Binding of the heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K to the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA2 enhances viral LMP2A expression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henrik Gross

Full Text Available The Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV -encoded EBNA2 protein, which is essential for the in vitro transformation of B-lymphocytes, interferes with cellular processes by binding to proteins via conserved sequence motifs. Its Arginine-Glycine (RG repeat element contains either symmetrically or asymmetrically di-methylated arginine residues (SDMA and ADMA, respectively. EBNA2 binds via its SDMA-modified RG-repeat to the survival motor neurons protein (SMN and via the ADMA-RG-repeat to the NP9 protein of the human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K (HML-2 Type 1. The hypothesis of this work was that the methylated RG-repeat mimics an epitope shared with cellular proteins that is used for interaction with target structures. With monoclonal antibodies against the modified RG-repeat, we indeed identified cellular homologues that apparently have the same surface structure as methylated EBNA2. With the SDMA-specific antibodies, we precipitated the Sm protein D3 (SmD3 which, like EBNA2, binds via its SDMA-modified RG-repeat to SMN. With the ADMA-specific antibodies, we precipitated the heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K. Specific binding of the ADMA- antibody to hnRNP K was demonstrated using E. coli expressed/ADMA-methylated hnRNP K. In addition, we show that EBNA2 and hnRNP K form a complex in EBV- infected B-cells. Finally, hnRNP K, when co-expressed with EBNA2, strongly enhances viral latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A expression by an unknown mechanism as we did not detect a direct association of hnRNP K with DNA-bound EBNA2 in gel shift experiments. Our data support the notion that the methylated surface of EBNA2 mimics the surface structure of cellular proteins to interfere with or co-opt their functional properties.

High-affinity interaction of hnRNP A1 with conserved RNA structural elements is required for translation and replication of enterovirus 71.

Science.gov (United States)

Levengood, Jeffrey D; Tolbert, Michele; Li, Mei-Ling; Tolbert, Blanton S

2013-07-01

Human Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is an emerging pathogen of infectious disease and a serious threat to public health. Currently, there are no antivirals or vaccines to slow down or prevent EV71 infections, thus underscoring the urgency to better understand mechanisms of host-enterovirus interactions. EV71 uses a type I internal ribosome entry site (IRES) to recruit the 40S ribosomal subunit via a pathway that requires the cytoplasmic localization of hnRNP A1, which acts as an IRES trans-activating factor. The mechanism of how hnRNP A1 trans activates EV71 RNA translation is unknown, however. Here, we report that the UP1 domain of hnRNP A1 interacts specifically with stem loop II (SLII) of the IRES, via a thermodynamically well-defined biphasic transition that involves conserved bulge 5'-AYAGY-3' and hairpin 5'-RY(U/A)CCA-3' loops. Calorimetric titrations of wild-type and mutant SLII constructs reveal these structural elements are essential to form a high-affinity UP1-SLII complex. Mutations that alter the bulge and hairpin primary or secondary structures abrogate the biphasic transition and destabilize the complex. Notably, mutations within the bulge that destabilize the complex correlate with a large reduction in IRES-dependent translational activity and impair EV71 replication. Taken together, this study shows that a conserved SLII structure is necessary to form a functional hnRNP A1-IRES complex, suggesting that small molecules that target this stem loop may have novel antiviral properties.

Molecular population dynamics of DNA structures in a bcl-2 promoter sequence is regulated by small molecules and the transcription factor hnRNP LL.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Yunxi; Koirala, Deepak; Kang, HyunJin; Dhakal, Soma; Yangyuoru, Philip; Hurley, Laurence H; Mao, Hanbin

2014-05-01

Minute difference in free energy change of unfolding among structures in an oligonucleotide sequence can lead to a complex population equilibrium, which is rather challenging for ensemble techniques to decipher. Herein, we introduce a new method, molecular population dynamics (MPD), to describe the intricate equilibrium among non-B deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) structures. Using mechanical unfolding in laser tweezers, we identified six DNA species in a cytosine (C)-rich bcl-2 promoter sequence. Population patterns of these species with and without a small molecule (IMC-76 or IMC-48) or the transcription factor hnRNP LL are compared to reveal the MPD of different species. With a pattern recognition algorithm, we found that IMC-48 and hnRNP LL share 80% similarity in stabilizing i-motifs with 60 s incubation. In contrast, IMC-76 demonstrates an opposite behavior, preferring flexible DNA hairpins. With 120-180 s incubation, IMC-48 and hnRNP LL destabilize i-motifs, which has been previously proposed to activate bcl-2 transcriptions. These results provide strong support, from the population equilibrium perspective, that small molecules and hnRNP LL can modulate bcl-2 transcription through interaction with i-motifs. The excellent agreement with biochemical results firmly validates the MPD analyses, which, we expect, can be widely applicable to investigate complex equilibrium of biomacromolecules. © 2014 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press [on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research].

Identification of human hnRNP C1/C2 as a dengue virus NS1-interacting protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noisakran, Sansanee; Sengsai, Suchada; Thongboonkerd, Visith; Kanlaya, Rattiyaporn; Sinchaikul, Supachok; Chen, Shui-Tein; Puttikhunt, Chunya

2008-01-01

Dengue virus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a key glycoprotein involved in the production of infectious virus and the pathogenesis of dengue diseases. Very little is known how NS1 interacts with host cellular proteins and functions in dengue virus-infected cells. This study aimed at identifying NS1-interacting host cellular proteins in dengue virus-infected cells by employing co-immunoprecipitation, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry. Using lysates of dengue virus-infected human embryonic kidney cells (HEK 293T), immunoprecipitation with an anti-NS1 monoclonal antibody revealed eight isoforms of dengue virus NS1 and a 40-kDa protein, which was subsequently identified by quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS/MS) as human heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) C1/C2. Further investigation by co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization confirmed the association of hnRNP C1/C2 and dengue virus NS1 proteins in dengue virus-infected cells. Their interaction may have implications in virus replication and/or cellular responses favorable to survival of the virus in host cells

The hnRNP 2H9 gene, which is involved in the splicing reaction, is a multiply spliced gene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Honoré, B

2000-01-01

The hnRNP 2H9 gene products are involved in the splicing process and participate in early heat shock-induced splicing arrest. By combining low/high stringency hybridisation, database search, Northern and Western blotting it is shown that the gene is alternatively spliced into at least six...

Control of HIV-1 env RNA splicing and transport: investigating the role of hnRNP A1 in exon splicing silencer (ESS3a) function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asai, Kengo; Platt, Craig; Cochrane, Alan

2003-01-01

The control of HIV-1 viral RNA splicing and transport plays an important role in the successful replication of the virus. Previous studies have identified both an exon splicing enhancer (ESE) and a bipartite exon splicing silencer (ESS3a and ESS3b) within the terminal exon of HIV-1 that are involved in modulating both splicing and Rev-mediated export of viral RNA. To define the mechanism of ESS3a function, experiments were carried out to better define the cis and trans components required for ESS3a activity. Mutations throughout the 30-nt element resulted in partial loss of ESS function. Combining mutations was found to have an additive effect, suggesting the presence of multiple binding sites. Analysis of interacting factors identified hnRNP A1 as one component of the complex that modulates ESS3a activity. However, subsequent binding analyses determined that hnRNP A1 interacts with only one portion of ESS3a, suggesting the involvement of another host factor. Parallel analysis of the effect of the mutations on Rev-mediated export determined that there is not a direct correlation between the effect of the mutations on splicing and RNA transport. Consistent with this hypothesis, replacement of ESS3a with consensus hnRNP A1 binding sites was found to be insufficient to block Rev-mediated RNA export

Uncoupling of the hnRNP Npl3p from mRNAs during the stress-induced block in mRNA export.

Science.gov (United States)

Krebber, H; Taura, T; Lee, M S; Silver, P A

1999-08-01

Npl3p, the major mRNA-binding protein of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. A single amino acid change in the carboxyl terminus of Npl3p (E409 --> K) renders the mutant protein largely cytoplasmic because of a delay in its import into the nucleus. This import defect can be reversed by increasing the intracellular concentration of Mtr10p, the nuclear import receptor for Npl3p. Conversely, using this mutant, we show that Npl3p and mRNA export out of the nucleus is significantly slowed in cells bearing mutations in XPO1/CRM1, which encodes the export receptor for NES-containing proteins and in RAT7, which encodes an essential nucleoporin. Interestingly, following induction of stress by heat shock, high salt, or ethanol, conditions under which most mRNA export is blocked, Npl3p is still exported from the nucleus. The stress-induced export of Npl3p is independent of both the activity of Xpo1p and the continued selective export of heat-shock mRNAs that occurs following stress. UV-cross-linking experiments show that Npl3p is bound to mRNA under normal conditions, but is no longer RNA associated in stressed cells. Taken together, we suggest that the uncoupling of Npl3p and possibly other mRNA-binding proteins from mRNAs in the nucleus provides a general switch that regulates mRNA export. By this model, under normal conditions Npl3p is a major component of an export-competent RNP complex. However, under conditions of stress, Npl3p no longer associates with the export complex, rendering it export incompetent and thus nuclear.

Protein Kinase C-{delta} mediates down-regulation of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K protein: involvement in apoptosis induction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Feng-Hou [NO.3 People' s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM), Shanghai 201900 (China); The Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM), Shanghai 200025 (China); Wu, Ying-Li [The Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM), Shanghai 200025 (China); Zhao, Meng [Institute of Health Science, SJTU-SM/Shanghai Institutes for Biological Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai (China); Liu, Chuan-Xu; Wang, Li-Shun [The Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM), Shanghai 200025 (China); Chen, Guo-Qiang, E-mail: chengq@shsmu.edu.cn [The Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM), Shanghai 200025 (China); Institute of Health Science, SJTU-SM/Shanghai Institutes for Biological Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai (China)

2009-11-15

We reported previously that NSC606985, a camptothecin analogue, induces apoptosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells through proteolytic activation of protein kinase C delta ({Delta}PKC-{delta}). By subcellular proteome analysis, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K) was identified as being significantly down-regulated in NSC606985-treated leukemic NB4 cells. HnRNP K, a docking protein for DNA, RNA, and transcriptional or translational molecules, is implicated in a host of processes involving the regulation of gene expression. However, the molecular mechanisms of hnRNP K reduction and its roles during apoptosis are still not understood. In the present study, we found that, following the appearance of the {Delta}PKC-{delta}, hnRNP K protein was significantly down-regulated in NSC606985, doxorubicin, arsenic trioxide and ultraviolet-induced apoptosis. We further provided evidence that {Delta}PKC-{delta} mediated the down-regulation of hnRNP K protein during apoptosis: PKC-{delta} inhibitor could rescue the reduction of hnRNP K; hnRNP K failed to be decreased in PKC-{delta}-deficient apoptotic KG1a cells; conditional induction of {Delta}PKC-{delta} in U937T cells directly down-regulated hnRNP K protein. Moreover, the proteasome inhibitor also inhibited the down-regulation of hnRNP K protein by apoptosis inducer and the conditional expression of {Delta}PKC-{delta}. More intriguingly, the suppression of hnRNP K with siRNA transfection significantly induced apoptosis. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that proteolytically activated PKC-{delta} down-regulates hnRNP K protein in a proteasome-dependent manner, which plays an important role in apoptosis induction.

Long noncoding RNA NEAT1 promotes cell proliferation and invasion by regulating hnRNP A2 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mang YY

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Yuanyi Mang, Li Li, Jianghua Ran, Shengning Zhang, Jing Liu, Laibang Li, Yiming Chen, Jian Liu, Yang Gao, Gang Ren Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, The Calmette Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, The First Hospital of Kunming, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Growing evidence demonstrates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs are involved in the progression of various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. The role of nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1, an essential lncRNA for the formation of nuclear body paraspeckles, has not been fully explored in HCC. We aimed to determine the expression, roles and functional mechanisms of NEAT1 in the proliferation and invasion of HCC. Based on real-time polymerase chain reaction data, we suggest that NEAT1 is upregulated in HCC tissues compared with noncancerous liver tissues. The knockdown of NEAT1 altered global gene expression patterns and reduced HCC cell proliferation, invasion and migration. RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assays confirmed that U2AF65 binds to NEAT1. Furthermore, the study indicated that NEAT1 regulated hnRNP A2 expression and that this regulation may be associated with the NEAT1–U2AF65 protein complex. Thus, the NEAT1-hnRNP A2 regulation mechanism promotes HCC pathogenesis and may provide a potential target for the prognosis and treatment of HCC. Keywords: long noncoding RNA, NEAT1, RNA-binding protein, HCC

VHL genetic alteration in CCRCC does not determine de-regulation of HIF, CAIX, hnRNP A2/B1 and osteopontin.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Nyhan, Michelle J

2012-01-31

BACKGROUND: von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumour suppressor gene inactivation is associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) development. The VHL protein (pVHL) has been proposed to regulate the expression of several proteins including Hypoxia Inducible Factor-alpha (HIF-alpha), carbonic anhydrase (CA)IX, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A2\\/B1 and osteopontin. pVHL has been characterized in vitro, however, clinical studies are limited. We evaluated the impact of VHL genetic alterations on the expression of several pVHL protein targets in paired normal and tumor tissue. METHODS: The VHL gene was sequenced in 23 CCRCC patients and VHL transcript levels were evaluated by real-time RT-PCR. Expression of pVHL\\'s protein targets were determined by Western blotting in 17 paired patient samples. RESULTS: VHL genetic alterations were identified in 43.5% (10\\/23) of CCRCCs. HIF-1alpha, HIF-2alpha and CAIX were up-regulated in 88.2% (15\\/17), 100% (17\\/17) and 88.2% (15\\/17) of tumors respectively and their expression is independent of VHL status. hnRNP A2\\/B1 and osteopontin expression was variable in CCRCCs and had no association with VHL genetic status. CONCLUSION: As expression of these proposed pVHL targets can be achieved independently of VHL mutation (and possibly by hypoxia alone), these data suggests that other pVHL targets may be more crucial in renal carcinogenesis.

Effective stress coefficient for uniaxial strain condition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alam, M.M.; Fabricius, I.L.

2012-01-01

one dimensional rock mechanical deformation. We further investigated the effect of boundary condition on the stress dependency of effective stress coefficient and discussed its application in reservoir study. As stress field in the reservoirs are most unlikely to be hydrostatic, effective stress...... determined under uniaxial strain condition will be more relevant in reservoir studies. Copyright 2012 ARMA, American Rock Mechanics Association....

Overexpression of an Arabidopsis heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein gene, AtRNP1, affects plant growth and reduces plant tolerance to drought and salt stresses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhenyu; Zhao, Xiuyang; Wang, Bing; Liu, Erlong; Chen, Ni; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Heng

2016-01-01

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) participate in diverse regulations of plant growth and environmental stress responses. In this work, an Arabidopsis hnRNP of unknown function, AtRNP1, was investigated. We found that AtRNP1 gene is highly expressed in rosette and cauline leaves, and slightly induced under drought, salt, osmotic and ABA stresses. AtRNP1 protein is localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm. We performed homologous overexpression of AtRNP1 and found that the transgenic plants showed shortened root length and plant height, and accelerated flowering. In addition, the transgenic plants also showed reduced tolerance to drought, salt, osmotic and ABA stresses. Further studies revealed that under both normal and stress conditions, the proline contents in the transgenic plants are markedly decreased, associated with reduced expression levels of a proline synthase gene and several stress-responsive genes. These results suggested that the overexpression of AtRNP1 negatively affects plant growth and abiotic stress tolerance. - Highlights: • AtRNP1 is a widely expressed gene and its expression is slightly induced under abiotic stresses. • AtRNP1 protein is localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm. • Overexpression of AtRNP1 affects plant growth. • Overexpression of AtRNP1 reduces plant tolerance to drought and salt stresses. • AtRNP1 overexpression plants show decreased proline accumulation and stress-responsive gene expressions.

Overexpression of an Arabidopsis heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein gene, AtRNP1, affects plant growth and reduces plant tolerance to drought and salt stresses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhenyu, E-mail: wzy72609@163.com [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030 (China); Zhao, Xiuyang, E-mail: xiuzh@psb.vib-ugent.be [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030 (China); Wang, Bing, E-mail: wangbing@ibcas.ac.cn [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030 (China); Liu, Erlong, E-mail: liuel14@lzu.edu.cn [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030 (China); Chen, Ni, E-mail: 63710156@qq.com [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030 (China); Zhang, Wei, E-mail: wzhang1216@yahoo.com [Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bio-Energy Crops, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Liu, Heng, E-mail: hengliu@lzu.edu.cn [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030 (China)

2016-04-01

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) participate in diverse regulations of plant growth and environmental stress responses. In this work, an Arabidopsis hnRNP of unknown function, AtRNP1, was investigated. We found that AtRNP1 gene is highly expressed in rosette and cauline leaves, and slightly induced under drought, salt, osmotic and ABA stresses. AtRNP1 protein is localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm. We performed homologous overexpression of AtRNP1 and found that the transgenic plants showed shortened root length and plant height, and accelerated flowering. In addition, the transgenic plants also showed reduced tolerance to drought, salt, osmotic and ABA stresses. Further studies revealed that under both normal and stress conditions, the proline contents in the transgenic plants are markedly decreased, associated with reduced expression levels of a proline synthase gene and several stress-responsive genes. These results suggested that the overexpression of AtRNP1 negatively affects plant growth and abiotic stress tolerance. - Highlights: • AtRNP1 is a widely expressed gene and its expression is slightly induced under abiotic stresses. • AtRNP1 protein is localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm. • Overexpression of AtRNP1 affects plant growth. • Overexpression of AtRNP1 reduces plant tolerance to drought and salt stresses. • AtRNP1 overexpression plants show decreased proline accumulation and stress-responsive gene expressions.

Aggregation of ALS-linked FUS mutant sequesters RNA binding proteins and impairs RNA granules formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takanashi, Keisuke; Yamaguchi, Atsushi, E-mail: atsyama@restaff.chiba-u.jp

2014-09-26

Highlights: • Aggregation of ALS-linked FUS mutant sequesters ALS-associated RNA-binding proteins (FUS wt, hnRNP A1, and hnRNP A2). • Aggregation of ALS-linked FUS mutant sequesters SMN1 in the detergent-insoluble fraction. • Aggregation of ALS-linked FUS mutant reduced the number of speckles in the nucleus. • Overproduced ALS-linked FUS mutant reduced the number of processing-bodies (PBs). - Abstract: Protein aggregate/inclusion is one of hallmarks for neurodegenerative disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). FUS/TLS, one of causative genes for familial ALS, encodes a multifunctional DNA/RNA binding protein predominantly localized in the nucleus. C-terminal mutations in FUS/TLS cause the retention and the inclusion of FUS/TLS mutants in the cytoplasm. In the present study, we examined the effects of ALS-linked FUS mutants on ALS-associated RNA binding proteins and RNA granules. FUS C-terminal mutants were diffusely mislocalized in the cytoplasm as small granules in transiently transfected SH-SY5Y cells, whereas large aggregates were spontaneously formed in ∼10% of those cells. hnRNP A1, hnRNP A2, and SMN1 as well as FUS wild type were assembled into stress granules under stress conditions, and these were also recruited to FUS mutant-derived spontaneous aggregates in the cytoplasm. These aggregates stalled poly(A) mRNAs and sequestered SMN1 in the detergent insoluble fraction, which also reduced the number of nuclear oligo(dT)-positive foci (speckles) in FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) assay. In addition, the number of P-bodies was decreased in cells harboring cytoplasmic granules of FUS P525L. These findings raise the possibility that ALS-linked C-terminal FUS mutants could sequester a variety of RNA binding proteins and mRNAs in the cytoplasmic aggregates, which could disrupt various aspects of RNA equilibrium and biogenesis.

Effective Stress Law in Unconventional Reservoirs under Different Boundary Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Saurabh, S.; Harpalani, S.

2017-12-01

Unconventional reservoirs have attracted a great deal of research interest worldwide during the past two decades. Low permeability and specialized techniques required to exploit these resources present opportunities for improvement in both production rates and ultimate recovery. Understanding subsurface stress modifications and permeability evolution are valuable when evaluating the prospects of unconventional reservoirs. These reservoir properties are functions of effective stress. As a part of this study, effective stress law, specifically the variation of anisotropic Biot's coefficient under various boundary conditions believed to exist in gas reservoirs by different researchers, has been established. Pressure-dependent-permeability (PdK) experiments were carried out on San Juan coal under different boundary conditions, that is, uniaxial strain condition and constant volume condition. Stress and strain in the vertical and horizontal directions were monitored throughout the experiment. Data collected during the experiments was used to determine the Biot's coefficient in vertical and horizontal directions under these two boundary conditions, treating coal as transversely isotropic. The variation of Biot's coefficient was found to be well correlated with the variation in coal permeability. Based on the estimated values of Biot's coefficients, a theory of variation in its value is presented for other boundary conditions. The findings of the study shed light on the inherent behavior of Biot's coefficient under different reservoir boundary conditions. This knowledge can improve the modeling work requiring estimation of effective stress in reservoirs, such as, pressure-/stress- dependent permeability. At the same time, if the effective stresses are known with more certainty by other methods, it enables assessment of the unknown reservoir boundary conditions.

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H Homolog Glorund Uses Two Distinct RNA-Binding Modes to Diversify Target Recognition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamayo, Joel V.; Teramoto, Takamasa; Chatterjee, Seema; Hall, Traci M. Tanaka; Gavis, Elizabeth R. (Princeton); (NIH)

2017-04-01

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H homolog, Glorund (Glo), regulates nanos mRNA translation by interacting with a structured UA-rich motif in the nanos 3' untranslated region. Glo regulates additional RNAs, however, and mammalian homologs bind G-tract sequences to regulate alternative splicing, suggesting that Glo also recognizes G-tract RNA. To gain insight into how Glo recognizes both structured UA-rich and G-tract RNAs, we used mutational analysis guided by crystal structures of Glo’s RNA-binding domains and identified two discrete RNA-binding surfaces that allow Glo to recognize both RNA motifs. By engineering Glo variants that favor a single RNA-binding mode, we show that a subset of Glo’s functions in vivo is mediated solely by the G-tract binding mode, whereas regulation of nanos requires both recognition modes. Our findings suggest a molecular mechanism for the evolution of dual RNA motif recognition in Glo that may be applied to understanding the functional diversity of other RNA-binding proteins.

Emotional memory consolidation under lower versus higher stress conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inna eKogan

2010-12-01

Full Text Available An exposure to stress can enhance memory for emotionally arousing experiences. The phenomenon is suggested to be amygdala-dependent and in accordance with that view the amygdala was found to modulate mnemonic processes in other brain regions. Previously, we illustrated increased amygdala activation and reduced activation of CA1 following spatial learning under high versus low emotionality conditions. When spatial learning was followed by reversal training interference, impaired retention was detected only under high emotionality conditions. Here we further evaluate the potential implications of the difference in the level of amygdala activation on the quality of the memory formed under these stress conditions. We attempted to affect spatial memory consolidation under low or high stress conditions by either introducing a foot shock interference following massed training in the water maze; by manipulating the threshold for acquisition employing either brief (3 trials or full (12 trials training sessions; or by employing a spaced training (over three days rather than massed training protocol. The current findings reveal that under heightened emotionality, the process of consolidation seems to become less effective and more vulnerable to interference; however, when memory consolidation is not interrupted, retention is improved. These differential effects might underlie the complex interactions of stress, and, particularly, of traumatic stress with memory formation processes.

Enhancement of wind stress evaluation method under storm conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yingjian; Yu, Xiping

2016-12-01

Wind stress is an important driving force for many meteorological and oceanographical processes. However, most of the existing methods for evaluation of the wind stress, including various bulk formulas in terms of the wind speed at a given height and formulas relating the roughness height of the sea surface with wind conditions, predict an ever-increasing tendency of the wind stress coefficient as the wind speed increases, which is inconsistent with the field observations under storm conditions. The wave boundary layer model, which is based on the momentum and energy conservation, has the advantage to take into account the physical details of the air-sea interaction process, but is still invalid under storm conditions without a modification. By including the energy dissipation due to the presence of sea spray, which is speculated to be an important aspect of the air-sea interaction under storm conditions, the wave boundary layer model is improved in this study. The improved model is employed to estimate the wind stress caused by an idealized tropical cyclone motion. The computational results show that the wind stress coefficient reaches its maximal value at a wind speed of about 40 m/s and decreases as the wind speed further increases. This is in fairly good agreement with the field data.

Flux Balance Analysis of Escherichia coli under Temperature and pH Stress Conditions

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xiaopeng

2015-05-12

An interesting discovery in biology is that most genes in an organism are dispensable. That means these genes have minor effects on survival of the organism in standard laboratory conditions. One explanation of this discovery is that some genes play important roles in specific conditions and are essential genes under those conditions. E. coli is a model organism, which is widely used. It can adapt to many stress conditions, including temperature, pH, osmotic, antibiotic, etc. Underlying mechanisms and associated genes of each stress condition responses are usually different. In our analysis, we combined protein abundance data and mutant conditional fitness data into E. coli constraint-based metabolic models to study conditionally essential metabolic genes under temperature and pH stress conditions. Flux Balance Analysis was employed as the modeling method to analysis these data. We discovered lists of metabolic genes, which are E. coli dispensable genes, but conditionally essential under some stress conditions. Among these conditionally essential genes, atpA in low pH stress and nhaA in high pH stress found experimental evidences from previous studies. Our study provides new conditionally essential gene candidates for biologists to explore stress condition mechanisms.

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H Homolog Glorund Uses Two Distinct RNA-Binding Modes to Diversify Target Recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamayo, Joel V; Teramoto, Takamasa; Chatterjee, Seema; Hall, Traci M Tanaka; Gavis, Elizabeth R

2017-04-04

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H homolog, Glorund (Glo), regulates nanos mRNA translation by interacting with a structured UA-rich motif in the nanos 3' untranslated region. Glo regulates additional RNAs, however, and mammalian homologs bind G-tract sequences to regulate alternative splicing, suggesting that Glo also recognizes G-tract RNA. To gain insight into how Glo recognizes both structured UA-rich and G-tract RNAs, we used mutational analysis guided by crystal structures of Glo's RNA-binding domains and identified two discrete RNA-binding surfaces that allow Glo to recognize both RNA motifs. By engineering Glo variants that favor a single RNA-binding mode, we show that a subset of Glo's functions in vivo is mediated solely by the G-tract binding mode, whereas regulation of nanos requires both recognition modes. Our findings suggest a molecular mechanism for the evolution of dual RNA motif recognition in Glo that may be applied to understanding the functional diversity of other RNA-binding proteins. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Drosophila hnRNP F/H Homolog Glorund Uses Two Distinct RNA-Binding Modes to Diversify Target Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joel V. Tamayo

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The Drosophila hnRNP F/H homolog, Glorund (Glo, regulates nanos mRNA translation by interacting with a structured UA-rich motif in the nanos 3′ untranslated region. Glo regulates additional RNAs, however, and mammalian homologs bind G-tract sequences to regulate alternative splicing, suggesting that Glo also recognizes G-tract RNA. To gain insight into how Glo recognizes both structured UA-rich and G-tract RNAs, we used mutational analysis guided by crystal structures of Glo’s RNA-binding domains and identified two discrete RNA-binding surfaces that allow Glo to recognize both RNA motifs. By engineering Glo variants that favor a single RNA-binding mode, we show that a subset of Glo’s functions in vivo is mediated solely by the G-tract binding mode, whereas regulation of nanos requires both recognition modes. Our findings suggest a molecular mechanism for the evolution of dual RNA motif recognition in Glo that may be applied to understanding the functional diversity of other RNA-binding proteins.

Psychosocial working conditions and stress in UK social workers

OpenAIRE

Ravalier, J.M

2018-01-01

It is well documented that exposure to chronic negative working conditions leads to stress. This subsequently impacts sickness absence and attrition, making it a key consideration for policymakers and academics alike. This study therefore seeks to investigate the influence of psychosocial working conditions on stress and related outcomes: sickness presenteeism, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions in UK social workers (SWs). A cross-sectional survey was used, in addition to a single open...

Molecular insights into the specific recognition between the RNA binding domain qRRM2 of hnRNP F and G-tract RNA: A molecular dynamics study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lingyun; Yan, Feng

2017-12-09

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F (hnRNP F) controls the expression of various genes through regulating the alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs in the nucleus. It uses three quasi-RNA recognition motifs (qRRMs) to recognize G-tract RNA which contains at least three consecutive guanines. The structures containing qRRMs of hnRNP F in complex with G-tract RNA have been determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, shedding light on the recognition mechanism of qRRMs with G-tract RNA. However, knowledge of the recognition details is still lacking. To investigate how qRRMs specifically bind with G-tract RNA and how the mutations of any guanine to an adenine in the G-tract affect the binding, molecular dynamics simulations with binding free energy analysis were performed based on the NMR structure of qRRM2 in complex with G-tract RNA. Simulation results demonstrate that qRRM2 binds strongly with G-tract RNA, but any mutation of the G-tract leads to a drastic reduction of the binding free energy. Further comparisons of the energetic components reveal that van der Waals and non-polar interactions play essential roles in the binding between qRRM2 and G-tract RNA, but the interactions are weakened by the effect of RNA mutations. Structural and dynamical analyses indicate that when qRRM2 binds with G-tract RNA, both qRRM2 and G-tract maintain stabilized structures and dynamics; however, the stability is disrupted by the mutations of the G-tract. These results provide novel insights into the recognition mechanism of qRRM2 with G-tract RNA that are not elucidated by the NMR technique. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Amelioration of Heat-Stress Conditions of Egyptian Summer Season on Friesian Calves Using Air Condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nessim, M.Z.; Kamal, T.H.; Khalil, W.K.B.

2010-01-01

Male Friesian calves were used to evaluate cool air condition (AC) in alleviating heat stress (HS) determined by Heat Shock Protein genes expression (HSP), hormonal, biochemical and physiological parameters. The animals were exposed to summer heat stress (HS) under shade for two weeks (control). The maximum temperature humidity index (THI) during summer HS was from 81 to 88. Afterward the animals were exposed to AC, inside a climatic chamber for 6 hours daily for two weeks, where, the THI was from 70 to 71. The results revealed that expression level of the Hsp genes (Hsp72, Hsp70.1, Hsp70 and Hsp47) was lower under air condition treatment than under summer heat stress. Rectal temperature and respiration rate were significantly lower (p< 0.01) under air condition treatment than those under heat stress. Total triiodothyronin (T3) level was significantly higher (P< 0.05) in AC cooling treatments than in HS, while cortisol level was significantly lower (P < 0.01) in AC cooling treatment than in HS calves. Creatinine and Urea -N levels were significantly lower (P < 0.01) in AC cooling treatment than in HS calves. Triglycerides, ALT and AST levels were significantly lower (p<0.01), (P< 0.01) and (p<0.05), respectively in AC cooling treatment than in HS calves. These results demonstrated that there is a relationship between the molecular weight of HSPs and the level of HSPs gene exprisson. The higher the molecular weight (HSP 72) the lower is the HSPs gene expression level (0.82 in HS and 0.39 in AC) and vise versa. This holds true in both heat stress and air condition. AC treatment is capable to ameliorate heat stress of Friesian calves under hot summer climate

Poor working conditions and work stress among Canadian sex workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Duff, P; Sou, J; Chapman, J; Dobrer, S; Braschel, M; Goldenberg, S; Shannon, K

2017-10-01

While sex work is often considered the world's oldest profession, there remains a dearth of research on work stress among sex workers (SWs) in occupational health epidemiological literature. A better understanding of the drivers of work stress among SWs is needed to inform sex work policy, workplace models and standards. To examine the factors that influence work stress among SWs in Metro Vancouver. Analyses drew from a longitudinal cohort of SWs, known as An Evaluation of Sex Workers' Health Access (AESHA) (2010-14). A modified standardized 'work stress' scale, multivariable linear regression with generalized estimating equations was used to longitudinally examine the factors associated with work stress. In multivariable analysis, poor working conditions were associated with increased work stress and included workplace physical/sexual violence (β = 0.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06, 0.29), displacement due to police (β = 0.26; 95% CI 0.14, 0.38), working in public spaces (β = 0.73; 95% CI 0.61, 0.84). Older (β = -0.02; 95% CI -0.03, -0.01) and Indigenous SWs experienced lower work stress (β = -0.25; 95% CI -0.43, -0.08), whereas non-injection (β = 0.32; 95% CI 0.14, 0.49) and injection drug users (β = 0.17; 95% CI 0.03, 0.31) had higher work stress. Vancouver-based SWs' work stress was largely shaped by poor work conditions, such as violence, policing, lack of safe workspaces. There is a need to move away from criminalized approaches which shape unsafe work conditions and increase work stress for SWs. Policies that promote SWs' access to the same occupational health, safety and human rights standards as workers in other labour sectors are also needed. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Tremor frequency characteristics in Parkinson's disease under resting-state and stress-state conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hong Ji; Lee, Woong Woo; Kim, Sang Kyong; Park, Hyeyoung; Jeon, Hyo Seon; Kim, Han Byul; Jeon, Beom S; Park, Kwang Suk

2016-03-15

Tremor characteristics-amplitude and frequency components-are primary quantitative clinical factors for diagnosis and monitoring of tremors. Few studies have investigated how different patient's conditions affect tremor frequency characteristics in Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we analyzed tremor characteristics under resting-state and stress-state conditions. Tremor was recorded using an accelerometer on the finger, under resting-state and stress-state (calculation task) conditions, during rest tremor and postural tremor. The changes of peak power, peak frequency, mean frequency, and distribution of power spectral density (PSD) of tremor were evaluated across conditions. Patients whose tremors were considered more than "mild" were selected, for both rest (n=67) and postural (n=25) tremor. Stress resulted in both greater peak powers and higher peak frequencies for rest tremor (pstate condition. The distributions of PSD of tremor were symmetrical, regardless of conditions. Tremor is more evident and typical tremor characteristics, namely a lower frequency as amplitude increases, are different in stressful condition. Patient's conditions directly affect neural oscillations related to tremor frequencies. Therefore, tremor characteristics in PD should be systematically standardized across patient's conditions such as attention and stress levels. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Occupational stress, working condition and nutritional status of military police officers.

Science.gov (United States)

Santana, Angela Maria C; Gomes, Josiane Keila V; De Marchi, Dione; Girondoli, Yassana M; Rosado, Lina E F P de Lima; Rosado, Gilberto Paixão; de Andrade, Isabel Maria

2012-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress, working conditions and the nutritional status of 53 military police officers in a Southeast city of Brazil. In order to evaluate the symptomatology and the stress phase, the Inventory of Stress Symptoms Lipp for Adults - ISSL was utilized. The assessment of the working conditions was performed by means of socio-demographic questionnaire, direct observation and interviews. The nutritional and health conditions were assessed through anthropometric measures, biochemical tests, blood pressure measurements and cardiovascular disease risk calculator. The sample is of the male gender (92.5%) and aging below 40 years old (73.6%). From these, 35.8% showed stress and 68.4% were in the resistance phase, with 31.6% almost burned out. Through the calculation of Chi-square we could find positive association between the BMI and tiredness (P = 0.0188), between the BMI and irritation (P = 0.0005) and the BMI and the appearance of nervous system problems or emotional problems (P = 0.0304), indicating that these statuses or problems could be related to work. We can conclude then, the stress is present among military police officers. No case of critical stress was found, and the stress phases identified are still susceptible to intervention.

Global Transcriptional Responses to Osmotic, Oxidative, and Imipenem Stress Conditions in Pseudomonas putida.

Science.gov (United States)

Bojanovič, Klara; D'Arrigo, Isotta; Long, Katherine S

2017-04-01

Bacteria cope with and adapt to stress by modulating gene expression in response to specific environmental cues. In this study, the transcriptional response of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 to osmotic, oxidative, and imipenem stress conditions at two time points was investigated via identification of differentially expressed mRNAs and small RNAs (sRNAs). A total of 440 sRNA transcripts were detected, of which 10% correspond to previously annotated sRNAs, 40% to novel intergenic transcripts, and 50% to novel transcripts antisense to annotated genes. Each stress elicits a unique response as far as the extent and dynamics of the transcriptional changes. Nearly 200 protein-encoding genes exhibited significant changes in all stress types, implicating their participation in a general stress response. Almost half of the sRNA transcripts were differentially expressed under at least one condition, suggesting possible functional roles in the cellular response to stress conditions. The data show a larger fraction of differentially expressed sRNAs than of mRNAs with >5-fold expression changes. The work provides detailed insights into the mechanisms through which P. putida responds to different stress conditions and increases understanding of bacterial adaptation in natural and industrial settings. IMPORTANCE This study maps the complete transcriptional response of P. putida KT2440 to osmotic, oxidative, and imipenem stress conditions at short and long exposure times. Over 400 sRNA transcripts, consisting of both intergenic and antisense transcripts, were detected, increasing the number of identified sRNA transcripts in the strain by a factor of 10. Unique responses to each type of stress are documented, including both the extent and dynamics of the gene expression changes. The work adds rich detail to previous knowledge of stress response mechanisms due to the depth of the RNA sequencing data. Almost half of the sRNAs exhibit significant expression changes under at least one

Effect of abiotic stress under light and dark conditions on carotenoid ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this study was to observe the effect of abiotic stress under light and dark conditions on pumpkin calluses carotenoid. Plant elicitors used to create abiotic stress in this study were Polyethylene Glycol 4000 for drought stress, Jasmonic Acid and Salicylic Acid for hormones stress and Murashige and Skoog Salt for ...

Strength conditions for the elastic structures with a stress error

Science.gov (United States)

Matveev, A. D.

2017-10-01

As is known, the constraints (strength conditions) for the safety factor of elastic structures and design details of a particular class, e.g. aviation structures are established, i.e. the safety factor values of such structures should be within the given range. It should be noted that the constraints are set for the safety factors corresponding to analytical (exact) solutions of elasticity problems represented for the structures. Developing the analytical solutions for most structures, especially irregular shape ones, is associated with great difficulties. Approximate approaches to solve the elasticity problems, e.g. the technical theories of deformation of homogeneous and composite plates, beams and shells, are widely used for a great number of structures. Technical theories based on the hypotheses give rise to approximate (technical) solutions with an irreducible error, with the exact value being difficult to be determined. In static calculations of the structural strength with a specified small range for the safety factors application of technical (by the Theory of Strength of Materials) solutions is difficult. However, there are some numerical methods for developing the approximate solutions of elasticity problems with arbitrarily small errors. In present paper, the adjusted reference (specified) strength conditions for the structural safety factor corresponding to approximate solution of the elasticity problem have been proposed. The stress error estimation is taken into account using the proposed strength conditions. It has been shown that, to fulfill the specified strength conditions for the safety factor of the given structure corresponding to an exact solution, the adjusted strength conditions for the structural safety factor corresponding to an approximate solution are required. The stress error estimation which is the basis for developing the adjusted strength conditions has been determined for the specified strength conditions. The adjusted strength

Life Balance and Stress in Adults With Medical Conditions or Obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Matuska, Kathleen; Bass, Julie

2016-04-01

This cross-sectional research examined differences in life balance and perceived stress by body mass index (BMI) levels and self-reported medical conditions that limited physical activity. The sample consisted of 2,338 participants between the ages of 18 and 49 years who took the Life Balance Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, and provided demographic information including height and weight. Findings showed that individuals who were obese (BMI > 30.0) reported significantly lower life balance scores and higher stress scores than participants without obesity (p life balance and more stress than individuals without medical conditions (p < .001). These findings highlight the importance of addressing activity participation as a means to promote health and wellness. © The Author(s) 2016.

Compositions and methods for providing plants with tolerance to abiotic stress conditions

KAUST Repository

Hirt, Heribert

2017-07-27

It has been discovered that the desert endophytic bacterium SA187 SA187 can provide resistance or tolerance to abiotic stress conditions to seeds or plants. Compositions containing SA187 can be used to enhance plant development and yield under environmental stress conditions.

A Non-parametric Method for Calculating Conditional Stressed Value at Risk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kohei Marumo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We consider the Value at Risk (VaR of a portfolio under stressed conditions. In practice, the stressed VaR (sVaR is commonly calculated using the data set that includes the stressed period. It tells us how much the risk amount increases if we use the stressed data set. In this paper, we consider the VaR under stress scenarios. Technically, this can be done by deriving the distribution of profit or loss conditioned on the value of risk factors. We use two methods; the one that uses the linear model and the one that uses the Hermite expansion discussed by Marumo and Wolff (2013, 2016. Numerical examples shows that the method using the Hermite expansion is capable of capturing the non-linear effects such as correlation collapse and volatility clustering, which are often observed in the markets.

System for stress corrosion conditions tests on PWR reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, Andre Cesar de Jesus

2007-01-01

The study of environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) involves the consideration and evaluation of the inherent compatibility between a material and the environment under conditions of either applied or residual stress. EAC is a critical problem because equipment, components and structure are subject to the influence of mechanical stress, water environment of different composition, temperature and different material history. Testing for resistance to EAC is one of the most effective ways to determine the interrelationships among this variables on the process of EAC. Up to now, several experimental techniques have been developed worldwide, which address different aspects of environmental caused damage. Constant loading of CT specimens test is a typical example of test, which is used for the estimation of parameters of stress corrosion cracking. To assess the initiation stages and kinetics of crack growth, the testing facility should allow active loading of specimens in the environment that is close to the actual operation conditions of assessed component. This paper presents a testing facility for stress corrosion cracking to be installed at CDTN, which was designed and developed at CDTN. The facility is used to carry out constant load tests under simulated PWR environment, where temperature, water pressure and chemistry are controlled, which are considered the most important factors in SCC. Also, the equipment operational conditions, its applications, and restrictions are presented. The system was developed to operate at temperature until 380 degree C and pressure until 180 bar. It consists in a autoclave stuck at a mechanical system, responsible of producing load , a water treatment station, and a data acquisition system. This testing facility allows the evaluation of cracking progress, especially at PWR reactor. (author) operational conditions. (author)

The behavior of Kevlar fibers under environmental-stress conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Mark Charles

There are a myriad of mechanisms by which polymers can degrade and fail. It is therefore important to understand the physical mechanics, chemistry, their interactions, and kinetics. This pursuit becomes more than just "academic" because these mechanisms might just change with service conditions (i.e. environment and loading). If one does not understand these processes from the molecular to macroscopic scale it would be exceedingly difficult to gain information from accelerated testing because the mechanisms just might change from one condition to another. The purpose of this study was to probe these processes on scales ranging from molecular to macroscopic in environmental stress conditions. This study reports the results of environmental-stress degradation of Kevlar 49 fibers. The environmental agent of focus was the ubiquitous air pollutant complex NOsb{x}. Other materials and environments were investigated to a lesser extent for purposes of comparison. Mechanical property (i.e., short-term strength, modulus, and creep lifetime) degradation was examined using single fiber, yarn, and epoxy coated yarn (composite) specimens under environmental-stress conditions. Optical and scanning electron microscopes were employed to examine and compare the appearance of fracture features resulting from the various testing conditions. Atomic force microscopy augmented these studies with detailed topographical mappings and measures of the fracture surface frictional and modulus properties. Molecular processes (i.e., chain scission and other mechanical-chemical reactions) were probed by measures of changes in viscosity average molecular weight and the infrared spectra. It was demonstrated that environmental-stress degradation effects do occur in the Kevlar-NOsb{x} gas system. Strength decay in environmentally exposed unloaded fibers was demonstrated and a synergistic response in creep reduced fiber lifetimes by three orders of magnitude at moderate loadings. That is to say, the

Physiological basis of barley yield under near optimal and stress conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pržulj Novo

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Average barley yield fall below its potential due to incidence of stresses. Water stress is the main environmental factor limiting yield. The component a priori more sensitive to most stresses is the amount of radiation absorbed. The effect of stresses influence on the total amount of radiation absorbed by barley crop during its vegetation and the photosynthetic efficiency of radiation conversion. Growth inhibition is accompanied by reductions in leaf and cell wall extensibility. Grain yield under drought conditions is source limited. Supply of assimilates to the developing inflorescence plays a critical role in establishing final grain number and grain size. Grain weight is negatively affected by drought, high temperature, and any other factors that may reduce grain filling duration and grain filling rate. Awns and glaucousness confer better performance of barley under drought stress conditions. Barley responds with an increased accumulation of a number of proteins when subjected to different stress inducing cell dehydration. Screening techniques that are able to identify desirable genotypes based on the evaluation of physiological traits related to stress evasion and stress resistance maybe useful in breeding barley for resistance to stress, particularly drought stress. Crop management and breeding can reduce the incidence of stress on yield. The effect of these practices is sustained by an understanding of their physiology. In this paper the physiological basis of the processes determining barley yield and the incidence of stresses on photosynthetic metabolism that determine grain yield of barley is discussed. .

Effect of Water Deficit Stress on Peach Growth under Commercial Orchard Management Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rahmati

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In order to study the sensitivity of vegetative growth to water deficit stress of a late-maturing peach (Prunus persica L. cv. Elberta under orchard conditions, an experiment was conducted as randomized complete-block design with three treatments and four repetitions in Shahdiran commercial orchard in Mashhad during 2011. Three irrigation treatments including 360 (low stress, 180 (moderate stress and 90 (severe stress m3ha-1week-1 using a drip irrigation system (minimum stem water potential near harvest: -1.2, -1.5 and -1.7 MPa, respectively from the mid-pit hardening stage (12th of June until harvest (23rd of Sep. applied. Predawn, stem and leaf water potentials, leaf photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatal conductance and leaf temperature, the number of new shoots on fruit bearing shoots and vegetative shoots lengths during growing season as well as leaf area at harvest were measured. The results showed that water deficit stress had negative effects on peach tree water status, thereby resulting in decreased leaf gas exchange and tree vegetative growth. As significant decreased assimilate production of tree was resulted from both decreased leaf assimilation rate (until about 23 % and 50 %, respectively under moderate and severe stress conditions compared to low stress conditions and decreased leaf area of tree (until about 57% and 79%, respectively under moderate and severe stress conditions compared to low stress conditions at harvest. The significant positive correlation between leaf water potential and vegetative growth of peach revealed that shoot growth would decrease by 30% and 50% of maximum at leaf water potential of –1.56 and –2.30 MPa, respectively.

Mediator phosphorylation prevents stress response transcription during non-stress conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Christian; Matic, Ivan; Maier, Kerstin C; Schwalb, Björn; Roether, Susanne; Strässer, Katja; Tresch, Achim; Mann, Matthias; Cramer, Patrick

2012-12-28

The multiprotein complex Mediator is a coactivator of RNA polymerase (Pol) II transcription that is required for the regulated expression of protein-coding genes. Mediator serves as an end point of signaling pathways and regulates Pol II transcription, but the mechanisms it uses are not well understood. Here, we used mass spectrometry and dynamic transcriptome analysis to investigate a functional role of Mediator phosphorylation in gene expression. Affinity purification and mass spectrometry revealed that Mediator from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is phosphorylated at multiple sites of 17 of its 25 subunits. Mediator phosphorylation levels change upon an external stimulus set by exposure of cells to high salt concentrations. Phosphorylated sites in the Mediator tail subunit Med15 are required for suppression of stress-induced changes in gene expression under non-stress conditions. Thus dynamic and differential Mediator phosphorylation contributes to gene regulation in eukaryotic cells.

Screening for Osmotic Stress Responses in Rice Varieties under Drought Condition

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Simon Swapna

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Drought is the major abiotic stress factor that limits rice production worldwide. To evaluate the osmotic stress responses in rice varieties under drought condition, a total of 42 high-yielding rice varieties were collected from various research stations of Kerala Agricultural University in India. The experimental setup comprises of initial hydroponic treatments at different osmotic potentials, artificially induced by desired strengths of polyethylene glycol (PEG6000, and followed by the pot planted experiments in the rain-out-zone. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, relative water content, cell membrane stability, photosynthetic pigments, proline content, along with plant growth parameters of the varieties under drought condition were evaluated. Moreover, the standard scores of these rice varieties were assessed under stress and recovery conditions based on the scoring scale of the Standard Evaluation System for rice. Among the 42 rice varieties, we identified 2 rice varieties, Swarnaprabha and Kattamodan, with less leaf rolling, better drought recovery ability as well as relative water content, increased membrane stability index, osmolyte accumulation, and antioxidant enzyme activities pointed towards their degree of tolerance to drought stress. The positive adaptive responses of these rice varieties towards drought stress can be used in the genetic improvement of rice drought resistance breeding program.

Emotional Memory Formation Under Lower Versus Higher Stress Conditions

OpenAIRE

Kogan, Inna; Richter-Levin, Gal

2010-01-01

An exposure to stress can enhance memory for emotionally arousing experiences. The phenomenon is suggested to be amygdala-dependent and in accordance with that view the amygdala was found to modulate mnemonic processes in other brain regions. Previously, we illustrated increased amygdala activation and reduced activation of CA1 following spatial learning under higher versus lower stress conditions. When spatial learning was followed by reversal training interference, impaired retention was de...

Global Transcriptional Responses to Osmotic, Oxidative, and Imipenem Stress Conditions in Pseudomonas putida

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bojanovic, Klara; D'Arrigo, Isotta; Long, Katherine

2017-01-01

functional roles in the cellular response to stress conditions. The data show a larger fraction of differentially expressed sRNAs than of mRNAs with >5-fold expression changes. The work provides detailed insights into the mechanisms through which P. putida responds to different stress conditions...... intergenic and antisense transcripts, were detected, increasing the number of identified sRNA transcripts in the strain by a factor of 10. Unique responses to each type of stress are documented, including both the extent and dynamics of the gene expression changes. The work adds rich detail to previous......Bacteria cope with and adapt to stress by modulating gene expression in response to specific environmental cues. In this study, the transcriptional response of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 to osmotic, oxidative, and imipenem stress conditions at two time points was investigated via identification...

Triaxial Wetting Test on Rockfill Materials under Stress Combination Conditions of Spherical Stress p and Deviatoric Stress q

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-yi Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A GCTS medium-sized triaxial apparatus is used to conduct a single-line method wetting test on three kinds of rockfill materials of different mother rocks such as mixture of sandstone and slate, and dolomite and granite, and the test stress conditions is the combination of spherical stress p and deviatoric stress q. The test results show that (1 for wetting shear strain, the effects of spherical stress p and deviatoric stress q are equivalent, and wetting shear strain and deviatoric stress q show the power function relationship preferably. (2 For wetting volumetric strain, the effect of deviatoric stress q can be neglected because it is extremely insignificant, and spherical stress p is the main influencing factor and shows the power function relationship preferably. (3 The wetting strains decrease significantly with the increase in initial water content and sample density generally, but the excessively high dry density will increase the wetting deformation. Also, the wetting strains will decrease with the increase in the saturated uniaxial compressive strength and average softening coefficient of the mother rock. Based on the test results, a wetting strain model is proposed for rockfill materials. The verification results indicate that the model satisfactorily reflects the development law of wetting deformation.

Effects of drought stress condition on the yield of spring wheat ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effects of drought stress condition on the yield of spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) lines. ... Drought stress tolerance is seen in almost all plants but its extent varies from species to species and even within species. ... from 32 Countries:.

Combining ability studies on yield related traits in wheat under normal and water stress conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saeed, A.; Khan, A.S.; Khaliq, I.

2010-01-01

Six diverse wheat cultivars/lines viz; Baviacore, Nesser, 9247, 9252, 9258 and 9267 were crossed in a complete diallel fashion to develop 30 F1 crosses, which were tested along with their parents under normal and water stress conditions. Numerical analysis was made for spike density, number of grains per spike, 100-grain weight, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index. Significant differences among genotypic mean were observed in all of the traits under both conditions. GCA and SCA differences were significant for all the traits under study except spike density and 100-grain weight in both conditions. Wheat variety Nesser showed maximum general combining ability value for spike density under water stress conditions and maximum GCA value for biological yield and grain yield under irrigated condition. The variety Baviacore proved best general combiner for number of grains per spike and harvest index under both conditions while biological yield and grain yield under water stress condition. Variety 9252 found best general combiner for 100-grain weight under both condition. The cross 9252 x Nesser showed maximum specific combining ability value for spike density and biological yield under irrigated while for 100-grain weight under water stress condition. 9258 x 9252 exhibited maximum SCA for number of grains per spike under irrigated while 9258 x Nesser under water stress condition. 9267 x Nesser showed maximum SCA for 100-grain weight under irrigated condition while spike density under water stress condition. 9258 x 9247 was proved best combiner for grain yield and harvest index irrigated while 9267 x 9258 for biological yield, grain yield and harvest index under water stress condition. (author)

Light energy dissipation under water stress conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stuhlfauth, T.; Scheuermann, R.; Fock, H.P.

1990-01-01

Using 14 CO 2 gas exchange and metabolite analyses, stomatal as well as total internal CO 2 uptake and evolution were estimated. Pulse modulated fluorescence was measured during induction and steady state of photosynthesis. Leaf water potential of Digitalis lanata EHRH. plants decreased to -2.5 megapascals after withholding irrigation. By osmotic adjustment, leaves remained turgid and fully exposed to irradiance even at severe water stress. Due to the stress-induced reduction of stomatal conductance, the stomatal CO 2 exchange was drastically reduced, whereas the total CO 2 uptake and evolution were less affected. Stomatal closure induced an increase in the reassimilation of internally evolved CO 2 . This CO 2 -recycling consumes a significant amount of light energy in the form of ATP and reducing equivalents. As a consequence, the metabolic demand for light energy is only reduced by about 40%, whereas net photosynthesis is diminished by about 70% under severe stress conditions. By CO 2 recycling, carbon flux, enzymatic substrate turnover and consumption of light energy were maintained at high levels, which enabled the plant to recover rapidly after rewatering. In stressed D. lanata plants a variable fluorescence quenching mechanism, termed coefficient of actinic light quenching, was observed. Besides water conservation, light energy dissipation is essential and involves regulated metabolic variations

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K upregulates the kinetochore complex component NUF2 and promotes the tumorigenicity of colon cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugimasa, Hironobu; Taniue, Kenzui; Kurimoto, Akiko; Takeda, Yasuko; Kawasaki, Yoshihiro; Akiyama, Tetsu

2015-01-01

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K) is a multi-functional protein involved in transcription, mRNA splicing, mRNA stabilization and translation. Although hnRNP K has been suggested to play a role in the development of many cancers, its molecular function in colorectal cancer has remained elusive. Here we show that hnRNP K plays an important role in the mitotic process in HCT116 colon cancer cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that hnRNP K directly transactivates the NUF2 gene, the product of which is a component of the NDC80 kinetochore complex and which is known to be critical for a stable spindle microtubule-kinetochore attachment. In addition, knockdown of both hnRNP K and NUF2 caused failure in metaphase chromosome alignment and drastic decrease in the growth of colon cancer cells. These results suggest that the hnRNP K-NUF2 axis is important for the mitotic process and proliferation of colon cancer cells and that this axis could be a target for the therapy of colon cancer. - Highlights: • hnRNP K is required for the tumorigenicity of colon cancer cells. • hnRNP K binds to the promoter region of NUF2 and activates its transcription. • NUF2 expression is correlated with hnRNP K expression in colorectal cancer tissue. • hnRNP K and NUF2 are required for metaphase chromosome alignment. • The hnRNP K-NUF2 axis is important for the proliferation of colon cancer cells

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K upregulates the kinetochore complex component NUF2 and promotes the tumorigenicity of colon cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sugimasa, Hironobu; Taniue, Kenzui [Laboratory of Molecular and Genetic Information, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032 (Japan); Kurimoto, Akiko [Laboratory of Molecular and Genetic Information, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032 (Japan); Oncology Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd, 1-2-58, Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 140-8710 (Japan); Takeda, Yasuko; Kawasaki, Yoshihiro [Laboratory of Molecular and Genetic Information, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032 (Japan); Akiyama, Tetsu, E-mail: akiyama@iam.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Laboratory of Molecular and Genetic Information, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032 (Japan)

2015-03-27

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K) is a multi-functional protein involved in transcription, mRNA splicing, mRNA stabilization and translation. Although hnRNP K has been suggested to play a role in the development of many cancers, its molecular function in colorectal cancer has remained elusive. Here we show that hnRNP K plays an important role in the mitotic process in HCT116 colon cancer cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that hnRNP K directly transactivates the NUF2 gene, the product of which is a component of the NDC80 kinetochore complex and which is known to be critical for a stable spindle microtubule-kinetochore attachment. In addition, knockdown of both hnRNP K and NUF2 caused failure in metaphase chromosome alignment and drastic decrease in the growth of colon cancer cells. These results suggest that the hnRNP K-NUF2 axis is important for the mitotic process and proliferation of colon cancer cells and that this axis could be a target for the therapy of colon cancer. - Highlights: • hnRNP K is required for the tumorigenicity of colon cancer cells. • hnRNP K binds to the promoter region of NUF2 and activates its transcription. • NUF2 expression is correlated with hnRNP K expression in colorectal cancer tissue. • hnRNP K and NUF2 are required for metaphase chromosome alignment. • The hnRNP K-NUF2 axis is important for the proliferation of colon cancer cells.

Effects of strain rate, stress condition and environment on iodine embrittlement of Ziracloy-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Une, K.

1979-01-01

Iodine stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of Zircaloy became higher with decreasing strain rate. Critical strain rate, below which high SCC severity was observed, substantially depended on Zircaloy stress condition. This strain rate (7 x 10 -3 min -1 ) under plane strain condition was about 3.5 times as fast as that (2 x 10 -3 min -1 ) under uniaxial condition. The maximum iodine embrittlement in Zircaloy was found in stress ratio α (axial/tangential stress) range of 0.5 to 0.7. No embrittlement occurred at α = infinity because of its texture effect. The SCC fracture stresses were about 39 kg/mm 2 for unirradiated and stress-relieved material, and about 34 kg/mm 2 for recrystallized material, whose ratios to yield strength of each material were 0.8 and 1.2. Impurity gases of oxygen and moisture in the iodine had the effects of reducing Zircaloy SCC susceptibility. Stress-relieved material was more sensitive to environmental impurities than recrystallized material

Fluorescent differential display analysis of Lactobacillus sakei strains under stress conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonomo, Maria Grazia; Sico, Maria Anna; Grieco, Simona; Salzano, Giovanni

2010-07-01

Lactobacillus (Lb.) sakei is widely used as starter in the production process of Italian fermented sausages and its growth and survival are affected by various factors such as temperature, pH and salt concentration. We studied the behaviour of Lb. sakei strains under various growth conditions relative to acid, osmotic and heat stress treatments by a novel fluorescent differential display (FDD) technique. This study obtained the development and the optimization of a technique that allows the identification of genome expression changes, associated with differential microbial behaviour under different stress conditions with a better stress response definition and a better discrimination of starter cultures. DNA sequence information from the FDD products provided an important tool to assess and observe the response to a variety of environmental stimuli and the adaptation to bacterial stress. Our work provided an innovative FDD method, with a high level of reproducibility and quality for studying and probing the knowledge of the relation between differential genome expression and different stresses tolerance. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein B1 protein impairs DNA repair mediated through the inhibition of DNA-dependent protein kinase activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwanaga, Kentaro; Sueoka, Naoko; Sato, Akemi; Hayashi, Shinichiro; Sueoka, Eisaburo

2005-01-01

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein B1, an RNA binding protein, is overexpressed from the early stage of lung cancers; it is evident even in bronchial dysplasia, a premalignant lesion. We evaluated the proteins bound with hnRNP B1 and found that hnRNP B1 interacted with DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) complex, and recombinant hnRNP B1 protein dose-dependently inhibited DNA-PK activity in vitro. To test the effect of hnRNP B1 on DNA repair, we performed comet assay after irradiation, using normal human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells treated with siRNA for hnRNP A2/B1: reduction of hnRNP B1 treated with siRNA for hnRNP A2/B1 induced faster DNA repair in normal HBE cells. Considering these results, we assume that overexpression of hnRNP B1 occurring in the early stage of carcinogenesis inhibits DNA-PK activity, resulting in subsequent accumulation of erroneous rejoining of DNA double-strand breaks, causing tumor progression

Matrix metalloproteinase 12 is induced by heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K and promotes migration and invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, I-Che; Li, Hsin-Pai; Chang, Yu-Sun; Chen, Lih-Chyang; Chung, An-Ko; Chao, Mei; Huang, Hsin-Yi; Hsueh, Chuen; Tsang, Ngan-Ming; Chang, Kai-Ping; Liang, Ying

2014-01-01

Overexpression of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K), a DNA/RNA binding protein, is associated with metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the mechanisms underlying hnRNP K-mediated metastasis is unclear. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) in hnRNP K-mediated metastasis in NPC. We studied hnRNP K-regulated MMPs by analyzing the expression profiles of MMP family genes in NPC tissues and hnRNP K-knockdown NPC cells using Affymetrix microarray analysis and quantitative RT-PCR. The association of hnRNP K and MMP12 expression in 82 clinically proven NPC cases was determined by immunohistochemical analysis. The hnRNP K-mediated MMP12 regulation was determined by zymography and Western blot, as well as by promoter, DNA pull-down and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. The functional role of MMP12 in cell migration and invasion was demonstrated by MMP12-knockdown and the treatment of MMP12-specific inhibitor, PF-356231. MMP12 was overexpressed in NPC tissues, and this high level of expression was significantly correlated with high-level expression of hnRNP K (P = 0.026). The levels of mRNA, protein and enzyme activity of MMP12 were reduced in hnRNP K-knockdown NPC cells. HnRNP K interacting with the region spanning −42 to −33 bp of the transcription start site triggered transcriptional activation of the MMP12 promoter. Furthermore, inhibiting MMP12 by MMP12 knockdown and MMP12-specific inhibitor, PF-356231, significantly reduced the migration and invasion of NPC cells. Overexpression of MMP12 was significantly correlated with hnRNP K in NPC tissues. HnRNP K can induce MMP12 expression and enzyme activity through activating MMP12 promoter, which promotes cell migration and invasion in NPC cells. In vitro experiments suggest that NPC metastasis with high MMP12 expression may be treated with PF-356231. HnRNP K and MMP12 may be potential therapeutic markers for NPC, but

Effects of Swim Stress on Neophobia and Reconditioning Using a Conditioned Taste Aversion Procedure

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Jennifer M.; Ramsey, Ashley K.; Fowler, Stephanie W.; Schachtman, Todd R.

2012-01-01

Previous research has found that swim stress during a classical conditioning trial attenuates conditioned taste aversion (CTA). In the current study, rats were used to examine the effects of inescapable swim stress on the habituation of neophobia to a flavored solution and reacquisition of an extinguished conditioned taste aversion. In Experiment…

UV cross-linking of polypeptides associated with 3'-terminal exons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stolow, D.T.; Berget, S.M.

1990-01-01

Association of nuclear proteins with chimeric vertebrate precursor RNAs containing both polyadenylation signals and an intron was examined by UV cross-linking. One major difference in cross-linking pattern was observed between this chimeric precursor RNA and precursors containing only polyadenylation or splicing signals. The heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) polypeptide C cross-linked strongly to sequences downstream of the A addition site in polyadenylation precursor RNA containing only the polyadenylation signal from the simian virus 40 (SV40) late transcription unit. In contrast, the hnRNP C polypeptide cross-linked to chimeric RNA containing the same SV40 late poly(A) cassette very poorly, at a level less than 5% of that observed with the precursor RNA containing just the poly(A) site. Observation that cross-linking of the hnRNP C polypeptide to elements within the SV40 late poly(A) site was altered by the presence of an upstream intron suggests differences in the way nuclear factors associate with poly(A) sites in the presence and absence of an upstream intron. Cross-linking of C polypeptide to chimeric RNA increased with RNAs mutated for splicing or polyadenylation consensus sequences and under reaction conditions (high magnesium) that inhibited polyadenylation. Furthermore, cross-linking of hnRNP C polypeptide to precursors containing just the SV40 late poly(A) site was eliminated in the presence of competing poly(U); polyadenylation, however, was unaffected. Correlation of loss of activity with high levels of hnRNP C polypeptide cross-linking raises questions about the specificity of the interaction between the hnRNP C polypeptide and polyadenylation precursor RNAs in vitro

Early fasting is long lasting: differences in early nutritional conditions reappear under stressful conditions in adult female zebra finches.

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E Tobias Krause

Full Text Available Conditions experienced during early life can have profound effects on individual development and condition in adulthood. Differences in nutritional provisioning in birds during the first month of life can lead to differences in growth, reproductive success and survival. Yet, under natural conditions shorter periods of nutritional stress will be more prevalent. Individuals may respond differently, depending on the period of development during which nutritional stress was experienced. Such differences may surface specifically when poor environmental conditions challenge individuals again as adults. Here, we investigated long term consequences of differences in nutritional conditions experienced during different periods of early development by female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata on measures of management and acquisition of body reserves. As nestlings or fledglings, subjects were raised under different nutritional conditions, a low or high quality diet. After subjects reached sexual maturity, we measured their sensitivity to periods of food restriction, their exploration and foraging behaviour as well as adult resting metabolic rate (RMR. During a short period of food restriction, subjects from the poor nutritional conditions had a higher body mass loss than those raised under qualitatively superior nutritional conditions. Moreover, subjects that were raised under poor nutritional conditions were faster to engage in exploratory and foraging behaviour. But RMR did not differ among treatments. These results reveal that early nutritional conditions affect adult exploratory behaviour, a representative personality trait, foraging and adult's physiological condition. As early nutritional conditions are reflected in adult phenotypic plasticity specifically when stressful situations reappear, the results suggest that costs for poor developmental conditions are paid when environmental conditions deteriorate.

Expression and localization of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K in mouse ovaries and preimplantation embryos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Ping; Wang, Ningling; Lin, Xianhua; Jin, Li; Xu, Hong; Li, Rong; Huang, Hefeng

2016-01-01

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K), an evolutionarily conserved protein, is involved in several important cellular processes that are relevant to cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and cancer development. However, details of hnRNP K expression during mammalian oogenesis and preimplantation embryo development are lacking. The present study investigates the expression and cellular localization of K protein in the mouse ovaries and preimplantation embryos using immunostaining. We demonstrate, for the first time, that hnRNP K is abundantly expressed in the nuclei of mouse oocytes in primordial, primary and secondary follicles. In germ vesicle (GV)-stage oocytes, hnRNP K accumulates in the germinal vesicle in a spot distribution manner. After germinal vesicle breakdown, speckled hnRNP K is diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm. However, after fertilization, the K protein relocates into the female and male pronucleus and persists in the blastomere nuclei. Localization of K protein in the human ovary and ovarian granulosa cell tumor (GCT) was also investigated. Overall, this study provides important morphological evidence to better understand the possible roles of hnRNP K in mammalian oogenesis and early embryo development. - Highlights: • HnRNP K localizes in the nucleus of GV-stage oocyte in a punctate distribution. • HnRNP K strongly accumulates in zygotic pronuclei as condensed spots. • The localization of hnRNP K during oogenesis and embryogenesis is characteristic. • HnRNP K might have an important role in oogenesis and embryonic development.

Expression and localization of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K in mouse ovaries and preimplantation embryos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Ping [The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Wang, Ningling [Department of Assisted Reproduction, Shanghai Ninth People' s Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Lin, Xianhua; Jin, Li [The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Xu, Hong, E-mail: xuhong1168@126.com [The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Li, Rong [The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Huang, Hefeng, E-mail: huanghefg@hotmail.com [The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China)

2016-02-26

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K), an evolutionarily conserved protein, is involved in several important cellular processes that are relevant to cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and cancer development. However, details of hnRNP K expression during mammalian oogenesis and preimplantation embryo development are lacking. The present study investigates the expression and cellular localization of K protein in the mouse ovaries and preimplantation embryos using immunostaining. We demonstrate, for the first time, that hnRNP K is abundantly expressed in the nuclei of mouse oocytes in primordial, primary and secondary follicles. In germ vesicle (GV)-stage oocytes, hnRNP K accumulates in the germinal vesicle in a spot distribution manner. After germinal vesicle breakdown, speckled hnRNP K is diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm. However, after fertilization, the K protein relocates into the female and male pronucleus and persists in the blastomere nuclei. Localization of K protein in the human ovary and ovarian granulosa cell tumor (GCT) was also investigated. Overall, this study provides important morphological evidence to better understand the possible roles of hnRNP K in mammalian oogenesis and early embryo development. - Highlights: • HnRNP K localizes in the nucleus of GV-stage oocyte in a punctate distribution. • HnRNP K strongly accumulates in zygotic pronuclei as condensed spots. • The localization of hnRNP K during oogenesis and embryogenesis is characteristic. • HnRNP K might have an important role in oogenesis and embryonic development.

Light energy dissipation under water stress conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stuhlfauth, T.; Scheuermann, R.; Fock, H.P. (Universitaet Kaiserslautern (West Germany))

1990-04-01

Using {sup 14}CO{sub 2} gas exchange and metabolite analyses, stomatal as well as total internal CO{sub 2} uptake and evolution were estimated. Pulse modulated fluorescence was measured during induction and steady state of photosynthesis. Leaf water potential of Digitalis lanata EHRH. plants decreased to {minus}2.5 megapascals after withholding irrigation. By osmotic adjustment, leaves remained turgid and fully exposed to irradiance even at severe water stress. Due to the stress-induced reduction of stomatal conductance, the stomatal CO{sub 2} exchange was drastically reduced, whereas the total CO{sub 2} uptake and evolution were less affected. Stomatal closure induced an increase in the reassimilation of internally evolved CO{sub 2}. This CO{sub 2}-recycling consumes a significant amount of light energy in the form of ATP and reducing equivalents. As a consequence, the metabolic demand for light energy is only reduced by about 40%, whereas net photosynthesis is diminished by about 70% under severe stress conditions. By CO{sub 2} recycling, carbon flux, enzymatic substrate turnover and consumption of light energy were maintained at high levels, which enabled the plant to recover rapidly after rewatering. In stressed D. lanata plants a variable fluorescence quenching mechanism, termed coefficient of actinic light quenching, was observed. Besides water conservation, light energy dissipation is essential and involves regulated metabolic variations.

Evaluation of Grain Quality in Bread Wheat Recombinant Inbred Lines Under Drought Stress Conditions

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H. Shahbazi

2014-04-01

Full Text Available To study drought stress effect on grain quality properties of wheat, an experiment was conductedusing 169 recombinant inbreed lines (RILS under water stress and non-stress condition and with two separated lattice designs. Grain yield, protein yield, protein content, volume of Zeleny sediment, grain hardness, water absorption, grain moisture content and grain dry matter were evaluated. Analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences among the lines for all traits. Moreover, comparison between two lines in two environmental conditions showed, the quality in bread wheat under drought stress conditions due to increment of protein yield is improved. Protein yield in both irrigation regimes has a significant and negative correlation with grain moisture and in the other hand, significant and positive correlation with the grain hardiness dry matter, Zeleny sedimentation and water intake in both conditions. The results showed that the identification of favorable quality characteristics in optimum and stressed conditions were possible and the lines with high grain quality can be used in breeding programs for improving of baking quality. Although some drought sensitive genotypes possessed a favorable baking quality but their grain yield was low.

Pseudomonas putida response in membrane bioreactors under salicylic acid-induced stress conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collado, Sergio; Rosas, Irene; González, Elena; Gutierrez-Lavin, Antonio; Diaz, Mario, E-mail: mariodiaz@uniovi.es

2014-02-01

Highlights: • MBR under feed-induced stress conditions: starvation and changing feeding conditions. • High capacity of MBR to withstand high variations in feed loads. • Slow biofilm formation under starvation conditions during the first days. • Observed growth of P. putida for substrate to microorganism ratio higher than 0.6 g/g. • Maximum specific growth rate and growth yield values of around 37.5 h{sup −1} and 0.5 g/g. - Abstract: Starvation and changing feeding conditions are frequently characteristics of wastewater treatment plants. They are typical causes of unsteady-state operation of biological systems and provoke cellular stress. The response of a membrane bioreactor functioning under feed-induced stress conditions is studied here. In order to simplify and considerably amplify the response to stress and to obtain a reference model, a pure culture of Pseudomonas putida was selected instead of an activated sludge and a sole substrate (salicylic acid) was employed. The system degraded salicylic acid at 100–1100 mg/L with a high level of efficiency, showed rapid acclimation without substrate or product inhibition phenomena and good stability in response to unsteady states caused by feed variations. Under starvation conditions, specific degradation rates of around 15 mg/g h were achieved during the adaptation of the biomass to the new conditions and no biofilm formation was observed during the first days of experimentation using an initial substrate to microorganisms ratio lower than 0.1. When substrate was added to the reactor as pulses resulting in rapidly changing concentrations, P. putida growth was observed only for substrate to microorganism ratios higher than 0.6, with a maximum Y{sub X/S} of 0.5 g/g. Biofilm development under changing feeding conditions was fast, biomass detachment only being significant for biomass concentrations on the membrane surface that were higher than 16 g/m{sup 2}.

Pseudomonas putida response in membrane bioreactors under salicylic acid-induced stress conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collado, Sergio; Rosas, Irene; González, Elena; Gutierrez-Lavin, Antonio; Diaz, Mario

2014-01-01

Highlights: • MBR under feed-induced stress conditions: starvation and changing feeding conditions. • High capacity of MBR to withstand high variations in feed loads. • Slow biofilm formation under starvation conditions during the first days. • Observed growth of P. putida for substrate to microorganism ratio higher than 0.6 g/g. • Maximum specific growth rate and growth yield values of around 37.5 h −1 and 0.5 g/g. - Abstract: Starvation and changing feeding conditions are frequently characteristics of wastewater treatment plants. They are typical causes of unsteady-state operation of biological systems and provoke cellular stress. The response of a membrane bioreactor functioning under feed-induced stress conditions is studied here. In order to simplify and considerably amplify the response to stress and to obtain a reference model, a pure culture of Pseudomonas putida was selected instead of an activated sludge and a sole substrate (salicylic acid) was employed. The system degraded salicylic acid at 100–1100 mg/L with a high level of efficiency, showed rapid acclimation without substrate or product inhibition phenomena and good stability in response to unsteady states caused by feed variations. Under starvation conditions, specific degradation rates of around 15 mg/g h were achieved during the adaptation of the biomass to the new conditions and no biofilm formation was observed during the first days of experimentation using an initial substrate to microorganisms ratio lower than 0.1. When substrate was added to the reactor as pulses resulting in rapidly changing concentrations, P. putida growth was observed only for substrate to microorganism ratios higher than 0.6, with a maximum Y X/S of 0.5 g/g. Biofilm development under changing feeding conditions was fast, biomass detachment only being significant for biomass concentrations on the membrane surface that were higher than 16 g/m 2

Effect of experimental stress in 2 different pain conditions affecting the facial muscles.

Science.gov (United States)

Woda, Alain; L'heveder, Gildas; Ouchchane, Lemlih; Bodéré, Céline

2013-05-01

Chronic facial muscle pain is a common feature in both fibromyalgia (FM) and myofascial (MF) pain conditions. In this controlled study, a possible difference in the mode of deregulation of the physiological response to a stressing stimulus was explored by applying an acute mental stress to FM and MF patients and to controls. The effects of the stress test were observed on pain, sympathetic variables, and both tonic and reflex electromyographic activities of masseteric and temporal muscles. The statistical analyses were performed through a generalized linear model including mixed effects. Painful reaction to the stressor was stronger (P < .001) and longer (P = .011) in FM than in MF independently of a higher pain level at baseline. The stress-induced autonomic changes only seen in FM patients did not reach significance. The electromyographic responses to the stress test were strongest for controls and weakest for FM. The stress test had no effect on reflex activity (area under the curve [AUC]) or latency, although AUC was high in FM and latencies were low in both pain groups. It is suggested that FM is characterized by a lower ability to adapt to acute stress than MF. This study showed that an acute psychosocial stress triggered several changes in 2 pain conditions including an increase in pain of larger amplitude in FM than in MF pain. Similar stress-induced changes should be explored as possible mechanisms for differentiation between dysfunctional pain conditions. Copyright © 2013 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between accumulated heat stress during the dry period, body condition score, and reproduction parameters of Holstein cows in tropical conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Avendaño-Reyes, Leonel; Fuquay, John W; Moore, Reuben B; Liu, Zhanglin; Clark, Bruce L; Vierhout, C

2010-02-01

To estimate the relationship between heat stress during the last 60 days prepartum, body condition score and certain reproductive traits in the subsequent lactation of Holstein cows, 564 multiparous cows and 290 primiparous cows from four dairy herds were used in a hot, humid region. Maximum prepartum degree days were estimated to quantify the degree of heat stress. Multiple regressions analyses and logistic regression analysis were performed to determine the effect of prepartum heat stress and body condition change on reproductive parameters, which were obtained from DHIA forms at the end of the lactation. Multiparous and primiparous cows which gained body condition score from calving to 60 d postpartum exhibited 28 and 27 fewer days open (P 0.05) of heat stress measurement on days open or services per conception in either multiparous or primiparous cows. During hotter months of calving, multiparous cows showed higher services per conception and primiparous cows showed higher days open and services per conception (P score. Multiparous cows with high body condition score at calving were 1.47 times more likely to present a very difficult calving than cows that calved in October (P reproductive performance was not affected by cumulative prepartum heat stress although it was associated with very difficult calving score.

Acute immobilization stress following contextual fear conditioning reduces fear memory: timing is essential.

Science.gov (United States)

Uwaya, Akemi; Lee, Hyunjin; Park, Jonghyuk; Lee, Hosung; Muto, Junko; Nakajima, Sanae; Ohta, Shigeo; Mikami, Toshio

2016-02-24

Histone acetylation is regulated in response to stress and plays an important role in learning and memory. Chronic stress is known to deteriorate cognition, whereas acute stress facilitates memory formation. However, whether acute stress facilitates memory formation when it is applied after fear stimulation is not yet known. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of acute stress applied after fear training on memory formation, mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), epigenetic regulation of BDNF expression, and corticosterone level in mice in vivo. Mice were subjected to acute immobilization stress for 30 min at 60 or 90 min after contextual fear conditioning training, and acetylation of histone 3 at lysine 14 (H3K14) and level of corticosterone were measured using western blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. A freezing behavior test was performed 24 h after training, and mRNA expression of BDNF was measured using real-time polymerase chain reactions. Different groups of mice were used for each test. Freezing behavior significantly decreased with the down-regulation of BDNF mRNA expression caused by acute immobilization stress at 60 min after fear conditioning training owing to the reduction of H3K14 acetylation. However, BDNF mRNA expression and H3K14 acetylation were not reduced in animals subjected to immobilization stress at 90 min after the training. Further, the corticosterone level was significantly high in mice subjected to immobilization stress at 60 min after the training. Acute immobilization stress for 30 min at 60 min after fear conditioning training impaired memory formation and reduced BDNF mRNA expression and H3K14 acetylation in the hippocampus of mice owing to the high level of corticosterone.

Monitoring psychosocial stress at work: development of the Psychosocial Working Conditions Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Widerszal-Bazyl, M; Cieślak, R

2000-01-01

Many studies on the impact of psychosocial working conditions on health prove that psychosocial stress at work is an important risk factor endangering workers' health. Thus it should be constantly monitored like other work hazards. The paper presents a newly developed instrument for stress monitoring called the Psychosocial Working Conditions Questionnaire (PWC). Its structure is based on Robert Karasek's model of job stress (Karasek, 1979; Karasek & Theorell, 1990). It consists of 3 main scales Job Demands, Job Control, Social Support and 2 additional scales adapted from the Occupational Stress Questionnaire (Elo, Leppanen, Lindstrom, & Ropponen, 1992), Well-Being and Desired Changes. The study of 8 occupational groups (bank and insurance specialists, middle medical personnel, construction workers, shop assistants, government and self-government administration officers, computer scientists, public transport drivers, teachers, N = 3,669) indicates that PWC has satisfactory psychometrics parameters. Norms for the 8 groups were developed.

Early growth response of six wheat varieties under artificial osmotic stress condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khakwani, A.A.; Dennett, M.D.; Munir, M

2011-01-01

An experiment was carried out under laboratory conditions where seeds of six wheat varieties (Damani, Hashim-8, Gomal-8, DN-73, Zam-04 and Dera-98) were raised in Petri dishes and were either treated with distilled water (control) or 15% polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 solution. Seeds were treated with 15% PEG solution to establish an artificial osmotic stress condition (water stress) and observe its effect on germination percentage, coleoptile length, shoot and root length, fresh weight of shoot and root. A significant difference (P<0.05) was recorded between varietal and treatment means regarding all traits. Variety Hashim-8 gave maximum germination percentage (93.33%) whereas maximum coleoptile (1.78 cm) and shoot length (5.77 cm) was observed in variety DN-73 which was statistically at par with variety Hashim-8. Similarly, root length (3.63 g), fresh shoot (0.15 g) and root weight (0.12 g) was maximum in variety Dera-98 which was statistically at par with variety Hashim-8. A second experiment was carried out under glass house environment where plants were treated with non-stress (100% field capacity) and water stress (35% field capacity) treatments. Although total grain yield was significantly (P<0.05) reduced in all six wheat varieties when grown in water stress condition however Hashim-8 showed the lowest reduction (13%) while Zam-04 showed the highest (32%). The outcome of both experiments indicated that these varieties have great potential to incorporate with the existing commercial wheat varieties in order to obtain high yield in water stress regions. (author)

Cytokinins induce transcriptional reprograming and improve Arabidopsis plant performance under drought and salt stress conditions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natali Shirron

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In nature, annual plants respond to abiotic stresses by activating a specific genetic program leading to early flowering and accelerated senescence. Although, in nature, this phenomenon supports survival under unfavorable environmental conditions, it may have negative agro-economic impacts on crop productivity. Overcoming this genetic programing by cytokinins (CK has recently been shown in transgenic plants that overproduce CK. These transgenic plants displayed a significant increase in plant productivity under drought stress conditions. We investigated the role of CK in reverting the transcriptional program that is activated under abiotic stress conditions and allowing sustainable plant growth. We employed 2 complementary approaches: Ectopic overexpression of CK, and applying exogenous CK to detached Arabidopsis leaves. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants transformed with the isopentyltransferase (IPT gene under the regulation of the senescence associated receptor kinase (SARK promoter displayed a significant drought resistance. A transcriptomic analysis using RNA sequencing was performed to explore the response mechanisms under elevated CK levels during salinity stress. This analysis showed that under such stress, CK triggered transcriptional reprograming that resulted in attenuated stress-dependent inhibition of vegetative growth and delayed premature plant senescence. Our data suggest that elevated CK levels led to stress tolerance by retaining the expression of genes associated with plant growth and metabolism whose expression typically decreases under stress conditions. In conclusion, we hypothesize that CK allows sustainable plant growth under unfavorable environmental conditions by activating gene expression related to growth processes and by preventing the expression of genes related to the activation of premature senescence.

Expression proteomics of UPF1 knockdown in HeLa cells reveals autoregulation of hnRNP A2/B1 mediated by alternative splicing resulting in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay

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Zavolan Mihaela

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In addition to acting as an RNA quality control pathway, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD plays roles in regulating normal gene expression. In particular, the extent to which alternative splicing is coupled to NMD and the roles of NMD in regulating uORF containing transcripts have been a matter of debate. Results In order to achieve a greater understanding of NMD regulated gene expression we used 2D-DiGE proteomics technology to examine the changes in protein expression induced in HeLa cells by UPF1 knockdown. QPCR based validation of the corresponding mRNAs, in response to both UPF1 knockdown and cycloheximide treatment, identified 17 bona fide NMD targets. Most of these were associated with bioinformatically predicted NMD activating features, predominantly upstream open reading frames (uORFs. Strikingly, however, the majority of transcripts up-regulated by UPF1 knockdown were either insensitive to, or even down-regulated by, cycloheximide treatment. Furthermore, the mRNA abundance of several down-regulated proteins failed to change upon UPF1 knockdown, indicating that UPF1's role in regulating mRNA and protein abundance is more complex than previously appreciated. Among the bona fide NMD targets, we identified a highly conserved AS-NMD event within the 3' UTR of the HNRNPA2B1 gene. Overexpression of GFP tagged hnRNP A2 resulted in a decrease in endogenous hnRNP A2 and B1 mRNA with a concurrent increase in the NMD sensitive isoforms. Conclusions Despite the large number of changes in protein expression upon UPF1 knockdown, a relatively small fraction of them can be directly attributed to the action of NMD on the corresponding mRNA. From amongst these we have identified a conserved AS-NMD event within HNRNPA2B1 that appears to mediate autoregulation of HNRNPA2B1 expression levels.

Translocation of 14C-photosynthates under normal and moisture stress conditions in finger millet (Eleusine coracana) gaertin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Udayakumar, M.; Rama Rao, S.; Krishna Sastry, K.S.

1981-01-01

Translocation of photosynthates into different sinks was studied following feeding a single leaf with 14 CO 2 in 40 day old stressed and non-stressed plants of Eleusine coracana. The rate of efflux of 14 C-photosynthates was twice as much in non-stressed plants compared to stressed plants. Young developing leaves, stem apex and stem which are the potential sinks under non-stressed conditions received very little activity under stress conditions. Percent activity in the roots was enhanced under stress suggesting the pattern of translocation was altered under stress conditions. In the plants subjected to moisture stress, after feeding with 14 CO 2 the rate of efflux of 14 C-photosynthates from the fed leaf decreased and the pattern of translocation was altered. Though the effect of stress seems to be directly on the translocation system, the photosynthetic rate appears to be more sensitive to stress than translocation. (author)

Melatonin Modulates Neuronal Cell Death Induced by Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress under Insulin Resistance Condition.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Juhyun; Kim, Oh Yoen

2017-06-10

Insulin resistance (IR) is an important stress factor in the central nervous system, thereby aggravating neuropathogenesis and triggering cognitive decline. Melatonin, which is an antioxidant phytochemical and synthesized by the pineal gland, has multiple functions in cellular responses such as apoptosis and survival against stress. This study investigated whether melatonin modulates the signaling of neuronal cell death induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress under IR condition using SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Apoptosis cell death signaling markers (cleaved Poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase 1 (PARP), p53, and Bax) and ER stress markers (phosphorylated eIF2α (p-eIF2α), ATF4, CHOP, p-IRE1 , and spliced XBP1 (sXBP1)) were measured using reverse transcription-PCR, quantitative PCR, and western blottings. Immunofluorescence staining was also performed for p-ASK1 and p-IRE1 . The mRNA or protein expressions of cell death signaling markers and ER stress markers were increased under IR condition, but significantly attenuated by melatonin treatment. Insulin-induced activation of ASK1 ( p-ASK1 ) was also dose dependently attenuated by melatonin treatment. The regulatory effect of melatonin on neuronal cells under IR condition was associated with ASK1 signaling. In conclusion, the result suggested that melatonin may alleviate ER stress under IR condition, thereby regulating neuronal cell death signaling.

Evaluation of some advanced wheat lines (F7 in normal and drought stress conditions

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R. Nikseresht

2016-05-01

Full Text Available For assessment of drought stress effects on agro characteristics of 30 lines and 6 wheat cultivars and for introducing of drought tolerant and susceptible ones one trial were established using split plot base of randomized complete block design with two replications, main plots were stress and non-stress condition and sub plots contain 30 lines and six wheat cultivars in the check trial, irrigation the farm was done with the normal regime, but in stress trial for germination of seeds and one irrigation in Isfand to the end of rooting the farm was irrigated. Within and end of growth season we measured some agronomic and morphological characters such as yield and its component, height, peduncle length, and etc. Responses of cultivars under stress and non-stress conditions were' different, for example drought stress reduced yield. In spite of this general yield reducing, we found some line, such as 2, 29, 23 had relatively high yield (in tree levels. In order to final evaluate using Factor Analysis, Principal Component, Cluster Analysis .Factor Analysis indicated that four important factors accounted for about 80.245 and 79.624 percent of the total variation among traits in normal and drought stress conditions. With cluster analysis of 36 lines and cultivar using Ward procedure based on Euclidean distance were grouped in 4 distance cluster.

Residual stresses relaxation in surface-hardened half-space under creep conditions

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Vladimir P. Radchenko

2015-09-01

Full Text Available We developed the method for solving the problem of residual stresses relaxation in surface-hardened layer of half-space under creep conditions. At the first stage we made the reconstruction of stress-strain state in half-space after plastic surface hardening procedure based on partial information about distribution for one residual stress tensor component experimentally detected. At the second stage using a numerical method we solve the problem of relaxation of self-balanced residual stresses under creep conditions. To solve this problem we introduce the following Cartesian system: x0y plane is aligned with hardened surface of half-space and 0z axis is directed to the depth of hardened layer. We also introduce the hypotheses of plane sections parallel to x0z and y0z planes. Detailed analysis of the problem has been done. Comparison of the calculated data with the corresponding test data was made for plane specimens (rectangular parallelepipeds made of EP742 alloy during T=650°C after the ultrasonic hardening with four hardening modes. We use half-space to model these specimens because penetration's depth of residual stresses is less than specimen general size in two digit exponent. There is enough correspondence of experimental and calculated data. It is shown that there is a decay (in modulus of pressing residual stresses under creep in 1.4–1.6 times.

Measurement of heat stress conditions at cow level and comparison to climate conditions at stationary locations inside a dairy barn.

Science.gov (United States)

Schüller, Laura K; Heuwieser, Wolfgang

2016-08-01

The objectives of this study were to examine heat stress conditions at cow level and to investigate the relationship to the climate conditions at 5 different stationary locations inside a dairy barn. In addition, we compared the climate conditions at cow level between primiparous and multiparous cows for a period of 1 week after regrouping. The temperature-humidity index (THI) differed significantly between all stationary loggers. The lowest THI was measured at the window logger in the experimental stall and the highest THI was measured at the central logger in the experimental stall. The THI at the mobile cow loggers was 2·33 THI points higher than at the stationary loggers. Furthermore, the mean daily THI was higher at the mobile cow loggers than at the stationary loggers on all experimental days. The THI in the experimental pen was 0·44 THI points lower when the experimental cow group was located inside the milking parlour. The THI measured at the mobile cow loggers was 1·63 THI points higher when the experimental cow group was located inside the milking parlour. However, there was no significant difference for all climate variables between primiparous and multiparous cows. These results indicate, there is a wide range of climate conditions inside a dairy barn and especially areas with a great distance to a fresh air supply have an increased risk for the occurrence of heat stress conditions. Furthermore, the heat stress conditions are even higher at cow level and cows not only influence their climatic environment, but also generate microclimates within different locations inside the barn. Therefore climate conditions should be obtained at cow level to evaluate the heat stress conditions that dairy cows are actually exposed to.

Influence of stress on fear memory processes in an aversive differential conditioning paradigm in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Bentz, Dorothée; Michael, Tanja; Wilhelm, Frank H; Hartmann, Francina R; Kunz, Sabrina; von Rohr, Isabelle R Rudolf; de Quervain, Dominique J-F

2013-07-01

It is widely assumed that learning and memory processes play an important role in the pathogenesis, expression, maintenance and therapy of anxiety disorders, such as phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Memory retrieval is involved in symptom expression and maintenance of these disorders, while memory extinction is believed to be the underlying mechanism of behavioral exposure therapy of anxiety disorders. There is abundant evidence that stress and stress hormones can reduce memory retrieval of emotional information, whereas they enhance memory consolidation of extinction training. In this study we aimed at investigating if stress affects these memory processes in a fear conditioning paradigm in healthy human subjects. On day 1, fear memory was acquired through a standard differential fear conditioning procedure. On day 2 (24h after fear acquisition), participants either underwent a stressful cold pressor test (CPT) or a control condition, 20 min before memory retrieval testing and extinction training. Possible prolonged effects of the stress manipulation were investigated on day 3 (48 h after fear acquisition), when memory retrieval and extinction were tested again. On day 2, men in the stress group showed a robust cortisol response to stress and showed lower unconditioned stimulus (US) expectancy ratings than men in the control group. This reduction in fear memory retrieval was maintained on day 3. In women, who showed a significantly smaller cortisol response to stress than men, no stress effects on fear memory retrieval were observed. No group differences were observed with respect to extinction. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that stress can reduce memory retrieval of conditioned fear in men. Our findings may contribute to the understanding of the effects of stress and glucocorticoids on fear symptoms in anxiety disorders and suggest that such effects may be sex-specific. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hippocampal structural plasticity accompanies the resulting contextual fear memory following stress and fear conditioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Giachero, Marcelo; Calfa, Gaston D; Molina, Victor A

2013-10-15

The present research investigated the resulting contextual fear memory and structural plasticity changes in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) following stress and fear conditioning. This combination enhanced fear retention and increased the number of total and mature dendritic spines in DH. Intra-basolateral amygdala (BLA) infusion of midazolam prior to stress prevented both the enhancement of fear retention and an increase in the density of total and mature dendritic spines in DH. These findings emphasize the role of the stress-induced attenuation of GABAergic neurotransmission in BLA in the promoting influence of stress on fear memory and on synaptic remodeling in DH. In conclusion, the structural remodeling in DH accompanied the facilitated fear memory following a combination of fear conditioning and stressful stimulation.

Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of Oenococcus oeni adaptation to wine stress conditions

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Mar Margalef-Català

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Oenococcus oeni, the main lactic acid bacteria responsible for malolactic fermentation in wine, has to adapt to stressful conditions, such as low pH and high ethanol content. In this study, the changes in the transcriptome and the proteome of O. oeni PSU-1 during the adaptation period before MLF start have been studied. DNA microarrays were used for the transcriptomic analysis and two complementary proteomic techniques, 2-D DIGE and iTRAQ labeling were used to analyze the proteomic response. One of the most influenced functions in PSU-1 due to inoculation into wine-like medium (WLM was translation, showing the over-expression of certain ribosomal genes and the corresponding proteins. Amino acid metabolism and transport was also altered and several peptidases were up regulated both at gene and protein level. Certain proteins involved in glutamine and glutamate metabolism showed an increased abundance revealing the key role of nitrogen uptake under stressful conditions. A strong transcriptional inhibition of carbohydrate metabolism related genes was observed. On the other hand, the transcriptional up-regulation of malate transport and citrate consumption was indicative of the use of L-malate and citrate associated to stress response and as an alternative energy source to sugar metabolism. Regarding the stress mechanisms, our results support the relevance of the thioredoxin and glutathione systems in the adaptation of O. oeni to wine related stress. Genes and proteins related to cell wall showed also significant changes indicating the relevance of the cell envelop as protective barrier to environmental stress. The differences found between transcriptomic and proteomic data suggested the relevance of post-transcriptional mechanisms and the complexity of the stress response in O. oeni adaptation. Further research should deepen into the metabolisms mostly altered due to wine conditions to elucidate the role of each mechanism in the O. oeni ability to

Odors, Deployment Stress, and Health: A Conditioning Analysis of Gulf War Syndrome

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dalton, Pamela

2004-01-01

.... The goal of this research is to investigate the extent to which people can acquire stress reactions as conditioned responses to odors and exhibit health symptoms as a result of such conditioning episodes...

Odors, Deployment Stress, and Health: A Conditioning Analysis of Gulf War Syndrome

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dalton, Pamela

2005-01-01

.... The goal of this research is to investigate the extent to which people can acquire stress reactions as conditioned responses to odors and exhibit health symptoms as a result of such conditioning episodes...

Odors, Deployment Stress and Health: A Conditioning Analysis of Gulf War Syndrome

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dalton, Pamela

2006-01-01

.... The goal of this research is to investigate the extent to which people can acquire stress reactions as conditioned responses to odors and exhibit health symptoms as a result of such conditioning episodes...

Analytical solutions of couple stress fluid flows with slip boundary conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Devakar M.

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In the present article, the exact solutions for fundamental flows namely Couette, Poiseuille and generalized Couette flows of an incompressible couple stress fluid between parallel plates are obtained using slip boundary conditions. The effect of various parameters on velocity for each problem is discussed. It is found that, for each of the problems, the solution in the limiting case as couple stresses approaches to zero is similar to that of classical viscous Newtonian fluid. The results indicate that, the presence of couple stresses decreases the velocity of the fluid.

Resistance of functional Lactobacillus plantarum strains against food stress conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrando, Verónica; Quiberoni, Andrea; Reinhemer, Jorge; Suárez, Viviana

2015-06-01

The survival of three Lactobacillus plantarum strains (Lp 790, Lp 813 and Lp 998) with functional properties was studied taking into account their resistance to thermal, osmotic and oxidative stress factors. Stress treatments applied were: 52 °C-15 min (Phosphate Buffer pH 7, thermal shock), H2O2 0.1% (p/v) - 30 min (oxidative shock) and NaCl aqueous solution at 17, 25 and 30% (p/v) (room temperature - 1 h, osmotic shock). The osmotic stress was also evaluated on cell growth in MRS broth added of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% (p/v) of NaCl, during 20 h at 30 °C. The cell thermal adaptation was performed in MRS broth, selecting 45 °C for 30 min as final conditions for all strains. Two strains (Lp 813 and Lp 998) showed, in general, similar behaviour against the three stress factors, being clearly more resistant than Lp 790. An evident difference in growth kinetics in presence of NaCl was observed between Lp 998 and Lp 813, Lp998 showing a higher optical density (OD570nm) than Lp 813 at the end of the assay. Selected thermal adaptation improved by 2 log orders the thermal resistance of both strains, but cell growth in presence of NaCl was enhanced only in Lp 813. Oxidative resistance was not affected with this thermal pre-treatment. These results demonstrate the relevance of cell technological resistance when selecting presumptive "probiotic" cultures, since different stress factors might considerably affect viability or/and performance of the strains. The incidence of stress conditions on functional properties of the strains used in this work are currently under research in our group. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of some sorghum genotypes under normal and moisture-stress conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abu Assar, A. H.; Salih, M.; Wagner, C.; Friedt, W.; Abdelmula, A. A.; Ordon, F.; Steffens, D.

2008-01-01

This study was undertaken to identify the morphological and physiological attributes related to drought tolerance in sorghum (sorghum bicolor (L) Moench). Eight genotypes were tested in a pot experiment carried out at Giessen, Germany. Drought conditions were imposed by withholding watering of the plants when filed water-holding capacity was at 40% and 70%. The tested genotypes differed significantly in most of the measured traits. Grain yield under drought stress ranged from 28 to 61 g/ plant, and relative yield ranged 30% to 56% with an average of 47%. Based on yield/plant, the genotypes Wad Ahmed (61g). SAR 41 (55 g) and ICSR 91030 (54 g) were the best under drought stress conditions, and based on relative yield, the best genotypes were SAR 41 (56%), Wad Ahmed (55%), and Red Mugud (53%). The mean potassium content was 18 mg/g, with a range of 14 mg/g (Red Mugud) to 22 mg/g (Arfa Gadamak). Significant difference were obtained for protein percentage of the dry matter under conditions of drought stress. The values ranged form 14.1% (Red Mugud) to 16.7% (Tabat) with a mean of 15.3%. Grain yield under drought stress was positively correlated with relative yield (r= 0.89), total biomass (r= 0.56), number of seeds per panicle (r= 0.66) and harvest index (r= 0.81), but negatively correlated with 1000-grain (r= 0.37). (Author)

The influence of acute stress on the regulation of conditioned fear

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Candace M. Raio

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Fear learning and regulation is a prominent model for describing the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders and stress-related psychopathology. Fear expression can be modulated using a number of regulatory strategies, including extinction, cognitive emotion regulation, avoidance strategies and reconsolidation. In this review, we examine research investigating the effects of acute stress and stress hormones on these regulatory techniques. We focus on what is known about the impact of stress on the ability to flexibly regulate fear responses that are acquired through Pavlovian fear conditioning. Our primary aim is to explore the impact of stress on fear regulation in humans. Given this, we focus on techniques where stress has been linked to alterations of fear regulation in humans (extinction and emotion regulation, and briefly discuss other techniques (avoidance and reconsolidation where the impact of stress or stress hormones have been mainly explored in animal models. These investigations reveal that acute stress may impair the persistent inhibition of fear, presumably by altering prefrontal cortex function. Characterizing the effects of stress on fear regulation is critical for understanding the boundaries within which existing regulation strategies are viable in everyday life and can better inform treatment options for those who suffer from anxiety and stress-related psychopathology.

Characterizing drought stress and trait influence on maize yield under current and future conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Matthew T; Tardieu, François; Dong, Zhanshan; Messina, Carlos D; Hammer, Graeme L

2014-03-01

Global climate change is predicted to increase temperatures, alter geographical patterns of rainfall and increase the frequency of extreme climatic events. Such changes are likely to alter the timing and magnitude of drought stresses experienced by crops. This study used new developments in the classification of crop water stress to first characterize the typology and frequency of drought-stress patterns experienced by European maize crops and their associated distributions of grain yield, and second determine the influence of the breeding traits anthesis-silking synchrony, maturity and kernel number on yield in different drought-stress scenarios, under current and future climates. Under historical conditions, a low-stress scenario occurred most frequently (ca. 40%), and three other stress types exposing crops to late-season stresses each occurred in ca. 20% of cases. A key revelation shown was that the four patterns will also be the most dominant stress patterns under 2050 conditions. Future frequencies of low drought stress were reduced by ca. 15%, and those of severe water deficit during grain filling increased from 18% to 25%. Despite this, effects of elevated CO2 on crop growth moderated detrimental effects of climate change on yield. Increasing anthesis-silking synchrony had the greatest effect on yield in low drought-stress seasonal patterns, whereas earlier maturity had the greatest effect in crops exposed to severe early-terminal drought stress. Segregating drought-stress patterns into key groups allowed greater insight into the effects of trait perturbation on crop yield under different weather conditions. We demonstrate that for crops exposed to the same drought-stress pattern, trait perturbation under current climates will have a similar impact on yield as that expected in future, even though the frequencies of severe drought stress will increase in future. These results have important ramifications for breeding of maize and have implications for

Influence of rearing conditions on voluntary ethanol intake and response to stress in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Rockman, G E; Hall, A M; Markert, L E; Glavin, G B

1988-03-01

The effects of exposure to four environmental rearing conditions on subsequent voluntary ethanol intake and response to immobilization stress were examined. Male weanling rats were reared in an enriched environment, with a female partner, with a male partner, or individually, for 90 days. At 111 days of age, voluntary consumption of ethanol in increasing concentrations (3 to 9%, v/v) was assessed. Following the ethanol-exposure period, rats were randomly divided into stressed and nonstressed groups and exposed to 3 h of immobilization. Results indicated that the enriched animals consumed greater amounts of ethanol as compared to all other groups, suggesting that the enriched environment and not handling, housing conditions, or the presence of another male or female is responsible for the observed increase in ethanol drinking behavior. Ulcer data indicated that among environmentally enriched rats, ethanol attenuated stress ulcer development relative to their non-ethanol-exposed but stressed controls. In nonstressed enriched rats, ethanol alone exacerbated stomach damage. We suggest that environmental rearing conditions markedly influence the complex interaction between ethanol intake and the response to stress.

Influence of stress conditions on irradiated wheat cultivar (triticum aestivum L.). Vol. 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salam, T.Z.

1996-01-01

This study was carried out from 1992-1994. It aimed to study genetic improvement in yield components namely: shoot length, shoot dry weight, and leaf area at 4, 8, and 12 weeks age under salt stress condition; plant, dry weight/plant earliness, grain yield/plant, and 100 - grain weight at harvest time under drought stress in three mutagenic generations. Results of the two experiments showed that the most suitable mutagenic dose was 75 Gy gamma ray, which caused improvement in stress tolerance for SK 6 9 wheat cultivar by increased growth behaviour, and/or maintaining an active metabolism in plants under salinity and drought conditions. 3 tabs

Influence of stress conditions on irradiated wheat cultivar (triticum aestivum L.). Vol. 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salam, T Z [Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo (Egypt)

1996-03-01

This study was carried out from 1992-1994. It aimed to study genetic improvement in yield components namely: shoot length, shoot dry weight, and leaf area at 4, 8, and 12 weeks age under salt stress condition; plant, dry weight/plant earliness, grain yield/plant, and 100 - grain weight at harvest time under drought stress in three mutagenic generations. Results of the two experiments showed that the most suitable mutagenic dose was 75 Gy gamma ray, which caused improvement in stress tolerance for SK{sub 6}9 wheat cultivar by increased growth behaviour, and/or maintaining an active metabolism in plants under salinity and drought conditions. 3 tabs.

A study on residual stress mitigation of the HDPE pipe for various annealing conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jong Sung [Sunchon National University, Sunchon (Korea, Republic of); Yoo, Jeong Ho [Korea Laboratory Engineering System, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Young Jin [KEPCO E and C, Sungnam (Korea, Republic of)

2015-03-15

This paper presents effects of the annealing condition variables such as temperature and time on the residual stress mitigation. The effects were investigated by using the various measurement methods such as hole-drilling method and slitting method. As a result of the investigation, the residual stress mitigation magnitude increases with increasing the annealing time and temperature. Based on the investigation results, the quantitative correlations between the annealing variables and the residual stress mitigation were derived. Finally, the effect of long-term operation under the normal operating temperature conditions on the residual stress mitigation was investigated by referring to the derived equations and performing some additional tests, and it is identified that the residual stresses are not significantly relaxed over the design lifetime of the safety class III buried HDPE pipes.

Mechanism of laser ablation for aqueous media irradiated under confined-stress conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oraevsky, A.A.; Jacques, S.L.; Tittel, F.K.

1995-01-01

Pulsed laser ablation of aqueous medium irradiated under conditions of temporal confinement of thermal stress is described. Time-resolved measurements of laser-induced transient stress waves with simultaneous imaging of ablation process by laser-flash photography were performed. Stress transients induced in aqueous solution of K 2 CrO 4 by ablative nanosecond laser pulses at 355 nm were studied by a broad-band lithium niobate acoustic transducer. Recoil momentum upon material ejection was measured from the temporal profiles of the acoustic transducer signal as a function of incident laser fluence. Cavitation bubbles produced in the irradiated volume during the tensile phase of thermoelastic stress were shown to drive material ejection at temperatures substantially below 100 degree C. Experimental data are evident that nanosecond-pulse laser ablation of aqueous media (when temporal stress-confinement conditions are satisfied) include the following two main stages of material ejection: (1) ejection of water microdroplets due to expansion and rupture of subsurface cavitation bubbles; (2) ejection of liquid streams with substantial volume upon collapse of initial crater and large cavitation bubbles in the depth of irradiated volume (after coalescence of smaller bubbles). copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Psychological stress associated with cardiogenetic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hidayatallah, Nadia; Silverstein, Louise B; Stolerman, Marina; McDonald, Thomas; Walsh, Christine A; Paljevic, Esma; Cohen, Lilian L; Marion, Robert W; Wasserman, David; Hreyo, Sarah; Dolan, Siobhan M

2014-09-01

Genetic testing now makes it possible to identify specific mutations that may lead to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. This article presents data from a qualitative research study that explored the subjective experiences of individuals and families with cardiogenetic conditions. We focus on describing patients' experiences of psychological stresses associated with having a cardiogenetic condition, illustrating the importance of integrating psychological and medical care. This integration of care is particularly important as personalized genomic medicine continues to evolve and the implications of genetic testing have a profound effect on individuals and families. The researchers interviewed 50 participants from 32 families. The research team used a systematic, grounded theory procedure to code and analyze interview and focus group transcripts, incorporating multiple coders at several stages of the data analysis process. Three major themes emerged: a bereavement trajectory associated with sudden death in the absence of prior symptoms; high anxiety about transmitting a genetic mutation; and resilience reflected in positive lifestyle changes and participation in support groups. This article identifies patient perspectives on personalized genomic medicine in cardiogenetics that can improve clinical care, including: specialized bereavement counseling; improving education about cardiogenetic conditions for medical professionals; parent guidelines for discussing cardiogenetic conditions with their children; information about support groups; and the routine inclusion of clinical psychologists in interdisciplinary treatment teams. Given recent advances in technology and decreasing costs, whole-genome sequencing is likely to become common practice in the near future. Therefore, these recommendations are likely to be relevant for other genetic conditions, as well as the entire field of personalized genomic medicine.

Assessment the effect of NO inhibition on hippocampal normetanephrine level in stress and non-stress conditions in adult male rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hana Molahoveizeh

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Nitric oxide (NO has a role in the regulation of neurotransmitters release such as norepinephrine, in the hippocampus.Normetanephrine (NMN is a metabolite of norepinephrine created by action of catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT on norepinephrine. Several studies have shown that various stresses increased release of norepinephrine and its metabolites. Therefore in the present study, the role of Nitric oxide in regulation of norepinephrine release and its metabolism was investigated by administration of L-NAME (NO synthase inhibitor in stressed and non-stressed rats. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, 50 adult rats were divided into 10 groups, of which 5 groups were exposed to restraint stress while another 5 groups were without stress. These two set of groups included intact, saline and L-NAME (20, 40, 80 mg/kg. Thirty minutes after intraperituneal injection of L-NAME, brains removed, the hippocampus dissected, weighed, homogenized and centrifuged then amount of NMN measured by ELISA kit. Results: The results showed that in non-stressed condition amount of NMN were significantly increased in group that received L-NAME (80 mg/kg in comparison with other groups but in stress condition, amount of NMN was significantly decreased in groups that received L-NAME (20,40,80 mg/kg, in comparison with control and saline groups. Comparison between stress and non-stressed groups showed that stress alone cause an increase in amount of NMN in control and saline groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, NO synthesis inhibition produced opposite responses with respect to NMN amount in the presence or absence of stress, and probably L-NAME preventing the effect of stress on increasing NMN levels mediated by nitrergic pathway.

A Transdiagnostic Minority Stress Treatment Approach for Gay and Bisexual Men’s Syndemic Health Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Pachankis, John E.

2015-01-01

Developing and deploying separate treatments for separate conditions seems ill-suited to intervening upon the co-occurring, and possibly functionally similar, psychosocial conditions facing gay and bisexual men. This article argues for the need to create transdiagnostic interventions that reduce multiple syndemic conditions facing gay and bisexual men at the level of their shared source in minority stress pathways. This article first reviews psychosocial syndemic conditions affecting gay and bisexual men, then suggests pathways that might link minority stress to psychosocial syndemics based on recent advancements in emotion science, psychiatric nosology, and cognitive-affective neuroscience, and finally suggests cross-cutting psychosocial treatment principles to reduce minority stress–syndemic pathways among gay and bisexual men. Because minority stress serves as a common basis of all psychosocial syndemic conditions reviewed here, locating the pathways through which minority stress generates psychosocial syndemics and employing overarching treatment principles capable of simultaneously alleviating these pathways will ultimately create a transdiagnostic approach to improving gay and bisexual men’s health. Clinical research and training approaches are suggested to further validate the pathways suggested here, establish the efficacy of treatment approaches tied to those pathways, and generate effective methods for disseminating a transdiagnostic minority stress treatment approach for gay and bisexual men’s psychosocial syndemic health. PMID:26123065

Flux Balance Analysis of Escherichia coli under Temperature and pH Stress Conditions

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xiaopeng

2015-01-01

important roles in specific conditions and are essential genes under those conditions. E. coli is a model organism, which is widely used. It can adapt to many stress conditions, including temperature, pH, osmotic, antibiotic, etc. Underlying mechanisms

Tolerance to winemaking stress conditions of Patagonian strains of Saccharomyces eubayanus and Saccharomyces uvarum.

Science.gov (United States)

Origone, A C; Del Mónaco, S M; Ávila, J R; González Flores, M; Rodríguez, M E; Lopes, C A

2017-08-01

Evaluating the winemaking stress tolerance of a set of both Saccharomyces eubayanus and Saccharomyces uvarum strains from diverse Patagonian habitats. Yeast strains growth was analysed under increasing ethanol concentrations; all of them were able to grow until 8% v/v ethanol. The effect of different temperature and pH conditions as well as at SO 2 and hexose concentrations was evaluated by means of a central composite experimental design. Only two S. uvarum strains (NPCC 1289 and 1321) were able to grow in most stress conditions. Kinetic parameters analysed (μ max and λ) were statistically affected by temperature, pH and SO 2 , but not influenced by sugar concentration. The obtained growth model was used for predicting optimal growth conditions for both strains: 20°C, 0% w/v SO 2 and pH 4·5. Strains from human-associated environments (chichas) presented the highest diversity in the response to different stress factors. Two S. uvarum strains from chichas demonstrated to be the most tolerant to winemaking conditions. This work evidenced the potential use of two S. uvarum yeast strains as starter cultures in wines fermented at low temperatures. Saccharomyces eubayanus was significantly affected by winemaking stress conditions, limiting its use in this industry. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Screening for Osmotic Stress Responses in Rice Varieties under Drought Condition

OpenAIRE

Simon Swapna; Korukkanvilakath Samban Shylaraj

2017-01-01

Drought is the major abiotic stress factor that limits rice production worldwide. To evaluate the osmotic stress responses in rice varieties under drought condition, a total of 42 high-yielding rice varieties were collected from various research stations of Kerala Agricultural University in India. The experimental setup comprises of initial hydroponic treatments at different osmotic potentials, artificially induced by desired strengths of polyethylene glycol (PEG6000), and followed by the pot...

Effect of processing conditions on residual stress distributions by bead-on-plate welding after surface machining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ihara, Ryohei; Mochizuki, Masahito

2014-01-01

Residual stress is important factor for stress corrosion cracking (SCC) that has been observed near the welded zone in nuclear power plants. Especially, surface residual stress is significant for SCC initiation. In the joining processes of pipes, butt welding is conducted after surface machining. Residual stress is generated by both processes, and residual stress distribution due to surface machining is varied by the subsequent butt welding. In previous paper, authors reported that residual stress distribution generated by bead on plate welding after surface machining has a local maximum residual stress near the weld metal. The local maximum residual stress shows approximately 900 MPa that exceeds the stress threshold for SCC initiation. Therefore, for the safety improvement of nuclear power plants, a study on the local maximum residual stress is important. In this study, the effect of surface machining and welding conditions on residual stress distribution generated by welding after surface machining was investigated. Surface machining using lathe machine and bead on plate welding with tungsten inert gas (TIG) arc under various conditions were conducted for plate specimens made of SUS316L. Then, residual stress distributions were measured by X-ray diffraction method (XRD). As a result, residual stress distributions have the local maximum residual stress near the weld metal in all specimens. The values of the local maximum residual stresses are almost the same. The location of the local maximum residual stress is varied by welding condition. It could be consider that the local maximum residual stress is generated by same generation mechanism as welding residual stress in surface machined layer that has high yield stress. (author)

EXPRESSION OF CALCIUM-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE (CDPK GENES IN VITIS AMURENSIS UNDER ABIOTIC STRESS CONDITIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dubrovina A.S.

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abiotic stresses, such as extreme temperatures, soil salinity, or water deficit, are one of the major limiting factors of crop productivity worldwide. Examination of molecular and genetic mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance in plants is of great interest to plant biologists. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs, which are the most important Ca2+ sensors in plants, are known to play one of the key roles in plant adaptation to abiotic stress. CDPK is a multigene family of enzymes. Analysis of CDPK gene expression under various abiotic stress conditions would help identify those CDPKs that might play important roles in plant adaptation to abiotic stress. We focused on studying CDPK gene expression under osmotic, water deficit, and temperature stress conditions in a wild-growing grapevine Vitis amurensis Rurp., which is native to the Russian Far East and is known to possess high adaptive potential and high level of resistance against adverse environmental conditions. Healthy V. amurensis cuttings (excised young stems with one healthy leaf were used for the treatments. For the non-stress treatment, we placed the cuttings in distilled water for 12 h at room temperature. For the water-deficit stress, detached cuttings were laid on a paper towel for 12 h at room temperature. For osmotic stress treatments, the cuttings were placed in 0.4 М NaCl and 0.4 М mannitol solutions for 12 h at room temperature. To examine temperature stress tolerance, the V. amurensis cuttings were placed in a growth chamber at +10oC and +37oC for 12 h. The total expression of VaCDPK genes was examined by semiquantitative RT-PCR with degenerate primers designed to the CDPK kinase domain. The total level of CDPK gene expression increased under salt and decreased under low temperature stress conditions. We sequenced 300 clones of the amplified part of different CDPK transcripts obtained from the analyzed cDNA probes. Analysis of the cDNA sequences identified 8 different

Journal of Biosciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The hnRNP A1 homolog Hrp36 is essential for normal development, female ... Effect of chronic exposure to aspartame on oxidative stress in the brain of albino rats ... no significant differences for number of males and females in this population ... yellowness and redness/greenness for comparison of leaf spectral profiles in ...

Silicon in vascular plants: uptake, transport and its influence on mineral stress under acidic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Pontigo, Sofía; Ribera, Alejandra; Gianfreda, Liliana; de la Luz Mora, María; Nikolic, Miroslav; Cartes, Paula

2015-07-01

So far, considerable advances have been achieved in understanding the mechanisms of Si uptake and transport in vascular plants. This review presents a comprehensive update about this issue, but also provides the new insights into the role of Si against mineral stresses that occur in acid soils. Such information could be helpful to understand both the differential Si uptake ability as well as the benefits of this mineral element on plants grown under acidic conditions. Silicon (Si) has been widely recognized as a beneficial element for many plant species, especially under stress conditions. In the last few years, great efforts have been made to elucidate the mechanisms involved in uptake and transport of Si by vascular plants and recently, different Si transporters have been identified. Several researches indicate that Si can alleviate various mineral stresses in plants growing under acidic conditions, including aluminium (Al) and manganese (Mn) toxicities as well as phosphorus (P) deficiency all of which are highly detrimental to crop production. This review presents recent findings concerning the influence of uptake and transport of Si on mineral stress under acidic conditions because a knowledge of this interaction provides the basis for understanding the role of Si in mitigating mineral stress in acid soils. Currently, only four Si transporters have been identified and there is little information concerning the response of Si transporters under stress conditions. More investigations are therefore needed to establish whether there is a relationship between Si transporters and the benefits of Si to plants subjected to mineral stress. Evidence presented suggests that Si supply and its subsequent accumulation in plant tissues could be exploited as a strategy to improve crop productivity on acid soils.

Effect of Salicylic Acid on the Growth and Physiological Characteristics of Maize under Stress Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manzoor, K.; Ilyas, N.; Batool, N.; Arshad, M.; Ahmad, B.

2015-01-01

Salicylic acid (SA) is a naturally occurring signaling molecule and growth regulator that enhances plant growth particularly in stress conditions. The present study was planned to evaluate the effects of different levels of SA on maize growth under drought and salt stress conditions. An experiment was conducted to test the morphological, physiological and biochemical changes in two cultivar of maize D-1184 and TG-8250. Varying levels of salicylic acid, i.e. 5mM, 10mM and 15mM were applied through foliar method. Exogenous applications of salicylic acid were done after 20 days of germination of the maize plants. Salicylic acid significantly affects root and shoot dry matter under drought and salt stress. Foliar application of SA significantly increased proline concentration (11 percentage and 12 percentage), amino acid accumulation (25 percentage and 18 percentage), relative water (17 percentage and 14 percentage) and Chlorophyll content. Overall, it can be concluded that SA at lower concentration is effective to minimize the effect of stress conditions. Maize cultivar TG-8250 showed better tolerance under drought and salt stress condition as compared to D-1184 cultivar. (author)

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonuclear protein K interacts with Sindbis virus nonstructural proteins and viral subgenomic mRNA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burnham, Andrew J.; Gong, Lei; Hardy, Richard W.

2007-01-01

Alphaviruses are a group of arthropod-borne human and animal pathogens that can cause epidemics of significant public health and economic consequence. Alphavirus RNA synthesis requires four virally encoded nonstructural proteins and probably a number of cellular proteins. Using comparative two-dimensional electrophoresis we were able to identify proteins enriched in cytoplasmic membrane fractions containing viral RNA synthetic complexes following infection with Sindbis virus. Our studies demonstrated the following: (i) the host protein hnRNP K is enriched in cytoplasmic membrane fractions following Sindbis virus infection, (ii) viral nonstructural proteins co-immunoprecipitate with hnRNP K, (iii) nsP2 and hnRNP K co-localize in the cytoplasm of Sindbis virus infected cells, (iv) Sindbis virus subgenomic mRNA, but not genomic RNA co-immunoprecipitates with hnRNP K, (v) viral RNA does not appear to be required for the interaction of hnRNP K with the nonstructural proteins. Potential functions of hnRNP K during virus replication are discussed

Effects of city expansion on heat stress under climate change conditions.

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Daniel Argüeso

Full Text Available We examine the joint contribution of urban expansion and climate change on heat stress over the Sydney region. A Regional Climate Model was used to downscale present (1990-2009 and future (2040-2059 simulations from a Global Climate Model. The effects of urban surfaces on local temperature and vapor pressure were included. The role of urban expansion in modulating the climate change signal at local scales was investigated using a human heat-stress index combining temperature and vapor pressure. Urban expansion and climate change leads to increased risk of heat-stress conditions in the Sydney region, with substantially more frequent adverse conditions in urban areas. Impacts are particularly obvious in extreme values; daytime heat-stress impacts are more noticeable in the higher percentiles than in the mean values and the impact at night is more obvious in the lower percentiles than in the mean. Urban expansion enhances heat-stress increases due to climate change at night, but partly compensates its effects during the day. These differences are due to a stronger contribution from vapor pressure deficit during the day and from temperature increases during the night induced by urban surfaces. Our results highlight the inappropriateness of assessing human comfort determined using temperature changes alone and point to the likelihood that impacts of climate change assessed using models that lack urban surfaces probably underestimate future changes in terms of human comfort.

Effect of the combined stress on the life of components under thermal cycling conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuchowski, R.; Zietkowski, L.

1987-01-01

The life of structural components subjected to temperature changes is affected, among other factors, by the nature of the stress field. If life prediction for axially stressed components can be accomplished with a number of well established techniques, the behaviour under a complex state of stress and varying temperature conditions still is the object of intensive research. The present study was aimed at assessing the influence of the stress field upon the life of specimens made of chromium-nickel H23N18 steel under thermal cycling conditions. The designation of steel is in accordance with Polish Standards. The experiments were made on thin-walled tubular specimens loaded with various combinations of a static axial force and a static torque. (orig./GL)

Distinct age and differentiation-state dependent metabolic profiles of oligodendrocytes under optimal and stress conditions.

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Vijayaraghava T S Rao

Full Text Available Within the microenvironment of multiple sclerosis lesions, oligodendrocytes are subject to metabolic stress reflecting effects of focal ischemia and inflammation. Previous studies have shown that under optimal conditions in vitro, the respiratory activity of human adult brain-derived oligodendrocytes is lower and more predominantly glycolytic compared to oligodendrocytes differentiated in vitro from post natal rat brain oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. In response to sub-lethal metabolic stress, adult human oligodendrocytes reduce overall energy production rate impacting the capacity to maintain myelination. Here, we directly compare the metabolic profiles of oligodendrocytes derived from adult rat brain with oligodendrocytes newly differentiated in vitro from oligodendrocyte progenitor cells obtained from the post natal rat brain, under both optimal culture and metabolic stress (low/no glucose conditions. Oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification rates were measured using a Seahorse extracellular flux analyzer. Our findings indicate that under optimal conditions, adult rat oligodendrocytes preferentially use glycolysis whereas newly differentiated post natal rat oligodendrocytes, and the oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from which they are derived, mainly utilize oxidative phosphorylation to produce ATP. Metabolic stress increases the rate of ATP production via oxidative phosphorylation and significantly reduces glycolysis in adult oligodendrocytes. The rate of ATP production was relatively unchanged in newly differentiated post natal oligodendrocytes under these stress conditions, while it was significantly reduced in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Our study indicates that both age and maturation influence the metabolic profile under optimal and stressed conditions, emphasizing the need to consider these variables for in vitro studies that aim to model adult human disease.

Evaluation of drought tolerance and yield capacity of barley (hordeum vulgare) genotypes under irrigated and water-stressed conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khokhar, M.I.; Silva, J.A.T.D

2012-01-01

Twelve barley genotypes developed through different selection methods were evaluated under drought and irrigated conditions. The results of a correlation matrix revealed highly significant associations between Grain Yield (Yp) and Mean Productivity (MP), Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP) and Yield Index (Yi) under irrigated conditions while the Mean Productivity (MP), Yield Stability Index (Yi), Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP) and Yield Index (Yi) had a high response under stressed condition. Based on a principal component analysis, Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP), Mean Productivity (MP) and Stress Tolerance Index (STI) were considered to be the best parameters for selection of drought-tolerant genotypes. The 2-row barley genotypes B-07023 and B-07021 performed better in yield response under drought conditions and were more stable under stress conditions. Furthermore, drought stress reduced the yield of some genotypes while others were tolerant to drought, suggesting genetic variability in this material for drought tolerance. (author)

Stress-responsive expression patterns and functional characterization of cold shock domain proteins in cabbage (Brassica rapa) under abiotic stress conditions.

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Choi, Min Ji; Park, Ye Rin; Park, Su Jung; Kang, Hunseung

2015-11-01

Although the functional roles of cold shock domain proteins (CSDPs) have been demonstrated during the growth, development, and stress adaptation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), rice (Oryza sativa), and wheat (Triticum aestivum), the functions of CSDPs in other plants species, including cabbage (Brassica rapa), are largely unknown. To gain insight into the roles of CSDPs in cabbage under stress conditions, the genes encoding CSDPs in cabbage were isolated, and the functional roles of CSDPs in response to environmental stresses were analyzed. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that the levels of BrCSDP transcripts increased during cold, salt, or drought stress, as well as upon ABA treatment. Among the five BrCSDP genes found in the cabbage genome, one CSDP (BRU12051), named BrCSDP3, was unique in that it is localized to the chloroplast as well as to the nucleus. Ectopic expression of BrCSDP3 in Arabidopsis resulted in accelerated seed germination and better seedling growth compared to the wild-type plants under high salt or dehydration stress conditions, and in response to ABA treatment. BrCSDP3 did not affect the splicing of intron-containing genes and processing of rRNAs in the chloroplast. BrCSDP3 had the ability to complement RNA chaperone-deficient Escherichia coli mutant cells under low temperatures as well as DNA- and RNA-melting abilities, suggesting that it possesses RNA chaperone activity. Taken together, these results suggest that BrCSDP3, harboring RNA chaperone activity, plays a role as a positive regulator in seed germination and seedling growth under stress conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Effect on Quality Characteristics of Tomatoes Grown Under Well-Watered and Drought Stress Conditions.

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Klunklin, Warinporn; Savage, Geoffrey

2017-07-25

Tomatoes are one of the most nutritionally and economically important crops in New Zealand and around the world. Tomatoes require large amounts of water to grow well and are adversely affected by drought stress. However, few studies have evaluated the physicochemical characteristics of commercial tomatoes grown under water stress conditions. Four tomato cultivars (Incas, Marmande, Scoresby Dwarf, and Window Box Red) were grown in a greenhouse under well-watered and drought stress conditions and the tomatoes were harvested when ripe. The physicochemical properties and antioxidant contents of the fruits were compared. There were significant differences between cultivars in quality characteristics-such as dry matter, total soluble solids, and pH parameters-but there were no differences in the quality characteristics between the two treatments of the fruits ( p > 0.05); however, there were significant differences ( p < 0.05) in the antioxidant compositions (lycopene, total phenolics, and flavonoids) and antioxidant activities (DPPH and ABTS) of the fruits of both cultivars and treatments. Overall, these results indicated that tomatoes increased their bioactive compounds without changing any quality characteristics when exposed to water stress conditions.

Bioactive compounds in potatoes: Accumulation under drought stress conditions

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Christina B. Wegener

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Potato (Solanum tuberosum is a valuable source of bioactive compounds. Besides starch, crude fibre, amino acids (AAS, vitamins and minerals, the tubers contain diverse phenolic compounds. These phenolics and AAS confer anti-oxidant protection against reactiveoxygen species, tissue damage, and diseases like atherosclerosis, renal failure, diabetes mellitus,and cancer. Climate change and drought stress may become a major risk for crop production worldwide, resulting in reduced access for those who depend on the nutritional value of this staple crop. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of drought stress on water, lipid soluble antioxidants, anthocyanins (Ac, soluble phenols, proteins, free AAS, peroxidase (POD and lipid acyl hydrolase activity (LAH in tuber tissue. Methods: The study was carried out on three potato genotypes comprising one yellow-fleshed cultivar and two purple breeding clones. The plants were grown in pots (from April to September in a glasshouse with sufficient water supply and under drought stress conditions. After harvest, the tubers of both variants were analysed for antioxidants measured as ascorbic acid (ACE and Trolox equivalent (TXE using a photo-chemiluminescent method. Amounts of anthocyanins (Ac, soluble phenols, proteins, as well as POD and LAH activities were analysed using a UV photometer. Finally, free AAS were measured by HPLC. Results: The results revealed that drought stress significantly reduces tuber yield, but has no significant effect on antioxidants, Ac, soluble phenols and POD. Drought stress significantly increased the levels of soluble protein (P < 0.0001 and LAH (P < 0.001. Also, total amounts of free AAS were higher in the drought stressed tubers (+34.2%, on average than in the tubers grown with a sufficient water supply. Above all, proline was elevated due to drought stress.

Stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in Asian elephants.

Science.gov (United States)

Mumby, Hannah S; Mar, Khyne U; Thitaram, Chatchote; Courtiol, Alexandre; Towiboon, Patcharapa; Min-Oo, Zaw; Htut-Aung, Ye; Brown, Janine L; Lummaa, Virpi

2015-01-01

Establishing links between ecological variation, physiological markers of stress and demography is crucial for understanding how and why changes in environmental conditions affect population dynamics, and may also play a key role for conservation efforts of endangered species. However, detailed longitudinal studies of long-lived species are rarely available. We test how two markers of stress and body condition vary through the year and are associated with climatic conditions and large-scale mortality and fertility variation in the world's largest semi-captive population of Asian elephants employed in the timber industry in Myanmar. Glucocorticoid metabolites (used as a proxy for stress levels in 75 elephants) and body weight (used as a proxy for condition in 116 elephants) were monitored monthly across a typical monsoon cycle and compared with birth and death patterns of the entire elephant population over half a century (n = 2350). Our results show seasonal variation in both markers of stress and condition. In addition, this variation is correlated with population-level demographic variables. Weight is inversely correlated with population mortality rates 1 month later, and glucocorticoid metabolites are negatively associated with birth rates. Weight shows a highly positive correlation with rainfall 1 month earlier. Determining the factors associated with demography may be key to species conservation by providing information about the correlates of mortality and fertility patterns. The unsustainability of the studied captive population has meant that wild elephants have been captured and tamed for work. By elucidating the correlates of demography in captive elephants, our results offer management solutions that could reduce the pressure on the wild elephant population in Myanmar.

CENTRAL AMYGDALOID INVOLVEMENT IN NEUROENDOCRINE CORRELATES OF CONDITIONED STRESS RESPONSES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ROOZENDAAL, B; KOOLHAAS, JM; BOHUS, B

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of bilateral electrolytic lesions of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) in comparison with sham lesions on neuroendocrine responses during conditioned emotional stress in male Wistar rats. Lesions in the CEA, made either before or after the

[Corrective effect of aromatherapy on indices of heart rate variability in students under exam stress conditions].

Science.gov (United States)

Abrahamyan, H T; Minasyan, S M

2016-01-01

There were investigated changes in indices of the activity of regulatory mechanisms of heart rhythm in student under exam stress conditions and the possibility of their correction with aid of aromatherapy. The examination stress was established to be accompanied by pronounced shifts of integral and spectral indices of heart rhythm in students, indicating to the activation of the sympathetic circuit of Autonomic Nervous System in conditions of examination stress. A positive, relaxation impact of the essential oil of orange on the investigated indices was also recorded. The latter is expressed by weakly pronounced changes or lack of them in data of integral and spectral heart rate indices in students from the experimental group, that indicates to the stabilizing effect of used ethereal oil on the psycho-physiological state of students in conditions of exam stress

Modified stress intensity factor as a crack growth parameter applicable under large scale yielding conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuoka, Tetsuo; Mizutani, Yoshihiro; Todoroki, Akira

2014-01-01

High-temperature water stress corrosion cracking has high tensile stress sensitivity, and its growth rate has been evaluated using the stress intensity factor, which is a linear fracture mechanics parameter. Stress corrosion cracking mainly occurs and propagates around welded metals or heat-affected zones. These regions have complex residual stress distributions and yield strength distributions because of input heat effects. The authors previously reported that the stress intensity factor becomes inapplicable when steep residual stress distributions or yield strength distributions occur along the crack propagation path, because small-scale yielding conditions deviate around those distributions. Here, when the stress intensity factor is modified by considering these distributions, the modified stress intensity factor may be used for crack growth evaluation for large-scale yielding. The authors previously proposed a modified stress intensity factor incorporating the stress distribution or yield strength distribution in front of the crack using the rate of change of stress intensity factor and yield strength. However, the applicable range of modified stress intensity factor for large-scale yielding was not clarified. In this study, the range was analytically investigated by comparison with the J-integral solution. A three-point bending specimen with parallel surface crack was adopted as the analytical model and the stress intensity factor, modified stress intensity factor and equivalent stress intensity factor derived from the J-integral were calculated and compared under large-scale yielding conditions. The modified stress intensity was closer to the equivalent stress intensity factor when compared with the stress intensity factor. If deviation from the J-integral solution is acceptable up to 2%, the modified stress intensity factor is applicable up to 30% of the J-integral limit, while the stress intensity factor is applicable up to 10%. These results showed that

Unsteady exergy destruction of the neuron under dynamic stress conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Genc, S.; Sorguven, E.; Ozilgen, M.; Aksan Kurnaz, I.

2013-01-01

Just like all physical systems, biological systems also obey laws of thermodynamics, and as such the useful work potential of a biological system is its exergy. In some studies, exergy of living systems is considered with respect to work performance of humans in offices or buildings; however the exergy analysis of biochemical reactions in a cell as a closed system goes largely untouched. In this study, exergy analysis was applied to glucose metabolism of a model neuron, and dynamic exergy destructions were calculated for four different conditions, namely normoxia, hypoxia, glucose starvation and excess glucose. Our results showed that neuronal metabolism achieved a new steady state under each condition within 5 min. This dynamic model predicts that, both exergy destruction and work potential rates increase with increasing blood glucose concentration. The ratio of exergy destruction rate to work potential rate increases logarithmically with increasing blood glucose concentration. The neuronal metabolism is thus found to function in an efficient way and switches to lower exergy destruction under stress conditions such as glucose starvation. This behavior seen in this exergy analysis study confirms the assumption of minimum entropy production in living systems. - Highlights: • Unsteady exergy analysis of glucose metabolism of a model neuron is performed. • Dynamic exergy losses were calculated for four different conditions: normoxia, hypoxia, glucose starvation and excess glucose. • Neuronal metabolism achieved a new steady state under each condition within 5 min. • Both exergy loss and work potential rates increase with increasing blood glucose concentration. • Neuronal metabolism functions in an efficient way and switches to lower exergy loss under stress conditions

Academic Stress Influences Periodontal Health Condition and Interleukin-1 beta Level

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Sandra O. Kuswandani

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Stress is a risk factor for periodontal disease, causing increase levels of interleukin-1 beta that involve in periodontal destruction. Objective: To analyze the relationship between academic stress in residency program students conditions and levels of interleukin-1 beta in gingival crevicular fluid. Methods: Thirty eight subjects filled the questionnaire of Graduate Dental Environtmental Stress (GDES, periodontal examination and samples of gingival crevicular fluid were tested for interleukin-1 beta with the Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA test. Results: There were significant differences between academic stress to periodontal tissue in oral hygiene (p=0.038, bleeding on probing index (p=0.02, but no significant differences in pocket depth and loss of attachment (p=0.972. There were significant differences between academic stress to levels of interleukin-1 beta (p=0.03, but no significant differences between levels of interleukin-1 beta to periodontal tissue in oral hygiene (p=0.465, bleeding on probing index (p=0.826, pocket depth (p=0.968, and loss of attachment (p=0.968. Conclusion: Academic stress influences the periodontal risk factor and level of interleukin-1 beta.

Working conditions, self-perceived stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life: A structural equation modelling approach

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Edimansyah Bin

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The relationships between working conditions [job demand, job control and social support]; stress, anxiety, and depression; and perceived quality of life factors [physical health, psychological wellbeing, social relationships and environmental conditions] were assessed using a sample of 698 male automotive assembly workers in Malaysia. Methods The validated Malay version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF were used. A structural equation modelling (SEM analysis was applied to test the structural relationships of the model using AMOS version 6.0, with the maximum likelihood ratio as the method of estimation. Results The results of the SEM supported the hypothesized structural model (χ2 = 22.801, df = 19, p = 0.246. The final model shows that social support (JCQ was directly related to all 4 factors of the WHOQOL-BREF and inversely related to depression and stress (DASS. Job demand (JCQ was directly related to stress (DASS and inversely related to the environmental conditions (WHOQOL-BREF. Job control (JCQ was directly related to social relationships (WHOQOL-BREF. Stress (DASS was directly related to anxiety and depression (DASS and inversely related to physical health, environment conditions and social relationships (WHOQOL-BREF. Anxiety (DASS was directly related to depression (DASS and inversely related to physical health (WHOQOL-BREF. Depression (DASS was inversely related to the psychological wellbeing (WHOQOL-BREF. Finally, stress, anxiety and depression (DASS mediate the relationships between job demand and social support (JCQ to the 4 factors of WHOQOL-BREF. Conclusion These findings suggest that higher social support increases the self-reported quality of life of these workers. Higher job control increases the social relationships, whilst higher job demand increases the self-perceived stress and decreases

Working conditions, self-perceived stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life: a structural equation modelling approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Rusli, Bin Nordin; Edimansyah, Bin Abdin; Naing, Lin

2008-02-06

The relationships between working conditions [job demand, job control and social support]; stress, anxiety, and depression; and perceived quality of life factors [physical health, psychological wellbeing, social relationships and environmental conditions] were assessed using a sample of 698 male automotive assembly workers in Malaysia. The validated Malay version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) were used. A structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis was applied to test the structural relationships of the model using AMOS version 6.0, with the maximum likelihood ratio as the method of estimation. The results of the SEM supported the hypothesized structural model (chi2 = 22.801, df = 19, p = 0.246). The final model shows that social support (JCQ) was directly related to all 4 factors of the WHOQOL-BREF and inversely related to depression and stress (DASS). Job demand (JCQ) was directly related to stress (DASS) and inversely related to the environmental conditions (WHOQOL-BREF). Job control (JCQ) was directly related to social relationships (WHOQOL-BREF). Stress (DASS) was directly related to anxiety and depression (DASS) and inversely related to physical health, environment conditions and social relationships (WHOQOL-BREF). Anxiety (DASS) was directly related to depression (DASS) and inversely related to physical health (WHOQOL-BREF). Depression (DASS) was inversely related to the psychological wellbeing (WHOQOL-BREF). Finally, stress, anxiety and depression (DASS) mediate the relationships between job demand and social support (JCQ) to the 4 factors of WHOQOL-BREF. These findings suggest that higher social support increases the self-reported quality of life of these workers. Higher job control increases the social relationships, whilst higher job demand increases the self-perceived stress and decreases the self-perceived quality of life related to

Working conditions, self-perceived stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life: A structural equation modelling approach

Science.gov (United States)

Rusli, Bin Nordin; Edimansyah, Bin Abdin; Naing, Lin

2008-01-01

Background The relationships between working conditions [job demand, job control and social support]; stress, anxiety, and depression; and perceived quality of life factors [physical health, psychological wellbeing, social relationships and environmental conditions] were assessed using a sample of 698 male automotive assembly workers in Malaysia. Methods The validated Malay version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) were used. A structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis was applied to test the structural relationships of the model using AMOS version 6.0, with the maximum likelihood ratio as the method of estimation. Results The results of the SEM supported the hypothesized structural model (χ2 = 22.801, df = 19, p = 0.246). The final model shows that social support (JCQ) was directly related to all 4 factors of the WHOQOL-BREF and inversely related to depression and stress (DASS). Job demand (JCQ) was directly related to stress (DASS) and inversely related to the environmental conditions (WHOQOL-BREF). Job control (JCQ) was directly related to social relationships (WHOQOL-BREF). Stress (DASS) was directly related to anxiety and depression (DASS) and inversely related to physical health, environment conditions and social relationships (WHOQOL-BREF). Anxiety (DASS) was directly related to depression (DASS) and inversely related to physical health (WHOQOL-BREF). Depression (DASS) was inversely related to the psychological wellbeing (WHOQOL-BREF). Finally, stress, anxiety and depression (DASS) mediate the relationships between job demand and social support (JCQ) to the 4 factors of WHOQOL-BREF. Conclusion These findings suggest that higher social support increases the self-reported quality of life of these workers. Higher job control increases the social relationships, whilst higher job demand increases the self-perceived stress and decreases the self

[Emigration in hard conditions: the Immigrant Syndrome with chronic and multiple stress (Ulysses' Syndrome)].

Science.gov (United States)

Achotegui, Joseba

2005-01-01

During the latest years, immigrant populations have been living in very hard conditions. To million people, migration is becoming a process with a high level of stress surpassing the human being capacity of adaptation. This people are prone to suffer the Immigrant Syndrome with chronic and multiple stress and the so called Ulysses Syndrome, what is becoming a serious health problem in the countries that receive the immigrants. This situation is the by-product of the unjust globalization and of the worsening of the living and health conditions of those undergoing such a displacement. In this article, the author postulates a relationship between the high level of stress suffered by the immigrants and their presentation of psychopathological symptoms.

Proteins involved in biophoton emission and flooding-stress responses in soybean under light and dark conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamal, Abu Hena Mostafa; Komatsu, Setsuko

2016-02-01

To know the molecular systems basically flooding conditions in soybean, biophoton emission measurements and proteomic analyses were carried out for flooding-stressed roots under light and dark conditions. Photon emission was analyzed using a photon counter. Gel-free quantitative proteomics were performed to identify significant changes proteins using the nano LC-MS along with SIEVE software. Biophoton emissions were significantly increased in both light and dark conditions after flooding stress, but gradually decreased with continued flooding exposure compared to the control plants. Among the 120 significantly identified proteins in the roots of soybean plants, 73 and 19 proteins were decreased and increased in the light condition, respectively, and 4 and 24 proteins were increased and decreased, respectively, in the dark condition. The proteins were mainly functionally grouped into cell organization, protein degradation/synthesis, and glycolysis. The highly abundant lactate/malate dehydrogenase proteins were decreased in flooding-stressed roots exposed to light, whereas the lysine ketoglutarate reductase/saccharopine dehydrogenase bifunctional enzyme was increased in both light and dark conditions. Notably, however, specific enzyme assays revealed that the activities of these enzymes and biophoton emission were sharply increased after 3 days of flooding stress. This finding suggests that the source of biophoton emission in roots might involve the chemical excitation of electron or proton through enzymatic or non-enzymatic oxidation and reduction reactions. Moreover, the lysine ketoglutarate reductase/saccharopine dehydrogenase bifunctional enzyme may play important roles in responses in flooding stress of soybean under the light condition and as a contributing factor to biophoton emission.

Proteomic analysis of polyribosomes identifies splicing factors as potential regulators of translation during mitosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Aviner, Ranen; Hofmann, Sarah; Elman, Tamar; Shenoy, Anjana; Geiger, Tamar; Elkon, Ran; Ehrlich, Marcelo; Elroy-Stein, Orna

2017-06-02

Precise regulation of mRNA translation is critical for proper cell division, but little is known about the factors that mediate it. To identify mRNA-binding proteins that regulate translation during mitosis, we analyzed the composition of polysomes from interphase and mitotic cells using unbiased quantitative mass-spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We found that mitotic polysomes are enriched with a subset of proteins involved in RNA processing, including alternative splicing and RNA export. To demonstrate that these may indeed be regulators of translation, we focused on heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (hnRNP C) as a test case and confirmed that it is recruited to elongating ribosomes during mitosis. Then, using a combination of pulsed SILAC, metabolic labeling and ribosome profiling, we showed that knockdown of hnRNP C affects both global and transcript-specific translation rates and found that hnRNP C is specifically important for translation of mRNAs that encode ribosomal proteins and translation factors. Taken together, our results demonstrate how proteomic analysis of polysomes can provide insight into translation regulation under various cellular conditions of interest and suggest that hnRNP C facilitates production of translation machinery components during mitosis to provide daughter cells with the ability to efficiently synthesize proteins as they enter G1 phase. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Behavior of stressed and unstressed 304L specimens in tuff repository environmental conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juhas, M.C.; McCright, R.D.; Garrison, R.E.

1984-11-01

This paper presents preliminary results of an investigation of the behavior of candidate barrier material for high-level nuclear waste storage, Type 304L stainless steel, in tuff repository environmental conditions. Tuff is a densely welded, devitrified, igneous rock common to the proposed repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The results discussed include: irradiation corrosion tests, U-bend irradiation corrosion tests, slow strain rate tests, and bent beam stress corrosion tests. Results indicate that Type 304L stainless steel shows excellent resistance to general, localized, and stress corrosion under the environmental and microstructural conditions tested so far. The environmental test conditions are 50 to 100 0 C J-13 well water (non-saline, near neutral pH, and oxic in nature) and saturated steam at 100 0 C. Microstructural conditions include solution annealed and long furnace heat treatments to provoke a sensitized structure. However, this particular type of stainless steel may be susceptible to long-term, low-temperature sensitization because of the combination of expected time at elevated temperature and residual stress in the container after emplacement in the repository. Other grades of austenitic stainless steels are reported to be more resistant to low-temperature sensitization. Future work will therefore include more extensive testing of these grades. 15 references, 5 figures, 7 tables

Verification of an optimized condition for low residual stress employed water-shower cooling during welding in austenitic stainless steel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, N.; Enomoto, K.; Anzai, H.

2004-01-01

To reduce tensile residual stress in a welded region, we have developed a new cooling method that uses a water-shower behind the welding torch. When this method is applied to the welding of austenitic stainless steel, the welding and cooling conditions mainly determine how much the residual stress can be reduced. To optimize these conditions, we first used a robust design method to determine the effects of the preheating temperature, the heat input quantity, and the water-shower area on the residual stress, and found that, to decrease the tensile residual stress, the preheating temperature should be high, the heat input low, and the water-shower area large. To confirm the effectiveness of these optimized conditions, the residual stresses under optimized or non-optimized conditions were measured experimentally. It was found that the residual stresses were tensile under the non-optimized conditions, but compressive under the optimized ones. These measurements agree well with the 3D-FEM analyses. It can therefore be concluded that the optimized conditions are valid and appropriate for reducing residual stress in an austenitic stainless-steel weld. (orig.)

Effect of Filter Cake on Morphophysiological and Yield of Sweet Corn Under Late Season Drought Stress Condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Siadat

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In order to investigate the effect of Filter Cake application on some morpho-physiological characteristics and yield of sweet corn (Zea mays var saccharata under different irrigation regimes, an experiment was conducted in Ramin Agriculture and Natural Resources University, Khuzestan, in 2012. The experiment was arranged in split-plot design in RCBD (Completely Randomized Block Design with three replications. Treatments were drought stress (irrigation after 25, 50 and 75% depletion of available water content in main plots and Filter Cake (0, 10, 20 and 30 tonha-1 arranged in sub-plots. Results showed that drought stress increased electrolyte leakage (EL and proline content (PC while height of plant, relative water content (RWC, chlorophyll stability index and ear and grain yield were decreased. The intensive drought stress had the greatest effect on EL and PC (54% increase, and decreased ear and grain yield by21 and 37% compared to control, respectively. Application of filter cake on non-stress condition increased height of plant and economic yield. But Filter Cake in intensive stress reduced RWC and yield and increased EL compared to control. Also, the application of 30 tonha-1 of Filter Cake in intensive stress condition decreased ear and grain yield by 14.5 and 10.7% respectively. Thus, positive effect of Filter Cake application was clear on non-stress condition, but on drought stress condition it decreased the economic yield.

Speech perception in older listeners with normal hearing:conditions of time alteration, selective word stress, and length of sentences.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Soojin; Yu, Jyaehyoung; Chun, Hyungi; Seo, Hyekyung; Han, Woojae

2014-04-01

Deficits of the aging auditory system negatively affect older listeners in terms of speech communication, resulting in limitations to their social lives. To improve their perceptual skills, the goal of this study was to investigate the effects of time alteration, selective word stress, and varying sentence lengths on the speech perception of older listeners. Seventeen older people with normal hearing were tested for seven conditions of different time-altered sentences (i.e., ±60%, ±40%, ±20%, 0%), two conditions of selective word stress (i.e., no-stress and stress), and three different lengths of sentences (i.e., short, medium, and long) at the most comfortable level for individuals in quiet circumstances. As time compression increased, sentence perception scores decreased statistically. Compared to a natural (or no stress) condition, the selectively stressed words significantly improved the perceptual scores of these older listeners. Long sentences yielded the worst scores under all time-altered conditions. Interestingly, there was a noticeable positive effect for the selective word stress at the 20% time compression. This pattern of results suggests that a combination of time compression and selective word stress is more effective for understanding speech in older listeners than using the time-expanded condition only.

Changes in seed water status as characterized by NMR in developing soybean seed grown under moisture stress conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnan, P.; Singh, Ravender; Verma, A.P.S.; Joshi, D.K.; Singh, Sheoraj

2014-01-01

Highlights: • In developing soybean seeds, moisture stress resulted in more proportion of water to bound state. • These changes are further corroborated by concomitant changes in seed metabolites. • Thus there exists a moisture stress and development stage dependence of seed tissue water status. - Abstract: Changes in water status of developing seeds of Soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill.) grown under different moisture stress conditions were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)- spin–spin relaxation time (T 2 ). A comparison of the seed development characteristics, composition and physical properties indicated that, characteristics like seed weight, seed number/ear, rate of seed filling increased with development stages but decreased with moisture stress conditions. The NMR- spin–spin relaxation (T 2 ) component like bound water increased with seed maturation (40–50%) but decreased with moisture stress conditions (30–40%). The changes in seed water status to increasing levels of moisture stress and seed maturity indicates that moisture stress resulted in more proportion of water to bound state and intermediate state and less proportion of water in free-state. These changes are further corroborated by significant changes in protein and starch contents in seeds under high moisture stress treatments. Thus seed water status during its development is not only affected by development processes but also by moisture stress conditions. This study strongly indicated a clear moisture stress and development stage dependence of seed tissue water status in developing soybean seeds

Changes in seed water status as characterized by NMR in developing soybean seed grown under moisture stress conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krishnan, P., E-mail: pkrishnan@iari.res.in; Singh, Ravender; Verma, A.P.S.; Joshi, D.K.; Singh, Sheoraj

2014-02-21

Highlights: • In developing soybean seeds, moisture stress resulted in more proportion of water to bound state. • These changes are further corroborated by concomitant changes in seed metabolites. • Thus there exists a moisture stress and development stage dependence of seed tissue water status. - Abstract: Changes in water status of developing seeds of Soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill.) grown under different moisture stress conditions were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)- spin–spin relaxation time (T{sub 2}). A comparison of the seed development characteristics, composition and physical properties indicated that, characteristics like seed weight, seed number/ear, rate of seed filling increased with development stages but decreased with moisture stress conditions. The NMR- spin–spin relaxation (T{sub 2}) component like bound water increased with seed maturation (40–50%) but decreased with moisture stress conditions (30–40%). The changes in seed water status to increasing levels of moisture stress and seed maturity indicates that moisture stress resulted in more proportion of water to bound state and intermediate state and less proportion of water in free-state. These changes are further corroborated by significant changes in protein and starch contents in seeds under high moisture stress treatments. Thus seed water status during its development is not only affected by development processes but also by moisture stress conditions. This study strongly indicated a clear moisture stress and development stage dependence of seed tissue water status in developing soybean seeds.

Mixotrophic transition induced lipid productivity in Chlorella pyrenoidosa under stress conditions for biodiesel production

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Hari Prasad Ratnapuram

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Influence of mixotrophic mode and its transition to various trophic modes under stress conditions was assessed during two stage cultivation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Significant lipid productivity was triggered under low light intensity, glucose + bicarbonate supplementation and nitrogen starvation. The association between biomass and lipid productivity, fatty acid composition during mixotrophic transition was critically evaluated. Biomass in growth phase (GP and stress phase (SP was 6.14 g/l and 5.14 g/l, respectively, in mixotrophic mode. Higher lipid productivity of 284 g/kg and 154.3 g/kg of neutral lipids was achieved in SP in mixotrophic-mixotrophic (MM and mixotrophic-heterotrophic (MH modes, respectively. Stress conditions resulted in high unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters in MH mode. In addition, neutral lipid content was 58% in MH and 52% in MM, that can be attributed to carbon source that is supplemented even in stress phase. Exploring such novel strategies can generate sustainable avenues for biodiesel production.

Low-temperature strain ageing in In-Pb alloys under stress relaxation conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fomenko, L.S.

2000-01-01

The dynamic strain ageing (DSA) of In-Pb (6 and 8 at. % Pb) substitutional solid solution single crystals is studied at temperatures 77-205 K under stress relaxation conditions. The dependences of the stress increment after relaxation connected with DSA on stress relaxation time, stress relaxation rate at the end of the relaxation, temperature, alloy content, flow stress, and strain are determined. It is shown that the DSA kinetic is described by a Harper-type equation with the exponent equal to 1/3 and a low activation energy value (0.3-0.34 eV). This provides a low temperature of the DSA onset (∼ 0.17 T m , where T m is the melt temperature) and is evidence of pipe-mode diffusion. It is supposed that the obstacles to dislocation motion in the crystals studied consist of the groups of solutes, and the strength of the obstacles increases during the DSA due to the pipe diffusion of the solute atoms along the dislocations

Mechanical stress analysis for a fuel rod under normal operating conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pino, Eddy S.; Giovedi, Claudia; Serra, Andre da Silva; Abe, Alfredo Y.

2013-01-01

Nuclear reactor fuel elements consist mainly in a system of a nuclear fuel encapsulated by a cladding material subject to high fluxes of energetic neutrons, high operating temperatures, pressure systems, thermal gradients, heat fluxes and with chemical compatibility with the reactor coolant. The design of a nuclear reactor requires, among a set of activities, the evaluation of the structural integrity of the fuel rod submitted to different loads acting on the fuel rod and the specific properties (dimensions and mechanical and thermal properties) of the cladding material and coolant, including thermal and pressure gradients produced inside the rod due to the fuel burnup. In this work were evaluated the structural mechanical stresses of a fuel rod using stainless steel as cladding material and UO 2 with a low degree of enrichment as fuel pellet on a PWR (pressurized water reactor) under normal operating conditions. In this sense, tangential, radial and axial stress on internal and external cladding surfaces considering the orientations of 0 deg, 90 deg and 180 deg were considered. The obtained values were compared with the limit values for stress to the studied material. From the obtained results, it was possible to conclude that, under the expected normal reactor operation conditions, the integrity of the fuel rod can be maintained. (author)

Unique genetic loci identified for emotional behavior in control and chronic stress conditions.

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Kimberly AK Carhuatanta

2014-10-01

Full Text Available An individual’s genetic background affects their emotional behavior and response to stress. Although studies have been conducted to identify genetic predictors for emotional behavior or stress response, it remains unknown how prior stress history alters the interaction between an individual’s genome and their emotional behavior. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify chromosomal regions that affect emotional behavior and are sensitive to stress exposure. We utilized the BXD behavioral genetics mouse model to identify chromosomal regions that predict fear learning and emotional behavior following exposure to a control or chronic stress environment. 62 BXD recombinant inbred strains and C57BL/6 and DBA/2 parental strains underwent behavioral testing including a classical fear conditioning paradigm and the elevated plus maze. Distinct quantitative trait loci (QTLs were identified for emotional learning, anxiety and locomotion in control and chronic stress populations. Candidate genes, including those with already known functions in learning and stress were found to reside within the identified QTLs. Our data suggest that chronic stress history reveals novel genetic predictors of emotional behavior.

Exploring valid internal-control genes in Porphyra yezoensis (Bangiaceae) during stress response conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wenlei; Wu, Xiaojie; Wang, Chao; Jia, Zhaojun; He, Linwen; Wei, Yifan; Niu, Jianfeng; Wang, Guangce

2014-07-01

To screen the stable expression genes related to the stress (strong light, dehydration and temperature shock) we applied Absolute real-time PCR technology to determine the transcription numbers of the selected test genes in P orphyra yezoensis, which has been regarded as a potential model species responding the stress conditions in the intertidal. Absolute real-time PCR technology was applied to determine the transcription numbers of the selected test genes in P orphyra yezoensis, which has been regarded as a potential model species in stress responding. According to the results of photosynthesis parameters, we observed that Y(II) and F v/ F m were significantly affected when stress was imposed on the thalli of P orphyra yezoensis, but underwent almost completely recovered under normal conditions, which were collected for the following experiments. Then three samples, which were treated with different grade stresses combined with salinity, irradiation and temperature, were collected. The transcription numbers of seven constitutive expression genes in above samples were determined after RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis. Finally, a general insight into the selection of internal control genes during stress response was obtained. We found that there were no obvious effects in terms of salinity stress (at salinity 90) on transcription of most genes used in the study. The 18S ribosomal RNA gene had the highest expression level, varying remarkably among different tested groups. RPS8 expression showed a high irregular variance between samples. GAPDH presented comparatively stable expression and could thus be selected as the internal control. EF-1α showed stable expression during the series of multiple-stress tests. Our research provided available references for the selection of internal control genes for transcripts determination of P. yezoensis.

Effects of Stress and Sex on Acquisition and Consolidation of Human Fear Conditioning

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhn, Cynthia M.; LaBar, Kevin S.; Zorawski, Michael; Blanding, Nineequa Q.

2006-01-01

We examined the relationship between stress hormone (cortisol) release and acquisition and consolidation of conditioned fear learning in healthy adults. Participants underwent acquisition of differential fear conditioning, and consolidation was assessed in a 24-h delayed extinction test. The acquisition phase was immediately followed by an 11-min…

Interactions between sleep, stress, and metabolism: From physiological to pathological conditions

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Camila Hirotsu

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Poor sleep quality due to sleep disorders and sleep loss is highly prevalent in the modern society. Underlying mechanisms show that stress is involved in the relationship between sleep and metabolism through hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA axis activation. Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are associated with maladaptive changes in the HPA axis, leading to neuroendocrine dysregulation. Excess of glucocorticoids increase glucose and insulin and decrease adiponectin levels. Thus, this review provides overall view of the relationship between sleep, stress, and metabolism from basic physiology to pathological conditions, highlighting effective treatments for metabolic disturbances.

Working conditions, self-perceived stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life: A structural equation modelling approach

OpenAIRE

Edimansyah Bin; Rusli Bin; Naing Lin

2008-01-01

Abstract Background The relationships between working conditions [job demand, job control and social support]; stress, anxiety, and depression; and perceived quality of life factors [physical health, psychological wellbeing, social relationships and environmental conditions] were assessed using a sample of 698 male automotive assembly workers in Malaysia. Methods The validated Malay version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and the World Health Or...

The effect of academic stress and attachment stress on stress-eaters and stress-undereaters.

Science.gov (United States)

Emond, Michael; Ten Eycke, Kayla; Kosmerly, Stacey; Robinson, Adele Lafrance; Stillar, Amanda; Van Blyderveen, Sherry

2016-05-01

It is well established that stress is related to changes in eating patterns. Some individuals are more likely to increase their overall food intake under conditions of stress, whereas others are more likely to consume less food when stressed. Attachment style has been linked to disordered eating and eating disorders; however, comparisons of eating behaviors under attachment versus other types of stress have yet to be explored. The present laboratory study examined the eating patterns in self-identified stress-undereaters and stress-eaters under various types of stress. More specifically, the study examined the effects of academic and attachment stress on calorie, carbohydrate and sugar consumption within these two groups. Under the guise of critiquing student films, university students viewed either one of two stress-inducing videos (academic stress or attachment stress, both designed to be emotionally arousing) or a control video (designed to be emotionally neutral), and their food intake was recorded. Results demonstrated that the video manipulations were effective in inducing stress. Differential patterns of eating were noted based on group and stress condition. Specifically, stress-undereaters ate fewer calories, carbohydrates and sugars than stress-eaters in the academic stress condition, but not in the attachment stress or control condition. Findings suggest that specific types of stressors may influence eating behaviors differently. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding Vocalization Might Help to Assess Stressful Conditions in Piglets

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Diego Pereira Neves

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Assessing pigs’ welfare is one of the most challenging subjects in intensive pig farming. Animal vocalization analysis is a noninvasive procedure and may be used as a tool for assessing animal welfare status. The objective of this research was to identify stress conditions in piglets reared in farrowing pens through their vocalization. Vocal signals were collected from 40 animals under the following situations: normal (baseline, feeling cold, in pain, and feeling hunger. A unidirectional microphone positioned about 15 cm from the animals’ mouth was used for recording the acoustic signals. The microphone was connected to a digital recorder, where the signals were digitized at the 44,100 Hz frequency. The collected sounds were edited and analyzed. The J48 decision tree algorithm available at the Weka® data mining software was used for stress classification. It was possible to categorize diverse conditions from the piglets’ vocalization during the farrowing phase (pain, cold and hunger, with an accuracy rate of 81.12%. Results indicated that vocalization might be an effective welfare indicator, and it could be applied for assessing distress from pain, cold and hunger in farrowing piglets.

Influence of conditioned psychological stress on immunological recovery in mice exposed to low-dose x irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, K.; Flood, J.F.; Makinodan, T.

1984-01-01

A study was initiated to determine the effects of psychological stress on the immune response in BALB/c mice recovering from exposure to a low dose of ionizing radiation. Mice were first subjected to conditioning training for 12 days, then exposed to 200 R, subjected to psychological stress for 14 days, and assessed for peak anti-sheep RBC response. The seven treatment groups included two unirradiated groups and five irradiated groups. Mice exposed to 200 R and then subjected to conditioned psychological stress responded less vigorously to antigenic stimulation than those of the other irradiated groups. The psychological stress imposed upon these mice did not influence the antibody-forming capacity of unirradiated mice. These results indicate that a psychological stress which did not affect the immunological activity of unirradiated mice can curtail the immunological recovery of mice exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation

Cth2 Protein Mediates Early Adaptation of Yeast Cells to Oxidative Stress Conditions.

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Laia Castells-Roca

Full Text Available Cth2 is an mRNA-binding protein that participates in remodeling yeast cell metabolism in iron starvation conditions by promoting decay of the targeted molecules, in order to avoid excess iron consumption. This study shows that in the absence of Cth2 immediate upregulation of expression of several of the iron regulon genes (involved in high affinity iron uptake and intracellular iron redistribution upon oxidative stress by hydroperoxide is more intense than in wild type conditions where Cth2 is present. The oxidative stress provokes a temporary increase in the levels of Cth2 (itself a member of the iron regulon. In such conditions Cth2 molecules accumulate at P bodies-like structures when the constitutive mRNA decay machinery is compromised. In addition, a null Δcth2 mutant shows defects, in comparison to CTH2 wild type cells, in exit from α factor-induced arrest at the G1 stage of the cell cycle when hydroperoxide treatment is applied. The cell cycle defects are rescued in conditions that compromise uptake of external iron into the cytosol. The observations support a role of Cth2 in modulating expression of diverse iron regulon genes, excluding those specifically involved in the reductive branch of the high-affinity transport. This would result in immediate adaptation of the yeast cells to an oxidative stress, by controlling uptake of oxidant-promoting iron cations.

The Lcn2-engineered HEK-293 cells show senescence under stressful condition

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Bahareh Bahmani

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: Lipocalin2 (Lcn2 gene is highly expressed in response to various types of cellular stresses. The precise role of Lcn2 has not been fully understood yet. However, it plays a key role in controlling vital cellular processes such as proliferation, apoptosis and metabolism. Recently it was shown that Lcn2 decreases senescence and increases proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC with finite life span under either normal or oxidative stress conditions. However, Lcn2 effects on immortal cell line with infinite proliferation are not defined completely.  Materials and Material and Methods: HEK-293 cells were transfected with recombinant pcDNA3.1 containing Lcn2 fragment (pcDNA3.1-Lcn2. Expression of lipocalin2 in transfected cells was evaluated by RT-PCR, real time RT-PCR, and ELISA. Different cell groups were treated with H2O2 and WST-1 assay was performed to determine their proliferation rate. Senescence was studied by β-galactosidase and gimsa staining methods as well as evaluation of the expression of senescence-related genes by real time RT-PCR. Results: Lcn2 increased cell proliferation under normal culture condition, while the proliferation slightly decreased under oxidative stress.  This decrease was further found to be attributed to senescence. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that under harmful conditions, Lcn2 gene is responsible for the regulation of cell survival through senescence.

Genotypic Correlation and Path Analysis of Some Traits related to Oil Yield and Grain Yield in Canola (Brassica napus L. under Non-stress and Water Deficit Stress Conditions

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A Ismaili

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction Obtaining varieties with acceptable yield and tolerant to different arid and semi-arid climate condition of Iran is an important goal in canola breeding programs. Selection of genotypes base on one or more traits without regarding to correlation between them, could biases the expected results. Therefore, identifying of genetic correlation among traits especially in environmental stress condition is very important. The use of genotypic correlation helps evaluating the magnitude and direction of associations between characters facilitating the application of indirect selection, because genetic changes in a given trait may change other traits, leading to faster and larger genetic gains in plant breeding programs. Therefore, the selection for another trait may result in indirect response in the low heritable trait, provided the following conditions are satisfied: the genetic correlation between them is substantial, and the heritability of the secondary trait is greater than that of the primary trait. The purpose of this study was estimating the total genotypic variability, genotypic correlations, and path analysis among some important traits for selection criteria for improving seed and oil yield in canola under water deficit stress condition. Materials and Methods For evaluation of genetic correlation among traits and identifying important affecting traits on grain yield and oil yield in canola genotypes, an experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete blocks design with three replications in two different conditions of water deficit (stress and non-stress. Different traits were measured including seed yield, 1000-seed weight, number of seeds per pod, number of pods per plant, silique length, oil content, days to maturity, protein content, plant height and water use efficiency. Genotypic and phenotypic correlation coefficients were calculated for ten characters during growing seasons. The genotypic correlation coefficients

Realizability conditions for the turbulent stress tensor in large-eddy simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vreman, A.W.; Geurts, Bernardus J.; Kuerten, Johannes G.M.

1994-01-01

The turbulent stress tensor in large-eddy simulation is examined from a theoretical point of view. Realizability conditions for the components of this tensor are derived, which hold if and only if the filter function is positive. The spectral cut-off, one of the filters frequently used in large-eddy

Study of Sesame (Sesame indicum L. Cultivars based on Morphological Characteristics Under Water Deficit Stress Condition Using Factor Analysis

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A Asghari

2014-03-01

Full Text Available In order to evaluation sesame cultivars based on morphological characteristics under water deficit stress condition using factor analysis, an experiment was conducted as a split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications during 2009 in Research Center of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Parsabad. In this experiment, irrigation as the main factor at three levels (50, 75 and 100 percent of crop water requirement and ten sesame cultivars as the sub-factor were studied. The water requirement of sesame was calculated using CROPWAT software (Penman-Monteith method according to FAO-56. Results showed significant differences between the cultivars and the irrigation levels for all studied traits. Interaction between cultivars and irrigation levels was significant for some of traits. Comparisons of means showed that in water deficit condition, yield and all of traits reduced. In all traits the greatest amounts observed in complete irrigation treatment. In 50 percent of water requirement treatment, amount of leaf chlorophyll, root length, root branches and root length/plant height ratio were greater than other treatments. The Karaj1, Ultan, Naze and IS cultivars were better than other cultivars in stress and non stress condition. In factor analysis 5 and 4 first factors in non stress and stress condition explained 91.36 and 89.52 percent of trait variance, respectively. Grouping of sesame cultivars based on first and second factors in non stress conditions showed that Karaj1, Ultan and Naze cultivars were better than other cultivars. Also, in stress conditions Karaj1 and Ultan cultivars grouped as water deficit stress and better cultivars.

Environmental stress in German forests; assessment of critical deposition levels and their exceedances and meteorological stress for crown condition monitoring sites in Germany

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klap, J.M.; Reinds, G.J.; Bleeker, A.; Vries, de W.

2000-01-01

Site-specific estimations of meteorological stress and atmospheric deposition were made for the systematic 8 x 8 km2 forest condition monitoring network in Germany for the years 1987-1995. Winter cold and late frost were important temperature stress variables and relative transpiration was a good

Effect of Filter Cake on Physiological Traits and Ear Yield of Sweet Corn under Late Drought Stress Condition

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aziz karmollachaab

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction Environmental stresses are one of the main causes of severe yield reductions. Drought is still a serious agronomic problem and also one of the most important factors contributing to crop yield loss in arid and semi-arid areas in the world. Filter Cake is a byproduct of sugarcane industry and experiments on corn showed that the use of 20 tons per hectare Filter Cake increases crop productivity, total amount of dry matter, protein and forage yield compared with the control. Materials and methods This experiment was conducted at the Research Station of the Ramin Agricultural University of Khuzestan in 2012. The experiment was done as a split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Drought stress at the end of the growth period in three levels, non-stress, mild and severe drought stress, respectively irrigated after 25, 50 and 75% depletion of available water, and was considered as the main factor. Drought stress was applied in early stage of the male inflorescence of plants to maturity for 35 days, due to the critical stage of the plant in late spring. Soil moisture was determined by gravimetric method. Different doses of Filter Cake (0, 10, 20 and 30 tons per hectare were considered as subplot factor and was added to the soil two days before the seeding. The final harvest as green corn was performed in the first phase of dough by hand in three times and two midfields of each subplot was considered as the margin of half a meter for each side. Finally, the data were analyzed using SAS 9.1 and means were compared by Duncan’s multiple range test at probability level of 5%. Results and discussion In non-stress conditions, Filter Cake is significantly increased plant height, So the amounts of 20 and 30 tons per hectare increased by 11.7% and 10.1% of the plant’s height, respectively, but the use of 10 tons of Filter Cake did not have a significant effect on it. In severe stress conditions, the use of

Measurement of stress distributions in truck tyre contact patch in real rolling conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Anghelache, Gabriel; Moisescu, Raluca

2012-12-01

Stress distributions on three orthogonal directions have been measured across the contact patch of truck tyres using the complex measuring system that contains a transducer assembly with 30 sensing elements placed in the road surface. The measurements have been performed in straight line, in real rolling conditions. Software applications for calibration, data acquisition, and data processing were developed. The influence of changes in inflation pressure and rolling speed on the shapes and sizes of truck tyre contact patch has been shown. The shapes and magnitudes of normal, longitudinal, and lateral stress distributions, measured at low speed, have been presented and commented. The effect of wheel toe-in and camber on the stress distribution results was observed. The paper highlights the impact of the longitudinal tread ribs on the shear stress distributions. The ratios of stress distributions in the truck tyre contact patch have been computed and discussed.

Comparisons of urban and rural heat stress conditions in a hot–humid tropical city

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Ahmed A. Balogun

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Background: In recent years the developing world, much of which is located in the tropical countries, has seen dramatic growth of its urban population associated with serious degradation of environmental quality. Climate change is producing major impacts including increasing temperatures in these countries that are considered to be most vulnerable to the impact of climate change due to inadequate public health infrastructure and low income status. However, relevant information and data for informed decision making on human health and comfort are lacking in these countries. Objective: The aim of this paper is to study and compare heat stress conditions in an urban (city centre and rural (airport environments in Akure, a medium-sized tropical city in south-western Nigeria during the dry harmattan season (January–March of 2009. Materials and methods: We analysed heat stress conditions in terms of the mean hourly values of the thermohygrometric index (THI, defined by simultaneous in situ air temperature and relative humidity measurements at both sites. Results: The urban heat island (UHI exists in Akure as the city centre is warmer than the rural airport throughout the day. However, the maximum UHI intensity occurs at night between 1900 and 2200 hours local time. Hot conditions were predominant at both sites, comfortable conditions were only experienced in the morning and evenings of January at both sites, but the rural area has more pleasant morning and evenings and less of very hot and torrid conditions. January has the lowest frequency of hot and torrid conditions at both sites, while March and February has the highest at the city centre and the airport, respectively. The higher frequencies of high temperatures in the city centre suggest a significant heat stress and health risk in this hot humid environment of Akure. Conclusions: More research is needed to achieve better understanding of the seasonal variation of indoor and outdoor heat stress

Compositions and methods for providing plants with tolerance to abiotic stress conditions

KAUST Repository

Hirt, Heribert; De Zelicourt, Axel; Saad, Maged

2017-01-01

It has been discovered that the desert endophytic bacterium SA187 SA187 can provide resistance or tolerance to abiotic stress conditions to seeds or plants. Compositions containing SA187 can be used to enhance plant development and yield under

Characterization of sensitization and stress corrosion cracking behavior of stabilized stainless steels under BWR conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kilian, R.; Ilg, U.; Meier, V.; Teichmann, H.; Wachter, O.

1995-01-01

Stress corrosion cracking occurs if the three parameters -- material condition, tensile stress and water chemistry -- are in a critical range. In this study the material conditions especially of Ti- and Nb-stabilized steels are considered. The purpose of this work is to show the influence of the degree of sensitization of Ti- and Nb-stabilized stainless steels on stress corrosion cracking susceptibility in BWR water chemistry. This is an on-going research program. Preliminary results will be presented. Different types of stabilized, and for comparison unstabilized, stainless steels are examined in various heat treatment conditions with regard to their sensitization behavior by EPR tests (double loop) and TEM. The results are plotted in sensitization diagrams. The sensitization behavior depends on many parameters such as carbon content, stabilization element, stabilization ratio and materials history, e.g. solution heat treatment or cold working. The obtained EPR sensitization diagrams are compared with the well known sensitization diagrams from the literature, which were determined by standard IC test according to e.g. German standard DIN 50914 (equivalent to ASTM A 262, Pract. E). Based on the obtained EPR sensitization diagrams material conditions for SSRT tests were selected. The EPR values (Ir/Ia x 100%) of the tested Ti-stabilized stainless steel are in the range of ∼ 0.1--20%. The SSRT tests are carried out in high-temperature water with 0.4 ppm O 2 , a conductivity of 0.5 microS/cm and a strain rate of 1x10 -6-1 . The test temperature is 280 C. Ti-stabilized stainless steel with Ir/Ia x 100% > 1% suffered intergranular stress corrosion cracking under these conditions. The SCC tests for Nb-stabilized stainless steel are still in progress. The correlation between EPR value, chromium depletion and SSRT result will be shown for a selected material condition of sensitized Ti-stabilized stainless steel

Overexpression of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F stimulates renal Ace-2 gene expression and prevents TGF-β1-induced kidney injury in a mouse model of diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lo, Chao-Sheng; Shi, Yixuan; Chang, Shiao-Ying; Abdo, Shaaban; Chenier, Isabelle; Filep, Janos G; Ingelfinger, Julie R; Zhang, Shao-Ling; Chan, John S D

2015-10-01

We investigated whether heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F (hnRNP F) stimulates renal ACE-2 expression and prevents TGF-β1 signalling, TGF-β1 inhibition of Ace-2 gene expression and induction of tubulo-fibrosis in an Akita mouse model of type 1 diabetes. Adult male Akita transgenic (Tg) mice overexpressing specifically hnRNP F in their renal proximal tubular cells (RPTCs) were studied. Non-Akita littermates and Akita mice served as controls. Immortalised rat RPTCs stably transfected with plasmid containing either rat Hnrnpf cDNA or rat Ace-2 gene promoter were also studied. Overexpression of hnRNP F attenuated systemic hypertension, glomerular filtration rate, albumin/creatinine ratio, urinary angiotensinogen (AGT) and angiotensin (Ang) II levels, renal fibrosis and profibrotic gene (Agt, Tgf-β1, TGF-β receptor II [Tgf-βrII]) expression, stimulated anti-profibrotic gene (Ace-2 and Ang 1-7 receptor [MasR]) expression, and normalised urinary Ang 1-7 level in Akita Hnrnpf-Tg mice as compared with Akita mice. In vitro, hnRNP F overexpression stimulated Ace-2 gene promoter activity, mRNA and protein expression, and attenuated Agt, Tgf-β1 and Tgf-βrII gene expression. Furthermore, hnRNP F overexpression prevented TGF-β1 signalling and TGF-β1 inhibition of Ace-2 gene expression. These data demonstrate that hnRNP F stimulates Ace-2 gene transcription, prevents TGF-β1 inhibition of Ace-2 gene transcription and induction of kidney injury in diabetes. HnRNP F may be a potential target for treating hypertension and renal fibrosis in diabetes.

Effect of constraint condition and internal medium on residual stress under overlay welding for dissimilar metal welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Tae Kwang; Kim, Yun Jae; Lee, Kyoung Soo; Park, Chi Yong; Kim, Jong Sung; Kim, Jin Weon

2007-01-01

In nuclear power plants, residual stress of dissimilar metal weld propagates cracks in the weld metal which is susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. Overlay welding is a process widely used to mitigate residual stress replacing inside tensile stress by compression stress. However, according to the result of this study the effect of overlay welding on residual stress depends on both internal medium and constraint condition. The purpose of this study is to maximize the positive effect of overlay welding by finite element analyses

Performance of diverse wheat genetic stocks under moisture stress condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seher, M.; Shabbir, G.; Rasheed, A.

2015-01-01

This study was conducted to evaluate divergent wheat germplasm for their performance under drought and control conditions. The germplasm consists of wheat land races of Pakistan, advanced D-genome synthetic derivatives and high yielding varieties of Pakistan. This wide array of germplasm was selected to identify sources, which can be opted later by the wheat breeders while breeding for drought tolerance. The evaluation parameters involved some important physiochemical testing and morphological characteristics in the field under drought and control conditions. Based on these parameters, 13 wheat genotypes were selected on the basis of their best performance regarding morphological and physiological parameters. These genotypes exhibited higher yield under drought stress conditions and increased percentage of proline, sugar, SOD and protein content under laboratory conditions as compared to the susceptible genotypes. Correlation studies revealed that grains per spike (GPS) and thousand grain weight (TGW) had direct relationship with spike length (SL), proline and sugar content under both control and drought conditions. Thus, these parameters can be used as selection criteria for the identification of tolerant genotypes. (author)

A reference stress approach for the characterisation of the creep failure of dissimilar welds under isothermal conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicholson, R.D.; Williams, J.A.

1988-11-01

In high temperature power plant, welds between austenitic and ferritic steels are required to operate under plant conditions for up to 250,000h. The experience and failure modes for such joints are briefly surveyed in this report. A semi-empirical reference stress approach is used to define the failure life of joints under isothermal conditions. The reference stress is based on a previously published form for multiaxial creep fracture of homogeneous materials but modified to include an additional factor to reflect the complex strains present close to the interface in a dissimilar weld. This reference stress can be modified to give approximate bounds characterised by the equivalent stress or the axial stress on the weld. The reference stress, when applied to the 21/4Cr1Mo:Type 316 welded component data base, gives conservative results for the test data available although conservatism is low for the 9Cr1Mo:Alloy 600 combination. The existing data base for welded components is limited. More data are needed covering a wider range of stress ratios and incorporating bending loads. (author)

Factors affecting stress assisted corrosion cracking of carbon steel under industrial boiler conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Dong

Failure of carbon steel boiler tubes from waterside has been reported in the utility boilers and industrial boilers for a long time. In industrial boilers, most waterside tube cracks are found near heavy attachment welds on the outer surface and are typically blunt, with multiple bulbous features indicating a discontinuous growth. These types of tube failures are typically referred to as stress assisted corrosion (SAC). For recovery boilers in the pulp and paper industry, these failures are particularly important as any water leak inside the furnace can potentially lead to smelt-water explosion. Metal properties, environmental variables, and stress conditions are the major factors influencing SAC crack initation and propagation in carbon steel boiler tubes. Slow strain rate tests (SSRT) were conducted under boiler water conditions to study the effect of temperature, oxygen level, and stress conditions on crack initation and propagation on SA-210 carbon steel samples machined out of boiler tubes. Heat treatments were also performed to develop various grain size and carbon content on carbon steel samples, and SSRTs were conducted on these samples to examine the effect of microstructure features on SAC cracking. Mechanisms of SAC crack initation and propagation were proposed and validated based on interrupted slow strain tests (ISSRT). Water chemistry guidelines are provided to prevent SAC and fracture mechanics model is developed to predict SAC failure on industrial boiler tubes.

Functional loss of GABA transaminase (GABA-T expressed early leaf senescence under various stress conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Uzma Jalil

2017-06-01

Full Text Available GABA-transaminase (GABA-T involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism during the plant development process via GABA shunt and GABA-T mutant, which is defective in GABA catabolism, is ideal model to examine the role of GABA-T in plant development and leaf senescence of plant. We have characterized GABA transaminase knock out mutant pop2-1 that is transition and pop2-3 which is T-DNA insertion mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana during various stress conditions.The GABA-T knockout mutant plants displayed precocious leaf senescence, which was accompanied by the assays of physiological parameters of leaf senescence during various stress conditions. Furthermore, our physiological evidence indicates that pop2-1 and pop2-3 mutations rapidly decreased the efficiency of leaf photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, GABA content, GABA-T, and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD activity and on the other hand increases membrane ion leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA level in stress induced leaves. However, cell viability assay by trypan blue and insitu Hydrogen peroxidation assay by 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB in stress induced leaves also display that pop2-1 and pop2-3 mutant leaves show oversensitivity in response to different stress conditions as compared to wild type. These results strongly indicate that the loss-of-function of GABA transaminase gene induces early leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana during various stress conditions.

Impact of desiccation and heat exposure stress on Salmonella tolerance to acidic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Kurt E; Cox, Nelson A; Cosby, Douglas E; Berrang, Mark E

2018-02-01

In a recent study, the pH of commonly used Salmonella pre-enrichment media became acidic (pH 4.0 to 5.0) when feed or feed ingredients were incubated for 24 h. Acidic conditions have been reported to injure or kill Salmonella. In this study, cultures of four known feed isolates (S. montevideo, S. senftenberg, S. tennessee, and S. schwarzengrund) and four important processing plant isolates (S. typhimurium, S. enteritidis, S. infantis, and S. heidelberg) were grown on meat and bone meal and later subjected to desiccation and heat exposure to stress the microorganism. The impact of stress on the isolates ability to survive in acidic conditions ranging from pH 4.0 to 7.0 was compared to the non-stressed isolate. Cell injury was determined on xylose lysine tergitol 4 (XLT4) and cell death determined on nutrient agar (NA). When measured by cell death in non-stressed Salmonella, S. typhimurium was the most acid tolerant and S. heidelberg was the most acid sensitive whereas in stressed Salmonella, S. senftenberg was the most acid tolerant and S. tennessee was the most acid sensitive. The pH required to cause cell injury varied among isolates. With some isolates, the pH required for 50% cell death and 50% cell injury was similar. In other isolates, cell injury occurred at a more neutral pH. These findings suggest that the pH of pre-enrichment media may influence the recovery and bias the serotype of Salmonella recovered from feed during pre-enrichment.

Effect of Stress Conditions on Body Composition Parameters of Farmed Rohu (Labeo rohita)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shah, Syed Qaswar Ali; Hussain, Muhammad Zubair; Asif Ali, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Various stressors affect the body composition of fish. The current study was undertaken to investigate the effect of stress conditions on the body composition of farmed Labeo rohita. Sixty fingerlings were subjected to experimentation in aquaria after being acclimatized. The specimens were divided...... into control, starvation stress and double stress (pH 8 and starvation) groups with 20 individuals in each group. Fish samples for the estimation of body composition were taken after 12 days, 24 days, 36 days and 48 days. Standard procedures and protocols were used for analysis. There was a trend of gradual...... increase in ash contents (% dry body weight) in starvation and double stress group with increase in number of days. However, fat contents (% dry body weight) considerably decreased and protein contents remained unchanged. The inter-comparison of three groups showed that there was significant effect...

Rock Strength Anisotropy in High Stress Conditions: A Case Study for Application to Shaft Stability Assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Watson Julian Matthew

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Although rock strength anisotropy is a well-known phenomenon in rock mechanics, its impact on geotechnical design is often ignored or underestimated. This paper explores the concept of anisotropy in a high stress environment using an improved unified constitutive model (IUCM, which can account for more complex failure mechanisms. The IUCM is used to better understand the typical responses of anisotropic rocks to underground mining. This study applies the IUCM to a proposed rock shaft located in high stress/anisotropic conditions. Results suggest that the effect of rock strength anisotropy must be taken into consideration when assessing the rock mass response to mining in high stress and anisotropic rock conditions.

Condition of pro-oxidant and antioxidant systems in guinea pigs’ lungs under the condition of immobilization stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mykhailo Stepanovych Reheda

2017-11-01

Full Text Available We have investigated the results of alterations in indices of pro-oxidant (conjugated diene and malondialdehyde and antioxidant (superoxide dismutase, ceruloplasmin, catalase systems in guinea pigs’ lungs  under the conditions of immobilization stress. The experiment was conducted on 40 female guinea pigs weighing 0.18-0.20 kg. The animals were divided into 4 groups, each contained 10 guinea pigs: I – intact guinea pigs ( control, II–guinea pigs with model of IS on1st day of experiment;Ш–animals on 2nd  day of experiment;IV- group of animals on 34th day of experimental model of IS. The results of our experimental work showed  a significant accumulation of lipid peroxidation products in the lung`s tissure in different periods ( on 1st, 2nd and 34th days of immobilization stress. The state of antioxidant defence was characterized by moderate decrease of inzymes activity (superoxide dismutase, catalase and ceruloplasmin. disorders of balance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant systems couse oxidative stress development.

Analysis of the stress-deformed condition of the disassembly parabolic antenna

Science.gov (United States)

Odinets, M. N.; Kaygorodtseva, N. V.; Krysova, I. V.

2018-01-01

Active development of satellite communications and computer-aided design systems raises the problem of designing parabolic antennas on a new round of development. The aim of the work was to investigate the influence of the design of the mirror of a parabolic antenna on its endurance under wind load. The research task was an automated analysis of the stress-deformed condition of various designs of computer models of a paraboloid mirror (segmented or holistic) at modeling the exploitation conditions. The peculiarity of the research was that the assembly model of the antenna’s mirror was subjected to rigid connections on the contacting surfaces of the segments and only then the finite element grid was generated. The analysis showed the advantage of the design of the demountable antenna, which consists of cyclic segments, in front of the construction of the holistic antenna. Calculation of the stress-deformed condition of the antennas allows us to conclude that dividing the design of the antenna’s mirror on parabolic and cyclic segments increases it strength and rigidity. In the future, this can be used to minimize the mass of antenna and the dimensions of the disassembled antenna. The presented way of modeling a mirror of a parabolic antenna using to the method of the finite-element analysis can be used in the production of antennas.

Effect of Contact Conditions on Void Coalescence at Low Stress Triaxiality Shearing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, Jonas; Nielsen, Kim Lau; Tvergaard, Viggo

2012-01-01

, the deformed voids develop into shapes that closely resemble micro-cracks. It is found that the predictions using the frictionless pseudo-contact approach are in rather good agreement with corresponding simulations that fully account for frictionless contact. In particular, good agreement is found at close...... to zero stress triaxiality. Furthermore, it is shown that accounting for friction at the void surface strongly postpones the onset of coalescence, hence, increasing the overall material ductility. The changes in overall material behavior are here presented for a wide range of initial material and loading...... conditions, such as various stress triaxialities, void sizes, and friction coefficients....

Effects of environmental stress on forest crown condition in Europe. Part IV statistical analysis of relationships

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klap, J.M.; Oude Voshaar, J.H.; Vries, de W.; Erisman, J.W.

2000-01-01

Site-specific estimates for various environmental stress factors were related with measured crown condition data at a systematic 16 x: 16 km(2) grid over Europe, according to previously stated hypotheses, using a multiple regression approach, including interactions, and lagged effects of stress

Correlation between vortices and wall shear stress in a curved artery model under pulsatile flow conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Christopher; Plesniak, Michael W.

2017-11-01

One of the most physiologically relevant factors within the cardiovascular system is the wall shear stress. The wall shear stress affects endothelial cells via mechanotransduction and atherosclerotic regions are strongly correlated with curvature and branching in the human vasculature, where the shear stress is both oscillatory and multidirectional. Also, the combined effect of curvature and pulsatility in cardiovascular flows produces unsteady vortices. In this work, our goal is to assess the correlation between multiple vortex pairs and wall shear stress. To accomplish this, we use an in-house high-order flux reconstruction Navier-Stokes solver to simulate pulsatile flow of a Newtonian blood-analog fluid through a rigid 180° curved artery model. We use a physiologically relevant flow rate and generate results using both fully developed and uniform entrance conditions, the latter motivated by the fact that flow upstream to a curved artery may not be fully developed. Under these two inflow conditions, we characterize the evolution of various vortex pairs and their subsequent effect on several wall shear stress metrics. Supported by GW Center for Biomimetics and Bioinspired Engineering.

Effects of stress conditions on the generation of negative bias temperature instability-associated interface traps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yue; Pu Shi; Lei Xiao-Yi; Chen Qing; Ma Xiao-Hua; Hao Yue

2013-01-01

The exponent n of the generation of an interface trap (N it ), which contributes to the power-law negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) degradation, and the exponent's time evolution are investigated by simulations with varying the stress voltage V g and temperature T. It is found that the exponent n in the diffusion-limited phase of the degradation process is irrelevant to both V g and T. The time evolution of the exponent n is affected by the stress conditions, which is reflected in the shift of the onset of the diffusion-limited phase. According to the diffusion profiles, the generation of the atomic hydrogen species, which is equal to the buildup of N it , is strongly correlated with the stress conditions, whereas the diffusion of the hydrogen species shows V g -unaffected but T-affected relations through the normalized results

Physiological Signals and Their Fractal Response to Stress Conditions, Environmental Changes and Neurodegenerative Diseases

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Scafetta, N; Moon, R. E; West, B. J

2006-01-01

.... Some of these studies have been intended to develop more reliable methodologies for understanding how biological systems respond to peculiar altered conditions induced by internal stress, environment...

On the influence of abiotic stress conditions on growth of barley and bean and their predisposition for pathogens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oerke, E.C.; Schoenbeck, F.

1986-01-01

Shorttime changes of environmental conditions stressed barley and bean and affected plant growth and their predisposition for various pathogens. Moderate stress intensities as low or high temperatures, water or light deficits, increased the susceptibility to Erysiphe graminis var. hordei or Uromyces phaseoli and reduced disease level of spot blotch caused by Cochliobolus sativus, respectively. There was only little effect on plant growth in that case. Intensive stress as a result of combinations of unfavorable environmental conditions or longtime continuance of moderate stress reduced the plant growth and turned the predisposing effect to the opposite: after the treatment, plants were more resistent to diseases caused by biotrophic fungi, whereas there was increased susceptibility to the perthotrophic fungus. High intensities of fertilization acted as an additional stress and intensified the plant reaction to environmental alterations. The variation of the predisposition is discussed in relation to stress intensity.

Proteomic analysis on roots of Oenothera glazioviana under copper-stress conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chong; Wang, Jie; Wang, Xiao; Xia, Yan; Chen, Chen; Shen, Zhenguo; Chen, Yahua

2017-09-06

Proteomic studies were performed to identify proteins involved in the response of Oenothera glazioviana seedlings under Cu stress. Exposure of 28-d-old seedlings to 50 μM CuSO4 for 3 d led to inhibition of shoot and root growth as well as a considerable increase in the level of lipid peroxidation in the roots. Cu absorbed by O. glazioviana accumulated more easily in the root than in the shoot. Label-free proteomic analysis indicated 58 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) of the total 3,149 proteins in the roots of O. glazioviana seedlings, of which 36 were upregulated and 22 were downregulated under Cu stress conditions. Gene Ontology analysis showed that most of the identified proteins could be annotated to signal transduction, detoxification, stress defence, carbohydrate, energy, and protein metabolism, development, and oxidoreduction. We also retrieved 13 proteins from the enriched Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes and the protein-protein interaction databases related to various pathways, including the citric acid (CA) cycle. Application of exogenous CA to O. glazioviana seedlings exposed to Cu alleviated the stress symptoms. Overall, this study provided new insights into the molecular mechanisms of plant response to Cu at the protein level in relation to soil properties.

Associations between headache and stress, alcohol drinking, exercise, sleep, and comorbid health conditions in a Japanese population.

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoyama, Masako; Yokoyama, Tetsuji; Funazu, Kazuo; Yamashita, Takeshi; Kondo, Shuji; Hosoai, Hiroshi; Yokoyama, Akira; Nakamura, Haruo

2009-06-01

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 12,988 subjects aged 20-79 years (5,908 men and 7,090 women) receiving health checkups at a Tokyo clinic. They filled out a self-administered structured questionnaire, and 5.4% of the men and 15.4% of the women reported having headaches. Younger subjects were more prone to having headaches. The likelihood of having headaches increased with stress level and decreased ability to relieve stress in both genders. There was an inverse dose-response relationship between having headaches and alcohol consumption, and less walking/exercise and sleep problems increased the likelihood of headaches in both genders. Headache sufferers of both genders were more likely to report multiple additional poor health conditions. A multivariate stepwise logistic analysis showed that age, self-estimated degree of stress, reported number of additional poor health conditions, and less alcohol consumption were independently correlated with having headaches. In conclusion, although women were more susceptible to headache, Japanese men and women in Tokyo shared factors associated with headache, including age, stress, having other poor health conditions, alcohol consumption, sleep, and exercise.

Mental skills training effectively minimizes operative performance deterioration under stressful conditions: Results of a randomized controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Anton, N E; Beane, J; Yurco, A M; Howley, L D; Bean, E; Myers, E M; Stefanidis, D

2018-02-01

Stress can negatively impact surgical performance, but mental skills may help. We hypothesized that a comprehensive mental skills curriculum (MSC) would minimize resident performance deterioration under stress. Twenty-four residents were stratified then randomized to receive mental skills and FLS training (MSC group), or only FLS training (control group). Laparoscopic suturing skill was assessed on a live porcine model with and without external stressors. Outcomes were compared with t-tests. Twenty-three residents completed the study. The groups were similar at baseline. There were no differences in suturing at posttest or transfer test under normal conditions. Both groups experienced significantly decreased performance when stress was applied, but the MSC group significantly outperformed controls under stress. This MSC enabled residents to perform significantly better than controls in the simulated OR under unexpected stressful conditions. These findings support the use of psychological skills as an integral part of a surgical resident training. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Temper Condition on Stress Relaxation Behavior of an Aluminum Copper Lithium Alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Sumeet; Beura, Vikrant Kumar; Singh, Amit; Yadava, Manasij; Nayan, Niraj

2018-04-01

Deformation behavior of an Al-Cu-Li alloy in different temper conditions (solutionized and T8) is investigated using stress relaxation tests. Fundamental parameters such as the apparent and physical activation volume, strain rate sensitivity, effective stress, and exhaustion rate of mobile dislocation density are determined from single and multiple relaxation tests. It was found that dislocation-dislocation interaction controls the kinetics of plastic deformation in the solutionized sample, whereas dislocation-precipitate interaction is the overriding factor in the presence of T1 precipitates. The apparent activation volume was found to be significantly lower in the presence of T1 precipitates compared with solutionized samples. Strain rate sensitivity and effective stress were found to be higher in the presence of T1 precipitates. In addition, multiple relaxation tests showed that irrespective of microstructural features (solutes, semi-coherent precipitates), the mobile dislocation density reduces during the relaxation period. Further evidence regarding reduction in mobile dislocation density is obtained from uniaxial tensile tests carried out after stress relaxation tests, where both solutionized and T8 samples show an increase in strength. Additional discussion on relaxation strain is included to provide a complete overview regarding the time-dependent deformation behavior of the Al-Cu-Li alloy in different temper conditions.

Dynamic of bioelectric activity back hypothalamus changes in conditions of pyroxan application on the background of stress-reaction developmen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. G. Chaus

2005-04-01

Full Text Available The dynamic of changes of capacity of electroencephalogram’s rhythms back hypothalamus at animals of control group and group in stress conditions in parallel with rats who on a background of stress development accepted pyroxan is analyzed. The submitted results have shown influence of a pharmacological preparation pyroxan on bioelectric activity of back hypothalamus in stress conditions that restoration of electric activity under action of this preparation was more shown at 3 weeks of its application.

Survival, physical and physiological changes of Taenia hydatigena eggs under different conditions of water stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez Thevenet, Paula; Alvarez, Hector Manuel; Basualdo, Juan Angel

2017-06-01

Taenia hydatigena eggs were investigated for morphological and physiological changes under water stress conditions. Fresh eggs were exposed at 31%, 47% and 89% of relative humidity (RH), and survival, size and ultrastructural changes were accounted up to 365 days of exposition. The article shows how each RH environment affects the vitality of the eggs. Results of this study suggest that T. hydatigena eggs have mechanisms to withstand water stress, indicating that the eggs clustering improves protection against desiccation, and that endogenous metabolism using triacylglycerols play an important role in the maintenance of embryo vitality under low, medium and high relative humidity conditions. This contributes to understanding the water stress resistance mechanism in eggs belonging to Taeniidae family. The findings shown herein have provided a basis to better comprehend basic biology and epidemiology of the cysticercosis caused by T. hydatigena. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Investigation of effect of post weld heat treatment conditions on residual stress for ITER blanket shield blocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Hun-Chea, E-mail: hcjung@nfri.re.kr [ITER Korea, National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sa-Woong [ITER Korea, National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Yun-Hee [Division of Convergence Technology, Korea Research Institute of Standard and Science (KRISS), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Baek, Seung-Wook [Division of Industrial Metrology, Korea Research Institute of Standard and Science (KRISS), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ha, Min-Su; Shim, Hee-Jin [ITER Korea, National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • PWHT for ITER blanket shield block should be performed for dimensional stability. • Investigation of the effect of PWHT conditions on properties was performed. • Instrumented indentation method for evaluation of properties was used. • Residual stress and hardness decreased with increasing PWHT temperature. • Optimization of PWHT conditions would be needed for satisfaction of requirement. - Abstract: The blanket shield block (SB) shall be required the tight tolerance because SB interfaces with many components, such as flexible support keypads, First Wall (FW) support contact surfaces, FW central bolt, electrical strap contact surfaces and attachment inserts for both FW and Vacuum Vessel (VV). In order to fulfil the tight tolerance requirement, stress relieving shall be performed for dimensional stability after cover welding operation. In this paper, effect of Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT) conditions, temperature and holding time, was investigated on the residual stress and hardness. The 316L Stainless Steel (SS) was prepared and welded by manual TIG welding by using filler material with 2.4 mm of diameter. Welded 316L SS plate was machined to prepare the specimen for PWHT. PWHT was implemented at 250, 300, 400 °C for 2 and 3 h (400 °C only) and residual stress after relaxation were determined. The evaluation of residual stress and hardness for each specimen was carried out by instrumented indentation technique. The residual stress and hardness were decreased with increasing the heat treatment temperature and holding time.

Effect of the Evaporative Cooling on the Human Thermal Comfort and Heat Stress in a Greenhouse under Arid Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Abdel-Ghany

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Thermal sensation and heat stress were evaluated in a plastic greenhouse, with and without evaporative cooling, under arid climatic conditions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Suitable thermal comfort and heat stress scales were selected for the evaluation. Experiments were conducted in hot sunny days to measure the required parameters (i.e., the dry and wet bulb temperatures, globe temperature, natural wet bulb temperature, and solar radiation flux in the greenhouse. The results showed that in the uncooled greenhouse, workers are exposed to strong heat stress and would feel very hot most of the day time; they are safe from heat stress risk and would feel comfortable during night. An efficient evaporative cooling is necessary during the day to reduce heat stress and to improve the comfort conditions and is not necessary at night. In the cooled greenhouse, workers can do any activity: except at around noon they should follow a proposed working schedule, in which the different types of work were scheduled along the daytimes based on the heat stress value. To avoid heat stress and to provide comfort conditions in the greenhouses, the optimum ranges of relative humidity and air temperature are 48–55% and 24–28°C, respectively.

ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENTATION IN TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.: GENETIC BASIS AND ROLE UNDER ABIOTIC STRESS CONDITIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tereshchenko O.Yu.

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Anthocyanins are secondary metabolites of plants. They have a wide range of biological activity such as antioxidant, photoprotection, osmoregulation, heavy metal ions chelation, antimicrobial and antifungal activities, which help plants to survive under different stress conditions. Bread wheat (T. aestivum L. can have purple pigmentation provided by anthocyanin compounds in different organs, such as grain pericarp, coleoptile, culm, leaf blades, leaf sheaths, glumes and anthers. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying formation of these traits as well as contribution of the pigmentation to stress tolerance have not been widely studied in wheat. The aim of the current study was to investigate molecular-genetic mechanisms underlying anthocyanin pigmentation in different wheat organs and to estimate the role of the pigmentation under different abiotic stress conditions in wheat seedlings. In the current study, near-isogenic lines (NILs: cv. ‘Saratovskaya 29’ (‘S29’ and lines i:S29Pp1Pp2PF and i:S29Pp1Pp3P developed on the ‘S29’ background but having grain pericarp coloration (genes Pp and more intense coleoptile (Rc, culm (Pc, leaf blade (Plb, leaf sheath (Pls pigmentation in comparison with ‘S29’, were used. Comparative transcriptional analysis of the five structural genes Chs, Chi, F3h, Dfr, Ans, encoding enzymes participating in the anthocyanin biosynthesis, was performed in different organs of NILs. It was shown that the presence of the Rc, Pc, Plb, Pls and Pp alleles conferring strong anthocyanin pigmentation induced more intense transcription of the structural genes, suggesting the genes Rc, Pc, Plb, Pls and Pp to play a regulatory role in anthocyanin biosynthesis network. To evaluate the role of anthocyanins in stress response at the seedling stage, growth ability of the NILs and anthocyanin content in their coleoptiles were assessed after treatments with NaCl (100 and 200 mM, CdCl2 (25 and 50 μM and 15% PEG 6000

The endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica enhances Arabidopsis thaliana growth and modulates Na + /K + homeostasis under salt stress conditions

KAUST Repository

Abdelaziz, Mohamed Ewis

2017-07-13

The mutualistic, endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica has been shown to confer biotic and abiotic stress tolerance to host plants. In this study, we investigated the impact of P. indica on the growth of Arabidopsis plants under normal and salt stress conditions. Our results demonstrate that P. indica colonization increases plant biomass, lateral roots density, and chlorophyll content under both conditions. Colonization with P. indica under salt stress was accompanied by a lower Na+/K+ ratio and less pronounced accumulation of anthocyanin, compared to control plants. Moreover, P. indica colonized roots under salt stress showed enhanced transcript levels of the genes encoding the high Affinity Potassium Transporter 1 (HKT1) and the inward-rectifying K+ channels KAT1 and KAT2, which play key roles in regulating Na+ and K+ homeostasis. The effect of P. indica colonization on AtHKT1;1 expression was also confirmed in the Arabidopsis line gl1-HKT:AtHKT1;1 that expresses an additional AtHKT1;1 copy driven by the native promoter. Colonization of the gl1-HKT:AtHKT1;1 by P. indica also increased lateral roots density and led to a better Na+/K+ ratio, which may be attributed to the observed increase in KAT1 and KAT2 transcript levels. Our findings demonstrate that P. indica colonization promotes Arabidopsis growth under salt stress conditions and that this effect is likely caused by modulation of the expression levels of the major Na+ and K+ ion channels, which allows establishing a balanced ion homeostasis of Na+/K+ under salt stress conditions.

Workshop on initiation of stress corrosion cracking under LWR conditions: Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, J.L.; Cubicciotti, D.; Licina, G.J.

1988-05-01

A workshop titled ''Initiation of Stress Corrosion Cracking under LWR Conditions'' was held in Palo Alto, California on November 13, 1986, hosted by the Electric Power Research Institute. Participants were experts on the topic from nuclear steam supply and component manufacturers, public and private research laboratories, and university environments. Presentations included discussions on the definition of crack initiation, the effects of environmental and electrochemical variables on cracking susceptibility, and detection methods for the determination of crack initiation events and measurement of critical environmental and stress parameters. Examination of the questions related to crack initiation and its relative importance to the overall question of cracking of LWR materials from these perspectives provided inputs to EPRI project managers on the future direction of research efforts designed to prevent and control cracking. Thirteen reports have been cataloged separately

Effect of silicon application on physiological characteristics and growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. under drought stress condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Karmollachaab

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In order to investigate the effect of silicon application on some physiological characteristics and growth of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. under late drought stress condition, an experiment was conducted at the Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Ramin, Khuzestan during year 2012. The experiment was conducted in the open environment as factorial randomized complete block design with three levels of drought stress (irrigation after 25, 50 and 75% depletion of available water content as the first factor and four levels of silicon (0, 10, 20 and 30 mg Si.kg-1 soil as the second factor with three replications. The results showed that drought stress imposed a negative significant effect on all traits. The drought stress led to increased electrolyte leakage and proline content, cuticular wax, leaf silicon concentration, superoxide dismutase activity (SOD and grain potassium were decreased. The severe drought stress has most effect on electrolyte leakage (up to 53%. The application of silicon except the shoot/root parameter, on all characters have been affected so that application of 30 mg Si.kg-1 soil led to decrease electrolyte leakage up to 22.5% and increased SOD activity, proline content, cuticular wax grain K and flag leaf Si concentration, 25, 12.8, 21, 17 and 30% compared to control, respectively. In general, the results showed a positive effect of silicon on wheat plant under stress conditions that were higher than no stress condition.

Condition assessment of timber bridges. 2, Evaluation of several stress-wave tools

Science.gov (United States)

Brian K. Brashaw; Robert J. Vatalaro; James P. Wacker; Robert J. Ross

2005-01-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of several stress-wave devices widely used for locating deteriorated areas in timber bridge members. Bridge components containing different levels of natural decay were tested using various devices. The specimens were then sawn (along their length) into slabs to expose their interior condition. The...

Neonatal Intensive Care and Child Psychiatry Inpatient Care: Do Different Working Conditions Influence Stress Levels?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evalotte Mörelius

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Nurses often experience work-related stress. High stress can negatively affect job satisfaction and lead to emotional exhaustion with risk of burnout. Aim. To analyse possible differences in biological stress markers, psychosocial working conditions, health, and well-being between nurses working in two different departments. Methods. Stress was evaluated in nurses working in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU (n=33 and nurses working in a child and adolescent psychiatry inpatient ward (CAP (n=14 using salivary cortisol and HbA1c. Salivary cortisol was measured three times a day on two consecutive days during two one-week periods, seven weeks apart (= 12 samples/person. Psychosocial working conditions, health, and well-being were measured once. Results. NICU nurses had better social support and more self-determination. CAP nurses had a lower salivary cortisol quotient, poorer general health, and higher client-related burnout scores. Conclusion. When comparing these nurses with existing norm data for Sweden, as a group their scores reflect less work-related stress than Swedes overall. However, the comparison between NICU and CAP nurses indicates a less healthy work situation for CAP nurses. Relevance to Clinical Practice. Healthcare managers need to acknowledge the less healthy work situation CAP nurses experience in order to provide optimal support and promote good health.

Temperature and water stress during conditioning and incubation phase affecting Orobanche crenata seed germination and radicle growth

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JUAN eMORAL

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Orobanche crenata is a holoparasitic plant that is potentially devastating to crop yield of legume species. Soil temperature and humidity are known to affect seed germination, however, the extent of their influence on germination and radicle growth of those of O. crenata is largely unknown. In this work, we studied the effects of temperature, water potential (Ψt and the type of water stress (matric or osmotic on O. crenata seeds during conditioning and incubation periods. We found that seeds germinated between 5 and 30ºC during both periods, with a maximum around 20ºC. Germination increased with increasing Ψt from -1.2 to 0 MPa during conditioning and incubation periods. Likewise, seed germination increased logarithmically with length of conditioning period until 40 days. The impact of the type of water stress on seed germination was similar, although the radicle growth of seeds under osmotic stress was lower than under matric stress, what could explain the lowest infestation of Orobanche spp. in regions characterized by saline soil. The data in this study will be useful to forecast infection of host roots by O. crenata.

Temperature and water stress during conditioning and incubation phase affecting Orobanche crenata seed germination and radicle growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Moral, Juan; Lozano-Baena, María Dolores; Rubiales, Diego

2015-01-01

Orobanche crenata is a holoparasitic plant that is potentially devastating to crop yield of legume species. Soil temperature and humidity are known to affect seed germination, however, the extent of their influence on germination and radicle growth of those of O. crenata is largely unknown. In this work, we studied the effects of temperature, water potential (Ψt) and the type of water stress (matric or osmotic) on O. crenata seeds during conditioning and incubation periods. We found that seeds germinated between 5 and 30°C during both periods, with a maximum around 20°C. Germination increased with increasing Ψt from -1.2 to 0 MPa during conditioning and incubation periods. Likewise, seed germination increased logarithmically with length of conditioning period until 40 days. The impact of the type of water stress on seed germination was similar, although the radicle growth of seeds under osmotic stress was lower than under matric stress, what could explain the lowest infestation of Orobanche sp. in regions characterized by saline soil. The data in this study will be useful to forecast infection of host roots by O. crenata.

Characterization of degradation products of amorphous and polymorphic forms of clopidogrel bisulphate under solid state stress conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raijada, Dhara K; Prasad, Bhagwat; Paudel, Amrit

2010-01-01

The present study deals with the stress degradation studies on amorphous and polymorphic forms of clopidogrel bisulphate. The objective was to characterize the degradation products and postulate mechanism of decomposition of the drug under solid state stress conditions. For that, amorphous form, ...

Impact of Mental and Physical Stress on Blood Pressure and Pulse Pressure under Normobaric versus Hypoxic Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Trapp, Michael; Trapp, Eva-Maria; Egger, Josef W.; Domej, Wolfgang; Schillaci, Giuseppe; Avian, Alexander; Rohrer, Peter M.; Hörlesberger, Nina; Magometschnigg, Dieter; Cervar-Zivkovic, Mila; Komericki, Peter; Velik, Rosemarie; Baulmann, Johannes

2014-01-01

Objective Hypobaric hypoxia, physical and psychosocial stress may influence key cardiovascular parameters including blood pressure (BP) and pulse pressure (PP). We investigated the effects of mild hypobaric hypoxia exposure on BP and PP reactivity to mental and physical stress and to passive elevation by cable car. Methods 36 healthy volunteers participated in a defined test procedure consisting of a period of rest 1, mental stress task (KLT-R), period of rest 2, combined mental (KLT-R) and physical task (bicycle ergometry) and a last period of rest both at Graz, Austria (353 m asl) and at the top station Dachstein (2700 m asl). Beat-to-beat heart rate and BP were analysed both during the test procedures at Graz and at Dachstein and during passive 1000 m elevation by cable car (from 1702 m to 2700 m). Results A significant interaction of kind of stress (mental vs. combined mental and physical) and study location (Graz vs. Dachstein) was found in the systolic BP (p = .007) and PP (p = .002) changes indicating that during the combined mental and physical stress task sBP was significantly higher under hypoxic conditions whereas sBP and PP were similar during mental stress both under normobaric normoxia (Graz) and under hypobaric hypoxia (Dachstein). During the passive ascent in cable car less trivialization (psychological coping strategy) was associated with an increase in PP (p = .004). Conclusion Our data show that combined mental and physical stress causes a significant higher raise in sBP and PP under hypoxic conditions whereas isolated mental stress did not affect sBP and PP under hypoxic conditions. PP-reaction to ascent in healthy subjects is not uniform. BP reactions to ascent that represents an accumulation of physical (mild hypobaric hypoxia) and psychological stressors depend on predetermined psychological traits (stress coping strategies). Thus divergent cardiovascular reactions can be explained by applying the multidimensional aspects of the

Impact of mental and physical stress on blood pressure and pulse pressure under normobaric versus hypoxic conditions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Trapp

Full Text Available Hypobaric hypoxia, physical and psychosocial stress may influence key cardiovascular parameters including blood pressure (BP and pulse pressure (PP. We investigated the effects of mild hypobaric hypoxia exposure on BP and PP reactivity to mental and physical stress and to passive elevation by cable car.36 healthy volunteers participated in a defined test procedure consisting of a period of rest 1, mental stress task (KLT-R, period of rest 2, combined mental (KLT-R and physical task (bicycle ergometry and a last period of rest both at Graz, Austria (353 m asl and at the top station Dachstein (2700 m asl. Beat-to-beat heart rate and BP were analysed both during the test procedures at Graz and at Dachstein and during passive 1000 m elevation by cable car (from 1702 m to 2700 m.A significant interaction of kind of stress (mental vs. combined mental and physical and study location (Graz vs. Dachstein was found in the systolic BP (p = .007 and PP (p = .002 changes indicating that during the combined mental and physical stress task sBP was significantly higher under hypoxic conditions whereas sBP and PP were similar during mental stress both under normobaric normoxia (Graz and under hypobaric hypoxia (Dachstein. During the passive ascent in cable car less trivialization (psychological coping strategy was associated with an increase in PP (p = .004.Our data show that combined mental and physical stress causes a significant higher raise in sBP and PP under hypoxic conditions whereas isolated mental stress did not affect sBP and PP under hypoxic conditions. PP-reaction to ascent in healthy subjects is not uniform. BP reactions to ascent that represents an accumulation of physical (mild hypobaric hypoxia and psychological stressors depend on predetermined psychological traits (stress coping strategies. Thus divergent cardiovascular reactions can be explained by applying the multidimensional aspects of the biopsychosocial concept.

Comparison of estimated core body temperature measured with the BioHarness and rectal temperature under several heat stress conditions.

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Seo, Yongsuk; DiLeo, Travis; Powell, Jeffrey B; Kim, Jung-Hyun; Roberge, Raymond J; Coca, Aitor

2016-08-01

Monitoring and measuring core body temperature is important to prevent or minimize physiological strain and cognitive dysfunction for workers such as first responders (e.g., firefighters) and military personnel. The purpose of this study is to compare estimated core body temperature (Tco-est), determined by heart rate (HR) data from a wearable chest strap physiology monitor, to standard rectal thermometry (Tre) under different conditions.  Tco-est and Tre measurements were obtained in thermoneutral and heat stress conditions (high temperature and relative humidity) during four different experiments including treadmill exercise, cycling exercise, passive heat stress, and treadmill exercise while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).  Overall, the mean Tco-est did not differ significantly from Tre across the four conditions. During exercise at low-moderate work rates under heat stress conditions, Tco-est was consistently higher than Tre at all-time points. Tco-est underestimated temperature compared to Tre at rest in heat stress conditions and at a low work rate under heat stress while wearing PPE. The mean differences between the two measurements ranged from -0.1 ± 0.4 to 0.3 ± 0.4°C and Tco-est correlated well with HR (r = 0.795 - 0.849) and mean body temperature (r = 0.637 - 0.861).  These results indicate that, the comparison of Tco-est to Tre may result in over- or underestimation which could possibly lead to heat-related illness during monitoring in certain conditions. Modifications to the current algorithm should be considered to address such issues.

Effect of surface stress state on dissolution property of Alloy 690 in simulated primary water condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kyung Mo; Shim, Hee-Sang; Lee, Eun Hee; Seo, Myung Ji; Han, Jung Ho; Hur, Do Haeng

2014-01-01

The dissolution control of nickel is important to reduce the radioactive dose rate and deterioration of fuel performance in the operation of nuclear power plants (PWR). The corrosion properties are affected by the metal surface residual stress introduced in manufacture process such as work hardening. This work studied the effect of surface modification on the release rate of Alloy 690, nickel-base alloy for a steam generator tube, in the test condition of simulated primary water chemistry in PWRs. The surface stress modification was applied by the electro-polishing and shot peening method. Shot peening process was applied using ceramic beads with different intensities through the variation of air pressure. The corrosion release tests performed at 330degC with LiOH 2 ppm and H 3 BO 4 1200 ppm, DH(dissolved hydrogen) 35 cc/kg (STP) and about 20 ppb of DO(dissolved oxygen) condition. The corrosion release rate was evaluated by a gravimetric analysis method and the surface analysed by SEM and optical microscope. The surface residual stress was measured by an X-ray diffractometer, and the distribution of stress state was evaluated by a micro-hardness tester. The metal ion release rate of alloy 690 was evaluated from the influence of the stress state on the metal surface. The oxide property and structure was affected by the residual stress in the oxide layer. (author)

Regulation of taurine transport at the blood-placental barrier by calcium ion, PKC activator and oxidative stress conditions

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Lee Na-Young

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the present study, we investigated the changes of uptake and efflux transport of taurine under various stress conditions using rat conditionally immortalized syncytiotrophoblast cell line (TR-TBT cells, as in vitro blood-placental barrier (BPB model. Methods The transport of taurine in TR-TBT cells were characterized by cellular uptake study using radiolabeled taurine. The efflux of taurine was measured from the amount of radiolabeled taurine remaining in the cells after the uptake of radiolabeled taurine for 60 min. Results Taurine uptake was significantly decreased by phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC activator in TR-TBT cells. Also, calcium ion (Ca2+ was involved in taurine transport in TR-TBT cells. Taurine uptake was inhibited and efflux was enhanced under calcium free conditions in the cells. In addition, oxidative stress induced the change of taurine transport in TR-TBT cells, but the changes were different depending on the types of oxidative stress inducing agents. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, lipopolysaccharide (LPS and diethyl maleate (DEM significantly increased taurine uptake, but H2O2 and nitric oxide (NO donor decreased taurine uptake in the cells. Taurine efflux was down-regulated by TNF-α in TR-TBT cells. Conclusion Taurine transport in TR-TBT cells were regulated diversely at extracellular Ca2+ level, PKC activator and oxidative stress conditions. It suggested that variable stresses affected the taurine supplies from maternal blood to fetus and taurine level of fetus.

The endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica enhances Arabidopsis thaliana growth and modulates Na+/K+ homeostasis under salt stress conditions.

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Abdelaziz, Mohamed E; Kim, Dongjin; Ali, Shawkat; Fedoroff, Nina V; Al-Babili, Salim

2017-10-01

The mutualistic, endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica has been shown to confer biotic and abiotic stress tolerance to host plants. In this study, we investigated the impact of P. indica on the growth of Arabidopsis plants under normal and salt stress conditions. Our results demonstrate that P. indica colonization increases plant biomass, lateral roots density, and chlorophyll content under both conditions. Colonization with P. indica under salt stress was accompanied by a lower Na + /K + ratio and less pronounced accumulation of anthocyanin, compared to control plants. Moreover, P. indica colonized roots under salt stress showed enhanced transcript levels of the genes encoding the high Affinity Potassium Transporter 1 (HKT1) and the inward-rectifying K + channels KAT1 and KAT2, which play key roles in regulating Na + and K + homeostasis. The effect of P. indica colonization on AtHKT1;1 expression was also confirmed in the Arabidopsis line gl1-HKT:AtHKT1;1 that expresses an additional AtHKT1;1 copy driven by the native promoter. Colonization of the gl1-HKT:AtHKT1;1 by P. indica also increased lateral roots density and led to a better Na + /K + ratio, which may be attributed to the observed increase in KAT1 and KAT2 transcript levels. Our findings demonstrate that P. indica colonization promotes Arabidopsis growth under salt stress conditions and that this effect is likely caused by modulation of the expression levels of the major Na + and K + ion channels, which allows establishing a balanced ion homeostasis of Na + /K + under salt stress conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Zinc is released by cultured astrocytes as a gliotransmitter under hypoosmotic stress-loaded conditions and regulates microglial activity.

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Segawa, Shohei; Nishiura, Takeshi; Furuta, Takahiro; Ohsato, Yuki; Tani, Misaki; Nishida, Kentaro; Nagasawa, Kazuki

2014-01-17

Astrocytes contribute to the maintenance of brain homeostasis via the release of gliotransmitters such as ATP and glutamate. Here we examined whether zinc was released from astrocytes under stress-loaded conditions, and was involved in the regulation of microglial activity as a gliotransmitter. Hypoosmotic stress was loaded to astrocytes using balanced salt solution prepared to 214-314 mOsmol/L, and then intra- and extra-cellular zinc levels were assessed using Newport Green DCF diacetate (NG) and ICP-MS, respectively. Microglial activation by the astrocytic supernatant was assessed by their morphological changes and poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymer accumulation. Exposure of astrocytes to hypoosmotic buffer, increased the extracellular ATP level in osmolarity-dependent manners, indicating a load of hypoosmotic stress. In hypoosmotic stress-loaded astrocytes, there were apparent increases in the intra- and extra-cellular zinc levels. Incubation of microglia in the astrocytic conditioned medium transformed them into the activated "amoeboid" form and induced PAR formation. Administration of an extracellular zinc chelator, CaEDTA, to the astrocytic conditioned medium almost completely prevented the microglial activation. Treatment of astrocytes with an intracellular zinc chelator, TPEN, suppressed the hypoosmotic stress-increased intracellular, but not the extracellular, zinc level, and the increase in the intracellular zinc level was blocked partially by a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, but not by CaEDTA, indicating that the mechanisms underlying the increases in the intra- and extra-cellular zinc levels might be different. These findings suggest that under hypoosmotic stress-loaded conditions, zinc is released from astrocytes and then plays a primary role in microglial activation as a gliotransmitter. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental conditions can modulate the links among oxidative stress, age, and longevity.

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Marasco, Valeria; Stier, Antoine; Boner, Winnie; Griffiths, Kate; Heidinger, Britt; Monaghan, Pat

2017-06-01

Understanding the links between environmental conditions and longevity remains a major focus in biological research. We examined within-individual changes between early- and mid-adulthood in the circulating levels of four oxidative stress markers linked to ageing, using zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata): a DNA damage product (8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine; 8-OHdG), protein carbonyls (PC), non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (OXY), and superoxide dismutase activity (SOD). We further examined whether such within-individual changes differed among birds living under control (ad lib food) or more challenging environmental conditions (unpredictable food availability), having previously found that the latter increased corticosterone levels when food was absent but improved survival over a three year period. Our key findings were: (i) 8-OHdG and PC increased with age in both environments, with a higher increase in 8-OHdG in the challenging environment; (ii) SOD increased with age in the controls but not in the challenged birds, while the opposite was true for OXY; (iii) control birds with high levels of 8-OHdG died at a younger age, but this was not the case in challenged birds. Our data clearly show that while exposure to the potentially damaging effects of oxidative stress increases with age, environmental conditions can modulate the pace of this age-related change. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Effect of exogenous sucrose on growth and active ingredient content of licorice seedlings under salt stress conditions].

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Liu, Fu-zhi; Yang, Jun

2015-11-01

Licorice seedlings were taken as experimental materials, an experiment was conducted to study the effects of exogenous sucrose on growth and active ingredient content of licorice seedlings under NaCl stress conditions. The results of this study showed that under salt stress conditions, after adding a certain concentration of exogenous sucrose, the licorice seedlings day of relative growth rate was increasing, and this stress can be a significant weakening effect, indicating that exogenous sucrose salt stress-relieving effect. The total flavonoids and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity were significantly increased, the exogenous sucrose can mitigated the seedling roots under salt stress, the licorice flavonoid content in the enhanced growth was largely due to the activity of PAL an increased, when the concentration of exogenous sucrose wae 10 mmol x L(-1), PAL activity reaching a maximum, when the concentration of exogenous sucrose was 15 mmol x L(-1), PAL activity turned into a downward trend, the results indicating that this mitigation has concentration effect. After applying different concentrations of exogenous sugar, the contents of liquiritin changes with the change of flavonoids content was similar. After applying different concentrations of exogenous sucrose, the content of licorice acid under salt stress was higher than the levels were not reached during salt stress, the impact of exogenous sucrose concentration gradient of licorice acid accumulation was not obvious.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production in an integrated electromicrobial setup: Investigation under stress-inducing conditions

KAUST Repository

Al Rowaihi, Israa Salem; Paillier, Alexis; Rasul, Shahid; Karan, Ram; Grö tzinger, Stefan Wolfgang; Takanabe, Kazuhiro; Eppinger, Jö rg

2018-01-01

extorquens AM1 and Cupriavidus necator H16. This setup allows to investigate the influence of different stress conditions, such as coexisting electrolysis, relatively high salinity, nutrient limitation, and starvation, on the production of PHB. The overall

Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress: Unsafe Environments and Conditions, and the Default Stress Response.

Science.gov (United States)

Brosschot, Jos F; Verkuil, Bart; Thayer, Julian F

2018-03-07

Prolonged physiological stress responses form an important risk factor for disease. According to neurobiological and evolution-theoretical insights the stress response is a default response that is always "on" but inhibited by the prefrontal cortex when safety is perceived. Based on these insights the Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress (GUTS) states that prolonged stress responses are due to generalized and largely unconsciously perceived unsafety rather than stressors. This novel perspective necessitates a reconstruction of current stress theory, which we address in this paper. We discuss a variety of very common situations without stressors but with prolonged stress responses, that are not, or not likely to be caused by stressors, including loneliness, low social status, adult life after prenatal or early life adversity, lack of a natural environment, and less fit bodily states such as obesity or fatigue. We argue that in these situations the default stress response may be chronically disinhibited due to unconsciously perceived generalized unsafety. Also, in chronic stress situations such as work stress, the prolonged stress response may be mainly caused by perceived unsafety in stressor-free contexts. Thus, GUTS identifies and explains far more stress-related physiological activity that is responsible for disease and mortality than current stress theories.

Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress: Unsafe Environments and Conditions, and the Default Stress Response

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Jos F. Brosschot

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Prolonged physiological stress responses form an important risk factor for disease. According to neurobiological and evolution-theoretical insights the stress response is a default response that is always “on” but inhibited by the prefrontal cortex when safety is perceived. Based on these insights the Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress (GUTS states that prolonged stress responses are due to generalized and largely unconsciously perceived unsafety rather than stressors. This novel perspective necessitates a reconstruction of current stress theory, which we address in this paper. We discuss a variety of very common situations without stressors but with prolonged stress responses, that are not, or not likely to be caused by stressors, including loneliness, low social status, adult life after prenatal or early life adversity, lack of a natural environment, and less fit bodily states such as obesity or fatigue. We argue that in these situations the default stress response may be chronically disinhibited due to unconsciously perceived generalized unsafety. Also, in chronic stress situations such as work stress, the prolonged stress response may be mainly caused by perceived unsafety in stressor-free contexts. Thus, GUTS identifies and explains far more stress-related physiological activity that is responsible for disease and mortality than current stress theories.

Slow strain rate stress corrosion cracking under multiaxial deformation conditions: technique and application to admiralty brass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanchard, W.K.; Heldt, L.A.; Koss, D.

1984-01-01

A set of straightforward experimental techniques are described for the examination of slow strain rate stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of sheet deforming under nearly all multiaxial deformation conditions which result in sheet thinning. Based on local fracture strain as a failure criterion, the results contrast stress corrosion susceptibility in uniaxial tension with those in both plane strain and balanced biaxial tension. These results indicate that the loss of ductility of the brass increases as the stress state changes from uniaxial toward balanced biaxial tension

Prediction of the remaining lifetime of stainless steels under conditions of stress corrosion cracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tandler, M.; Vehovar, L.; Dolecek, V.; Rotnik, U.

2003-01-01

The prediction of the lifetime of metal structures and equipment under conditions of stress corrosion is very complicated because of the complexity of this process of degradation. Recently a new method, based on the so-called corrosion elongation curves, has been found, which can be used to predict the time to failure under these conditions. By upgrading of these curves (and thus obtaining Upgraded Corrosion Elongation Curves - UCEC's) it has been possible to obtain a precise definition of the time needed for the initiation of the corrosion crack, and for its stable growth. It is upon this basis that diagrams for the prediction of remaining lifetime (DPRL's) have been developed. DPRL's can also be used to predict the values of various critical parameters which have to be achieved if a stress corrosion crack is to occur. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) [de

Karrikin-KAI2 signalling provides Arabidopsis seeds with tolerance to abiotic stress and inhibits germination under conditions unfavourable to seedling establishment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lu; Waters, Mark T; Smith, Steven M

2018-05-04

The control of seed germination in response to environmental conditions is important for plant success. We investigated the role of the karrikin receptor KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2) in the response of Arabidopsis seeds to osmotic stress, salinity and high temperature. Germination of the kai2 mutant was examined in response to NaCl, mannitol and elevated temperature. The effect of karrikin on germination of wild-type seeds, hypocotyl elongation and the expression of karrikin-responsive genes was also examined in response to such stresses. The kai2 seeds germinated less readily than wild-type seeds and germination was more sensitive to inhibition by abiotic stress. Karrikin-induced KAI2 signalling stimulated germination of wild-type seeds under favourable conditions, but, surprisingly, inhibited germination in the presence of osmolytes or at elevated temperature. By contrast, GA stimulated germination of wild-type seeds and mutants under all conditions. Karrikin induced expression of DLK2 and KUF1 genes and inhibited hypocotyl elongation independently of osmotic stress. Under mild osmotic stress, karrikin enhanced expression of DREB2A, WRKY33 and ERF5 genes, but not ABA signalling genes. Thus, the karrikin-KAI2 signalling system can protect against abiotic stress, first by providing stress tolerance, and second by inhibiting germination under conditions unfavourable to seedling establishment. © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Cell Wall Amine Oxidases: New Players in Root Xylem Differentiation under Stress Conditions

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Sandip A. Ghuge

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Polyamines (PAs are aliphatic polycations present in all living organisms. A growing body of evidence reveals their involvement as regulators in a variety of physiological and pathological events. They are oxidatively deaminated by amine oxidases (AOs, including copper amine oxidases (CuAOs and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD-dependent polyamine oxidases (PAOs. The biologically-active hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 is a shared compound in all of the AO-catalyzed reactions, and it has been reported to play important roles in PA-mediated developmental and stress-induced processes. In particular, the AO-driven H2O2 biosynthesis in the cell wall is well known to be involved in plant wound healing and pathogen attack responses by both triggering peroxidase-mediated wall-stiffening events and signaling modulation of defense gene expression. Extensive investigation by a variety of methodological approaches revealed high levels of expression of cell wall-localized AOs in root xylem tissues and vascular parenchyma of different plant species. Here, the recent progresses in understanding the role of cell wall-localized AOs as mediators of root xylem differentiation during development and/or under stress conditions are reviewed. A number of experimental pieces of evidence supports the involvement of apoplastic H2O2 derived from PA oxidation in xylem tissue maturation under stress-simulated conditions.

Effect of heat treatment conditions on stress corrosion cracking resistance of alloy X-750 in high temperature water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yonezawa, Toshio; Onimura, Kichiro; Sakamoto, Naruo; Sasaguri, Nobuya; Susukida, Hiroshi; Nakata, Hidenori.

1984-01-01

In order to improve the resistance of the Alloy X-750 in high temperature and high purity water, the authors investigated the influence of heat treatment condition on the stress corrosion cracking resistance of the alloy. This paper describes results of the stress corrosion cracking test and some discussion on the mechanism of the stress corrosion cracking of Alloy X-750 in deaerated high temperature water. The following results were obtained. (1) The stress corrosion cracking resistance of Alloy X-750 in deaerated high temperature water remarkably depended upon the heat treatment condition. The materials solution heat treated and aged within temperature ranges from 1065 to 1100 0 C and from 704 to 732 0 C, respectively, have a good resistance to the stress corrosion cracking in deaerated high temperature water. Especially, water cooling after the solution heat treatment gives an excellent resistance to the stress corrosion cracking in deaerated high temperature water. (2) Any correlations were not observed between the stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of Alloy X-750 in deaerated high temperature water and grain boundary chromium depleted zones, precipitate free zones and the grain boundary segregation of impurity elements and so on. It appears that there are good correlations between the stress corrosion cracking resistance of the alloy in the environment and the kinds, morphology and coherency of precipitates along the grain boundaries. (author)

Sequential path analysis for determining interrelationships between yield and related traits in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. under normal and abiotic stress conditions

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Bayat Mahdi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the present work the relationships between yield and its related traits were investigated in tobacco genotypes under normal and abiotic stress conditions (Orobanche aegyptiaca weed at Urmia Tobacco Research Centre, Iran, during 2006-2009 cropping seasons. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD with three replications in each condition every year. Analysis of variance revealed extent genetic variability among the genotypes for most of the traits studied. In comparison with normal condition, the mean value of studied traits decreased in stress condition. LAI and FD showed the maximum and minimum diminution in the mean values under stress condition compared to normal one so known as more sensitive and more tolerant traits, respectively. Based on CV values, the traits FD and DLYP showed the minimum and maximum variation among traits in both normal and stress conditions. Correlation analysis revealed significant and positive correlations between DLYP with all studied traits in both normal and stress conditions. Path analysis detected the traits including biomass, APDW and DWR as the first-order variables at normal condition and biomass, APDW, DWR and harvest index as the first-order variables under abiotic stress condition. Based on results, the traits such as biomass, APDW, DWR detected as more important factors in both conditions can be used in tobacco breeding programs for increasing yield. Abbreviation: aerial part fresh weight without leaves weight (APFW, aerial part dry weight without leaves weight (APDW, biomass (BIO, coefficient of variation (CV, dry weight of root (DWR, flowering date (FD, fresh weight of leaf (FWL, fresh weight of root (FWR, harvest index (HI, leaf area index (LAI, dry leaf yield per plant (DLYP, number of leaf (NL, plant height (PH, randomized complete block design (RCBD, standard deviation (Std.

Impact of oxidative stress defense on bacterial survival and morphological change in Campylobacter jejuni under aerobic conditions

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Euna eOh

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Campylobacter jejuni, a microaerophilic foodborne pathogen, inescapably faces high oxygen tension during its transmission to humans. Thus, the ability of C. jejuni to survive under oxygen-rich conditions may significantly impact C. jejuni viability in food and food safety as well. In this study, we investigated the impact of oxidative stress resistance on the survival of C. jejuni under aerobic conditions by examining three mutants defective in key antioxidant genes, including ahpC, katA, and sodB. All the three mutants exhibited growth reduction under aerobic conditions compared to the wild type (WT, and the ahpC mutant showed the most significant growth defect. The CFU reduction in the mutants was recovered to the WT level by complementation. Higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS were accumulated in C. jejuni under aerobic conditions than microaerobic conditions, and supplementation of culture media with an antioxidant recovered the growth of C. jejuni. The levels of lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation were significantly increased in the mutants compared to WT. Additionally, the mutants exhibited different morphological changes under aerobic conditions. The ahpC and katA mutants developed coccoid morphology by aeration, whereas the sodB mutant established elongated cellular morphology. Compared to microaerobic conditions, interestingly, aerobic culture conditions substantially induced the formation of coccoidal cells, and antioxidant treatment reduced the emergence of coccoid forms under aerobic conditions. The ATP concentrations and PMA-qPCR analysis supported that oxidative stress is a factor that induces the development of a viable-but-non-culturable (VBNC state in C. jejuni. The findings in this study clearly demonstrated that oxidative stress resistance plays an important role in the survival and morphological changes of C. jejuni under aerobic conditions.

Growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant responses of endophyte infected and non-infected rice under lead stress conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xuemei; Bu, Ning; Li, Yueying; Ma, Lianju; Xin, Shigang; Zhang, Lihong

2012-04-30

An endophytic fungus was tested in rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to four levels of lead (Pb) stress (0, 50, 100 and 200 μM) to assess effects on plant growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant enzyme activity. Under Pb stress conditions, endophyte-infected seedlings had greater shoot length but lower root length compared to non-infected controls, and endophyte-infected seedlings had greater dry weight in the 50 and 100 μM Pb treatments. Under Pb stress conditions, chlorophyll and carotenoid levels were significantly higher in the endophyte-infected seedlings. Net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency were significantly higher in endophyte-infected seedlings in the 50 and 100 μM Pb treatments. In addition, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters Fv/Fm and Fv/Fo were higher in the infected seedlings compared to the non-infected seedlings under Pb stress. Malondialdehyde accumulation was induced by Pb stress, and it was present in higher concentration in non-infected seedlings under higher concentrations of Pb (100 and 200 μM). Antioxidant activity was either higher or unchanged in the infected seedlings due to responses to the different Pb concentrations. These results suggest that the endophytic fungus improved rice growth under moderate Pb levels by enhancing photosynthesis and antioxidant activity relative to non-infected rice. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abscisic acid regulates root growth under osmotic stress conditions via an interacting hormonal network with cytokinin, ethylene and auxin.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, James H; Topping, Jennifer F; Liu, Junli; Lindsey, Keith

2016-07-01

Understanding the mechanisms regulating root development under drought conditions is an important question for plant biology and world agriculture. We examine the effect of osmotic stress on abscisic acid (ABA), cytokinin and ethylene responses and how they mediate auxin transport, distribution and root growth through effects on PIN proteins. We integrate experimental data to construct hormonal crosstalk networks to formulate a systems view of root growth regulation by multiple hormones. Experimental analysis shows: that ABA-dependent and ABA-independent stress responses increase under osmotic stress, but cytokinin responses are only slightly reduced; inhibition of root growth under osmotic stress does not require ethylene signalling, but auxin can rescue root growth and meristem size; osmotic stress modulates auxin transporter levels and localization, reducing root auxin concentrations; PIN1 levels are reduced under stress in an ABA-dependent manner, overriding ethylene effects; and the interplay among ABA, ethylene, cytokinin and auxin is tissue-specific, as evidenced by differential responses of PIN1 and PIN2 to osmotic stress. Combining experimental analysis with network construction reveals that ABA regulates root growth under osmotic stress conditions via an interacting hormonal network with cytokinin, ethylene and auxin. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Tolerance of Mycorrhiza infected pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) seedling to drought stress under glasshouse conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbaspour, H; Saeidi-Sar, S; Afshari, H; Abdel-Wahhab, M A

2012-05-01

The influence of Glomus etunicatum colonization on plant growth and drought tolerance of 3-month-old Pistacia vera seedlings in potted culture was studied in two different water treatments. The arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) inoculation and plant growth (including plant shoot and root weight, leaf area, and total chlorophyll) were higher for well-watered than for water-stressed plants. The growth of AM-treated seedlings was higher than non-AM-treatment regardless of water status. P, K, Zn and Cu contents in AM-treated shoots were greater than those in non-AM shoots under well-watered conditions and drought stress. N and Ca content were higher under drought stress, while AM symbiosis did not affect the Mg content. The contents of soluble sugars, proteins, flavonoid and proline were higher in mycorrhizal than non-mycorrhizal-treated plants under the whole water regime. AM colonization increased the activities of peroxidase enzyme in treatments, but did not affect the catalase activity in shoots and roots under well-watered conditions and drought stress. We conclude that AM colonization improved the drought tolerance of P. vera seedlings by increasing the accumulation of osmotic adjustment compounds, nutritional and antioxidant enzyme activity. It appears that AM formation enhanced the drought tolerance of pistachio plants, which increased host biomass and plant growth. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Supervisors' attitudes and skills for active listening with regard to working conditions and psychological stress reactions among subordinate workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Mineyama, Sachiko; Tsutsumi, Akizumi; Takao, Soshi; Nishiuchi, Kyoko; Kawakami, Norito

2007-03-01

We investigated whether supervisors' listening attitudes and skills were related to working conditions and psychological stress reactions among their subordinates. The subjects included 41 male supervisors and their immediate subordinates (n=203). The supervisors completed a short version of the Active Listening Attitude Scale (ALAS) consisting of two subscales: Listening Attitude and Listening Skill for Active Listening. The subordinates rated working conditions and their psychological stress reactions using selected scales of the Job Content Questionnaire and the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Those subordinates who worked under supervisors with a higher score of Listening Attitude and Listening Skill reported a more favorable psychological stress reaction than those who worked under supervisors with a lower score of Listening Attitude and Listening Skill. Those subordinates who worked under supervisors with a higher score of Listening Skill reported higher worksite support than those who worked under supervisors with a lower score of Listening Skill. Those subordinates who worked under supervisors with a higher score of Listening Attitude reported higher job control than those who worked under supervisors with a lower score of Listening Attitude. A supervisor's listening attitude and skill appeared to affect psychological stress reactions predominantly among male subordinates than among female subordinates. Psychological stress reactions were lower among younger subordinates who worked under supervisors with high listening skill, while no statistically difference was observed among older subordinates. These findings suggest that a supervisor's listening attitude and skill have an effect on working conditions and psychological stress reactions among subordinates and that the effects vary according to the subordinates' sex and age.

Parametric peak stress functions of 90o pipe bends with ovality under steady-state creep conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaghi, A.H.; Hyde, T.H.; Becker, A.A.; Sun, W.

2009-01-01

Stress-based life prediction techniques are commonly used to estimate the failure life of pressurised pipe-related components, such as welds and bends, under creep conditions. Previous research has shown that reasonable life predictions can be obtained, based on the steady-state peak stresses, compared with the life predictions obtained from creep damage modelling. In this work, a series of parametric steady-state peak rupture stress functions of right-angled pipe bends with ovality are presented, which are based on the results obtained from finite element (FE) analyses, covering a number of material property and geometry parameters in practical ranges. Methods used to determine the stress functions are described. The FE analyses have been performed using axisymmetric models, subjected to internal pressure only, with a Norton creep law. Typical examples of parametric peak stress curve fitting are shown. In particular, the accuracy of the interpolation and extrapolation abilities of the stress functions is assessed. The results show that in most cases the interpolated and extrapolated peak stresses are accurate to within ±3% and ±5%, respectively.

Perceived Stress and Its Relationship With Chronic Medical Conditions and Multimorbidity Among 229,293 Community-Dwelling Adults in 44 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Vancampfort, Davy; Koyanagi, A; Ward, Philip B; Veronese, Nicola; Carvalho, André F; Solmi, Marco; Mugisha, James; Rosenbaum, Simon; De Hert, Marc; Stubbs, Brendon

2017-10-15

In this study, we assessed the association of chronic medical conditions and multimorbidity with perceived stress among community-dwelling adults in 44 low- and middle-income countries. Data from the World Health Survey (2002-2004), including 229,293 adults, were analyzed. A perceived stress score (range, 0 (lowest stress)-100 (highest stress)) was computed on the basis of 2 questions from the Perceived Stress Scale. Eleven chronic conditions were assessed. Multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the associations. All chronic conditions were associated with significantly higher mean perceived stress scores, with the exception of edentulism. The associations were particularly strong for depression (β = 14.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 13.68, 15.74), visual impairment (β = 10.66, 95% CI: 8.09, 13.23), and schizophrenia (β = 9.98, 95% CI: 7.71, 12.24). Compared with no chronic conditions, the β coefficients for perceived stress with the presence of 1, 2, 3, and ≥4 chronic conditions were 5.58 (95% CI: 4.94, 6.23), 9.58 (95% CI: 8.67, 10.49), 14.15 (95% CI: 12.63, 15.67), and 20.17 (95% CI: 18.29, 22.05), respectively. The associations with perceived stress were significantly stronger among the poorest individuals for arthritis, asthma, diabetes, edentulism, and ≥4 chronic conditions. Our data suggest that a range of chronic conditions and multimorbidity are associated with greatly increased perceived stress among people in low- and middle-income countries, and that the poorest persons may be a particularly vulnerable group. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Reactive Oxygen Species Generation-Scavenging and Signaling during Plant-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal and Piriformospora indica Interaction under Stress Condition.

Science.gov (United States)

Nath, Manoj; Bhatt, Deepesh; Prasad, Ram; Gill, Sarvajeet S; Anjum, Naser A; Tuteja, Narendra

2016-01-01

A defined balance between the generation and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is essential to utilize ROS as an adaptive defense response of plants under biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Moreover, ROS are not only a major determinant of stress response but also act as signaling molecule that regulates various cellular processes including plant-microbe interaction. In particular, rhizosphere constitutes the biologically dynamic zone for plant-microbe interactions which forms a mutual link leading to reciprocal signaling in both the partners. Among plant-microbe interactions, symbiotic associations of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and arbuscular mycorrhizal-like fungus especially Piriformospora indica with plants are well known to improve plant growth by alleviating the stress-impacts and consequently enhance the plant fitness. AMF and P. indica colonization mainly enhances ROS-metabolism, maintains ROS-homeostasis, and thereby averts higher ROS-level accrued inhibition in plant cellular processes and plant growth and survival under stressful environments. This article summarizes the major outcomes of the recent reports on the ROS-generation, scavenging and signaling in biotic-abiotic stressed plants with AMF and P. indica colonization. Overall, a detailed exploration of ROS-signature kinetics during plant-AMF/ P. indica interaction can help in designing innovative strategies for improving plant health and productivity under stress conditions.

The short-term stress response - Mother nature's mechanism for enhancing protection and performance under conditions of threat, challenge, and opportunity.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhabhar, Firdaus S

2018-03-26

Our group has proposed that in contrast to chronic stress that can have harmful effects, the short-term (fight-or-flight) stress response (lasting for minutes to hours) is nature's fundamental survival mechanism that enhances protection and performance under conditions involving threat/challenge/opportunity. Short-term stress enhances innate/primary, adaptive/secondary, vaccine-induced, and anti-tumor immune responses, and post-surgical recovery. Mechanisms and mediators include stress hormones, dendritic cell, neutrophil, macrophage, and lymphocyte trafficking/function and local/systemic chemokine and cytokine production. Short-term stress may also enhance mental/cognitive and physical performance through effects on brain, musculo-skeletal, and cardiovascular function, reappraisal of threat/anxiety, and training-induced stress-optimization. Therefore, short-term stress psychology/physiology could be harnessed to enhance immuno-protection, as well as mental and physical performance. This review aims to provide a conceptual framework and targets for further investigation of mechanisms and conditions under which the protective/adaptive aspects of short-term stress/exercise can be optimized/harnessed, and for developing pharmacological/biobehavioral interventions to enhance health/healing, and mental/cognitive/physical performance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Failure Characteristics of Granite Influenced by Sample Height-to-Width Ratios and Intermediate Principal Stress Under True-Triaxial Unloading Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xibing; Feng, Fan; Li, Diyuan; Du, Kun; Ranjith, P. G.; Rostami, Jamal

2018-05-01

The failure modes and peak unloading strength of a typical hard rock, Miluo granite, with particular attention to the sample height-to-width ratio (between 2 and 0.5), and the intermediate principal stress was investigated using a true-triaxial test system. The experimental results indicate that both sample height-to-width ratios and intermediate principal stress have an impact on the failure modes, peak strength and severity of rockburst in hard rock under true-triaxial unloading conditions. For longer rectangular specimens, the transition of failure mode from shear to slabbing requires higher intermediate principal stress. With the decrease in sample height-to-width ratios, slabbing failure is more likely to occur under the condition of lower intermediate principal stress. For same intermediate principal stress, the peak unloading strength monotonically increases with the decrease in sample height-to-width. However, the peak unloading strength as functions of intermediate principal stress for different types of rock samples (with sample height-to-width ratio of 2, 1 and 0.5) all present the pattern of initial increase, followed by a subsequent decrease. The curves fitted to octahedral shear stress as a function of mean effective stress also validate the applicability of the Mogi-Coulomb failure criterion for all considered rock sizes under true-triaxial unloading conditions, and the corresponding cohesion C and internal friction angle φ are calculated. The severity of strainburst of granite depends on the sample height-to-width ratios and intermediate principal stress. Therefore, different supporting strategies are recommended in deep tunneling projects and mining activities. Moreover, the comparison of test results of different σ 2/ σ 3 also reveals the little influence of minimum principal stress on failure characteristics of granite during the true-triaxial unloading process.

The effects of extrinsic stress on somatic markers and behavior are dependent on animal housing conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Huzard, Damien; Mumby, Dave G; Sandi, Carmen; Poirier, Guillaume L; van der Kooij, Michael A

2015-11-01

Properties of the environment play an important role in animal wellbeing and may modulate the effects of external threats. Whereas stressors can affect emotion and impair cognition, environmental enrichment may prevent the occurrence of such negative sequelae. Animals exposed to semi-natural group-housing experience a complex environment; whereas environmental enrichment might protect against stressors, a socially-enriched environment(SEE) could entail aggressive inter-male encounters with additive stress effects. In the present study, we investigated the effects of exposure to external stressors, footshocks and forced swimming, on adrenal gland and body weights as well as on behavior in rats housed under SEE or standard, non-enriched environment (NEE), conditions. We found that SEEs reduced the anxiogenic effects of stress. Moreover, SEEs improved the performance in an operant task and prevented the increase in impulsive behavior produced by external stressors on NEE animals. Whereas these findings are indicative of stress-buffering effects of SEEs, adrenal gland weights were increased while total body weights were decreased in SEE rats, suggesting that SEEs may simultaneously exacerbate physiological measurements of stress. Finally, in the SEE, total aggressive behaviors and body wounds were paradoxically reduced in animals that received external stressors in comparison to non-stressed controls. The consequences of the external stressors applied here are not uniform, varying according to the housing condition and the outcome considered. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of food availability, body condition and physiological stress response in breeding Black-legged Kittiwakes

Science.gov (United States)

Kitaysky, A.S.; Wingfield, J.C.; Piatt, John F.

1999-01-01

1. The seasonal dynamics of body condition (BC), circulating corticosterone levels (baseline, BL) and the adrenocortical response to acute stress (SR) were examined in long-lived Black-legged Kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla, breeding at Duck (food-poor colony) and Gull (food-rich colony) Islands in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska. It was tested whether the dynamics of corticosterone levels reflect a seasonal change in bird physiological condition due to reproduction and/or variation in foraging conditions. 2. BC declined seasonally, and the decline was more pronounced in birds at the food-poor colony. BL and SR levels of corticosterone rose steadily through the reproductive season, and BL levels were significantly higher in birds on Duck island compared with those on Gull Island. During the egg-laying and chick-rearing stages, birds had lower SR on Duck Island than on Gull Island. 3. The results suggest that, in addition to a seasonal change in bird physiology during reproduction, local ecological factors such as food availability affect circulating levels of corticosterone and adrenal response to acute stress.

FUNCTION OF MALATDEHYDROGENASE COMPLEX OF MAIZE MESOPHYLL AND BUNDLE SHEATH CELLS UNDER SALT STRESS CONDITION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Еprintsev А.Т.

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Salt-induced changes in malatdehydrogenase system activity make the essential contribution to cell adaptation to stress condition. The enzyme systems of C4-plants are most interesting due to their ability for adaptation to environment conditions. The role of separate components of malatdehydrogenase complex of mesophyll and bundle sheath cells of corn in formation of adaptive reaction in stressful conditions is investigated in presented work.The activation of all enzymes of malatdehydrogenase system and the subsequent decrease in their activity was observed in mesophyll durring the first stage of adaptation to salt influence. In bundle sheath cells such parameters are differed from control less essentially. Fast accumulation of piruvate in cells and malate in both investigated tissues was induced. The further salinity led to falling of concentration this intermediate. The concentration of piruvate was below control level, and it was raised by the end of an exposition.The results show that sodium chloride causes induction of Krebs-cycle in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells of corn and intensification of Hatch-Slack cycle. The described differences in function malatdehydrogenase systems of mesophyll and bundle sheath cells of leaves of corn under salinity mainly consist of the activity of enzymes of a studied complex in bundle sheath cells is subject to the minimal changes in comparison with mesophyll. Role of this enzymesystem in mechanisms of adaptive reaction of various tissues of corn to salt stress is discussed.

Hippocampal Structural Plasticity Accompanies the Resulting Contextual Fear Memory Following Stress and Fear Conditioning

Science.gov (United States)

Giachero, Marcelo; Calfa, Gaston D.; Molina, Victor A.

2013-01-01

The present research investigated the resulting contextual fear memory and structural plasticity changes in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) following stress and fear conditioning. This combination enhanced fear retention and increased the number of total and mature dendritic spines in DH. Intra-basolateral amygdala (BLA) infusion of midazolam prior to…

Evolution of Grain Yield and its Components Relationships in Bread Wheat Genotypes under Full Irrigation and Terminal Water Stress Conditions Using Multivariate Statistical Analysis

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S Mohammadi

2014-07-01

Full Text Available To study relationships between effective traits on wheat grain yield, the varieties Zarrin and Alvand, and some promising lines i.e. C-81-4, C-81-10, C-81-14 and C-82-12 were investigated at three sowing dates including 10 October, 1 November and 21 November. The experiment was carried out using strip plot in RCBD with three replications under two different water conditions including full-irrigation and terminal water stress at Miyandoab Agricultural Research Station in 2005-06 and 2006-07 cropping seasons. The results showed that under both full irrigation and terminal water stress conditions, grain yield had positive and significant correlation with days to heading, days to maturity, plant height, number of spikes/m2 and 1000 grain weight. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that 83 percent of yield variation under non-stressed conditions could be determined by days to maturity and number of spikes/m2 (R2 = 83% whereas these traits explained 87% of yield variation under stress conditions (R2= 87%. Path analysis indicated that number of spikes/m2 and days to maturity had the greatest positive direct and indirect effect on grain yield, under both conditions. The results of factor analysis under non-stressed condition showed that three factors explained 77% of total variation; these factors were called grain yield components, grain characteristics and plant phonology. Under non-stressed condition two factors (that were called grain yield and phenology, and plant morphology explained 88% of total variation. Cluster analysis through ward method, classified days to maturity and number of spikes/m2 in the same cluster where the grain yield was put under both conditions. It was concluded that under different sowing dates, selection based on days to maturity and number spikes/m2 could indirectly led to higher yield under both normal and water stress conditions.

Effect of drought stress on water status, electrolyte leakage and enzymatic antioxidants of kochia (kochia scoparia) under saline condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masoumi, A.; Kafi, M.; Khazaei, Z.; Davari, K.

2010-01-01

Drought stress is considered as the main factor of yield limitations in arid and semi-arid areas, where drought and salinity stresses are usually combined. Kochia species have recently attracted the attention of researchers as forage and fodder crop in marginal lands worldwide due to its drought and salt tolerant characters. This field experiment was performed at the Salinity Research Station (36 deg. 15'N, 59 deg. 28' E) of Ferdowsi University, ashhad, Iran in 2008, in a split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Three levels of drought stress (control, no irrigation in vegetative stage (recovery treatment) and no irrigation at reproductive stage for one month (stress treatment)), and two Kochia ecotypes (Birjand and Borujerd) were allocated as main and sub-plots, respectively. Relative water content (RWC), membrane permeability and antioxidant enzymes were assayed at the beginning of anthesis. Stress treatment caused a significant decrease in the leaf RWC and increase in electrolyte leakage compared with control and recovered conditions. Furthermore, stress treatment caused a significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activities except of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POX). The Birjand ecotype was significantly more tolerant to drought than Borujerd ecotype. According to the results, there were no difference between recovered plants and control treatment, therefore, Kochia can recover quickly after removing drought stress. Kochia showed high tolerance against drought and salinity stresses and different antioxidant enzymes had different behavior under stress conditions. (author)

A case study employing operant conditioning to reduce stress of capture for red-bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus).

Science.gov (United States)

Owen, Yvonne; Amory, Jonathan R

2011-01-01

Traditional techniques used to capture New World monkeys, such as net capture, can induce high levels of acute stress detrimental to welfare. Alternatively, training nonhuman animals via operant conditioning to voluntarily participate in husbandry and/or veterinary practices is accepted as a humane process that can reduce stress and improve welfare. This study details the use of operant conditioning using positive reinforcement training (PRT) and target training to train a family of 5 captive red-bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus) in a wildlife park to voluntarily enter a transportation box and remain calm for 1 min after 54 training sessions. Observations of 2 unrelated net-capture processes provided measures of locomotion and vocalizations as indicators of stress behavior that were compared with those of the trained tamarins. Net-captured monkeys exhibited rapid erratic locomotion and emitted long, high-frequency vocalizations during capture whereas the trained tamarins exhibited minimal locomotion and emitted only 4 brief vocalizations (root mean square 35 dB) during capture. This indicates that the use of PRT considerably reduced potential for stress and improved welfare during the capture and containment of the tamarins. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Determination of internal controls for quantitative gene expression of Isochrysis zhangjiangensis at nitrogen stress condition

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shuang; Zhou, Jiannan; Cao, Xupeng; Xue, Song

2016-02-01

Isochrysis zhangjiangensis is a potential marine microalga for biodiesel production, which accumulates lipid under nitrogen limitation conditions, but the mechanism on molecular level is veiled. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) provides the possibility to investigate the gene expression levels, and a valid reference for data normalization is an essential prerequisite for firing up the analysis. In this study, five housekeeping genes, actin (ACT), α-tubulin (TUA), ß-tubulin (TUB), ubiquitin (UBI), 18S rRNA (18S) and one target gene, diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), were used for determining the reference. By analyzing the stabilities based on calculation of the stability index and on operating the two types of software, geNorm and bestkeeper, it showed that the reference genes widely used in higher plant and microalgae, such as UBI, TUA and 18S, were not the most stable ones in nitrogen-stressed I. zhangjiangensis, and thus are not suitable for exploring the mRNA expression levels under these experimental conditions. Our results show that ACT together with TUB is the most feasible internal control for investigating gene expression under nitrogen-stressed conditions. Our findings will contribute not only to future qPCR studies of I. zhangjiangensis, but also to verification of comparative transcriptomics studies of the microalgae under similar conditions.

Evaluation of Relationship Between Auxin and Cytokinine Hormones on Yield and Yield Components of Maize under Drought Stress Condition

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A Mahrokh

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction Drought is one of the major environmental conditions that adversely affects plant growth and crop yield. In the face of a global scarcity of water resources, water stress has already become a primary factor in limiting crop production worldwide. Drought is the major restriction in maize production. The plant growth reduction under drought stress conditions could be an outcome of altered hormonal balance and hence the exogenous application of growth regulators under stress conditions could be the possible means for reversing the effects of abiotic stress. Phytohormones such as auxine and cytokinine are known to be involved in the regulation of plant response to the adverse effects of stress conditions. Previous studies have shown that endogenous hormones are essential regulators for translocation and partitioning of photoassimilates for grain filling in cereal crops, and therefore could be involved in the regulation of grain weight and yield. Materials and Methods The experiment was carried out in three separately environments included non-drought stress environment (irrigation after soil moisture reached to 75% field capacity, drought stress in vegetative stage (irrigation after soil moisture reached to 50% field capacity in V4 to tasseling stage, but irrigation after soil moisture reached to 75% field capacity in pollination to physiological maturity stage and drought stress in reproductive stage (irrigation after soil moisture reached to 75% field capacity in V4 to tasseling stage and irrigation after soil moisture reached to 50% field capacity in pollination to physiological maturity stage. Cytokinin hormone in three levels (control, spraying in V5 –V6 and V8-V10 stages and auxin hormone in three levels (control, spraying in silk emergence stage and 15 days after that were laid out as a factorial design based on randomized complete block with three replications in each environment at Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII

The effect of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on asparagus seedlings and germinating seeds subjected to water stress under greenhouse conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Liddycoat, Scott M; Greenberg, Bruce M; Wolyn, David J

2009-04-01

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can have positive effects on vigour and productivity, especially under stress conditions. In asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) field culture, seeds are planted in high-density nurseries, and 1-year-old crowns are transplanted to production fields. Performance can be negatively affected by water stress, transplant shock, and disease pressure on wounded roots. PGPR inoculation has the potential to alleviate some of the stresses incurred in the production system. In this study, the effects of PGPR (Pseudomonas spp.) treatment were determined on 3-week-old greenhouse-grown seedlings and germinating seeds of 2 asparagus cultivars. The pots were irrigated to a predetermined level that resulted in optimum growth or the plants were subjected to drought or flooding stress for 8 weeks. The cultivars responded differently to PGPR: single inoculations of seedlings enhanced growth of 'Guelph Millennium' under optimum conditions and 'Jersey Giant' seedlings under drought stress. Seed inoculations with PGPR resulted in a positive response only for 'Guelph Millennium', for which both single or multiple inoculations enhanced plant growth under drought stress.

Natural variation in rosette size under salt stress conditions corresponds to developmental differences between Arabidopsis accessions and allelic variation in the LRR-KISS gene

KAUST Repository

Julkowska, Magdalena

2016-02-11

Natural variation among Arabidopsis accessions is an important genetic resource to identify mechanisms underlying plant development and stress tolerance. To evaluate the natural variation in salinity stress tolerance, two large-scale experiments were performed on two populations consisting of 160 Arabidopsis accessions each. Multiple traits, including projected rosette area, and fresh and dry weight were collected as an estimate for salinity tolerance. Our results reveal a correlation between rosette size under salt stress conditions and developmental differences between the accessions grown in control conditions, suggesting that in general larger plants were more salt tolerant. This correlation was less pronounced when plants were grown under severe salt stress conditions. Subsequent genome wide association study (GWAS) revealed associations with novel candidate genes for salinity tolerance such as LRR-KISS (At4g08850), flowering locus KH-domain containing protein and a DUF1639-containing protein. Accessions with high LRR-KISS expression developed larger rosettes under salt stress conditions. Further characterization of allelic variation in candidate genes identified in this study will provide more insight into mechanisms of salt stress tolerance due to enhanced shoot growth.

Study of sugar phloem unloading in ripening grape berries under water stress conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zenphing Wang

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Sugar phloem unloading in ripening grape berries (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Syrah was studied under water stress conditions using the «beny-cup» technique. After veraison, berry growth, the potential Exposed Leaf Area (pELA and photosynthetic activity are clearly reduced in water-stressed vines (- 0.5 > Ψb > - 0.6 MPa as compared to normal 1 Ψ-watcred vines (Mb = - 0.2 MPa. The ratio pELA/yield is also reduced, which is particular to this experiment. The beiries' ripening period (between veraison and maturity can be divided into three growth phases, Illa, Illb and IIlc. During phase Ma, the berries grow rapidly; at this point, water stress severely inhibits cell expan¬ sion of the berries but does not impact on daily sugar accumulation. During phase Mb, the berries grow slowly in both water-stressed and control vines. Water stress can shorten this phase and reduce sugar accumulation in the berries by decreasing daily sugar unloading. During phase II le, the Iresh weight and volume of the berries decreases as does the daily sugar unloading. During the day, sugar unloading in ripening berries occurs mainly in the morning (7 am to 10.30 am and at noon (1 to 1.30 pm; little sugar is unloaded in the afternoon (4 pm to 4.30 pin. Moderate water stress from veraison to maturity affects végétative growth (i.e. the growth of primary and secoridary shoots, and reduces the exposed leaf area, photosynthetic activity, berry growth, and the accumulation of sugar at the end of ripening (phases Mb and IIlc.

Anticipatory stress influences decision making under explicit risk conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Starcke, Katrin; Wolf, Oliver T; Markowitsch, Hans J; Brand, Matthias

2008-12-01

Recent research has suggested that stress may affect memory, executive functioning, and decision making on the basis of emotional feedback processing. The current study examined whether anticipatory stress affects decision making measured with the Game of Dice Task (GDT), a decision-making task with explicit and stable rules that taps both executive functioning and feedback learning. The authors induced stress in 20 participants by having them anticipate giving a public speech and also examined 20 comparison subjects. The authors assessed the level of stress with questionnaires and endocrine markers (salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase), both revealing that speech anticipation led to increased stress. Results of the GDT showed that participants under stress scored significantly lower than the comparison group and that GDT performance was negatively correlated with the increase of cortisol. Our results indicate that stress can lead to disadvantageous decision making even when explicit and stable information about outcome contingencies is provided.

Timing of favorable conditions, competition and fertility interact to govern recruitment of invasive Chinese tallow tree in stressful environments.

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Christopher A Gabler

Full Text Available The rate of new exotic recruitment following removal of adult invaders (reinvasion pressure influences restoration outcomes and costs but is highly variable and poorly understood. We hypothesize that broad variation in average reinvasion pressure of Triadica sebifera (Chinese tallow tree, a major invader arises from differences among habitats in spatiotemporal availability of realized recruitment windows. These windows are periods of variable duration long enough to permit establishment given local environmental conditions. We tested this hypothesis via a greenhouse mesocosm experiment that quantified how the duration of favorable moisture conditions prior to flood or drought stress (window duration, competition and nutrient availability influenced Triadica success in high stress environments. Window duration influenced pre-stress seedling abundance and size, growth during stress and final abundance; it interacted with other factors to affect final biomass and germination during stress. Stress type and competition impacted final size and biomass, plus germination, mortality and changes in size during stress. Final abundance also depended on competition and the interaction of window duration, stress type and competition. Fertilization interacted with competition and stress to influence biomass and changes in height, respectively, but did not affect Triadica abundance. Overall, longer window durations promoted Triadica establishment, competition and drought (relative to flood suppressed establishment, and fertilization had weak effects. Interactions among factors frequently produced different effects in specific contexts. Results support our 'outgrow the stress' hypothesis and show that temporal availability of abiotic windows and factors that influence growth rates govern Triadica recruitment in stressful environments. These findings suggest that native seed addition can effectively suppress superior competitors in stressful environments. We also

Repeated exposure to conditioned fear stress increases anxiety and delays sleep recovery following exposure to an acute traumatic stressor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin N Greenwood

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Repeated stressor exposure can sensitize physiological responses to novel stressors and facilitate the development of stress-related psychiatric disorders including anxiety. Disruptions in diurnal rhythms of sleep-wake behavior accompany stress-related psychiatric disorders and could contribute to their development. Complex stressors that include fear-eliciting stimuli can be a component of repeated stress experienced by humans, but whether exposure to repeated fear can prime the development of anxiety and sleep disturbances is unknown. In the current study, adult male F344 rats were exposed to either control conditions or repeated contextual fear conditioning for 22 days followed by exposure to either no, mild (10, or severe (100 acute uncontrollable tail shock stress. Exposure to acute stress produced anxiety-like behavior as measured by a reduction in juvenile social exploration and exaggerated shock-elicited freezing in a novel context. Prior exposure to repeated fear enhanced anxiety-like behavior as measured by shock-elicited freezing, but did not alter social exploratory behavior. The potentiation of anxiety produced by prior repeated fear was temporary; exaggerated fear was present 1 day but not 4 days following acute stress. Interestingly, exposure to acute stress reduced REM and NREM sleep during the hours immediately following acute stress. This initial reduction in sleep was followed by robust REM rebound and diurnal rhythm flattening of sleep / wake behavior. Prior repeated fear extended the acute stress-induced REM and NREM sleep loss, impaired REM rebound, and prolonged the flattening of the diurnal rhythm of NREM sleep following acute stressor exposure. These data suggest that impaired recovery of sleep / wake behavior following acute stress could contribute to the mechanisms by which a history of prior repeated stress increases vulnerability to subsequent novel stressors and stress-related disorders.

"Yes, I Can": the protective role of personal self-efficacy in hindering counterproductive work behavior under stressful conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fida, Roberta; Paciello, Marinella; Tramontano, Carlo; Barbaranelli, Claudio; Farnese, Maria Luisa

2015-01-01

Within the stressor-emotion model, counterproductive work behavior (CWB) is considered a possible result of stress. It is well-known that self-efficacy mitigates the detrimental effects of stress and the stressor-strain relation. We aim to extend the stressor-emotion model of CWB by examining the additive and moderating role of work and regulatory emotional self-efficacy dimensions. A structural equation model and a set of hierarchical regressions were conducted on a convenience sample of 1147 Italian workers. Individuals who believed in their capabilities to manage work activities had a lower propensity to act counterproductively. Workers who believed in their capabilities to cope with negative feelings had a lower propensity to react with negative emotions under stressful conditions. Finally, results showed that self-efficacy moderates at least some of the relationships between stressors and negative emotions, and also between stressors and CWB, but did not moderate the relationship between negative emotions and these types of conduct. Self-efficacy beliefs proved to be a protective factor that can reduce the impact of stressful working conditions.

Spore inactivation and DPA release in Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris under different stress conditions.

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Bevilacqua, Antonio; Ciuffreda, Emanuela; Sinigaglia, Milena; Corbo, Maria Rosaria

2015-04-01

This paper reports on the inactivation of spores of 5 strains of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris under different stress conditions (acidic and alkaline pH, high temperature, addition of lysozyme, hydrogen peroxide and p-coumaric acid). The research was divided into two different steps; first, each stress was studied alone, thus pointing out a partial uncoupling between spore inactivation and DPA release, as H2O2 reduced spore level below the detection but it did not cause the release of DPA. A partial correlation was found only for acidic and alkaline pH. 2nd step was focused on the combination of pH, temperature and H2O2 through a factorial design; experiments were performed on both fresh and 4 month-old spores and pinpointed a different trend for DPA release as a function of spore age. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrosative/oxidative stress conditions regulate thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) expression and thioredoxin-1 (TRX-1) nuclear localization.

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Ogata, Fernando Toshio; Batista, Wagner Luiz; Sartori, Adriano; Gesteira, Tarsis Ferreira; Masutani, Hiroshi; Arai, Roberto Jun; Yodoi, Junji; Stern, Arnold; Monteiro, Hugo Pequeno

2013-01-01

Thioredoxin (TRX-1) is a multifunctional protein that controls the redox status of other proteins. TRX-1 can be found in the extracellular milieu, cytoplasm and nucleus, and it has distinct functions in each environment. Previously, we studied the intracellular localization of TRX-1 and its relationship with the activation of the p21Ras-ERK1/2 MAP Kinases signaling pathway. In situations where this pathway was activated by stress conditions evoked by a nitrosothiol, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), TRX-1 accumulated in the nuclear compartment due to nitrosylation of p21Ras and activation of downstream ERK1/2 MAP kinases. Presently, we demonstrate that ERK1/2 MAP Kinases activation and spatial distribution within cells trigger TRX-1 nuclear translocation through down-regulation of the physiological inhibitor of TRX-1, Thioredoxin Interacting Protein (TXNIP). Once activated by the oxidants, SNAP and H₂O₂, the ERK1/2 MAP kinases migrate to the nucleus. This is correlated with down-regulation of TXNIP. In the presence of the MEK inhibitors (PD98059 or UO126), or in cells transfected with the Protein Enriched in Astrocytes (PEA-15), a cytoplasmic anchor of ERK1/2 MAP kinases, TRX-1 nuclear migration and TXNIP down-regulation are no longer observed in cells exposed to oxidants. On the other hand, over-expression of TXNIP abolishes nuclear migration of TRX-1 under nitrosative/oxidative stress conditions, whereas gene silencing of TXNIP facilitates nuclear migration even in the absence of stress conditions. Studies based on the TXNIP promoter support this regulation. In conclusion, changes in TRX-1 compartmentalization under nitrosative/oxidative stress conditions are dependent on the expression levels of TXNIP, which are regulated by cellular compartmentalization and activation of the ERK1/2 MAP kinases.

Nitrosative/oxidative stress conditions regulate thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP expression and thioredoxin-1 (TRX-1 nuclear localization.

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Fernando Toshio Ogata

Full Text Available Thioredoxin (TRX-1 is a multifunctional protein that controls the redox status of other proteins. TRX-1 can be found in the extracellular milieu, cytoplasm and nucleus, and it has distinct functions in each environment. Previously, we studied the intracellular localization of TRX-1 and its relationship with the activation of the p21Ras-ERK1/2 MAP Kinases signaling pathway. In situations where this pathway was activated by stress conditions evoked by a nitrosothiol, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, TRX-1 accumulated in the nuclear compartment due to nitrosylation of p21Ras and activation of downstream ERK1/2 MAP kinases. Presently, we demonstrate that ERK1/2 MAP Kinases activation and spatial distribution within cells trigger TRX-1 nuclear translocation through down-regulation of the physiological inhibitor of TRX-1, Thioredoxin Interacting Protein (TXNIP. Once activated by the oxidants, SNAP and H₂O₂, the ERK1/2 MAP kinases migrate to the nucleus. This is correlated with down-regulation of TXNIP. In the presence of the MEK inhibitors (PD98059 or UO126, or in cells transfected with the Protein Enriched in Astrocytes (PEA-15, a cytoplasmic anchor of ERK1/2 MAP kinases, TRX-1 nuclear migration and TXNIP down-regulation are no longer observed in cells exposed to oxidants. On the other hand, over-expression of TXNIP abolishes nuclear migration of TRX-1 under nitrosative/oxidative stress conditions, whereas gene silencing of TXNIP facilitates nuclear migration even in the absence of stress conditions. Studies based on the TXNIP promoter support this regulation. In conclusion, changes in TRX-1 compartmentalization under nitrosative/oxidative stress conditions are dependent on the expression levels of TXNIP, which are regulated by cellular compartmentalization and activation of the ERK1/2 MAP kinases.

[Autonomic regulation at emotional stress under hypoxic conditions in the elderly with physiological and accelerated aging: effect of hypoxic training].

Science.gov (United States)

Os'mak, E D; Asanov, É O

2014-01-01

The effect of hypoxic training on autonomic regulation in psycho-emotional stress conditions in hypoxic conditions in older people with physiological (25 people) and accelerated (28 people) aging respiratory system. It is shown that hypoxic training leads to an increase in vagal activity indicators (HF) and reduced simpatovagal index (LF/HF), have a normalizing effect on the autonomic balance during stress loads in older people with different types of aging respiratory system.

Expression stabilities of candidate reference genes for RT-qPCR under different stress conditions in soybean.

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Shuhua Ma

Full Text Available Due to its accuracy, sensitivity and high throughput, real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR has been widely used in analysing gene expression. The quality of data from such analyses is affected by the quality of reference genes used. Expression stabilities for nine candidate reference genes widely used in soybean were evaluated under different stresses in this study. Our results showed that EF1A and ACT11 were the best under salinity stress, TUB4, TUA5 and EF1A were the best under drought stress, ACT11 and UKN2 were the best under dark treatment, and EF1B and UKN2 were the best under virus infection. EF1B and UKN2 were the top two genes which can be reliably used in all of the stress conditions assessed.

Evaluation of some chemical and technological properties of induced erect chickpea mutant lines developed under drought stressed conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moustafa, R.A.K.; Ali, H.G.M.

2009-01-01

Seeds of the chickpea variety Flip 99-47 C were treated with gamma rays at doses of 0, 50 and 75 Gy and sown in the winter season of 2004/2005 to raise M1 generation under ordinary (normal) irrigation conditions. Bulked seeds from each treatment were planted in the subsequent growing seasons of 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 to advance M2 and M3 generations, respectively under either ordinary (normal) irrigation or drought stress condition. In the third generation, three erect mutant lines were derived from 75 Gy mutagenic treatment under drought stress compared to semi spreading growth habit of the initiated variety Flip 99-47 C. In the winter season of 2007/2008, M4 bulked seeds from the three erect lines as well as unirradiated seeds of the original variety grown under either ordinary (normal) irrigation (2152.5 m 3 /fad.) or drought (1159.2 m 3 /fad.) conditions were analyzed for the chemical composition and nutritional values. Obtained results indicated that there were slight decreases in protein and fat contents accompanied with marginal increases in both ash and carbohydrates in seed samples of the erect mutant developed under drought stress as compared to unirradiated seeds of the original variety grown under ordinary (normal) irrigation treatment. An opposite trend was noticed between seed samples derived from the erect lines compared to seeds of the parent variety developed under drought condition. Negligible changes in levels of the minerals (iron, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus) were detected between seeds of the erect lines and the original variety that grown under either ordinary (normal) irrigation or drought conditions. Cooking time (min) and hydration coefficient values did not much differ between the three tested seed samples. Marginal differences in essential and non-essential amino acids were detected between seeds of the erect mutants and those of the initial variety grown under ordinary (normal) irrigation or drought stressed conditions

Herbal supplement extends life span under some environmental conditions and boosts stress resistance.

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Bryant Villeponteau

Full Text Available Genetic studies indicate that aging is modulated by a great number of genetic pathways. We have used Drosophila longevity and stress assays to test a multipath intervention strategy. To carry out this strategy, we supplemented the flies with herbal extracts (SC100 that are predicted to modulate the expression of many genes involved in aging and stress resistance, such as mTOR, NOS, NF-KappaB, and VEGF. When flies were housed in large cages with SC100 added, daily mortality rates of both male and female flies were greatly diminished in mid to late life. Surprisingly, SC100 also stabilized midlife mortality rate increases so as to extend the maximum life span substantially beyond the limits previously reported for D. melanogaster. Under these conditions, SC100 also promoted robust resistance to partial starvation stress and to heat stress. Fertility was the same initially in both treated and control flies, but it became significantly higher in treated flies at older ages as the fertility of control flies declined. Mean and maximum life spans of flies in vials at the same test site were also extended by SC100, but the life spans were short in absolute terms. In contrast, at an independent test site where stress was minimized, the flies exhibited much longer mean life spans, but the survival curves became highly rectangular and the effects of SC100 on both mean and maximum life spans declined greatly or were abolished. The data indicate that SC100 is a novel herbal mix with striking effects on enhancing Drosophila stress resistance and life span in some environments, while minimizing mid to late life mortality rates. They also show that the environment and other factors can have transformative effects on both the length and distribution of survivorship, and on the ability of SC100 to extend the life span.

Development of stress boundary conditions in smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) for the modeling of solids deformation

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Douillet-Grellier, Thomas; Pramanik, Ranjan; Pan, Kai; Albaiz, Abdulaziz; Jones, Bruce D.; Williams, John R.

2017-10-01

This paper develops a method for imposing stress boundary conditions in smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) with and without the need for dummy particles. SPH has been used for simulating phenomena in a number of fields, such as astrophysics and fluid mechanics. More recently, the method has gained traction as a technique for simulation of deformation and fracture in solids, where the meshless property of SPH can be leveraged to represent arbitrary crack paths. Despite this interest, application of boundary conditions within the SPH framework is typically limited to imposed velocity or displacement using fictitious dummy particles to compensate for the lack of particles beyond the boundary interface. While this is enough for a large variety of problems, especially in the case of fluid flow, for problems in solid mechanics there is a clear need to impose stresses upon boundaries. In addition to this, the use of dummy particles to impose a boundary condition is not always suitable or even feasibly, especially for those problems which include internal boundaries. In order to overcome these difficulties, this paper first presents an improved method for applying stress boundary conditions in SPH with dummy particles. This is then followed by a proposal of a formulation which does not require dummy particles. These techniques are then validated against analytical solutions to two common problems in rock mechanics, the Brazilian test and the penny-shaped crack problem both in 2D and 3D. This study highlights the fact that SPH offers a good level of accuracy to solve these problems and that results are reliable. This validation work serves as a foundation for addressing more complex problems involving plasticity and fracture propagation.

Measuring Bus Drivers' Occupational Stress Under Changing Working Conditions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hlotova, Y.; Cats, O.; Meijer, S.A.

2014-01-01

Stress is an immense problem in modern society; approximately half of all occupational illnesses are directly or indirectly related to stress. The work of a bus driver is typically associated with high stress levels that negatively influence individual well-being as well as workforce management. The

Effect of thermal exposure on the residual stress relaxation in a hardened cylindrical sample under creep conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Radchenko, V. P.; Saushkin, M. N.; Tsvetkov, V. V.

2016-05-01

This paper describes the effect of thermal exposure (high-temperature exposure) ( T = 675°C) on the residual creep stress relaxation in a surface hardened solid cylindrical sample made of ZhS6UVI alloy. The analysis is carried out with the use of experimental data for residual stresses after micro-shot peening and exposures to temperatures equal to T = 675°C during 50, 150, and 300 h. The paper presents the technique for solving the boundary-value creep problem for the hardened cylindrical sample with the initial stress-strain state under the condition of thermal exposure. The uniaxial experimental creep curves obtained under constant stresses of 500, 530, 570, and 600 MPa are used to construct the models describing the primary and secondary stages of creep. The calculated and experimental data for the longitudinal (axial) tensor components of residual stresses are compared, and their satisfactory agreement is determined.

Journal of Biosciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In an attempt to characterize the interaction occurring between cellular proteins and hnRNP L, yeast two-hybrid screening was conducted using a HeLa cDNA library. Some of the cDNA clones were found to harbour a partial human hnRNP D/AUF1 cDNA (GeneBank accession number NM_031369). In this study, we ...

Comparison of different test methods to assess thermal stresses of metal oxide surge arresters under pollution conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bargigia, A.; de Nigris, M.; Pigini, A.; Sironi, A.

1992-01-01

The report deals with the research conducted by ENEL, the Italian Electricity Board, to assess the performance of zinc oxide surge arresters under pollution condition, with special reference to the consequent thermal stress on internal active parts which can affect the energy handling capabality of the arrester and may lead, in particular conditions, even to thermal runaway

Practical stress evaluation method of RC slab for bending moment in consideration of additional in-plane stress caused by boundary condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Toshio; Adachi, Naohito; Masuda, Kiyoshi

1998-01-01

In a design of a thick RC slab such as a basemat of a nuclear reactor building, the design method as same as for RC column is usually used. In this method, bending moment and axial force which are obtained by linear Finite Element Method (FEM) for external force are considered. But the assumption for linear FEM in which concrete participates for tensile stress is different from that for reinforcement design in which concrete does not participate for tensile stress. This difference of the assumption results that in-plane tensile strain at the center of the slab depth in the reinforcement design is larger than that in linear FEM. Some effects will appear in stress distribution if this tensile strain is constrained by boundary condition. In this paper, a practical method to evaluate the boundary constrain effects for this in-plane tensile strain is proposed and a simulation analysis of a thick reinforced concrete slab with a large opening for out-of-plane force is also reported. (author)

Environmental Growing Conditions in Five Production Systems Induce Stress Response and Affect Chemical Composition of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) Beans.

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Niether, Wiebke; Smit, Inga; Armengot, Laura; Schneider, Monika; Gerold, Gerhard; Pawelzik, Elke

2017-11-29

Cocoa beans are produced all across the humid tropics under different environmental conditions provided by the region but also by the season and the type of production system. Agroforestry systems compared to monocultures buffer climate extremes and therefore provide a less stressful environment for the understory cocoa, especially under seasonally varying conditions. We measured the element concentration as well as abiotic stress indicators (polyamines and total phenolic content) in beans derived from five different production systems comparing monocultures and agroforestry systems and from two harvesting seasons. Concentrations of N, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Na, and Zn were higher in beans produced in agroforestry systems with high stem density and leaf area index. In the dry season, the N, Fe, and Cu concentration of the beans increased. The total phenolic content increased with proceeding of the dry season while other abiotic stress indicators like spermine decreased, implying an effect of the water availability on the chemical composition of the beans. Agroforestry systems did not buffer the variability of stress indicators over the seasons compared to monocultures. The effect of environmental growing conditions on bean chemical composition was not strong but can contribute to variations in cocoa bean quality.

Validation of reference genes from Eucalyptus spp. under different stress conditions

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Moura Jullyana Cristina Magalhães Silva

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The genus Eucalyptus consists of approximately 600 species and subspecies and has a physiological plasticity that allows some species to propagate in different regions of the world. Eucalyptus is a major source of cellulose for paper manufacturing, and its cultivation is limited by weather conditions, particularly water stress and low temperatures. Gene expression studies using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR require reference genes, which must have stable expression to facilitate the comparison of the results from analyses using different species, tissues, and treatments. Such studies have been limited in eucalyptus. Results Eucalyptus globulus Labill, Eucalyptus urograndis (hybrid from Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake X Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex-Maiden and E. uroglobulus (hybrid from E. urograndis X E. globulus were subjected to different treatments, including water deficiency and stress recovery, low temperatures, presence or absence of light, and their respective controls. Except for treatment with light, which examined the seedling hypocotyl or apical portion of the stem, the expression analyses were conducted in the apical and basal parts of the stem. To select the best pair of genes, the bioinformatics tools GeNorm and NormFinder were compared. Comprehensive analyses that did not differentiate between species, treatments, or tissue types, showed that IDH (isocitrate dehydrogenase, SAND (SAND protein, ACT (actin, and A-Tub (α-tubulin genes were the most stable. IDH was the most stable gene in all of the treatments. Conclusion Comparing these results with those of other studies on eucalyptus, we concluded that five genes are stable in different species and experimental conditions: IDH, SAND, ACT, A-Tub, and UBQ (ubiquitin. It is usually recommended a minimum of two reference genes is expression analysis; therefore, we propose that IDH and two others genes among the five identified

Thermal stress analysis of reactor containment building considering severe weather condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yun; Kim, Yun-Yong; Hyun, Jung-Hwan; Kim, Do-Gyeum

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We examine that through-wall crack risk in cold weather is high. • It is predicted that cracking in concrete wall will not happen in hot region. • Cracking due to hydration heat can be controlled by appropriate curing condition. • Temperature differences between inner and outer face is relatively small in hot weather. - Abstract: Prediction of concrete cracking due to hydration heat in mass concrete such as reactor containment building (RCB) in nuclear power plant is a crucial issue in construction site. In this study, the numerical analysis for heat transfer and stress development is performed for the containment wall in RCB by considering the severe weather conditions. Finally, concrete cracking risk in hot and cold weather is discussed based on analysis results. In analyses considering severe weather conditions, it is found that the through-wall cracking risk in cold weather is high due to the abrupt temperature difference between inside concrete and the ambient air in cold region. In hot weather, temperature differences between inner and outer face is relatively small, and accordingly the relevant cracking risk is relatively low in contrast with cold weather

Physical robustness of canopy temperature models for crop heat stress simulation across environments and production conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Webber, Heidi; White, Jeffrey W; Kimball, Bruce

2018-01-01

to simulate Tc. Model performance in predicting Tc was evaluated for two experiments in continental North America with various water, nitrogen and CO2 treatments. An empirical model fit to one dataset had the best performance, followed by the EBSC models. Stability conditions explained much of the differences...... between modeling approaches. More accurate simulation of heat stress will likely require use of energy balance approaches that consider atmospheric stability conditions....

Response of Barley Double Haploid Lines to the Grain Yield and Morphological Traits under Water Deficit Stress Conditions

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Maroof Khalily

2017-04-01

Full Text Available To study the relationships of grain yield and some of agro-morphological traits in 40 doubled haploid (DH lines along with parental and three check genotypes in a randomized complete block design with two replications under two water regimes (normal and stress were evaluated during 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 growing seasons. Combined analysis of variance showed significant difference for all the traits in terms of the year, water regimes, lines, and and line × year. Comparison of group means, between non-stress and stress conditions, showed that DH lines had the lowest reduction percentage for the number of grains per spike, thousand grain weight, grain yield and biological yield as opposed to check genotypes. The correlation between grain yield with biological yield, harvest index, thousand grain weight, and hectoliter of kernel weight in both conditions, were highly significant and positive. Based on stepwise regression the peduncle length, number of seeds per spike, thousand seed weight, and hectoliter of kernel weight had important effect on increasing seed yield. The result of path analysis showed that these traits had the highest direct effect on grain yield. Based on mean comparisons of morphological characters as well as STI and GMP indices it can be concluded that lines No.11, 13, 14, 24, 29, 30, 35 and 39 were distinguished to be desirable lines for grain yield and their related traits and also tolerant lines in terms of response to drought stress conditions.

Favorable Alleles for Stem Water-Soluble Carbohydrates Identified by Association Analysis Contribute to Grain Weight under Drought Stress Conditions in Wheat

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Li, Runzhi; Chang, Xiaoping; Jing, Ruilian

2015-01-01

Drought is a major environmental constraint to crop distribution and productivity. Stem water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) buffer wheat grain yield against conditions unfavorable for photosynthesis during the grain filling stage. In this study, 262 winter wheat accessions and 209 genome-wide SSR markers were collected and used to undertake association analysis based on a mixed linear model (MLM). The WSC in different internodes at three growth stages and 1000-grain weight (TGW) were investigated under four environmental regimes (well-watered, drought stress during the whole growth period, and two levels of terminal drought stress imposed by chemical desiccation under the well-watered and drought stress during the whole growth period conditions). Under diverse drought stress conditions, WSC in lower internodes showed significant positive correlations with TGW, especially at the flowering stage under well-watered conditions and at grain filling under drought stress. Sixteen novel WSC-favorable alleles were identified, and five of them contributed to significantly higher TGW. In addition, pyramiding WSC favorable alleles was not only effective for obtaining accessions with higher WSC, but also for enhancing TGW under different water regimes. During the past fifty years of wheat breeding, WSC was selected incidentally. The average number of favorable WSC alleles increased from 1.13 in the pre-1960 period to 4.41 in the post-2000 period. The results indicate a high potential for using marker-assisted selection to pyramid WSC favorable alleles in improving WSC and TGW in wheat. PMID:25768726

From microgravity to osmotic conditions: mechanical integration of plant cells in response to stress

Science.gov (United States)

Wojtaszek, Przemyslaw; Kasprowicz, Anna; Michalak, Michal; Janczara, Renata; Volkmann, Dieter; Baluska, Frantisek

Chemical reactions and interactions between molecules are commonly thought of as being at the basis of Life. Research of recent years, however, is more and more evidently indicating that physical forces are profoundly affecting the functioning of life at all levels of its organiza-tion. To detect and to respond to such forces, plant cells need to be integrated mechanically. Cell walls are the outermost functional zone of plant cells. They surround the individual cells, and also form a part of the apoplast. In cell suspensions, cell walls are embedded in the cul-ture medium which can be considered as a superapoplast. Through physical and chemical interactions they provide a basis for the structural and functional cell wall-plasma membrane-cytoskeleton (WMC) continuum spanning the whole cell. Here, the working of WMC contin-uum, and the participation of signalling molecules, like NO, would be presented in the context of plant responses to stress. In addition, the effects of the changing composition of WMC continuum will be considered, with particular attention paid to the modifications of the WMC components. Plant cells are normally adapted to changing osmotic conditions, resulting from variable wa-ter availability. The appearance of the osmotic stress activates adaptory mechanisms. If the strength of osmotic stress grows relatively slowly over longer period of time, the cells are able to adapt to conditions that are lethal to non-adapted cells. During stepwise adaptation of tobacco BY-2 suspension cells to the presence of various osmotically active agents, cells diverged into independent, osmoticum type-specific lines. In response to ionic agents (NaCl, KCl), the adhe-sive properties were increased and randomly dividing cells formed clumps, while cells adapted to nonionic osmotica (mannitol, sorbitol, PEG) revealed ordered pattern of precisely positioned cell divisions, resulting in the formation of long cell files. Changes in the growth patterns were accompanied by

Methods for evaluation of mechanical stress condition of materials

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Mirchev Yordan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Primary attention is given to the following methods: method by drilling cylindrical holes (drill method and integrated ultrasonic method using volume (longitudinal and transverse, surface, and sub-surface waves. Drill method allows determination of residual mechanical stress in small depth of material surfaces, assessing type, size, and orientation of principal stresses. For the first time, parallel studies are carried out of mechanical stress in materials using the electroacoustic effect of volume, surface and sub-surface waves on the one hand, and effective mechanical stresses on the other. The experimental results present electroacoustic coefficients for different types of waves in the material of gas pipeline tube of 243 mm diameter and 14 mm thickness. These are used to evaluate mechanical stresses in pipelines, according to active GOST standards.

Physical condition and stress levels during early development reflect feeding rates and predict pre- and post-fledging survival in a nearshore seabird.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamb, Juliet S; O'Reilly, Kathleen M; Jodice, Patrick G R

2016-01-01

The effects of acute environmental stressors on reproduction in wildlife are often difficult to measure because of the labour and disturbance involved in collecting accurate reproductive data. Stress hormones represent a promising option for assessing the effects of environmental perturbations on altricial young; however, it is necessary first to establish how stress levels are affected by environmental conditions during development and whether elevated stress results in reduced survival and recruitment rates. In birds, the stress hormone corticosterone is deposited in feathers during the entire period of feather growth, making it an integrated measure of background stress levels during development. We tested the utility of feather corticosterone levels in 3- to 4-week-old nestling brown pelicans ( Pelecanus occidentalis ) for predicting survival rates at both the individual and colony levels. We also assessed the relationship of feather corticosterone to nestling body condition and rates of energy delivery to nestlings. Chicks with higher body condition and lower corticosterone levels were more likely to fledge and to be resighted after fledging, whereas those with lower body condition and higher corticosterone levels were less likely to fledge or be resighted after fledging. Feather corticosterone was also associated with intracolony differences in survival between ground and elevated nest sites. Colony-wide, mean feather corticosterone predicted nest productivity, chick survival and post-fledging dispersal more effectively than did body condition, although these relationships were strongest before fledglings dispersed away from the colony. Both reproductive success and nestling corticosterone were strongly related to nutritional conditions, particularly meal delivery rates. We conclude that feather corticosterone is a powerful predictor of reproductive success and could provide a useful metric for rapidly assessing the effects of changes in environmental

Working conditions, burnout and stress symptoms in university professors: validating a structural model of the mediating effect of perceived personal competence.

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Avargues Navarro, María Luisa; Borda Mas, Mercedes; López Jiménez, Ana María

2010-05-01

The purpose of this study has been to test, with a sample of 193 Professors of the University of Seville, a structural model on the mediating role of personal perceived competence in the appearance of burnout syndrome and stress symptoms under potentially stressful work conditions. The instruments used to evaluate were a socio-demographic and work-related data questionnaire, The Maslach Burnout Inventory (M.B.I.), The Labour Scale of Stress and the Magallanes Stress Scale. The model of strategy implementation and LISREL 8.71 were used. The estimated model was adjusted satisfactorily, ascertaining the mediating effect of perceived competence in the effect exerted by the work conditions studied on the depersonalization and personal fulfillment, as well as in the appearance of stress symptoms. The effect on the emotional exhaustion dimension was not confirmed. The latter also acted on the estimated model as a mediating variable, facilitating the negative impact of stressors on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment.

Does low-protein diet improve broiler performance under heat stress conditions?

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RL Furlan

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Nutrition for broilers under high temperatures is extremely important for brazilian broiler chicken industry because the amounts of consumed nutrients and environmental temperature have great effects on bird performance and carcass quality. Among diet nutrients, protein has the highest heat increment; thus, during many years, diets with low protein level were recommended in order to reduce heat production in broiler chickens under heat stress. However, reports have shown that low-protein diets have negative effects on broiler performance when environmental temperature is high, because during heat stress, low food intake associated to a low diet protein induce amino acid deficiencies. Other studies have shown that broilers fed low-protein diets increase their energy requirement for maintenance with higher heat production. Thus, with the growth of broiler industry in tropical areas more challenges need to be faced by the farmers. So, both the ambient and nutritional conditions ought to be well managed to avoid negative effects on poultry production once they can affect the metabolism (body heat production under low temperature and body heat dissipation under high temperature with consequence on poultry performance (meat and eggs.

Differential changes of metabolic brain activity and interregional functional coupling in prefronto-limbic pathways during different stress conditions: Functional imaging in freely behaving rodent pups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joerg eBock

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The trumpet-tailed rat or degu (Octodon degus is an established model to investigate the consequences of early stress on the development of emotional brain circuits and behaviour. The aim of this study was to identify brain circuits, that respond to different stress conditions and to test if acute stress alters functional coupling of brain activity among prefrontal and limbic regions. Using functional imaging (2-Fluoro-deoxyglucose method in 8 day old male degu pups the following stress conditions were compared: (A pups together with parents and siblings (control, (B separation of the litter from the parents, (C individual separation from parents and siblings, (D individual separation and presentation of maternal calls. Condition (B significantly downregulated brain activity in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens and sensory areas compared to controls. Activity decrease was even more pronounced during condition (C, where, in contrast to all other regions, activity in the PAG was increased. Interestingly, brain activity in stress-associated brain regions such as the amygdala and habenula was not affected. In condition (D maternal vocalizations reactivated brain activity in the cingulate and precentral medial cortex, nucleus accumbens and striatum and in sensory areas. In contrast, reduced activity was measured in the prelimbic and infralimbic cortex and in the hippocampus and amygdala. Correlation analysis revealed complex, region- and situation-specific changes of interregional functional coupling among prefrontal and limbic brain regions during stress exposure. We show here for the first time that early life stress results in a widespread reduction of brain activity in the infant brain and changes interregional functional coupling. Moreover, maternal vocalizations can partly buffer stress-induced decrease in brain activity in some regions and evoked very different functional coupling patterns compared to the three other

Chronic psychosocial stress causes delayed extinction and exacerbates reinstatement of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahi, Amine; Dreyer, Jean-Luc

2014-01-01

We have shown previously, using an animal model of voluntary ethanol intake and ethanol-conditioned place preference (EtOH-CPP), that exposure to chronic psychosocial stress induces increased ethanol intake and EtOH-CPP acquisition in mice. Here, we examined the impact of chronic subordinate colony (CSC) exposure on EtOH-CPP extinction, as well as ethanol-induced reinstatement of CPP. Mice were conditioned with saline or 1.5 g/kg ethanol and were tested in the EtOH-CPP model. In the first experiment, the mice were subjected to 19 days of chronic stress, and EtOH-CPP extinction was assessed during seven daily trials without ethanol injection. In the second experiment and after the EtOH-CPP test, the mice were subjected to 7 days of extinction trials before the 19 days of chronic stress. Drug-induced EtOH-CPP reinstatement was induced by a priming injection of 0.5 g/kg ethanol. Compared to the single-housed colony mice, CSC mice exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze (EPM) and the open field tests. Interestingly, the CSC mice showed delayed EtOH-CPP extinction. More importantly, CSC mice showed increased alcohol-induced reinstatement of the EtOH-CPP behavior. Taken together, this study indicates that chronic psychosocial stress can have long-term effects on EtOH-CPP extinction as well as drug-induced reinstatement behavior and may provide a suitable model to study the latent effects of chronic psychosocial stress on extinction and relapse to drug abuse.

Macro-mesoscopic Fracture and Strength Character of Pre-cracked Granite Under Stress Relaxation Condition

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Junfeng; Yang, Haiqing; Xiao, Yang; Zhou, Xiaoping

2018-05-01

The fracture characters are important index to study the strength and deformation behavior of rock mass in rock engineering. In order to investigate the influencing mechanism of loading conditions on the strength and macro-mesoscopic fracture character of rock material, pre-cracked granite specimens are prepared to conduct a series of uniaxial compression experiments. For parts of the experiments, stress relaxation tests of different durations are also conducted during the uniaxial loading process. Furthermore, the stereomicroscope is adopted to observe the microstructure of the crack surfaces of the specimens. The experimental results indicate that the crack surfaces show several typical fracture characters in accordance with loading conditions. In detail, some cleavage fracture can be observed under conventional uniaxial compression and the fractured surface is relatively rough, whereas as stress relaxation tests are attached, relative slip trace appears between the crack faces and some shear fracture starts to come into being. Besides, the crack faces tend to become smoother and typical terrace structures can be observed in local areas. Combining the macroscopic failure pattern of the specimens, it can be deduced that the duration time for the stress relaxation test contributes to the improvement of the elastic-plastic strain range as well as the axial peak strength for the studied material. Moreover, the derived conclusion is also consistent with the experimental and analytical solution for the pre-peak stage of the rock material. The present work may provide some primary understanding about the strength character and fracture mechanism of hard rock under different engineering environments.

Abiotic stress growth conditions induce different responses in kernel iron concentration across genotypically distinct maize inbred varieties

Science.gov (United States)

Kandianis, Catherine B.; Michenfelder, Abigail S.; Simmons, Susan J.; Grusak, Michael A.; Stapleton, Ann E.

2013-01-01

The improvement of grain nutrient profiles for essential minerals and vitamins through breeding strategies is a target important for agricultural regions where nutrient poor crops like maize contribute a large proportion of the daily caloric intake. Kernel iron concentration in maize exhibits a broad range. However, the magnitude of genotype by environment (GxE) effects on this trait reduces the efficacy and predictability of selection programs, particularly when challenged with abiotic stress such as water and nitrogen limitations. Selection has also been limited by an inverse correlation between kernel iron concentration and the yield component of kernel size in target environments. Using 25 maize inbred lines for which extensive genome sequence data is publicly available, we evaluated the response of kernel iron density and kernel mass to water and nitrogen limitation in a managed field stress experiment using a factorial design. To further understand GxE interactions we used partition analysis to characterize response of kernel iron and weight to abiotic stressors among all genotypes, and observed two patterns: one characterized by higher kernel iron concentrations in control over stress conditions, and another with higher kernel iron concentration under drought and combined stress conditions. Breeding efforts for this nutritional trait could exploit these complementary responses through combinations of favorable allelic variation from these already well-characterized genetic stocks. PMID:24363659

Boundary conditions on the Jointed Block Test: A two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite element analysis of stresses and temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardy, M.P.; Mitchell, S.J.

1983-12-01

This report presents the results from a numerical modeling study which was performed in support of the analysis of data from the Near-Surface Test Facility Block Test. The objective of the work was to investigate the potential for features of the test geometry and construction to influence the uniformity of the stress distribution across the test block and generate anomalous deformational response characteristics during loading. The analysis results indicated that the components of the test set-up can modify the imposed boundary conditions and affect the stress distribution in the block. However, the influence of these conditions was not sufficient to generate the anomalous conditions observed in actual field data. 5 refs

The Role of Silicon under Biotic and Abiotic Stress Conditions

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İlkay YAVAŞ

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Biotic and abiotic stress factors can adversely affect the agricultural productivity leading to physiological and biochemical damage to crops. Therefore, the most effective way is to increase the resistance to stresses. Silicon plays a ro le in reducing the effects of abiotic and biotic stresses (drought, salt stress, disease and insect stress etc. on plants. Silicon is accumulated in the cell walls and intercellular spaces and thus it has beneficial effects on disease infestations in especially small grains. The application of silicon may reduce the effects of environmental stresses on plants while making effective use of plant nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous. Also, silicon may reduce the toxic effects of heavy metals in soil. I t may protect the foliage and increase light uptake and reduce respiration. Therefore, in this review, we discussed the effects of silicon on abiotic and biotic stresses in especially field crops.

The relationship between stressful working conditions and high alcohol consumption and severe alcohol problems in an urban general population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Romelsjö, A; Hasin, D; Hilton, M

1992-01-01

The relationship between 15 measures of stressful working conditions and high alcohol consumption (35 g 100% ethanol per day or more for men and 25 g or more for women) was studied, using cross-sectional data from a general population survey of 1344 males and 1494 females; the ages 25-64 years......-adjusted odds ratios, were positive and some were negative when high alcohol consumption was the endpoint, but there was a clear variation by sex and social class. Generally the positive associations were stronger among male non-manual employees. Among males, there was a clear association between stressful...... increased odds ratios were lower when subjects with an alcohol diagnosis at inpatient care during 1980-84 were excluded in the analyses. On the whole, our findings are not conclusive. The strong, but imprecise associations between stressful working conditions and severe alcohol problems, are however...

Evaluation Of Oxidative Stress And Some Antioxidant Markers In Pregnant Cows Under Hot Summer Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TEAMA, F.E.

2009-01-01

Due to the heat stress and the decrease of antioxidants, the oxidative stress is produced which has a negative impact on the efficiency of productive and reproductive functions in cows. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the status of some antioxidant markers as well as measuring the level of progesterone as a criterion essential for duration of pregnancy besides the stress hormone cortisol in heat stressed pregnant and non-pregnant cows under hot summer conditions. Twelve healthy Brown Swiss cows with average body weight 350 kg were divided into two groups, six cows in each according to pregnancy status. The 1 st group consisted of 6 pregnant cows while the 2 nd included 6 non-pregnant cows. The rectal temperature (RT) was measured and blood samples were collected during three months to determine total antioxidant (TA), catalase (CAT) enzyme, malondialdehyde (MDA), cortisol and progesterone hormones.The result showed that there was an increase of rectal temperature for pregnant cows than in non-pregnant but didn't reach the critical value. In addition, there were significant increases in total antioxidant, progesterone and cortisol as compared with non-pregnant heat stressed cows while non-significant decrease in catalase enzyme in pregnant cows and non-significant increase in malondialdehyde in pregnant cows were observed. It could be concluded that total antioxidants, progesterone and cortisol hormones are a good biomarkers for oxidative stress in pregnant heat stressed cows while the non-significant changes in catalase and malondialdehyde may attributed to the small number of animals used and further studies on large number are recommended to evaluate the validity of those markers.

Co-overexpression of OsSIZ1 and AVP1 in cotton substantially improves cotton growth and development under multiple-stress conditions

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Environmental stresses such as salt, drought, and heat cause significant losses in crop production. Our laboratories employ genetic engineering to modify gene expression of selected genes to improve plant performance under environmental stress conditions. Previous studies by our group have shown tha...

Eyeblink classical conditioning and post-traumatic stress disorder - a model systems approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Schreurs, Bernard G; Burhans, Lauren B

2015-01-01

Not everyone exposed to trauma suffers flashbacks, bad dreams, numbing, fear, anxiety, sleeplessness, hyper-vigilance, hyperarousal, or an inability to cope, but those who do may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a major physical and mental health problem for military personnel and civilians exposed to trauma. There is still debate about the incidence and prevalence of PTSD especially among the military, but for those who are diagnosed, behavioral therapy and drug treatment strategies have proven to be less than effective. A number of these treatment strategies are based on rodent fear conditioning research and are capable of treating only some of the symptoms because the extinction of fear does not deal with the various forms of hyper-vigilance and hyperarousal experienced by people with PTSD. To help address this problem, we have developed a preclinical eyeblink classical conditioning model of PTSD in which conditioning and hyperarousal can both be extinguished. We review this model and discuss findings showing that unpaired stimulus presentations can be effective in reducing levels of conditioning and hyperarousal even when unconditioned stimulus intensity is reduced to the point where it is barely capable of eliciting a response. These procedures have direct implications for the treatment of PTSD and could be implemented in a virtual reality environment.

Thermal–mechanical stress analysis of pressurized water reactor pressure vessel with/without a preexisting crack under grid load following conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohanty, Subhasish, E-mail: smohanty@anl.gov; Soppet, William K.; Majumdar, Saurin; Natesan, Krishnamurti

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Use of intermittent renewable-energy source in power grid is becoming a trend. • Gird load-following can leads to variable power demand from Nuclear power plant. • Reactor components can be stressed differently under gird load-following mode. • Estimation of stress–strain state under grid load-following condition is essential. - Abstract: In this paper, we present thermal–mechanical stress analysis of a pressurized water reactor pressure vessel and its hot-leg and cold-leg nozzles. Results are presented from thermal and thermal–mechanical stress analysis under reactor heat-up, cool-down, and grid load-following conditions. Analysis results are given with and without the presence of preexisting crack in the reactor nozzle (axial crack in hot leg nozzle). From the model results it is found that the stress–strain states are significantly higher in case of presence of crack than without crack. The stress–strain state under grid load following condition are more realistic compared to the stress–strain state estimated assuming simplified transients.

Thermal–mechanical stress analysis of pressurized water reactor pressure vessel with/without a preexisting crack under grid load following conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohanty, Subhasish; Soppet, William K.; Majumdar, Saurin; Natesan, Krishnamurti

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Use of intermittent renewable-energy source in power grid is becoming a trend. • Gird load-following can leads to variable power demand from Nuclear power plant. • Reactor components can be stressed differently under gird load-following mode. • Estimation of stress–strain state under grid load-following condition is essential. - Abstract: In this paper, we present thermal–mechanical stress analysis of a pressurized water reactor pressure vessel and its hot-leg and cold-leg nozzles. Results are presented from thermal and thermal–mechanical stress analysis under reactor heat-up, cool-down, and grid load-following conditions. Analysis results are given with and without the presence of preexisting crack in the reactor nozzle (axial crack in hot leg nozzle). From the model results it is found that the stress–strain states are significantly higher in case of presence of crack than without crack. The stress–strain state under grid load following condition are more realistic compared to the stress–strain state estimated assuming simplified transients.

Phenological Variation and its Relation with Yield in several Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Cultivars under Normal and Late Sowing Mediated Heat Stress Condition

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Kamrun NAHAR

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Phenological performance in relation to yield of five modern varieties of wheat Sourav, Pradip, Sufi, Shatabdi and Bijoy were evaluated under two growing environments; one is normal growing environment (sowing at November 30 and the other is post anthesis heat stressed environment (sowing at December 30. In case of late seeding, the varieties phased a significant level of high temperature stress that also significantly affected the required days to germination, booting, anthesis, maturity of all varieties including the yield as compared to normal sowing treatment. The temperature during the grain filling or grain maturing period was near 23C in case of normal seeding and it was near about 28C to 30C and sometimes reached above this range in the later period of late seeded treatment. In the normal sowing treatment the germination period was lower than the late sowing treatment as during that time the temperature was higher as compared to late sowing condition where temperature was lower. Days to anthesis and booting decreased due to late sown heat stress condition regardless the cultivars. These phenological characteristics under heat stressed condition led the wheat cultivars to significantly lower the grain yield as compared to normal condition. Due to heat stress, the yield reduction was 69.53% in Sourav, 58.41% in Pradip, 73.01% in Sufi, 55.46% in Shatabdi and 53.42% in Bijoy.

Bioimpedance-Based Wearable Measurement Instrumentation for Studying the Autonomic Nerve System Response to Stressful Working Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, J.; Álvarez, L.; Buendía, R.; Ayllón, D.; Llerena, C.; Gil-Pita, R.; Seoane, F.

2013-04-01

The assessment of mental stress on workers under hard and stressful conditions is critical to identify which workers are not ready to undertake a mission that might put in risk their own life and the life of others. The ATREC project aims to enable Real Time Assessment of Mental Stress of the Spanish Armed Forces during military activities. Integrating sensors with garments and using wearable measurement devices, the following physiological measurements were recorded: heart and respiration rate, skin galvanic response as well as peripheral temperature. The measuring garments are the following: a sensorized glove, an upper-arm strap and a repositionable textrode chest strap system with 6 textrodes. The implemented textile-enabled instrumentation contains: one skin galvanometer, two temperature sensors, for skin and environmental, and an Impedance Cardiographer/Pneumographer containing a 1 channel ECG amplifier to record cardiogenic biopotentials. The implemented wearable systems operated accordingly to the specifications and are ready to be used for the mental stress experiments that will be executed in the coming phases of the project in healthy volunteers.

Bioimpedance-Based Wearable Measurement Instrumentation for Studying the Autonomic Nerve System Response to Stressful Working Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, J; Buendía, R; Seoane, F; Álvarez, L; Ayllón, D; Llerena, C; Gil-Pita, R

2013-01-01

The assessment of mental stress on workers under hard and stressful conditions is critical to identify which workers are not ready to undertake a mission that might put in risk their own life and the life of others. The ATREC project aims to enable Real Time Assessment of Mental Stress of the Spanish Armed Forces during military activities. Integrating sensors with garments and using wearable measurement devices, the following physiological measurements were recorded: heart and respiration rate, skin galvanic response as well as peripheral temperature. The measuring garments are the following: a sensorized glove, an upper-arm strap and a repositionable textrode chest strap system with 6 textrodes. The implemented textile-enabled instrumentation contains: one skin galvanometer, two temperature sensors, for skin and environmental, and an Impedance Cardiographer/Pneumographer containing a 1 channel ECG amplifier to record cardiogenic biopotentials. The implemented wearable systems operated accordingly to the specifications and are ready to be used for the mental stress experiments that will be executed in the coming phases of the project in healthy volunteers.

Subacute stress and chronic stress interact to decrease intestinal barrier function in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Lauffer, Adriana; Vanuytsel, Tim; Vanormelingen, Christophe; Vanheel, Hanne; Salim Rasoel, Shadea; Tóth, Joran; Tack, Jan; Fornari, Fernando; Farré, Ricard

2016-01-01

Psychological stress increases intestinal permeability, potentially leading to low-grade inflammation and symptoms in functional gastrointestinal disorders. We assessed the effect of subacute, chronic and combined stress on intestinal barrier function and mast cell density. Male Wistar rats were allocated to four experimental groups (n = 8/group): 1/sham; 2/subacute stress (isolation and limited movement for 24 h); 3/chronic crowding stress for 14 days and 4/combined subacute and chronic stress. Jejunum and colon were collected to measure: transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER; a measure of epithelial barrier function); gene expression of tight junction molecules; mast cell density. Plasma corticosterone concentration was increased in all three stress conditions versus sham, with highest concentrations in the combined stress condition. TEER in the jejunum was decreased in all stress conditions, but was significantly lower in the combined stress condition than in the other groups. TEER in the jejunum correlated negatively with corticosterone concentration. Increased expression of claudin 1, 5 and 8, occludin and zonula occludens 1 mRNAs was detected after subacute stress in the jejunum. In contrast, colonic TEER was decreased only after combined stress, and the expression of tight junction molecules was unaltered. Increased mast cell density was observed in the chronic and combined stress condition in the colon only. In conclusion, our data show that chronic stress sensitizes the gastrointestinal tract to the effects of subacute stress on intestinal barrier function; different underlying cellular and molecular alterations are indicated in the small intestine versus the colon.

FoxO3a Serves as a Biomarker of Oxidative Stress in Human Lens Epithelial Cells under Conditions of Hyperglycemia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilangovan Raju

Full Text Available Forkhead box 'O' transcription factors (FoxOs are implicated in the pathogenesis of type2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Abnormal activity of FoxOs was reported in the glucose and insulin metabolism. Expression of FoxO proteins was reported in ocular tissues; however their function under hyperglycemic conditions was not examined.Human lens epithelial cell line was used to study the function of FoxO proteins. Immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and Western blotting were employed to detect the FoxO proteins under the conditions of hyperglycemia.In this study we examined the role of FoxO3a in hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress in human lens epithelial cells. FoxO3a protein expression was elevated in a dose- and time-dependent fashion after high glucose treatment. Anti-oxidant defense mechanisms of the lens epithelial cells were diminished as evidenced from loss of mitochondrial membrane integrity and lowered MnSOD after 72 h treatment with high glucose. Taken together, FoxO3a acts as a sensitive indicator of oxidative stress and cell homeostasis in human lens epithelial cells during diabetic conditions.FoxO3a is an early stress response protein to glucose toxicity in diabetic conditions.

Diversity of Survival Patterns among Escherichia coli O157:H7 Genotypes Subjected to Food-Related Stress Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Elhadidy, Mohamed; Álvarez-Ordóñez, Avelino

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the resistance patterns to food-related stresses of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains belonging to specific genotypes. A total of 33 E. coli O157:H7 strains were exposed to seven different stress conditions acting as potential selective pressures affecting the transmission of E. coli O157:H7 to humans through the food chain. These stress conditions included cold, oxidative, osmotic, acid, heat, freeze-thaw, and starvation stresses. The genotypes used for comparison included lineage-specific polymorphism, Shiga-toxin-encoding bacteriophage insertion sites, clade type, tir (A255T) polymorphism, Shiga toxin 2 subtype, and antiterminator Q gene allele. Bacterial resistance to different stressors was calculated by determining D-values (times required for inactivation of 90% of the bacterial population), which were then subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses. In addition, a relative stress resistance value, integrating resistance values to all tested stressors, was calculated for each bacterial strain and allowed for a ranking-type classification of E. coli O157:H7 strains according to their environmental robustness. Lineage I/II strains were found to be significantly more resistant to acid, cold, and starvation stress than lineage II strains. Similarly, tir (255T) and clade 8 encoding strains were significantly more resistant to acid, heat, cold, and starvation stress than tir (255A) and non-clade 8 strains. Principal component analysis, which allows grouping of strains with similar stress survival characteristics, separated strains of lineage I and I/II from strains of lineage II, which in general showed reduced survival abilities. Results obtained suggest that lineage I/II, tir (255T), and clade 8 strains, which have been previously reported to be more frequently associated with human disease cases, have greater multiple stress resistance than strains of other genotypes. The results from this

Unearthing Bacillus endophytes from desert plants that enhance growth of Arabidopsis thaliana under abiotic stress conditions

KAUST Repository

Bokhari, Ameerah

2018-01-01

that these bacteria can confer resilience to plants under salt stress conditions. B. circulans (PK3-15 and PK3-109), B. cereus (PK6-15) B. subtilis (PK3-9) and B. licheniformis (PK5-26) displayed the ability to increased the fresh weight of A. thaliana under salt

Insulin-like growth factor stimulation increases radiosensitivity of a pancreatic cancer cell line through endoplasmic reticulum stress under hypoxic conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isohashi, Fumiaki; Endo, Hiroko; Mukai, Mutsuko; Inoue, Masahiro; Inoue, Takehiro

2008-01-01

Tumor hypoxia is an obstacle to radiotherapy. Radiosensitivity under hypoxic conditions is determined by molecular oxygen levels, as well as by various biological cellular responses. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway is a widely recognized survival signal that confers radioresistance. However, under hypoxic conditions the role of IGF signaling in radiosensitivity is still poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that IGF-II stimulation decreases clonogenic survival under hypoxic conditions in the pancreatic cancer cell lines AsPC-1 and Panc-1, and in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. IGF treatment under hypoxic conditions suppressed increased radiation sensitivity in these cell lines by pharmacologically inhibiting the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, a major IGF signal-transduction pathway. Meanwhile, IGF-II induced the endoplasmic reticulum stress response under hypoxia, including increased protein levels of CHOP and ATF4, mRNA levels of CHOP, GADD34, and BiP as well as splicing levels of XBP-1. The response was suppressed by inhibiting phosphoinositide 3-kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin activity. Overexpression of CHOP in AsPC-1 cells increased radiation sensitivity by IGF-II simulation under hypoxic conditions, whereas suppression of CHOP expression levels with small hairpin RNA or a dominant negative form of a proline-rich extensin-like receptor protein kinase in hypoxia decreased IGF-induced radiosensitivity. IGF-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress contributed to radiosensitization independent of cell cycle status. Taken together, IGF stimulation increased radiosensitivity through the endoplasmic reticulum stress response under hypoxic conditions. (author)

ACTIVATION MECHANISMS OF GUT-ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID TISSUE UNDER CHRONIC SOCIAL STRESS CONDITIONS

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A. M. Kamyshnyi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Stress-induced immune disregulation is a risk factor of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, but, so far, the mechanisms for this effect are not fully known. Expression levels of specific mRNAs were assessed in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT from Wistar rats subjected to chronic social stress (CSS. Gene expression was evaluated for NR3C1, Adrβ2, as well as IL-1β, IL-17α pro-inflammatory cytokines, and Nlrp, an inflammasome gene. Under the CSS conditions, we have shown altered distribution of RORγt +, FoxP3+, LMP2+, XBP1+ lymphocytes in GALT.The experiments were carried out with female Wistar rats aged 5–6 months. Specific mRNA expression for the target genes was determined by means of real-time PCR performed in a CFX96™ thermocycler («BioRadLaboratories, Inc»,USA. Relative levels of a target gene expression were quantified by the ΔΔCt method, being compared with rat GAPDH reference gene expression. Statistical analysis was performed with available «BioRad СFX Manager 3.1» software. Specific monoclonal rat antibodes were used for detection of immunopositive lymphocytes by means of indirect immunofluorescence technique.CSS development leads to decreased levels of mRNA expression for Nr3c1 and Adrβ2-genes in the GALT cells, being accompanied with unidirectional changes, i.e., increased transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNAs (IL-1β, IL-17α and Nlrp3-inflammasome genes. These changes are accompanied by decreased FoxP3+/RORγt + cell ratio and predominant Th17 differentiation accompanied by suppressor failure. In addition, CSS development was characterized by unidirectional tendency for increasing total number of LMP2+ lymphocytes and reduced ХВР1+ cell population density in lymphoid structures of rat ileum.The events observed in GALT cell populations under CSS conditions are opposing classical paradigm of the stress response. The CSS-associated effects do not promote immunosuppression, however, are able to cause

Selective Breeding under Saline Stressed Conditions of Canola Mutations Induced by Gamma Rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amer, I.M.; Moustafa, H.A.M.; Mansour, M.F.

2009-01-01

Mutation breeding program has been initiated for inducing canola mutations tolerance to saline stressed conditions for growing at harsh land in Egypt. Therefore, seed lots of three cultivars and exotic variety (Bactol, Serow 4, Serow 6 and Evita) were subjected to 100,400 and 600 Gy of gamma rays. Mass selection with 20 % intensity for high number of pods per plant has been done in each treatment in M2 generation. However, individually plants with high number of pods / plant were selected from each variety in M3 generation for test under saline stressed conditions at Ras Sudr region in M4 (8600 and 8300 ppm salinity for soil and irrigation, respectively). The obtained results revealed that eight mutated families from 12- test families in M4 generation surpassed their parents in seed yield / plant and related characters ( plant height ,fruiting zone length , No. of branches , No. of pods / plant ). In addition, the mutant F93 characterized by fast growing and non shuttering pods reflecting 50.4% over Evita control in seed yield/ plant. Twelve mutant lines in M5 represented the mutant families were grown in sandy-loam soil at Inshas region. The three mutant lines (L 22, L 38 and L 45) continuously surpassed their parents in seed yield and related characters, but the increases were less than the previous generation. The increase was 22.3 %, 38.7 % and 36.7 % over seed yield of respective parents. Moreover, mutant L66 exhibited an increase in its yield components in M5 at Inshas only, suggesting that gene expression and genomic structure extremely influenced by environmental factors. Genetic stability for the obtained mutations could be done at different environmental conditions in further studies

Experimental stress during molt suggests the evolution of condition-dependent and condition-independent ornaments in the king penguin.

Science.gov (United States)

Schull, Quentin; Robin, Jean-Patrice; Dobson, F Stephen; Saadaoui, Hédi; Viblanc, Vincent A; Bize, Pierre

2018-01-01

Sexual selection and social selection are two important theories proposed for explaining the evolution of colorful ornamental traits in animals. Understanding signal honesty requires studying how environmental and physiological factors during development influence the showy nature of sexual and social ornaments. We experimentally manipulated physiological stress and immunity status during the molt in adult king penguins ( Aptenodytes patagonicus ), and studied the consequences of our treatments on colourful ornaments (yellow-orange and UV beak spots and yellow-orange auricular feather patches) known to be used in sexual and social contexts in this species. Whereas some ornamental features showed strong condition-dependence (yellow auricular feather chroma, yellow and UV chroma of the beak), others were condition-independent and remained highly correlated before and after the molt (auricular patch size and beak UV hue). Our study provides a rare examination of the links between ornament determinism and selection processes in the wild. We highlight the coexistence of ornaments costly to produce that may be honest signals used in mate choice, and ornaments for which honesty may be enforced by social mediation or rely on genetic constraints.

Creep-Fatigue Life Design with Various Stress and Temperature Conditions on the Basis of Lethargy Coefficient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jung Eun; Yang, Sung Mo; Han, Jae Hee; Yu, Hyo Sun

2011-01-01

High temperature and stress are encounted in power plants and vehicle engines. Therefore, determination of the creep-fatigue life of a material is necessary prior to fabricating equipment. In this study, life design was determined on the basis of the lethargy coefficient for different temperatures, stress and rupture times. SP-Creep test data was compared with computed data. The SP-Creep test was performed to obtain the rupture time for X20CrMoV121 steel. The integration life equation was considered for three cases with various load, temperature and load-temperature. First, the lethargy coefficient was calculated by using the obtained rupture stress and the rupture time that were determined by carrying out the SP-Creep test. Next, life was predicted on the basis of the temperature condition. Finally, it was observed that life decreases considerably due to the coupling effect that results when fatigue and creep occur simultaneously

Microalgae for high-value compounds and biofuels production: a review with focus on cultivation under stress conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Markou, Giorgos; Nerantzis, Elias

2013-12-01

Microalgal biomass as feedstock for biofuel production is an attracting alternative to terrestrial plant utilization for biofuels production. However, today the microalgal cultivation systems for energy production purposes seem not yet to be economically feasible. Microalgae, though cultivated under stress conditions, such as nutrient starvation, high salinity, high temperature etc. accumulate considerable amounts (up to 60-65% of dry weight) of lipids or carbohydrates along with several secondary metabolites. Especially some of the latter are valuable compounds with an enormous range of industrial applications. The simultaneous production of lipids or carbohydrates for biofuel production and of secondary metabolites in a biorefinery concept might allow the microalgal production to be economically feasible. This paper aims to provide a review on the available literature about the cultivation of microalgae for the accumulation of high-value compounds along with lipids or carbohydrates focusing on stress cultivation conditions. © 2013.

Effect of food-related stress conditions and loss of agr and sigB on seb promoter activity in S. aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Sihto, Henna-Maria; Stephan, Roger; Engl, Christoph; Chen, John; Johler, Sophia

2017-08-01

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) causes staphylococcal food poisoning and is produced in up to ten times higher quantities than other major enterotoxins. While Staphylococcus aureus growth is often repressed by competing flora, the organism exhibits a decisive growth advantage under some stress conditions. So far, data on the influence of food-related stressors and regulatory mutations on seb expression is limited and largely based on laboratory strains, which were later reported to harbor mutations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of stress and regulatory mutations on seb promoter activity. To this end, transcriptional fusions were created in two strains, USA300 and HG003, carrying different seb upstream sequences fused to a blaZ reporter. NaCl, nitrite, and glucose stress led to significantly decreased seb promoter activity, while lactic acid stress resulted in significantly increased seb promoter activity. Loss of agr decreased seb promoter activity and loss of sigB increased promoter activity, with the magnitude of change depending on the strain. These results demonstrate that mild stress conditions encountered during food production and preservation can induce significant changes in seb promoter activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the measurement of the crack tip stress field as a means of determining Delta K(sub eff) under conditions of fatigue crack closure

Science.gov (United States)

Wallhead, Ian R.; Edwards, Lyndon; Poole, Peter

1994-01-01

The optical method of caustics has been successfully extended to enable stress intensity factors as low as 1MPa square root of m to be determined accurately for central fatigue cracks in 2024-T3 aluminium alloy test panels. The feasibility of using this technique to study crack closure, and to determine the effective stress intensity factor range, Delta K(sub eff), has been investigated. Comparisons have been made between the measured values of stress intensity factor, K(sub caus), and corresponding theoretical values, K(sub theo), for a range of fatigue cracks grown under different loading conditions. The values of K(sub caus) and K(sub theo) were in good agreement at maximum stress, where the cracks are fully open, while K(sub caus) exceeded K(sub theo) at minimum stress, due to crack closure. However, the levels of crack closure and values of Delta K(sub eff) obtained could not account for the variations of crack growth rate with loading conditions. It is concluded that the values of Delta K(sub eff), based on caustic measurements in a 1/square root of r stress field well outside the plastic zone, do not fully reflect local conditions which control crack tip behavior.

Elastic wave velocity and acoustic emission monitoring during Gypsum dehydration under triaxial stress conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Brantut, N.; David, E. C.; Héripré, E.; Schubnel, A. J.; Zimmerman, R. W.; Gueguen, Y.

2010-12-01

Dehydration experiments were performed on natural Gypsum polycrystal samples coming from Volterra, Italy in order to study contemporaneously the evolution of P and S elastic wave velocities and acoustic emission (AE) triggering. During these experiments, temperature was slowly raised at 0.15 degrees C per minute under constant stress conditions. Two experiments were realized under quasi-hydrostatic stress (15 and 55 MPa respectively). The third experiment was realized under constant triaxial stress (σ3=45MPa, σ1=75MPa). All three were drained (10MPa constant pore pressure). In each experiments, both P and S wave velocities reduced drastically (as much as approx. 50% in the low confining pressure case) at the onset of dehydration. Importantly, the Vp/Vs ratio also decreased. Shortly after the onset of decrease in P and S wave velocities, the dehydration reaction was also accompanied by bursts of AEs. Time serie locations of the AEs show that they initiated from the pore pressure port, ie from where the pore fluid could easily be drained, and then slowly migrated within the sample. In each experiments, the AE rate could be positively correlated to the reaction rate, inferred from pore volumetry. In such a way, the AE rate reached a peak when the reaction was the fastest. Focal mechanism analysis of the largest AEs showed they had a large volumetric component in compaction, confirming that AEs were indeed related to pore closure and/or collapse. In addition, the AE rate also increased with confinement, ie when a larger amount of compaction was observed. Interestingly, when under differential stress conditions, AE focal mechanisms were mainly in shear. Additional dehydration experiments performed within an environmental scanning electron microscope under low vacuum highlight that, in drained conditions at least, the reaction seems to take place in two phases. First, cracks are being opened along cleavage planes within a single gypsum crystal, which allows for the

Long-term effects of repeated social stress on the conditioned place preference induced by MDMA in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Pardo, M P; Blanco-Gandía, M C; Valiente-Lluch, M; Rodríguez-Arias, M; Miñarro, J; Aguilar, M A

2015-12-03

Previous studies have demonstrated that social defeat stress increases the rewarding effects of psychostimulant drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine. In the present study we evaluated the long-term effects of repeated social defeat (RSD) on the rewarding effects of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) hydrochloride in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Adolescent and young adult mice were exposed to four episodes of social defeat (on PND 29-40 and PND 47-56, respectively) and were conditioned three weeks later with 1.25 or 10mg/kg i.p. of MDMA (experiment 1). The long-term effects of RSD on anxiety, social behavior and cognitive processes were also evaluated in adult mice (experiment 2). RSD during adolescence enhanced vulnerability to priming-induced reinstatement in animals conditioned with 1.25mg/kg of MDMA and increased the duration of the CPP induced by the 10mg/kg of MDMA. The latter effect was also observed after RSD in young adult mice, as well as an increase in anxiety-like behavior, an alteration in social interaction (reduction in attack and increase in avoidance/flee and defensive/submissive behaviors) and an impairment of maze learning. These results support the idea that RSD stress increases the rewarding effects of MDMA and induces long-term alterations in anxiety, learning and social behavior in adult mice. Thus, exposure to stress may increase the vulnerability of individuals to developing MDMA dependence, which is a factor to be taken into account in relation to the prevention and treatment of this disorder. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Phenological Variation and its Relation with Yield in several Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Cultivars under Normal and Late Sowing Mediated Heat Stress Condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamrun NAHAR

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Phenological performance in relation to yield of five modern varieties of wheat �Sourav�, �Pradip�, �Sufi�, �Shatabdi� and �Bijoy� were evaluated under two growing environments; one is normal growing environment (sowing at November 30 and the other is post anthesis heat stressed environment (sowing at December 30. In case of late seeding, the varieties phased a significant level of high temperature stress that also significantly affected the required days to germination, booting, anthesis, maturity of all varieties including the yield as compared to normal sowing treatment. The temperature during the grain filling or grain maturing period was near 23�C in case of normal seeding and it was near about 28�C to 30�C and sometimes reached above this range in the later period of late seeded treatment. In the normal sowing treatment the germination period was lower than the late sowing treatment as during that time the temperature was higher as compared to late sowing condition where temperature was lower. Days to anthesis and booting decreased due to late sown heat stress condition regardless the cultivars. These phenological characteristics under heat stressed condition led the wheat cultivars to significantly lower the grain yield as compared to normal condition. Due to heat stress, the yield reduction was 69.53% in �Sourav�, 58.41% in �Pradip�, 73.01% in �Sufi�, 55.46% in �Shatabdi� and 53.42% in �Bijoy�.

Evaluation Physiological Characteristics and Grain Yield Canola Cultivars under end Seasonal Drought Stress in Weather Condition of Ahvaz

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Seyed Ahmadi

2015-07-01

Full Text Available To evaluate canola cultivars response to physiological characteristics and grain yield end seasonal drought stress in weather condition of Ahvaz, farm experiments were done at research farm of Khuzestan agriculture and natural resources center. During 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 crop years. Farm test comprised drought stress was done as split plot form with randomize complete block design with four replication, treatments consist of drought stress (main factor including 50, 60 and 70 percent of water use content, which was applied from early heading stage until physiological maturity, and three spring canola cultivar including Shirali, Hayola 401 and R.G.S. were considered as sub plots. Measurements include biological yield, grain yield, harvesting index, number of pod per plant 1000 grain weight, number of grain in pod, plant height, and stem diameter, oil and protein percentage. Results showed that drought stress reduced significantly grain yield, biological yield, harvest index and the average of reduction of them during 2 years for per unit reduce moisture from 50% to 70% were 2, 1.35, and 0.81 percent, respectively. During two years, 1000 grain weight, number of pods per plant and number of grain per pod reduced 27, 36 and 20 percent, respectively. Terminal Drought stress reduced significantly plant height, stem diameter, stem number per plant and pod length, this reduced were 12, 46, 36 and 14 percent, respectively. Stem diameter, and stem number per plant reduced more than other characteristics. In this study oil grain decreased 12 % and protein grain increased 18.5% but oil and protein yield decreased 44.9% and 27.1% respectively..Finally, in weather condition of Khuzestan, terminal drought stress on February and March in which has simultaneous with early flowering stage and filling seed, significantly, reduced yield and compounded yield and affects on stem growth and qualities oil and protein negatively. Therefore, with irrigation

Coat and hair color: hair cortisol and serotonin levels in lactating Holstein cows under heat stress conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghassemi Nejad, Jalil; Kim, Byong-Wan; Lee, Bae-Hun; Sung, Kyung-Il

2017-01-01

The deleterious effects of heat stress on animal health are being increasingly recognized. This study aimed to determine hair cortisol (HC) and serotonin levels in lactating Holstein cows under heat stress conditions with different coat and hair-cut color. Forty-five multiparous lactating Holstein cows (days in milk = 130 ± 47, body weight = 753 ± 85 kg) were divided to two main groups of over 80% black coat color (BC) and over 85% white coat color (WC) visually observed based on registry certificates and subdividing to black hair sample (BH) and white hair samples (WH) in 2 × 2 factorial arrangements. Hair samples were taken from the forehead of the individuals. Higher HC levels were observed in BC than WC cows (P  0.05). Serotonin levels showed no difference between BC and WC (P > 0.05). Interaction between coat color and hair color was not significant (P > 0.05). The cortisol levels in hair are not affected by pigmentation. However, pigmentation within the coat alters cortisol levels. In conclusion, white coat color retains less cortisol than the black coat. Therefore, white coats are preferable for dairy cows under heat stress conditions. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Proteomic studies on the effects of Lipo-chitooligosaccharide and Thuricin 17 under unstressed and salt stressed conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sowmyalakshmi Subramanian

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Plants, being sessile organisms, are exposed to widely varying environmental conditions throughout their life cycle. Compatible plant-microbe interactions favor plant growth and development, and help plants deal with these environmental challenges. Microorganisms produce a diverse range of elicitor molecules to establish symbiotic relationships with the plants they associate with, in a given ecological niche. Lipo-chitooligosaccharide (LCO and thuricin 17 (Th17 are two such compounds shown to positively influence plant growth of both legumes and non-legumes. Arabidopsis thaliana responded positively to treatment with the bacterial signal compounds LCO and Th17 in the presence of salt stress (up to 250 mM NaCl. Shotgun proteomics of unstressed and 250 mM NaCl stressed A. thaliana rosettes (7 days post stress in combination with the LCO and Th17 revealed many known, putative, hypothetical and unknown proteins. Overall, carbon and energy metabolic pathways were affected under both unstressed and salt stressed conditions when treated with these signals. PEP carboxylase, Rubisco-oxygenase large subunit, pyruvate kinase, and proteins of photosystem I and II were some of the noteworthy proteins enhanced by the signals, along with other stress related proteins. These findings suggest that the proteome of A. thaliana rosettes is altered by the bacterial signals tested, and more so under salt stress, thereby imparting a positive effect on plant growth under high salt stress. The roles of the identified proteins are discussed here in relation to salt stress adaptation, which, when translated to field grown crops can be a crucial component and of significant importance in agriculture and global food production. The mass spectrometry proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD004742.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic studies of transportin 1 in complex with nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and nuclear localization fragments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imasaki, Tsuyoshi; Shimizu, Toshiyuki; Hashimoto, Hiroshi; Hidaka, Yuji; Yamada, Michiyuki; Sato, Mamoru

2006-01-01

Transportin 1 was cocrystallized with nucleocytoplasmic shuttling fragments of JKTBP and hnRNP D and a nuclear localization fragment of TAP. X-ray diffraction data were collected using synchrotron radiation at SPring-8. Nucleocytoplasmic transport of proteins with molar masses of larger than 60 000 is mediated by transport receptors. The transport receptor transportin1 (Trn1) transports various kinds of RNA-binding proteins such as JKTBP, hnRNP D and TAP. Trn1 was successfully cocrystallized with nucleocytoplasmic shuttling fragments of JKTBP and hnRNP D and a nuclear localization fragment of TAP. The crystal of the Trn1–JKTBP fragment complex belongs to space group P2 1 2 1 2, with unit-cell parameters a = 131.5, b =171.5, c = 68.2 Å. The crystals of Trn1 in complex with hnRNP D and TAP fragments are orthorhombic, space group P2 1 2 1 2 1 , with unit-cell parameters a = 69.1, b = 119.1, c = 151.1 Å and a = 69.0, b = 119.1, c = 146.0 Å, respectively. The crystals diffracted to beyond 3.0, 3.2 and 2.4 Å resolution, respectively, using synchrotron radiation at SPring-8

A methodology for on-line calculation of temperature and thermal stress under non-linear boundary conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botto, D.; Zucca, S.; Gola, M.M.

2003-01-01

In the literature many works have been written dealing with the task of on-line calculation of temperature and thermal stress for machine components and structures, in order to evaluate fatigue damage accumulation and estimate residual life. One of the most widespread methodologies is the Green's function technique (GFT), by which machine parameters such as fluid temperatures, pressures and flow rates are converted into metal temperature transients and thermal stresses. However, since the GFT is based upon the linear superposition principle, it cannot be directly used in the case of varying heat transfer coefficients. In the present work, a different methodology is proposed, based upon CMS for temperature transient calculation and upon the GFT for the related thermal stress evaluation. This new approach allows variable heat transfer coefficients to be accounted for. The methodology is applied for two different case studies, taken from the literature: a thick pipe and a nozzle connected to a spherical head, both subjected to multiple convective boundary conditions

Deficiency in the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway reveals the toxic potential of autophagy under ER stress conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Deegan, Shane; Saveljeva, Svetlana; Logue, Susan E; Pakos-Zebrucka, Karolina; Gupta, Sanjeev; Vandenabeele, Peter; Bertrand, Mathieu J M; Samali, Afshin

2014-01-01

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced cell death is normally associated with activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, which is characterized by CYCS (cytochrome c, somatic) release, apoptosome formation, and caspase activation, resulting in cell death. In this study, we demonstrate that under conditions of ER stress cells devoid of CASP9/caspase-9 or BAX and BAK1, and therefore defective in the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, still undergo a delayed form of cell death associated with the activation of caspases, therefore revealing the existence of an alternative stress-induced caspase activation pathway. We identified CASP8/caspase-8 as the apical protease in this caspase cascade, and found that knockdown of either of the key autophagic genes, ATG5 or ATG7, impacted on CASP8 activation and cell death induction, highlighting the crucial role of autophagy in the activation of this novel ER stress-induced death pathway. In line with this, we identified a protein complex composed of ATG5, FADD, and pro-CASP8 whose assembly coincides with caspase activation and cell death induction. Together, our results reveal the toxic potential of autophagy in cells undergoing ER stress that are defective in the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, and suggest a model in which the autophagosome functions as a platform facilitating pro-CASP8 activation. Chemoresistance, a common problem in the treatment of cancer, is frequently caused by the downregulation of key mitochondrial death effector proteins. Alternate stress-induced apoptotic pathways, such as the one described here, may become of particular relevance for tackling the problem of chemoresistance in cancer cells.

Adaptive Coping under Conditions of Extreme Stress: Multilevel Influences on the Determinants of Resilience in Maltreated Children

Science.gov (United States)

Cicchetti, Dante; Rogosch, Fred A.

2009-01-01

The study of resilience in maltreated children reveals the possibility of coping processes and resources on multiple levels of analysis as children strive to adapt under conditions of severe stress. In a maltreating context, aspects of self-organization, including self-esteem, self-reliance, emotion regulation, and adaptable yet reserved…

Stress vulnerability and the effects of moderate daily stress on sleep polysomnography and subjective sleepiness.

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Helena; Kecklund, Göran; D'Onofrio, Paolo; Nilsson, Jens; Åkerstedt, Torbjörn

2013-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate if and how sleep physiology is affected by naturally occurring high work stress and identify individual differences in the response of sleep to stress. Probable upcoming stress levels were estimated through weekly web questionnaire ratings. Based on the modified FIRST-scale (Ford insomnia response to stress) participants were grouped into high (n = 9) or low (n = 19) sensitivity to stress related sleep disturbances (Drake et al., 2004). Sleep was recorded in 28 teachers with polysomnography, sleep diaries and actigraphs during one high stress and one low stress condition in the participants home. EEG showed a decrease in sleep efficiency during the high stress condition. Significant interactions between group and condition were seen for REM sleep, arousals and stage transitions. The sensitive group had an increase in arousals and stage transitions during the high stress condition and a decrease in REM, whereas the opposite was seen in the resilient group. Diary ratings during the high stress condition showed higher bedtime stress and lower ratings on the awakening index (insufficient sleep and difficulties awakening). Ratings also showed lower cognitive function and preoccupation with work thoughts in the evening. KSS ratings of sleepiness increased during stress for the sensitive group. Saliva samples of cortisol showed no effect of stress. It was concluded that moderate daily stress is associated with a moderate negative effect on sleep sleep efficiency and fragmentation. A slightly stronger effect was seen in the sensitive group. © 2012 European Sleep Research Society.

Thermomechanical conditions and stresses on the friction stir welding tool

Science.gov (United States)

Atthipalli, Gowtam

Friction stir welding has been commercially used as a joining process for aluminum and other soft materials. However, the use of this process in joining of hard alloys is still developing primarily because of the lack of cost effective, long lasting tools. Here I have developed numerical models to understand the thermo mechanical conditions experienced by the FSW tool and to improve its reusability. A heat transfer and visco-plastic flow model is used to calculate the torque, and traverse force on the tool during FSW. The computed values of torque and traverse force are validated using the experimental results for FSW of AA7075, AA2524, AA6061 and Ti-6Al-4V alloys. The computed torque components are used to determine the optimum tool shoulder diameter based on the maximum use of torque and maximum grip of the tool on the plasticized workpiece material. The estimation of the optimum tool shoulder diameter for FSW of AA6061 and AA7075 was verified with experimental results. The computed values of traverse force and torque are used to calculate the maximum shear stress on the tool pin to determine the load bearing ability of the tool pin. The load bearing ability calculations are used to explain the failure of H13 steel tool during welding of AA7075 and commercially pure tungsten during welding of L80 steel. Artificial neural network (ANN) models are developed to predict the important FSW output parameters as function of selected input parameters. These ANN consider tool shoulder radius, pin radius, pin length, welding velocity, tool rotational speed and axial pressure as input parameters. The total torque, sliding torque, sticking torque, peak temperature, traverse force, maximum shear stress and bending stress are considered as the output for ANN models. These output parameters are selected since they define the thermomechanical conditions around the tool during FSW. The developed ANN models are used to understand the effect of various input parameters on the total

Stress strain tensors with their application to x-ray stress measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurita, Masanori

2015-01-01

This paper describes in detail the method of obtaining the formulas of stress-strain tensor that express the directional dependence of stress-strain, that is, how these values change in response to coordinate transformation, and clarifies the preconditions for supporting both formulas. The two conversion formulas are both the second order of tensor, and the formula of strain tensor not only does not use the relational expression of stress and strain at all, but also is obtained completely independently of the formula of stress tensor. Except for the condition that the strain is very small (elastic deformation) in the conversion formula of strain, both formulas unconditionally come into effect. In other words, both formulas hold true even in the isotropic elastic body or anisotropic elastic body. It was shown that the conversion formula of strain can be derived from the conversion formula of stress using the formula of Hooke for isotropic elastic body. From these three-dimensional expressions, the two-dimensional stress-strain coordinate conversion formula that is used for Mohr's stress-strain circle was derived. It was shown that these formulas hold true for three-dimensional stress condition with stress-strain components in the three-axial direction that are not plane stress nor plane strain condition. In addition, as an application case of this theory, two-dimensional and three-dimensional X-ray stress measurements that are effective for residual stress measurement were shown. (A.O.)

PIXE analysis of mineral composition of alfalfa root-tip exposed to low pH or aluminum stress condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokota, Satoshi; Mae, Tadahiko; Ojima, Kunihiko; Ishii, Keizo.

1994-01-01

PIXE analysis was applied to study alteration of mineral composition (Al, P, K, and Cl) of alfalfa root-tip exposed to low pH or aluminum stress. These minerals were detectable using one or two pieces of root-tips. Short-term (within 4 h) decreases in K/P and Cl/P ratios were observed under low pH and aluminum stress conditions. However, degree of the decrease was not same. Differences in toxic effects of low pH and Al on the root-tip of alfalfa are discussed. (author)

Stress og insomni

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jennum, Poul; Zachariae, Bobby

2012-01-01

Insomnia and stress are two conditions, which are strongly associated and appear to be pathophysiologically integrated: the occurrence of stress increases the risk of insomnia, insomnia exacerbates stress, and coexistence of both factors has a negative influence on their prognosis. Stress...

Luteolin and fisetin suppress oxidative stress by modulating sirtuins and forkhead box O3a expression under in vitro diabetic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Arang; Lee, Wooje; Yun, Jung-Mi

2017-10-01

Chronic hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress via accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and contributes to diabetic complications. Hyperglycemia induces mitochondrial superoxide anion production through the increased activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. This study aimed to determine whether fisetin and luteolin treatments suppress the oxidative stress by modulating the expression of sirtuins (SIRTs) and forkhead box O3a (FOXO3a) under hyperglycemic conditions in human monocytes. Human monocytic cells (THP-1) were cultured under osmotic control (14.5 mmol/L mannitol), normoglycemic (NG, 5.5 mmol/L glucose), or hyperglycemic (HG, 20 mmol/L glucose) conditions, in the absence or presence of fisetin and luteolin for 48 h. To determine the effect of fisetin and luteolin treatments on high glucose-induced oxidative stress, western blotting and intracellular staining were performed. Hyperglycemic conditions increased the ROS production, as compared to normoglycemic condition. However, fisetin and luteolin treatments inhibited ROS production under hyperglycemia. To obtain further insight into ROS production in hyperglycemic conditions, evaluation of p47phox expression revealed that fisetin and luteolin treatments inhibited p47phox expression under hyperglycemic conditions. Conversely, the expression levels of SIRT1, SIRT3, SIRT6, and FOXO3a were decreased under high glucose conditions compared to normal glucose conditions, but exposure to fisetin and luteolin induced the expression of SIRT1, SIRT3, SIRT6, and FOXO3a. The above findings suggest that fisetin and luteolin inhibited high glucose-induced ROS production in monocytes through the activation of SIRTs and FOXO3a. The results of our study supports current researches that state fisetin and luteolin as potential agents for the development of novel strategies for diabetes.

Sustainability of compressive residual stress by stress improvement processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishikawa, Satoru; Okita, Shigeru; Yamaguchi, Atsunori

2013-01-01

Stress improvement processes are countermeasures against stress corrosion cracking in nuclear power plant components. It is necessary to confirm whether compressive residual stress induced by stress improvement processes can be sustained under operation environment. In order to evaluate stability of the compressive residual stress in 60-year operating conditions, the 0.07% cyclic strains of 200 times at 593 K were applied to the welded specimens, then a thermal aging treatment for 1.66x10 6 s at 673 K was carried out. As the result, it was confirmed that the compressive residual stresses were sustained on both surfaces of the dissimilar welds of austenitic stainless steel (SUS316L) and nickel base alloy (NCF600 and alloy 182) processed by laser peening (LP), water jet peening (WJP), ultrasonic shot peening (USP), shot peening (SP) and polishing under 60-year operating conditions. (author)

Sex-dependent effects of larval food stress on adult performance under semi-natural conditions: only a matter of size?

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa, Elena; Saastamoinen, Marjo

2017-07-01

Organisms with complex life-cycles acquire essential nutrients as juveniles, and hence even a short-term food stress during development can impose serious fitness costs apparent in adults. We used the Glanville fritillary butterfly to investigate the effects of larval food stress on adult performance under semi-natural conditions in a population enclosure. We were specifically interested in whether the negative effects observed were due to body mass reduction only or whether additional effects unrelated to pupal mass were evident. The two sexes responded differently to the larval food stress. In females, larval food stress reduced pupal mass and reproductive performance. The reduced reproductive performance was partially mediated by pupal mass reduction. Food stressed females also had reduced within-patch mobility, and this effect was not dependent on pupal mass. Conversely, food stress had no effect on male pupal mass, suggesting a full compensation via prolonged development time. Nonetheless, food stressed males were less likely to sire any eggs, potentially due to changes in their territorial behavior, as indicated by food stress also increasing male within-patch mobility (i.e., patrolling behavior). When males did sire eggs, the offspring number and viability were unaffected by male food stress treatment. Viability was in general higher for offspring sired by lighter males. Our study highlights how compensatory mechanisms after larval food stress can act in a sex-specific manner and that the alteration in body mass is only partially responsible for the reduced adult performance observed.

Associations of Caregiver Stress with Working Conditions, Caregiving Practices, and Child Behaviour in Home-Based Child Care

Science.gov (United States)

Rusby, Julie C.; Jones, Laura Backen; Crowley, Ryann; Smolkowski, Keith

2013-01-01

Home-based child caregivers face unique stressors related to the nature of their work. One hundred and fifty-five home-based child care providers in Oregon, USA, participated in this cross-sectional correlational study. We investigated associations between indicators of caregiver stress and child care working conditions, the quality of caregiver…

Effect of Zeolite and Nitrogen Fertilizer Application under Water Deficit Stress Conditions on Agronomical and Physiological Traits of Rapeseed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Ghiasvand Ghiasi

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In order to evaluation of zeolite and nitrogen fertilizer application effect on agronomic and physilogical traits of rapeseed (cv RGS003 under water deficit stress conditions, an experiment was conducted in factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications during 2010 in Qazvin region, Iran. In the where, the two levels of irrigation factor as the normal irrigation (irrigation after 80 mm evaporation from class A pan as control and irrigation cease from stem elongation stage till end of growth, nitrogen factor was at three levels (0, 75 and 150 kg.ha-1 and zeolite factor (0 and 10tons per hectare were studied. Results showed that drought stress decreased evaluated traits such as silique per plant (41%, grain per silique (26%, 1000 seed weight (33%, grain yield (52.5%, oil percent (14%, RWC (31.5% and chlorophyll content (35%. Non-application of nitrogen had adverse effects on total traits and reduced them. However, zeolite application at water deficit stress conditions had positive and significant effect on total traits except of oil percent and chlorophyll content, specially improved grain yield and oil yield. Based on the results of this experiment, application of zeolite (10ton/ha-1 through storage and maintenance of water and nutrients, reduced the intensity and harmful effects of stress in plants and enhances crop yield.

Effects of social conditions during early development on stress response and personality traits in great tits (Parus major)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Naguib, M.; Floercke, C.; Oers, van K.

2011-01-01

Environmental conditions during early development play a crucial role in shaping an organism's phenotype. To test how social group size affects stress response and behavioral characteristics, we used great tits (Parus major) from selection lines for exploratory behavior, a proxy for an avian

Stress revisited: A critical evaluation of the stress concept

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koolhaas, J.M.; Bartolomucci, A.; Buwalda, B.; de Boer, S.F.; Flügge, G.; Korte, S.M.; Meerloo, P.; Murison, R.; Olivier, B.; Palanza, P.; Richter-Levin, G.; Sgoifo, A.; Steimer, T.; Stiedl, O.; van Dijk, G.; Wöhr, M.; Fuchs, E.

2011-01-01

With the steadily increasing number of publications in the field of stress research it has become evident that the conventional usage of the stress concept bears considerable problems. The use of the term 'stress' to conditions ranging from even the mildest challenging stimulation to severely

Stress revisited : a critical evaluation of the stress concept

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koolhaas, J.M.; Bartolomucci, A; Buwalda, B; Flügge, G; de Boer, Sietse; Korte, S M; Meerlo, P; Murison, R; Olivier, B; Palanza, P; Richter-Levin, G; Sgoifo, A; Steimer, T; Stiedl, O; van Dijk, G; Wöhr, M; Fuchs, E

2011-01-01

With the steadily increasing number of publications in the field of stress research it has become evident that the conventional usage of the stress concept bears considerable problems. The use of the term 'stress' to conditions ranging from even the mildest challenging stimulation to severely

Cracks propagation by stress corrosion cracking in conditions of Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuentes C, P.

2003-01-01

This work presents the results of the assays carried out in the Laboratory of Hot Cells of the National Institute of Nuclear Research (ININ) to a type test tube Compact Tension (CT), built in steel austenitic stainless type 304L, simulating those conditions those that it operates a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), at temperature 288 C and pressure of 8 MPa, to determine the speed to which the cracks spread in this material that is of the one that different components of a reactor are made, among those that it highlights the reactor core vessel. The application of the Hydrogen Chemistry of the Water is presented (HWC) that is one alternative to diminish the corrosion effect low stress in the component, this is gets controlling the quantity of oxygen and of hydrogen as well as the conductivity of the water. The rehearsal is made following the principles of the Mechanics of Elastic Lineal Fracture (LEFM) that considers a crack of defined size with little plastic deformation in the tip of this; the measurement of crack advance is continued with the technique of potential drop of direct current of alternating signal, this is contained inside the standard Astm E-647 (Method of Test Standard for the Measurement of Speed of Growth of Crack by fatigue) that is the one that indicates us as carrying out this test. The specifications that should complete the test tubes that are rehearsed as for their dimensions, it forms, finish and determination of mechanical properties (tenacity to the fracture mainly) they are contained inside the norm Astm E-399, the one which it is also based on the principles of the fracture mechanics. The obtained results were part of a database to be compared with those of other rehearsals under different conditions, Normal Chemistry of the Water (NWC) and it dilutes with high content of O 2 ; to determine the conditions that slow more the phenomena of stress corrosion cracking, as well as the effectiveness of the used chemistry and of the method of

Effects of vagus nerve stimulation on extinction of conditioned fear and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, L J; Gonzalez, I J; Meruva, V B; Callahan, K A; Belfort, B D; Ramanathan, K R; Meyers, E; Kilgard, M P; Rennaker, R L; McIntyre, C K

2017-08-22

Exposure-based therapies help patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to extinguish conditioned fear of trauma reminders. However, controlled laboratory studies indicate that PTSD patients do not extinguish conditioned fear as well as healthy controls, and exposure therapy has high failure and dropout rates. The present study examined whether vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) augments extinction of conditioned fear and attenuates PTSD-like symptoms in an animal model of PTSD. To model PTSD, rats were subjected to a single prolonged stress (SPS) protocol, which consisted of restraint, forced swim, loss of consciousness, and 1 week of social isolation. Like PTSD patients, rats subjected to SPS show impaired extinction of conditioned fear. The SPS procedure was followed, 1 week later, by auditory fear conditioning (AFC) and extinction. VNS or sham stimulation was administered during half of the extinction days, and was paired with presentations of the conditioned stimulus. One week after completion of extinction training, rats were given a battery of behavioral tests to assess anxiety, arousal and avoidance. Results indicated that rats given SPS 1 week prior to AFC (PTSD model) failed to extinguish the freezing response after eleven consecutive days of extinction. Administration of VNS reversed the extinction impairment and attenuated reinstatement of the conditioned fear response. Delivery of VNS during extinction also eliminated the PTSD-like symptoms, such as anxiety, hyperarousal and social avoidance for more than 1 week after VNS treatment. These results provide evidence that extinction paired with VNS treatment can lead to remission of fear and improvements in PTSD-like symptoms. Taken together, these findings suggest that VNS may be an effective adjunct to exposure therapy for the treatment of PTSD.

Functional requirements of AID's higher order structures and their interaction with RNA-binding proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Mondal, Samiran; Begum, Nasim A; Hu, Wenjun; Honjo, Tasuku

2016-03-15

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is essential for the somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class-switch recombination (CSR) of Ig genes. Although both the N and C termini of AID have unique functions in DNA cleavage and recombination, respectively, during SHM and CSR, their molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Using a bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay combined with glycerol gradient fractionation, we revealed that the AID C terminus is required for a stable dimer formation. Furthermore, AID monomers and dimers form complexes with distinct heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs). AID monomers associate with DNA cleavage cofactor hnRNP K whereas AID dimers associate with recombination cofactors hnRNP L, hnRNP U, and Serpine mRNA-binding protein 1. All of these AID/ribonucleoprotein associations are RNA-dependent. We propose that AID's structure-specific cofactor complex formations differentially contribute to its DNA-cleavage and recombination functions.

Wild trout responses to a stress experience following confinement conditions during the spawning season

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gilberto Forneris

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Salmo (trutta marmoratus is an endemic specie in the North of Italy, subjected to hybridization with domesticated strains of trout. Native populations are managed by supportive release in the rivers. Wild breeders are captured, confined in facility for short periods and then released in the river after artificial fertilization. Premature mortality during confinement and post release mortality in river have been observed in breeders supporting the view that confinement stress could be the cause. Twenty-six adult individuals of trout were captured from a river by electrofishing and stocked in two tanks, the first one (RF provided with artificial refuges to simulate the natural environment and covered by dark panels; the second tank (TR was only partially covered by dark panels and without artificial refuges. All the other conditions were identical and animals were fed ad libitum with natural food collected in the same river. After 50 days, from a third group of 8 trout (WD captured in the same river by a 5 minute electrofishing session, blood samples were sequentially collected for the assessment of serum cortisol response to serial repeated handlings. With the same sequential method, individuals of the RF and TR experimental groups were sampled. Cortisol levels were compared between groups by ANOVA. Biomass densities decreased during the experiment due to premature mortality of the largest individuals in both the RF (7.69% and TR (30.77% groups. At the end of the experiment, data clearly demonstrated that after a stressing confinement, the TR group shown a reduced poststress response to the successive serial handlings. Vice versa the group RF, that experienced a more careful confinement, responded to the second serial acute stressing manipulation in conformity as the group WD that was not confined. Cortisol data support the hypothesis of impaired cortisol response as a consequence of oversecretion due to uneasiness during the short

Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR Normalization Under Ethanol Stress Conditions in Oenococcus oeni SD-2a

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Shuai Peng

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The powerful Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR was widely used to assess gene expression levels, which requires the optimal reference genes used for normalization. Oenococcus oeni (O. oeni, as the one of most important microorganisms in wine industry and the most resistant lactic acid bacteria (LAB species to ethanol, has not been investigated regarding the selection of stable reference genes for RT-qPCR normalization under ethanol stress conditions. In this study, nine candidate reference genes (proC, dnaG, rpoA, ldhD, ddlA, rrs, gyrA, gyrB, and dpoIII were analyzed to determine the most stable reference genes for RT-qPCR in O. oeni SD-2a under different ethanol stress conditions (8, 12, and 16% (v/v ethanol. The transcript stabilities of these genes were evaluated using the algorithms geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper. The results showed that dnaG and dpoIII were selected as the best reference genes across all experimental ethanol conditions. Considering single stress experimental modes, dpoIII and dnaG would be suitable to normalize expression level for 8% ethanol shock treatment, while the combination of gyrA, gyrB, and rrs would be suitable for 12% ethanol shock treatment. proC and gyrB revealed the most stable expression in 16% ethanol shock treatment. This study selected and validated for the first time the reference genes for RT-qPCR normalization in O. oeni SD-2a under ethanol stress conditions.

Toxicity assessment of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on Cucurbita pepo L. under well-watered and water-stressed conditions.

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Hatami, Mehrnaz

2017-08-01

The rapid increase in the production and application of various types of nanomaterials increases the possibility of their presence in total environment, which subsequently raises concerns about their potential threats to the first trophic level of organisms, specifically under varying environmental constraints. In this work, seeds of Cucurbita pepo L. were cultured in MS basal medium exposed to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at different concentrations (0, 125, 250, 500 and 1000μgmL -1 ) under two levels of water potential, well-watered (0MPa) and water stress (-1.5MPa) induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) for 14 days. Seeds exposed to MWCNTs showed reduction in germination percentage, root and shoot length, biomass accumulation and vigor index in a dose-dependent manner. However, seedlings germinated in MWCNTs-fortified media had significantly lower germination and growth attributes than those of control under water stress conditions. This happened due to increased oxidative injury indices including hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, as well as electrolyte leakage index (ELI) of tissues. The impaired morpho-physiological and biochemical processes of seedlings exposed to different concentrations of MWCNTs under both PEG-induced stress and non-stress growing conditions were consequence of changes in the activation of various cellular antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (POD). Taken together, our findings reveal that MWCNTs played negative role on seed germination and subsequent growth of C. pepo L. seedlings under both levels of water potential. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early life stress in rats sex-dependently affects remote endocrine rather than behavioral consequences of adult exposure to contextual fear conditioning.

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Fuentes, Sílvia; Daviu, Núria; Gagliano, Humberto; Belda, Xavier; Armario, Antonio; Nadal, Roser

2018-05-30

Exposure to electric foot-shocks can induce in rodents contextual fear conditioning, generalization of fear to other contexts and sensitization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to further stressors. All these aspects are relevant for the study of post-traumatic stress disorder. In the present work we evaluated in rats the sex differences and the role of early life stress (ELS) in fear memories, generalization and sensitization. During the first postnatal days subjects were exposed to restriction of nesting material along with exposure to a "substitute" mother. In the adulthood they were exposed to (i) a contextual fear conditioning to evaluate long-term memory and extinction and (ii) to a novel environment to study cognitive fear generalization and HPA axis heterotypic sensitization. ELS did not alter acquisition, expression or extinction of context fear conditioned behavior (freezing) in either sex, but reduced activity in novel environments only in males. Fear conditioning associated hypoactivity in novel environments (cognitive generalization) was greater in males than females but was not specifically affected by ELS. Although overall females showed greater basal and stress-induced levels of ACTH and corticosterone, an interaction between ELS, shock exposure and sex was found regarding HPA hormones. In males, ELS did not affect ACTH response in any situation, whereas in females, ELS reduced both shock-induced sensitization of ACTH and its conditioned response to the shock context. Also, shock-induced sensitization of corticosterone was only observed in males and ELS specifically reduced corticosterone response to stressors in males but not females. In conclusion, ELS seems to have only a minor impact on shock-induced behavioral conditioning, while affecting the unconditioned and conditioned responses of HPA hormones in a sex-dependent manner. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Unearthing Bacillus endophytes from desert plants that enhance growth of Arabidopsis thaliana under abiotic stress conditions

KAUST Repository

Bokhari, Ameerah M

2018-04-01

Here, we embarked a bioprospecting project that focuses on the isolation and characterization of plant root endophytes, collected from the Thar Desert. A total of 381 endophytes were isolated and based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences, genus Bacillus (58 strains) was identified as the major taxon and only endophytes from this genus were isolated from all plant types. Of the 58 Bacillus strains, only 16 strains were selected for screening of plant growth promotion traits such as P and Zn solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid and siderophore production, and antimicrobial activity. Based on the presence of specific plant growth promotion traits 10 strains were shortlisted for further in vitro screening with A. thaliana; to confirm that these bacteria can confer resilience to plants under salt stress conditions. B. circulans (PK3-15 and PK3-109), B. cereus (PK6-15) B. subtilis (PK3-9) and B. licheniformis (PK5-26) displayed the ability to increased the fresh weight of A. thaliana under salt stress conditions by more than 50 % compared to the uninoculated control. An interesting observation was that B. circulans (PK3-109) (shown to produce IAA exopolysaccharide) and B. circulans (PK3-138) (shown to produce IAA) in vitro results were substantially different as B. circulans (PK3-138) decreased the total fresh weight of A. thaliana by 47 %, whilst B. circulans (PK3-109) was one of the best performing strains. Thus, the genomes of these two strains were sequences to unravel the molecular versatility of B. circulans strains, specifically with respect to their interaction with plants. Most of the genome of these strains is identical but the most interesting feature was the presence of 1/ the DegS–DegU two-component system that is known to mediate the salt stress response and DegU also represses toxin wapA similar to antitoxin wapI, and 2/ YxiG, a gene in the unique orthogroup of PK3-109 was found to be linked to WapI. Thus, PK3-138 substantially decreasing the total fresh

Potentially stressful situations for nurses considering the condition of accreditation of hospitals

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Priscilla Higashi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Cross-sectional study that aimed to evaluate and compare the frequency of perceived/self-reported stress by nurses in hospitals with and without accreditation. One conducted in an accredited and two non-accredited hospitals in São Paulo in 2010 and 2011. Data collection included a questionnaire and the Stress Inventory for Nurses, with 262 participants, who evaluated stressful situations in the categories: Intrinsic Factors of Work, Interpersonal Relationships at Work and Stressful Roles in Career. The differences among hospitals concerning nurses’ perception/self-declaration about potentially stressful factors were evaluated by the chi-square test, considering p <0.05 the critical level. Working in an accredited hospital protected against perception/self-declaration of stress caused by stressful factors in the categories: Intrinsic Factors of Work and Stressful Roles in their Career, being a risk factor related to the category Relationships at Work. One concludes that nurses from the accredited hospital perceived/self-reported more stressful factors in situations related to interpersonal relationships.

Eyeblink Classical Conditioning and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – A Model Systems Approach

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Bernard G Schreurs

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Not everyone exposed to trauma suffers flashbacks, bad dreams, numbing, fear, anxiety, sleeplessness, hyper-vigilance, hyperarousal, or an inability to cope, but those who do may suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD. PTSD is a major physical and mental health problem for military personnel and civilians exposed to trauma. There is still debate about the incidence and prevalence of PTSD especially among the military, but for those who are diagnosed, behavioral therapy and drug treatment strategies have proven to be less than effective. A number of these treatment strategies are based on rodent fear conditioning research and are capable of treating only some of the symptoms because the extinction of fear does not deal with the various forms of hyper-vigilance and hyperarousal experienced by people with PTSD. To help address this problem, we have developed a preclinical eyeblink classical conditioning model of PTSD in which conditioning and hyperarousal can both be extinguished. We review this model and discuss findings showing that unpaired stimulus presentations can be effective in reducing levels of conditioning and hyperarousal even when unconditioned stimulus intensity is reduced to the point where it is barely capable of eliciting a response. These procedures have direct implications for the treatment of PTSD and could be implemented in a virtual reality environment.

Estimation of Uptake of Humic Substances from Different Sources by Escherichia coli Cells under Optimum and Salt Stress Conditions by Use of Tritium-Labeled Humic Materials▿

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Kulikova, Natalia A.; Perminova, Irina V.; Badun, Gennady A.; Chernysheva, Maria G.; Koroleva, Olga V.; Tsvetkova, Eugenia A.

2010-01-01

The primary goal of this paper is to demonstrate potential strengths of the use of tritium-labeled humic substances (HS) to quantify their interaction with living cells under various conditions. A novel approach was taken to study the interaction between a model microorganism and the labeled humic material. The bacterium Escherichia coli was used as a model microorganism. Salt stress was used to study interactions of HS with living cells under nonoptimum conditions. Six tritium-labeled samples of HS originating from coal, peat, and soil were examined. To quantify their interaction with E. coli cells, bioconcentration factors (BCF) were calculated and the amount of HS that penetrated into the cell interior was determined, and the liquid scintillation counting technique was used as well. The BCF values under optimum conditions varied from 0.9 to 13.1 liters kg−1 of cell biomass, whereas under salt stress conditions the range of corresponding values increased substantially and accounted for 0.2 to 130 liters kg−1. The measured amounts of HS that penetrated into the cells were 23 to 167 mg and 25 to 465 mg HS per kg of cell biomass under optimum and salt stress conditions, respectively. This finding indicated increased penetration of HS into E. coli cells under salt stress. PMID:20639375

Stress corrosion cracking of age-hardenable nickel-base alloys in LWR-conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kekkonen, T.; Haenninen, H.

1985-01-01

At present it seems that the microstructure most resistant to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in high temperature water is obtained by a solution annealing treatment at a relatively high temperature (appr. 1100 deg C) followed by water quenching and a single aging treatment (appr. 700 deg C/20 h). This should produce a microstructure with a high M 23 Cc 6 :MC ratio, semi-continous coherent M 23 C 6 precipitation, and an evenly distributed gamma prime in the matrix. However, since the actual mechanism of SCC in age-hardenable Ni-base alloys is unclear, the microstructural features resulting in the good resistance to SCC cannot be specified. Furthermore, the possible microstructural changes caused by prolonged use in LWR-conditions are unknown

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF THE STRESS-STRAIN STATE OF A ROPE STRAND WITH LINEAR CONTACT UNDER TENSION AND TORSION LOADING CONDITIONS

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Evgenij Kalentev

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of a numerical analysis of the stress-strain state of a rope strand with linear contact under tension and torsion loading conditions. Calculations are done using the ANSYS software package. Different approaches to calculation of the stress-strain state of ropes are reviewed, and their advantages and deficiencies are considered. The analysis of the obtained results leads us to the conclusion that the proposed method can be used in engineering calculations.

Effect Of Potassium Chloride, Vitamin E And Some Amino Acids Supplementation In Feed On Some Physiological Parameters Of Broiler Under Heat Stress Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ELSAYED, M.A.; WAKWAK, M.M.; ABU-TALEB, A.M.

2010-01-01

Hubbard broilers (240 of two weeks old) from the breeding flock in the Poultry Research Farm of Nuclear Research Centre, Atomic Energy Authority, Egypt, were used in this study. The effect of potassium chloride (KCl), vitamin E (VE) and some amino acids (proline + glycine) supplementations in feed on broiler performance under thermo neutral (TN) or heat stress conditions during May 2007 was investigated. All broilers chicks were exposed to 24 hrs light per day. The birds were fed starter diet for two weeks and followed by grower diet for two weeks ad libitum. Birds were divided into equal four groups (60 birds each). The first group (control) was fed the basal diet, while the second group was fed the same diet with adding 1 % proline + 1 % glycine. The third group was fed the diet with adding 250 mg VE/kg and the fourth group was fed the diet with adding 0.6 g KCl/kg. All groups were fed the previous diets for two weeks then subdivided to equal four sub-groups (30 birds each). The primary four groups were exposed to normal ambient temperature (TN conditions 22±1 0 C) while the other fourth groups were exposed to high environmental temperature (38±1 0 C) for 4 hours daily for 4 days (HS conditions) and then returned to normal temperature for one week then exposed to high environmental temperature (38±1 0 C) for 4 hours daily for 4 days. The individual body weight, feed intake at morning and before diet supplementation, body temperature and mortality percentage were recorded. Serum total protein, albumin, globulin, calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, creatinine and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations were determined. It was found that after two weeks of additive supplementation and during thermo neutral condition period (TN), the control group showed the lowest value of feed consumption while under heat stress condition, the KCl group showed the highest value of feed consumption. At 1 st and 2 nd heat stress exposure periods, KCl group had the highest level of the

Blunted stress reactivity in chronic cannabis users.

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Cuttler, Carrie; Spradlin, Alexander; Nusbaum, Amy T; Whitney, Paul; Hinson, John M; McLaughlin, Ryan J

2017-08-01

One of the most commonly cited reasons for chronic cannabis use is to cope with stress. Consistent with this, cannabis users have shown reduced emotional arousal and dampened stress reactivity in response to negative imagery. To our knowledge, the present study represents the first to examine the effects of an acute stress manipulation on subjective stress and salivary cortisol in chronic cannabis users compared to non-users. Forty cannabis users and 42 non-users were randomly assigned to complete either the stress or no stress conditions of the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST). The stress condition of the MAST manipulates both physiological (placing hand in ice bath) and psychosocial stress (performing math under conditions of social evaluation). Participants gave baseline subjective stress ratings before, during, and after the stress manipulation. Cortisol was measured from saliva samples obtained before and after the stress manipulation. Further, cannabis cravings and symptoms of withdrawal were measured. Subjective stress ratings and cortisol levels were significantly higher in non-users in the stress condition relative to non-users in the no stress condition. In contrast, cannabis users demonstrated blunted stress reactivity; specifically, they showed no increase in cortisol and a significantly smaller increase in subjective stress ratings. The stress manipulation had no impact on cannabis users' self-reported cravings or withdrawal symptoms. Chronic cannabis use is associated with blunted stress reactivity. Future research is needed to determine whether this helps to confer resiliency or vulnerability to stress-related psychopathology as well as the mechanisms underlying this effect.

Individual modulation of pain sensitivity under stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhardt, Tatyana; Kleindienst, Nikolaus; Treede, Rolf-Detlef; Bohus, Martin; Schmahl, Christian

2013-05-01

Stress has a strong influence on pain sensitivity. However, the direction of this influence is unclear. Recent studies reported both decreased and increased pain sensitivities under stress, and one hypothesis is that interindividual differences account for these differences. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of stress on individual pain sensitivity in a relatively large female sample. Eighty female participants were included. Pain thresholds and temporal summation of pain were tested before and after stress, which was induced by the Mannheim Multicomponent Stress Test. In an independent sample of 20 women, correlation coefficients between 0.45 and 0.89 indicated relatively high test-retest reliability for pain measurements. On average, there were significant differences between pain thresholds under non-stress and stress conditions, indicating an increased sensitivity to pain under stress. No significant differences between non-stress and stress conditions were found for temporal summation of pain. On an individual basis, both decreased and increased pain sensitivities under stress conditions based on Jacobson's criteria for reliable change were observed. Furthermore, we found significant negative associations between pain sensitivity under non-stress conditions and individual change of pain sensitivity under stress. Participants with relatively high pain sensitivity under non-stress conditions became less sensitive under stress and vice versa. These findings support the view that pain sensitivity under stress shows large interindividual variability, and point to a possible dichotomy of altered pain sensitivity under stress. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Oxidative Stress in Early Life: Associations with Sex, Rearing Conditions, and Parental Physiological Traits in Nestling Pied Flycatchers.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Arrabé, Jimena; Cantarero, Alejandro; Pérez-Rodríguez, Lorenzo; Palma, Antonio; Moreno, Juan

2016-01-01

Conditions experienced during juvenile development can affect the fitness of an organism. During early life, oxidative stress levels can be particularly high as a result of the increased metabolism and the relatively immature antioxidant system of the individual, and this may have medium- and long-term fitness consequences. Here we explore variation in levels of oxidative stress measured during early life in relation to sex, rearing conditions (hatching date and brood size), and parental condition and levels of oxidative markers in a wild population of the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) followed for 2 yr. A marker of total antioxidant status (TAS) in plasma and total levels of glutathione (GSH) in red blood cells, as well as a marker of oxidative damage in plasma lipids (malondialdehyde [MDA]), were assessed simultaneously. Our results show that nestling total GSH levels were associated with parental oxidative status, correlating negatively with maternal MDA and positively with total GSH levels of both parents, with a high estimated heritability. This suggests that parental physiology and genes could be determinants for endogenous components of the antioxidant system of the offspring. Moreover, we found that total GSH levels were higher in female than in male nestlings and that hatching date was positively associated with antioxidant defenses (higher TAS and total GSH levels). These results suggest that different components of oxidative balance are related to a variety of environmental and intrinsic--including parental--influencing factors. Future experimental studies must disentangle the relative contribution of each of these on nestling oxidative status and how the resulting oxidative stress at early phases shape adult phenotype and fitness.

The Effects of Foliar Application of Methanol on Morphological Characteristics of Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. under Drought Stress Condition

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N. Armand

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction Available water is an important factor for plant growth in arid environments. Results indicated that foliar application of methanol is believed to be more important than the drought tolerance in C3 plant. Since bean is a C3 plant, it performs light respiration under intense heat, light and water stress due to internal leaf CO2 concentration reduction and oxygen concentration increase. Light respiration can cause up to 20% loss of carbon in plants and decrease the yield. Increasing concentration of carbon dioxide can neutralize the effect caused by drought stress. Thus, the use of substances that can cause an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the plant, leads to improving the yield under the drought conditions. One of the ways of increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in plants is by using compounds such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol as well as use of the amino acids of glycine, glutamate and aspartate. Plants can easily absorb methanol sprayed on leaves and use it as a carbon source added to atmospheric carbon. Methanol is relatively smaller compared to the CO2 molecules, so it can be easily absorbed and utilized by plants. Materials and Methods In order to evaluate the effects of foliar application of methanol on some morphological characteristics of bean under drought stress, a factorial experiment was conducted based on completely randomized block design with three replications in 2014 at the Khatam Alanbia University of Behbahan. The treatment of spraying methanol was at 4 levels include control (without spraying, 10, 20 and 30% v/v methanol which added 2 g l-1 glycine to each of solutions. Adding glycine to aqueous solution of methanol leads to prevention of damages caused by the toxicity of methanol. The drought factors including control (100% field of capacity, moderate drought stress (50% field of capacity and severe drought stress (25% field of capacity were considered. In this experiment

Stress reaction in crayfish: chlorides help to withstand stress in high nitrite concentration conditions – preliminary study

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Kozák P.

2011-06-01

Full Text Available A non-invasive method of recording cardiac activity (heart rate – HR and stress reaction (stress index – SI was used to understand the immediate and ongoing stress reaction of crayfish to the chemical stimuli. This method detects changes in the shape and amplitude parameters of the response to the stress factors, which characterized the crayfish functional state. Experimental animals (Astacus leptodactylus were divided to the two groups with (400 mg·L-1 Cl− and without added chlorides and then exposed to a stepwise increased level of nitrite to the final (sublethal-lethal concentration of 60 mg·L-1 N-NO\\hbox{$_{2}^{-}$}−2 within 24 hours. The course of crayfish reaction was evident and provided information about their reaction to the sublethal-lethal concentration over time. As expected, a less prominent stress reaction was detected in the group with chlorides. The non-invasive method successfully evaluated the sensing of chemical stimuli in water through HR and SI changes.

Effect of Seed Priming on Growth and Some Physiological Characteristics of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L. under salinity Stress Condition caused by Alkali Salts

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H. Bekhrad

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction Sesame (Sesamun indicum L. is an important oil seed crop. Its seed has excellent nutritional value with a high and unique protein composition, making it a perfect food. Salinity is a serious problem in many regions of the world including Iran. Salinity stress is one of the widespread environmental constraints affecting crop productivity. Salinity generally induces osmotic stress and causes direct ion injury by disrupting ion homeostasis and the ion balance within plant cells (25. Seed priming is one of the ways to reduce negative effects of salt which is used for increasing germination percentage and seed resistance in salty zones. Seed priming is a pre-germination treatment that provides a moisture level sufficient to start pre-germination metabolic processes. It entails the partial germination of seeds by soaking them in water (or in a solution of salts for specified period of time, and then re-dry them just before radicle emerges (24. Priming stimulates many of the metabolic processes involved with the early phases of germination. Given that part of the germination processes have been initiated, seedlings from primed seed grow faster, grow more vigorously, and perform better in adverse conditions (24. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of salinity stress caused by alkali salts on growth and some physiologic characteristics of sesame. Materials and Methods This study was conducted in a greenhouse in Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan as factorial arrangement in randomized complete block design with three replications. Experimental factors included priming (control (unprimed, hydropriming, halopriming with NaCl and NaHCO3 and level of salinity with sodium bicarbonate salt (Zero, 15, 30 and 45 mM. Seeds were planted in pots filled with perlite and cocopite (1:1. The pots were irrigated with a nutrient solution (with half strength Hoagland's solution. After the fourth true leaves appeared, salinty stress in

Acute psychophysiological stress impairs human associative learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehlers, M R; Todd, R M

2017-11-01

Addiction is increasingly discussed asa disorder of associative learning processes, with both operant and classical conditioning contributing to the development of maladaptive habits. Stress has long been known to promote drug taking and relapse and has further been shown to shift behavior from goal-directed actions towards more habitual ones. However, it remains to be investigated how acute stress may influence simple associative learning processes that occur before a habit can be established. In the present study, healthy young adults were exposed to either acute stress or a control condition half an hour before performing simple classical and operant conditioning tasks. Psychophysiological measures confirmed successful stress induction. Results of the operant conditioning task revealed reduced instrumental responding under delayed acute stress that resembled behavioral responses to lower levels of reward. The classical conditioning experiment revealed successful conditioning in both experimental groups; however, explicit knowledge of conditioning as indicated by stimulus ratings differentiated the stress and control groups. These findings suggest that operant and classical conditioning are differentially influenced by the delayed effects of acute stress with important implications for the understanding of how new habitual behaviors are initially established. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of environmental stress on forest crown condition in Europe. Part I: hypotheses and approach to the study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vries, de W.; Klap, J.M.; Erisman, J.W.

2000-01-01

This paper is the first in a series of four, describing the hypothesis and approach of a correlative study between observed data on crown condition in Europe, monitored since 1986 at a systematic 16 x 16 km grid, and site-specific estimations of various natural and anthropogenic stress factors. The

Pain stress and headache.

Science.gov (United States)

Panerai, Alberto E

2012-05-01

The association between pain and stress is an old one, but still it is not really clear who comes first. Pain induces stress, and stress induces pain. Pain is part of our homeostatic system and in this way is an emotion, i.e., it tells us that something is out-of-order (control), and emotion drives our behavior and one behavior is stress response. Stress comes from ourselves: the imagination we have or would like to have of us, from the image others give of us, from the goals we assume it is necessary to reach for our well-being or the goals others want us to fulfill. Stress comes from our social condition and the condition we would like, stress comes from dangerous situations we cannot control. Headache easily fits in the picture.

Temporal versus spatial variation in leaf reflectance under changing water stress conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Warren B.

1991-01-01

Leaf reflectance changes associated with changes in water stress were analyzed in two separate experiments. Results indicate that the variation in reflectance among collections of leaves of a given species all at the same level of water stress is at least as great as the variation in reflectance associated with changes in water stress for a given leaf collection of that species. The implications is that results from leaf reflectance-water stress studies have only limited applicability to the remote sensing of plant canopy water stress.

Improvement of fermentation ability under baking-associated stress conditions by altering the POG1 gene expression in baker's yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Sasano, Yu; Haitani, Yutaka; Hashida, Keisuke; Oshiro, Satoshi; Shima, Jun; Takagi, Hiroshi

2013-08-01

During the bread-making process, yeast cells are exposed to many types of baking-associated stress. There is thus a demand within the baking industry for yeast strains with high fermentation abilities under these stress conditions. The POG1 gene, encoding a putative transcription factor involved in cell cycle regulation, is a multicopy suppressor of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae E3 ubiquitin ligase Rsp5 mutant. The pog1 mutant is sensitive to various stresses. Our results suggested that the POG1 gene is involved in stress tolerance in yeast cells. In this study, we showed that overexpression of the POG1 gene in baker's yeast conferred increased fermentation ability in high-sucrose-containing dough, which is used for sweet dough baking. Furthermore, deletion of the POG1 gene drastically increased the fermentation ability in bread dough after freeze-thaw stress, which would be a useful characteristic for frozen dough baking. Thus, the engineering of yeast strains to control the POG1 gene expression level would be a novel method for molecular breeding of baker's yeast. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of molecular responses in plants under the conditions of excess-aluminium stress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masaoka, Yoshikuni; Arakawa, Yusuke; Asanuma, Shuichi [Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station, Kumamoto (Japan)] [and others

1999-02-01

Recent soil environments in Kyushu and Okinawa regions have a possibility to impair agricultural products because elution of aluminum (Al) from the soil has been progressing because of its elution by soil acidification. In this study, {sup 26}Al-tracing method using tandem accelerator mass spectroscopy was applied to investigate the effects of aluminum in the soil on a few plants. The results showed that Al accumulation in mitochondria was several times of higher in Dayton, a Al-resistant strain of barley than kearney, a sensitive one. It was thus suggested that mitochondria, which has been known to participates in respiration and cell death (apoptosis), has also an important role in the physiological functions of Al. The growth of barley on the soil of pH 5.0 was significantly inhibited with Al and such growth inhibition was also observed in barley grown in hydroponics, especially, the growth of kearney was markedly inhibited. When the effects of 1 mM Al were compared between Dayton and kearney strains, there were large differences in the growth of their leaves. Then, the correlative resistance to Al and barley leaf stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) was examined in these two barley strains. The virus concentration in kearney leaves 30 days after an inoculation of BSMV was similar to that in Dayton ones. Under stress conditions with a low level Al, both strains infected with BSMW developed necrotic damages, whereas under the stress condition at a high level Al (100 {mu}M), they developed severe necrosis even without inoculation with BSMW. As an increase of the amount of absorbed Al, the phosphate concentration in the cell was decreased and the decrease was marked in the resistant strain, Dayton. (M.N.)

An Automated Method for High-Throughput Screening of Arabidopsis Rosette Growth in Multi-Well Plates and Its Validation in Stress Conditions

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

De Diego, N.; Fürst, T.; Humplík, Jan; Ugena, L.; Podlešáková, K.; Spíchal, L.

2017-01-01

Roč. 8, OCT 4 (2017), č. článku 1702. ISSN 1664-462X R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1204 Institutional support: RVO:61389030 Keywords : salt stress * chlorophyll fluorescence * salinity tolerance * plant-responses * cold-tolerance * water-deficit * thaliana * selection * platform * reveals * high-throughput screening assay * Arabidopsis * multi-well plates * rosette growth * stress conditions Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Plant sciences, botany Impact factor: 4.298, year: 2016

Does habitat disturbance affect stress, body condition and parasitism in two sympatric lemurs?

Science.gov (United States)

Rakotoniaina, Josué H; Kappeler, Peter M; Ravoniarimbinina, Pascaline; Pechouskova, Eva; Hämäläinen, Anni M; Grass, Juliane; Kirschbaum, Clemens; Kraus, Cornelia

2016-01-01

Understanding how animals react to human-induced changes in their environment is a key question in conservation biology. Owing to their potential correlation with fitness, several physiological parameters are commonly used to assess the effect of habitat disturbance on animals' general health status. Here, we studied how two lemur species, the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) and the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), respond to changing environmental conditions by comparing their stress levels (measured as hair cortisol concentration), parasitism and general body condition across four habitats ordered along a gradient of human disturbance at Kirindy Forest, Western Madagascar. These two species previously revealed contrasting responses to human disturbance; whereas M. murinus is known as a resilient species, C. medius is rarely encountered in highly disturbed habitats. However, neither hair cortisol concentrations nor parasitism patterns (prevalence, parasite species richness and rate of multiple infections) and body condition varied across the gradient of anthropogenic disturbance. Our results indicate that the effect of anthropogenic activities at Kirindy Forest is not reflected in the general health status of both species, which may have developed a range of behavioural adaptations to deal with suboptimal conditions. Nonetheless, a difference in relative density among sites suggests that the carrying capacity of disturbed habitat is lower, and both species respond differently to environmental changes, with C. medius being more negatively affected. Thus, even for behaviourally flexible species, extended habitat deterioration could hamper long-term viability of populations.

Stress induced conditioning and thermal relaxation in the simulation of quasi-static compression experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scalerandi, M; Delsanto, P P; Johnson, P A

2003-01-01

Local interaction simulation approach simulations of the ultrasonic wave propagation in multi-grained materials have succeeded in reproducing most of the recently observed nonclassical nonlinear effects, such as stress-strain hysteresis and discrete memory in quasi-static experiments and a downwards shift of the resonance frequency and the generation of odd harmonics at specific amplitude rates in dynamics experiments. By including a simple mechanism of thermally activated random transitions, we can predict the occurrence of experimentally observed effects, such as the conditioning and relaxation of the specimen. Experiments are also suggested for a quantitative assessment of the validity of the model

Stress induced conditioning and thermal relaxation in the simulation of quasi-static compression experiments

CERN Document Server

Scalerandi, M; Johnson, P A

2003-01-01

Local interaction simulation approach simulations of the ultrasonic wave propagation in multi-grained materials have succeeded in reproducing most of the recently observed nonclassical nonlinear effects, such as stress-strain hysteresis and discrete memory in quasi-static experiments and a downwards shift of the resonance frequency and the generation of odd harmonics at specific amplitude rates in dynamics experiments. By including a simple mechanism of thermally activated random transitions, we can predict the occurrence of experimentally observed effects, such as the conditioning and relaxation of the specimen. Experiments are also suggested for a quantitative assessment of the validity of the model.

Survival and weight change among adult individuals of Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758 (Blattaria, Blattidae subject to various stress conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jucelio Peter Duarte

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Periplaneta americana is a species of great importance to public health, since it can act as a vector of many pathogens and it reaches large populations in urban environments. This is probably due to its ability to resist starvation and desiccation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of absence of water and food on survival and weight change among adult P. americana individuals and check whether the initial weight of individuals influences on their survival. Four groups having twenty P. americana couples were formed and subject to: I no water or food; II no food; III no water; and IV control group. Insects were isolated according to the groups, which were weighed at the beginning and end of the stress conditions. They remained under these conditions until all individuals in each test group were dead. Stress conditions caused reduction in survival time when compared to the control group. Adults with higher body mass survived longer when deprived only of food, while among those lacking water, weight had no influence on survival. Total weight loss was greater among individuals deprived of water than those deprived only of food.

Peroxisomal monodehydroascorbate reductase. Genomic clone characterization and functional analysis under environmental stress conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Leterrier, Marina; Corpas, Francisco J; Barroso, Juan B; Sandalio, Luisa M; del Río, Luis A

2005-08-01

In plant cells, ascorbate is a major antioxidant that is involved in the ascorbate-glutathione cycle. Monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR) is the enzymatic component of this cycle involved in the regeneration of reduced ascorbate. The identification of the intron-exon organization and the promoter region of the pea (Pisum sativum) MDAR 1 gene was achieved in pea leaves using the method of walking polymerase chain reaction on genomic DNA. The nuclear gene of MDAR 1 comprises nine exons and eight introns, giving a total length of 3,770 bp. The sequence of 544 bp upstream of the initiation codon, which contains the promoter and 5' untranslated region, and 190 bp downstream of the stop codon were also determined. The presence of different regulatory motifs in the promoter region of the gene might indicate distinct responses to various conditions. The expression analysis in different plant organs by northern blots showed that fruits had the highest level of MDAR. Confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis of pea leaves transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens having the binary vectors pGD, which contain the autofluorescent proteins enhanced green fluorescent protein and enhanced yellow fluorescent protein with the full-length cDNA for MDAR 1 and catalase, indicated that the MDAR 1 encoded the peroxisomal isoform. The functional analysis of MDAR by activity and protein expression was studied in pea plants grown under eight stress conditions, including continuous light, high light intensity, continuous dark, mechanical wounding, low and high temperature, cadmium, and the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. This functional analysis is representative of all the MDAR isoforms present in the different cell compartments. Results obtained showed a significant induction by high light intensity and cadmium. On the other hand, expression studies, performed by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction demonstrated differential expression patterns of

Association between supervisors' behavior and wage workers' job stress in Korea: analysis of the fourth Korean working conditions survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Shin Uk; Ye, Byeong Jin; Kim, ByoungGwon; Kim, Jung Il; Kim, Jung Woo

2017-01-01

In modern society, many workers are stressed. Supervisors' support or behavior can affect the emotional or psychological part of the worker. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of supervisor's behavior on worker's stress. The study included 19,272 subjects following the assignment of weighted values to workers other than soldiers using data from the Fourth Korean Working Condition Survey. Supervisors' behavior was measured using 5 items: "supervisor feedback regarding work," "respectful attitude," "good conflict-resolution ability," "good work-related planning and organizational ability," and the encouragement of participation in important decision making. Job stress was measured using 1 item: "I experience stress at work." Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the effects of supervisors' behavioral, general, occupational, and psychosocial characteristics on job stress in workers. Organizational characteristics associated with supervisors' behavior were also analyzed. The results showed that supervisors' provision of feedback regarding work increased workers' job stress (OR = 1.329, 95% CI = 1.203 ~ 1.468). When a supervisor respect workers (OR = 0.812, 95% CI = 0.722 ~ 0.913) or good at planning and organizing works (OR = 0.816, 95% CI: 0.732 ~ 0.910), workers' job stress decreased. In particular, the two types of supervisor behaviors, other than feedback regarding work, were high in private-sector organizations employing less than 300 employees. Supervisors' behavior influenced job stress levels in workers. Therefore, it is necessary to increase education regarding the effects of supervisors' behavior on job stress, which should initially be provided in private-sector organizations with up to 300 employees.

The Yeast Environmental Stress Response Regulates Mutagenesis Induced by Proteotoxic Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Shor, Erika; Fox, Catherine A.; Broach, James R.

2013-01-01

Conditions of chronic stress are associated with genetic instability in many organisms, but the roles of stress responses in mutagenesis have so far been elucidated only in bacteria. Here, we present data demonstrating that the environmental stress response (ESR) in yeast functions in mutagenesis induced by proteotoxic stress. We show that the drug canavanine causes proteotoxic stress, activates the ESR, and induces mutagenesis at several loci in an ESR-dependent manner. Canavanine-induced mutagenesis also involves translesion DNA polymerases Rev1 and Polζ and non-homologous end joining factor Ku. Furthermore, under conditions of chronic sub-lethal canavanine stress, deletions of Rev1, Polζ, and Ku-encoding genes exhibit genetic interactions with ESR mutants indicative of ESR regulating these mutagenic DNA repair processes. Analyses of mutagenesis induced by several different stresses showed that the ESR specifically modulates mutagenesis induced by proteotoxic stress. Together, these results document the first known example of an involvement of a eukaryotic stress response pathway in mutagenesis and have important implications for mechanisms of evolution, carcinogenesis, and emergence of drug-resistant pathogens and chemotherapy-resistant tumors. PMID:23935537

Thermal stresses at nozzles of nuclear steel containments under LOCA-conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez Sarmiento, G.; Bergmann, A.N.

1986-01-01

During a loss of coolant accident (LOCA) of a PWR-nuclear power plant, a considerable heating of the containment atmosphere is expected to occur. Transient thermal stresses will appear at the containment as a consequence of a non-uniform rise of its temperature. Applying computer codes based on the finite element method, dimensionless general thermal stresses at nozzles of spherical steel containment have been calculated, varying the principal geometrical parameters and the Biot number for the containment internal surface. Atmosphere temperature and Biot number are assumed constant after the accident. Several plots of the maximum principal stresses are provided, which constitute general results applicable to stress analysis of any particular containment of this kind. (orig.)

Effect of Silicon application on Morpho-physiological Characteristics, Grain Yield and Nutrient Content of Bread Wheat under Water Stress Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Karmollachaab

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In order to investigate the effect of silicon application on some physiological characteristics, yield and yield components, and grain mineral contents of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum under water stress condition, an experiment was conducted in Ramin Agriculture and Natural Resources University, Khuzestan, in 2012. The experiment was arranged in split-plots design in RCBD (Completely Randomized Blocks Design with three replications. Treatments consisted of drought stress (irrigation after 25, 50 and 75% depletion of Available Water Content in main plots and silicon (0, 10, 20 and 30 Kg Si ha-1 arranged in sub-plots. Results showed that the effect of drought stress was significant on most traits and led to the increase of electrolyte leakage (EL, cuticular wax, leaf and grain silicon content and grain nitrogen content. But drought led to negative impacts on grain yield and its components, and leaf potassium content, i.e. moderate and severe stresses reduced yield by 17% and 38% compared to control, respectively. Effect of silicon application was significant on all traits except for spike per square meter. Silicon had the greatest impact on EL and led to 35% decrease in this trait. Also, silicon led to increase in leaf and grain silicon contents and grain K content and grain yield and yield components, when applied at 30 kg ha-1. Generally, application of 30 kg ha-1 of silicon led to 6 and 14% increases of grain yield at the presence of moderate and severe drought stresses, respectively. Thus, given the abundance of silicon it can be used as an ameliorating element for planting bread wheat in drought-prone conditions.

Creep behavior of an epoxy resin and an epoxy-based FRP in condition of simultaneous supply of radiation and stress at cryogenic temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishiura, Tetsuya; Nishijima, Shigehiro; Okada, Toichi

1995-01-01

Creep tests of an epoxy resin and an epoxy-based FRP in bending under irradiation condition have been carried out, to investigate the synergistic effects of radiation and stress on mechanical properties of FRP. Simultaneous supply of stress and irradiation on the epoxy resin and the FRP enhanced creep rates in comparison with that supply of the stress on a post-irradiated one did. ESR spectra measurement was also carried out to study the change of molecule of the resin irradiated. Increase of molecular weight between crosslinks was found out to be enhanced by the synergistic effect of radiation and stress. The mechanism of increased damage of FRP induced by the effects of simultaneous stress and irradiation is discussed. (author)

Acute social stress increases biochemical and self report markers of stress without altering spatial learning in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Klopp, Christine; Garcia, Carlos; Schulman, Allan H; Ward, Christopher P; Tartar, Jaime L

2012-01-01

Spatial learning is shown to be influenced by acute stress in both human and other animals. However, the intricacies of this relationship are unclear. Based on prior findings we hypothesized that compared to a control condition, a social stress condition would not affect spatial learning performance despite elevated biochemical markers of stress. The present study tested the effects of social stress in human males and females on a subsequent spatial learning task. Social stress induction consisted of evaluative stress (the Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) compared to a placebo social stress. Compared to the placebo condition, the TSST resulted in significantly elevated cortisol and alpha amylase levels at multiple time points following stress induction. In accord, cognitive appraisal measures also showed that participants in the TSST group experienced greater perceived stress compared to the placebo group. However, there were no group differences in performance on a spatial learning task. Our findings suggest that unlike physiological stress, social stress does not result in alterations in spatial learning in humans. It is possible that moderate social evaluative stress in humans works to prevent acute stress-mediated alterations in hippocampal learning processes..

Stress field models from Maxwell stress functions: southern California

Science.gov (United States)

Bird, Peter

2017-08-01

The lithospheric stress field is formally divided into three components: a standard pressure which is a function of elevation (only), a topographic stress anomaly (3-D tensor field) and a tectonic stress anomaly (3-D tensor field). The boundary between topographic and tectonic stress anomalies is somewhat arbitrary, and here is based on the modeling tools available. The topographic stress anomaly is computed by numerical convolution of density anomalies with three tensor Green's functions provided by Boussinesq, Cerruti and Mindlin. By assuming either a seismically estimated or isostatic Moho depth, and by using Poisson ratio of either 0.25 or 0.5, I obtain four alternative topographic stress models. The tectonic stress field, which satisfies the homogeneous quasi-static momentum equation, is obtained from particular second derivatives of Maxwell vector potential fields which are weighted sums of basis functions representing constant tectonic stress components, linearly varying tectonic stress components and tectonic stress components that vary harmonically in one, two and three dimensions. Boundary conditions include zero traction due to tectonic stress anomaly at sea level, and zero traction due to the total stress anomaly on model boundaries at depths within the asthenosphere. The total stress anomaly is fit by least squares to both World Stress Map data and to a previous faulted-lithosphere, realistic-rheology dynamic model of the region computed with finite-element program Shells. No conflict is seen between the two target data sets, and the best-fitting model (using an isostatic Moho and Poisson ratio 0.5) gives minimum directional misfits relative to both targets. Constraints of computer memory, execution time and ill-conditioning of the linear system (which requires damping) limit harmonically varying tectonic stress to no more than six cycles along each axis of the model. The primary limitation on close fitting is that the Shells model predicts very sharp

The sensitivity of Sphagnum to surface layer conditions in a re-wetted bog: a simulation study of water stress

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouwenaars, J.M.; Gosen, A.M.

2007-01-01

The behaviour of the water table in re-wetted bogs varies widely between different locations so that recolonising Sphagnum is vulnerable to water stress, especially when the water table is drawn down in summer. It is important to understand how physical site conditions influence the occurrence of

Analysis of Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Abilities of Extracts from Germinating Vitis californica Seeds Submitted to Cold Stress Conditions and Recovery after the Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Weidner, Stanisław; Chrzanowski, Sebastian; Karamać, Magdalena; Król, Angelika; Badowiec, Anna; Mostek, Agnieszka; Amarowicz, Ryszard

2014-01-01

The material for this study consisted of stratified seeds of Vitis californica submitted to germination under optimum conditions (+25 °C) or under chill stress (+10 °C), also followed by recovery. It has been determined that the germinating seeds contain considerable amounts of tannins, catechins as well as phenolic acids such as gallic, p-coumaric, caffeic and ferulic acids. Gallic acid appeared in the highest amount in the germinating seeds (from 42.40–204.00 µg/g of fresh weight (FW)), followed by caffeic acid (from 6.62–20.13 µg/g FW), p-coumaric acid (from 2.59–5.41 µg/g FW), and ferulic acid (from 0.56–0.92 µg/g FW). The phenolic acids occurred mostly in the ester form. Under chill stress, the germinating seeds were determined to contain an elevated total amount of phenolics, as well as raised levels of condensed tannins, catechins, gallic acid, and gafeic acid. The levels of p-coumoric and ferulic acids were found to have decreased. In extracts isolated from a sample exposed to low temperature, increased antioxidant activity and reduction potential were also demonstrated. Tissue of the germinating seeds which underwent post-stress recovery was found to have less total phenolics. PMID:25222557

Effects of systemic glutamatergic manipulations on conditioned eyeblink responses and hyperarousal in a rabbit model of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Burhans, Lauren B; Smith-Bell, Carrie A; Schreurs, Bernard G

2017-10-01

Glutamatergic dysfunction is implicated in many neuropsychiatric conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Glutamate antagonists have shown some utility in treating PTSD symptoms, whereas glutamate agonists may facilitate cognitive behavioral therapy outcomes. We have developed an animal model of PTSD, based on conditioning of the rabbit's eyeblink response, that addresses two key features: conditioned responses (CRs) to cues associated with an aversive event and a form of conditioned hyperarousal referred to as conditioning-specific reflex modification (CRM). The optimal treatment to reduce both CRs and CRM is unpaired extinction. The goals of the study were to examine whether treatment with the N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist ketamine could reduce CRs and CRM, and whether the N-methyl-D-aspartate agonist D-cycloserine combined with unpaired extinction treatment could enhance the extinction of both. Administration of a single dose of subanesthetic ketamine had no significant immediate or delayed effect on CRs or CRM. Combining D-cycloserine with a single day of unpaired extinction facilitated extinction of CRs in the short term while having no impact on CRM. These results caution that treatments may improve one aspect of the PTSD symptomology while having no significant effects on other symptoms, stressing the importance of a multiple-treatment approach to PTSD and of animal models that address multiple symptoms.

Complex-Spectrum Magnetic Environment enhances and/or modifies Bioeffects of Hypokinetic Stress Condition: an Animal Study

Science.gov (United States)

Temuriantz, N. A.; Martinyuk, V. S.; Ptitsyna, N. G.; Villoresi, G.; Iucci, N.; Tyasto, M. I.; Dorman, L. I.

During last decades it was shown by many authors that ultra-low and extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields ULF 0-10 Hz ELF 10-1000 Hz may produce biological effects and consequently may be a possible source for health problems Spaceflight electric and magnetic environments are characterized by complex combination of static and time-varying components in ULF-ELF range and by high variability The objective of this study was to investigate the possible influence of such magnetic fields on rats to understand the pathway regarding functional state of cardiovascular system Magnetic field MF pattern with variable complex spectra in 0-150 Hz frequency range was simulated using 3-axial Helmholtz coils and special computer-based equipment The effect of the real world MF exposure on rats was also tested in combination with hypokinetic stress condition which is typical for spaceflights It was revealed that variable complex-spectrum MF acts as a weak or moderate stress-like factor which amplifies and or modifies the functional shifts caused by other stress-factors The value and direction of the functional shifts caused by MF exposure significantly depend on gender individual-typological constitutional features and also on the physiological state norm stress of organism Our results support the idea that variable complex-spectrum MF action involves sympathetic activation overload in cholesterol transport in blood and also secretor activation of tissue basophyls mast cells that can influence the regional haemodynamics These

Mapping of QTLs for Germination Characteristics under Non-stress and Drought Stress in Rice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra MARDANI

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Identification of genetic factors controlling traits associated with seed germination under drought stress conditions, leads to identification and development of drought tolerant varieties. Present study by using a population of F2:4 derived from a cross between a drought tolerant variety, Gharib (indica and a drought sensitive variety, Sepidroud (indica, is to identify and compare QTLs associated with germination traits under drought stress and non-stress conditions. Through QTL analysis, using composite interval mapping, regarding traits such as germination rate (GR, germination percentage (GP, radicle length (RL, plumule length (PL, coleorhiza length (COL and coleoptile length (CL, totally 13 QTLs were detected under pole drought stress (−8 MPa poly ethylene glycol 6000 and 9 QTLs under non-stress conditions. Of the QTLs identified under non-stress conditions, QTLs associated with COL (qCOL-5 and GR (qGR-1 explained 21.28% and 19.73% of the total phenotypic variations, respectively. Under drought stress conditions, QTLs associated with COL (qCOL-3 and PL (qPL-5 explained 18.34% and 18.22% of the total phenotypic variations, respectively. A few drought-tolerance-related QTLs identified in previous studies are near the QTLs detected in this study, and several QTLs in this study are novel alleles. The major QTLs like qGR-1, qGP-4, qRL-12 and qCL-4 identified in both conditions for traits GR, GP, RL and CL, respectively, should be considered as the important and stable trait-controlling QTLs in rice seed germination. Those major or minor QTLs could be used to significantly improve drought tolerance by marker-assisted selection in rice.

Fear conditioning and shock intensity: the choice between minimizing the stress induced and reducing the number of animals used

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pietersen, C.Y.; Bosker, F.J; Posterna, F.; Den Boer, J.A.

2006-01-01

Many fear conditioning studies use electric shock as the aversive stimulus. The intensity of shocks varies throughout the literature. In this study, shock intensities ranging from 0 to 1.5 mA were used, and the effects on the rats assessed by both behavioural and biochemical stress parameters.

Fear conditioning and shock intensity : the choice between minimizing the stress induced and reducing the number of animals used

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pietersen, CY; Bosker, FJ; Posterna, F; den Boer, JA

Many fear conditioning studies use electric shock as the aversive stimulus. The intensity of shocks varies throughout the literature. In this study, shock intensities ranging from 0 to 1.5 mA were used, and the effects on the rats assessed by both behavioural and biochemical stress parameters.

Changes in thermo-tolerance and survival under simulated gastrointestinal conditions of Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 and Salmonella Typhimurium PT4 in chicken breast meat after exposure to sequential stresses.

Science.gov (United States)

Melo, Adma Nadja Ferreira de; Souza, Geany Targino de; Schaffner, Donald; Oliveira, Tereza C Moreira de; Maciel, Janeeyre Ferreira; Souza, Evandro Leite de; Magnani, Marciane

2017-06-19

This study assessed changes in thermo-tolerance and capability to survive to simulated gastrointestinal conditions of Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 and Salmonella Typhimurium PT4 inoculated in chicken breast meat following exposure to stresses (cold, acid and osmotic) commonly imposed during food processing. The effects of the stress imposed by exposure to oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) essential oil (OVEO) on thermo-tolerance were also assessed. After exposure to cold stress (5°C for 5h) in chicken breast meat the test strains were sequentially exposed to the different stressing substances (lactic acid, NaCl or OVEO) at sub-lethal amounts, which were defined considering previously determined minimum inhibitory concentrations, and finally to thermal treatment (55°C for 30min). Resistant cells from distinct sequential treatments were exposed to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The exposure to cold stress did not result in increased tolerance to acid stress (lactic acid: 5 and 2.5μL/g) for both strains. Cells of S. Typhimurium PT4 and S. Enteritidis PT4 previously exposed to acid stress showed higher (pthermo-tolerance in both strains. The cells that survived the sequential stress exposure (resistant) showed higher tolerance (pthermo-tolerance and enhance the survival under gastrointestinal conditions of S. Enteritidis PT4 and S. Typhimurium PT4. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Research on mutant barley population under biotic and abiotic stress condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peskircioglu, H.; Tuyluer, I.; Sagel, Z.; Kunter, B.; Kantoglu, Y.

2009-01-01

Barley is one of the most important cereal with 8,5 million tons production, 3,5 million hectares of sowing area in Turkey which is also one of the gene centres of barley. Barley is grown in every regions of Turkey where climatic conditions are available for the crop. But barley is the predominant crop in the driest land areas throughout the Anatolian plateau. Winters on that plateau are especially severe. Summers are hot and dry with temperatures above 30 degree C. Annual precipitation averages about 300 to 400 millimeters and rains mainly in winter. Because of all of these prerequisite conditions, winter barley dominates in Turkey, which indirectly refers to water economy. According to the above mentioned reasons the objectives of this investigation were: 1) Improvement of drought resistance, loading resistance and high yielding barley varieties by mutation breeding in Central Anatolian Region. 2) Determination and selection of abiotic stress such as salt resistance In our barley mutation breeding programme under Central Anatolian conditions well adapted Tokak 157/37 variety has been used. We applied 250 Gy-300 Gy gamma ray doses . Selection began at M 2 generation. Agronomical characters including earliness, straw length, lodging resistance and disease resistance are monitored in the field and greenhouse. Mutant lines have been tested for salt resistance in the hydrophonic culture which contains 180 mMol and 220 mMol NaCl concentrations. Preliminary yield trial and advanced yield trial are started after M 4 generations. In M 6 generation, we had some desirable lines those are 25-30 days earlier than its parents, so these lines escape from drought period. Some lines that have grown in the hydrophonic cultures, contains 180mMol NaCl still surviving.

Work Stress

OpenAIRE

Roeters, Anne

2014-01-01

Most of us agree that stress is a growing problem within organizations. We hear about the postal workers who had killed fellow employees and supervisors, and then hear that a major cause of tension is at work. Friends tell us that they are stressed due to increased workload and he has to work overtime because the company is restructured. We read the polls that employees complain about the stress in trying to balance family life with the work. Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individu...

AKTIVITAS ANTI INFLAMASI OLEORESIN JAHE (Zingiber officinale PADA GINJAL TIKUS YANG MENGALAMI PERLAKUAN STRES [Anti Inflammation Activity of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Oleoresin on Kidney of Rats Under Stress Condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Ketut Mudite AdnyanE1

2003-08-01

Full Text Available The present study was conducted to observe the role of antioxidant content of ginger oleoresin (Zingiber officinale on inflammation in the kidney of rats under stress condition, as an anti inflammation. A total of sixty male Wistar rats were used for this study. They were divided into twelve groups; (1 control group, without treatment of both stress and oleoresin, (2 stress group, was treated by stress only, without oleoresin treatment, while (3 and (4 are groups that were treated by stress and then fed by standard feed for three and seven days, without oleoresin. Group (5 to group (12 were treated by stress and then followed by treatment of oleoresin for three and seven days. The doses of oleoresin were 20, 40, 60, and 80 mg/kgBW/day. Stress condition was done by 5 days fasting and swimming for 5 minutes/day, while drinking water was provided ad libitum. The highest number of inflammatory cells in the kidney of rats was observed in the stress group. The treatment of oleoresin after fasting stress showed decreasing of the number of inflammatory cells in the tissues. The decreasing rate was higher in the higher dose of oleoresin. The treatment groups that showed the number of inflammatory cells not significantly different from that of control group are treated groups receiving oleoresin 60 mg/kgBW/day for seven days, and 80 mg/kgBW/day for three and seven days, respectively. These results showed that ginger oleoresin has anti inflammatory effect in the kidney of rats kept under stress condition.

Transcriptional Response of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough to Oxidative Stress Mimicking Environmental Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereira, Patricia M.; He, Qiang; Xavier, Antonio V.; Zhou, Jizhong; Pereira, Ines A.C.; Louro, Ricardo O.

2008-03-12

Sulphate-reducing bacteria are anaerobes readily found in oxic-anoxic interfaces. Multiple defence pathways against oxidative conditions were identified in these organisms and proposed to be differentially expressed under different concentrations of oxygen, contributing to their ability to survive oxic conditions. In this study, Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough cells were exposed to the highest concentration of oxygen that sulphate-reducing bacteria are likely to encounter in natural habitats, and the global transcriptomic response was determined. 307 genes were responsive, with cellular roles in energy metabolism, protein fate, cell envelope and regulatory functions, including multiple genes encoding heat shock proteins, peptidases and proteins with heat shock promoters. Of the oxygen reducing mechanisms of D. vulgaris only the periplasmic hydrogen-dependent mechanism is up-regulated, involving the [NiFeSe]hydrogenase, formate dehydrogenase(s) and the Hmc membrane complex. The oxidative defence response concentrates on damage repair by metal-free enzymes. These data, together with the down regulation of the Fur operon, which restricts the availability of iron, and the lack of response of the PerR operon, suggest that a major effect of this oxygen stress is the inactivation and/or degradation of multiple metalloproteins present in D. vulgaris as a consequence of oxidative damage to their metal clusters.

Analysis of genetic diversity among the maize inbred lines (Zea mays L. under heat stress condition

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Manoj Kandel

2017-12-01

Full Text Available High temperature adversely affects the plant physiological processes: limits plant growth and reduction in grain yield. Heat stress is often encountered to spring sowing of maize in spring season. Twenty maize inbred lines were studied for days to 50 % anthesis and silking, anthesis–silking interval, leaf firing, tassel blast, SPAD reading and leaf senescence, plant and ear height, leaf area index, ear per plant, cob length and diameter, number of kernel/ear, number of kernel row/ear, number of kernel row, silk receptivity, shelling percentage, thousand kernel weight and grain yield in alpha lattice design at National Maize Research Program at Rampur, Chitwan,Nepal with the objective to identify superior heat stress tolerant lines. Analysis of variance showed significant difference for all the traits. Result of multivariable analysis revealed that twenty inbred lines formed four clusters. The resistance inbred lines and susceptible inbred lines formed different clusters. The members of cluster 4 were found to be tolerant to heat stress due to they had lowest value of tassel blast, leaf firing, and leaf area index with highest value of cob diameter and length, ear per plant, number of kernel row/ear, number of kernel/ear, number of kernel row, shelling percentage, silk receptivity and grain yield whereas as members of cluster 1were found most susceptible due to they had longer anthesis silking interval, with maximum tassel blast and leaf firing along with no grain yield under heat stress condition. From this study inbred lines RL-140, RML-76, RML-91 and RML-40 were found most tolerant to heat stress. These inbred lines belonging to superior cluster could be considered very useful in developing heat tolerant variety and other breeding activities.

Conditions for low stress-risk jobs: Europe's case

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oeij, P.R.A.; Dhondt, S.; Wiezer, N.

2006-01-01

The European situation of new forms of work organisation and stress risks in jobs are described against the ‘decentralisationhuman factor orientation model’, which discerns types of work organisation. ‘Flexible firms’ based on lean production have the highest probability of high strain jobs,

Pedagogical Staff in Children's Day Care Centres in Germany--Links between Working Conditions, Job Satisfaction, Commitment and Work-Related Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Schreyer, Inge; Krause, Martin

2016-01-01

This article investigates links between staff working conditions in children's day care centres ("Kindertageseinrichtungen"--known as "Kitas" in Germany), job satisfaction, commitment and perceived stress at work. Data are based on the nationwide, representative questionnaire survey AQUA ("Arbeitsplatz und Qualität in…

Context-dependent memory under stressful conditions: the case of skydiving.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, L A; Williams, K L; L'Esperance, P; Cornelius, J

2001-01-01

Two experiments examined the effect of differing levels of emotional arousal on learning and memory for words in matching and mismatching contexts. In Experiment 1, experienced skydivers learned words either in the air or on the ground and recalled them in the same context or in the other context. Experiment 2 replicated the stimuli and design of the first experiment except that participants were shown a skydiving video in lieu of skydiving. Recall was poor in air-learning conditions with actual skydiving, but when lists were learned on land, recall was higher in the matching context than in the mismatching context. In the skydiving video experiment, recall was higher in matching learn-recall contexts regardless of the situation in which learning occurred. We propose that under extremely emotionally arousing circumstances, environmental and/or mood cues are unlikely to become encoded or linked to newly acquired information and thus cannot serve as cues to retrieval. Results can be applied to understanding variations in context-dependent memory in occupations (e.g., police, military special operations, and Special Weapons and Tactics teams) in which the worker experiences considerable emotional stress while learning or recalling new information.

Novel insights into E. coli's hexuronate metabolism: KduI facilitates the conversion of galacturonate and glucuronate under osmotic stress conditions.

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Monique Rothe

Full Text Available Using a gnotobiotic mouse model, we previously observed the upregulation of 2-deoxy-D-gluconate 3-dehydrogenase (KduD in intestinal E. coli of mice fed a lactose-rich diet and the downregulation of this enzyme and of 5-keto 4-deoxyuronate isomerase (KduI on a casein-rich diet. The present study aimed to define the role of the so far poorly characterized E. coli proteins KduD and KduI in vitro. Galacturonate and glucuronate induced kduD and kduI gene expression 3-fold and 7 to 11-fold, respectively, under aerobic conditions as well as 9 to 20-fold and 19 to 54-fold, respectively, under anaerobic conditions. KduI facilitated the breakdown of these hexuronates. In E. coli, galacturonate and glucuronate are normally degraded by UxaABC and UxuAB. However, osmotic stress represses the expression of the corresponding genes in an OxyR-dependent manner. When grown in the presence of galacturonate or glucuronate, kduID-deficient E. coli had a 30% to 80% lower maximal cell density and 1.5 to 2-fold longer doubling times under osmotic stress conditions than wild type E. coli. Growth on lactose promoted the intracellular formation of hexuronates, which possibly explain the induction of KduD on a lactose-rich diet. These results indicate a novel function of KduI and KduD in E. coli and demonstrate the crucial influence of osmotic stress on the gene expression of hexuronate degrading enzymes.

Effects of distance from center of a weld to fixed end on residual stress and stress intensity factor of a piping weld. Evaluation of SCC growth under residual stress field. Report 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyazaki, Katsumasa; Numata, Masanori; Saito, Koichi; Mochizuki, Masahito

2006-01-01

The fixed conditions of butt welds between straight pipe and valve or pump in the actual piping system are different from those of straight pipes. However, the effect of fixed condition on the residual stress and the stress intensity factor for evaluation of structural integrity of cracked piping was not clear. In this study, the finite element analyses were conducted by considering the differences in the distance from the center of weld to the fixed end L to clarify the effect of fixed condition on the residual stress and the stress intensity factor. For the 600 A piping, the axial residual stress distribution was not affected by the distance L. Furthermore, the stress intensity factor of circumferential crack under the residual stress field with fixed condition could be estimated by using the existing simplified solution for piping. (author)

TPX vacuum vessel transient thermal and stress conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feldshteyn, Y.; Dinkevich, S.; Feng, T.; Majumder, D.

1995-01-01

The TPX vacuum vessel provides the vacuum boundary for the plasma and the mechanical support for the internal components. Another function of the vacuum vessel is to contain neutron shielding water in the double wall space during normal operation. This double wall space serves as a heat reservoir for the entire vacuum vessel during bakeout. The vacuum vessel and the internal components are subjected to thermal stresses induced by a nonuniform temperature distribution within the structure during bakeout. A successful Conceptual Design Review in March 1993 has established superheated steam as the heating source of the vacuum vessel. A transient bakeout mode of the vacuum vessel and in-vessel components has been analyzed to evaluate transient period duration, proper temperature level, actual thermal stresses and performance of the steam equipment. Thermally, the vacuum vessel structure may be considered as an adiabatic system because it is perfectly insulated by the strong surrounding vacuum and multiple layers of superinsulation. Important aspects of the analysis are described herein

Isolation and characterization of the heterogeneous nuclear RNA-ribonucleoprotein complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Y.D.

1985-01-01

Exposure of cells to UV light of sufficient intensity brings about crosslinking of RNA to proteins which are in direct contact with it in vivo. The major [ 35 S]methionine-labeled proteins which become crosslinked to poly(A) + hnRNA in HeLa cells are of 120K, 68K, 53K, 43K, 41K, 38K, and 36K (K = kilodaltons). By immunizing mice with UV crosslinked complexes two monoclonal antibodies (2B12 and 4F4) against the C proteins (41K and 43K) and one (3G6) against the 120K protein of the hnRNP complex were obtained. Immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrates that the C proteins and 120K are segregated to the nucleus and are not associated with nucleoli or chromatin. The two C proteins are highly related to each other antigenically. Monoclonal antibody 4F4 identifies the C proteins of the hnRNP complex in widely divergent species from human to lizard. The C proteins are phosphorylated and are in contact with hnRNA in vivo. The hnRNP complex was isolated from vertebrate cell nuclei by immunoprecipitation with these monoclonal antibodies. This complex contains proteins and hnRNA of up to ∼10 kb. The major steady state labeled [ 35 S]methionine labeled proteins of the isolated complex from HeLa cells are of 34K, 36K, 36K (A1 and A2), 37K, 38K (B1 and B2), 41K, 43K (C1 and C2) and doublets at 68K and at 120K. These proteins are organized into a 30S particle. Large hnRNP complexes are composed of multiples of 30S particles which are connected by highly nuclease sensitive stretches of hnRNA. It it concluded that the hnRNP structure is an integral component of the mRNA formation pathway in the eukaryotic cell

Survival and weight change among adult individuals of Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758 (Blattaria, Blattidae subject to various stress conditions

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Jucelio Peter Duarte

2015-03-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2015v28n2p103 Periplaneta americana is a species of great importance to public health, since it can act as a vector of many pathogens and it reaches large populations in urban environments. This is probably due to its ability to resist starvation and desiccation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of absence of water and food on survival and weight change among adult P. americana individuals and check whether the initial weight of individuals influences on their survival. Four groups having twenty P. americana couples were formed and subject to: I no water or food; II no food; III no water; and IV control group. Insects were isolated according to the groups, which were weighed at the beginning and end of the stress conditions. They remained under these conditions until all individuals in each test group were dead. Stress conditions caused reduction in survival time when compared to the control group. Adults with higher body mass survived longer when deprived only of food, while among those lacking water, weight had no influence on survival. Total weight loss was greater among individuals deprived of water than those deprived only of food.

Stress responses of Calluna vulgaris to reduced and oxidised N applied under 'real world conditions'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheppard, Lucy J.; Leith, Ian D.; Crossley, A.; Van Dijk, N.; Fowler, D.; Sutton, M.A.; Woods, C.

2008-01-01

Effects and implications of reduced and oxidised N, applied under 'real world' conditions, since May 2002, are reported for Calluna growing on an ombrotrophic bog. Ammonia has been released from a 10 m line source generating monthly concentrations of 180-6 μg m -3 , while ammonium chloride and sodium nitrate are applied in rainwater at nitrate and ammonium concentrations below 4 mM and providing up to 56 kg N ha -1 year -1 above a background deposition of 10 kg N ha -1 year -1 . Ammonia concentrations, >8 μg m -3 have significantly enhanced foliar N concentrations, increased sensitivity to drought, frost and winter desiccation, spring frost damage and increased the incidence of pathogen outbreaks. The mature Calluna bushes nearest the NH 3 source have turned bleached and moribund. By comparison the Calluna receiving reduced and oxidised N in rain has shown no significant visible or stress related effects with no significant increase in N status. - Exposure to NH 3 reduces stress resistance and increases visible damage in mature Calluna

Dietary supplementation of a mixture of Lactobacillus strains enhances performance of broiler chickens raised under heat stress conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Faseleh Jahromi, Mohammad; Wesam Altaher, Yassir; Shokryazdan, Parisa; Ebrahimi, Roohollah; Ebrahimi, Mahdi; Idrus, Zulkifli; Tufarelli, Vincenzo; Liang, Juan Boo

2016-07-01

High ambient temperature is a major problem in commercial broiler production in the humid tropics because high producing broiler birds consume more feed, have higher metabolic activity, and thus higher body heat production. To evaluate the effects of two previously isolated potential probiotic strains ( Lactobacillus pentosus ITA23 and Lactobacillus acidophilus ITA44) on broilers growing under heat stress condition, a total of 192 chicks were randomly allocated into four treatment groups of 48 chickens each as follows: CL, birds fed with basal diet raised in 24 °C; PL, birds fed with basal diet plus 0.1 % probiotic mixture raised in 24 °C; CH, birds fed with basal diet raised in 35 °C; and PH, birds fed with basal diet plus 0.1 % probiotic mixture raised in 35 °C. The effects of probiotic mixture on the performance, expression of nutrient absorption genes of the small intestine, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and microbial population of cecal contents, antioxidant capacity of liver, and fatty acid composition of breast muscle were investigated. Results showed that probiotic positively affected the final body weight under both temperature conditions (PL and PH groups) compared to their respective control groups (CL and CH). Probiotic supplementation numerically improved the average daily gain (ADG) under lower temperature, but significantly improved ADG under the higher temperature ( P < 0.05) by sustaining high feed intake. Under the lower temperature environment, supplementation of the two Lactobacillus strains significantly increased the expression of the four sugar transporter genes tested (GLUT2, GLUT5, SGLT1, and SGLT4) indicating probiotic enhances the absorption of this nutrient. Similar but less pronounced effect was also observed under higher temperature (35 °C) condition. In addition, the probiotic mixture improved bacterial population of the cecal contents, by increasing beneficial bacteria and decreasing Escherichia coli population, which could be

Attenuation of Microbial Stress Due to Nano-Ag and Nano-TiO2 Interactions under Dark Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilke, Carolyn M; Tong, Tiezheng; Gaillard, Jean-François; Gray, Kimberly A

2016-10-04

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are incorporated into thousands of commercial products, and their release into environmental systems creates complex mixtures with unknown toxicological outcomes. To explore this scenario, we probe the chemical and toxicological interactions of nanosilver (n-Ag) and nanotitania (n-TiO 2 ) in Lake Michigan water, a natural aqueous medium, under dark conditions. We find that the presence of n-Ag induces a stress response in Escherichia coli, as indicated by a decrease in ATP production observed at low concentrations (in the μg L -1 range), with levels that are environmentally relevant. However, when n-Ag and n-TiO 2 are present together in a mixture, n-TiO 2 attenuates the toxicity of n-Ag at and below 20 μg L -1 by adsorbing Ag + (aq) . We observe, however, that toxic stress cannot be explained by dissolved silver concentrations alone and, therefore, must also depend on silver associated with the nanoscale fraction. Although the attenuating effect of n-TiO 2 on n-Ag's toxicity is limited, this study emphasizes the importance of probing the toxicity of ENM mixtures under environmental conditions to assess how chemical interactions between nanoparticles change the toxicological effects of single ENMs in unexpected ways.

The relationships between environmental and physiological heat stress indices in Muslim women under the controlled thermal conditions

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Peymaneh Habibi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between environmental and physiological heat stress indices based on heart rate (HR, oral temperature for the estimation of heat strain, in veiled women in hot-dry condition in the climate chamber. Materials and Methods: The experimental study was carried out on 36 healthy Muslim women in hot-dry climatic conditions (wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT = 22-32°C in low workload for 2 h. The HR, oral temperature and WBGT index were measured. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation tests. Results: The results of the Pearson test indicated that physiological strain index was a high correlation (r = 0.975 with WBGT index (P < 0.05. Also, there was a good correlation among WBGT and HR (r = 0.779 and oral temperature (r = 0.981. Conclusion: The findings of this study illustrated that there is a good correlation between environmental and physiological heat stress indices in veiled women with Islamic clothing at the low workload over the action limit (WBGT = 31°C. So that it can be concluded that the WBGT 22-32°C is a good indicator of the heat strain in veiled women with Islamic clothing.

Dissipative properties of materials with microplastic mechanism of damping under conditions of separate and joint action of static stresses and temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shpak, D.E.

1985-01-01

Static stress and temperature are studied experimentally for their separate and joint effect on dissipative properties of VT3-1 and Ehp 718 alloys whose dissipation energy is conditioned by microplastic strains. The results of the study are presented. It is shown that for the materials studied in contrast to the materials with other basic damping mechanisms joint effect of static stresses and temperature is close to a simple summation of the separate effect of these factors without any changes in the character of energy dissipation dependence

Dissipative properties of materials with microplastic mechanism of damping under conditions of separate and joint action of static stresses and temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shpak, D.E.

1985-01-01

Static stress and temperature are studied experimentally for their separate and joint effect on dissipative properties of VT3-1 and Ehp 718 alloys whose dissipation energy is conditioned by microplastic strains. The results of the study are presented. It is shown that for the materials studied in contrast to the materials with other basic damping mechanisms joint effect of static stresses and temperature is close to a simple summation of the separate effect of these factors without any changes in the character of energy dissipation dependence.

Effect of Chemical and Biological Phosphorus on Antioxidant Enzymes Activity and Some Biochemical Traits of Spring Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L. under Water Deficit Stress Conditions

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S. Heshmati

2016-05-01

Full Text Available To study the effects of biological and chemical phosphorus on antioxidant enzyme activity in safflower under water deficit conditions, an experiment was conducted in 2012 at the Research Field of the Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. The experimental design was a split-factorial with three replicates. The main factor was the three levels of irrigation treatment: full irrigation (irrigation up to 50% soil moisture depletion relative to field capacity, water stress in the vegetative and flowering stages (irrigation up to 75% soil moisture depletion relative to field capacity. The sub-factor was the six treatments resulting from three levels of phosphate chemical fertilizer (0, 50, and 100 kg ha-1 Triple Super Phosphate, each at two levels of Barvar-2 bio-fertilizer (with and without inoculation with Barvar-2. According to the results of our experiment, antioxidant enzyme activity is affected by high levels of chemical phosphorus when there is no inoculation with biofertilizer (Barvar 2 under water stress in the vegetative and flowering stages. The results showed that inoculation with Barvar 2 in the absence of added chemical phosphorus increases the catalase activity and soluble protein concentration under drought stress in the vegetative and flowering stages. Also, using chemical phosphorus followed by Barvar 2 led to increase in the polyphenol oxidase activity and superoxide dismutase activity under these conditions. Inoculation with Barvar 2 in the absence of added chemical phosphorus significantly decreased the amount of malondialdehyde under stress condition at the flowering stage. It was demonstrated that inoculation with a biological fertilizer (Barvar 2 followed by application of a chemical phosphorus fertilizer under drought conditions could decrease the detrimental effects of drought stress on spring safflower.

Applicability of initial stress measurement methods to Horonobe Siliceous rocks and initial stress state around Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanada, Hiroyuki; Niunoya, Sumio; Matsui, Hiroya; Fujii, Yoshiaki

2009-01-01

Understanding initial stress condition in deep underground is important for such construction as rock cavern for geological disposal of HLW and underground power plant. Neogene sedimentary rock is widely distributed in Japan. There are only a few studies of initial stress measurement in Neogene sedimentary rock mass in Japan due to difficulty of measurement. Evaluation of initial stress condition around Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project was carried out in order to understand initial stress condition and applicability of AE, DSCA and hydraulic fracturing (HF) methods to Neogene sedimentary rock. Initial stress values obtained from AE method is smaller than overburden pressure due to time dependency of Kaizer effect. It would be difficult to use AE method as initial stress measurement method for Horonobe Siliceous rocks. Principal stress values by DSCA are similar to those by HF tests. Directions of maximum horizontal principal stresses are approximately in E-W and corresponded to HF results. In HF, rod type and wire-line type systems were compared. Workability of rod type was much better than wire-line type. However, re-opening pressure were not able to be precisely measured in case of rod type system due to the large compliance of the packers and rods. Horizontal maximum and minimum principal stresses increase linearly in HF results. Deviatoric stress is acting at shallow depth. Initial stress condition approaches hydrostatic condition with depth. Direction of maximum horizontal principal stress was in E-W direction which was similar to tectonic movement around Horonobe URL by triangular surveying. (author)

Creep behavior of Zircaloy cladding under variable conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuo, Y.

1989-01-01

Various creep tests of Zircaloy cladding tubes under variable conditions were conducted to investigate which hardening rule can be applicable for the creep behavior associated with condition changes. The results show that the strain-hardening rule is applicable in general when either the stress or temperature conditions change, provided that a certain amount of creep strain recovery is observed in case of stress drop. In stress reversal conditions, however, softening of the material was observed. Strain rate after stress reversal is much higher than that predicted by the strain-hardening rule. In this case, the modified strain-hardening model, considering a recoverable creep-hardening range together with the strain recovery, predicts the creep behavior well. The applicability of the model is ascertained through a verification test that includes stress reversal, strain recovery, stress changes, and temperature changes

Engineered strains of Streptococcus macedonicus towards an osmotic stress resistant phenotype retain their ability to produce the bacteriocin macedocin under hyperosmotic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Anastasiou, Rania; Driessche, Gonzalez Van; Boutou, Effrossyni; Kazou, Maria; Alexandraki, Voula; Vorgias, Constantinos E; Devreese, Bart; Tsakalidou, Effie; Papadimitriou, Konstantinos

2015-10-20

Streptococcus macedonicus ACA-DC 198 produces the bacteriocin macedocin in milk only under low NaCl concentrations (<1.0%w/v). The thermosensitive plasmid pGh9:ISS1 was employed to generate osmotic stress resistant (osmr) mutants of S. macedonicus. Three osmr mutants showing integration of the vector in unique chromosomal sites were identified and the disrupted loci were characterized. Interestingly, the mutants were able to grow and to produce macedocin at considerably higher concentrations of NaCl compared to the wild-type (up to 4.0%w/v). The production of macedocin under hyperosmotic conditions solely by the osmr mutants was validated by the well diffusion assay and by mass spectrometry analysis. RT-PCR experiments demonstrated that the macedocin biosynthetic regulon was transcribed at high salt concentrations only in the mutants. Mutant osmr3, the most robust mutant, was converted in its markerless derivative (osmr3f). Co-culture of S. macedonicus with spores of Clostridium tyrobutyricum in milk demonstrated that only the osmr3f mutant and not the wild-type inhibited the growth of the spores under hyperosmotic conditions (i.e., 2.5%w/v NaCl) due to the production of macedocin. Our study shows how genetic manipulation of a strain towards a stress resistant phenotype could improve bacteriocin production under conditions of the same stress. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species by salicylic acid in rice plants under salinity stress conditions

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Mun, Bong-Gyu; Khan, Abdul Latif; Waqas, Muhammad; Kim, Hyun-Ho; Shahzad, Raheem; Imran, Muhammad

2018-01-01

This study investigated the regulatory role of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) in rice and its effects on toxic reactive oxygen and nitrogen species during short-term salinity stress. SA application (0.5 and 1.0 mM) during salinity-induced stress (100 mM NaCl) resulted in significantly longer shoot length and higher chlorophyll and biomass accumulation than with salinity stress alone. NaCl-induced reactive oxygen species production led to increased levels of lipid peroxidation in rice plants, which were significantly reduced following SA application. A similar finding was observed for superoxide dismutase; however, catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were significantly reduced in rice plants treated with SA and NaCl alone and in combination. The relative mRNA expression of OsCATA and OsAPX1 was lower in rice plants during SA stress. Regarding nitrogenous species, S-nitrosothiol (SNO) was significantly reduced initially (one day after treatment [DAT]) but then increased in plants subjected to single or combined stress conditions. Genes related to SNO biosynthesis, S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR1), NO synthase-like activity (NOA), and nitrite reductase (NIR) were also assessed. The mRNA expression of GSNOR1 was increased relative to that of the control, whereas OsNOA was expressed at higher levels in plants treated with SA and NaCl alone relative to the control. The mRNA expression of OsNR was decreased in plants subjected to single or combination treatment, except at 2 DAT, compared to the control. In conclusion, the current findings suggest that SA can regulate the generation of NaCl-induced oxygen and nitrogen reactive species in rice plants. PMID:29558477

Association among Working Hours, Occupational Stress, and Presenteeism among Wage Workers: Results from the Second Korean Working Conditions Survey.

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Jeon, Sung-Hwan; Leem, Jong-Han; Park, Shin-Goo; Heo, Yong-Seok; Lee, Bum-Joon; Moon, So-Hyun; Jung, Dal-Young; Kim, Hwan-Cheol

2014-03-24

The purpose of the present study was to identify the association between presenteeism and long working hours, shiftwork, and occupational stress using representative national survey data on Korean workers. We analyzed data from the second Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS), which was conducted in 2010, in which a total of 6,220 wage workers were analyzed. The study population included the economically active population aged above 15 years, and living in the Republic of Korea. We used the chi-squared test and multivariate logistic regression to test the statistical association between presenteeism and working hours, shiftwork, and occupational stress. Approximately 19% of the workers experienced presenteeism during the previous 12 months. Women had higher rates of presenteeism than men. We found a statistically significant dose-response relationship between working hours and presenteeism. Shift workers had a slightly higher rate of presenteeism than non-shift workers, but the difference was not statistically significant. Occupational stress, such as high job demand, lack of rewards, and inadequate social support, had a significant association with presenteeism. The present study suggests that long working hours and occupational stress are significantly related to presenteeism.

Association among Working Hours, Occupational Stress, and Presenteeism among Wage Workers: Results from the Second Korean Working Conditions Survey

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Objectives The purpose of the present study was to identify the association between presenteeism and long working hours, shiftwork, and occupational stress using representative national survey data on Korean workers. Methods We analyzed data from the second Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS), which was conducted in 2010, in which a total of 6,220 wage workers were analyzed. The study population included the economically active population aged above 15 years, and living in the Republic of Korea. We used the chi-squared test and multivariate logistic regression to test the statistical association between presenteeism and working hours, shiftwork, and occupational stress. Results Approximately 19% of the workers experienced presenteeism during the previous 12 months. Women had higher rates of presenteeism than men. We found a statistically significant dose–response relationship between working hours and presenteeism. Shift workers had a slightly higher rate of presenteeism than non-shift workers, but the difference was not statistically significant. Occupational stress, such as high job demand, lack of rewards, and inadequate social support, had a significant association with presenteeism. Conclusions The present study suggests that long working hours and occupational stress are significantly related to presenteeism. PMID:24661575

Heterologous Expression of the Carrot Hsp17.7 gene Increased Growth, Cell Viability, and Protein Solubility in Transformed Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) under Heat, Cold, Acid, and Osmotic Stress Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Eunhye; Kim, Minhye; Park, Yunho; Ahn, Yeh-Jin

2017-08-01

In industrial fermentation of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), culture conditions are often modified from the optimal growth conditions of the cells to maintain large-scale cultures and/or to increase recombinant protein production. However, altered growth conditions can be stressful to yeast cells resulting in reduced cell growth and viability. In this study, a small heat shock protein gene from carrot (Daucus carota L.), Hsp17.7, was inserted into the yeast genome via homologous recombination to increase tolerance to stress conditions that can occur during industrial culture. A DNA construct, Translational elongation factor gene promoter-carrot Hsp17.7 gene-Phosphoribosyl-anthranilate isomerase gene (an auxotrophic marker), was generated by a series of PCRs and introduced into the chromosome IV of the yeast genome. Immunoblot analysis showed that carrot Hsp17.7 accumulated in the transformed yeast cell lines. Growth rates and cell viability of these cell lines were higher than control cell lines under heat, cold, acid, and hyperosmotic stress conditions. Soluble protein levels were higher in the transgenic cell lines than control cell lines under heat and cold conditions, suggesting the molecular chaperone function of the recombinant Hsp17.7. This study showed that a recombinant DNA construct containing a HSP gene from carrot was successfully expressed in yeast by homologous recombination and increased tolerances to abiotic stress conditions.