life sodium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage systems, and the carbothermal reduction method is believed to be an effective and facile way to develop novel Ti-based anodes with simultaneous carbon coating and Ti(III) self-doping.

  4. Dynamic simulation of combined cycle power plant cycling in the electricity market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benato, A.; Bracco, S.; Stoppato, A.; Mirandola, A.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The flexibility of traditional power plants have become of primary importance. • Three dynamic models of the same single pressure HRSG are built. • The plant dynamic behaviour is predicted. • A lifetime calculation procedure is proposed and tested. • The drum lifetime reduction is estimated. - Abstract: The energy markets deregulation coupled with the rapid spread of unpredictable energy sources power units are stressing the necessity of improving traditional power plants flexibility. Cyclic operation guarantees high profits in the short term but, in the medium-long time, cause a lifetime reduction due to thermo-mechanical fatigue, creep and corrosion. In this context, Combined Cycle Power Plants are the most concerned in flexible operation problems. For this reason, two research groups from two Italian universities have developed a procedure to estimate the devices lifetime reduction with a particular focus on steam drums and superheaters/reheaters. To assess the lifetime reduction, it is essential to predict the thermodynamic variables trend in order to describe the plant behaviour. Therefore, the core of the procedure is the power plant dynamic model. At this purpose, in this paper, three different dynamic models of the same single pressure Combined Cycle Gas Turbine are presented. The models have been built using three different approaches and are used to simulate plant behaviour under real operating conditions. Despite these differences, the thermodynamic parameters time profiles are in good accordance as presented in the paper. At last, an evaluation of the drum lifetime reduction is performed.

  5. Secondary cycle design considerations for reduction of reactor transients frequency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bevilacqua, L.; Leal, M.R.L.V.

    1980-01-01

    The secondary cycle systems should not be considered of secondary importance to the pressurized water reactor safety. The advanced design and analysis techniques used for components related to nuclear safety are suggested. (E.G.) [pt

  6. Solar Hydrogen Production via a Samarium Oxide-Based Thermochemical Water Splitting Cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahul Bhosale

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The computational thermodynamic analysis of a samarium oxide-based two-step solar thermochemical water splitting cycle is reported. The analysis is performed using HSC chemistry software and databases. The first (solar-based step drives the thermal reduction of Sm2O3 into Sm and O2. The second (non-solar step corresponds to the production of H2 via a water splitting reaction and the oxidation of Sm to Sm2O3. The equilibrium thermodynamic compositions related to the thermal reduction and water splitting steps are determined. The effect of oxygen partial pressure in the inert flushing gas on the thermal reduction temperature (TH is examined. An analysis based on the second law of thermodynamics is performed to determine the cycle efficiency (ηcycle and solar-to-fuel energy conversion efficiency (ηsolar−to−fuel attainable with and without heat recuperation. The results indicate that ηcycle and ηsolar−to−fuel both increase with decreasing TH, due to the reduction in oxygen partial pressure in the inert flushing gas. Furthermore, the recuperation of heat for the operation of the cycle significantly improves the solar reactor efficiency. For instance, in the case where TH = 2280 K, ηcycle = 24.4% and ηsolar−to−fuel = 29.5% (without heat recuperation, while ηcycle = 31.3% and ηsolar−to−fuel = 37.8% (with 40% heat recuperation.

  7. Operation and Performance of a new microTCA-based CMS Calorimeter Trigger in LHC Run 2

    CERN Document Server

    Klabbers, Pamela Renee

    2016-01-01

    The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is currently increasing the instantaneous luminosity for p-p collisions. In LHC Run 2, the center-of-mass energy has gone from 8 to 13 TeV and the instantaneous luminosity will approximately double for proton collisions. This will make it even more challenging to trigger on interesting events since the number of interactions per crossing (pileup) and the overall trigger rate will be significantly larger than in LHC Run 1. The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment has installed the second stage of a two-stage upgrade to the Calorimeter Trigger to ensure that the trigger rates can be controlled and the thresholds kept low, so that physics data will not be compromised. The stage-1, which replaced the original CMS Global Calorimeter Trigger, operated successfully in 2015. The completely new stage-2 has replaced the entire calorimeter trigger in 2016 with AMC form-factor boards and optical links operating in a microTCA chassis. It required that updates to the calorimet...

  8. PEPCK-M expression in mouse liver potentiates, not replaces, PEPCK-C mediated gluconeogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Méndez-Lucas, Andrés; Duarte, João; Sunny, Nishanth E.; Satapati, Santhosh; He, TianTeng; Fu, Xiaorong; Bermúdez, Jordi; Burgess, Shawn C.; Perales, Jose C.

    2013-01-01

    Background & Aims Hepatic gluconeogenesis helps maintain systemic energy homeostasis by compensating for discontinuities in nutrient supply. Liver specific deletion of cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-C) abolishes gluconeogenesis from mitochondrial substrates, deregulates lipid metabolism and affects TCA cycle. While, mouse liver almost exclusively expresses PEPCK-C, humans equally present a mitochondrial isozyme (PEPCK-M). Despite clear relevance to human physiology, the role of PEPCK-M and its gluconeogenic potential remain unknown. Here, we test the significance of PEPCK-M in gluconeogenesis and TCA cycle function in liver-specific PEPCK-C knockout and WT mice. Methods The effects of the overexpression of PEPCK-M were examined by a combination of tracer studies and molecular biology techniques. Partial PEPCK-C re-expression was used as a positive control. Metabolic fluxes were evaluated in isolated livers by NMR using 2H and 13C tracers. Gluconeogenic potential, together with metabolic profiling, were investigated in vivo and in primary hepatocytes. Results PEPCK-M expression partially rescued defects in lipid metabolism, gluconeogenesis and TCA cycle function impaired by PEPCK-C deletion, while ~10% re-expression of PEPCK-C normalized most parameters. When PEPCK-M was expressed in the presence of PEPCK-C, the mitochondrial isozyme amplified total gluconeogenic capacity, suggesting autonomous regulation of oxaloacetate to phosphoenolpyruvate fluxes by the individual isoforms. Conclusions We conclude that PEPCK-M has gluconeogenic potential per se, and cooperates with PEPCK-C to adjust gluconeogenic/TCA flux to changes in substrate or energy availability, hinting at a role in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in human liver. PMID:23466304

  9. WLTP Random Cycle Generator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooijman, D.G.; Balau, A.E.; Wilkins, S.; Ligterink, N.; Cuelenaere, R.

    2015-01-01

    European light duty vehicle emission legislation is gradually shifting the focus from test procedures with merely static test cycles, towards procedures including Real Driving Emissions (RDE), as they are a mean to achieve the European (NOx) emission reduction target. Hence a RDE trip must represent

  10. WLTP random cycle generator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooijman, D.G.; Balau, A.E.; Wilkins, S.; Ligterink, N.; Cuelenaere, R.

    2015-01-01

    European light duty vehicle emission legislation is gradually shifting the focus from test procedures with merely static test cycles, towards procedures including Real Driving Emissions (RDE), as they are a mean to achieve the European (NOx) emission reduction target. Hence a RDE trip must represent

  11. A Cryptic Sulfur Cycle in Oxygen-Minimum-Zone Waters off the Chilean Coast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canfield, Don E.; Stewart, Frank J.; Thamdrup, Bo; De Brabandere, Loreto; Dalsgaard, Tage; Delong, Edward F.; Revsbech, Niels Peter; Ulloa, Osvaldo

    2010-12-01

    Nitrogen cycling is normally thought to dominate the biogeochemistry and microbial ecology of oxygen-minimum zones in marine environments. Through a combination of molecular techniques and process rate measurements, we showed that both sulfate reduction and sulfide oxidation contribute to energy flux and elemental cycling in oxygen-free waters off the coast of northern Chile. These processes may have been overlooked because in nature, the sulfide produced by sulfate reduction immediately oxidizes back to sulfate. This cryptic sulfur cycle is linked to anammox and other nitrogen cycling processes, suggesting that it may influence biogeochemical cycling in the global ocean.

  12. Manufacturing Enhancement through Reduction of Cycle Time using Different Lean Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suganthini Rekha, R.; Periyasamy, P.; Nallusamy, S.

    2017-08-01

    In recent manufacturing system the most important parameters in production line are work in process, TAKT time and line balancing. In this article lean tools and techniques were implemented to reduce the cycle time. The aim is to enhance the productivity of the water pump pipe by identifying the bottleneck stations and non value added activities. From the initial time study the bottleneck processes were identified and then necessary expanding processes were also identified for the bottleneck process. Subsequently the improvement actions have been established and implemented using different lean tools like value stream mapping, 5S and line balancing. The current state value stream mapping was developed to describe the existing status and to identify various problem areas. 5S was used to implement the steps to reduce the process cycle time and unnecessary movements of man and material. The improvement activities were implemented with required suggested and the future state value stream mapping was developed. From the results it was concluded that the total cycle time was reduced about 290.41 seconds and the customer demand has been increased about 760 units.

  13. Inflammation and ER Stress Regulate Branched-Chain Amino Acid Uptake and Metabolism in Adipocytes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burrill, Joel S.; Long, Eric K.; Reilly, Brian; Deng, Yingfeng; Armitage, Ian M.; Scherer, Philipp E.

    2015-01-01

    Inflammation plays a critical role in the pathology of obesity-linked insulin resistance and is mechanistically linked to the effects of macrophage-derived cytokines on adipocyte energy metabolism, particularly that of the mitochondrial branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) pathways. To address the role of inflammation on energy metabolism in adipocytes, we used high fat-fed C57BL/6J mice and lean controls and measured the down-regulation of genes linked to BCAA and TCA cycle metabolism selectively in visceral but not in subcutaneous adipose tissue, brown fat, liver, or muscle. Using 3T3-L1 cells, TNFα, and other proinflammatory cytokine treatments reduced the expression of the genes linked to BCAA transport and oxidation. Consistent with this, [14C]-leucine uptake and conversion to triglycerides was markedly attenuated in TNFα-treated adipocytes, whereas the conversion to protein was relatively unaffected. Because inflammatory cytokines lead to the induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress, we evaluated the effects of tunicamycin or thapsigargin treatment of 3T3-L1 cells and measured a similar down-regulation in the BCAA/TCA cycle pathway. Moreover, transgenic mice overexpressing X-box binding protein 1 in adipocytes similarly down-regulated genes of BCAA and TCA metabolism in vivo. These results indicate that inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress attenuate lipogenesis in visceral adipose depots by down-regulating the BCAA/TCA metabolism pathway and are consistent with a model whereby the accumulation of serum BCAA in the obese insulin-resistant state is linked to adipose inflammation. PMID:25635940

  14. An integrated model of cardiac mitochondrial energy metabolism and calcium dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortassa, Sonia; Aon, Miguel A; Marbán, Eduardo; Winslow, Raimond L; O'Rourke, Brian

    2003-04-01

    We present an integrated thermokinetic model describing control of cardiac mitochondrial bioenergetics. The model describes the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and mitochondrial Ca(2+) handling. The kinetic component of the model includes effectors of the TCA cycle enzymes regulating production of NADH and FADH(2), which in turn are used by the electron transport chain to establish a proton motive force (Delta mu(H)), driving the F(1)F(0)-ATPase. In addition, mitochondrial matrix Ca(2+), determined by Ca(2+) uniporter and Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger activities, regulates activity of the TCA cycle enzymes isocitrate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. The model is described by twelve ordinary differential equations for the time rate of change of mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta Psi(m)), and matrix concentrations of Ca(2+), NADH, ADP, and TCA cycle intermediates. The model is used to predict the response of mitochondria to changes in substrate delivery, metabolic inhibition, the rate of adenine nucleotide exchange, and Ca(2+). The model is able to reproduce, qualitatively and semiquantitatively, experimental data concerning mitochondrial bioenergetics, Ca(2+) dynamics, and respiratory control. Significant increases in oxygen consumption (V(O(2))), proton efflux, NADH, and ATP synthesis, in response to an increase in cytoplasmic Ca(2+), are obtained when the Ca(2+)-sensitive dehydrogenases are the main rate-controlling steps of respiratory flux. These responses diminished when control is shifted downstream (e.g., the respiratory chain or adenine nucleotide translocator). The time-dependent behavior of the model, under conditions simulating an increase in workload, closely reproduces experimentally observed mitochondrial NADH dynamics in heart trabeculae subjected to changes in pacing frequency. The steady-state and time-dependent behavior of the model support the hypothesis that mitochondrial matrix Ca(2+) plays an

  15. On the Reduced Geoeffectiveness of Solar Cycle 24: A Moderate Storm Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selvakumaran, R.; Veenadhari, B.; Akiyama, S.; Pandya, Megha; Gopalswamy, N,; Yashiro, S.; Kumar, Sandeep; Makela, P.; Xie, H.

    2016-01-01

    The moderate and intense geomagnetic storms are identified for the first 77 months of solar cycles 23 and 24. The solar sources responsible for the moderate geomagnetic storms are indentified during the same epoch for both the cycles. Solar cycle 24 has shown nearly 80% reduction in the occurrence of intense storms whereas it is only 40% in case of moderate storms when compared to previous cycle. The solar and interplanetary characteristics of the moderate storms driven by coronal mass ejection (CME) are compared for solar cycles 23 and 24 in order to see reduction in geoeffectiveness has anything to do with the occurrence of moderate storm. Though there is reduction in the occurrence of moderate storms, the Dst distribution does not show much difference. Similarly, the solar source parameters like CME speed, mass, and width did not show any significant variation in the average values as well as the distribution. The correlation between VBz and Dst is determined, and it is found to be moderate with value of 0.68 for cycle 23 and 0.61 for cycle 24. The magnetospheric energy flux parameter epsilon (epsilon) is estimated during the main phase of all moderate storms during solar cycles 23 and 24. The energy transfer decreased in solar cycle 24 when compared to cycle 23. These results are significantly different when all geomagnetic storms are taken into consideration for both the solar cycles.

  16. A plant pathogenic bacterium exploits the tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolic pathway of its insect vector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nehela, Yasser; Hijaz, Faraj; Vincent, Christopher I.

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Huanglongbing in citrus is caused by a phloem-limited, uncultivable, gram-negative α-proteobacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). CLas is transmitted by the phloem-sucking insect, Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae), in a persistent, circulative, and propagative manner. In this study, we investigated the metabolomic and respiration rates changes in D. citri upon infection with CLas using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas exchange analysis. The level of glycine, L-serine, L-threonine, and gamma-amino butyric acid were higher in CLas-infected D. citri, while L-proline, L-aspartic acid, and L-pyroglutamic acid were lower in CLas-infected D. citri compared with the control. Citric acid was increased in CLas-infected D. citri, whereas malic and succinic acids were reduced. Interestingly, most of the reduced metabolites such as malate, succinate, aspartate, and L-proline are required for the growth of CLas. The increase in citric acid, serine, and glycine indicated that CLas induced glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) in its vector. In agreement with the GC-MS results, the gene expression results also indicated that glycolysis and TCA were induced in CLas-infected D. citri and this was accompanied with an increases in respiration rate. Phosphoric acid and most of the sugar alcohols were higher in CLas-infected D. citri, indicating a response to the biotic stress or cell damage. Only slight increases in the levels of few sugars were observed in CLas-infected D. citri, which indicated that sugars are tightly regulated by D. citri. Our results indicated that CLas induces nutrient and energetic stress in its host insect. This study may provide some insights into the mechanism of colonization of CLas in its vector. PMID:28594267

  17. Heavy-duty approval test cycles: assessment of currently applied test cycles and theories for the development of new duty cycles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Weijer, C.J.T. van de; Rijkeboer, R.C.

    1999-01-01

    In the development of the new emission reduction technologies, the benefits of the use of these technologies must be assessed for real-life engine use. As in practice engines are developed to perform as good as possible on the approval test cycle on the basis of which emission limits are set, it is

  18. Analysis of possible fuel cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boehm, H.; Kessler, G.; Engelmann, P.; Maerkl, H.; Stoll, W.

    1978-01-01

    A brief survey is presented of the most important fuel cycles. A rough analysis of fuel cycles is attempted under the aspects of proliferation, status of technical feasibility, resource conservation and waste management and the most important criteria for such an analysis are discussed. Among the multitude of potential combinations of fuel cycles and types of reactors only a few have reached a level of technical feasibility which would make them eligible for commercial implementation within the next decade. However, if, for instance, the higher proliferation resistance of a specific fuel cycle is to be utilized to diminish the worldwide proliferation hazard, that cycle would first of all have to be introduced on an industrial scale as quickly as possible. The analysis shows that the reduction of the bazard of worldwide proliferation will continue to be the objective primarily of international agreements and measures taken in the political realm. (orig.) [de

  19. Is That Fiscal Convergence Provides Business Cycles Synchronization

    OpenAIRE

    Alimi, Nabil; Garbaa, Radhouan

    2014-01-01

    Using a panel of annual data for 29 ODCE countries over the period 1996 2010, we empirically examine if fiscal convergence make business cycles more closely linked. The results suggest that a reduction in fiscal divergence tend to raise the business cycle correlation between a pair of ODCE countries.

  20. Collagen Matrix Density Drives the Metabolic Shift in Breast Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brett A. Morris

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Increased breast density attributed to collagen I deposition is associated with a 4–6 fold increased risk of developing breast cancer. Here, we assessed cellular metabolic reprogramming of mammary carcinoma cells in response to increased collagen matrix density using an in vitro 3D model. Our initial observations demonstrated changes in functional metabolism in both normal mammary epithelial cells and mammary carcinoma cells in response to changes in matrix density. Further, mammary carcinoma cells grown in high density collagen matrices displayed decreased oxygen consumption and glucose metabolism via the tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle compared to cells cultured in low density matrices. Despite decreased glucose entry into the TCA cycle, levels of glucose uptake, cell viability, and ROS were not different between high and low density matrices. Interestingly, under high density conditions the contribution of glutamine as a fuel source to drive the TCA cycle was significantly enhanced. These alterations in functional metabolism mirrored significant changes in the expression of metabolic genes involved in glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and the serine synthesis pathway. This study highlights the broad importance of the collagen microenvironment to cellular expression profiles, and shows that changes in density of the collagen microenvironment can modulate metabolic shifts of cancer cells.

  1. Mitochondrial GTP Regulates Glucose-Induced Insulin Secretion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kibbey, Richard G.; Pongratz, Rebecca L.; Romanelli, Anthony J.; Wollheim, Claes B.; Cline, Gary W.; Shulman, Gerald I.

    2007-01-01

    Summary Substrate-level mitochondrial GTP (mtGTP) and ATP (mtATP) synthesis occurs by nucleotide-specific isoforms of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzyme succinyl CoA synthetase (SCS). Unlike mtATP, each molecule of glucose metabolized produces approximately one mtGTP in pancreatic β-cells independent of coupling with oxidative phosphorylation making mtGTP a potentially important fuel signal. siRNA suppression of the GTP-producing pathway (ΔSCS-GTP) reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) by 50%, whereas suppression of the parallel ATP-producing isoform (ΔSCS-ATP) increased GSIS by two-fold in INS-1 832/13 cells and cultured rat islets. Insulin secretion correlated with increases in cytosolic calcium but not with changes in NAD(P)H or the ATP/ADP ratio. These data suggest an important role for mtGTP in mediating GSIS in β-cells by modulation of mitochondrial metabolism possibly via influencing mitochondrial calcium. Furthermore, by virtue of its tight coupling to TCA oxidation rates, mtGTP production may serve as an important molecular signal of TCA cycle activity. PMID:17403370

  2. Mole sieve cycle optimization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Croteau, P. [Petro-Canada Oil and Gas, Inc., Calgary, AB (Canada)

    2004-07-01

    Maturing gas basins and declining reservoirs have prompted the search for energy and cost reduction initiatives to maintain operation sustainability. This paper discusses the development of an algorithm to improve the efficiency of the Brazeau mole sieve dehydration system. Details of the operating unit and an outline of the system were provided, as well as an operator interface. The main objectives of the research were to reduce the number of corresponding regeneration cycles; reduce annual energy requirements; and extend the life of the dessicant. Reductions were anticipated at 35 per cent, leading towards fuel savings of $45,000 a year, and carbon dioxide reductions of 670 tonnes a year. However, significant barriers were also noted, including operations, maintenance and equipment replacement issues. Equations of state were used to estimate vapor pressure or water content in gases. Approximate water content was measured with gas flow rate. The resulting algorithm was implemented using a basic best fit curve generated for one variable with a correction factor applied as a second variable. Data books were provided to present water content of hydrocarbon gas, with implementation procedures. Benefits of the new system included longer service life and reduced chemical and outside service costs, and reduced lost production during sieve changes. Additional benefits included enhanced distributed computing system (DCS) interfaces within plant operations; extension of the adsorption cycle via the functionality of the algorithm; and the fact that during a plant upset, the algorithm froze cycle sequencing and eliminated the possibility of switching the beds and repeating regeneration. The improved system resulted in savings of $87,000. tabs, figs.

  3. The cellular and compartmental profile of mouse retinal glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and ~P transferring kinases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rueda, Elda M; Johnson, Jerry E; Giddabasappa, Anand; Swaroop, Anand; Brooks, Matthew J; Sigel, Irena; Chaney, Shawnta Y; Fox, Donald A

    2016-01-01

    The homeostatic regulation of cellular ATP is achieved by the coordinated activity of ATP utilization, synthesis, and buffering. Glucose is the major substrate for ATP synthesis through glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), whereas intermediary metabolism through the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle utilizes non-glucose-derived monocarboxylates, amino acids, and alpha ketoacids to support mitochondrial ATP and GTP synthesis. Cellular ATP is buffered by specialized equilibrium-driven high-energy phosphate (~P) transferring kinases. Our goals were twofold: 1) to characterize the gene expression, protein expression, and activity of key synthesizing and regulating enzymes of energy metabolism in the whole mouse retina, retinal compartments, and/or cells and 2) to provide an integrative analysis of the results related to function. mRNA expression data of energy-related genes were extracted from our whole retinal Affymetrix microarray data. Fixed-frozen retinas from adult C57BL/6N mice were used for immunohistochemistry, laser scanning confocal microscopy, and enzymatic histochemistry. The immunoreactivity levels of well-characterized antibodies, for all major retinal cells and their compartments, were obtained using our established semiquantitative confocal and imaging techniques. Quantitative cytochrome oxidase (COX) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was determined histochemically. The Affymetrix data revealed varied gene expression patterns of the ATP synthesizing and regulating enzymes found in the muscle, liver, and brain. Confocal studies showed differential cellular and compartmental distribution of isozymes involved in glucose, glutamate, glutamine, lactate, and creatine metabolism. The pattern and intensity of the antibodies and of the COX and LDH activity showed the high capacity of photoreceptors for aerobic glycolysis and OXPHOS. Competition assays with pyruvate revealed that LDH-5 was localized in the photoreceptor inner segments. The

  4. Life-cycle energy of residential buildings in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Yuan; Ries, Robert J.; Wang, Yaowu

    2013-01-01

    In the context of rapid urbanization and new construction in rural China, residential building energy consumption has the potential to increase with the expected increase in demand. A process-based hybrid life-cycle assessment model is used to quantify the life-cycle energy use for both urban and rural residential buildings in China and determine the energy use characteristics of each life cycle phase. An input–output model for the pre-use phases is based on 2007 Chinese economic benchmark data. A process-based life-cycle assessment model for estimating the operation and demolition phases uses historical energy-intensity data. Results show that operation energy in both urban and rural residential buildings is dominant and varies from 75% to 86% of life cycle energy respectively. Gaps in living standards as well as differences in building structure and materials result in a life-cycle energy intensity of urban residential buildings that is 20% higher than that of rural residential buildings. The life-cycle energy of urban residential buildings is most sensitive to the reduction of operational energy intensity excluding heating energy which depends on both the occupants' energy-saving behavior as well as the performance of the building itself. -- Highlights: •We developed a hybrid LCA model to quantify the life-cycle energy for urban and rural residential buildings in China. •Operation energy in urban and rural residential buildings is dominant, varying from 75% to 86% of life cycle energy respectively. •Compared with rural residential buildings, the life-cycle energy intensity of urban residential buildings is 20% higher. •The life-cycle energy of urban residential buildings is most sensitive to the reduction of daily activity energy

  5. Lipids as paleomarkers to constrain the marine nitrogen cycle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rush, Darci; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S

    Global climate is, in part, regulated by the effect of microbial processes on biogeochemical cycling. The nitrogen cycle, in particular, is driven by microorganisms responsible for the fixation and loss of nitrogen, and the reduction-oxidation transformations of bio-available nitrogen. Within marine

  6. Lipids as paleomarkers to constrain the marine nitrogen cycle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rush, D.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.

    2017-01-01

    Global climate is, in part, regulated by the effect of microbial processes on biogeochemical cycling. The nitrogen cycle, in particular, is driven by microorganisms responsible for the fixation and loss of nitrogen, and the reduction-oxidation transformations of bio-available nitrogen. Within marine

  7. Application of RNA Stable Isotope Probing (SIP) to Link Community Activity with Microorganisms Responsible for Autotrophy in the Subseafloor at Axial Seamount

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huber, J. A.; Fortunato, C. S.

    2014-12-01

    The global ocean comprises the Earth's largest biome, with microorganisms playing a dominant biogeochemical role. However, the potential for production of new microbial biomass within the subseafloor is rarely considered in traditional oceanographic paradigms of carbon cycling or microbial food webs. In this study, we used RNA Stable Isotope Probing (RNA SIP) to determine the microbial community composition and genetic repertoire of active subseafloor autotrophs in warm venting fluids from Axial Seamount. RNA is a responsive biomarker because it is a reflection of cellular activity independent of replication, and RNA SIP thus provides access to both the function of a microbial community and the phylogeny of the organisms accountable for key functions. Diffuse fluids were incubated shipboard at 30°C, 55°C, and 80°C with 13DIC and H2. Metatranscriptomic sequencing of both the enriched and non-enriched RNA was carried out from 13C and 12C controls. In addition, filtered fluid samples were preserved in situ for comparative meta -transcriptomic and -genomic analyses. Diverse lineages of bacteria and archaea and accompanying metabolisms were detected in situ, but RNA SIP results show dominance of three different groups of autotrophs active under each experimental condition. At 30°C, members of the Sulfurimonas genus dominated, with genes for hydrogen oxidation, nitrate reduction, and carbon fixation via the rTCA cycle highly expressed. At 55°C, both Caminibacter and Nautilia transcripts were detected for rTCA cycle, hydrogen oxidation, and nitrate reduction. At 80°C, transcripts for hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis mediated by members of Methanocaldococcus were detected. These results suggest the subseafloor hosts various anaerobic chemolithoautotrophs that span a wide temperature range, with hydrogen playing a key role in microbial metabolism. Complementary experiments are currently being carried out on the seafloor with a novel in situ incubator unit to provide

  8. Rates of insulin secretion in INS-1 cells are enhanced by coupling to anaplerosis and Kreb's cycle flux independent of ATP synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cline, Gary W; Pongratz, Rebecca L; Zhao, Xiaojian; Papas, Klearchos K

    2011-11-11

    Mechanistic models of glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) established in minimal media in vitro, may not accurately describe the complexity of coupling metabolism with insulin secretion that occurs in vivo. As a first approximation, we have evaluated metabolic pathways in a typical growth media, DMEM as a surrogate in vivo medium, for comparison to metabolic fluxes observed under the typical experimental conditions using the simple salt-buffer of KRB. Changes in metabolism in response to glucose and amino acids and coupling to insulin secretion were measured in INS-1 832/13 cells. Media effects on mitochondrial function and the coupling efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation were determined by fluorometrically measured oxygen consumption rates (OCRs) combined with (31)P NMR measured rates of ATP synthesis. Substrate preferences and pathways into the TCA cycle, and the synthesis of mitochondrial 2nd messengers by anaplerosis were determined by (13)C NMR isotopomer analysis of the fate of [U-(13)C] glucose metabolism. Despite similar incremental increases in insulin secretion, the changes of OCR in response to increasing glucose from 2.5 to 15mM were blunted in DMEM relative to KRB. Basal and stimulated rates of insulin secretion rates were consistently higher in DMEM, while ATP synthesis rates were identical in both DMEM and KRB, suggesting greater mitochondrial uncoupling in DMEM. The relative rates of anaplerosis, and hence synthesis and export of 2nd messengers from the mitochondria were found to be similar in DMEM to those in KRB. And, the correlation of total PC flux with insulin secretion rates in DMEM was found to be congruous with the correlation in KRB. Together, these results suggest that signaling mechanisms associated with both TCA cycle flux and with anaplerotic flux, but not ATP production, may be responsible for the enhanced rates of insulin secretion in more complex, and physiologically-relevant media. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All

  9. Real-time cell analysis and heat shock protein gene expression in the TcA Tribolium castaneum cell line in response to environmental stress conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Reina, Andrés; Rodríguez-García, María Juliana; Ramis, Guillermo; Galián, José

    2017-06-01

    The rust red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is a pest of stored grain and one of the most studied insect model species. Some of the previous studies involved heat response studies in terms of survival and heat shock protein expression, which are regulated to protect other proteins against environmental stress conditions. In the present study, we characterize the impedance profile with the xCELLigence Real-Time Cell Analyzer and study the effect of increased temperature in cell growth and viability in the cell line BCIRL-TcA-CLG1 (TcA) of T. castaneum. This novel system measures cells behavior in real time and is applied for the first time to insect cells. Additionally, cells are exposed to heat shock, increased salinity, acidic pH and UV-A light with the aim of measuring the expression levels of Hsp27, Hsp68a, and Hsp83 genes. Results show a high thermotolerance of TcA in terms of cell growth and viability. This result is likely related to gene expression results in which a significant up-regulation of all studied Hsp genes is observed after 1 h of exposure to 40 °C and UV light. All 3 genes show similar expression patterns, but Hsp27 seems to be the most affected. The results of this study validate the RTCA method and reveal the utility of insect cell lines, real-time analysis and gene expression studies to better understand the physiological response of insect cells, with potential applications in different fields of biology such as conservation biology and pest management. © 2015 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  10. The Researches on Cycle-Changeable Generation Settlement Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    XU, Jun; LONG, Suyan; LV, Jianhu

    2018-03-01

    Through the analysis of the business characteristics and problems of price adjustment, a cycle-changeable generation settlement method is proposed to support any time cycle settlement, and put forward a complete set of solutions, including the creation of settlement tasks, time power dismantle, generating fixed cycle of electricity, net energy split. At the same time, the overall design flow of cycle-changeable settlement is given. This method supports multiple price adjustments during the month, and also is an effective solution to the cost reduction of month-after price adjustment.

  11. Cerebral glucose metabolism and the glutamine cycle as detected by in vivo and in vitro 13C NMR spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Espinosa, María A; Rodrigues, Tiago B; Sierra, Alejandra; Benito, Marina; Fonseca, Carla; Gray, Heather L; Bartnik, Brenda L; García-Martín, María L; Ballesteros, Paloma; Cerdán, Sebastián

    2004-01-01

    We review briefly 13C NMR studies of cerebral glucose metabolism with an emphasis on the roles of glial energetics and the glutamine cycle. Mathematical modeling analysis of in vivo 13C turnover experiments from the C4 carbons of glutamate and glutamine are consistent with: (i) the glutamine cycle being the major cerebral metabolic route supporting glutamatergic neurotransmission, (ii) glial glutamine synthesis being stoichiometrically coupled to glycolytic ATP production, (iii) glutamine serving as the main precursor of neurotransmitter glutamate and (iv) glutamatergic neurotransmission being supported by lactate oxidation in the neurons in a process accounting for 60-80% of the energy derived from glucose catabolism. However, more recent experimental approaches using inhibitors of the glial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (trifluoroacetic acid, TFA) or of glutamine synthase (methionine sulfoximine, MSO) reveal that a considerable portion of the energy required to support glutamine synthesis is derived from the oxidative metabolism of glucose in the astroglia and that a significant amount of the neurotransmitter glutamate is produced from neuronal glucose or lactate rather than from glial glutamine. Moreover, a redox switch has been proposed that allows the neurons to use either glucose or lactate as substrates for oxidation, depending on the relative availability of these fuels under resting or activation conditions, respectively. Together, these results suggest that the coupling mechanisms between neuronal and glial metabolism are more complex than initially envisioned.

  12. Imagen corporal, IMC, afrontamiento, depresión y riesgo de TCA en jóvenes universitarios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lina-María Hernández-Cortés

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available El presente estudio descriptivo correlacional pretendió determinar la relación entre estilo de afrontamiento, historia psiquiátrica familiar, salud percibida, IMC, género, percepción de la figura y depresión y el riesgo de padecer un trastorno de conducta alimentaria. Participaron 417 estudiantes universitarios que se seleccionaron de manera no aleatorizada estratificada con grupos de conveniencia. Para obtener los datos se utilizó la Ficha de Registro de Información General, la Escala Abreviada de las actitudes alimentarias EAT -26-M, el Cuestionario de Formas de Afrontamiento, el Inventario de Depresión de Beck, la Prueba de Optimismo Disposicional y el Registro de Percepción de la Figura. El análisis de datos se llevo a cabo mediante el uso de ecuaciones estructurales. Se concluyó que la interacción de las variables antecedentes psicológicos familiares, género, deseo de disminución del peso, satisfacción con la imagen corporal, estilo de afrontamiento evitativo y depresión en conjunto predicen el riesgo de padecer un TCA, se discuten los hallazgos y se evidencian las limitaciones del presente estudio.

  13. Novel combined cycle configurations for propane pre-cooled mixed refrigerant (APCI) natural gas liquefaction cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mortazavi, Amir; Alabdulkarem, Abdullah; Hwang, Yunho; Radermacher, Reinhard

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • 10 New LNG plants driver cycle enhancement configurations were developed. • All the 14 enhancement options design variables were optimized to demonstrate their energy saving potentials. • The best driver cycle enhancement option improved the driver cycle energy efficiency by 38%. • The effects of technological advancements on the performances of the enhancement options were studied. - Abstract: A significant amount of energy is required for natural gas liquefaction. Due to the production scale of LNG plants, they consume an intensive amount of energy. Consequently, any enhancement to the energy efficiency of LNG plants will result in a considerable reduction in natural gas consumption and CO 2 emission. Compressor drivers are the main energy consumer in the LNG plants. In this paper, 14 different driver cycle enhancement options were considered. A number of these options have not been proposed for the LNG plants. The new driver cycle development was performed by analyzing and optimizing the design variables of four conventional driver cycle enhancement options. The optimization results were used to develop more efficient cycles through mitigating the active constrains and driver cycle innovations. Based on the current available technologies five of our newly developed driver cycle configurations have higher efficiency than the most efficient existing conventional driver cycle. The best developed driver cycle enhancement option improved the base driver cycle energy efficiency by 38%. The effects of technological advancement on the performances of the all driver cycle enhancement options were also considered

  14. Reporting in vitro fertilization cycles to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology database: where have all the cycles gone?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulak, David; Jindal, Sangita K; Oh, Cheongeun; Morelli, Sara S; Kratka, Scott; McGovern, Peter G

    2016-04-01

    To assess the relationship between live birth rates (LBRs) and the incidence of under-reported cycles by IVF clinics. Cohort study. Not applicable. All patients undergoing IVF cycles in the aforementioned clinics. Not applicable. The reporting percentage (RP), defined as number of cycles with reported pregnancy rates divided by total cycles performed. Results from cryopreservation cycles are only presented by SART if an embryo transfer occurs. Thus, RP decreases as incidence of embryo or oocyte banking cycles increases. The LBRs in women aged cycles than the median. In clinics with very low RP, the cycles that are reported have higher success rates. Regardless of intent, the reduction of reported data to SART makes it increasingly difficult for clinicians and patients to accurately assess a clinic's success rates. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. The water-water cycle as alternative photon and electron sinks.

    OpenAIRE

    Asada, K

    2000-01-01

    The water-water cycle in chloroplasts is the photoreduction of dioxygen to water in photosystem I (PS I) by the electrons generated in photosystem II (PS II) from water. In the water-water cycle, the rate of photoreduction of dioxygen in PS I is several orders of magnitude lower than those of the disproportionation of superoxide catalysed by superoxide dismutase, the reduction of hydrogen peroxide to water catalysed by ascorbate peroxidase, and the reduction of the resulting oxidized forms of...

  16. Evaluation of measures for greenhouse gas emissions reduction in energy supply sector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khristov, Kh.; Todorova, S.; Vasilev, Kh.; Simeonova, K.

    1996-01-01

    This study performed by the Energoproekt Company, Sofia (BG) is aimed at estimating the economic costs of CO 2 emissions reduction in the electricity supply system for the period 2000-2020. The specific capital investment and cost price of the following technical options have been compared: reduction of electricity and heat loss; gas and steam cycle power plants; micro hydro potential; renewable sources; extension of nuclear power installations; gas steam turbine equipment; combined cycle power plants. The evaluation is made according to requirements of a baseline scenario - to develop an import-independent energy supply policy and an economic growth without sharp structural changes. A 25-year-operation of a hypothetical energy supply system is modelled by the ENPEP code (ANL, US). The three least-cost options identified are: power loss reduction; gas and steam cycle PPs and hydroelectric objects. An optimal combination of measures, so called ' aggregated scenario' is proposed. It would allow for CO 2 reduction by 23,7 mill tons and prime cost reduction by $19,83 per ton reduced emissions. 3 refs., 2 tabs

  17. Internal cycle modeling and environmental assessment of multiple cycle consumer products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsiliyannis, C.A.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Dynamic flow models are presented for remanufactured, reused or recycled products. ► Early loss and stochastic return are included for fast and slow cycling products. ► The reuse-to-input flow ratio (Internal Cycle Factor, ICF) is determined. ► The cycle rate, which is increasing with the ICF, monitors eco-performance. ► Early internal cycle losses diminish the ICF, the cycle rate and performance. - Abstract: Dynamic annual flow models incorporating consumer discard and usage loss and featuring deterministic and stochastic end-of-cycle (EOC) return by the consumer are developed for reused or remanufactured products (multiple cycle products, MCPs), including fast and slow cycling, short and long-lived products. It is shown that internal flows (reuse and overall consumption) increase proportionally to the dimensionless internal cycle factor (ICF) which is related to environmental impact reduction factors. The combined reuse/recycle (or cycle) rate is shown capable for shortcut, albeit effective, monitoring of environmental performance in terms of waste production, virgin material extraction and manufacturing impacts of all MCPs, a task, which physical variables (lifetime, cycling frequency, mean or total number of return trips) and conventional rates, via which environmental policy has been officially implemented (e.g. recycling rate) cannot accomplish. The cycle rate is shown to be an increasing (hyperbolic) function of ICF. The impact of the stochastic EOC return characteristics on total reuse and consumption flows, as well as on eco-performance, is assessed: symmetric EOC return has a small, positive effect on performance compared to deterministic, while early shifted EOC return is more beneficial. In order to be efficient, environmental policy should set higher minimum reuse targets for higher trippage MCPs. The results may serve for monitoring, flow accounting and comparative eco-assessment of MCPs. They may be useful in identifying

  18. Long-Term Charge/Discharge Cycling Stability of MnO2 Aqueous Supercapacitor under Positive Polarization

    KAUST Repository

    Ataherian, Fatemeh

    2011-01-01

    The long-term charge/discharge cycling stability of MnO 2 electrode under positive polarization in aqueous KCl electrolyte has been studied over different potential windows spanning from the open circuit potential to varied higher-end potential limited by O 2 evolution. Cycling up to 1.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl (aq)) causes partial (35) capacitance fading to a plateau value within the initial cycles, accompanied by morphological reconstruction, reduction of surface Mn ions and oxygen evolution. The surface Mn-ion reduction has been attributed to a two-step oxidation-reduction mechanism involving OH oxidation in electrolyte, based on electrochemical analysis. When cycling potential extends to 1.4 V, extensive oxygen evolution takes place. The combination of surface passivation of current collector and extensive gas bubbling, which deteriorates electrical contact among the constituent particles within the electrode, results in further monotonic capacitance reduction. © 2011 The Electrochemical Society.

  19. Nuclear fuel cycle reprocessing and waste management technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allardice, R.H.

    1992-01-01

    In this address, the status of global and US nuclear fuel cycles is briefly reviewed. Projections for Europe and the Pacific basin include a transition towards mixed uranium and plutonium oxide (MOX) recycle in thermal and, eventually, fast reactors. Major environmental benefits could be expected by the development of fast reactor technology. Published estimates of the principal greenhouse gas emission from nuclear operations are reviewed. The final section notes the reduction in radiation dose uptake by operators and general public which can be anticipated when fast reactor and thermal reactor fuel cycles are compared. The major reduction follows elimination of the uranium mining/milling operation

  20. Dominance of sulfur-fueled iron oxide reduction in low-sulfate freshwater sediments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansel, Colleen M; Lentini, Chris J; Tang, Yuanzhi; Johnston, David T; Wankel, Scott D; Jardine, Philip M

    2015-11-01

    A central tenant in microbial biogeochemistry is that microbial metabolisms follow a predictable sequence of terminal electron acceptors based on the energetic yield for the reaction. It is thereby oftentimes assumed that microbial respiration of ferric iron outcompetes sulfate in all but high-sulfate systems, and thus sulfide has little influence on freshwater or terrestrial iron cycling. Observations of sulfate reduction in low-sulfate environments have been attributed to the presumed presence of highly crystalline iron oxides allowing sulfate reduction to be more energetically favored. Here we identified the iron-reducing processes under low-sulfate conditions within columns containing freshwater sediments amended with structurally diverse iron oxides and fermentation products that fuel anaerobic respiration. We show that despite low sulfate concentrations and regardless of iron oxide substrate (ferrihydrite, Al-ferrihydrite, goethite, hematite), sulfidization was a dominant pathway in iron reduction. This process was mediated by (re)cycling of sulfur upon reaction of sulfide and iron oxides to support continued sulfur-based respiration--a cryptic sulfur cycle involving generation and consumption of sulfur intermediates. Although canonical iron respiration was not observed in the sediments amended with the more crystalline iron oxides, iron respiration did become dominant in the presence of ferrihydrite once sulfate was consumed. Thus, despite more favorable energetics, ferrihydrite reduction did not precede sulfate reduction and instead an inverse redox zonation was observed. These findings indicate that sulfur (re)cycling is a dominant force in iron cycling even in low-sulfate systems and in a manner difficult to predict using the classical thermodynamic ladder.

  1. Assessment of gas cooled fast reactor with indirect supercritical CO2 cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hejzlar, P.; Driscoll, M. J.; Dostal, V.; Dumaz, P.; Poullennec, G.; Alpy, N.

    2006-01-01

    Various indirect power cycle options for a helium cooled Gas cooled Fast Reactor (GFR) with particular focus on a supercritical CO 2 (SCO 2 ) indirect cycle are investigated as an alternative to a helium cooled direct cycle GFR. The Balance Of Plant (BOP) options include helium-nitrogen Brayton cycle, supercritical water Rankine cycle, and SCO 2 recompression Brayton power cycle in three versions: (1) basic design with turbine inlet temperature of 550 .deg. C, (2) advanced design with turbine inlet temperature of 650 .deg. C and (3) advanced design with the same turbine inlet temperature and reduced compressor inlet temperature. The indirect SCO 2 recompression cycle is found attractive since in addition to easier BOP maintenance it allows significant reduction of core outlet temperature, making design of the primary system easier while achieving very attractive efficiencies comparable to or slightly lower than, the efficiency of the reference GFR direct cycle design. In addition, the indirect cycle arrangement allows significant reduction of the GFR 'proximate-containment' and the BOP for the SCO 2 cycle is very compact. Both these factors will lead to reduced capital cost

  2. Radionuclide production for PET with a linear electrostatic accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shefer, R.E.; Hughey, B.J.; Klinkowstein, R.E.; Welch, M.J.

    1993-01-01

    A new type of linear electrostatic accelerator for the production of short-lived radionuclides for PET has been developed at Science Research Laboratory. The tandem cascade accelerator (TCA) is a low energy (3.7 MeV) proton and deuteron accelerator which can generate the four short-lived PET radionuclides in the quantities required for clinical use. The compact size, low weight, low power consumption and reduced radiation shielding requirements of the TCA result in a significant reduction in capital and operating costs when compared with higher energy cyclotron-based systems. Radioisotope target for the production of O-15, F-18, N-13 and C-11 have been designed specifically for use with the low energy TCA beam. A simple to use PC-based computer control system allows fully automated system operation and advanced scheduling of isotope production. Operating experience with the TCA and its PET radionuclide targets is described

  3. Investigation of the Buckling-Reactivity Conversion Coefficient using SRAC and MVP codes for UO2 Lattices in TCA experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Dai Dien

    2008-01-01

    Benchmark experiments for International Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments (IRPhE) Project carried out at TCA, the temperature effects on reactivity were studied for light water moderated and reflected UO 2 cores with/without soluble poisons. The buckling coefficient method using the measured critical water levels was proposed by Suzaki et al. The temperature dependence of buckling coefficient of reactivity and its variance by the core configurations of the benchmark experiments was investigated using SRAC and MVP calculations. From the calculations by SRAC as well as by MVP it is seen that the K-value can be taken as an average value only for each core with temperature changes which are considered as perturbation parameter. The difference between our calculations and benchmark results which uses constant K-value for all cores proves that the results depend on K-value and it play important role in defining reactivity effect using the water level worth method. (author)

  4. Synchronization of construction, replenishment and leasing cycles with account of wave dynamics of innovation cycles in the construction and transport field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alekseeva, Tatyana

    2017-10-01

    The article considers the contradictive nature of the basic cycles of the growth in construction, the core of which are construction cycles, replenishment cycles of the active part of fixed assets, innovation and investment cycles. All of the listed cycles objectively thwart the science and technology progress in construction. There are presented results of the study of finance leasing as an effective tool, that provides time reduction of the innovation replenishment cycle of the active part of fixed assets in construction. It takes into account the development and implementation terms of construction investment projects in order to timely support the innovation wave and enhance its efficiency in construction for a rapid transition of the construction investment complex and national economy to a new vector of growth.

  5. Cycle-skipping strategies for pumping loss reduction in spark ignition engines: An experimental approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yüksek, Levent; Özener, Orkun; Sandalcı, Tarkan

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► A cycle density variation technique called cycle-skipping was applied. ► Effect on fuel consumption and gaseous emissions was investigated. ► Fuel consumption and gaseous tail-pipe emissions improved at partial loading conditions. - Abstract: Spark ignition (SI) engines are widely used for power generation, especially in the automotive industry. SI engines have a lower thermal efficiency than diesel engines due to a lower compression ratio, higher charge-induction work and lower end of compression stroke pressure. A significant amount of charge induction work is lost when an SI engine runs under partial loading conditions. Under partial loading conditions, a lower intake charge is required, which can be theoretically achieved by varying the displacement volume or the stroke number of the engine without using a throttle. Reducing the displacement volume to control the engine load can be achieved by skipping cycles in single-cylinder engines. This study investigates the effect of cycle-skipping strategies on the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and exhaust emissions of an SI engine under partial loading conditions. Three different skipping modes were applied: normal, normal-skip and normal-normal-skip. A significant improvement in BSFC and carbon monoxide emission was obtained by applying cycle-skipping strategies.

  6. A comparison of improved power plant technologies on lignite with (PFBC) and (IGCC) cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cherepnalkovski, Ilija

    1997-01-01

    Technologies and process diagrams descriptions for PFBC (Pressurised Fluidized Bed Combustion) and IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) are presented as for improved cycles with modern clean coal technologies, the most popular currently. A special attention is paid to the possibilities for Macedonian lignites use on the power plants with PFBC and IGCC cycles. The comparison of the above mention technologies has been done particularly on the desulfurization, NO x reduction, ash elimination and its use in the building and construction industries. A comparison between the power plants with PFBC and IGCC cycles is made by the following criteria: cycle efficiency, desulfurization and nitrogen oxides reduction, power plant complexity and their cost, as well as plant reliability. (Author)

  7. Evaluation of a combined cycle based on an HCCI (Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition) engine heat recovery employing two organic Rankine cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khaljani, M.; Saray, R. Khoshbakhti; Bahlouli, K.

    2016-01-01

    In this work, a combined power cycle which includes a HCCI (Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition) engine and two ORCs (Organic Rankine Cycles) is introduced. In the proposed cycle, the waste heats from the engine cooling water and exhaust gases are utilized to drive the ORCs. A parametric study is conducted to show the effects of decision parameters on the performance and on the total cost rate of cycle. Results of the parametric study reveal that increasing the pinch point temperature difference of evaporator and temperature of the condenser leads to reduction in both exergy efficiency and total cost rate of the bottoming cycle. There is a specific evaporator temperature where exergy efficiency is improved, but the total cost rate of the bottoming cycle is maximized. Also, a multi-objective optimization strategy is performed to achieve the best system design parameters from both thermodynamic and economic aspects. The exergy efficiency and the total cost rate of the system have been considered as objective functions. Optimization results indicate that the exergy efficiency of the cycle increases from 44.96% for the base case to 46.02%. Also, approximately1.3% reduction in the cost criteria is achieved. Results of the multi-objective optimization justify the results obtained through the parametric study and demonstrate that the design parameters of both ORCs have conflict effect on the objective functions. - Highlights: • Two Organic Rankine bottoming cycles are coupled with an HCCI Engine. • Exergetic and Exergo-economic analysis of the bottoming cycle are reported. • The system is optimized using multi-objective genetic algorithm. • Objective functions are exergy efficiency and total cost rate of the system. • The exergy efficiency of the cycle increases from 44.96% to 46.02%.

  8. Molecular cloning and characterization of glucose transporter 1 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Glucose transporter type-1 (glut1) and citrate synthase plays crucial role in glucose transport and regulation of tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) cycle in mammalian energy metabolism. The present study was aimed to clone and characterize glut1 and citrate synthase cDNA in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Total of 90 ...

  9. Improving the description of metabolic networks: the TCA cycle as example

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stobbe, Miranda D.; Houten, Sander M.; van Kampen, Antoine H. C.; Wanders, Ronald J. A.; Moerland, Perry D.

    2012-01-01

    To collect the ever-increasing yet scattered knowledge on metabolism, multiple pathway databases like the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes have been created. A complete and accurate description of the metabolic network for human and other organisms is essential to foster new biological

  10. SNCR technology for NO sub x reduction in the cement industry. [Selective non-catalytic reduction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kupper, D; Brentrup, L [Krupp Polysius AG, Beckum (Germany)

    1992-03-01

    This article discusses the selective non-catalytic (SNCR) process for reducing nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases from cement plants. Topics covered include operating experience, injection of additives, selection of the additive, operating costs, reduction efficiency of SNCR, capital expenditure, secondary emissions and cycles of ammonium. (UK).

  11. Protein-bound NAD(P)H Lifetime is Sensitive to Multiple Fates of Glucose Carbon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharick, Joe T; Favreau, Peter F; Gillette, Amani A; Sdao, Sophia M; Merrins, Matthew J; Skala, Melissa C

    2018-04-03

    While NAD(P)H fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) can detect changes in flux through the TCA cycle and electron transport chain (ETC), it remains unclear whether NAD(P)H FLIM is sensitive to other potential fates of glucose. Glucose carbon can be diverted from mitochondria by the pentose phosphate pathway (via glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, G6PDH), lactate production (via lactate dehydrogenase, LDH), and rejection of carbon from the TCA cycle (via pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, PDK), all of which can be upregulated in cancer cells. Here, we demonstrate that multiphoton NAD(P)H FLIM can be used to quantify the relative concentrations of recombinant LDH and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) in solution. In multiple epithelial cell lines, NAD(P)H FLIM was also sensitive to inhibition of LDH and PDK, as well as the directionality of LDH in cells forced to use pyruvate versus lactate as fuel sources. Among the parameters measurable by FLIM, only the lifetime of protein-bound NAD(P)H (τ 2 ) was sensitive to these changes, in contrast to the optical redox ratio, mean NAD(P)H lifetime, free NAD(P)H lifetime, or the relative amount of free and protein-bound NAD(P)H. NAD(P)H τ 2 offers the ability to non-invasively quantify diversions of carbon away from the TCA cycle/ETC, which may support mechanisms of drug resistance.

  12. Metabolic profiles show specific mitochondrial toxicities in vitro in myotube cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Qiuwei; Vu, Heather; Liu Liping; Wang, Ting-Chuan; Schaefer, William H.

    2011-01-01

    Mitochondrial toxicity has been a serious concern, not only in preclinical drug development but also in clinical trials. In mitochondria, there are several distinct metabolic processes including fatty acid β-oxidation, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and each process contains discrete but often intimately linked steps. Interruption in any one of those steps can cause mitochondrial dysfunction. Detection of inhibition to OXPHOS can be complicated in vivo because intermediate endogenous metabolites can be recycled in situ or circulated systemically for metabolism in other organs or tissues. Commonly used assays for evaluating mitochondrial function are often applied to ex vivo or in vitro samples; they include various enzymatic or protein assays, as well as functional assays such as measurement of oxygen consumption rate, membrane potential, or acidification rates. Metabolomics provides quantitative profiles of overall metabolic changes that can aid in the unraveling of explicit biochemical details of mitochondrial inhibition while providing a holistic view and heuristic understanding of cellular bioenergetics. In this paper, we showed the application of quantitative NMR metabolomics to in vitro myotube cells treated with mitochondrial toxicants, rotenone and antimycin A. The close coupling of the TCA cycle to the electron transfer chain (ETC) in OXPHOS enables specific diagnoses of inhibition to ETC complexes by discrete biochemical changes in the TCA cycle.

  13. Embryonic Lethality of Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier 1 Deficient Mouse Can Be Rescued by a Ketogenic Diet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krznar, Petra; Hörl, Manuel; Ammar, Zeinab; Montessuit, Sylvie; Pierredon, Sandra; Zamboni, Nicola; Martinou, Jean-Claude

    2016-01-01

    Mitochondrial import of pyruvate by the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) is a central step which links cytosolic and mitochondrial intermediary metabolism. To investigate the role of the MPC in mammalian physiology and development, we generated a mouse strain with complete loss of MPC1 expression. This resulted in embryonic lethality at around E13.5. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from mutant mice displayed defective pyruvate-driven respiration as well as perturbed metabolic profiles, and both defects could be restored by reexpression of MPC1. Labeling experiments using 13C-labeled glucose and glutamine demonstrated that MPC deficiency causes increased glutaminolysis and reduced contribution of glucose-derived pyruvate to the TCA cycle. Morphological defects were observed in mutant embryonic brains, together with major alterations of their metabolome including lactic acidosis, diminished TCA cycle intermediates, energy deficit and a perturbed balance of neurotransmitters. Strikingly, these changes were reversed when the pregnant dams were fed a ketogenic diet, which provides acetyl-CoA directly to the TCA cycle and bypasses the need for a functional MPC. This allowed the normal gestation and development of MPC deficient pups, even though they all died within a few minutes post-delivery. This study establishes the MPC as a key player in regulating the metabolic state necessary for embryonic development, neurotransmitter balance and post-natal survival. PMID:27176894

  14. Remarks on the influence of enrichment reduction on fuel cycle costs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krull, W.

    1985-01-01

    The cost factors influencing the fuel cycle cost analysis for research reactors are discussed in detail with special emphasis on fuel element fabrication costs, burnup and reprocessing costs. Two different aspects for the conversion from HEU to LEU are considered: plus 14% U-235 weight per LEU fuel element and plus ca. 50 % U-235 weight per LEU fuel element. The cost factors and these conversion aspects were taken for calculating the changes in fuel cycle costs for the three different meat materials U 3 O 8 , U 3 Si 2 and U 3 Si. The results of these calculations can be summarized as following: - if in the HEU case the fuel loading and the burnup of a fuel element is low there will be some economic advantages in the LEU case; - if in the HEU case the fuel loading and the burnup of a fuel element is high there will be economic disadvantages in the LEU case. (author)

  15. The role of surface chemical analysis in a study to select replacement processes for TCA vapor degreasing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lesley, Michael W.; Davis, Lawrence E.; Moulder, John F.; Carlson, Brad A.

    1995-01-01

    The role of surface-sensitive chemical analysis (ESCA, AES, and SIMS) in a study to select a process to replace 1, 1, 1-trichloroethane (TCA) vapor degreasing as a steel and aluminum bonding surface preparation method is described. The effort was primarily concerned with spray-in-air cleaning processes involving aqueous alkaline and semi-aqueous cleaners and a contamination sensitive epoxy-to-metal bondline. While all five cleaners tested produced bonding strength results equal to or better than those produced by vapor degreasing, the aqueous alkaline cleaners yielded results which were superior to those produced by the semi-aqueous cleaners. The main reason for the enhanced performance appears to be a silicate layer left behind by the aqueous alkaline cleaners. The silicate layer increases the polarity of the surface and enhances epoxy-to-metal bonding. On the other hand, one of the semi-aqueous cleaners left a nonpolar carbonaceous residue which appeared to have a negative effect on epoxy-to-metal bonding. Differences in cleaning efficiency between cleaners/processes were also identified. These differences in surface chemistry, which were sufficient to affect bonding, were not detected by conventional chemical analysis techniques.

  16. Organic Acids: The Pools of Fixed Carbon Involved in Redox Regulation and Energy Balance in Higher Plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abir U Igamberdiev

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Organic acids are synthesized in plants as a result of the incomplete oxidation of photosynthetic products and represent the stored pools of fixed carbon accumulated due to different transient times of conversion of carbon compounds in metabolic pathways. When redox level in the cell increases, e.g., in conditions of active photosynthesis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle in mitochondria is transformed to a partial cycle supplying citrate for the synthesis of 2-oxoglutarate and glutamate (citrate valve, while malate is accumulated and participates in the redox balance in different cell compartments (via malate valve. This results in malate and citrate frequently being the most accumulated acids in plants. However, the intensity of reactions linked to the conversion of these compounds can cause preferential accumulation of other organic acids, e.g., fumarate or isocitrate, in higher concentrations than malate and citrate. The secondary reactions, associated with the central metabolic pathways, in particularly with the TCA cycle, result in accumulation of other organic acids that are derived from the intermediates of the cycle. They form the additional pools of fixed carbon and stabilize the TCA cycle. Trans-aconitate is formed from citrate or cis-aconitate, accumulation of hydroxycitrate can be linked to metabolism of 2-oxoglutarate, while 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate can be formed from pyruvate and glyoxylate. Glyoxylate, a product of either glycolate oxidase or isocitrate lyase, can be converted to oxalate. Malonate is accumulated at high concentrations in legume plants. Organic acids play a role in plants in providing redox equilibrium, supporting ionic gradients on membranes, and acidification of the extracellular medium.

  17. The metabolic role of isoleucine in detoxification of ammonia in cultured mouse neurons and astrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johansen, Maja L; Bak, Lasse K; Schousboe, Arne; Iversen, Peter; Sørensen, Michael; Keiding, Susanne; Vilstrup, Hendrik; Gjedde, Albert; Ott, Peter; Waagepetersen, Helle S

    2007-06-01

    Cerebral hyperammonemia is a hallmark of hepatic encephalopathy, a debilitating condition arising secondary to liver disease. Pyruvate oxidation including tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolism has been suggested to be inhibited by hyperammonemia at the pyruvate and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase steps. Catabolism of the branched-chain amino acid isoleucine provides both acetyl-CoA and succinyl-CoA, thus by-passing both the pyruvate dehydrogenase and the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase steps. Potentially, this will enable the TCA cycle to work in the face of ammonium-induced inhibition. In addition, this will provide the alpha-ketoglutarate carbon skeleton for glutamate and glutamine synthesis by glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthetase (astrocytes only), respectively, both reactions fixing ammonium. Cultured cerebellar neurons (primarily glutamatergic) or astrocytes were incubated in the presence of either [U-13C]glucose (2.5 mM) and isoleucine (1 mM) or [U-13C]isoleucine and glucose. Cell cultures were treated with an acute ammonium chloride load of 2 (astrocytes) or 5 mM (neurons and astrocytes) and incorporation of 13C-label into glutamate, aspartate, glutamine and alanine was determined employing mass spectrometry. Labeling from [U-13C]glucose in glutamate and aspartate increased as a result of ammonium-treatment in both neurons and astrocytes, suggesting that the TCA cycle was not inhibited. Labeling in alanine increased in neurons but not in astrocytes, indicating elevated glycolysis in neurons. For both neurons and astrocytes, labeling from [U-13C]isoleucine entered glutamate and aspartate albeit to a lower extent than from [U-13C]glucose. Labeling in glutamate and aspartate from [U-13C]isoleucine was decreased by ammonium treatment in neurons but not in astrocytes, the former probably reflecting increased metabolism of unlabeled glucose. In astrocytes, ammonia treatment resulted in glutamine production and release to the medium, partially

  18. Electrochemical Reduction Process for Pyroprocessing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Eun-Young; Hong, Sun-Seok; Park, Wooshin; Im, Hun Suk; Oh, Seung-Chul; Won, Chan Yeon; Cha, Ju-Sun; Hur, Jin-Mok [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-06-15

    Nuclear energy is expected to meet the growing energy demand while avoiding CO{sub 2} emission. However, the problem of accumulating spent fuel from current nuclear power plants which is mainly composed of uranium oxides should be addressed. One of the most practical solutions is to reduce the spent oxide fuel and recycle it. Next-generation fuel cycles demand innovative features such as a reduction of the environmental load, improved safety, efficient recycling of resources, and feasible economics. Pyroprocessing based on molten salt electrolysis is one of the key technologies for reducing the amount of spent nuclear fuel and destroying toxic waste products, such as the long-life fission products. The oxide reduction process based on the electrochemical reduction in a LiCl-Li{sub 2}O electrolyte has been developed for the volume reduction of PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) spent fuels and for providing metal feeds for the electrorefining process. To speed up the electrochemical reduction process, the influences of the feed form for the cathode and the type of anode shroud on the reduction rate were investigated.

  19. CANDU fuel cycle options in Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boczar, P.G.; Fehrenbach, P.J.; Meneley, D.A.

    1996-04-01

    The easiest first step in CANDU fuel-cycle evolution may be the use of slightly enriched uranium (SEU), including recovered uranium from reprocessed LWR spent fuel. Relatively low enrichment (up to 1.2%) will result in a twoto three-fold reduction in the quantity of spent fuel per unit energy production, reductions in fuel-cycle costs, and greater flexibility in the design of new reactors. The CANFLEX (CANDU FLEXible) fuel bundle would be the optimal fuel carrier. A country that has both CANDU and PWR reactors can exploit the natural synergism between these two reactor types to minimize overall waste production, and maximize energy derived from the fuel. This synergism can be exploited through several different fuel cycles. A high burnup CANDU MOX fuel design could be used to utilize plutonium from conventional reprocessing or more advanced reprocessing options (such as co-processing). DUPIC (Direct Use of Spent PWR Fuel In CANDU) represents a recycle option that has a higher degree of proliferation resistance than does conventional reprocessing, since it uses only dry processes for converting spent PWR fuel into CANDU fuel, without separating the plutonium. Good progress is being made in the current KAERI, AECL, and U.S. Department of State program in demonstrating the technical feasibility of DUPIC. In the longer term, CANDU reactors offer even more dramatic synergistic fuel cycles with PWR or FBR reactors. If the objective of a national fuel-cycle program is the minimization of actinide waste or destruction of long-lived fission products, then studies have shown the superiority of CANDU reactors in meeting this objective. Long-term energy security can be assured either through the thorium cycle or through a CANDU 1 FBR system, in which the FBR would be operated as a 'fuel factory,' providing the fissile material to power a number of lower-cost, high efficiency CANDU reactors. In summary, the CANDU reactor's simple fuel design, high neutron economy, and on

  20. Economic prospects of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Y.I.; Till, C.E.

    1991-01-01

    The IFR fuel cycle based on pyroprocessing involves only few operational steps and the batch-oriented process equipment systems are compact. This results in major cost reductions in all of three areas of reprocessing, fabrication, and waste treatment. This document discusses the economic aspects of this fuel cycle

  1. Globalization of the nuclear fuel cycle impact of developments on fuel management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Den Durpel, L.; Bertel, E. [OCDE-NEA, Nuclear Development Div., 92 - Issy-les-Moulineaux (France)

    1999-07-01

    Nuclear energy will have to cope more and more with a rapid changing environment due to economic competitive pressure and the de-regulatory progress. In current economic environment, utilities will have to focus strongly on the reduction of their total generation costs, covering the fuel cycle costs, which are only partly under their control. Developments in the fuel cycle will be in the short-term rather evolutionary addressing the current needs of utilities. However, within the context of sustainable development and more and more inclusion of externalities in energy generation costs, more performing developments in the fuel cycle could become important and feasible. A life-cycle design approach of the fuel cycle will be requested in order to cover all factors in order to decrease significantly the nuclear energy generation cost to compete with other alternative fuels in the long-term. This paper will report on some of the trends one could distinguish in the fuel cycle with emphasis on cost reduction. OECD/NEA is currently conducting a study on the fuel cycle aiming to assess current and future nuclear fuel cycles according the potential for further improvement of the full added-value chain of these cycles from a mainly technological and economical perspective including environmental and social considerations. (authors)

  2. Globalisation of the nuclear fuel cycle - impact of developments on fuel management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durpel, L. van den; Bertel, E.

    2000-01-01

    Nuclear energy will have to cope more and more with a rapid changing environment due to economic competitive pressure and the deregulatory progress. In current economic environment, utilities will have to focus strongly on the reduction of their total generation costs, covering the fuel cycle costs, which are only partly under their control. Developments in the fuel cycle will be in the short-term rather evolutionary addressing the current needs of utilities. However, within the context of sustainable development and more and more inclusion of externalities in energy generation costs, more performing developments in the fuel cycle could become important and feasible. A life-cycle design approach of the fuel cycle will be requested in order to cover all factors in order to decrease significantly the nuclear energy generation cost to complete with other alternative fuels in the long-term. This paper will report on some of the trends one could distinguish in the fuel cycle with emphasis on cost reduction. OECD/NEA is currently conducting a study on the fuel cycle aiming to assess current and future nuclear fuel cycles according to the potential for further improvement of the full added-value chain of these cycles from a mainly technological and economic perspective including environmental and social considerations. (orig.) [de

  3. The effect of spatial heterogeneity on nitrate reduction in soil systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Lasse Lu

    the initial inoculum size, nitrate reduction was barely affected, but DNRA increased substantially by 71%. Additionally, nitrite-, ammonium-, and nitrous oxide were sequentially produced during nitrate reduction: an initial burst of nitrite production led to DNRA, and for the microcosms which became mass...... was chemically or biochemically fixed from inert nitrogen, back into the atmosphere as inert nitrogen. Over the last century, the excess of anthropogenically fixed nitrogen has put increasing pressures on the nitrogen cycle. Nitrate is a central molecule in the nitrogen cycle. Its concentration is, on the one...... hand governed by formation by oxidation of ammonia-N, and on the other hand by removal a removal by two dissimilatory nitrate reduction processes:denitrification, in which nitrate is converted to the gaseous compounds dinitrogen and nitrous oxide, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, DNRA...

  4. 13C NMR study of effects of fasting and diabetes on the metabolism of pyruvate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and of the utilization of pyruvate and ethanol in lipogenesis in perfused rat liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, S.M.

    1987-01-01

    13 C NMR has been used to study the competition of pyruvate dehydrogenase with pyruvate carboxylase for entry of pyruvate into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in perfused liver from streptozotocin-diabetic and normal donor rats. The relative proportion of pyruvate entering the TCA cycle by these two routes was estimated from the 13 C enrichments at the individual carbons of glutamate when [3- 13 C]alanine was the only exogenous substrate present. In this way, the proportion of pyruvate entering by the pyruvate dehydrogenase route relative to the pyruvate carboxylase route was determined to be 1:1.2 +/- 0.1 in liver from fed controls, 1:7.7 +/- 2 in liver from 24-fasted controls, and 1:2.6 +/- 0.3 in diabetic liver. Pursuant to this observation that conversion of pyruvate to acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) was greatest in perfused liver from fed controls, the incorporation of 13 C label into fatty acids was monitored in this liver preparation. With the exception of the repeating methylene carbons, fatty acyl carbons labeled by [1- 13 C]acetyl-CoA (from [2- 13 C]pyruvate) gave rise to resonances distinguishable on the basis of chemical shift from those observed when label was introduced by [3- 13 C]alanine plus [2- 13 C]ethanol, which are converted to [2- 13 C]acetyl-CoA. Thus, measurement of 13 C enrichment at several specific sites in the fatty acyl chains in time-resolved spectra of perfused liver offers a novel way of monitoring the kinetics of the biosynthesis of fatty acids. In addition to obtaining the rate of lipogenesis, it was possible to distinguish the contributions of chain elongation from those of the de novo synthesis pathway and to estimate the average chain length of the 13 C-labeled fatty acids produced

  5. Enzymology and ecology of the nitrogen cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Espinosa, Rosa María; Cole, Jeffrey A; Richardson, David J; Watmough, Nicholas J

    2011-01-01

    The nitrogen cycle describes the processes through which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms. These transformations involve both biological and abiotic redox processes. The principal processes involved in the nitrogen cycle are nitrogen fixation, nitrification, nitrate assimilation, respiratory reduction of nitrate to ammonia, anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) and denitrification. All of these are carried out by micro-organisms, including bacteria, archaea and some specialized fungi. In the present article, we provide a brief introduction to both the biochemical and ecological aspects of these processes and consider how human activity over the last 100 years has changed the historic balance of the global nitrogen cycle.

  6. Two cycles of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF-Endoret) intra-articular injections improve stiffness and activities of daily living but not pain compared to one cycle on patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaquerizo, Víctor; Padilla, Sabino; Aguirre, José Javier; Begoña, Leire; Orive, Gorka; Anitua, Eduardo

    2017-05-19

    To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of a treatment based on one cycle versus two cycles of intra-articular injections of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF-Endoret) on patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Ninety patients with knee OA were included and evaluated. A total of 48 patients received one cycle (OC group) (3 injections on a weekly basis), while 42 patients received two cycles of PRGF-Endoret (TC group) spaced 6 months between them. Patients were evaluated with LEQUESNE and WOMAC scores before treatment and after 48 weeks. Safety assessment was also performed. A significant reduction of all assessed outcome measures was shown for both groups at 48 weeks compared with baseline values (P PRGF did not show a significantly higher pain reduction compared with one cycle treatment. However, two cycles of PRGF showed a significant improvement in WOMAC stiffness, LEQUESNE MCD, LEQUESNE ADV and LEQUESNE global subscales. Therefore, patients treated with two cycles present an improvement in quality of life. II.

  7. Open Reduction in Pediatric Condylar Fracture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbosa, Alexandre Agostini; Mariano, Ronaldo Célio

    2017-05-01

    Facial fractures in children are rare. Lack of pneumatization, fat pockets, mixed dentition, contribute to the elasticity and bone stability. When mandibular fractures occur in children, most often involve the condyle by indirect trauma. Such fractures are the center of discussion on the form of treatment if this should be performed conservatively, or held the reduction and fixation of the fracture with surgical exposure of the fragments. In condylar fractures in children, in most patients, the proposed treatment is closed reduction. Treatment with open reduction and fixation has its specific indications. In this case, the authors report a patient cycling accident victim, with cut-contusion injury in ment with limited mouth opening and left condylar fracture with medial rotation. The treatment was the reduction and fixation of fragments by open process.

  8. Volatile earliest Triassic sulfur cycle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schobben, Martin; Stebbins, Alan; Algeo, Thomas J.

    2017-01-01

    model experiment. Exposure of evaporite deposits having a high δ 34S may account for the source change, with a possible role for the Siberian Traps volcanism by magmatic remobilization of Cambrian rock salt. A high sulfur cycle turnover rate would have left the ocean system vulnerable to development......Marine biodiversity decreases and ecosystem destruction during the end-Permian mass extinction (EPME) have been linked to widespread marine euxinic conditions. Changes in the biogeochemical sulfur cycle, microbial sulfate reduction (MSR), and marine dissolved sulfate concentrations during...... fractionation and point to a more universal control, i.e., contemporaneous seawater sulfate concentration.The MSR-trend transfer function yielded estimates of seawater sulfate of 0.6-2.8mM for the latest Permian to earliest Triassic, suggesting a balanced oceanic S-cycle with equal S inputs and outputs...

  9. A Cryptic Sulfur Cycle in Oxygen-Minimum-Zone Waters off the Chilean Coast

    OpenAIRE

    Canfield, D. E.; Thamdrup, B.; De Brabandere, L.; Dalsgaard, T.; Revsbech, N. P.; Ulloa, O.; Stewart, Frank J.; DeLong, Edward Francis

    2010-01-01

    Nitrogen cycling is normally thought to dominate the biogeochemistry and microbial ecology of oxygen-minimum zones in marine environments. Through a combination of molecular techniques and process rate measurements, we showed that both sulfate reduction and sulfide oxidation contribute to energy flux and elemental cycling in oxygen-free waters off the coast of northern Chile. These processes may have been overlooked because in nature, the sulfide produced by sulfate reduction immediately oxid...

  10. Efficient cycles for carbon capture CLC power plants based on thermally balanced redox reactors

    KAUST Repository

    Iloeje, Chukwunwike

    2015-10-01

    © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. The rotary reactor differs from most alternative chemical looping combustion (CLC) reactor designs because it maintains near-thermal equilibrium between the two stages of the redox process by thermally coupling channels undergoing oxidation and reduction. An earlier study showed that this thermal coupling between the oxidation and reduction reactors increases the efficiency by up to 2% points when implemented in a regenerative Brayton cycle. The present study extends this analysis to alternative CLC cycles with the objective of identifying optimal configurations and design tradeoffs. Results show that the increased efficiency from reactor thermal coupling applies only to cycles that are capable of exploiting the increased availability in the reduction reactor exhaust. Thus, in addition to the regenerative cycle, the combined CLC cycle and the combined-regenerative CLC cycle are suitable for integration with the rotary reactor. Parametric studies are used to compare the sensitivity of the different cycle efficiencies to parameters like pressure ratio, turbine inlet temperature, carrier-gas fraction and purge steam generation. One of the key conclusions from this analysis is that while the optimal efficiency for regenerative CLC cycle was the highest of the three (56% at 3. bars, 1200. °C), the combined-regenerative cycle offers a trade-off that combines a reasonably high efficiency (about 54% at 12. bars, 1200. °C) with much lower gas volumetric flow rate and consequently, smaller reactor size. Unlike the other two cycles, the optimal compressor pressure ratio for the regenerative cycle is weakly dependent on the design turbine inlet temperature. For the regenerative and combined regenerative cycles, steam production in the regenerator below 2× fuel flow rate improves exhaust recovery and consequently, the overall system efficiency. Also, given that the fuel side regenerator flow is unbalanced, it is more efficient to generate steam from the

  11. A diet rich in high-glucoraphanin broccoli interacts with genotype to reduce discordance in plasma metabolite profiles by modulating mitochondrial function123

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armah, Charlotte N; Traka, Maria H; Dainty, Jack R; Defernez, Marianne; Janssens, Astrid; Leung, Wing; Doleman, Joanne F; Potter, John F

    2013-01-01

    Background: Observational and experimental studies suggest that diets rich in cruciferous vegetables and glucosinolates may reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Objective: We tested the hypothesis that a 12-wk dietary intervention with high-glucoraphanin (HG) broccoli would modify biomarkers of CVD risk and plasma metabolite profiles to a greater extent than interventions with standard broccoli or peas. Design: Subjects were randomly assigned to consume 400 g standard broccoli, 400 g HG broccoli, or 400 g peas each week for 12 wk, with no other dietary restrictions. Biomarkers of CVD risk and 347 plasma metabolites were quantified before and after the intervention. Results: No significant differences in the effects of the diets on biomarkers of CVD risk were found. Multivariate analyses of plasma metabolites identified 2 discrete phenotypic responses to diet in individuals within the HG broccoli arm, differentiated by single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with the PAPOLG gene. Univariate analysis showed effects of sex (P broccoli arm, the consequence of the intervention was to reduce variation in lipid and amino acid metabolites, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, and acylcarnitines between the 2 PAPOLG genotypes. Conclusions: The metabolic changes observed with the HG broccoli diet are consistent with a rebalancing of anaplerotic and cataplerotic reactions and enhanced integration of fatty acid β-oxidation with TCA cycle activity. These modifications may contribute to the reduction in cancer risk associated with diets that are rich in cruciferous vegetables. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01114399. PMID:23964055

  12. Effect of aspirin and prostaglandins on the carbohydrate metabolism in albino rats.: glucose oxidation through different pathways and glycolytic enzymes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balasubramanian, A.; Ramakrishnan, S.

    1980-01-01

    The effect of chronic and acute doses of aspirin and prostaglandins F2α and E2 individually on the oxidation of glucose through Embden Meyerhof-TCA cycle and pentose phosphate pathways and some key glycolytic enzymes of liver were studied in male albino rats. Studies were extended to find the combined effect of PGF2α and E2 with an acute dose of aspirin. There was increased utilisation of both 1- 14 C glucose and 6- 14 C glucose on aspirin treatment. However, the metabolism through the EM-TCA pathway was more pronounced as shown by a reduced ratio of 14 CO 2 from 1- 14 C and 6- 14 C glucose. Two hepatic key glycolytic enzymes viz. hexokinase and pyruvate kinase were increased due to aspirin treatment. Withdrawal of aspirin corrected the above impaired carbohydrate metabolism in liver. Prostaglandin F2α also caused a reduction in the utilisation of 1- 14 C glucose, while PGE2 recorded an increase in the utilisation of both 1- 14 C and 6- 14 C glucose when compared to controls, indicating that different members of prostaglandins could affect metabolisms and differently. Administration of the PGs and aspirin together showed an increase in the utilisation of 6- 14 C glucose. (auth.)

  13. In situ spectroscopic monitoring of CO2 reduction at copper oxide electrode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Liying; Gupta, Kalyani; Goodall, Josephine B M; Darr, Jawwad A; Holt, Katherine B

    2017-04-28

    Copper oxide modified electrodes were investigated as a function of applied electrode potential using in situ infrared spectroscopy and ex situ Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In deoxygenated KHCO 3 electrolyte bicarbonate and carbonate species were found to adsorb to the electrode during reduction and the CuO was reduced to Cu(i) or Cu(0) species. Carbonate was incorporated into the structure and the CuO starting material was not regenerated on cycling to positive potentials. In contrast, in CO 2 saturated KHCO 3 solution, surface adsorption of bicarbonate and carbonate was not observed and adsorption of a carbonato-species was observed with in situ infrared spectroscopy. This species is believed to be activated, bent CO 2 . On cycling to negative potentials, larger reduction currents were observed in the presence of CO 2 ; however, less of the charge could be attributed to the reduction of CuO. In the presence of CO 2 CuO underwent reduction to Cu 2 O and potentially Cu, with no incorporation of carbonate. Under these conditions the CuO starting material could be regenerated by cycling to positive potentials.

  14. A Study on Life Cycle CO2 Emissions of Low-Carbon Building in South Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Su-Hyun Cho

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available There have been much interest and many efforts to control global warming and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG emissions throughout the world. Recently, the Republic of Korea has also increased its GHG reduction goal and searched for an implementation plan. In buildings, for example, there have been technology developments and deployment policies to reduce GHG emissions from a life cycle perspective, covering construction materials, building construction, use of buildings and waste disposal. In particular, Korea’s Green Standard for Energy and Environmental Design is a certification of environmentally-friendly buildings for their energy saving and reduction of environmental pollution throughout their lives. In fact, the demand and adoption of the certification are rising every year. In construction materials and buildings, as a result, an environmentally-friendly aspect has become crucial. The importance of construction material and building development technologies that can reduce environmental load by diminishing GHG emissions in buildings has emerged. Moreover, there has been a rising necessity to verify the GHG reduction effects of buildings. To assess the reduction of carbon emissions in the buildings built with low-carbon construction technologies and materials, therefore, this study estimated life cycle carbon emissions in reference buildings in which general construction materials are used and in low-carbon buildings. For this, the carbon emissions and their reduction from construction materials (especially concrete between conventional products and low-carbon materials were estimated, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA. After estimating carbon emissions from a building life cycle perspective, their reduction in low-carbon buildings compared to the reference buildings was reviewed. The results found that compared to conventional buildings, low-carbon buildings revealed a 25% decrease in carbon emissions in terms of the reduction of Life Cycle

  15. Increasing the radiosensitivity of tumours in an hypoxic environment using inhibitors of the pentose phosphate pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahasrabudhe, M.B.; Bhonsle, S.R.; Krishnamurti, K.; Tilak, B.D.

    1977-01-01

    Rapidly growing tumours contain few blood vessels in the tumour mass. Cells in such tumours obtain nutrients and oxygen from the periphery by diffusion, resulting in a diminishing oxygen and nutrient gradient from the periphery to centre of the tumour mass. In normal tissues, oxygen is utilized via a tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle; in tumour cells oxygen is utilized via a hexose monophosphate (HMP) pathway and through the TCA cycle at a 30% reduced level. Interference with the HMP pathway selectively inhibits the utilization of oxygen by tumour cells, thus increasing the availability of oxygen to hypoxic cells situated deeper in the tumour mass. This effect has been exploited for increasing the radiosensitivity of tumour cells situated in an hypoxic environment. The influence of sixteen potential antimetabolites on the HMP pathway has been studied. Of these, six compounds, namely, (1) 2-carboxy 5-hydroxymethyl thiophene, (2) the sodium salt of 2:5 dicarbethoxy 3:4 dihydroxy thiophene, (3) the dihydrazide of 2:5 dicarboxy thiophene, (4) the dihydrazide of 3:4 dimethoxy 2:5 dicarboxy thiophene, (5) trithiocyanuric acid, and (6) cyanuric trithioglycollic acid showed an inhibiting effect on the HMP pathway without any influence on the TCA cycle. Influence of administration of compounds (1), (2) and (4) prior to radiation on the growth of transplanted fibrosarcomas in mice has been studied and is reported here. These three compounds showed marked potentiation of radiosensitivity of tumours. (author)

  16. Abnormal myocardial energy-production state in mitochondrial cardiomyopathy and acute response to L-arginine infusion. C-11 acetate kinetics revealed by positron emission tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arakawa, Kenichiro; Kudo, Takashi; Ikawa, Masamichi

    2010-01-01

    Cardiomyopathy is a life-threatening condition in patients with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (known as MELAS). However, no effective therapy has been available until now. In the present study cardiac energetics and acute effects of L-arginine (Arg) were evaluated in MELAS patients. The 6 patients with MELAS (M-group) and 6 volunteers (C-group) underwent dynamic C-11 acetate positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Tricarboxylic acid (TCA)-cycle metabolic rate (k mono ), myocardial efficiency (double product (DP)/k mono ), and myocardial blood flow (MBF) were determined before and after L-Arg administration. Baseline k mono showed a lower value in the M-group than in the C-group (0.051±0.013 vs 0.070±0.019 min -1 , P=0.055). On the other hand, baseline DP/k mono was significantly greater in the M-group (1.69±5.9 vs 0.95±1.2 x 10 5 , P=0.004). After L-Arg administration, 4 patients showed significant elevation of k mono . No relationship was observed between the distribution of k mono elevation and the increase in MBF. The TCA cycle metabolic rate is markedly suppressed in MELAS patients, indicating a shift in energy production to the anaerobic pathway, leading to a paradoxical increase in myocardial efficiency. L-Arg can enhance TCA-cycle metabolism, regardless of its vasodilatation effect, and can be used as a treatment for patients with mitochondrial cardiomyopathy. (author)

  17. Ambient nitrogen reduction cycle using a hybrid inorganic–biological system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chong; Sakimoto, Kelsey K.; Colón, Brendan C.; Silver, Pamela A.

    2017-01-01

    We demonstrate the synthesis of NH3 from N2 and H2O at ambient conditions in a single reactor by coupling hydrogen generation from catalytic water splitting to a H2-oxidizing bacterium Xanthobacter autotrophicus, which performs N2 and CO2 reduction to solid biomass. Living cells of X. autotrophicus may be directly applied as a biofertilizer to improve growth of radishes, a model crop plant, by up to ∼1,440% in terms of storage root mass. The NH3 generated from nitrogenase (N2ase) in X. autotrophicus can be diverted from biomass formation to an extracellular ammonia production with the addition of a glutamate synthetase inhibitor. The N2 reduction reaction proceeds at a low driving force with a turnover number of 9 × 109 cell–1 and turnover frequency of 1.9 × 104 s–1⋅cell–1 without the use of sacrificial chemical reagents or carbon feedstocks other than CO2. This approach can be powered by renewable electricity, enabling the sustainable and selective production of ammonia and biofertilizers in a distributed manner. PMID:28588143

  18. AMPK Activation Affects Glutamate Metabolism in Astrocytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Voss, Caroline Marie; Pajęcka, Kamilla; Stridh, Malin H

    2015-01-01

    acid (TCA) cycle was studied using high-performance liquid chromatography analysis supplemented with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technology. It was found that AMPK activation had profound effects on the pathways involved in glutamate metabolism since the entrance of the glutamate carbon...... on glutamate metabolism in astrocytes was studied using primary cultures of these cells from mouse cerebral cortex during incubation in media containing 2.5 mM glucose and 100 µM [U-(13)C]glutamate. The metabolism of glutamate including a detailed analysis of its metabolic pathways involving the tricarboxylic...... skeleton into the TCA cycle was reduced. On the other hand, glutamate uptake into the astrocytes as well as its conversion to glutamine catalyzed by glutamine synthetase was not affected by AMPK activation. Interestingly, synthesis and release of citrate, which are hallmarks of astrocytic function, were...

  19. First-cycle studies of coprocessing flowsheets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, J.H.

    1981-06-01

    Selected portions of two coprocessing flowsheets developed for use at the Barnwell Nuclear Fuel Plant (BNFP) have been tested in the laboratory with uranium, plutonium, and fission products. Processing conditions and stream compositions for first cycle extraction and uranium-plutonium partitioning in an electropulse column were controlled to examine the behavior of nitric acid, uranium, plutonium, and fission products during coprocessing. The ability to adapt coprocessing technology for use in the BNFP reprocessing facility was successful for first cycle extraction and partition. The only process adjustment involved a reduction in nitric acid concentration to attain proper uranium to plutonium ratios

  20. CANDU fuel cycle options in Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boczar, P. G.; Fehrenbach, P. J.; Meneley, D. A.

    1996-01-01

    There are many reasons for countries embarking on a CANDU R program to start with the natural uranium fuel cycle. Simplicity of fuel design, ease of fabrication, and ready availability of natural uranium all help to localize the technology and to reduce reliance on foreign technology. Nonetheless, at some point, the incentives for using natural uranium fuel may be outweighed by the advantages of alternate fuel cycles. The excellent neutron economy, on-line refuelling, and simple fuel-bundle design provide an unsurpassed degree of fuel-cycle flexibility in CANDU reactors. The easiest first step in CANDU fuel-cycle evolution may be the use of slightly enriched uranium (SEU), including recovered uranium from reprocessed LWR spent fuel. Relatively low enrichment (up to 1.2%) will result in a two- to three-fold reduction in the quantity of spent fuel per unit energy production, reductions in fuel-cycle costs, and greater flexibility in the design of new reactors. The CANFLEX (CANDU FLEXible) fuel bundle would be the optimal fuel carrier. A country that has both CANDU and PWR reactors can exploit the natural synergism between these two reactor types to minimize overall waste production, and maximize energy derived from the fuel. This synergism can be exploited through several different fuel cycles. A high burnup CANDU MOX fuel design could be used to utilize plutonium from conventional reprocessing or more advanced reprocessing options (such as co-processing). DUPIC (Direct Use of Spent PWR Fuel In CANDU) represents a recycle option that has a higher degree of proliferation resistance than dose conventional reprocessing, since it uses only dry processes for converting spent PWR fuel into CANDU fuel, without separating the plutonium. Good progress is being made in the current KAERI, AECL, and U. S. Department of State program in demonstrating the technical feasibility of DUPIC. In the longer term, CANDU reactors offer even more dramatic synergistic fuel cycles with PWR or

  1. The Relationship between Inner Product and Counting Cycles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Xiaoming; Wang, Chengu; Yu, Wei

    2012-01-01

    lower bounds in the streaming model for the Connectivity, Bipartiteness and Girth problems [7]. The inner product variant we used has a quantum lower bound of Ω(nlogp(m)), where p(m) is the smallest prime factor of m. It implies that our lower bounds for Cycle-Counting and related problems still hold......Cycle-Counting is the following communication complexity problem: Alice and Bob each holds a permutation of size n with the promise there will be either a cycles or b cycles in their product. They want to distinguish between these two cases by communicating a few bits. We show that the quantum....../nondeterministic communication complexity is roughly Ω˜((n−b)/(b−a)) when a≡b(mod2) . It is proved by reduction from a variant of the inner product problem over ℤ m . It constructs a bridge for various problems, including In-Same-Cycle [10], One-Cycle [14], and Bipartiteness on constant degree graph [9]. We also give space...

  2. Effect of irreversible processes on the thermodynamic performance of open-cycle desiccant cooling cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    La, Dong; Li, Yong; Dai, Yanjun; Ge, Tianshu; Wang, Ruzhu

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Effects of irreversible processes on the performance of desiccant cooling cycle are identified. ► The exergy destructions involved are classified by the properties of the individual processes. ► Appropriate indexes for thermodynamic evaluation are proposed based on thermodynamic analyses. - Abstract: Thermodynamic analyses of desiccant cooling cycle usually focus on the overall cycle performance in previous study. In this paper, the effects of the individual irreversible processes in each component on thermodynamic performance are analyzed in detail. The objective of this paper is to reveal the elemental features of the individual components, and to show their effects on the thermodynamic performance of the whole cycle in a fundamental way. Appropriate indexes for thermodynamic evaluation are derived based on the first and second law analyses. A generalized model independent of the connection of components is developed. The results indicate that as the effectiveness of the desiccant wheel increases, the cycle performance is increased principally due to the significant reduction in exergy carried out by exhaust air. The corresponding exergy destruction coefficient of the cycle with moderate performance desiccant wheel is decreased greatly to 3.9%, which is more than 50% lower than that of the cycle with low performance desiccant wheel. The effect of the heat source is similar. As the temperature of the heat source increases from 60 °C to 90 °C, the percentage of exergy destruction raised by exhaust air increases sharply from 5.3% to 21.8%. High heat exchanger effectiveness improves the cycle performance mainly by lowering the irreversibility of the heat exchanger, using less regeneration heat and pre-cooling the process air effectively

  3. Abundance and Distribution of Diagnostic Carbon Fixation Genes in a Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Gradient Ecosystem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blumenfeld, H. N.; Kelley, D. S.; Girguis, P. R.; Schrenk, M. O.

    2010-12-01

    The walls of deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimneys sustain steep thermal and chemical gradients resulting from the mixing of hot (350°C+) hydrothermal fluids with cold, oxygenated seawater. The chemical disequilibrium generated from this process has the potential to drive numerous chemolithoautotrophic metabolisms, many of which have been demonstrated to be operative in microbial pure cultures. In addition to the well-known Calvin Cycle, at least five additional pathways have been discovered including the Reverse Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle (rTCA), the Reductive Acetyl-CoA pathway, and the 3-hydroxyproprionate pathway. Most of the newly discovered pathways have been found in thermophilic and hyperthermophilic Bacteria and Archaea, which are the well represented in microbial diversity studies of hydrothermal chimney walls. However, to date, little is known about the environmental controls that impact various carbon fixation pathways. The overlap of limited microbial diversity with distinct habitat conditions in hydrothermal chimney walls provides an ideal setting to explore these relationships. Hydrothermal chimney walls from multiple structures recovered from the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the northeastern Pacific were sub-sampled and analyzed using PCR-based assays. Earlier work showed elevated microbial abundances in the outer portions of mature chimney walls, with varying ratios of Archaea to Bacteria from the outer to inner portions of the chimneys. Common phylotypes identified in these regions included Epsilonproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Desulfurococcales. Total genomic DNA was extracted from mineralogically distinct niches within these structures and queried for genes coding key regulatory enzymes for each of the well studied carbon fixation pathways. Preliminary results show the occurrence of genes representing rTCA cycle (aclB) and methyl coenzyme A reductase (mcrA) - a proxy for the Reductive Acetyl-CoA Pathway within interior portion of mature

  4. The odd-carbon medium-chain fatty triglyceride triheptanoin does not reduce hepatic steatosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comhair, Tine M; Garcia Caraballo, Sonia C; Dejong, Cornelis H C; Lamers, Wouter H; Koehler, S Eleonore

    2017-02-01

    Non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. Previously, we showed that a high-protein diet minimized diet-induced development of fatty liver and even reversed pre-existing steatosis. A high-protein diet leads to amino-acid catabolism, which in turn causes anaplerosis of the tricarboxylic-acid (TCA) cycle. Therefore, we hypothesized that anaplerosis of the TCA cycle could be responsible for the high-protein diet-induced improvement of NAFLD by channeling amino acids into the TCA cycle. Next we considered that an efficient anaplerotic agent, the odd-carbon medium-chain triglyceride triheptanoin (TH), might have similar beneficial effects. C57BL/6J mice were fed low-fat (8en%) or high-fat (42en%) oleate-containing diets with or without 15en% TH for 3 weeks. TH treatment enhanced the hepatic capacity for fatty-acid oxidation by a selective increase in hepatic Ppara, Acox, and Cd36 expression, and a decline in plasma acetyl-carnitines. It also induced pyruvate cycling through an increased hepatic PCK1 protein concentration and it increased thermogenesis reflected by an increased Ucp2 mRNA content. TH, however, did not reduce hepatic lipid content. The comparison of the present effects of dietary triheptanoin with a previous study by our group on protein supplementation shows that the beneficial effects of the high-protein diet are not mimicked by TH. This argues against anaplerosis as the sole explanatory mechanism for the anti-steatotic effect of a high-protein diet. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

  5. Nitrate storage and dissimilatory nitrate reduction by eukaryotic microbes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kamp, Anja; Høgslund, Signe; Risgaard-Petersen, Nils

    2015-01-01

    The microbial nitrogen cycle is one of the most complex and environmentally important element cycles on Earth and has long been thought to be mediated exclusively by prokaryotic microbes. Rather recently, it was discovered that certain eukaryotic microbes are able to store nitrate intracellularly......, suggesting that eukaryotes may rival prokaryotes in terms of dissimilatory nitrate reduction. Finally, this review article sketches some evolutionary perspectives of eukaryotic nitrate metabolism and identifies open questions that need to be addressed in future investigations....... and use it for dissimilatory nitrate reduction in the absence of oxygen. The paradigm shift that this entailed is ecologically significant because the eukaryotes in question comprise global players like diatoms, foraminifers, and fungi. This review article provides an unprecedented overview of nitrate...

  6. An Alternative Approach to Non-Log-Linear Thermal Microbial Inactivation: Modelling the Number of Log Cycles Reduction with Respect to Temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vasilis Panagiotis Valdramidis

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available A mathematical approach incorporating the shoulder effect during the quantification of microbial heat inactivation is being developed based on »the number of log cycles of reduction « concept. Hereto, the heat resistance of Escherichia coli K12 in BHI broth has been quantitatively determined in a generic and accurate way by defining the time t for x log reductions in the microbial population, i.e. txD, as a function of the treatment temperature T. Survival data of the examined microorganism are collected in a range of temperatures between 52–60.6 °C. Shoulder length Sl and specific inactivation rate kmax are derived from a mathematical expression that describes a non-log-linear behaviour. The temperature dependencies of Sl and kmax are used for structuring the txD(T function. Estimation of the txD(T parameters through a global identification procedure permits reliable predictions of the time to achieve a pre-decided microbial reduction. One of the parameters of the txD(T function is proposed as »the reference minimum temperature for inactivation«. For the case study considered, a value of 51.80 °C (with a standard error, SE, of 3.47 was identified. Finally, the time to achieve commercial sterilization and pasteurization for the product at hand, i.e. BHI broth, was found to be 11.70 s (SE=5.22, and 5.10 min (SE=1.22, respectively. Accounting for the uncertainty (based on the 90 % confidence intervals, CI a fail-safe treatment of these two processes takes 20.36 s and 7.12 min, respectively.

  7. Deferoxamine Suppresses Collagen Cleavage and Protease, Cytokine, and COL10A1 Expression and Upregulates AMPK and Krebs Cycle Genes in Human Osteoarthritic Cartilage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena V. Tchetina

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This study reports the effects of the iron chelator deferoxamine (DFO on collagen cleavage, inflammation, and chondrocyte hypertrophy in relation to energy metabolism-related gene expression in osteoarthritic (OA articular cartilage. Full-depth explants of human OA knee articular cartilage from arthroplasty were cultured with exogenous DFO (1–50 μM. Type II collagen cleavage and phospho-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (pAMPK concentrations were measured using ELISAs. Gene expression studies employed real-time PCR and included AMPK analyses in PBMCs. In OA explants collagen cleavage was frequently downregulated by 10–50 μM DFO. PCR analysis of 7 OA patient cartilages revealed that 10 μM DFO suppressed expression of MMP-1, MMP-13, IL-1β, and TNFα and a marker of chondrocyte hypertrophy, COL10A1. No changes were observed in the expression of glycolysis-related genes. In contrast, expressions of genes associated with the mitochondrial Krebs cycle (TCA, AMPK, HIF1α, and COL2A1 were upregulated. AMPK gene expression was reduced in OA cartilage and increased in PBMCs from the same patients compared to healthy controls. Our studies demonstrate that DFO is capable of suppressing excessive collagenase-mediated type II collagen cleavage in OA cartilage and reversing phenotypic changes. The concomitant upregulation of proanabolic TCA-related gene expressions points to a potential for availability of energy generating substrates required for matrix repair by end-stage OA chondrocytes. This might normally be prevented by high whole-body energy requirements indicated by elevated AMPK expression in PBMCs of OA patients.

  8. The MDM2-p53-pyruvate carboxylase signalling axis couples mitochondrial metabolism to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Xiaomu; Cheng, Kenneth K. Y.; Liu, Zhuohao

    2016-01-01

    deletion or pharmacological inhibition of its negative regulator MDM2, impairs GSIS, leading to glucose intolerance in mice. Mechanistically, p53 activation represses the expression of the mitochondrial enzyme pyruvate carboxylase (PC), resulting in diminished production of the TCA cycle intermediates...

  9. Information processing through a bio-based redox capacitor: signatures for redox-cycling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yi; Kim, Eunkyoung; White, Ian M; Bentley, William E; Payne, Gregory F

    2014-08-01

    Redox-cycling compounds can significantly impact biological systems and can be responsible for activities that range from pathogen virulence and contaminant toxicities, to therapeutic drug mechanisms. Current methods to identify redox-cycling activities rely on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and employ enzymatic or chemical methods to detect ROS. Here, we couple the speed and sensitivity of electrochemistry with the molecular-electronic properties of a bio-based redox-capacitor to generate signatures of redox-cycling. The redox capacitor film is electrochemically-fabricated at the electrode surface and is composed of a polysaccharide hydrogel with grafted catechol moieties. This capacitor film is redox-active but non-conducting and can engage diffusible compounds in either oxidative or reductive redox-cycling. Using standard electrochemical mediators ferrocene dimethanol (Fc) and Ru(NH3)6Cl3 (Ru(3+)) as model redox-cyclers, we observed signal amplifications and rectifications that serve as signatures of redox-cycling. Three bio-relevant compounds were then probed for these signatures: (i) ascorbate, a redox-active compound that does not redox-cycle; (ii) pyocyanin, a virulence factor well-known for its reductive redox-cycling; and (iii) acetaminophen, an analgesic that oxidatively redox-cycles but also undergoes conjugation reactions. These studies demonstrate that the redox-capacitor can enlist the capabilities of electrochemistry to generate rapid and sensitive signatures of biologically-relevant chemical activities (i.e., redox-cycling). Published by Elsevier B.V.

  10. Blackberry Vinegar Produced By Successive Acetification Cycles: Production, Characterization And Bioactivity Parameters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mário Antônio Alves da Cunha

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Blackberry vinegar was produced in successive acetification cycles and content of total phenolics, anthocyanins and antioxidant activity were evaluated along the production. Firstly, blackberry wine was obtained in bench-scale bioreactor, being verified 0.39 g/g ethanol yield, 1.78 g/L.h volumetric productivity and 76% efficiency. After, three successive acetification cycles were conducted efficiently in grapia barrel with average acetic acid production of 51.6 g/L, 72.2 % acetic acid yield and 0.4 g/L.h volumetric productivity. Appreciable contents of polyphenolic compounds, anthocyanins and high antioxidant activity were observed in the raw material, wine and vinegar obtained in each cycle of acetic acid transformation. Acetic acid transformation led the small reduction of antioxidant activity compared to alcoholic fermentation, but the antioxidant potential was maintained along the cycles. The content of total phenolics and anthocyanins also suffered a reduction in step of acetification.

  11. Effect of the nasal cycle on congestive response during bilateral nasal allergen provocation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomasz Gotlib

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Background. Bilateral nasal allergen provocation usually produces more pronounced obstruction of one nasal passage. It was found that this could be related to the stage of the nasal cycle before the provocation. objective. To discover whether the stage of the nasal cycle is decisive for asymmetry in congestive response observed during bilateral allergen nasal provocation. methods. Two bilateral nasal allergen provocations were performed in a group of 26 pollen-sensitive volunteers. Acoustic rhinometry measurements were taken during the nasal cycle, and then after the provocation. A cross-sectional area at the level of the inferior turbinate (CSA-2 was measured. Consecutive challenges were performed in the opposite phase of the nasal cycle: the side which had been wide just before the first challenge, was narrow before the second provocation. results. Asymmetry in CSA-2 reduction between the nasal passages was observed in most cases. Significant difference was observed between mean CSA-2 reduction rate (reactivity of the side that responded with greater congestion, and the opposite side. No significant difference was found in mean CSA-2 reduction rate between the side which was narrow, and the side which was wide before provocation. conclusions. Asymmetry of congestive response during bilateral nasal allergen provocation is not dependent on the stage of the nasal cycle preceding the challenge.

  12. NICMOS Cycles 13 and 14 Calibration Plans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arribas, Santiago; Bergeron, Eddie; de Jong, Roeof; Malhotra, Sangeeta; Mobasher, Bahram; Noll, Keith; Schultz, Al; Wiklind, Tommy; Xu, Chun

    2005-11-01

    This document summarizes the NICMOS Calibration Plans for Cycles 13 and 14. These plans complement the SMOV3b, the Cycle 10 (interim), and the Cycles 11 and 12 (regular) calibration programs executed after the installation of the NICMOS Cooling System (NCS).. These previous programs have shown that the instrument is very stable, which has motivated a further reduction in the frequency of the monitoring programs for Cycle 13. In addition, for Cycle 14 some of these programs were slightly modified to account for 2 Gyro HST operations. The special calibrations on Cycle 13 were focussed on a follow up of the spectroscopic recalibration initiated in Cycle 12. This program led to the discovery of a possible count rate non-linearity, which has triggered a special program for Cycle 13 and a number of subsequent tests and calibrations during Cycle 14. At the time of writing this is a very active area of research. We also briefly comment on other calibrations defined to address other specific issues like: the autoreset test, the SPAR sequences tests, and the low-frequency flat residual for NIC1. The calibration programs for the 2-Gyro campaigns are not included here, since they have been described somewhere else. Further details and updates on specific programs can be found via the NICMOS web site.

  13. Sulfate reduction and methane oxidation activity below the sulfate-methane transition zone in Alaskan Beaufort Sea continental margin sediments: Implications for deep sulfur cycling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treude, Tina; Krause, Stefan; Maltby, Johanna; Dale, Andrew W.; Coffin, Richard; Hamdan, Leila J.

    2014-11-01

    Two ∼6 m long sediment cores were collected along the ∼300 m isobath on the Alaskan Beaufort Sea continental margin. Both cores showed distinct sulfate-methane transition zones (SMTZ) at 105 and 120 cm below seafloor (cmbsf). Sulfate was not completely depleted below the SMTZ but remained between 30 and 500 μM. Sulfate reduction and anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) determined by radiotracer incubations were active throughout the methanogenic zone. Although a mass balance could not explain the source of sulfate below the SMTZ, geochemical profiles and correlation network analyses of biotic and abiotic data suggest a cryptic sulfur cycle involving iron, manganese and barite. Inhibition experiments with molybdate and 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES) indicated decoupling of sulfate reduction and AOM and competition between sulfate reducers and methanogens for substrates. While correlation network analyses predicted coupling of AOM to iron reduction, the addition of manganese or iron did not stimulate AOM. Since none of the classical archaeal anaerobic methanotrophs (ANME) were abundant, the involvement of unknown or unconventional phylotypes in AOM is conceivable. The resistance of AOM activity to inhibitors implies deviation from conventional enzymatic pathways. This work suggests that the classical redox cascade of electron acceptor utilization based on Gibbs energy yields does not always hold in diffusion-dominated systems, and instead biotic processes may be more strongly coupled to mineralogy.

  14. French development program on fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Viala, M.; Bourgeois, M.

    1991-01-01

    The need to close the fuel cycle of fast reactors makes the development of the cycle installations (fuel fabrication, irradiated assembly conditioning before reprocessing, reprocessing and waste management) especially independent with the development of the reactor. French experience with the integrated cycle over a period of about 25 years, the tonnage of fuels fabricated (more than 100 t of mixed oxides) for the Rapsodie, Phoenix and SuperPhoenix reactors, and the tonnage of reprocessed fuel (nearly 30 t of plutonium fuel) demonstrate the control of the cycle operations. The capacities of the cycle installations in existence and under construction are largely adequate for presents needs, even including a new European EFR reactor. They include the Cadarache fuel fabrication complex, the La Hague UP2-800 reprocessing plant, and the Marcoule pilot facility. Short- and medium-term R and D programs are connected with fuel developments, with the primary objective of very high burnups. For the longer term and for a specific plant to reprocess fast reactor fuels, the programs could concern new fabrication and reprocessing systems and the study of the consequences of the reduction in fuel out-of-core time

  15. Combined Turbine and Cycle Optimization for Organic Rankine Cycle Power Systems—Part B: Application on a Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angelo La Seta

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Organic Rankine cycle (ORC power systems have recently emerged as promising solutions for waste heat recovery in low- and medium-size power plants. Their performance and economic feasibility strongly depend on the expander. The design process and efficiency estimation are particularly challenging due to the peculiar physical properties of the working fluid and the gas-dynamic phenomena occurring in the machine. Unlike steam Rankine and Brayton engines, organic Rankine cycle expanders combine small enthalpy drops with large expansion ratios. These features yield turbine designs with few highly-loaded stages in supersonic flow regimes. Part A of this two-part paper has presented the implementation and validation of the simulation tool TURAX, which provides the optimal preliminary design of single-stage axial-flow turbines. The authors have also presented a sensitivity analysis on the decision variables affecting the turbine design. Part B of this two-part paper presents the first application of a design method where the thermodynamic cycle optimization is combined with calculations of the maximum expander performance using the mean-line design tool described in part A. The high computational cost of the turbine optimization is tackled by building a model which gives the optimal preliminary design of an axial-flow turbine as a function of the cycle conditions. This allows for estimating the optimal expander performance for each operating condition of interest. The test case is the preliminary design of an organic Rankine cycle turbogenerator to increase the overall energy efficiency of an offshore platform. For an increase in expander pressure ratio from 10 to 35, the results indicate up to 10% point reduction in expander performance. This corresponds to a relative reduction in net power output of 8.3% compared to the case when the turbine efficiency is assumed to be 80%. This work also demonstrates that this approach can support the plant designer

  16. The Role of Mitochondrial TCA Cycle Enzymes in Determining Prostate Cancer Chemosensitivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-03-01

    phosphorylation, Nat Rev Genet 2, 342-352. 17. Higgins , L. H., Withers, H. G., Garbens, A., Love, H. D., Magnoni, L., Hayward, S. W., and Moyes, C. D. (2009...MalateDehydrogenase 2ConfersDocetaxel Resistancevia Regulations of JNKSignaling andOxidativeMetabolism Qiong Liu, Chris T. Harvey, Hao Geng, Changhui...1036 Liuet al. The Prostate 40. Higgins LH, Withers HG, Garbens A, Love HD, Magnoni L, Hayward SW, Moyes CD. Hypoxia and the metabolic pheno- type of

  17. Computerized Generation and Simulation of Meshing and Contact of New Type of Novikov-Wildhaber Helical Gears

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Litvin, Faydor

    2000-01-01

    .... Such a function results in the reduction of noise and vibrations. Methods for the generation of the proposed gear tooth surfaces by grinding and hobbing are considered, and a tooth contact analysis (TCA...

  18. Exploring the life cycle management of industrial solid waste in the case of copper slag.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xiaolong; Yang, Jianxin; Lu, Bin; Li, Bo

    2013-06-01

    Industrial solid waste has potential impacts on soil, water and air quality, as well as human health, during its whole life stages. A framework for the life cycle management of industrial solid waste, which integrates the source reduction process, is presented and applied to copper slag management. Three management scenarios of copper slag are developed: (i) production of cement after electric furnace treatment, (ii) production of cement after flotation, and (iii) source reduction before the recycling process. A life cycle assessment is carried out to estimate the environmental burdens of these three scenarios. Life cycle assessment results showed that the environmental burdens of the three scenarios are 2710.09, 2061.19 and 2145.02 Pt respectively. In consideration of the closed-loop recycling process, the environmental performance of the flotation approach excelled that of the electric furnace approach. Additionally, although flash smelting promotes the source reduction of copper slag compared with bath smelting, it did not reduce the overall environmental burdens resulting from the complete copper slag management process. Moreover, it led to the shifting of environmental burdens from ecosystem quality damage and resources depletion to human health damage. The case study shows that it is necessary to integrate the generation process into the whole life cycle of industrial solid waste, and to make an integrated assessment for quantifying the contribution of source reduction, rather than to simply follow the priority of source reduction and the hierarchy of waste management.

  19. Long-term dietary restriction up-regulates activity and expression of ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    T Majaw

    2017-04-18

    Apr 18, 2017 ... ing (24 h fasting and re-feeding) reduces 30-40% of food intake (Qiu et al ... tween low calorie intake and increased lifespan (Anderson and Weindruch ..... may enter the TCA cycle and increase the intermediate flux for greater ...

  20. SUCNR1-mediated chemotaxis of macrophages aggravates obesity-induced inflammation and diabetes.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Diepen, van Janna A.; Hooiveld, Guido; Stienstra, Rinke; Deen, Peter M.

    2017-01-01

    Obesity induces macrophages to drive inflammation in adipose tissue, a crucial step towards the development of type 2 diabetes. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate succinate is released from cells under metabolic stress and has recently emerged as a metabolic signal induced by

  1. SUCNR1-mediated chemotaxis of macrophages aggravates obesity-induced inflammation and diabetes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Diepen, van Janna A.; Robben, Joris H.; Hooiveld, Guido J.; Carmone, Claudia; Alsady, Mohammad; Boutens, Lily; Bekkenkamp-Grovenstein, Melissa; Hijmans, Anneke; Engelke, Udo F.H.; Wevers, Ron A.; Netea, Mihai G.; Tack, Cees J.; Stienstra, Rinke; Deen, Peter M.T.

    2017-01-01

    Aims/hypothesis: Obesity induces macrophages to drive inflammation in adipose tissue, a crucial step towards the development of type 2 diabetes. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate succinate is released from cells under metabolic stress and has recently emerged as a metabolic signal

  2. Metabonomics Indicates Inhibition of Fatty Acid Synthesis, β-Oxidation, and Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle in Triclocarban-Induced Cardiac Metabolic Alterations in Male Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Wenping; Zhang, Wenpeng; Ren, Juan; Li, Wentao; Zhou, Lili; Cui, Yuan; Chen, Huiming; Yu, Wenlian; Zhuang, Xiaomei; Zhang, Zhenqing; Shen, Guolin; Li, Haishan

    2018-02-14

    Triclocarban (TCC) has been identified as a new environmental pollutant that is potentially hazardous to human health; however, the effects of short-term TCC exposure on cardiac function are not known. The aim of this study was to use metabonomics and molecular biology techniques to systematically elucidate the molecular mechanisms of TCC-induced effects on cardiac function in mice. Our results show that TCC inhibited the uptake, synthesis, and oxidation of fatty acids, suppressed the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and increased aerobic glycolysis levels in heart tissue after short-term TCC exposure. TCC also inhibited the nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), confirming its inhibitory effects on fatty acid uptake and oxidation. Histopathology and other analyses further confirm that TCC altered mouse cardiac physiology and pathology, ultimately affecting normal cardiac metabolic function. We elucidate the molecular mechanisms of TCC-induced harmful effects on mouse cardiac metabolism and function from a new perspective, using metabonomics and bioinformatics analysis data.

  3. Promysalin Elicits Species-Selective Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Targeting Succinate Dehydrogenase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keohane, Colleen E; Steele, Andrew D; Fetzer, Christian; Khowsathit, Jittasak; Van Tyne, Daria; Moynié, Lucile; Gilmore, Michael S; Karanicolas, John; Sieber, Stephan A; Wuest, William M

    2018-02-07

    Natural products have served as an inspiration to scientists both for their complex three-dimensional architecture and exquisite biological activity. Promysalin is one such Pseudomonad secondary metabolite that exhibits narrow-spectrum antibacterial activity, originally isolated from the rhizosphere. We herein utilize affinity-based protein profiling (AfBPP) to identify succinate dehydrogenase (Sdh) as the biological target of the natural product. The target was further validated in silico, in vitro, in vivo, and through the selection, and sequencing, of a resistant mutant. Succinate dehydrogenase plays an essential role in primary metabolism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the only enzyme that is involved both in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and in respiration via the electron transport chain. These findings add credence to other studies that suggest that the TCA cycle is an understudied target in the development of novel therapeutics to combat P. aeruginosa, a significant pathogen in clinical settings.

  4. Inactivation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 2 by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurd, Thomas R; Collins, Yvonne; Abakumova, Irina; Chouchani, Edward T; Baranowski, Bartlomiej; Fearnley, Ian M; Prime, Tracy A; Murphy, Michael P; James, Andrew M

    2012-10-12

    Reactive oxygen species are byproducts of mitochondrial respiration and thus potential regulators of mitochondrial function. Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 2 (PDHK2) inhibits the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, thereby regulating entry of carbohydrates into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Here we show that PDHK2 activity is inhibited by low levels of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) generated by the respiratory chain. This occurs via reversible oxidation of cysteine residues 45 and 392 on PDHK2 and results in increased pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity. H(2)O(2) derives from superoxide (O(2)(.)), and we show that conditions that inhibit PDHK2 also inactivate the TCA cycle enzyme, aconitase. These findings suggest that under conditions of high mitochondrial O(2)(.) production, such as may occur under nutrient excess and low ATP demand, the increase in O(2)() and H(2)O(2) may provide feedback signals to modulate mitochondrial metabolism.

  5. The Streaming Complexity of Cycle Counting, Sorting by Reversals, and Other Problems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Verbin, Elad; Yu, Wei

    2011-01-01

    -way. By designing reductions from BHH, we prove lower bounds for the streaming complexity of approximating the sorting by reversal distance, of approximately counting the number of cycles in a 2-regular graph, and of other problems. For example, here is one lower bound that we prove, for a cycle-counting problem...

  6. Integrated Analysis of the Transcriptome and Metabolome of Corynebacterium glutamicum during Penicillin-Induced Glutamic Acid Production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirasawa, Takashi; Saito, Masaki; Yoshikawa, Katsunori; Furusawa, Chikara; Shmizu, Hiroshi

    2018-05-01

    Corynebacterium glutamicum is known for its ability to produce glutamic acid and has been utilized for the fermentative production of various amino acids. Glutamic acid production in C. glutamicum is induced by penicillin. In this study, the transcriptome and metabolome of C. glutamicum is analyzed to understand the mechanism of penicillin-induced glutamic acid production. Transcriptomic analysis with DNA microarray revealed that expression of some glycolysis- and TCA cycle-related genes, which include those encoding the enzymes involved in conversion of glucose to 2-oxoglutaric acid, is upregulated after penicillin addition. Meanwhile, expression of some TCA cycle-related genes, encoding the enzymes for conversion of 2-oxoglutaric acid to oxaloacetic acid, and the anaplerotic reactions decreased. In addition, expression of NCgl1221 and odhI, encoding proteins involved in glutamic acid excretion and inhibition of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, respectively, is upregulated. Functional category enrichment analysis of genes upregulated and downregulated after penicillin addition revealed that genes for signal transduction systems are enriched among upregulated genes, whereas those for energy production and carbohydrate and amino acid metabolisms are enriched among the downregulated genes. As for the metabolomic analysis using capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry, the intracellular content of most metabolites of the glycolysis and the TCA cycle decreased dramatically after penicillin addition. Overall, these results indicate that the cellular metabolism and glutamic acid excretion are mainly optimized at the transcription level during penicillin-induced glutamic acid production by C. glutamicum. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Anaplerotic Triheptanoin Diet Enhances Mitochondrial Substrate Use to Remodel the Metabolome and Improve Lifespan, Motor Function, and Sociability in MeCP2-Null Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qun; Degano, Alicia L.; Penati, Judith; Zhuo, Justin; Roe, Charles R.; Ronnett, Gabriele V.

    2014-01-01

    Rett syndrome (RTT) is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) caused by mutations in the X-linked MECP2 gene that encodes methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2). Symptoms range in severity and include psychomotor disabilities, seizures, ataxia, and intellectual disability. Symptom onset is between 6-18 months of age, a critical period of brain development that is highly energy-dependent. Notably, patients with RTT have evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as abnormal levels of the adipokines leptin and adiponectin, suggesting overall metabolic imbalance. We hypothesized that one contributor to RTT symptoms is energy deficiency due to defective nutrient substrate utilization by the TCA cycle. This energy deficit would lead to a metabolic imbalance, but would be treatable by providing anaplerotic substrates to the TCA cycle to enhance energy production. We show that dietary therapy with triheptanoin significantly increased longevity and improved motor function and social interaction in male mice hemizygous for Mecp2 knockout. Anaplerotic therapy in Mecp2 knockout mice also improved indicators of impaired substrate utilization, decreased adiposity, increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, decreased serum leptin and insulin, and improved mitochondrial morphology in skeletal muscle. Untargeted metabolomics of liver and skeletal muscle revealed increases in levels of TCA cycle intermediates with triheptanoin diet, as well as normalizations of glucose and fatty acid biochemical pathways consistent with the improved metabolic phenotype in Mecp2 knockout mice on triheptanoin. These results suggest that an approach using dietary supplementation with anaplerotic substrate is effective in improving symptoms and metabolic health in RTT. PMID:25299635

  8. Directing vanillin production from ferulic acid by increased acetyl-CoA consumption in recombinant Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Eun-Gyeong; Yoon, Sang-Hwal; Das, Amitabha; Lee, Sook-Hee; Li, Cui; Kim, Jae-Yean; Choi, Myung-Suk; Oh, Deok-Kun; Kim, Seon-Won

    2009-01-01

    The amplification of gltA gene encoding citrate synthase of TCA cycle was required for the efficient conversion of acetyl-CoA, generated during vanillin production from ferulic acid, to CoA, which is essential for vanillin production. Vanillin of 1.98 g/L was produced from the E. coli DH5alpha (pTAHEF-gltA) with gltA amplification in 48 h of culture at 3.0 g/L of ferulic acid, which was about twofold higher than the vanillin production of 0.91 g/L obtained by the E. coli DH5alpha (pTAHEF) without gltA amplification. The icdA gene encoding isocitrate dehydrogenase of TCA cycle was deleted to make the vanillin producing E. coli utilize glyoxylate bypass which enables more efficient conversion of acetyl-CoA to CoA in comparison with TCA cycle. The production of vanillin by the icdA null mutant of E. coli BW25113 harboring pTAHEF was enhanced by 2.6 times. The gltA amplification of the glyoxylate bypass in the icdA null mutant remarkably increased the production rate of vanillin with a little increase in the amount of vanillin production. The real synergistic effect of gltA amplification and icdA deletion was observed with use of XAD-2 resin reducing the toxicity of vanillin produced during culture. Vanillin of 5.14 g/L was produced in 24 h of the culture with molar conversion yield of 86.6%, which is the highest so far in vanillin production from ferulic acid using recombinant E. coli.

  9. Microbial minimalism: genome reduction in bacterial pathogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, Nancy A

    2002-03-08

    When bacterial lineages make the transition from free-living or facultatively parasitic life cycles to permanent associations with hosts, they undergo a major loss of genes and DNA. Complete genome sequences are providing an understanding of how extreme genome reduction affects evolutionary directions and metabolic capabilities of obligate pathogens and symbionts.

  10. Life-cycle cost assessment of seismically base-isolated structures in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Hao; Weng, Dagen; Lu, Xilin; Lu, Liang

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • The life-cycle cost of seismic base-isolated nuclear power plants is modeled. • The change law of life-cycle cost with seismic fortification intensity is studied. • The initial cost of laminated lead rubber bearings can be expressed as the function of volume. • The initial cost of a damper can be expressed as the function of its maximum displacement and tonnage. • The use of base-isolation can greatly reduce the expected damage cost, which leads to the reduction of the life-cycle cost. -- Abstract: Evaluation of seismically base-isolated structural life-cycle cost is the key problem in performance based seismic design. A method is being introduced to address the life-cycle cost of base-isolated reinforced concrete structures in nuclear power plants. Each composition of life-cycle cost is analyzed including the initial construction cost, the isolators cost and the excepted damage cost over life-cycle of the structure. The concept of seismic intensity is being used to estimate the expected damage cost, greatly simplifying the calculation. Moreover, French Cruas nuclear power plant is employed as an example to assess its life-cycle cost, compared to the cost of non-isolated plant at the same time. The results show that the proposed method is efficient and the expected damage cost is enormously reduced because of the application of isolators, which leads to the reduction of the life-cycle cost of nuclear power plants

  11. Efficient cycles for carbon capture CLC power plants based on thermally balanced redox reactors

    KAUST Repository

    Iloeje, Chukwunwike; Zhao, Zhenlong; Ghoniem, Ahmed F.

    2015-01-01

    undergoing oxidation and reduction. An earlier study showed that this thermal coupling between the oxidation and reduction reactors increases the efficiency by up to 2% points when implemented in a regenerative Brayton cycle. The present study extends

  12. Critical factors affecting life cycle assessments of material choice for vehicle mass reduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    This review examines the use of life-cycle assessments (LCAs) to compare different lightweight materials being developed to improve light-duty vehicle fuel economy. Vehicle manufacturers are designing passenger cars and light-duty trucks using lighter weight materials and design ...

  13. Metabolic flux analysis of the halophilic archaeon Haladaptatus paucihalophilus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Guangxiu; Zhang, Manxiao [Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 (China); Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000 (China); Mo, Tianlu [Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 (China); He, Lian [Key Laboratory of Combinatory Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071 (China); Zhang, Wei [Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 (China); Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000 (China); Yu, Yi, E-mail: yu_yi@whu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Combinatory Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071 (China); Zhang, Qi, E-mail: qizhang@sioc.ac.cn [Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 (China); Ding, Wei, E-mail: dingw@lzu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000 (China); Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000 (China); Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 (China)

    2015-11-27

    This work reports the {sup 13}C-assisted metabolic flux analysis of Haladaptatus paucihalophilus, a halophilic archaeon possessing an intriguing osmoadaption mechanism. We showed that the carbon flow is through the oxidative tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle whereas the reductive TCA cycle is not operative in H. paucihalophilus. In addition, both threonine and the citramalate pathways contribute to isoleucine biosynthesis, whereas lysine is synthesized through the diaminopimelate pathway and not through the α-aminoadipate pathway. Unexpected, the labeling patterns of glycine from the cells grown on [1-{sup 13}C]pyruvate and [2-{sup 13}C]pyruvate suggest that, unlike all the organisms investigated so far, in which glycine is produced exclusively from the serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) pathway, glycine biosynthesis in H. paucihalophilus involves different pathways including SHMT, threonine aldolase (TA) and the reverse reaction of glycine cleavage system (GCS), demonstrating for the first time that other pathways instead of SHMT can also make a significant contribution to the cellular glycine pool. Transcriptional analysis confirmed that both TA and GCS genes were transcribed in H. paucihalophilus, and the transcriptional level is independent of salt concentrations in the culture media. This study expands our understanding of amino acid biosynthesis and provides valuable insights into the metabolism of halophilic archaea. - Highlights: • Serine hydroxymethyltransferase, threonine aldolase, and glycine cleavage system all contribute to the glycine pool of H. paucihalophilus. • Threonine and the citramalate pathways contribute equally to the isoleucine biosynthesis in H. paucihalophilus. • Lysine in H. paucihalophilus is synthesized through the diaminopimelate pathway and not through the α-aminoadipate pathway. • Glycine biosynthesis is likely unrelated to the cell osmoadaption mechanism.

  14. Metabolic flux analysis of the halophilic archaeon Haladaptatus paucihalophilus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Guangxiu; Zhang, Manxiao; Mo, Tianlu; He, Lian; Zhang, Wei; Yu, Yi; Zhang, Qi; Ding, Wei

    2015-01-01

    This work reports the "1"3C-assisted metabolic flux analysis of Haladaptatus paucihalophilus, a halophilic archaeon possessing an intriguing osmoadaption mechanism. We showed that the carbon flow is through the oxidative tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle whereas the reductive TCA cycle is not operative in H. paucihalophilus. In addition, both threonine and the citramalate pathways contribute to isoleucine biosynthesis, whereas lysine is synthesized through the diaminopimelate pathway and not through the α-aminoadipate pathway. Unexpected, the labeling patterns of glycine from the cells grown on [1-"1"3C]pyruvate and [2-"1"3C]pyruvate suggest that, unlike all the organisms investigated so far, in which glycine is produced exclusively from the serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) pathway, glycine biosynthesis in H. paucihalophilus involves different pathways including SHMT, threonine aldolase (TA) and the reverse reaction of glycine cleavage system (GCS), demonstrating for the first time that other pathways instead of SHMT can also make a significant contribution to the cellular glycine pool. Transcriptional analysis confirmed that both TA and GCS genes were transcribed in H. paucihalophilus, and the transcriptional level is independent of salt concentrations in the culture media. This study expands our understanding of amino acid biosynthesis and provides valuable insights into the metabolism of halophilic archaea. - Highlights: • Serine hydroxymethyltransferase, threonine aldolase, and glycine cleavage system all contribute to the glycine pool of H. paucihalophilus. • Threonine and the citramalate pathways contribute equally to the isoleucine biosynthesis in H. paucihalophilus. • Lysine in H. paucihalophilus is synthesized through the diaminopimelate pathway and not through the α-aminoadipate pathway. • Glycine biosynthesis is likely unrelated to the cell osmoadaption mechanism.

  15. Inflammation promotes oral squamous carcinoma immune evasion via induced programmed death ligand-1 surface expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Wanlu; Lu, Libing; Feng, Yun; Chen, Jiao; Li, Yan; Kong, Xiangli; Chen, Sixiu; Li, Xiaoyu; Chen, Qianming; Zhang, Ping

    2013-05-01

    The association between inflammation and cancer provides a new target for tumor biotherapy. The inflammatory cells and molecules within the tumor microenvironment have decisive dual roles in antitumor immunity and immune evasion. In the present study, phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was used to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to simulate the tumor inflammatory microenvironment. The effect of immune cells and inflammatory cytokines on the surface expression of programmed cell death-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) and tumor immune evasion was investigated using flow cytometry (FCM) and an in vivo xenotransplantation model. Based on the data, PHA-activated, but not resting, immune cells were able to promote the surface expression of PD-L1 in Tca8113 oral squamous carcinoma cells via the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, but not by cell-cell contact. The majority of the inflammatory cytokines had no significant effect on the proliferation, cell cycle progression and apoptosis of the Tca8113 cells, although they each induced the expression of PD-L1 in a dose-dependent manner. In total, 99% of the Tca8113 cells expressed PD-L1 following treatment with the supernatant of PHA-stimulated PBMCs. The PHA-supernatant pretreated Tca8113 cells unusually induced Tca8113 antigen-specific CD8 + T cell apoptosis in vitro and the evasion of antigen-specific T cell attraction in a nude mouse tumor-bearing model. These results indicate a new mechanism for the promotion of tumor immune evasion by the tumor inflammatory microenvironment.

  16. Adaptation of Organisms by Resonance of RNA Transcription with the Cellular Redox Cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stolc, Viktor

    2012-01-01

    Sequence variation in organisms differs across the genome and the majority of mutations are caused by oxidation, yet its origin is not fully understood. It has also been shown that the reduction-oxidation reaction cycle is the fundamental biochemical cycle that coordinates the timing of all biochemical processes in that cell, including energy production, DNA replication, and RNA transcription. It is shown that the temporal resonance of transcriptome biosynthesis with the oscillating binary state of the reduction-oxidation reaction cycle serves as a basis for non-random sequence variation at specific genome-wide coordinates that change faster than by accumulation of chance mutations. This work demonstrates evidence for a universal, persistent and iterative feedback mechanism between the environment and heredity, whereby acquired variation between cell divisions can outweigh inherited variation.

  17. Fuel cycle modelling of open cycle thorium-fuelled nuclear energy systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashley, S.F.; Lindley, B.A.; Parks, G.T.; Nuttall, W.J.; Gregg, R.; Hesketh, K.W.; Kannan, U.; Krishnani, P.D.; Singh, B.; Thakur, A.; Cowper, M.; Talamo, A.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We study three open cycle Th–U-fuelled nuclear energy systems. • Comparison of these systems is made to a reference U-fuelled EPR. • Fuel cycle modelling is performed with UK NNL code “ORION”. • U-fuelled system is economically favourable and needs least separative work per kWh. • Th–U-fuelled systems offer negligible waste and proliferation resistance advantages. - Abstract: In this study, we have sought to determine the advantages, disadvantages, and viability of open cycle thorium–uranium-fuelled (Th–U-fuelled) nuclear energy systems. This has been done by assessing three such systems, each of which requires uranium enriched to ∼20% 235 U, in comparison to a reference uranium-fuelled (U-fuelled) system over various performance indicators, spanning material flows, waste composition, economics, and proliferation resistance. The values of these indicators were determined using the UK National Nuclear Laboratory’s fuel cycle modelling code ORION. This code required the results of lattice-physics calculations to model the neutronics of each nuclear energy system, and these were obtained using various nuclear reactor physics codes and burn-up routines. In summary, all three Th–U-fuelled nuclear energy systems required more separative work capacity than the equivalent benchmark U-fuelled system, with larger levelised fuel cycle costs and larger levelised cost of electricity. Although a reduction of ∼6% in the required uranium ore per kWh was seen for one of the Th–U-fuelled systems compared to the reference U-fuelled system, the other two Th–U-fuelled systems required more uranium ore per kWh than the reference. Negligible advantages and disadvantages were observed for the amount and the properties of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) generated by the systems considered. Two of the Th–U-fuelled systems showed some benefit in terms of proliferation resistance of the SNF generated. Overall, it appears that there is little

  18. Tension–compression asymmetry in an extruded Mg alloy AM30: Temperature and strain rate effects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zachariah, Z. [Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Tatiparti, Sankara Sarma V.; Mishra, S.K.; Ramakrishnan, N. [General Motors Technical Center, ITPL, Whitefield, Bangalore 560066 (India); Ramamurty, U., E-mail: ramu@materials.iisc.ernet.in [Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India)

    2013-06-10

    The effect of strain rate, ε, and temperature, T, on the tension–compression asymmetry (TCA) in a dilute and wrought Mg alloy, AM30, over a temperature range that covers both twin accommodated deformation (below 250 °C in compression) as well as dislocation-mediated plasticity (above 250 °C) has been investigated. For this purpose, uniaxial tension and compression tests were conducted at T ranging from 25 to 400 °C with ε varying between 10{sup −2} and 10 s{sup −1}. In most of the cases, the stress–strain responses in tension and compression are distinctly different; with compression responses ‘concaving upward,’ due to {101-bar 2} tensile twinning at lower plastic strains followed by slip and strain hardening at higher levels of deformation, for T below 250 °C. This results in significant levels of TCA at T<250 °C, reducing substantially at high temperatures. At T=150 and 250 °C, high ε leads to high TCA, in particular at T=250 °C and ε=10 s{sup −1}, suggesting that twin-mediated plastic deformation takes precedence at high rates of loading even at sufficiently high T. TCA becomes negligible at T=350 °C; however at T=400 °C, as ε increases TCA gets higher. Microscopy of the deformed samples, carried out by using electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), suggests that at T>250 °C dynamic recrystallization begins between accompanied by reduction in the twinned fraction that contributes to the decrease of the TCA.

  19. Waste reduction at the Savannah River Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stevens, W.E.; Lee, R.A.; Reynolds, R.W.

    1990-01-01

    The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a key installation for the production and research of nuclear materials for national defense and peace time applications and has been operating a full nuclear fuel cycle since the early 1950s. Wastes generated include high level radioactive, transuranic, low level radioactive, hazardous, mixed, sanitary, and aqueous wastes. Much progress has been made during the last several years to reduce these wastes including management systems, characterization, and technology programs. The reduction of wastes generated and the proper handling of the wastes have always been a part of the Site's operation. This paper summarizes the current status and future plans with respect to waste reduction to waste reduction and reviews some specific examples of successful activities

  20. Wastes from the light water reactor fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steindler, M.J.; Trevorrow, L.E.

    1976-01-01

    The LWR fuel cycle is represented, in the minimum detail necessary to indicate the origin of the wastes, as a system of operations that is typical of those proposed for various commercial fuel cycle ventures. The primary wastes (before any treatment) are described in terms of form, volume, radioactivity, chemical composition, weight, and combustibility (in anticipation of volume reduction treatments). Properties of the wastes expected from the operation of reactors, fuel reprocessing plants, and mixed oxide fuel fabrication plants are expressed in terms of their amounts per unit of nuclear energy produced

  1. Differential effects of ethanol on regional glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmitter pathways in mouse brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Vivek; Veeraiah, Pandichelvam; Subramaniam, Vaidyanathan; Patel, Anant Bahadur

    2014-03-01

    This study investigates the effects of ethanol on neuronal and astroglial metabolism using (1)H-[(13)C]-NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with infusion of [1,6-(13)C2]/[1-(13)C]glucose or [2-(13)C]acetate, respectively. A three-compartment metabolic model was fitted to the (13)C turnover of GluC3 , GluC4, GABAC 2, GABAC 3, AspC3 , and GlnC4 from [1,6-(13)C2 ]glucose to determine the rates of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) and neurotransmitter cycle associated with glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. The ratio of neurotransmitter cycle to TCA cycle fluxes for glutamatergic and GABAegic neurons was obtained from the steady-state [2-(13)C]acetate experiment and used as constraints during the metabolic model fitting. (1)H MRS measurement suggests that depletion of ethanol from cerebral cortex follows zero order kinetics with rate 0.18 ± 0.04 μmol/g/min. Acute exposure of ethanol reduces the level of glutamate and aspartate in cortical region. GlnC4 labeling was found to be unchanged from a 15 min infusion of [2-(13)C]acetate suggesting that acute ethanol exposure does not affect astroglial metabolism in naive mice. Rates of TCA and neurotransmitter cycle associated with glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons were found to be significantly reduced in cortical and subcortical regions. Acute exposure of ethanol perturbs the level of neurometabolites and decreases the excitatory and inhibitory activity differentially across the regions of brain. Depletion of ethanol and its effect on brain functions were measured using (1)H and (1)H-[(13)C]-NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with infusion of (13)C-labeled substrates. Ethanol depletion from brain follows zero order kinetics. Ethanol perturbs level of glutamate, and the excitatory and inhibitory activity in mice brain. © 2013 International Society for Neurochemistry.

  2. Tension–compression asymmetry in an extruded Mg alloy AM30: Temperature and strain rate effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zachariah, Z.; Tatiparti, Sankara Sarma V.; Mishra, S.K.; Ramakrishnan, N.; Ramamurty, U.

    2013-01-01

    The effect of strain rate, ε, and temperature, T, on the tension–compression asymmetry (TCA) in a dilute and wrought Mg alloy, AM30, over a temperature range that covers both twin accommodated deformation (below 250 °C in compression) as well as dislocation-mediated plasticity (above 250 °C) has been investigated. For this purpose, uniaxial tension and compression tests were conducted at T ranging from 25 to 400 °C with ε varying between 10 −2 and 10 s −1 . In most of the cases, the stress–strain responses in tension and compression are distinctly different; with compression responses ‘concaving upward,’ due to {101-bar 2} tensile twinning at lower plastic strains followed by slip and strain hardening at higher levels of deformation, for T below 250 °C. This results in significant levels of TCA at T −1 , suggesting that twin-mediated plastic deformation takes precedence at high rates of loading even at sufficiently high T. TCA becomes negligible at T=350 °C; however at T=400 °C, as ε increases TCA gets higher. Microscopy of the deformed samples, carried out by using electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), suggests that at T>250 °C dynamic recrystallization begins between accompanied by reduction in the twinned fraction that contributes to the decrease of the TCA

  3. Compression ignition of low-octane gasoline: Life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hao, Han; Liu, Feiqi; Liu, Zongwei; Zhao, Fuquan

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A process-based, well-to-wheel conceptualized life cycle assessment model is established. • The impacts of using low-octane gasoline on compression ignition engines are examined. • Life cycle energy consumption and GHG emissions reductions are 24.6% and 21.6%. • Significant technical and market barriers are still to be overcome. - Abstract: The use of low-octane gasoline on Gasoline Compression Ignition (GCI) engines is considered as a competitive alternative to the conventional vehicle propulsion technologies. In this study, a process-based, well-to-wheel conceptualized life cycle assessment model is established to estimate the life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the conventional gasoline-Spark Ignition (SI) and low-octane gasoline-GCI pathways. It is found that compared with the conventional pathway, the low-octane gasoline-GCI pathway leads to a 24.6% reduction in energy consumption and a 22.8% reduction in GHG emissions. The removal of the isomerization and catalytic reforming units in the refinery and the higher energy efficiency in the vehicle use phase are the substantial drivers behind the reductions. The results indicate that by promoting the use of low-octane gasoline coupled with the deployment of GCI vehicles, considerable reductions of energy consumption and GHG emissions in the transport sector can be achieved. However, significant technical and market barriers are still to be overcome. The inherent problems of NO_x and PM exhaust emissions associated with GCI engines need to be further addressed with advanced combustion techniques. Besides, the yield of low-octane gasoline needs to be improved through adjusting the refinery configurations.

  4. A model-based insight into the coupling of nitrogen and sulfur cycles in a coastal upwelling system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Muchamad, Al Azhar; Canfield, Donald Eugene; Fennel, Katja

    2014-01-01

    is masked, however, by rapid sulfide oxidation, most likely through nitrate reduction. Thus, the cryptic sulfur cycle links with the nitrogen cycle in OMZ settings. Here, we model the physical-chemical water column structure and the observed process rates as driven by formation and sinking of organic...... heterotrophic nitrate reduction and sulfate reduction are responsible for 47% and 36%, respectively, of organic remineralization in a 150 m deep zone below mixed layer. Anammox contributes to 61% of the fixed nitrogen lost to N2 gas, while the rest of the loss is through canonical denitrification...... as a combination of organic matter oxidation by nitrite reduction and sulfide-driven denitrification. Mineralization coupled to heterotrophic nitrate reduction supplies ~48% of the ammonium required by anammox. Due to active sulfate reduction, model results suggest that sulfide-driven denitrification contributes...

  5. Oxidation-reduction induced roughening of platinum (111) surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    You, H.; Nagy, Z.

    1993-06-01

    Platinum (111) single crystal surface was roughened by repeated cycles of oxidation and reduction to study dynamic evolution of surface roughening. The interface roughens progressively upon repeated cycles. The measured width of the interface was fit to an assumed pow law, W ∼t β , with β = 0.38(1). The results are compared with a simulation based on a random growth model. The fraction of the singly stepped surface apparently saturates to 0. 25 monolayer, which explains the apparent saturation to a steady roughness observed in previous studies

  6. KOH concentration effect on the cycle life of nickel-hydrogen cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, H. S.; Verzwyvelt, S. A.

    1985-01-01

    Effects of KOH concentration on the cycle life of a sintered-type nickel electrode were studied in a boiler plate nickel-hydrogen cell at 23 C using an accelerated 45-min cycle regime at 80 percent depth of discharge. The cycle life improved greatly as the KOH concentration decreased, although the initial capacity of the cell decreased slightly. The cycle life improved by a factor of two or more when the KOH concentration was reduced from 36 to 31 percent and by a similar factor from reductions of 31 to 26 percent. For many applications, this life improvement may outweigh the initial capacity decrease.

  7. Prediction of solar activity from solar background magnetic field variations in cycles 21-23

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shepherd, Simon J.; Zharkov, Sergei I.; Zharkova, Valentina V.

    2014-01-01

    A comprehensive spectral analysis of both the solar background magnetic field (SBMF) in cycles 21-23 and the sunspot magnetic field in cycle 23 reported in our recent paper showed the presence of two principal components (PCs) of SBMF having opposite polarity, e.g., originating in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. Over a duration of one solar cycle, both waves are found to travel with an increasing phase shift toward the northern hemisphere in odd cycles 21 and 23 and to the southern hemisphere in even cycle 22. These waves were linked to solar dynamo waves assumed to form in different layers of the solar interior. In this paper, for the first time, the PCs of SBMF in cycles 21-23 are analyzed with the symbolic regression technique using Hamiltonian principles, allowing us to uncover the underlying mathematical laws governing these complex waves in the SBMF presented by PCs and to extrapolate these PCs to cycles 24-26. The PCs predicted for cycle 24 very closely fit (with an accuracy better than 98%) the PCs derived from the SBMF observations in this cycle. This approach also predicts a strong reduction of the SBMF in cycles 25 and 26 and, thus, a reduction of the resulting solar activity. This decrease is accompanied by an increasing phase shift between the two predicted PCs (magnetic waves) in cycle 25 leading to their full separation into the opposite hemispheres in cycle 26. The variations of the modulus summary of the two PCs in SBMF reveals a remarkable resemblance to the average number of sunspots in cycles 21-24 and to predictions of reduced sunspot numbers compared to cycle 24: 80% in cycle 25 and 40% in cycle 26.

  8. Emissions from cycling of thermal power plants in electricity systems with high penetration of wind power: Life cycle assessment for Ireland

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Turconi, Roberto; O'Dwyer, C.; Flynn, D.

    2014-01-01

    demand. The environmental impacts related to potential future energy systems in Ireland for 2025 with high shares of wind power were evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing on cycling emissions (due to part-load operation and start-ups) from dispatchable generators. Part-load operations...... significantly affect the average power plant efficiency, with all units seeing an average yearly efficiency noticeably less than optimal. In particular, load following units, on average, saw an 11% reduction. Given that production technologies are typically modeled assuming steady-state operation at full load...

  9. Development of a Fatigue Model for Low Alloy Steels Using a Cycle-Dependent Cohesive Zone Law

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyungmok Kim

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available A fatigue model for SAE 4130 steels is developed using a cycle-dependent cohesive zone law. Reduction of fracture energy and degradation of stiffness are considered to describe failure resistance after certain number of cycles. The reduction rate of fracture energy is determined with experimental stress (S- number of cycles to failure (N scatter found in the literature. Three-dimensional finite element models containing a cohesive zone are generated with commercial software (ABAQUS. Calculated fatigue lives at different stress ratios are in good agreement with experimental ones. In addition, fatigue behavior of hardened SAE 4130 steels is predicted with that of normalized material.

  10. Potential for greenhouse gas emission reductions using surplus electricity in hydrogen, methane and methanol production via electrolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uusitalo, Ville; Väisänen, Sanni; Inkeri, Eero; Soukka, Risto

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Greenhouse gas emission reductions using power-to-x processes are studied using life cycle assessment. • Surplus electricity use led to greenhouse gas emission reductions in all studied cases. • Highest reductions can be achieved by using hydrogen to replace fossil based hydrogen. • High reductions are also achieved when fossil transportation fuels are replaced. - Abstract: Using a life cycle perspective, potentials for greenhouse gas emission reductions using various power-to-x processes via electrolysis have been compared. Because of increasing renewable electricity production, occasionally surplus renewable electricity is produced, which leads to situations where the price of electricity approach zero. This surplus electricity can be used in hydrogen, methane and methanol production via electrolysis and other additional processes. Life cycle assessments have been utilized to compare these options in terms of greenhouse gas emission reductions. All of the power-to-x options studied lead to greenhouse gas emission reductions as compared to conventional production processes based on fossil fuels. The highest greenhouse gas emission reductions can be gained when hydrogen from steam reforming is replaced by hydrogen from the power-to-x process. High greenhouse gas emission reductions can also be achieved when power-to-x products are utilized as an energy source for transportation, replacing fossil transportation fuels. A third option with high greenhouse gas emission reduction potential is methane production, storing and electricity conversion in gas engines during peak consumption hours. It is concluded that the power-to-x processes provide a good potential solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors.

  11. Superelastic load cycling of Gum Metal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vorontsov, V.A.; Jones, N.G.; Rahman, K.M.; Dye, D.

    2015-01-01

    The superelastic beta titanium alloy, Gum Metal, has been found to accumulate plastic strain during tensile load cycling in the superelastic regime. This is evident from the positive drift of the macroscopic stress vs. strain hysteresis curve parallel to the strain axis and the change in its geometry subsequent to every load–unload cycle. In addition, there is a progressive reduction in the hysteresis loop width and in the stress at which the superelastic transition occurs. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction has shown that the lattice strain exhibited the same behaviour as that observed in macroscopic measurements and identified further evidence of plastic strain accumulation. The mechanisms responsible for the observed behaviour have been evaluated using transmission electron microscopy, which revealed a range of different defects that formed during load cycling. The formation of these defects is consistent with the classical mathematical theory for the bcc to orthorhombic martensitic transformation. It is the accumulation of these defects over time that alters its superelastic behaviour

  12. Bioelectrocatalytic dechlorination of trichloroacetic acid at gel-immobilized hemoglobin on multiwalled carbon nanotubes modified graphite electrode: Kinetic modeling and reaction pathways

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Qi; Yu, Jianming; Xu, Yinghua; Wang, Jiade; Ying, Le; Song, Xinxin; Zhou, Gendi; Chen, Jianmeng

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► The electrons transfer from enzyme in the electrode to COCs was the key step. ► The average current efficiency was influenced by pH and temperature of the systems. ► The most favourable degradation conditions for TCA were found to be pH 3 and 310 K. ► The activation energy of 26.2 kJ mol −1 was also calculated by the Arrhenius equation. ► Bioelectrocatalytic mechanism of TCA was verified by kinetic expressions. -- Abstract: In bioelectrochemically reductive dechlorination of chlorinated organic compounds (COCs), the electrons transfer from enzyme in the electrode to COCs was the key step, which determined the average current efficiency (CE) and was influenced by the pH and temperature of the systems. In this work, the effect of temperature (288–318 K) and pH (2–11) of the electrolyte on decholrination of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) was investigated in the sodium alginate/hemoglobin-multiwalled carbon nanotubes-graphite composite electrode (Hb/SA–MWCNT–GE). The results showed that the most favourable degradation conditions for TCA by Hb/SA–MWCNT–GE were found to be pH 3 and 310 K. By varying the pH of the systems, it was found that a proton accompanied with an electron transfer between the electrode and heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) of Hb during the reaction. Additionally, the activation energy of 26.2 kJ mol −1 was also calculated by the Arrhenius equation for the reaction. The total mass balance of the reactant and the products was in the range of 97–105% during the bioelectrochemically reductive reaction. The CE only decreased from 87% to 83% when the Hb/SA–MWCNT–GE was used 5 times. Based on the intermediates detected, a pathway was proposed for TCA degradation in which it underwent dechlorination process. The main degradation mechanism described by a parallel reaction rather than by a sequential reaction for dechlorination of TCA in Hb/SA–MWCNT–GE system was proposed. These data provided relevant information about the

  13. [Influence of Dissimilatory Iron Reduction on the Speciation and Bioavailability of Heavy Metals in Soil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Si, You-bin; Wang, Juan

    2015-09-01

    Fe(III) dissimilatory reduction by microbes is an important process of producing energy in the oxidation of organic compounds under anaerobic condition with Fe(III) as the terminal electron acceptor and Fe(II) as the reduction product. This process is of great significance in element biogeochemical cycle. Iron respiration has been described as one of the most ancient forms of microbial metabolism on the earth, which is bound up with material cycle in water, soil and sediments. Dissimilatory iron reduction plays important roles in heavy metal form transformation and the remediation of heavy metal and radionuclide contaminated soils. In this paper, we summarized the research progress of iron reduction in the natural environment, and discussed the influence and the mechanism of dissimilatory iron reduction on the speciation and bioavailability of heavy metals in soil. The effects of dissimilatory iron reduction on the speciation of heavy metals may be attributed to oxidation and reduction, methytation and immobilization of heavy metals in relation to their bioavailability in soils. The mechanisms of Fe(III) dissimilatory reduction on heavy metal form transformation contain biological and chemical interactions, but the mode of interaction remains to be further investigated.

  14. Structural, transport, magnetic, magnetocaloric properties and critical analysis of Ni-Co-Mn-Ga Heusler alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arumugam, S.; Devarajan, U.; Esakki Muthu, S.; Singh, Sanjay; Thiyagarajan, R.; Raja, M. Manivel; Rama Rao, N. V.; Banerjee, Alok

    2017-11-01

    In this work, we have investigated structural, transport, magnetic, magnetocaloric (MC) properties and critical exponents analysis of the (Ni2.1-xCox)Mn0.9 Ga (x = 0, 0.04, 0.12 and 0.2) Heusler alloys. For all compositions, cubic austenite (A) phase with metallic character is observed at room temperature (RT). With increasing of Co content, magnitude of resistivity decreases, whereas residual resistivity (ρ0) and electron scattering factor (A) increases linearly. Magnetic measurements exhibit that ferromagnetic (FM) Curie temperature (TCA) increases towards RT by increasing Co concentration. All samples show conventional MC and maximum magnetic entropy change (ΔSMpeak) of -2.8 Jkg-1 K-1 is observed for x = 0.12 at 147 K under 5 T. Further, hysteresis is observed between cooling and warming cycles around FM-PM (TCA) transition in x = 0, 0.04 samples, which suggests that first order nature of transition. However, there is no hysteresis across TCA for x = 0.12 and 0.2 samples suggesting second-order nature of the transition. The critical exponents are calculated for x = 0.12 sample around TCA using Arrott plot and Kouvel-Fisher method, the estimated critical exponents are found closer to the mean-field model reveals the long range ferromagnetic ordering in this composition.

  15. Calculation of cell production from [3H]Thymidine incorporation with freshwater bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smits, J.D.; Riemann, B.

    1988-01-01

    The conversion factor for the calculation of bacterial production from rates of [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation was examined with diluted batch cultures of freshwater bacteria. Natural bacterial assemblages were grown in aged, normal, and enriched media at 10 to 20 degree C. The generation time during 101 growth cycles covered a range from 4 to >200 h. The average conversion factor was 2.15 x 10 18 cells mol -1 of thymidine incorporated into the trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitate, when the generation time exceeded 20 h. At generation times of 18 cells mol -1 of thymidine incorporated into TCA precipitate. The amount of radioactivity in purified DNA increased with decreasing generation time and increasing conversion factor (calculated from the TCA precipitate), corresponding to a decrease in the percentage in protein. The conversion factors calculated from purified DNA or from the TCA precipitate gave the same variability. Conversion factors did not change significantly with the medium, but were significantly higher at 20 degree C that at 15 and 10 degree C. Results suggests that incorporation of [ 3 H]thymidine into DNA is probably limited by uptake during period with generation times of 18 cells mol -1 of thymidine incorporated is used

  16. Redox regulation of the Calvin-Benson cycle: something old, something new

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laure eMichelet

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Reversible redox post-translational modifications such as oxido-reduction of disulfide bonds, S-nitrosylation and S-glutathionylation, play a prominent role in the regulation of cell metabolism and signaling in all organisms. These modifications are mainly controlled by members of the thioredoxin and glutaredoxin families. Early studies in photosynthetic organisms have identified the Calvin-Benson cycle, the photosynthetic pathway responsible for carbon assimilation, as a redox regulated process. Indeed, 4 out of 11 enzymes of the cycle were shown to have a low activity in the dark and to be activated in the light through thioredoxin-dependent reduction of regulatory disulfide bonds. The underlying molecular mechanisms were extensively studied at the biochemical and structural level. Unexpectedly, recent biochemical and proteomic studies have suggested that all enzymes of the cycle and several associated regulatory proteins may undergo redox regulation through multiple redox post-translational modifications including glutathionylation and nitrosylation. The aim of this review is to detail the well-established mechanisms of redox regulation of Calvin-Benson cycle enzymes as well as the most recent reports indicating that this pathway is tightly controlled by multiple interconnected redox post-translational modifications. This redox control is likely allowing fine tuning of the Calvin-Benson cycle required for adaptation to varying environmental conditions, especially during responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.

  17. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Using Double-Stage Rankine Cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasuyuki Ikegami

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC using non-azeotropic mixtures such as ammonia/water as working fluid and the multistage cycle has been investigated in order to improve the thermal efficiency of the cycle because of small ocean temperature differences. The performance and effectiveness of the multistage cycle are barely understood. In addition, previous evaluation methods of heat exchange process cannot clearly indicate the influence of the thermophysical characteristics of the working fluid on the power output. Consequently, this study investigated the influence of reduction of the irreversible losses in the heat exchange process on the system performance in double-stage Rankine cycle using pure working fluid. Single Rankine, double-stage Rankine and Kalina cycles were analyzed to ascertain the system characteristics. The simple evaluation method of the temperature difference between the working fluid and the seawater is applied to this analysis. From the results of the parametric performance analysis it can be considered that double-stage Rankine cycle using pure working fluid can reduce the irreversible losses in the heat exchange process as with the Kalina cycle using an ammonia/water mixture. Considering the maximum power efficiency obtained in the study, double-stage Rankine and Kalina cycles can improve the power output by reducing the irreversible losses in the cycle.

  18. Beam loss reduction by injection painting in the 3-GeV rapid cycling synchrotron of the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Hotchi

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The 3-GeV rapid cycling synchrotron (RCS of the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex was commissioned in October 2007. Via the initial beam tuning and a series of underlying beam studies with low-intensity beams, since December 2009, we have intermittently been performing beam tuning experiments with higher-intensity beams including the injection painting technique. By optimizing the injection painting parameters, we have successfully achieved a 420 kW-equivalent output intensity at a low-level intensity loss of less than 1%. Also the corresponding numerical simulation well reproduced the observed painting parameter dependence on the beam loss, and captured a characteristic behavior of the high-intensity beam in the injection painting process. In this paper, we present the experimental results obtained in the course of the RCS beam power ramp-up, especially on the beam loss reduction achieved by employing the injection painting, together with the numerical simulation results.

  19. Redox Changes During the Cell Cycle in the Embryonic Root Meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Simone, Ambra; Hubbard, Rachel; de la Torre, Natanael Viñegra; Velappan, Yazhini; Wilson, Michael; Considine, Michael J; Soppe, Wim J J; Foyer, Christine H

    2017-12-20

    The aim of this study was to characterize redox changes in the nuclei and cytosol occurring during the mitotic cell cycle in the embryonic roots of germinating Arabidopsis seedlings, and to determine how redox cycling was modified in mutants with a decreased capacity for ascorbate synthesis. Using an in vivo reduction-oxidation (redox) reporter (roGFP2), we show that transient oxidation of the cytosol and the nuclei occurred at G1 in the synchronized dividing cells of the Arabidopsis root apical meristem, with reduction at G2 and mitosis. This redox cycle was absent from low ascorbate mutants in which nuclei were significantly more oxidized than controls. The cell cycle-dependent increase in nuclear size was impaired in the ascorbate-deficient mutants, which had fewer cells per unit area in the root proliferation zone. The transcript profile of the dry seeds and size of the imbibed seeds was strongly influenced by low ascorbate but germination, dormancy release and seed aging characteristics were unaffected. These data demonstrate the presence of a redox cycle within the plant cell cycle and that the redox state of the nuclei is an important factor in cell cycle progression. Controlled oxidation is a key feature of the early stages of the plant cell cycle. However, sustained mild oxidation restricts nuclear functions and impairs progression through the cell cycle leading to fewer cells in the root apical meristem. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 27, 1505-1519.

  20. Fatigue diminishes motoneuronal excitability during cycling exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weavil, Joshua C; Sidhu, Simranjit K; Mangum, Tyler S; Richardson, Russell S; Amann, Markus

    2016-10-01

    Exercise-induced fatigue influences the excitability of the motor pathway during single-joint isometric contractions. This study sought to investigate the influence of fatigue on corticospinal excitability during cycling exercise. Eight men performed fatiguing constant-load (80% W peak ; 241 ± 13 W) cycling to exhaustion during which the percent increase in quadriceps electromyography (ΔEMG; vastus lateralis and rectus femoris) was quantified. During a separate trial, subjects performed two brief (∼45 s) nonfatiguing cycling bouts (244 ± 15 and 331 ± 23W) individually chosen to match the ΔEMG across bouts to that observed during fatiguing cycling. Corticospinal excitability during exercise was quantified by transcranial magnetic, electric transmastoid, and femoral nerve stimulation to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEP), cervicomedullary evoked potentials (CMEP), and M waves in the quadriceps. Peripheral and central fatigue were expressed as pre- to postexercise reductions in quadriceps twitch force (ΔQ tw ) and voluntary quadriceps activation (ΔVA). Whereas nonfatiguing cycling caused no measureable fatigue, fatiguing cycling resulted in significant peripheral (ΔQ tw : 42 ± 6%) and central (ΔVA: 4 ± 1%) fatigue. During nonfatiguing cycling, the area of MEPs and CMEPs, normalized to M waves, similarly increased in the quadriceps (∼40%; P fatiguing cycling. As a consequence, the ratio of MEP to CMEP was unchanged during both trials (P > 0.5). Therefore, although increases in muscle activation promote corticospinal excitability via motoneuronal facilitation during nonfatiguing cycling, this effect is abolished during fatigue. We conclude that the unaltered excitability of the corticospinal pathway from start of intense cycling exercise to exhaustion is, in part, determined by inhibitory influences on spinal motoneurons obscuring the facilitating effects of muscle activation.