Playing with Mathematics: Play in Early Childhood as a Context for Mathematical Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, 2010

2010-01-01

Play is an essential part of young children's lives. This symposium highlights the integral role of play in young children's mathematics learning and examines the teacher's role in facilitating and extending this. Papers examine key tenets of play, contributing to theoretical understandings and presenting data on teacher's perceptions of play and…

The portal protein plays essential roles at different steps of the SPP1 DNA packaging process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isidro, Anabela; Henriques, Adriano O.; Tavares, Paulo

2004-01-01

A large number of viruses use a specialized portal for entry of DNA to the viral capsid and for its polarized exit at the beginning of infection. These families of viruses assemble an icosahedral procapsid containing a portal protein oligomer in one of its 12 vertices. The viral ATPase (terminase) interacts with the portal vertex to form a powerful molecular motor that translocates DNA to the procapsid interior against a steep concentration gradient. The portal protein is an essential component of this DNA packaging machine. Characterization of single amino acid substitutions in the portal protein gp6 of bacteriophage SPP1 that block DNA packaging identified sequential steps in the packaging mechanism that require its action. Gp6 is essential at early steps of DNA packaging and for DNA translocation to the capsid interior, it affects the efficiency of DNA packaging, it is a central component of the headful sensor that determines the size of the packaged DNA molecule, and is essential for closure of the portal pore by the head completion proteins to prevent exit of the DNA encapsidated. Functional regions of gp6 necessary at each step are identified within its primary structure. The similarity between the architecture of portal oligomers and between the DNA packaging strategies of viruses using portals strongly suggests that the portal protein plays the same roles in a large number of viruses

Essential Oils from the Medicinal Herbs Upregulate Dopamine Transporter in Rat Pheochromocytoma Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Min Sun; Choi, Bang-sub; Kim, Sang Heon; Pak, Sok Cheon; Jang, Chul Ho; Chin, Young-Won; Kim, Young-Mi; Kim, Dong-il; Jeon, Songhee; Koo, Byung-Soo

2015-10-01

The dopamine transporter (DAT) protein, a component of the dopamine system, undergoes adaptive neurobiological changes from drug abuse. Prevention of relapse and reduction of withdrawal symptoms are still the major limitations in the current pharmacological treatments of drug addiction. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of essential oils extracted from Elsholtzia ciliata, Shinchim, Angelicae gigantis Radix, and Eugenia caryophyllata, well-known traditional Korean medicines for addiction, on the modulation of dopamine system in amphetamine-treated cells and to explore the possible mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect. The potential cytotoxic effect of essential oils was evaluated in PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells using cell viability assays. Quantification of DAT, p-CREB, p-MAPK, and p-Akt was done by immunoblotting. DAT was significantly reduced in cells treated with 50 μM of amphetamine in a time-dependent manner. No significant toxicity of essential oils from Elsholtzia ciliata and Shinchim was observed at doses of 10, 25, and 50 μg/mL. However, essential oils from A. gigantis Radix at a dose of 100 μg/mL and E. caryophyllata at doses of 50 and 100 μg/mL showed cytotoxicity. Treatment with GBR 12909, a highly selective DAT inhibitor, significantly increased DAT expression compared with that of amphetamine only by enhancing phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and Akt. In addition, essential oils effectively induced hyperphosphorylation of cyclic-AMP response element-binding protein (CREB), MAPK, and Akt, which resulted in DAT upregulation. Our study implies that the essential oils may rehabilitate brain dopamine function through increased DAT availability in abstinent former drug users.

DISORDERS OF CARNITINE TRANSPORT AND THE CARNITINE CYCLE

OpenAIRE

Longo, Nicola; di San Filippo, Cristina Amat; Pasquali, Marzia

2006-01-01

Carnitine plays an essential role in the transfer of long-chain fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane. This transfer requires enzymes and transporters that accumulate carnitine within the cell (OCTN2 carnitine transporter), conjugate it with long chain fatty acids (carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1, CPT1), transfer the acylcarnitine across the inner plasma membrane (carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase, CACT), and conjugate the fatty acid back to Coenzyme A for subsequent beta ox...

Play and playfulness in early childhood education and care.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Singer E.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Play and playfulness are basic features in early childhood education. The elements of play are pleasure, a sense of freedom, and the co-construction of shared meaning through the use of rules or rhythms. Play and learning are closely related in early childhood. But when the focus on the educational benefits of play becomes too strong, the most essential feature of play is lost: children’s pleasure. Young children in group settings often have to adapt to the teachers’ demands related to security, hygiene, and social norms and values. But the playfulness of the teachers helps to overcome differences in power in the caregiver-child relationship and prevents young children from becoming overburdened with strict rules and group discipline. Play and playfulness are a resource of shared pleasure and creativity in learning processes.

Child's Play: Therapist's Narrative

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, Rajakumari P.; Hirisave, Uma

2014-01-01

Play has been recognized as an essential component to children's healthy development. Schools of play therapy differ philosophically and technically, but they all embrace the therapeutic and developmental properties of play. This case report is an illustration of how a 6-year-old child with emotional disorder was facilitated to express concerns in child-centered play therapy. The paper discusses the therapist's narration of the child's play. PMID:24860228

The two Na+ sites in the human serotonin transporter play distinct roles in the ion coupling and electrogenicity of transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Felts, Bruce; Pramod, Akula Bala; Sandtner, Walter; Burbach, Nathan; Bulling, Simon; Sitte, Harald H; Henry, L Keith

2014-01-17

Neurotransmitter transporters of the SLC6 family of proteins, including the human serotonin transporter (hSERT), utilize Na(+), Cl(-), and K(+) gradients to induce conformational changes necessary for substrate translocation. Dysregulation of ion movement through monoamine transporters has been shown to impact neuronal firing potentials and could play a role in pathophysiologies, such as depression and anxiety. Despite multiple crystal structures of prokaryotic and eukaryotic SLC transporters indicating the location of both (or one) conserved Na(+)-binding sites (termed Na1 and Na2), much remains uncertain in regard to the movements and contributions of these cation-binding sites in the transport process. In this study, we utilize the unique properties of a mutation of hSERT at a single, highly conserved asparagine on TM1 (Asn-101) to provide several lines of evidence demonstrating mechanistically distinct roles for Na1 and Na2. Mutations at Asn-101 alter the cation dependence of the transporter, allowing Ca(2+) (but not other cations) to functionally replace Na(+) for driving transport and promoting 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-dependent conformational changes. Furthermore, in two-electrode voltage clamp studies in Xenopus oocytes, both Ca(2+) and Na(+) illicit 5-HT-induced currents in the Asn-101 mutants and reveal that, although Ca(2+) promotes substrate-induced current, it does not appear to be the charge carrier during 5-HT transport. These findings, in addition to functional evaluation of Na1 and Na2 site mutants, reveal separate roles for Na1 and Na2 and provide insight into initiation of the translocation process as well as a mechanism whereby the reported SERT stoichiometry can be obtained despite the presence of two putative Na(+)-binding sites.

The Two Na+ Sites in the Human Serotonin Transporter Play Distinct Roles in the Ion Coupling and Electrogenicity of Transport*

Science.gov (United States)

Felts, Bruce; Pramod, Akula Bala; Sandtner, Walter; Burbach, Nathan; Bulling, Simon; Sitte, Harald H.; Henry, L. Keith

2014-01-01

Neurotransmitter transporters of the SLC6 family of proteins, including the human serotonin transporter (hSERT), utilize Na+, Cl−, and K+ gradients to induce conformational changes necessary for substrate translocation. Dysregulation of ion movement through monoamine transporters has been shown to impact neuronal firing potentials and could play a role in pathophysiologies, such as depression and anxiety. Despite multiple crystal structures of prokaryotic and eukaryotic SLC transporters indicating the location of both (or one) conserved Na+-binding sites (termed Na1 and Na2), much remains uncertain in regard to the movements and contributions of these cation-binding sites in the transport process. In this study, we utilize the unique properties of a mutation of hSERT at a single, highly conserved asparagine on TM1 (Asn-101) to provide several lines of evidence demonstrating mechanistically distinct roles for Na1 and Na2. Mutations at Asn-101 alter the cation dependence of the transporter, allowing Ca2+ (but not other cations) to functionally replace Na+ for driving transport and promoting 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-dependent conformational changes. Furthermore, in two-electrode voltage clamp studies in Xenopus oocytes, both Ca2+ and Na+ illicit 5-HT-induced currents in the Asn-101 mutants and reveal that, although Ca2+ promotes substrate-induced current, it does not appear to be the charge carrier during 5-HT transport. These findings, in addition to functional evaluation of Na1 and Na2 site mutants, reveal separate roles for Na1 and Na2 and provide insight into initiation of the translocation process as well as a mechanism whereby the reported SERT stoichiometry can be obtained despite the presence of two putative Na+-binding sites. PMID:24293367

How are flexible tanks becoming a solution for wine in bulk transportation?

OpenAIRE

Aaltonen, Alisa

2015-01-01

Past decades have proven that logistics is taking a crucial role in both domestic and international trade. Additionally, logistics have played an essential role in wars recorded in past human history. Bulk shipping is becoming an increasingly attractive option for wine shippers around the world because this method of shipping allows transporting up to 13,400 litres more of the product when compared to the conventional method of wine transportation, which dramatically cuts transportation costs...

The iron-regulated transporter 1 plays an essential role in uptake, translocation and grain-loading of manganese, but not iron, in barley

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Long, Lizhi; Persson, Daniel Olaf; Duan, Fengying

2018-01-01

Transporters involved in manganese (Mn) uptake and intracellular Mn homeostasis in Arabidopsis and rice are well characterized, while much less is known for barley, which is particularly prone to Mn deficiency. In this study we have investigated the role of the iron-regulated transporter 1 (IRT1...

Moving toward a precise nutrition: preferential loading of seeds with essential nutrients over non-essential toxic elements.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mather A. Khan

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Plants and seeds are the main source of essential nutrients for humans and livestock. Many advances have recently been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which plants take up and accumulate micronutrients such as iron, zinc, copper and manganese. Some of these mechanisms however, also facilitate the accumulation of non-essential toxic elements such as cadmium (Cd and arsenic (As. In humans, Cd and As intake has been associated with multiple disorders including kidney failure, diabetes, cancer and mental health issues. Recent studies have shown that some transporters can discriminate between essential metals and non-essential elements. Furthermore, sequestration of non-essential elements in roots has been described in several plant species as a key process limiting the translocation of non-essential elements to aboveground edible tissues, including seeds. Increasing the concentration of bioavailable micronutrients (biofortification in grains while lowering the accumulation of non-essential elements will likely require the concerted action of several transporters. This review discusses the most recent advances on mineral nutrition that could be used to preferentially enrich seeds with micronutrients and also illustrates how precision breeding and transport engineering could be used to enhance the nutritional value of crops by re-routing essential and non-essential elements to separate sink tissues (roots and seeds.

Racial differences in red cell cation transport and their relationship to essential hypertension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woods, K.L.; Beevers, D.G.; West, M.J.

1981-01-01

Red cell cation transport has been studied in normotensive and essential hypertensive groups of white and black (West Indian) subjects. In vitro uptake of the potassium analogue 86Rb was measured during short-term incubation of erythrocytes in the presence and absence of ouabain. Sodium pump activity was significantly greater (p less than 0.0005) in white hypertensives than in white normotensives. No such difference was observed between black hypertensive and normotensives. 86Rb uptake was significantly lower in black than in white normotensive individuals; this racial differences was not due to a difference in sodium pump activity

The adaptor molecule SAP plays essential roles during invariant NKT cell cytotoxicity and lytic synapse formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Rupali; Bassiri, Hamid; Guan, Peng; Wiener, Susan; Banerjee, Pinaki P; Zhong, Ming-Chao; Veillette, André; Orange, Jordan S; Nichols, Kim E

2013-04-25

The adaptor molecule signaling lymphocytic activation molecule-associated protein (SAP) plays critical roles during invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell ontogeny. As a result, SAP-deficient humans and mice lack iNKT cells. The strict developmental requirement for SAP has made it difficult to discern its possible involvement in mature iNKT cell functions. By using temporal Cre recombinase-mediated gene deletion to ablate SAP expression after completion of iNKT cell development, we demonstrate that SAP is essential for T-cell receptor (TCR)-induced iNKT cell cytotoxicity against T-cell and B-cell leukemia targets in vitro and iNKT-cell-mediated control of T-cell leukemia growth in vivo. These findings are not restricted to the murine system: silencing RNA-mediated suppression of SAP expression in human iNKT cells also significantly impairs TCR-induced cytolysis. Mechanistic studies reveal that iNKT cell killing requires the tyrosine kinase Fyn, a known SAP-binding protein. Furthermore, SAP expression is required within iNKT cells to facilitate their interaction with T-cell targets and induce reorientation of the microtubule-organizing center to the immunologic synapse (IS). Collectively, these studies highlight a novel and essential role for SAP during iNKT cell cytotoxicity and formation of a functional IS.

Senataxin plays an essential role with DNA damage response proteins in meiotic recombination and gene silencing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olivier J Becherel

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Senataxin, mutated in the human genetic disorder ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2, plays an important role in maintaining genome integrity by coordination of transcription, DNA replication, and the DNA damage response. We demonstrate that senataxin is essential for spermatogenesis and that it functions at two stages in meiosis during crossing-over in homologous recombination and in meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI. Disruption of the Setx gene caused persistence of DNA double-strand breaks, a defect in disassembly of Rad51 filaments, accumulation of DNA:RNA hybrids (R-loops, and ultimately a failure of crossing-over. Senataxin localised to the XY body in a Brca1-dependent manner, and in its absence there was incomplete localisation of DNA damage response proteins to the XY chromosomes and ATR was retained on the axial elements of these chromosomes, failing to diffuse out into chromatin. Furthermore persistence of RNA polymerase II activity, altered ubH2A distribution, and abnormal XY-linked gene expression in Setx⁻/⁻ revealed an essential role for senataxin in MSCI. These data support key roles for senataxin in coordinating meiotic crossing-over with transcription and in gene silencing to protect the integrity of the genome.

Iron is a substrate of the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter PfCRT in Xenopus oocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakouh, Naziha; Bellanca, Sebastiano; Nyboer, Britta; Moliner Cubel, Sonia; Karim, Zoubida; Sanchez, Cecilia P; Stein, Wilfred D; Planelles, Gabrielle; Lanzer, Michael

2017-09-29

The chloroquine resistance transporter of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum , PfCRT, is an important determinant of resistance to several quinoline and quinoline-like antimalarial drugs. PfCRT also plays an essential role in the physiology of the parasite during development inside erythrocytes. However, the function of this transporter besides its role in drug resistance is still unclear. Using electrophysiological and flux experiments conducted on PfCRT-expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes, we show here that both wild-type PfCRT and a PfCRT variant associated with chloroquine resistance transport both ferrous and ferric iron, albeit with different kinetics. In particular, we found that the ability to transport ferrous iron is reduced by the specific polymorphisms acquired by the PfCRT variant as a result of chloroquine selection. We further show that iron and chloroquine transport via PfCRT is electrogenic. If these findings in the Xenopus model extend to P. falciparum in vivo , our data suggest that PfCRT might play a role in iron homeostasis, which is essential for the parasite's development in erythrocytes. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Leisure Today--the Many Faces of Play.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Susan D.; And Others

1995-01-01

This series of papers examines the role of play from various angles, discussing play as an essential human function and universal experience, the role of play in developing cultural values and awareness, a symbolic interactionist view of play, early therapeutic recreation specialists, and the direction of commercialized play. (SM)

SLC6 Neurotransmitter Transporters: Structure, Function, and Regulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Anders S; Andersen, Jacob; Jørgensen, Trine N

2011-01-01

The neurotransmitter transporters (NTTs) belonging to the solute carrier 6 (SLC6) gene family (also referred to as the neurotransmitter-sodium-symporter family or Na(+)/Cl(-)-dependent transporters) comprise a group of nine sodium- and chloride-dependent plasma membrane transporters...... for the monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), dopamine, and norepinephrine, and the amino acid neurotransmitters GABA and glycine. The SLC6 NTTs are widely expressed in the mammalian brain and play an essential role in regulating neurotransmitter signaling and homeostasis by mediating uptake...... of released neurotransmitters from the extracellular space into neurons and glial cells. The transporters are targets for a wide range of therapeutic drugs used in treatment of psychiatric diseases, including major depression, anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy...

Playing on the edge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cermak-Sassenrath, Daniel

2018-01-01

and specific ways. For instance, gambling for money, party and drinking games, professional play and show sports, art installations, violent and military propaganda computer games, pervasive/mobile gaming, live-action role playing, festivals, performances, and games such as Ghosting and Planking. It is argued......Everything gets more interesting, challenging, or intense the closer it gets to the edge, and so does play. How edgy can play become and still be play? Based on Huizinga’s notion of play, this chapter discusses how a wide range of playful activities pushes the boundaries of play in different...... that in concert with a number of characteristics that mark an activity as play, play is essentially a subjective perspective and individual decision of the player. Huizinga calls this attitude the play spirit, which informs a player’s actions and is in turn sustained by them. Edgy digital or mobile games do...

Interaction of Sp1 zinc finger with transport factor in the nuclear localization of transcription factor Sp1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Tatsuo; Kitamura, Haruka; Uwatoko, Chisana; Azumano, Makiko; Itoh, Kohji; Kuwahara, Jun

2010-01-01

Research highlights: → Sp1 zinc fingers themselves interact with importin α. → Sp1 zinc finger domains play an essential role as a nuclear localization signal. → Sp1 can be transported into the nucleus in an importin-dependent manner. -- Abstract: Transcription factor Sp1 is localized in the nucleus and regulates the expression of many cellular genes, but the nuclear transport mechanism of Sp1 is not well understood. In this study, we revealed that GST-fused Sp1 protein bound to endogenous importin α in HeLa cells via the Sp1 zinc finger domains, which comprise the DNA binding domain of Sp1. It was found that the Sp1 zinc finger domains directly interacted with a wide range of importin α including the armadillo (arm) repeat domain and the C-terminal acidic domain. Furthermore, it turned out that all three zinc fingers of Sp1 are essential for binding to importin α. Taken together, these results suggest that the Sp1 zinc finger domains play an essential role as a NLS and Sp1 can be transported into the nucleus in an importin-dependent manner even though it possesses no classical NLSs.

Dual and Direction-Selective Mechanisms of Phosphate Transport by the Vesicular Glutamate Transporter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Preobraschenski

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Summary: Vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs fill synaptic vesicles with glutamate and are thus essential for glutamatergic neurotransmission. However, VGLUTs were originally discovered as members of a transporter subfamily specific for inorganic phosphate (Pi. It is still unclear how VGLUTs accommodate glutamate transport coupled to an electrochemical proton gradient ΔμH+ with inversely directed Pi transport coupled to the Na+ gradient and the membrane potential. Using both functional reconstitution and heterologous expression, we show that VGLUT transports glutamate and Pi using a single substrate binding site but different coupling to cation gradients. When facing the cytoplasm, both ions are transported into synaptic vesicles in a ΔμH+-dependent fashion, with glutamate preferred over Pi. When facing the extracellular space, Pi is transported in a Na+-coupled manner, with glutamate competing for binding but at lower affinity. We conclude that VGLUTs have dual functions in both vesicle transmitter loading and Pi homeostasis within glutamatergic neurons. : Preobraschenski et al. show that the vesicular glutamate transporter functions as a bi-directional phosphate transporter that is coupled with different cations in each direction and hence may play a key role in neuronal phosphate homeostasis. Keywords: VGLUT, SLC17 family, type I Na+-dependent inorganic phosphate transporter, ATPase, proteoliposomes, hybrid vesicles, anti-VGLUT1 nanobody

Levels of Essential and Non-Essential Elements in Commercially ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Enebi Jasper

INTRODUCTION. Plants have been ... plant metabolism and biosynthesis and act as cofactors for ... plant body. 3 . Some metals are essential nutrients (zinc, iron, copper, and chromium), ... non-destructive analysis, increased total speed, ... oleifera play both a curative and preventive ... maintenance of cardiac rhythm. 16.

College Coursework on Children's Play and Future Early Childhood Educators' Intended Practices: The Mediating Influence of Perceptions of Play

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Eunjoo; Jin, Bora

2015-01-01

Research on the role of play coursework in future professionals' integration of play in education is essential in the colleges where future professionals are trained. However, the literature on this topic is very thin. It remains unclear whether college coursework on children's play is related to students' intentions to integrate play in early…

Finite beta effects on turbulent transport in tokamak plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hein, Tobias

2011-01-01

The research on the transport properties of magnetically confined plasmas plays an essential role towards the achievement of practical nuclear fusion energy. An economically viable fusion reactor is expected to operate at high plasma pressure. This implies that the detailed study of the impact of electromagnetic effects, whose strength increases with increasing pressure, is of critical importance. In the present work, the electromagnetic effects on the particle, momentum and heat transport channels have been investigated, with both analytical and numerical calculations. Transport processes due to a finite plasma pressure have been identified, their physical mechanisms have been explained, and their contributions have been quantified, showing that they can be significant under experimentally relevant conditions.

The challenges of transportation/traffic statistics in Japan and directions for the future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shigeru Kawasaki

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In order to respond to new challenges in transportation and traffic problems, it is essential to enhance statistics in this field that provides the basis for policy researches. Many of the statistics in this field in Japan consist of “official statistics” created by the government. This paper gives a review of the current status of transportation and traffic statistics (hereinafter called “transportation statistics” in short in Japan. Furthermore, the paper discusses challenges in such statistics in the new environment and the direction that statistics that should take in the future. For Japan’s transportation statistics to play vital roles in more sophisticated analyses, it is necessary to improve the environment that facilitates the use of microdata for analysis. It is also necessary to establish an environment where big data can be more easily used for compilation of official statistics and performing policy researches. To achieve this end, close cooperation among the government, academia, and businesses will be essential.

Mind the Gap: Transportation Challenges for Individuals Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolyn Dudley

2016-01-01

Full Text Available WHY IS THIS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE? An estimated 1 in 86 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD1 making it the most commonly diagnosed childhood neurological condition in Canada.2 Transportation challenges for those with ASD are a growing issue in Canada. People living with ASD3 and others who live with neurodevelopmental disability (NDD4 rely almost exclusively on public transit and caregivers for transportation. The current transportation options are insufcient in meeting the needs of this population. WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH TELL US? Transportation is essential to promoting quality of life The transit system plays an essential role in improving quality of life for individuals with ASD and for their caregivers. However, problems with cognition, perception and communication are barriers to independence in transportation. Availability of transportation is critical to enable high levels of physical activity among those with intellectual disabilities.5 Safe and reliable transportation improves one’s ability to participate in programs that support quality of life and impacts employment, volunteering, religious participation, exercise, self-advocacy and health care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.6 Caregivers for those with ASD emphasize that transportation is critical to enable meaningful opportunity and community engagement in employment, education, healthcare and social pursuits.

Intracellular transport of fat-soluble vitamins A and E.

Science.gov (United States)

Kono, Nozomu; Arai, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

Vitamins are compounds that are essential for the normal growth, reproduction and functioning of the human body. Of the 13 known vitamins, vitamins A, D, E and K are lipophilic compounds and are therefore called fat-soluble vitamins. Because of their lipophilicity, fat-soluble vitamins are solubilized and transported by intracellular carrier proteins to exert their actions and to be metabolized properly. Vitamin A and its derivatives, collectively called retinoids, are solubilized by intracellular retinoid-binding proteins such as cellular retinol-binding protein (CRBP), cellular retinoic acid-binding protein (CRABP) and cellular retinal-binding protein (CRALBP). These proteins act as chaperones that regulate the metabolism, signaling and transport of retinoids. CRALBP-mediated intracellular retinoid transport is essential for vision in human. α-Tocopherol, the main form of vitamin E found in the body, is transported by α-tocopherol transfer protein (α-TTP) in hepatic cells. Defects of α-TTP cause vitamin E deficiency and neurological disorders in humans. Recently, it has been shown that the interaction of α-TTP with phosphoinositides plays a critical role in the intracellular transport of α-tocopherol and is associated with familial vitamin E deficiency. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms and biological significance of the intracellular transport of vitamins A and E. © 2014 The Authors. Traffic published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Choline transporter mutations in severe congenital myasthenic syndrome disrupt transporter localization.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haicui; Salter, Claire G; Refai, Osama; Hardy, Holly; Barwick, Katy E S; Akpulat, Ugur; Kvarnung, Malin; Chioza, Barry A; Harlalka, Gaurav; Taylan, Fulya; Sejersen, Thomas; Wright, Jane; Zimmerman, Holly H; Karakaya, Mert; Stüve, Burkhardt; Weis, Joachim; Schara, Ulrike; Russell, Mark A; Abdul-Rahman, Omar A; Chilton, John; Blakely, Randy D; Baple, Emma L; Cirak, Sebahattin; Crosby, Andrew H

2017-11-01

The presynaptic, high-affinity choline transporter is a critical determinant of signalling by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at both central and peripheral cholinergic synapses, including the neuromuscular junction. Here we describe an autosomal recessive presynaptic congenital myasthenic syndrome presenting with a broad clinical phenotype due to homozygous choline transporter missense mutations. The clinical phenotype ranges from the classical presentation of a congenital myasthenic syndrome in one patient (p.Pro210Leu), to severe neurodevelopmental delay with brain atrophy (p.Ser94Arg) and extend the clinical outcomes to a more severe spectrum with infantile lethality (p.Val112Glu). Cells transfected with mutant transporter construct revealed a virtually complete loss of transport activity that was paralleled by a reduction in transporter cell surface expression. Consistent with these findings, studies to determine the impact of gene mutations on the trafficking of the Caenorhabditis elegans choline transporter orthologue revealed deficits in transporter export to axons and nerve terminals. These findings contrast with our previous findings in autosomal dominant distal hereditary motor neuropathy of a dominant-negative frameshift mutation at the C-terminus of choline transporter that was associated with significantly reduced, but not completely abrogated choline transporter function. Together our findings define divergent neuropathological outcomes arising from different classes of choline transporter mutation with distinct disease processes and modes of inheritance. These findings underscore the essential role played by the choline transporter in sustaining acetylcholine neurotransmission at both central and neuromuscular synapses, with important implications for treatment and drug selection. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Transport sector strategies and their impact on the air quality and on greenhouse gasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crespo Garcia, L.; Portillo Jimenez-Landi, A.

2009-01-01

The transport sector plays on essential role in our society, but generates non desired effects on the air quality as well on climate change. This is the reason why the transport and the environment governmental actions are crucial to mitigate them. In this article we introduced the most important resources and regulations to control and to evaluate the air quality and emissions, and also the most relevant objectives in transport actions to reduce them, not only in Spain but also in the European Union. We discuss herein their compliance degree and their effectiveness in relation with the transport emissions evolution during 1990-2006 in spain. (Author) 11 refs

Designing for social interaction in open-ended play environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Valk, L.; Bekker, T.; Eggen, J.H.

2015-01-01

Interactive technology is becoming more strongly integrated in innovative play solutions. As play is often a social experience, understanding the dynamic social context in which such play takes place is an essential step in designing new interactive play environments. In this paper, we explore the

Life cycle studies of the hexose transporter of Plasmodium species and genetic validation of their essentiality.

Science.gov (United States)

Slavic, Ksenija; Straschil, Ursula; Reininger, Luc; Doerig, Christian; Morin, Christophe; Tewari, Rita; Krishna, Sanjeev

2010-03-01

A Plasmodium falciparum hexose transporter (PfHT) has previously been shown to be a facilitative glucose and fructose transporter. Its expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes and the use of a glucose analogue inhibitor permitted chemical validation of PfHT as a novel drug target. Following recent re-annotations of the P. falciparum genome, other putative sugar transporters have been identified. To investigate further if PfHT is the key supplier of hexose to P. falciparum and to extend studies to different stages of Plasmodium spp., we functionally analysed the hexose transporters of both the human parasite P. falciparum and the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei using gene targeting strategies. We show here the essential function of pfht for the erythrocytic parasite growth as it was not possible to knockout pfht unless the gene was complemented by an episomal construct. Also, we show that parasites are rescued from the toxic effect of a glucose analogue inhibitor when pfht is overexpressed in these transfectants. We found that the rodent malaria parasite orthologue, P. berghei hexose transporter (PbHT) gene, was similarly refractory to knockout attempts. However, using a single cross-over transfection strategy, we generated transgenic P. berghei parasites expressing a PbHT-GFP fusion protein suggesting that locus is amenable for gene targeting. Analysis of pbht-gfp transgenic parasites showed that PbHT is constitutively expressed through all the stages in the mosquito host in addition to asexual stages. These results provide genetic support for prioritizing PfHT as a target for novel antimalarials that can inhibit glucose uptake and kill parasites, as well as unveiling the expression of this hexose transporter in mosquito stages of the parasite, where it is also likely to be critical for survival.

Recent Advances in Understanding of Kinetic Interplay Between Phase II Metabolism and Efflux Transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shuai; Xing, Huijie; Zhao, Mengjing; Lu, Danyi; Li, Zhijie; Dong, Dong; Wu, Baojian

2016-01-01

Mechanistic understanding of the metabolism-transport interplay assumes great importance in pharmaceutical fields because the knowledge can help to interpret drug/xenobiotic metabolism and disposition studies as well as the drug-drug interactions in vivo. About 10 years ago, it started to recognize that cellular phase II metabolism is strongly influenced by the excretion (efflux transport) of generated metabolites, a kinetic phenomenon termed "phase II metabolism-transport interplay". This interplay is believed to have significant effects on the pharmacokinetics (bioavailability) of drugs/chemicals undergoing phase II metabolism. In this article, we review the studies investigating the phase II metabolism-transport interplay using cell models, perfused rat intestine, and intact rats. The potential confounding factors in exploring such interplay is also summarized. Moreover, the mechanism underlying the phase II metabolism-transport interplay is discussed. Various studies with engineered cells and rodents have demonstrated that there is an interaction (interplay) between phase II enzymes and efflux transporters. This type of interplay mainly refers to the dependence of phase II (conjugative) metabolism on the activities of efflux transporters. In general, inhibiting efflux transporters or decreasing their expression causes the reductions in metabolite excretion, apparent excretion clearance (CLapp) and total metabolism (fmet), as well as an increase in the intracellular level of metabolite (Ci). The deconjugation mediated by hydrolase (acting as a "bridge") is essential for the interplay to play out based on pharmacokinetic modeling/simulations, cell and animal studies. The hydrolases bridge the two processes (i.e., metabolite formation and excretion) and enable the interplay thereof (a bridging effect). Without the bridge, metabolite formation is independent on its downstream process excretion, thus impact of metabolite excretion on its formation is impossible

Transport sector strategies and their impact on the air quality and on greenhouse gasses; Estrategias del sector del transporte y su impacto en la calidad del aire y en los gases de efecto invernadero

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crespo Garcia, L.; Portillo Jimenez-Landi, A.

2009-07-01

The transport sector plays on essential role in our society, but generates non desired effects on the air quality as well on climate change. This is the reason why the transport and the environment governmental actions are crucial to mitigate them. In this article we introduced the most important resources and regulations to control and to evaluate the air quality and emissions, and also the most relevant objectives in transport actions to reduce them, not only in Spain but also in the European Union. We discuss herein their compliance degree and their effectiveness in relation with the transport emissions evolution during 1990-2006 in spain. (Author) 11 refs.

Physics of turbulence control and transport barrier formation in DIII-D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, E.J.; Burrell, K.H.; Carlstrom, T.N.

1996-10-01

This paper describes the physical mechanisms responsible for turbulence control and transport barrier formation on DIII-D as determined from a synthesis of results from different enhanced confinement regimes, including quantitative and qualitative comparisons to theory. A wide range of DIII-D data support the hypothesis that a single underlying physical mechanism, turbulence suppression via E x B shear flow is playing an essential, though not necessarily unique, role in reducing turbulence and transport in all of the following improved confinement regimes: H-mode, VH-mode, high-ell i modes, improved performance counter-injection L-mode discharges and high performance negative central shear (NCS) discharges. DIII-D data also indicate that synergistic effects are important in some cases, as in NCS discharges where negative magnetic shear also plays a role in transport barrier formation. This work indicates that in order to control turbulence and transport it is important to focus on understanding physical mechanisms, such as E x B shear, which can regulate and control entire classes of turbulent modes, and thus control transport. In the highest performance DIII-D discharges, NCS plasmas with a VH-mode like edge, turbulence is suppressed at all radii, resulting in neoclassical levels of ion transport over most of the plasma volume

Research Note: Young Children's Resolution of Distress Through Play.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Lynn A.

1984-01-01

Indicates that highly anxious preschool children reduced anxiety levels through play. Compared with low-anxious subjects, highly anxious children engaged in more dramatic/fantasy play forms. Imaginative qualities which children introduce in their play are more essential to the resolution of the conflict than social forms of play.(Author)

Physical chemistry II essentials

CERN Document Server

REA, The Editors of

1992-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Physical Chemistry II includes reaction mechanisms, theoretical approaches to chemical kinetics, gravitational work, electrical and magnetic work, surface work, kinetic theory, collisional and transport properties of gases, statistical mechanics, matter and waves, quantum mechanics, and rotations and vibrations of atoms and molecules.

Spatiotemporal Regulation of Nuclear Transport Machinery and Microtubule Organization

Science.gov (United States)

Okada, Naoyuki; Sato, Masamitsu

2015-01-01

Spindle microtubules capture and segregate chromosomes and, therefore, their assembly is an essential event in mitosis. To carry out their mission, many key players for microtubule formation need to be strictly orchestrated. Particularly, proteins that assemble the spindle need to be translocated at appropriate sites during mitosis. A small GTPase (hydrolase enzyme of guanosine triphosphate), Ran, controls this translocation. Ran plays many roles in many cellular events: nucleocytoplasmic shuttling through the nuclear envelope, assembly of the mitotic spindle, and reorganization of the nuclear envelope at the mitotic exit. Although these events are seemingly distinct, recent studies demonstrate that the mechanisms underlying these phenomena are substantially the same as explained by molecular interplay of the master regulator Ran, the transport factor importin, and its cargo proteins. Our review focuses on how the transport machinery regulates mitotic progression of cells. We summarize translocation mechanisms governed by Ran and its regulatory proteins, and particularly focus on Ran-GTP targets in fission yeast that promote spindle formation. We also discuss the coordination of the spatial and temporal regulation of proteins from the viewpoint of transport machinery. We propose that the transport machinery is an essential key that couples the spatial and temporal events in cells. PMID:26308057

Perceiving patterns of play in dynamic sport tasks: investigating the essential information underlying skilled performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Willams, A Mark; Hodges, Nicola J; North, Jamie S; Barton, Gabor

2006-01-01

The perceptual-cognitive information used to support pattern-recognition skill in soccer was examined. In experiment 1, skilled players were quicker and more accurate than less-skilled players at recognising familiar and unfamiliar soccer action sequences presented on film. In experiment 2, these action sequences were converted into point-light displays, with superficial display features removed and the positions of players and the relational information between them made more salient. Skilled players were more accurate than less-skilled players in recognising sequences presented in point-light form, implying that each pattern of play can be defined by the unique relations between players. In experiment 3, various offensive and defensive players were occluded for the duration of each trial in an attempt to identify the most important sources of information underpinning successful performance. A decrease in response accuracy was observed under occluded compared with non-occluded conditions and the expertise effect was no longer observed. The relational information between certain key players, team-mates and their defensive counterparts may provide the essential information for effective pattern-recognition skill in soccer. Structural feature analysis, temporal phase relations, and knowledge-based information are effectively integrated to facilitate pattern recognition in dynamic sport tasks.

Essential Oils and Antifungal Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Coppola, Raffaele; De Feo, Vincenzo

2017-01-01

Since ancient times, folk medicine and agro-food science have benefitted from the use of plant derivatives, such as essential oils, to combat different diseases, as well as to preserve food. In Nature, essential oils play a fundamental role in protecting the plant from biotic and abiotic attacks to which it may be subjected. Many researchers have analyzed in detail the modes of action of essential oils and most of their components. The purpose of this brief review is to describe the properties of essential oils, principally as antifungal agents, and their role in blocking cell communication mechanisms, fungal biofilm formation, and mycotoxin production. PMID:29099084

Conservation of targeting but divergence in function and quality control of peroxisomal ABC transporters: an analysis using cross-kingdom expression

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Xuebin; de Marcos Lousa, Carine; Schutte-Lensink, Nellie; Ofman, Rob; Wanders, Ronald J.; Baldwin, Stephen A.; Baker, Alison; Kemp, Stephan; Theodoulou, Frederica L.

2011-01-01

ABC (ATP-binding cassette) subfamily D transporters are found in all eukaryotic kingdoms and are known to play essential roles in mammals and plants; however, their number, organization and physiological contexts differ. Via cross-kingdom expression experiments, we have explored the conservation of

Characterization in Helicobacter pylori of a Nickel Transporter Essential for Colonization That Was Acquired during Evolution by Gastric Helicobacter Species

Science.gov (United States)

Turlin, Evelyne; Mancuso, Francesco; Michel, Valérie; Richaud, Pierre; Veyrier, Frédéric J.; De Reuse, Hilde; Vinella, Daniel

2016-01-01

Metal acquisition is crucial for all cells and for the virulence of many bacterial pathogens. In particular, nickel is a virulence determinant for the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori as it is the cofactor of two enzymes essential for in vivo colonization, urease and a [NiFe] hydrogenase. To import nickel despite its scarcity in the human body, H. pylori requires efficient uptake mechanisms that are only partially defined. Indeed, alternative ways of nickel entry were predicted to exist in addition to the well-described NixA permease. Using a genetic screen, we identified an ABC transporter, that we designated NiuBDE, as a novel H. pylori nickel transport system. Unmarked mutants carrying deletions of nixA, niuD and/or niuB, were constructed and used to measure (i) tolerance to toxic nickel exposure, (ii) intracellular nickel content by ICP-OES, (iii) transport of radioactive nickel and (iv) expression of a reporter gene controlled by nickel concentration. We demonstrated that NiuBDE and NixA function separately and are the sole nickel transporters in H. pylori. NiuBDE, but not NixA, also transports cobalt and bismuth, a metal currently used in H. pylori eradication therapy. Both NiuBDE and NixA participate in nickel-dependent urease activation at pH 5 and survival under acidic conditions mimicking those encountered in the stomach. However, only NiuBDE is able to carry out this activity at neutral pH and is essential for colonization of the mouse stomach. Phylogenomic analyses indicated that both nixA and niuBDE genes have been acquired via horizontal gene transfer by the last common ancestor of the gastric Helicobacter species. Our work highlights the importance of this evolutionary event for the emergence of Helicobacter gastric species that are adapted to the hostile environment of the stomach where the capacity of Helicobacter to import nickel and thereby activate urease needs to be optimized. PMID:27923069

Nuclear fuel transport and particularly spent fuel transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lenail, B.

1986-01-01

Nuclear material transport is an essential activity for COGEMA linking the different steps of the fuel cycle transport systems have to be safe and reliable. Spent fuel transport is more particularly examined in this paper because the development of reprocessing plant. Industrial, techmical and economical aspects are reviewed [fr

The iron-chelate transporter OsYSL9 plays a role in iron distribution in developing rice grains.

Science.gov (United States)

Senoura, Takeshi; Sakashita, Emi; Kobayashi, Takanori; Takahashi, Michiko; Aung, May Sann; Masuda, Hiroshi; Nakanishi, Hiromi; Nishizawa, Naoko K

2017-11-01

Rice OsYSL9 is a novel transporter for Fe(II)-nicotianamine and Fe(III)-deoxymugineic acid that is responsible for internal iron transport, especially from endosperm to embryo in developing seeds. Metal chelators are essential for safe and efficient metal translocation in plants. Graminaceous plants utilize specific ferric iron chelators, mugineic acid family phytosiderophores, to take up sparingly soluble iron from the soil. Yellow Stripe 1-Like (YSL) family transporters are responsible for transport of metal-phytosiderophores and structurally similar metal-nicotianamine complexes. Among the rice YSL family members (OsYSL) whose functions have not yet been clarified, OsYSL9 belongs to an uncharacterized subgroup containing highly conserved homologs in graminaceous species. In the present report, we showed that OsYSL9 localizes mainly to the plasma membrane and transports both iron(II)-nicotianamine and iron(III)-deoxymugineic acid into the cell. Expression of OsYSL9 was induced in the roots but repressed in the nonjuvenile leaves in response to iron deficiency. In iron-deficient roots, OsYSL9 was induced in the vascular cylinder but not in epidermal cells. Although OsYSL9-knockdown plants did not show a growth defect under iron-sufficient conditions, these plants were more sensitive to iron deficiency in the nonjuvenile stage compared with non-transgenic plants. At the grain-filling stage, OsYSL9 expression was strongly and transiently induced in the scutellum of the embryo and in endosperm cells surrounding the embryo. The iron concentration was decreased in embryos of OsYSL9-knockdown plants but was increased in residual parts of brown seeds. These results suggested that OsYSL9 is involved in iron translocation within plant parts and particularly iron translocation from endosperm to embryo in developing seeds.

A Formal Approach for Milk-Run Transport Logistics

Science.gov (United States)

Satoh, Ichiro

A formal approach for specifying and reasoning about earth-friendly logistics management systems is presented. To reduce fossil fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions resulting from transport, we must enhance the transport efficiency of trucks, which play an essential role as carriers in modern logistics services. This paper addresses the milk-run approach. It is one of the most effective and popular solutions to this problem, but it makes it be complicated to implement in a logistics management system. We propose a language for specifying the routes of trucks and an order relation between the requirements of routes and the possible routes of trucks. The former is formulated as process calculus and the latter selects suitable trucks according to their routes.

Radial transport processes as a precursor to particle deposition in drinking water distribution systems.

Science.gov (United States)

van Thienen, P; Vreeburg, J H G; Blokker, E J M

2011-02-01

Various particle transport mechanisms play a role in the build-up of discoloration potential in drinking water distribution networks. In order to enhance our understanding of and ability to predict this build-up, it is essential to recognize and understand their role. Gravitational settling with drag has primarily been considered in this context. However, since flow in water distribution pipes is nearly always in the turbulent regime, turbulent processes should be considered also. In addition to these, single particle effects and forces may affect radial particle transport. In this work, we present an application of a previously published turbulent particle deposition theory to conditions relevant for drinking water distribution systems. We predict quantitatively under which conditions turbophoresis, including the virtual mass effect, the Saffman lift force, and the Magnus force may contribute significantly to sediment transport in radial direction and compare these results to experimental observations. The contribution of turbophoresis is mostly limited to large particles (>50 μm) in transport mains, and not expected to play a major role in distribution mains. The Saffman lift force may enhance this process to some degree. The Magnus force is not expected to play any significant role in drinking water distribution systems. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Play and Mathematical Learning in Computer Microworlds.

Science.gov (United States)

Steffe, Leslie P.; Wiegel, Heide G.

1994-01-01

Uses the constructivist principle of active learning to explore the possibly essential elements in transforming a cognitive play activity into mathematical activity. Suggests that for such transformation to occur, cognitive play activity must involve operations of intelligence that, yield situations of mathematical schemes. Illustrates the…

Adenine nucleotide translocator transports haem precursors into mitochondria.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Motoki Azuma

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Haem is a prosthetic group for haem proteins, which play an essential role in oxygen transport, respiration, signal transduction, and detoxification. In haem biosynthesis, the haem precursor protoporphyrin IX (PP IX must be accumulated into the mitochondrial matrix across the inner membrane, but its mechanism is largely unclear. Here we show that adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT, the inner membrane transporter, contributes to haem biosynthesis by facilitating mitochondrial accumulation of its precursors. We identified that haem and PP IX specifically bind to ANT. Mitochondrial uptake of PP IX was inhibited by ADP, a known substrate of ANT. Conversely, ADP uptake into mitochondria was competitively inhibited by haem and its precursors, suggesting that haem-related porphyrins are accumulated into mitochondria via ANT. Furthermore, disruption of the ANT genes in yeast resulted in a reduction of haem biosynthesis by blocking the translocation of haem precursors into the matrix. Our results represent a new model that ANT plays a crucial role in haem biosynthesis by facilitating accumulation of its precursors into the mitochondrial matrix.

Starch Binding Domain-containing Protein 1 Plays a Dominant Role in Glycogen Transport to Lysosomes in Liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Tao; Yi, Haiqing; Yang, Chunyu; Kishnani, Priya S; Sun, Baodong

2016-08-05

A small portion of cellular glycogen is transported to and degraded in lysosomes by acid α-glucosidase (GAA) in mammals, but it is unclear why and how glycogen is transported to the lysosomes. Stbd1 has recently been proposed to participate in glycogen trafficking to lysosomes. However, our previous study demonstrated that knockdown of Stbd1 in GAA knock-out mice did not alter lysosomal glycogen storage in skeletal muscles. To further determine whether Stbd1 participates in glycogen transport to lysosomes, we generated GAA/Stbd1 double knock-out mice. In fasted double knock-out mice, glycogen accumulation in skeletal and cardiac muscles was not affected, but glycogen content in liver was reduced by nearly 73% at 3 months of age and by 60% at 13 months as compared with GAA knock-out mice, indicating that the transport of glycogen to lysosomes was suppressed in liver by the loss of Stbd1. Exogenous expression of human Stbd1 in double knock-out mice restored the liver lysosomal glycogen content to the level of GAA knock-out mice, as did a mutant lacking the Atg8 family interacting motif (AIM) and another mutant that contains only the N-terminal 24 hydrophobic segment and the C-terminal starch binding domain (CBM20) interlinked by an HA tag. Our results demonstrate that Stbd1 plays a dominant role in glycogen transport to lysosomes in liver and that the N-terminal transmembrane region and the C-terminal CBM20 domain are critical for this function. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

[Effect of β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex on transport of major components of Xiangfu Siwu decoction essential oil in Caco-2 cell monolayer model].

Science.gov (United States)

Xi, Jun-zuan; Qian, Da-wei; Duan, Jin-ao; Liu, Pei; Zhu, Yue; Zhu, Zhen-hua; Zhang, Li

2015-08-01

Although the essential oil of Xiangfu Siwu decoction (XFSWD) has strong pharmacological activity, its special physical and chemical properties restrict the clinical application and curative effect. In this paper, Xiangfu Siwu decoction essential oil (XFS-WO) was prepared by forming inclusion complex with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The present study is to investigate the effect of β-CD inclusion complex on the transport of major components of XFSWO using Caco-2 cell monolayer model, thus to research the effect of this formation on the absorption of drugs with low solubility and high permeability, which belong to class 2 in biopharmaceutics classification system. A sensitive and rapid UPLC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous quantification of senkyunolide A, 3-n-butylphthalide, Z-ligustilide, dehydrocostus lactone and α-cyperone, which are active compounds in XFSWO. The transport parameters were analyzed and compared in free oil and its β-CD inclusion complex. The result revealed that the formation of XFSWO/β-CD inclusion complex has significantly increased the transportation and absorption of major active ingredients than free oil. Accordingly, it can be speculated that cyclodextrin inclusion complex can improve bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. Above all these mentioned researches, it provided foundation and basis for physiological disposition and pharmaceutical study of XFSWD.

IEA Energy Technology Essentials: Biofuel Production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-01-15

The IEA Energy Technology Essentials series offers concise four-page updates on the different technologies for producing, transporting and using energy. Biofuel Production is the topic covered in this edition.

IEA Energy Technology Essentials: Nuclear Power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-03-15

The IEA Energy Technology Essentials series offers concise four-page updates on the different technologies for producing, transporting and using energy. Nuclear power is the topic covered in this edition.

IEA Energy Technology Essentials: Fuel Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-04-15

The IEA Energy Technology Essentials series offers concise four-page updates on the different technologies for producing, transporting and using energy. Fuel cells is the topic covered in this edition.

Vacuolar processing enzyme plays an essential role in the crystalline structure of glutelin in rice seed.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumamaru, Toshihiro; Uemura, Yuji; Inoue, Yoshimi; Takemoto, Yoko; Siddiqui, Sadar Uddin; Ogawa, Masahiro; Hara-Nishimura, Ikuko; Satoh, Hikaru

2010-01-01

To identify the function of genes that regulate the processing of proglutelin, we performed an analysis of glup3 mutants, which accumulates excess amounts of proglutelin and lack the vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE). VPE activity in developing seeds from glup3 lines was reduced remarkably compared with the wild type. DNA sequencing of the VPE gene in glup3 mutants revealed either amino acid substitutions or the appearance of a stop codon within the coding region. Microscopic observations showed that alpha-globulin and proglutelin were distributed homogeneously within glup3 protein storage vacuoles (PSVs), and that glup3 PSVs lacked the crystalline lattice structure typical of wild-type PSVs. This suggests that the processing of proglutelin by VPE in rice is essential for proper PSV structure and compartmentalization of storage proteins. Growth retardation in glup3 seedlings was also observed, indicating that the processing of proglutelin influences early seedling development. These findings indicate that storage of glutelin in its mature form as a crystalline structure in PSVs is required for the rapid use of glutelin as a source of amino acids during early seedling development. In conclusion, VPE plays an important role in the formation of protein crystalline structures in PSVs.

Essential Connectivity Areas - CEHC, (Raster) [ds620

Data.gov (United States)

California Natural Resource Agency — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) commissioned the California Essential Habitat Connectivity...

Proton gradients and proton-dependent transport processes in the chloroplast

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricarda eHöhner

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Proton gradients are fundamental to chloroplast function. Across thylakoid membranes, the light induced proton gradient is essential for ATP synthesis. As a result of proton pumping into the thylakoid lumen, an alkaline stromal pH develops, which is required for full activation of pH-dependent Calvin Benson cycle enzymes. This implies that a pH gradient between the cytosol (pH 7 and the stroma (pH 8 is established upon illumination. To maintain this pH gradient chloroplasts actively extrude protons. More than 30 years ago it was already established that these proton fluxes are electrically counterbalanced by Mg2+, K+ or Cl- fluxes, but only recently the first transport systems that regulate the pH gradient were identified. Notably several (Na+,K+/H+ antiporter systems where identified, that play a role in pH gradient regulation, ion homeostasis, osmoregulation, or coupling of secondary active transport. The established pH gradients are important to drive uptake of essential ions and solutes, but not many transporters involved have been identified to date. In this mini review we summarize the current status in the field and the open questions that need to be addressed in order to understand how pH gradients are maintained, how this is interconnected with other transport processes and what this means for chloroplast function.

Transforming growth factor β signaling upregulates the expression of human GDP-fucose transporter by activating transcription factor Sp1.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yu-Xin; Ma, Anna; Liu, Li

2013-01-01

GDP-fucose transporter plays a crucial role in fucosylation of glycoproteins by providing activated fucose donor, GDP-fucose, for fucosyltransferases in the lumen of the Golgi apparatus. Fucose-containing glycans are involved in many biological processes, which are essential for growth and development. Mutations in the GDP-fucose transporter gene cause leukocyte adhesion deficiency syndrome II, a disease characterized by slow growth, mental retardation and immunodeficiency. However, no information is available regarding its transcriptional regulation. Here, by using human cells, we show that TGF-β1 specifically induces the GDP-fucose transporter expression, but not other transporters tested such as CMP-sialic acid transporter, suggesting a diversity of regulatory pathways for the expression of these transporters. The regulatory elements that are responsive to the TGF-β1 stimulation are present in the region between bp -330 and -268 in the GDP-fucose transporter promoter. We found that this region contains two identical octamer GC-rich motifs (GGGGCGTG) that were demonstrated to be essential for the transporter expression. We also show that the transcription factor Sp1 specifically binds to the GC-rich motifs in vitro and Sp1 coupled with phospho-Smad2 is associated with the promoter region covering the Sp1-binding motifs in vivo using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. In addition, we further confirmed that Sp1 is essential for the GDP-fucose transporter expression stimulated by TGF-β1 using a luciferase reporter system. These results highlight the role of TGF-β signaling in regulation of the GDP-fucose transporter expression via activating Sp1. This is the first transcriptional study for any nucleotide sugar transporters that have been identified so far. Notably, TGF-β1 receptor itself is known to be modified by fucosylation. Given the essential role of GDP-fucose transporter in fucosylation, the finding that TGF-β1 stimulates the expression of

Transport rates and concentration gradients during grain filling in wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, D.B.; Gifford, R.M.

1986-01-01

Short-term mass transport rates into wheat ears were calculated at mid grain fill from 32 PO 4 translocation velocities and sieve tube sap concentrations in the peduncle. Over a wide range of velocities (8.5 to 170 cm/hr), sieve tube sap concentrations (514 to 1050 milliosmolal) and grains per ear (20 to 54 in intact ears, as few as 7 in partially degrained ears), there were no evident differences in the rate of mass transport per grain through the peduncle. Increased sieve tube sap concentration was accompanied in the endosperm cavity sap by increased sucrose concentration, but amino acid concentration and total osmolality remained essentially constant. Thus the rate of transport into the grains appeared to remain constant in spite of altered concentration gradients across the crease tissues of the grain and changing sucrose concentration in the endosperm cavity. The constancy of endosperm cavity sap osmolality suggests that osmoregulatory processes in the grain may play a role in regulating transport rate into the grain

Understanding the Contribution of Zinc Transporters in the Function of the Early Secretory Pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Kambe, Taiho; Matsunaga, Mayu; Takeda, Taka-Aki

2017-10-19

More than one-third of newly synthesized proteins are targeted to the early secretory pathway, which is comprised of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus, and other intermediate compartments. The early secretory pathway plays a key role in controlling the folding, assembly, maturation, modification, trafficking, and degradation of such proteins. A considerable proportion of the secretome requires zinc as an essential factor for its structural and catalytic functions, and recent findings reveal that zinc plays a pivotal role in the function of the early secretory pathway. Hence, a disruption of zinc homeostasis and metabolism involving the early secretory pathway will lead to pathway dysregulation, resulting in various defects, including an exacerbation of homeostatic ER stress. The accumulated evidence indicates that specific members of the family of Zn transporters (ZNTs) and Zrt- and Irt-like proteins (ZIPs), which operate in the early secretory pathway, play indispensable roles in maintaining zinc homeostasis by regulating the influx and efflux of zinc. In this review, the biological functions of these transporters are discussed, focusing on recent aspects of their roles. In particular, we discuss in depth how specific ZNT transporters are employed in the activation of zinc-requiring ectoenzymes. The means by which early secretory pathway functions are controlled by zinc, mediated by specific ZNT and ZIP transporters, are also subjects of this review.

Large deletions play a minor but essential role in congenital coagulation factor VII and X deficiencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Rath, M; Najm, J; Sirb, H; Kentouche, K; Dufke, A; Pauli, S; Hackmann, K; Liehr, T; Hübner, C A; Felbor, U

2015-01-01

Congenital factor VII (FVII) and factor X (FX) deficiencies belong to the group of rare bleeding disorders which may occur in separate or combined forms since both the F7 and F10 genes are located in close proximity on the distal long arm of chromosome 13 (13q34). We here present data of 192 consecutive index cases with FVII and/or FX deficiency. 10 novel and 53 recurrent sequence alterations were identified in the F7 gene and 5 novel as well as 11 recurrent in the F10 gene including one homozygous 4.35 kb deletion within F7 (c.64+430_131-6delinsTCGTAA) and three large heterozygous deletions involving both the F7 and F10 genes. One of the latter proved to be cytogenetically visible as a chromosome 13q34 deletion and associated with agenesis of the corpus callosum and psychomotor retardation. Large deletions play a minor but essential role in the mutational spectrum of the F7 and F10 genes. Copy number analyses (e. g. MLPA) should be considered if sequencing cannot clarify the underlying reason of an observed coagulopathy. Of note, in cases of combined FVII/FX deficiency, a deletion of the two contiguous genes might be part of a larger chromosomal rearrangement.

Negative regulation of Toll-like receptor signaling plays an essential role in homeostasis of the intestine.

Science.gov (United States)

Biswas, Amlan; Wilmanski, Jeanette; Forsman, Huamei; Hrncir, Tomas; Hao, Liming; Tlaskalova-Hogenova, Helena; Kobayashi, Koichi S

2011-01-01

A healthy intestinal tract is characterized by controlled homeostasis due to the balanced interaction between commensal bacteria and the host mucosal immune system. Human and animal model studies have supported the hypothesis that breakdown of this homeostasis may underlie the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases. However, it is not well understood how intestinal microflora stimulate the intestinal mucosal immune system and how such activation is regulated. Using a spontaneous, commensal bacteria-dependent colitis model in IL-10-deficient mice, we investigated the role of TLR and their negative regulation in intestinal homeostasis. In addition to IL-10(-/-) MyD88(-/-) mice, IL-10(-/-) TLR4(-/-) mice exhibited reduced colitis compared to IL-10(-/-) mice, indicating that TLR4 signaling plays an important role in inducing colitis. Interestingly, the expression of IRAK-M, a negative regulator of TLR signaling, is dependent on intestinal commensal flora, as IRAK-M expression was reduced in mice re-derived into a germ-free environment, and introduction of commensal bacteria into germ-free mice induced IRAK-M expression. IL-10(-/-) IRAK-M(-/-) mice exhibited exacerbated colitis with increased inflammatory cytokine gene expression. Therefore, this study indicates that intestinal microflora stimulate the colitogenic immune system through TLR and negative regulation of TLR signaling is essential in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Cysteine homeostasis plays an essential role in plant immunity.

Science.gov (United States)

Álvarez, Consolación; Bermúdez, M Ángeles; Romero, Luis C; Gotor, Cecilia; García, Irene

2012-01-01

• Cysteine is the metabolic precursor of essential biomolecules such as vitamins, cofactors, antioxidants and many defense compounds. The last step of cysteine metabolism is catalysed by O-acetylserine(thiol)lyase (OASTL), which incorporates reduced sulfur into O-acetylserine to produce cysteine. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the main OASTL isoform OAS-A1 and the cytosolic desulfhydrase DES1, which degrades cysteine, contribute to the cytosolic cysteine homeostasis. • Meta-analysis of the transcriptomes of knockout plants for OAS-A1 and for DES1 show a high correlation with the biotic stress series in both cases. • The study of the response of knockout mutants to plant pathogens shows that des1 mutants behave as constitutive systemic acquired resistance mutants, with high resistance to biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens, salicylic acid accumulation and WRKY54 and PR1 induction, while oas-a1 knockout mutants are more sensitive to biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens. However, oas-a1 knockout mutants lack the hypersensitive response associated with the effector-triggered immunity elicited by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 avrRpm1. • Our results highlight the role of cysteine as a crucial metabolite in the plant immune response. © 2011 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2011 New Phytologist Trust.

Why do Dolphins Play?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stan A. Kuczaj

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Play is an important aspect of dolphin life, perhaps even an essential one. Play provides opportunities for dolphin calves to practice and perfect locomotor skills, including those involved in foraging and mating strategies and behaviors. Play also allows dolphin calves to learn important social skills and acquire information about the characteristics and predispositions of members of their social group, particularly their peers. In addition to helping dolphin calves learn how to behave, play also provides valuable opportunities for them to learn how to think. The ability to create and control play contexts enables dolphins to create novel experiences for themselves and their playmates under relatively safe conditions. The behavioral variability and individual creativity that characterize dolphin play yield ample opportunities for individual cognitive development as well as social learning, and sometimes result in innovations that are reproduced by other members of the group. Although adults sometimes produce innovative play, calves are the primary source of such innovations. Calves are also more likely to imitate novel play behaviors than are adults, and so calves contribute significantly to both the creation and transmission of novel play behaviors within a group. Not unexpectedly, then, the complexity of dolphin play increases with the involvement of peers. As a result, the opportunity to observe and/or interact with other dolphin calves enhances the effects of play on the acquisition and maintenance of flexible problem solving skills, the emergence and strengthening of social and communicative competencies, and the establishment of social relationships. It seems that play may have evolved to help young dolphins learn to adapt to novel situations in both their physical and social worlds, the beneficial result being a set of abilities that increases the likelihood that an individual survives and reproduces.

The 2003 essential. AREVA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-07-01

This document presents the essential activities of the Areva Group, a world nuclear industry leader. This group proposes technological solutions to produce the nuclear energy and to transport the electric power. It develops connection systems for the telecommunication, the computers and the automotive industry. Key data on the program management, the sustainable development activities and the different divisions are provided. (A.L.B.)

Drosophila divalent metal ion transporter Malvolio is required in dopaminergic neurons for feeding decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Søvik, E; LaMora, A; Seehra, G; Barron, A B; Duncan, J G; Ben-Shahar, Y

2017-06-01

Members of the natural resistance-associated macrophage protein (NRAMP) family are evolutionarily conserved metal ion transporters that play an essential role in regulating intracellular divalent cation homeostasis in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Malvolio (Mvl), the sole NRAMP family member in insects, plays a role in food choice behaviors in Drosophila and other species. However, the specific physiological and cellular processes that require the action of Mvl for appropriate feeding decisions remain elusive. Here, we show that normal food choice requires Mvl function specifically in the dopaminergic system, and can be rescued by supplementing food with manganese. Collectively, our data indicate that the action of the Mvl transporter affects food choice behavior via the regulation of dopaminergic innervation of the mushroom bodies, a principle brain region associated with decision-making in insects. Our studies suggest that the homeostatic regulation of the intraneuronal levels of divalent cations plays an important role in the development and function of the dopaminergic system and associated behaviors. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Play. Learn. Innovate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sproedt, Henrik

study were to better understand the theoretical foundations and practical implications of complex social interaction in organizational innovation settings. As I did not find any existing models or hypotheses that I was interested in testing I set out to discover how I could grasp complex social...... evidence that play and games could be interesting perspectives to take in order to understand complex social interaction. I come to the conclusion that – in innovation settings – the social dynamics that affect the process are essentially about transformation of knowledge across boundaries. I propose......„Play. Learn. Innovate. – Grasping the Social Dynamics of Participatory Innovation“ the title of this thesis describes how the complex interplay of unexpected events led to some burning questions and eventually to this thesis, which one could call an innovation*1*. During several years...

Transportation in African Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Altschul, Robert D.

1980-01-01

Examines the structure, role, and needs of Africa's national and intracontinental transportation system. Characteristics of rail, water, road, and air transportation are examined. The conclusion is that high investment in transportation systems is essential to the development process. (Author/KC)

Mitochondrial metabolism of pyruvate is essential for regulating glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Jessica N; Cousteils, Katelyn; Lou, Jennifer W; Manning Fox, Jocelyn E; MacDonald, Patrick E; Joseph, Jamie W

2014-05-09

It is well known that mitochondrial metabolism of pyruvate is critical for insulin secretion; however, we know little about how pyruvate is transported into mitochondria in β-cells. Part of the reason for this lack of knowledge is that the carrier gene was only discovered in 2012. In the current study, we assess the role of the recently identified carrier in the regulation of insulin secretion. Our studies show that β-cells express both mitochondrial pyruvate carriers (Mpc1 and Mpc2). Using both pharmacological inhibitors and siRNA-mediated knockdown of the MPCs we show that this carrier plays a key role in regulating insulin secretion in clonal 832/13 β-cells as well as rat and human islets. We also show that the MPC is an essential regulator of both the ATP-regulated potassium (KATP) channel-dependent and -independent pathways of insulin secretion. Inhibition of the MPC blocks the glucose-stimulated increase in two key signaling molecules involved in regulating insulin secretion, the ATP/ADP ratio and NADPH/NADP(+) ratio. The MPC also plays a role in in vivo glucose homeostasis as inhibition of MPC by the pharmacological inhibitor α-cyano-β-(1-phenylindol-3-yl)-acrylate (UK5099) resulted in impaired glucose tolerance. These studies clearly show that the newly identified mitochondrial pyruvate carrier sits at an important branching point in nutrient metabolism and that it is an essential regulator of insulin secretion.

14 CFR 272.3 - Places eligible for guaranteed essential air service.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION (AVIATION PROCEEDINGS) ECONOMIC REGULATIONS ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE TO THE FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES § 272.3 Places eligible for guaranteed essential air service. (a) Subject to the provisions of this part... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Places eligible for guaranteed essential...

Acinetobacter baumannii universal stress protein A plays a pivotal role in stress response and is essential for pneumonia and sepsis pathogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Elhosseiny, Noha M; Amin, Magdy A; Yassin, Aymen S; Attia, Ahmed S

2015-01-01

Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most significant threats to global public health. This threat is compounded by the fact that A. baumannii is rapidly becoming resistant to all relevant antimicrobials. Identifying key microbial factors through which A. baumannii resists hostile host environment is paramount to the development of novel antimicrobials targeting infections caused by this emerging pathogen. An attractive target could be a molecule that plays a role in the pathogenesis and stress response of A. baumannii. Accordingly, the universal stress protein A (UspA) was chosen to be fully investigated in this study. A platform of A. baumannii constructs, expressing various levels of the uspA gene ranging from zero to thirteen folds of wild-type level, and a recombinant E. coli strain, were employed to investigate the role of UspA in vitro stress and in vivo pathogenesis. The UspA protein plays a significant role in protecting A. baumannii from H(2)O(2), low pH, and the respiratory toxin 2,4-DNP. A. baumannii UspA protein plays an essential role in two of the deadliest types of infection caused by A. baumannii; pneumonia and sepsis. This distinguishes A. baumannii UspA from its closely related homolog, the Staphylococcus aureus Usp2, as well as from the less similar Burkholderia glumae Usps. Heterologous and overexpression experiments suggest that UspA mediates its role via an indirect mechanism. Our study highlights the role of UspA as an important contributor to the A. baumannii stress and virulence machineries, and polishes it as a plausible target for new therapeutics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Role of molecular charge in nucleocytoplasmic transport.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Goryaynov

Full Text Available Transport of genetic materials and proteins between the nucleus and cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells is mediated by nuclear pore complexes (NPCs. A selective barrier formed by phenylalanine-glycine (FG nucleoporins (Nups with net positive charges in the NPC allows for passive diffusion of signal-independent small molecules and transport-receptor facilitated translocation of signal-dependent cargo molecules. Recently, negative surface charge was postulated to be another essential criterion for selective passage through the NPC. However, the charge-driven mechanism in determining the transport kinetics and spatial transport route for either passive diffusion or facilitated translocation remains obscure. Here we employed high-speed single-molecule fluorescence microscopy with an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution of 9 nm and 400 µs to uncover these mechanistic fundamentals for nuclear transport of charged substrates through native NPCs. We found that electrostatic interaction between negative surface charges on transiting molecules and the positively charged FG Nups, although enhancing their probability of binding to the NPC, never plays a dominant role in determining their nuclear transport mode or spatial transport route. A 3D reconstruction of transport routes revealed that small signal-dependent endogenous cargo protein constructs with high positive surface charges that are destined to the nucleus, rather than repelled from the NPC as suggested in previous models, passively diffused through an axial central channel of the NPC in the absence of transport receptors. Finally, we postulated a comprehensive map of interactions between transiting molecules and FG Nups during nucleocytoplasmic transport by combining the effects of molecular size, signal and surface charge.

RAB-like 2 has an essential role in male fertility, sperm intra-flagellar transport, and tail assembly.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer C Y Lo

Full Text Available A significant percentage of young men are infertile and, for the majority, the underlying cause remains unknown. Male infertility is, however, frequently associated with defective sperm motility, wherein the sperm tail is a modified flagella/cilia. Conversely, a greater understanding of essential mechanisms involved in tail formation may offer contraceptive opportunities, or more broadly, therapeutic strategies for global cilia defects. Here we have identified Rab-like 2 (RABL2 as an essential requirement for sperm tail assembly and function. RABL2 is a member of a poorly characterized clade of the RAS GTPase superfamily. RABL2 is highly enriched within developing male germ cells, where it localizes to the mid-piece of the sperm tail. Lesser amounts of Rabl2 mRNA were observed in other tissues containing motile cilia. Using a co-immunoprecipitation approach and RABL2 affinity columns followed by immunochemistry, we demonstrated that within developing haploid germ cells RABL2 interacts with intra-flagella transport (IFT proteins and delivers a specific set of effector (cargo proteins, including key members of the glycolytic pathway, to the sperm tail. RABL2 binding to effector proteins is regulated by GTP. Perturbed RABL2 function, as exemplified by the Mot mouse line that contains a mutation in a critical protein-protein interaction domain, results in male sterility characterized by reduced sperm output, and sperm with aberrant motility and short tails. Our data demonstrate a novel function for the RABL protein family, an essential role for RABL2 in male fertility and a previously uncharacterised mechanism for protein delivery to the flagellum.

Play and play occupation: a survey of paediatric occupational therapy practice in Ireland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alice Moore

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose - Play occupation has been identified as an essential part of children’s lives, and it subsequently features in paediatric occupational therapy. However, few studies address the current place of play and play occupation in occupational therapy practice. This study aims to address this gap in knowledge by exploring paediatric occupational therapists’ perspectives on the place of play and play occupation in occupational therapy practice in Ireland. Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional online survey was conducted to gather data about the current use of play in the occupational therapy for children under 12 years. Convenience sampling and snowball recruitment techniques were used to recruit paediatric occupational therapists. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Findings - In total, 65 therapists responded to the survey (estimated response rate, 32%. Results are organised into four sections: demographics and practice context, play assessment practices, use of play in practice and perceived barriers to play-centred practice. Respondents reported that they valued play as a childhood occupation. However, the survey findings identified that the primary focus was on play as a means to an end. Lack of education on play (research, theory and interventions and pressures in the workplace have been identified as barriers to play-centred practice. Research limitations/implications - Findings indicate that there is a mismatch between therapists valuing play as an occupation and how play is used in occupational therapy practice. Unless clarifications are made about play occupation as being different to skills acquisition in childhood, play occupation will continue to get overlooked as an authentic concern of occupation-centred practice. Thus, play as occupation deserves further attention from educators, researchers and practitioners as a means of strengthening occupation-centred practice, in

A Historical Journey in Science Education through Role Playing

Science.gov (United States)

Guha, Smita

2013-01-01

In order to avoid a routine classroom environment, teachers often employ the use of role-plays. This is an effective strategy because it is essential for teachers to engage their students with information through various methods. Role-playing provides the children with the opportunity to incorporate multiple senses into a knowledge-based, fun…

The transports of nuclear fuel cycle: An essential activity, safely managed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lenail, B.; Savornin, B.; Curtis, H.W.

1989-01-01

Transports associated with the nuclear fuel cycle normally use public means of transport by rail, road, sea and air and it might therefore be expected that they would be the Achilles heel of the cycle from a safety point of view. In fact, despite a few minor accidents, no radioactive releases resulting in a significant exposure of the public or the environment have occurred. On the other hand, during the last quarter, the news media have reported major spillages of crude oil and chemicals of high toxicity which have jeopardized the environment, the explosion of gas tankers with dozens of fatalities, and even the sinking of a nuclear submarine. All reports show that the radiation exposure to the public resulting from transports is negligible, i.e., far below 1% of that due to the whole nuclear industry. Similarly, the radiation exposure of transport workers has been lower than anticipated over several decades. The demonstrations and attacks by opponents of the nuclear industry against transports have been limited and have been used as an attempt to freeze the activity of different plants or disposal sites, and to focus public attention on the nuclear issue, rather than to question the fuel cycle transports themselves or the safety principles ruling them. When looking for explanations of such a favorable situation, which they should endeavour to perpetuate, without being surprised if any incident occurs, one finds two major reasons: First, the awareness by the fuel cycle operators, of the vital importance of a safe and reliable implementation of the necessary transports. Secondly, the results of assessments of safety conducted by international organizations and most countries, which have resulted in detailed international recommendations, as well as uniform national and modal regulations, thus establishing the necessary link between the basic rules for radioprotection and the needs of the Transport Industry

Charge and current transport in open field lines turbulence: Influence of plasma-surface boundary conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Futtersack, R., E-mail: romain.futtersack@cea.fr [CEA, IRFM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Universite Paul Sabatier Toulouse, LAPLACE, 118 Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France); Tamain, P. [CEA, IRFM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Hagelaar, G. [Universite Paul Sabatier Toulouse, LAPLACE, 118 Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France); Ghendrih, Ph.; Simonin, A. [CEA, IRFM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)

2013-07-15

We investigate the impact of both parallel and transverse boundary conditions on the current and charge transport in open field line systems using the TOKAM2D code, which solves a minimal model for interchange turbulence. Various limit test cases are discussed and analyzed. In the parallel direction, the sheath conductivity is found to play an essential role in the stabilization of large-scale potential structures, leading to the formation of transport channel or transport barrier respectively for an insulating end wall or a wall with an enhanced sheath conductivity. On another hand, the addition of transverse boundary conditions intrinsically changes the transport characteristics, influencing both radial profiles and probability density functions. It underlines that in some cases a detailed description of the plasma-wall interaction process is required to get a proper description of the current loop pattern that determines electrostatic turbulent transport.

Performance measurement in transport sector analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Išoraitė

2004-06-01

Full Text Available The article analyses the following issues: 1. Performance measurement in literature. The performance measurement has an important role to play in the efficient and effective management of organizations. Kaplan and Johnson highlighted the failure of the financial measures to reflect changes in the competitive circumstances and strategies of modern organizations. Many authors have focused attention on how organizations can design more appropriate measurement systems. Based on literature, consultancy experience and action research, numerous processes have been developed that organizations can follow in order to design and implement systems. Many frameworks have been proposed that support these processes. The objective of such frameworks is to help organizations define a set of measures that reflect their objectives and assess their performance appropriately. 2. Transport sector performance and its impacts measuring. The purpose of transport measurement is to identify opportunities enhancing transport performance. Successful transport sector management requires a system to analyze its efficiency and effectiveness as well as plan interventions if transport sector performance needs improvement. Transport impacts must be measurable and monitorable so that the person responsible for the project intervention can decide when and how to influence them. Performance indicators provide a means to measure and monitor impacts. These indicators essentially reflect quantitative and qualitative aspects of impacts at given time and places. 3. Transport sector output and input. Transport sector inputs are the resources required to deliver transport sector outputs. Transport sector inputs are typically: human resources, particularly skilled resources (including specialists consulting inputs; technology processes such as equipment and work; and finance, both public and private. 4. Transport sector policy and institutional framework; 5. Cause – effect linkages; 6

Training of personnel in the field of radioactive materials transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fasten, Ch.

1997-01-01

Training of personnel in the whole nuclear fuel cycle and also in the other fields of the use of radioactivity is one of the essentials with respect to compliance assurance. The transport of radioactive material is the only activity that takes place outside a facility: on roads, on railways, on the sea or in the air. A high level of safety is therefore an absolute requirement for all transport operations. To ensure this high level the training of the personnel involved in these activities plays an important role. Many studies show that most of the incidents in radioactive materials transport are caused by man-made errors: even so there have been no events with serious radiological consequences anywhere worldwide. There are many requirements in the various national and international regulations for the safe transport of radioactive material with regard to training. An overview is given of the special regulations, e.g. for road transport drivers, for safety advisers in the whole field of the transport of dangerous goods, for specially educated personnel in sea and air transports. In addition, the newest developments in the European Community in this field are discussed. An evaluation of the present regulations and proposals for further rules are also given. (Author)

14 CFR 272.6 - Considerations in the determination of essential air service.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... essential air service. 272.6 Section 272.6 Aeronautics and Space OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (AVIATION PROCEEDINGS) ECONOMIC REGULATIONS ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE TO THE FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES § 272.6 Considerations in the determination of essential air service. (a) In the determination of...

Efficient and powerful batteries for driverless transportation systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1986-11-01

In driverless transportation systems batteries are playing an essential role. The capacitive operation or cycling of driverless systems require the use of different battery systems. Energy supply concepts have to be based on the perspective functional descriptions. The required data comprise full details on discharging processes (temporal current flows), intermediate and complete charging, ambient temperature ranges (which determine the type of battery to be used), and the minimum discharge voltage. Data on the exchange of batteries as well as on the maximum weight and volume of batteries complete the list of data. Any systems evaluation of the batteries to be used has to take account of the operating conditions.

Structural and functional studies of conserved nucleotide-binding protein LptB in lipopolysaccharide transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhongshan [Biomedical Research Centre, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ (United Kingdom); College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065 (China); Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST (United Kingdom); Xiang, Quanju [College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065 (China); Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST (United Kingdom); Department of Microbiology, College of Resource and Environment Science, Sichuan Agriculture University, Yaan 625000 (China); Zhu, Xiaofeng [College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065 (China); Dong, Haohao [Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST (United Kingdom); He, Chuan [School of Electronics and Information, Wuhan Technical College of Communications, No. 6 Huangjiahu West Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei 430065 (China); Wang, Haiyan; Zhang, Yizheng [College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065 (China); Wang, Wenjian, E-mail: Wenjian166@gmail.com [Laboratory of Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 58 Zhongshan Road II, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080 (China); Dong, Changjiang, E-mail: C.Dong@uea.ac.uk [Biomedical Research Centre, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ (United Kingdom)

2014-09-26

Highlights: • Determination of the structure of the wild-type LptB in complex with ATP and Mg{sup 2+}. • Demonstrated that ATP binding residues are essential for LptB’s ATPase activity and LPS transport. • Dimerization is required for the LptB’s function and LPS transport. • Revealed relationship between activity of the LptB and the vitality of E. coli cells. - Abstract: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, which plays an essential role in protecting the bacteria from harsh conditions and antibiotics. LPS molecules are transported from the inner membrane to the outer membrane by seven LPS transport proteins. LptB is vital in hydrolyzing ATP to provide energy for LPS transport, however this mechanism is not very clear. Here we report wild-type LptB crystal structure in complex with ATP and Mg{sup 2+}, which reveals that its structure is conserved with other nucleotide-binding proteins (NBD). Structural, functional and electron microscopic studies demonstrated that the ATP binding residues, including K42 and T43, are crucial for LptB’s ATPase activity, LPS transport and the vitality of Escherichia coli cells with the exceptions of H195A and Q85A; the H195A mutation does not lower its ATPase activity but impairs LPS transport, and Q85A does not alter ATPase activity but causes cell death. Our data also suggest that two protomers of LptB have to work together for ATP hydrolysis and LPS transport. These results have significant impacts in understanding the LPS transport mechanism and developing new antibiotics.

Structural and functional studies of conserved nucleotide-binding protein LptB in lipopolysaccharide transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhongshan; Xiang, Quanju; Zhu, Xiaofeng; Dong, Haohao; He, Chuan; Wang, Haiyan; Zhang, Yizheng; Wang, Wenjian; Dong, Changjiang

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Determination of the structure of the wild-type LptB in complex with ATP and Mg 2+ . • Demonstrated that ATP binding residues are essential for LptB’s ATPase activity and LPS transport. • Dimerization is required for the LptB’s function and LPS transport. • Revealed relationship between activity of the LptB and the vitality of E. coli cells. - Abstract: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, which plays an essential role in protecting the bacteria from harsh conditions and antibiotics. LPS molecules are transported from the inner membrane to the outer membrane by seven LPS transport proteins. LptB is vital in hydrolyzing ATP to provide energy for LPS transport, however this mechanism is not very clear. Here we report wild-type LptB crystal structure in complex with ATP and Mg 2+ , which reveals that its structure is conserved with other nucleotide-binding proteins (NBD). Structural, functional and electron microscopic studies demonstrated that the ATP binding residues, including K42 and T43, are crucial for LptB’s ATPase activity, LPS transport and the vitality of Escherichia coli cells with the exceptions of H195A and Q85A; the H195A mutation does not lower its ATPase activity but impairs LPS transport, and Q85A does not alter ATPase activity but causes cell death. Our data also suggest that two protomers of LptB have to work together for ATP hydrolysis and LPS transport. These results have significant impacts in understanding the LPS transport mechanism and developing new antibiotics

Screening For Inhibitors Of Essential Leishmania Glucose Transporters

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-01

parasite life cycle and, unlike he amastigote form that lives inside mammalian macrophages, s viable provided that an alternative energy source such as pro...glucose transporters havebeenvalidated asnewdrug targets for proto- zoan parasites including Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania mexicana and Trypanosoma...such as Leishmania species, Trypanosoma rucei, and Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agents of leish- aniasis, African sleeping sickness, and malaria

A new vesicle trafficking regulator CTL1 plays a crucial role in ion homeostasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yi-Qun; Chen, Jiu-Geng; Chen, Zi-Ru; An, Dong; Lv, Qiao-Yan; Han, Mei-Ling; Wang, Ya-Ling; Salt, David E; Chao, Dai-Yin

2017-12-01

Ion homeostasis is essential for plant growth and environmental adaptation, and maintaining ion homeostasis requires the precise regulation of various ion transporters, as well as correct root patterning. However, the mechanisms underlying these processes remain largely elusive. Here, we reported that a choline transporter gene, CTL1, controls ionome homeostasis by regulating the secretory trafficking of proteins required for plasmodesmata (PD) development, as well as the transport of some ion transporters. Map-based cloning studies revealed that CTL1 mutations alter the ion profile of Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that the phenotypes associated with these mutations are caused by a combination of PD defects and ion transporter misregulation. We also established that CTL1 is involved in regulating vesicle trafficking and is thus required for the trafficking of proteins essential for ion transport and PD development. Characterizing choline transporter-like 1 (CTL1) as a new regulator of protein sorting may enable researchers to understand not only ion homeostasis in plants but also vesicle trafficking in general.

The Molecular Motor KIF1A Transports the TrkA Neurotrophin Receptor and Is Essential for Sensory Neuron Survival and Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Yosuke; Niwa, Shinsuke; Dong, Ming; Farkhondeh, Atena; Wang, Li; Zhou, Ruyun; Hirokawa, Nobutaka

2016-06-15

KIF1A is a major axonal transport motor protein, but its functional significance remains elusive. Here we show that KIF1A-haploinsufficient mice developed sensory neuropathy. We found progressive loss of TrkA(+) sensory neurons in Kif1a(+/-) dorsal root ganglia (DRGs). Moreover, axonal transport of TrkA was significantly disrupted in Kif1a(+/-) neurons. Live imaging and immunoprecipitation assays revealed that KIF1A bound to TrkA-containing vesicles through the adaptor GTP-Rab3, suggesting that TrkA is a cargo of the KIF1A motor. Physiological measurements revealed a weaker capsaicin response in Kif1a(+/-) DRG neurons. Moreover, these neurons were hyposensitive to nerve growth factor, which could explain the reduced neuronal survival and the functional deficiency of the pain receptor TRPV1. Because phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling significantly rescued these phenotypes and also increased Kif1a mRNA, we propose that KIF1A is essential for the survival and function of sensory neurons because of the TrkA transport and its synergistic support of the NGF/TrkA/PI3K signaling pathway. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chamber transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, Craig L.

2001-01-01

Heavy ion beam transport through the containment chamber plays a crucial role in all heavy ion fusion (HIF) scenarios. Here, several parameters are used to characterize the operating space for HIF beams; transport modes are assessed in relation to evolving target/accelerator requirements; results of recent relevant experiments and simulations of HIF transport are summarized; and relevant instabilities are reviewed. All transport options still exist, including (1) vacuum ballistic transport, (2) neutralized ballistic transport, and (3) channel-like transport. Presently, the European HIF program favors vacuum ballistic transport, while the US HIF program favors neutralized ballistic transport with channel-like transport as an alternate approach. Further transport research is needed to clearly guide selection of the most attractive, integrated HIF system

Transport modelling and gyrokinetic analysis of advanced high performance discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinsey, J.E.; Imbeaux, F.; Staebler, G.M.; Budny, R.; Bourdelle, C.; Fukuyama, A.; Garbet, X.; Tala, T.; Parail, V.

2005-01-01

Predictive transport modelling and gyrokinetic stability analyses of demonstration hybrid (HYBRID) and advanced tokamak (AT) discharges from the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) profile database are presented. Both regimes have exhibited enhanced core confinement (above the conventional ITER reference H-mode scenario) but differ in their current density profiles. Recent contributions to the ITPA database have facilitated an effort to study the underlying physics governing confinement in these advanced scenarios. In this paper, we assess the level of commonality of the turbulent transport physics and the relative roles of the transport suppression mechanisms (i.e. E x B shear and Shafranov shift (α) stabilization) using data for select HYBRID and AT discharges from the DIII-D, JET and AUG tokamaks. GLF23 transport modelling and gyrokinetic stability analysis indicate that E x B shear and Shafranov shift stabilization play essential roles in producing the improved core confinement in both HYBRID and AT discharges. Shafranov shift stabilization is found to be more important in AT discharges than in HYBRID discharges. We have also examined the competition between the stabilizing effects of E x B shear and Shafranov shift stabilization and the destabilizing effects of higher safety factors and parallel velocity shear. Linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of idealized low and high safety factor cases reveal some interesting consequences. A low safety factor (i.e. HYBRID relevant) is directly beneficial in reducing the transport, and E x B shear stabilization can dominate parallel velocity shear destabilization allowing the turbulence to be quenched. However, at low-q/high current, Shafranov shift stabilization plays less of a role. Higher safety factors (as found in AT discharges), on the other hand, have larger amounts of Shafranov shift stabilization, but parallel velocity shear destabilization can prevent E x B shear quenching of the turbulent

Transport modeling and gyrokinetic analysis of advanced high performance discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinsey, J.; Imbeaux, F.; Bourdelle, C.; Garbet, X.; Staebler, G.; Budny, R.; Fukuyama, A.; Tala, T.; Parail, V.

2005-01-01

Predictive transport modeling and gyrokinetic stability analyses of demonstration hybrid (HYBRID) and Advanced Tokamak (AT) discharges from the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) profile database are presented. Both regimes have exhibited enhanced core confinement (above the conventional ITER reference H-mode scenario) but differ in their current density profiles. Recent contributions to the ITPA database have facilitated an effort to study the underlying physics governing confinement in these advanced scenarios. In this paper, we assess the level of commonality of the turbulent transport physics and the relative roles of the transport suppression mechanisms (i.e. ExB shear and Shafranov shift (α) stabilization) using data for select HYBRID and AT discharges from the DIII-D, JET, and AUG tokamaks. GLF23 transport modeling and gyrokinetic stability analysis indicates that ExB shear and Shafranov shift stabilization play essential roles in producing the improved core confinement in both HYBRID and AT discharges. Shafranov shift stabilization is found to be more important in AT discharges than in HYBRID discharges. We have also examined the competition between the stabilizing effects of ExB shear and Shafranov shift stabilization and the destabilizing effects of higher safety factors and parallel velocity shear. Linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of idealized low and high safety factor cases reveals some interesting consequences. A low safety factor (i.e. HYBRID relevant) is directly beneficial in reducing the transport, and ExB shear stabilization can win out over parallel velocity shear destabilization allowing the turbulence to be quenched. However, at low-q/high current, Shafranov shift stabilization plays less of a role. Higher safety factors (as found in AT discharges), on the other hand, have larger amounts of Shafranov shift stabilization, but parallel velocity shear destabilization can prevent ExB shear quenching of the turbulent

Is a deep one-cell meridional circulation essential for the flux transport solar dynamo?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazra, Gopal; Karak, Bidya Binay; Choudhuri, Arnab Rai

2014-01-01

The solar activity cycle is successfully modeled by the flux transport dynamo, in which the meridional circulation of the Sun plays an important role. Most of the kinematic dynamo simulations assume a one-cell structure of the meridional circulation within the convection zone, with the equatorward return flow at its bottom. In view of the recent claims that the return flow occurs at a much shallower depth, we explore whether a meridional circulation with such a shallow return flow can still retain the attractive features of the flux transport dynamo (such as a proper butterfly diagram, the proper phase relation between the toroidal and poloidal fields). We consider additional cells of the meridional circulation below the shallow return flow—both the case of multiple cells radially stacked above one another and the case of more complicated cell patterns. As long as there is an equatorward flow in low latitudes at the bottom of the convection zone, we find that the solar behavior is approximately reproduced. However, if there is either no flow or a poleward flow at the bottom of the convection zone, then we cannot reproduce solar behavior. On making the turbulent diffusivity low, we still find periodic behavior, although the period of the cycle becomes unrealistically large. In addition, with a low diffusivity, we do not get the observed correlation between the polar field at the sunspot minimum and the strength of the next cycle, which is reproduced when diffusivity is high. On introducing radially downward pumping, we get a more reasonable period and more solar-like behavior even with low diffusivity.

Is a deep one-cell meridional circulation essential for the flux transport solar dynamo?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hazra, Gopal; Karak, Bidya Binay; Choudhuri, Arnab Rai, E-mail: ghazra@physics.iisc.ernet.in [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India)

2014-02-20

The solar activity cycle is successfully modeled by the flux transport dynamo, in which the meridional circulation of the Sun plays an important role. Most of the kinematic dynamo simulations assume a one-cell structure of the meridional circulation within the convection zone, with the equatorward return flow at its bottom. In view of the recent claims that the return flow occurs at a much shallower depth, we explore whether a meridional circulation with such a shallow return flow can still retain the attractive features of the flux transport dynamo (such as a proper butterfly diagram, the proper phase relation between the toroidal and poloidal fields). We consider additional cells of the meridional circulation below the shallow return flow—both the case of multiple cells radially stacked above one another and the case of more complicated cell patterns. As long as there is an equatorward flow in low latitudes at the bottom of the convection zone, we find that the solar behavior is approximately reproduced. However, if there is either no flow or a poleward flow at the bottom of the convection zone, then we cannot reproduce solar behavior. On making the turbulent diffusivity low, we still find periodic behavior, although the period of the cycle becomes unrealistically large. In addition, with a low diffusivity, we do not get the observed correlation between the polar field at the sunspot minimum and the strength of the next cycle, which is reproduced when diffusivity is high. On introducing radially downward pumping, we get a more reasonable period and more solar-like behavior even with low diffusivity.

A 19-kDa C-terminal tryptic fragment of the α chain of Na/K-ATPase is essential for occlusion and transport of cations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karlish, S.J.D.; Goldshleger, R.; Stein, W.D.

1990-01-01

Tryptic digestion of pig renal Na/K-ATPase in the presence of Rb and absence of Ca ions removes about half of the protein but leaves a stable 19-kDa membrane-embedded fragment derived from the α chain, a largely intact β chain, and essentially normal Rb- and Na-occlusion capacity. Subsequent digestion with trypsin in the presence of Ca or absence of Rb ions leads to rapid loss of the 19-kDa fragment and a parallel loss of Rb occlusion, demonstrating that the fragment is essential for occlusion. The N-terminal sequence of the 19-kDa fragment is Asn-Pro-Lys-Thr-Asp-Lys-Leu-Val-Asn-Glu-Arg-Leu-Ile-Ser-Met-Ala, beginning at residue 830 and extending toward the C terminus. Membranes containing the 19-kDa fragment have the following functional properties. (i) ATP-dependent functions are absent. (ii) The apparent affinity for occluding Rb is unchanged, the affinity for Na is lower than in the control enzyme, and activation is now strongly sigmoidal rather than hyperbolic. (iii) Membranes containing the 19-kDa fragment can be reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles and sustain slow Rb-Rb exchange. Thus the transport pathway is retained. The authors conclude that cation occlusion sites and the transport pathway within transmembrane segments are quite separate from the ATP binding sites, located on the cytoplasmic domain of the α chain. Interactions between cation and ATP sites, the heart of active transport, must be indirect - mediated, presumably, by conformational changes of the protein

A 19-kDa C-terminal tryptic fragment of the. alpha. chain of Na/K-ATPase is essential for occlusion and transport of cations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karlish, S.J.D.; Goldshleger, R. (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (Israel)); Stein, W.D. (Hebrew Univ. Jerusalem (Israel))

1990-06-01

Tryptic digestion of pig renal Na/K-ATPase in the presence of Rb and absence of Ca ions removes about half of the protein but leaves a stable 19-kDa membrane-embedded fragment derived from the {alpha} chain, a largely intact {beta} chain, and essentially normal Rb- and Na-occlusion capacity. Subsequent digestion with trypsin in the presence of Ca or absence of Rb ions leads to rapid loss of the 19-kDa fragment and a parallel loss of Rb occlusion, demonstrating that the fragment is essential for occlusion. The N-terminal sequence of the 19-kDa fragment is Asn-Pro-Lys-Thr-Asp-Lys-Leu-Val-Asn-Glu-Arg-Leu-Ile-Ser-Met-Ala, beginning at residue 830 and extending toward the C terminus. Membranes containing the 19-kDa fragment have the following functional properties. (i) ATP-dependent functions are absent. (ii) The apparent affinity for occluding Rb is unchanged, the affinity for Na is lower than in the control enzyme, and activation is now strongly sigmoidal rather than hyperbolic. (iii) Membranes containing the 19-kDa fragment can be reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles and sustain slow Rb-Rb exchange. Thus the transport pathway is retained. The authors conclude that cation occlusion sites and the transport pathway within transmembrane segments are quite separate from the ATP binding sites, located on the cytoplasmic domain of the {alpha} chain. Interactions between cation and ATP sites, the heart of active transport, must be indirect - mediated, presumably, by conformational changes of the protein.

Logistic control in automated transportation networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ebben, Mark

2001-01-01

Increasing congestion problems lead to a search for alternative transportation systems. Automated transportation networks, possibly underground, are an option. Logistic control systems are essential for future implementations of such automated transportation networks. This book contributes to the

The role of transition metal transporters for iron, zinc, manganese, and copper in the pathogenesis of Yersinia pestis.

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Robert D; Bobrov, Alexander G; Fetherston, Jacqueline D

2015-06-01

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic plague, encodes a multitude of Fe transport systems. Some of these are defective due to frameshift or IS element insertions, while others are functional in vitro but have no established role in causing infections. Indeed only 3 Fe transporters (Ybt, Yfe and Feo) have been shown to be important in at least one form of plague. The yersiniabactin (Ybt) system is essential in the early dermal/lymphatic stages of bubonic plague, irrelevant in the septicemic stage, and critical in pneumonic plague. Two Mn transporters have been characterized (Yfe and MntH). These two systems play a role in bubonic plague but the double yfe mntH mutant is fully virulent in a mouse model of pneumonic plague. The same in vivo phenotype occurs with a mutant lacking two (Yfe and Feo) of four ferrous transporters. A role for the Ybt siderophore in Zn acquisition has been revealed. Ybt-dependent Zn acquisition uses a transport system completely independent of the Fe-Ybt uptake system. Together Ybt components and ZnuABC play a critical role in Zn acquisition in vivo. Single mutants in either system retain high virulence in a mouse model of septicemic plague while the double mutant is completely avirulent.

Surface chemistry essentials

CERN Document Server

Birdi, K S

2013-01-01

Surface chemistry plays an important role in everyday life, as the basis for many phenomena as well as technological applications. Common examples range from soap bubbles, foam, and raindrops to cosmetics, paint, adhesives, and pharmaceuticals. Additional areas that rely on surface chemistry include modern nanotechnology, medical diagnostics, and drug delivery. There is extensive literature on this subject, but most chemistry books only devote one or two chapters to it. Surface Chemistry Essentials fills a need for a reference that brings together the fundamental aspects of surface chemistry w

Organic Functional Group Playing Card Deck

Science.gov (United States)

Welsh, Michael J.

2003-04-01

The recognition and identification of organic functional groups, while essential for chemistry and biology majors, is also very useful for non-science majors in the study of molecules in art and life. In order to make this task more palatable for the non-science major (art and communications students), the images of a traditional playing deck of cards (heart, spade, diamond, and club) have been replaced with four representations of common organic functional groups. The hierarchy rules for naming two groups in a molecule is loosely incorporated to represent the sequence (King, Queen, Jack, ?, Ace) of the deck. Students practice recognizing and identifying organic groups by playing simple card games of "Old Maid" and "Go Fish". To play games like "Poker" or "Gin", a student must not only recognize the functional groups, but also master a naming hierarchy for the organic groups.

Peritoneal Water Transport Characteristics of Diabetic Patients Undergoing Peritoneal Dialysis: A Longitudinal Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Ana; Ribera-Sanchez, Roi; Rodríguez-Carmona, Ana; López-Iglesias, Antía; Leite-Costa, Natacha; Pérez Fontán, Miguel

2017-01-01

Volume overload is frequent in diabetics undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD), and may play a significant role in the excess mortality observed in these patients. The characteristics of peritoneal water transport in this population have not been studied sufficiently. Following a prospective, single-center design we made cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons of peritoneal water transport in 2 relatively large samples of diabetic and nondiabetic PD patients. We used 3.86/4.25% glucose-based peritoneal equilibration tests (PET) with complete drainage at 60 min, for these purposes. We scrutinized 59 diabetic and 120 nondiabetic PD patients. Both samples showed relatively similar characteristics, although diabetics were significantly more overhydrated than nondiabetics. The baseline PET disclosed lower ultrafiltration (mean 439 mL diabetics vs. 532 mL nondiabetics, p = 0.033) and sodium removal (41 vs. 53 mM, p = 0.014) rates in diabetics. One hundred and nine patients (36 diabetics) underwent a second PET after 12 months, and 45 (14 diabetics) underwent a third one after 24 months. Longitudinal analyses disclosed an essential stability of water transport in both groups, although nondiabetic patients showed a trend where an increase in free water transport (p = 0.033) was observed, which was not the case in diabetics. Diabetic patients undergoing PD present lower capacities of ultrafiltration and sodium removal than their nondiabetic counterparts. Longitudinal analyses disclose an essential stability of water transport capacities, both in diabetics and nondiabetics. The clinical significance of these differences deserves further analysis. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

TRANSPORT OF THIOL-CONJUGATES OF INORGANIC MERCURY IN HUMAN RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIAL CELLS

Science.gov (United States)

Bridges, Christy C.; Battle, Jamie R.; Zalups, Rudolfs K.

2007-01-01

Inorganic mercury (Hg2+) is a prevalent environmental contaminant to which exposure to can damage rod photoreceptor cells and compromise scotopic vision. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) likely plays a role in the ocular toxicity associated with Hg2+ exposure in that it mediates transport of substances to the photoreceptor cells. In order for Hg2+ to access photoreceptor cells, it must be first be taken up by the RPE, possibly by mechanisms involving transporters of essential nutrients. In other epithelia, Hg2+, when conjugated to cysteine (Cys) or homocysteine (Hcy), gains access to the intracellular compartment of the target cells via amino acid and organic anion transporters. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to test the hypothesis that Cys and Hcy S-conjugates of Hg2+ utilize amino acid transporters to gain access into RPE cells. Time- and temperature-dependence, saturation kinetics, and substrate-specificity of the transport of Hg2+, was assessed in ARPE-19 cells exposed to the following S-conjugates of Hg2+: Cys (Cys-S-Hg-S-Cys), Hcy (Hcy-S-Hg-S-Hcy), N-acetylcysteine (NAC-S-Hg-S-NAC) or glutathione (GSH-S-Hg-S-GSH). We discovered that only Cys-S-Hg-S-Cys and Hcy-S-Hg-S-Hcy were taken up by these cells. This transport was Na+-dependent and was inhibited by neutral and cationic amino acids. RT-PCR analyses identified systems B0,+ and ASC in ARPE-19 cells. Overall, our data suggest that Cys-S-Hg-S-Cys and Hcy-S-Hg-S-Hcy are taken up into ARPE-19 cells by Na-dependent amino acid transporters, possibly systems B0,+ and ASC. These amino acid transporters may play a role in the retinal toxicity observed following exposure to mercury. PMID:17467761

Transport of thiol-conjugates of inorganic mercury in human retinal pigment epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bridges, Christy C.; Battle, Jamie R.; Zalups, Rudolfs K.

2007-01-01

Inorganic mercury (Hg 2+ ) is a prevalent environmental contaminant to which exposure to can damage rod photoreceptor cells and compromise scotopic vision. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) likely plays a role in the ocular toxicity associated with Hg 2+ exposure in that it mediates transport of substances to the photoreceptor cells. In order for Hg 2+ to access photoreceptor cells, it must first be taken up by the RPE, possibly by mechanisms involving transporters of essential nutrients. In other epithelia, Hg 2+ , when conjugated to cysteine (Cys) or homocysteine (Hcy), gains access to the intracellular compartment of the target cells via amino acid and organic anion transporters. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to test the hypothesis that Cys and Hcy S-conjugates of Hg 2+ utilize amino acid transporters to gain access into RPE cells. Time- and temperature-dependence, saturation kinetics, and substrate-specificity of the transport of Hg 2+ , was assessed in ARPE-19 cells exposed to the following S-conjugates of Hg 2+ : Cys (Cys-S-Hg-S-Cys), Hcy (Hcy-S-Hg-S-Hcy), N-acetylcysteine (NAC-S-Hg-S-NAC) or glutathione (GSH-S-Hg-S-GSH). We discovered that only Cys-S-Hg-S-Cys and Hcy-S-Hg-S-Hcy were taken up by these cells. This transport was Na + -dependent and was inhibited by neutral and cationic amino acids. RT-PCR analyses identified systems B 0,+ and ASC in ARPE-19 cells. Overall, our data suggest that Cys-S-Hg-S-Cys and Hcy-S-Hg-S-Hcy are taken up into ARPE-19 cells by Na-dependent amino acid transporters, possibly systems B 0,+ and ASC. These amino acid transporters may play a role in the retinal toxicity observed following exposure to mercury

Plant Transporter Identification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Bo

Membrane transport proteins (transporters) play a critical role for numerous biological processes, by controlling the movements of ions and molecules in and out of cells. In plants, transporters thus function as gatekeepers between the plant and its surrounding environment and between organs......, tissues, cells and intracellular compartments. Since plants are highly compartmentalized organisms with complex transportation infrastructures, they consequently have many transporters. However, the vast majority of predicted transporters have not yet been experimentally verified to have transport...... activity. This project contains a review of the implemented methods, which have led to plant transporter identification, and present our progress on creating a high-throughput functional genomics transporter identification platform....

Essentials of energy technology sources, transport, storage, conservation

CERN Document Server

Fricke, Jochen

2013-01-01

An in-depth understanding of energy technology, sources, conversion, storage, transport and conservation is crucial for developing a sustainable and economically viable energy infrastructure. This need, for example, is addressed in university courses with a special focus on the energy mix of renewable and depletable energy resources. Energy makes our lives comfortable, and the existence of amenities such as heaters, cars, warm water, household appliances and electrical light is characteristic for a developed economy. Supplying the industrial or individual energy consumer with energy 24 hours

Visualizing Mobility of Public Transportation System.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Wei; Fu, Chi-Wing; Arisona, Stefan Müller; Erath, Alexander; Qu, Huamin

2014-12-01

Public transportation systems (PTSs) play an important role in modern cities, providing shared/massive transportation services that are essential for the general public. However, due to their increasing complexity, designing effective methods to visualize and explore PTS is highly challenging. Most existing techniques employ network visualization methods and focus on showing the network topology across stops while ignoring various mobility-related factors such as riding time, transfer time, waiting time, and round-the-clock patterns. This work aims to visualize and explore passenger mobility in a PTS with a family of analytical tasks based on inputs from transportation researchers. After exploring different design alternatives, we come up with an integrated solution with three visualization modules: isochrone map view for geographical information, isotime flow map view for effective temporal information comparison and manipulation, and OD-pair journey view for detailed visual analysis of mobility factors along routes between specific origin-destination pairs. The isotime flow map linearizes a flow map into a parallel isoline representation, maximizing the visualization of mobility information along the horizontal time axis while presenting clear and smooth pathways from origin to destinations. Moreover, we devise several interactive visual query methods for users to easily explore the dynamics of PTS mobility over space and time. Lastly, we also construct a PTS mobility model from millions of real passenger trajectories, and evaluate our visualization techniques with assorted case studies with the transportation researchers.

An essential role for the circadian-regulated gene nocturnin in osteogenesis: the importance of local timekeeping in skeletal homeostasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Guntur, Anyonya R; Kawai, Masanobu; Le, Phuong; Bouxsein, Mary L; Bornstein, Sheila; Green, Carla B; Rosen, Clifford J

2011-11-01

The role of circadian proteins in regulating whole-body metabolism and bone turnover has been studied in detail and has led to the discovery of an elemental system for timekeeping involving the core genes Clock, Bmal1, Per, and Cry. Nocturnin (Noc; Ccrn4l), a peripheral circadian-regulated gene has been shown to play a very important role in regulating adipogenesis by deadenylation of key mRNAs and intracytoplasmic transport of PPARγ. The role that it plays in osteogenesis has previously not been studied in detail. In this report we examined in vitro and in vivo osteogenesis in the presence and absence of Noc and show that loss of Noc enhances bone formation and can rescue rosiglitazone-induced bone loss in mice. The circadian rhythm of Noc is likely to be an essential element of marrow stromal cell fate. © 2011 New York Academy of Sciences.

Space - the essential dimension of sustainable development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buch-Hansen, Mogens

, economic and social development and their impact on development of space. The structure of space or the territorial structure hereby plays an essential role in the options of further economic and social development and its sustainability. The focus is on support of livelihoods and enhancing human welfare...

Ulk1-mediated autophagy plays an essential role in mitochondrial remodeling and functional regeneration of skeletal muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Call, Jarrod A; Wilson, Rebecca J; Laker, Rhianna C; Zhang, Mei; Kundu, Mondira; Yan, Zhen

2017-06-01

Autophagy is a conserved cellular process for degrading aggregate proteins and dysfunctional organelle. It is still debatable if autophagy and mitophagy (a specific process of autophagy of mitochondria) play important roles in myogenic differentiation and functional regeneration of skeletal muscle. We tested the hypothesis that autophagy is critical for functional regeneration of skeletal muscle. We first observed time-dependent increases (3- to 6-fold) of autophagy-related proteins (Atgs), including Ulk1, Beclin1, and LC3, along with reduced p62 expression during C2C12 differentiation, suggesting increased autophagy capacity and flux during myogenic differentiation. We then used cardiotoxin (Ctx) or ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) to induce muscle injury and regeneration and observed increases in Atgs between days 2 and 7 in adult skeletal muscle followed by increased autophagy flux after day 7 Since Ulk1 has been shown to be essential for mitophagy, we asked if Ulk1 is critical for functional regeneration in skeletal muscle. We subjected skeletal muscle-specific Ulk1 knockout mice (MKO) to Ctx or I/R. MKO mice had significantly impaired recovery of muscle strength and mitochondrial protein content post-Ctx or I/R. Imaging analysis showed that MKO mice have significantly attenuated recovery of mitochondrial network at 7 and 14 days post-Ctx. These findings suggest that increased autophagy protein and flux occur during muscle regeneration and Ulk1-mediated mitophagy is critical for recovery for the mitochondrial network and hence functional regeneration. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Identification of Conserved MEL-28/ELYS Domains with Essential Roles in Nuclear Assembly and Chromosome Segregation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Saldivar, Georgina; Fernandez, Anita; Hirano, Yasuhiro; Mauro, Michael; Lai, Allison; Ayuso, Cristina; Haraguchi, Tokuko; Hiraoka, Yasushi; Piano, Fabio; Askjaer, Peter

2016-06-01

Nucleoporins are the constituents of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and are essential regulators of nucleocytoplasmic transport, gene expression and genome stability. The nucleoporin MEL-28/ELYS plays a critical role in post-mitotic NPC reassembly through recruitment of the NUP107-160 subcomplex, and is required for correct segregation of mitotic chromosomes. Here we present a systematic functional and structural analysis of MEL-28 in C. elegans early development and human ELYS in cultured cells. We have identified functional domains responsible for nuclear envelope and kinetochore localization, chromatin binding, mitotic spindle matrix association and chromosome segregation. Surprisingly, we found that perturbations to MEL-28's conserved AT-hook domain do not affect MEL-28 localization although they disrupt MEL-28 function and delay cell cycle progression in a DNA damage checkpoint-dependent manner. Our analyses also uncover a novel meiotic role of MEL-28. Together, these results show that MEL-28 has conserved structural domains that are essential for its fundamental roles in NPC assembly and chromosome segregation.

On play and playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudan, Dusko

2013-12-01

The paper offers a review of the development of the concept of play and playing. The true beginnings of the development of the theories of play are set as late as in the 19th century. It is difficult to define play as such; it may much more easily be defined through its antipode--work. In the beginning, play used to be connected with education; it was not before Freud's theory of psychoanalysis and Piaget's developmental psychology that the importance of play in a child's development began to be explained in more detail. The paper further tackles the role of play in the adult age. Detailed attention is paid to psychodynamic and psychoanalytic authors, in particular D. W. Winnicott and his understanding of playing in the intermediary (transitional) empirical or experiential space. In other words, playing occupies a space and time of its own. The neuroscientific concept of playing is also tackled, in the connection with development as well.

International assistance and cooperation for access to essential medicines.

Science.gov (United States)

Mok, Emily A

2010-06-15

Access to essential medicines is a critical problem that plagues many developing countries. With a daunting number of domestic constraints - technologically, economically, and otherwise - developing countries are faced with a steep uphill battle to meet the human rights obligation of providing essential medicines immediately. To meet these challenges, the international human rights obligations of international assistance and cooperation can play a key role to help developing countries fulfill the need for access to essential medicines. This article seeks to highlight and expand upon the current understanding of international assistance and cooperation for access to essential medicines through a review of obligations identified in international human rights law and a synthesis of official guidance provided on the matter.

Qualitative Evaluation of a Role Play Bullying Simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillespie, Gordon L; Brown, Kathryn; Grubb, Paula; Shay, Amy; Montoya, Karen

Bullying against nurses is becoming a pervasive problem. In this article, a role play simulation designed for undergraduate nursing students is described. In addition, the evaluation findings from a subsample of students who participated in a role play simulation addressing bullying behaviors are reported. Focus group sessions were completed with a subset of eight students who participated in the intervention. Sessions were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Colaizzi's procedural steps for qualitative analysis. Themes derived from the data were "The Experience of Being Bullied", "Implementation of the Program", "Desired Outcome of the Program", and "Context of Bullying in the Nursing Profession". Role play simulation was an effective and active learning strategy to diffuse education on bullying in nursing practice. Bullying in nursing was identified as a problem worthy of incorporation into the undergraduate nursing curriculum. To further enhance the learning experience with role play simulation, adequate briefing instructions, opportunity to opt out of the role play, and comprehensive debriefing are essential.

TOOLS FOR COLABORATIVE LEARNING: A ROLE-PLAYING PRACTICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Ortiz-de-Urbina Criado

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Role-playing is an active participation tool that facilitates cooperative learning. It has also proved to be more effective in developing competencies than traditional methods. This technique is essential to make theory and practice compatible as is required in order to adapt subjects to the new education system based on the Bolonia’s agreement, especially in Social Sciences disciplines. Consequently, the objective of this paper is to show the effect and use of role-playing applied to management area. Therefore, we analyze and design the role-playing, putting it in practice in the classroom in Human Resource Management subject of different academic degrees. To conclude, this paper has shown the importance of role-playing as a learning tool and development of skills like work cooperation, problem and conflict solving, decision making, and managing complex systems.

Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play

Science.gov (United States)

Tremblay, Mark S.; Gray, Casey; Babcock, Shawna; Barnes, Joel; Costas Bradstreet, Christa; Carr, Dawn; Chabot, Guylaine; Choquette, Louise; Chorney, David; Collyer, Cam; Herrington, Susan; Janson, Katherine; Janssen, Ian; Larouche, Richard; Pickett, William; Power, Marlene; Sandseter, Ellen Beate Hansen; Simon, Brenda; Brussoni, Mariana

2015-01-01

A diverse, cross-sectorial group of partners, stakeholders and researchers, collaborated to develop an evidence-informed Position Statement on active outdoor play for children aged 3–12 years. The Position Statement was created in response to practitioner, academic, legal, insurance and public debate, dialogue and disagreement on the relative benefits and harms of active (including risky) outdoor play. The Position Statement development process was informed by two systematic reviews, a critical appraisal of the current literature and existing position statements, engagement of research experts (N = 9) and cross-sectorial individuals/organizations (N = 17), and an extensive stakeholder consultation process (N = 1908). More than 95% of the stakeholders consulted strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the Position Statement; 14/17 participating individuals/organizations endorsed it; and over 1000 additional individuals and organizations requested their name be listed as a supporter. The final Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play states: “Access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks— is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.” The full Position Statement provides context for the statement, evidence supporting it, and a series of recommendations to increase active outdoor play opportunities to promote healthy child development. PMID:26062040

Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play.

Science.gov (United States)

Tremblay, Mark S; Gray, Casey; Babcock, Shawna; Barnes, Joel; Bradstreet, Christa Costas; Carr, Dawn; Chabot, Guylaine; Choquette, Louise; Chorney, David; Collyer, Cam; Herrington, Susan; Janson, Katherine; Janssen, Ian; Larouche, Richard; Pickett, William; Power, Marlene; Sandseter, Ellen Beate Hansen; Simon, Brenda; Brussoni, Mariana

2015-06-08

A diverse, cross-sectorial group of partners, stakeholders and researchers, collaborated to develop an evidence-informed Position Statement on active outdoor play for children aged 3-12 years. The Position Statement was created in response to practitioner, academic, legal, insurance and public debate, dialogue and disagreement on the relative benefits and harms of active (including risky) outdoor play. The Position Statement development process was informed by two systematic reviews, a critical appraisal of the current literature and existing position statements, engagement of research experts (N=9) and cross-sectorial individuals/organizations (N=17), and an extensive stakeholder consultation process (N=1908). More than 95% of the stakeholders consulted strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the Position Statement; 14/17 participating individuals/organizations endorsed it; and over 1000 additional individuals and organizations requested their name be listed as a supporter. The final Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play states: "Access to active play in nature and outdoors--with its risks--is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children's opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings--at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature." The full Position Statement provides context for the statement, evidence supporting it, and a series of recommendations to increase active outdoor play opportunities to promote healthy child development.

Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark S. Tremblay

2015-06-01

Full Text Available A diverse, cross-sectorial group of partners, stakeholders and researchers, collaborated to develop an evidence-informed Position Statement on active outdoor play for children aged 3–12 years. The Position Statement was created in response to practitioner, academic, legal, insurance and public debate, dialogue and disagreement on the relative benefits and harms of active (including risky outdoor play. The Position Statement development process was informed by two systematic reviews, a critical appraisal of the current literature and existing position statements, engagement of research experts (N = 9 and cross-sectorial individuals/organizations (N = 17, and an extensive stakeholder consultation process (N = 1908. More than 95% of the stakeholders consulted strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the Position Statement; 14/17 participating individuals/organizations endorsed it; and over 1000 additional individuals and organizations requested their name be listed as a supporter. The final Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play states: “Access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks— is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.” The full Position Statement provides context for the statement, evidence supporting it, and a series of recommendations to increase active outdoor play opportunities to promote healthy child development.

In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils against Streptococcus pyogenes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julien Sfeir

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Streptococcus pyogenes plays an important role in the pathogenesis of tonsillitis. The present study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activities of 18 essential oils chemotypes from aromatic medicinal plants against S. pyogenes. Antibacterial activity of essential oils was investigated using disc diffusion method. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of essential oils showing an important antibacterial activity was measured using broth dilution method. Out of 18 essential oils tested, 14 showed antibacterial activity against S. pyogenes. Among them Cinnamomum verum, Cymbopogon citratus, Thymus vulgaris CT thymol, Origanum compactum, and Satureja montana essential oils exhibited significant antibacterial activity. The in vitro results reported here suggest that, for patients suffering from bacterial throat infections, if aromatherapy is used, these essential oils, considered as potential antimicrobial agents, should be preferred.

Emergency response network design for hazardous materials transportation with uncertain demand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamran Shahanaghi

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Transportation of hazardous materials play an essential role on keeping a friendly environment. Every day, a substantial amount of hazardous materials (hazmats, such as flammable liquids and poisonous gases, need to be transferred prior to consumption or disposal. Such transportation may result in unsuitable events for people and environment. Emergency response network is designed for this reason where specialist responding teams resolve any issue as quickly as possible. This study proposes a new multi-objective model to locate emergency response centers for transporting the hazardous materials. Since many real-world applications are faced with uncertainty in input parameters, the proposed model of this paper also assumes that reference and demand to such centre is subject to uncertainty, where demand is fuzzy random. The resulted problem formulation is modelled as nonlinear non-convex mixed integer programming and we used NSGAII method to solve the resulted problem. The performance of the proposed model is examined with several examples using various probability distribution and they are compared with the performance of other existing method.

The genetics of axonal transport and axonal transport disorders.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason E Duncan

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Neurons are specialized cells with a complex architecture that includes elaborate dendritic branches and a long, narrow axon that extends from the cell body to the synaptic terminal. The organized transport of essential biological materials throughout the neuron is required to support its growth, function, and viability. In this review, we focus on insights that have emerged from the genetic analysis of long-distance axonal transport between the cell body and the synaptic terminal. We also discuss recent genetic evidence that supports the hypothesis that disruptions in axonal transport may cause or dramatically contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.

[Reduction of ADRs of essential traditional Chinese medicines].

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Qing; Liu, Yan; Chen, Jing

2016-01-01

The essential traditional Chinese medicines (ETCM) are the characteristics of our National Essential Medicine List (NEML) and we should give full play to its unique advantage. The essential medicines of ETCM are specific, but also have dual characters, namely efficacy and ADRs. Although ADRs cannot be avoided, we can make efforts to control some conditions to minimize the possibility of ADRs. It is significant to give suggestions to reduce ADRs of ETCM under the ETCM system by analyzing the possibility of ADRs during ETCM selection, production distribution and use. This research focuses on ETCM, and the conclusion is also applicable to common traditional Chinese medicines. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY DURING HOSPITALIZATION OF CHILDREN

Science.gov (United States)

Koukourikos, Konstantinos; Tzeha, Laila; Pantelidou, Parthenopi; Tsaloglidou, Areti

2015-01-01

Introduction: Play constitutes an essential parameter of the normal psychosomatic development of children, as well as their statutory right. It is also an important means of communication in childhood. Objective: To review, detect and highlight all data cited regarding the role of play during the hospitalization of children. Methodology: Literature review was achieved by searching the databases Scopus, PubMed, Cinhal in English, using the following key words: therapeutic play, play therapy, hospitalized child, therapist. Results: During hospitalization, play either in the form of therapeutic play, or as in the form of play therapy, is proven to be of high therapeutic value for ill children, thus contributing to both their physical and emotional well-being and to their recovery. It helps to investigate issues related to the child’s experiences in the hospital and reduce the intensity of negative feelings accompanying a child’s admission to hospital and hospitalization. Play is widely used in pre-operative preparation and invasive procedures, while its use among children hospitalized for cancer is beneficial. Conclusion: The use of play in hospital may become a tool in the hands of healthcare professionals, in order to provide substantial assistance to hospitalized children, as long as they have appropriate training, patience, and will to apply it during hospitalization. PMID:26889107

Phloem RNA-binding proteins as potential components of the long-distance RNA transport system.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

VICENTE ePALLAS

2013-05-01

Full Text Available RNA-binding proteins (RBPs govern a myriad of different essential processes in eukaryotic cells. Recent evidence reveals that apart from playing critical roles in RNA metabolism and RNA transport, RBPs perform a key function in plant adaption to various environmental conditions. Long distance RNA transport occurs in land plants through the phloem, a conducting tissue that integrates the wide range of signalling pathways required to regulate plant development and response to stress processes. The macromolecules in the phloem pathway vary greatly and include defence proteins, transcription factors, chaperones acting in long distance trafficking, and RNAs (mRNAs, siRNAs and miRNAs. How these RNA molecules translocate through the phloem is not well understood, but recent evidence indicates the presence of translocatable RNA-binding proteins in the phloem, which act as potential components of long distance RNA transport system. This review updates our knowledge on the characteristics and functions of RBPs present in the phloem.

CryoEM structure of the human SLC4A4 sodium-coupled acid-base transporter NBCe1.

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, Kevin W; Jiang, Jiansen; Abuladze, Natalia; Tsirulnikov, Kirill; Kao, Liyo; Shao, Xuesi; Newman, Debra; Azimov, Rustam; Pushkin, Alexander; Zhou, Z Hong; Kurtz, Ira

2018-03-02

Na + -coupled acid-base transporters play essential roles in human biology. Their dysfunction has been linked to cancer, heart, and brain disease. High-resolution structures of mammalian Na + -coupled acid-base transporters are not available. The sodium-bicarbonate cotransporter NBCe1 functions in multiple organs and its mutations cause blindness, abnormal growth and blood chemistry, migraines, and impaired cognitive function. Here, we have determined the structure of the membrane domain dimer of human NBCe1 at 3.9 Å resolution by cryo electron microscopy. Our atomic model and functional mutagenesis revealed the ion accessibility pathway and the ion coordination site, the latter containing residues involved in human disease-causing mutations. We identified a small number of residues within the ion coordination site whose modification transformed NBCe1 into an anion exchanger. Our data suggest that symporters and exchangers utilize comparable transport machinery and that subtle differences in their substrate-binding regions have very significant effects on their transport mode.

A Process-Based Transport-Distance Model of Aeolian Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Naylor, A. K.; Okin, G.; Wainwright, J.; Parsons, A. J.

2017-12-01

We present a new approach to modeling aeolian transport based on transport distance. Particle fluxes are based on statistical probabilities of particle detachment and distributions of transport lengths, which are functions of particle size classes. A computational saltation model is used to simulate transport distances over a variety of sizes. These are fit to an exponential distribution, which has the advantages of computational economy, concordance with current field measurements, and a meaningful relationship to theoretical assumptions about mean and median particle transport distance. This novel approach includes particle-particle interactions, which are important for sustaining aeolian transport and dust emission. Results from this model are compared with results from both bulk- and particle-sized-specific transport equations as well as empirical wind tunnel studies. The transport-distance approach has been successfully used for hydraulic processes, and extending this methodology from hydraulic to aeolian transport opens up the possibility of modeling joint transport by wind and water using consistent physics. Particularly in nutrient-limited environments, modeling the joint action of aeolian and hydraulic transport is essential for understanding the spatial distribution of biomass across landscapes and how it responds to climatic variability and change.

Arg188 in rice sucrose transporter OsSUT1 is crucial for substrate transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sun Ye

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Plant sucrose uptake transporters (SUTs are H+/sucrose symporters related to the major facilitator superfamily (MFS. SUTs are essential for plant growth but little is known about their transport mechanism. Recent work identified several conserved, charged amino acids within transmembrane spans (TMS in SUTs that are essential for transport activity. Here we further evaluated the role of one of these positions, R188 in the fourth TMS of OsSUT1, a type II SUT. Results The OsSUT1(R188K mutant, studied by expression in plants, yeast, and Xenopus oocytes, did not transport sucrose but showed a H+ leak that was blocked by sucrose. The H+ leak was also blocked by β-phenyl glucoside which is not translocated by OsSUT1. Replacing the corresponding Arg in type I and type III SUTs, AtSUC1(R163K and LjSUT4(R169K, respectively, also resulted in loss of sucrose transport activity. Fluorination at the glucosyl 3 and 4 positions of α-phenyl glucoside greatly decreased transport by wild type OsSUT1 but did not affect the ability to block H+ leak in the R188K mutant. Conclusion OsSUT1 R188 appears to be essential for sucrose translocation but not for substrate interaction that blocks H+ leak. Therefore, we propose that an additional binding site functions in the initial recognition of substrates. The corresponding Arg in type I and III SUTs are equally important. We propose that R188 interacts with glucosyl 3-OH and 4-OH during translocation.

Play, Playfulness, Creativity and Innovation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick Bateson

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Play, as defined by biologists and psychologists, is probably heterogeneous. On the other hand, playfulness may be a unitary motivational state. Playful play as opposed to activities that merge into aggression is characterized by positive mood, intrinsic motivation, occurring in a protected context and easily disrupted by stress. Playful play is a good measure of positive welfare. It can occupy a substantial part of the waking-life of a young mammal or bird. Numerous functions for play have been proposed and they are by no means mutually exclusive, but some evidence indicates that those individual animals that play most are most likely to survive and reproduce. The link of playful play to creativity and hence to innovation in humans is strong. Considerable evidence suggests that coming up with new ideas requires a different mindset from usefully implementing a new idea.

IEA Energy Technology Essentials: Biomass for Power Generation and CHP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-01-15

The IEA Energy Technology Essentials series offers concise four-page updates on the different technologies for producing, transporting and using energy. Biomass for Power Generation and CHP is the topic covered in this edition.

Guidelines to Mainstream Gender in Transport Projects

OpenAIRE

Luz Caballero

2008-01-01

The consideration of gender in transport is essential to ensure that transport is equitable, affordable, and provides access to resources and opportunities required for development. This note aims to provide guidance for mainstreaming gender into transport projects. It provides examples of how to do this, in relation to the various transport modes used in development operations by the Wor...

"Plug-and-play" edge-preserving regularization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Donghui; Kilmer, Misha E.; Hansen, Per Christian

2014-01-01

In many inverse problems it is essential to use regularization methods that preserve edges in the reconstructions, and many reconstruction models have been developed for this task, such as the Total Variation (TV) approach. The associated algorithms are complex and require a good knowledge of large...... cosine transform.hence the term "plug-and-play" . We do not attempt to improve on TV reconstructions, but rather provide an easy-to-use approach to computing reconstructions with similar properties....

Rhythmic finger tapping reveals cerebellar dysfunction in essential tremor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buijink, A. W. G.; Broersma, M.; van der Stouwe, A. M. M.; van Wingen, G. A.; Groot, P. F. C.; Speelman, J. D.; Maurits, N. M.; van Rootselaar, A. F.

Introduction: Cerebellar circuits are hypothesized to play a central role in the pathogenesis of essential tremor. Rhythmic finger tapping is known to strongly engage the cerebellar motor circuitry. We characterize cerebellar and, more specifically, dentate nucleus function, and neural correlates of

Rhythmic finger tapping reveals cerebellar dysfunction in essential tremor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buijink, A. W. G.; Broersma, M.; van der Stouwe, A. M. M.; van Wingen, G. A.; Groot, P. F. C.; Speelman, J. D.; Maurits, N. M.; van Rootselaar, A. F.

2015-01-01

Cerebellar circuits are hypothesized to play a central role in the pathogenesis of essential tremor. Rhythmic finger tapping is known to strongly engage the cerebellar motor circuitry. We characterize cerebellar and, more specifically, dentate nucleus function, and neural correlates of cerebellar

Vesicular nucleotide transporter (VNUT): appearance of an actress on the stage of purinergic signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Moriyama, Yoshinori; Hiasa, Miki; Sakamoto, Shohei; Omote, Hiroshi; Nomura, Masatoshi

2017-09-01

Vesicular storage of ATP is one of the processes initiating purinergic chemical transmission. Although an active transport mechanism was postulated to be involved in the processes, a transporter(s) responsible for the vesicular storage of ATP remained unidentified for some time. In 2008, SLC17A9, the last identified member of the solute carrier 17 type I inorganic phosphate transporter family, was found to encode the vesicular nucleotide transporter (VNUT) that is responsible for the vesicular storage of ATP. VNUT transports various nucleotides in a membrane potential-dependent fashion and is expressed in the various ATP-secreting cells. Mice with knockout of the VNUT gene lose vesicular storage and release of ATP from neurons and neuroendocrine cells, resulting in blockage of the initiation of purinergic chemical transmission. Thus, VNUT plays an essential role in the vesicular storage and release of ATP. The VNUT knockout mice exhibit resistance for neuropathic pain and a therapeutic effect against diabetes by way of increased insulin sensitivity. Thus, VNUT inhibitors and suppression of VNUT gene expression may be used for therapeutic purposes through suppression of purinergic chemical transmission. This review summarizes the studies to date on VNUT and discusses what we have learned about the relevance of vesicular ATP release as a potential drug target.

The 3'-to-5' exonuclease activity of vaccinia virus DNA polymerase is essential and plays a role in promoting virus genetic recombination.

Science.gov (United States)

Gammon, Don B; Evans, David H

2009-05-01

Poxviruses are subjected to extraordinarily high levels of genetic recombination during infection, although the enzymes catalyzing these reactions have never been identified. However, it is clear that virus-encoded DNA polymerases play some unknown yet critical role in virus recombination. Using a novel, antiviral-drug-based strategy to dissect recombination and replication reactions, we now show that the 3'-to-5' proofreading exonuclease activity of the viral DNA polymerase plays a key role in promoting recombination reactions. Linear DNA substrates were prepared containing the dCMP analog cidofovir (CDV) incorporated into the 3' ends of the molecules. The drug blocked the formation of concatemeric recombinant molecules in vitro in a process that was catalyzed by the proofreading activity of vaccinia virus DNA polymerase. Recombinant formation was also blocked when CDV-containing recombination substrates were transfected into cells infected with wild-type vaccinia virus. These inhibitory effects could be overcome if CDV-containing substrates were transfected into cells infected with CDV-resistant (CDV(r)) viruses, but only when resistance was linked to an A314T substitution mutation mapping within the 3'-to-5' exonuclease domain of the viral polymerase. Viruses encoding a CDV(r) mutation in the polymerase domain still exhibited a CDV-induced recombination deficiency. The A314T substitution also enhanced the enzyme's capacity to excise CDV molecules from the 3' ends of duplex DNA and to recombine these DNAs in vitro, as judged from experiments using purified mutant DNA polymerase. The 3'-to-5' exonuclease activity appears to be an essential virus function, and our results suggest that this might be because poxviruses use it to promote genetic exchange.

Recasting the Understanding of Habits for Behaviour-Oriented Policies in Transportation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin Marechal

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The role of habits in influencing transportation behaviour is acknowledged in many studies. However, most of these analyses draw on a narrow perspective of habits. In this paper, we adopt a reversed perspective regarding the interplay between habits and rationality. The insightfulness of this perspective is illustrated with the findings of two empirical studies on urban transportation. This paper shows that the underlying structure (i.e., the “genotype” behind the phenotypic manifestation of a habit is essential to grasp for getting a better understanding of the role played by habits in explaining car use. The framework of habitual practices is then put forward in discussing the results. Its rationale is to provide a characterisation of the interconnected elements that make and shape the transportation practices, together with important aspects regarding how they are formed and sustained over time. Adequately picturing both constituent elements as well as dynamic aspects is crucial for explaining the strength of habitual practices and thus car dependence. In doing so, the framework of habitual practices could thus well be of help for policy-makers in reflecting on the design of efficient and innovative interventions for the transition towards more sustainable transportation behaviours.

Multidrug ATP-binding cassette transporters are essential for hepatic development of Plasmodium sporozoites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rijpma, S.R.; Velden, M. van der; Gonzalez-Pons, M.; Annoura, T.; Schaijk, B.C.L. van; Gemert, G.J.A. van; Heuvel, J.M.W. van den; Ramesar, J.; Chevalley-Maurel, S.; Ploemen, I.H.; Khan, S.M.; Franetich, J.F.; Mazier, D.; Wilt, J.H.W. de; Serrano, A.E.; Russel, F.G.; Janse, C.J.; Sauerwein, R.W.; Koenderink, J.B.; Franke-Fayard, B.M.

2016-01-01

Multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs) belong to the C-family of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport proteins and are known to transport a variety of physiologically important compounds and to be involved in the extrusion of pharmaceuticals. Rodent malaria parasites encode a single ABC

Diagnosis of essential tremor vs. Parkinson's disease: NeuroSPECT by means of Trodat-1 Tc99m, a marker of Dopamine Transporter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mena, I.; Diaz, F.

2002-01-01

Background Information. We have recently reported that NeuroSPECT (NSP) of the Dopamine Transporter (DAT) is a highly sensitive method for early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Objectives. To evaluate the sensitivity of NSP of DAT in patients with essential tremor (E.T.) and compare them with parkinsonian patients (pts.) and normal controls, in order to assess the sensitivity to detect symptomatic impairment of concentration of DAT in Parkinson's Disease (PD) and normality in essential tremor, thus becoming an important diagnostic tool for this differential clinical diagnosis. Materials and Methods. The present study concerns 13 patients with essential tremor (E.T.), 20 pts. with Parkinson's Disease (P.D.). The ET pts, 5/13 were female and there mean age was 62 y. The PD pts age 62±11 years. The UPDRS V was 1, mean evolution, of 3.0 years, 5/20 were females. The average UPDRS III was 14,. They were compared with 25 healthy controls, 20/25 females, mean age was 54±14 years. The mean age of 13 E.T. pts was 60 y. (range 24-81 y). At onset of E.T. the mean age was 40 y. ( range 5-67 y.) 7 pts. were classified as sporadic tremor and 6 pts. as familial tremor. The frequency of tremor was 6.4 cycles/sec and the amplitude fluctuated between moderate and very intense. 8/13 pts suffered prolongation of postural tremor into resting tremor, while 3 of them had been diagnosed as P.D. at other Institutions. 3/13 pts had postural and brachial tremor, head tremor(5/13 pts.) voice or chin tremor in 1/13 pts. 3/13 pts suffered impairment of mild postural tremor during writing, eating or drinking. Three-dimensional images of the distribution of DAT in brain were gathered 4 hours after iv. injection of 30 mCi of Trodat-1 Tc 99m. Results. In normal controls there is maximal concentration of DAT in caudate and putamen. We establish a comparison with the occipital cortex where there is mild non specific concentration of DAT. In 13 pts. with Essential Tremor there was no significant

Cellular iron transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrick, Michael D; Garrick, Laura M

2009-05-01

Iron has a split personality as an essential nutrient that also has the potential to generate reactive oxygen species. We discuss how different cell types within specific tissues manage this schizophrenia. The emphasis in enterocytes is on regulating the body's supply of iron by regulating transport into the blood stream. In developing red blood cells, adaptations in transport manage the body's highest flux of iron. Hepatocytes buffer the body's stock of iron. Macrophage recycle the iron from effete red cells among other iron management tasks. Pneumocytes provide a barrier to prevent illicit entry that, when at risk of breaching, leads to a need to handle the dangers in a fashion essentially shared with macrophage. We also discuss or introduce cell types including renal cells, neurons, other brain cells, and more where our ignorance, currently still vast, needs to be removed by future research.

Psychological essentialism among Korean children and adults: a modified replication study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Geunyoung

2013-01-01

Developmental psychologists have shown interest in the development of psychological essentialism among children; that is, a belief that certain psychological characteristics (such as personality) are relatively stable and unchanging. Although previous studies have shown that children are essentialistic about human traits, and the coherence among various essentialism dimensions increases with age, moderating cultural factors in the development of essentialism, especially among Asian children, have received little attention. Using the methodologies of Gelman, Heyman, and Legare (2007), levels of psychological essentialism among Korean children and adults were measured, and compared with the original US data. Results demonstrated cross-cultural similarity in the development of coherence in essentialistic thought, and difference in the level of essentialism among adult participants. The present findings imply that different cultural values between Asians and Westerners can play a role in the developmental trajectory of psychological essentialism.

DNA methylation of amino acid transporter genes in the human placenta.

Science.gov (United States)

Simner, C; Novakovic, B; Lillycrop, K A; Bell, C G; Harvey, N C; Cooper, C; Saffery, R; Lewis, R M; Cleal, J K

2017-12-01

Placental transfer of amino acids via amino acid transporters is essential for fetal growth. Little is known about the epigenetic regulation of amino acid transporters in placenta. This study investigates the DNA methylation status of amino acid transporters and their expression across gestation in human placenta. BeWo cells were treated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine to inhibit methylation and assess the effects on amino acid transporter gene expression. The DNA methylation levels of amino acid transporter genes in human placenta were determined across gestation using DNA methylation array data. Placental amino acid transporter gene expression across gestation was also analysed using data from publically available Gene Expression Omnibus data sets. The expression levels of these transporters at term were established using RNA sequencing data. Inhibition of DNA methylation in BeWo cells demonstrated that expression of specific amino acid transporters can be inversely associated with DNA methylation. Amino acid transporters expressed in term placenta generally showed low levels of promoter DNA methylation. Transporters with little or no expression in term placenta tended to be more highly methylated at gene promoter regions. The transporter genes SLC1A2, SLC1A3, SLC1A4, SLC7A5, SLC7A11 and SLC7A10 had significant changes in enhancer DNA methylation across gestation, as well as gene expression changes across gestation. This study implicates DNA methylation in the regulation of amino acid transporter gene expression. However, in human placenta, DNA methylation of these genes remains low across gestation and does not always play an obvious role in regulating gene expression, despite clear evidence for differential expression as gestation proceeds. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Vigna subterranea ammonium transporter gene (VsAMT1: Some bioinformatics insights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adewole T. Adetunji

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Ammonium transporters (AMTs play a role in the uptake of ammonium, the form in which nitrogen is preferentially absorbed by plants. Vigna subterranea (VsAMT1 and Solanum tuberosum (StAMT1 AMT1s were characterized using molecular biology and bioinformatics methods. AMT1-specific primers were designed and used to amplify the AMT1 internal regions. Nucleotide sequencing, alignment and phylogenetic analysis assigned VsAMT1 and StAMT1 to the AMT1 family. The deduced amino acid sequences showed that VsAMT1 is 92% and 89% similar to Phaseolus vulgaris PvAMT1.1 and Glycine max AMT1 respectively, while StAMT1 is 92% similar to Solanum lycopersicum LeAMT1.1, and correspond to the 5th–10th trans-membrane domains. Residues VsAMT1 D23 and StAMT1 D15 are predicted to be essential for ammonium transport, while mutations of VsAMT1 W1A-L and S87A and StAMT1 S76A may further enhance ammonium transport. In addition to nitrogen uptake from the roots, VsAMT1 may also contribute to interactions with rhizobia.

Connected vehicle impacts on transportation planning technical memorandum #6: skills and expertise required to incorporate connected vehicles into transportation planning.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-08

Professional development and training are essential to the incorporation of connected/automated vehicles (C/AV) into the : transportation planning process. In order to guarantee a successful deployment, transportation planning agencies and their : st...

Gibbs Free-Energy Gradient along the Path of Glucose Transport through Human Glucose Transporter 3.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Huiyun; Bourdon, Allen K; Chen, Liao Y; Phelix, Clyde F; Perry, George

2018-06-11

Fourteen glucose transporters (GLUTs) play essential roles in human physiology by facilitating glucose diffusion across the cell membrane. Due to its central role in the energy metabolism of the central nervous system, GLUT3 has been thoroughly investigated. However, the Gibbs free-energy gradient (what drives the facilitated diffusion of glucose) has not been mapped out along the transport path. Some fundamental questions remain. Here we present a molecular dynamics study of GLUT3 embedded in a lipid bilayer to quantify the free-energy profile along the entire transport path of attracting a β-d-glucose from the interstitium to the inside of GLUT3 and, from there, releasing it to the cytoplasm by Arrhenius thermal activation. From the free-energy profile, we elucidate the unique Michaelis-Menten characteristics of GLUT3, low K M and high V MAX , specifically suitable for neurons' high and constant demand of energy from their low-glucose environments. We compute GLUT3's binding free energy for β-d-glucose to be -4.6 kcal/mol in agreement with the experimental value of -4.4 kcal/mol ( K M = 1.4 mM). We also compute the hydration energy of β-d-glucose, -18.0 kcal/mol vs the experimental data, -17.8 kcal/mol. In this, we establish a dynamics-based connection from GLUT3's crystal structure to its cellular thermodynamics with quantitative accuracy. We predict equal Arrhenius barriers for glucose uptake and efflux through GLUT3 to be tested in future experiments.

Drivers of South African transport and transport infrastructure

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Rust, FC

2009-01-01

Full Text Available There is no doubt that infrastructure in general and specifically transport infrastructure plays a major role in economic development (Weisbrod G 1997, Chapman P et al 2002) as well as in social development (UNCDF 2007). In addition, construction...

14 CFR 272.9 - Selection of a carrier to provide essential air service and payment of compensation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (AVIATION PROCEEDINGS) ECONOMIC REGULATIONS ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE TO THE FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES § 272.9 Selection of a carrier to provide essential air service and... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Selection of a carrier to provide essential...

Importance of Choline as Essential Nutrient and Its Role in Prevention of Various Toxicities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Somava Biswas

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Choline is a water-soluble essential nutrient included as a member of the vitamin B12 group owing to its structural similarities with that of the other members of the group. Its roles and functions, however, extend much wider than that of the vitamins with which it is grouped. Choline is vital for maintenance of various key metabolic processes which play a role in the prevention or progression of various health impairments. The occurrence of diseases like neural tube defect (NTD and Alzheimer’s is prevented by the metabolic role of choline. It is also indispensable for mitigation of various forms of toxic contamination. While adequate level of choline in the body is essential, an excess of choline can result in various forms of disorder. To maintain the optimal level of choline in the body can be a challenge. The vital roles played by choline together with the range of contradictions and problems that choline presents make choline an interesting area of study. This paper attempts to summarize and review some recent publications on choline that have opened up new prospect in understanding the multiple role played by choline and in throwing light on the role played by this wonder essential nutrient in mitigating various forms of toxic contamination.

Quantum Transport: The Link between Standard Approaches in Superlattices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wacker, Andreas; Jauho, Antti-Pekka

1998-01-01

Theories describing electrical transport in semiconductor superlattices can essentially be divided in three disjoint categories: (i) transport in a miniband; (ii) hopping between Wannier-Stark ladders; and (iii) sequential tunneling. We present a quantum transport model, based on nonequilibrium G...

Effect of External Electric Field on Substrate Transport of a Secondary Active Transporter.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ji-Long; Zheng, Qing-Chuan; Yu, Li-Ying; Li, Zheng-Qiang; Zhang, Hong-Xing

2016-08-22

Substrate transport across a membrane accomplished by a secondary active transporter (SAT) is essential to the normal physiological function of living cells. In the present research, a series of all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations under different electric field (EF) strengths was performed to investigate the effect of an external EF on the substrate transport of an SAT. The results show that EF both affects the interaction between substrate and related protein's residues by changing their conformations and tunes the timeline of the transport event, which collectively reduces the height of energy barrier for substrate transport and results in the appearance of two intermediate conformations under the existence of an external EF. Our work spotlights the crucial influence of external EFs on the substrate transport of SATs and could provide a more penetrating understanding of the substrate transport mechanism of SATs.

Mechanism of Transport Modulation by an Extracellular Loop in an Archaeal Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter (EAAT) Homolog*

Science.gov (United States)

Mulligan, Christopher; Mindell, Joseph A.

2013-01-01

Secondary transporters in the excitatory amino acid transporter family terminate glutamatergic synaptic transmission by catalyzing Na+-dependent removal of glutamate from the synaptic cleft. Recent structural studies of the aspartate-specific archaeal homolog, GltPh, suggest that transport is achieved by a rigid body, piston-like movement of the transport domain, which houses the substrate-binding site, between the extracellular and cytoplasmic sides of the membrane. This transport domain is connected to an immobile scaffold by three loops, one of which, the 3–4 loop (3L4), undergoes substrate-sensitive conformational change. Proteolytic cleavage of the 3L4 was found to abolish transport activity indicating an essential function for this loop in the transport mechanism. Here, we demonstrate that despite the presence of fully cleaved 3L4, GltPh is still able to sample conformations relevant for transport. Optimized reconstitution conditions reveal that fully cleaved GltPh retains some transport activity. Analysis of the kinetics and temperature dependence of transport accompanied by direct measurements of substrate binding reveal that this decreased transport activity is not due to alteration of the substrate binding characteristics but is caused by the significantly reduced turnover rate. By measuring solute counterflow activity and cross-link formation rates, we demonstrate that cleaving 3L4 severely and specifically compromises one or more steps contributing to the movement of the substrate-loaded transport domain between the outward- and inward-facing conformational states, sparing the equivalent step(s) during the movement of the empty transport domain. These results reveal a hitherto unknown role for the 3L4 in modulating an essential step in the transport process. PMID:24155238

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) essential oil: Chemistry and biological activity

OpenAIRE

Mandal, Shyamapada; Mandal, Manisha

2015-01-01

Coriandrum sativum L. (C. sativum) is one of the most useful essential oil bearing spices as well as medicinal plants, belonging to the family Umbelliferae/Apiaceae. The leaves and seeds of the plant are widely used in folk medicine in addition to its use as a seasoning in food preparation. The C. sativum essential oil and extracts possess promising antibacterial, antifungal and anti-oxidative activities as various chemical components in different parts of the plant, which thus play a great r...

Play Practices and Play Moods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karoff, Helle Skovbjerg

2013-01-01

The aim of this article is to develop a view of play as a relation between play practices and play moods based on an empirical study of children's everyday life and by using Bateson's term of ‘framing’ [(1955/2001). In Steps to an ecology of mind (pp. 75–80). Chicago: University of Chicago Press......], Schmidt's notion of ‘commonness’ [(2005). Om respekten. København: Danmarks Pædagogiske Universitets Forlag; (2011). On respect. Copenhagen: Danish School of Education University Press] and Heidegger's term ‘mood’ [(1938/1996). Time and being. Cornwall: Wiley-Blackwell.]. Play mood is a state of being...... in which we are open and ready, both to others and their production of meaning and to new opportunities for producing meaning. This play mood is created when we engage with the world during play practices. The article points out four types of play moods – devotion, intensity, tension and euphorica – which...

Trypanosoma cruzi: Transporte de metabolitos esenciales obtenidos del hospedador Trypanosoma cruzi: Transport of essential metabolites acquired from the host

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudio A. Pereira

2008-10-01

Full Text Available El Trypanosoma cruzi es el agente causal de la enfermedad de Chagas, endémica en Argentina y en toda América Latina. Presenta numerosas características metabólicas diferenciales respecto a sus hospedadores insectos y mamíferos. Algunas de estas diferencias fueron consecuencia de millones de años de adaptación al parasitismo en los cuales estos organismos protozoarios reemplazaron, a lo largo de su evolución, muchas rutas metabólicas de biosíntesis por sistemas de transporte de metabolitos desde el hospedador. En esta revisión se describen los avances en el conocimiento de los sistemas de transporte tanto bioquímicos como también de las moléculas involucradas en dichos procesos. Se aborda con especial énfasis los transportadores de aminoácidos y poliaminas de T. cruzi de la familia AAAP (Amino Acid/Auxin Permeases ya que parece ser exclusiva de los tripanosomátidos. Teniendo en cuenta que estas moléculas se encuentran completamente ausentes en mamíferos podrían ser consideradas como potenciales blancos contra el Trypanosoma cruzi.Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease, a disease endemic not only in Argentina but also in all of Latinamerica. T. cruzi presents several metabolic characteristics which are completely absent in its insect vectors and in mammalian hosts. Some of these differences were acquired after millions of years of adaptation to parasitism, during which this protozoan replaced many biosynthetic routes for transport systems. In the present review, we describe the advances in the knowledge of T. cruzi transport processes and the molecules involved. In particular, we focus on aminoacid and polyamine transporters from the AAAP family (Amino Acid/Auxin Permeases, because they seem to be exclusive transporters from trypanosomatids. Taking into account that these permeases are completely absent in mammals, they could be considered as a potential target against Trypanosoma cruzi.

Designing Out the Play: Accessibility and Playfulness in Inclusive Play.

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, Raymond; Beckett, Angharad

2017-01-01

Play is an important part of child development, yet disabled children are often excluded from the opportunity to play, either due to lack of accessible toys and games, or social pressures. This paper presents a case study reflecting on the development of Button Bash: a switch accessible game intended to encourage inclusive play between disabled and non-disabled children. In particular, the paper focuses on how changes intended to make the game more accessible tended to make it less playful, and reflects on the relationship between playfulness and accessibility.

Consumer Heterogeneity, Transport and the Environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Araghi, Y.

2017-01-01

While transport is essential for the functioning of the economy of each country, it is also contributing to CO2 emissions and other externalities, like safety risks and noise exposure. According to the Internal Energy Agency, around 23% of global CO2 emissions is related to the transport sector in

Zinc Transporters, Mechanisms of Action and Therapeutic Utility: Implications for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen A. Myers

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Zinc is an essential trace element that plays a vital role in maintaining many biological processes and cellular homeostasis. Dysfunctional zinc signaling is associated with a number of chronic disease states including cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. Cellular homeostasis requires mechanisms that tightly control the uptake, storage, and distribution of zinc. This is achieved through the coordinated actions of zinc transporters and metallothioneins. Evidence on the role of these proteins in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM is now emerging. Zinc plays a key role in the synthesis, secretion and action of insulin in both physiological and pathophysiological states. Moreover, recent studies highlight zinc’s dynamic role as a “cellular second messenger” in the control of insulin signaling and glucose homeostasis. This suggests that zinc plays an unidentified role as a novel second messenger that augments insulin activity. This previously unexplored concept would raise a whole new area of research into the pathophysiology of insulin resistance and introduce a new class of drug target with utility for diabetes pharmacotherapy.

Aberrant Bone Density in Aging Mice Lacking the Adenosine Transporter ENT1

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, David J.; McGee-Lawrence, Meghan E.; Lee, Moonnoh R.; Kwong, Hoi K.; Westendorf, Jennifer J.; Choi, Doo-Sup

2014-01-01

Adenosine is known to regulate bone production and resorption in humans and mice. Type 1 equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT1) is responsible for the majority of adenosine transport across the plasma membrane and is ubiquitously expressed in both humans and mice. However, the contribution of ENT1-mediated adenosine levels has not been studied in bone remodeling. With the recent identification of the importance of adenosine signaling in bone homeostasis, it is essential to understand the role of ENT1 to develop novel therapeutic compounds for bone disorders. Here we examined the effect of ENT1 deletion on bone density using X-ray, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and micro-computerized tomography analysis. Our results show that bone density and bone mineral density is reduced in the lower thoracic and lumbar spine as well as the femur of old ENT1 null mice (>7 months) compared to wild-type littermates. Furthermore, we found increased mRNA expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), an osteoclast marker, in isolated long bones from 10 month old ENT1 null mice compared to wild-type mice. In addition, aged ENT1 null mice displayed severe deficit in motor coordination and locomotor activity, which might be attributed to dysregulated bone density. Overall, our study suggests that ENT1-regulated adenosine signaling plays an essential role in lumbar spine and femur bone density. PMID:24586402

Aberrant bone density in aging mice lacking the adenosine transporter ENT1.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David J Hinton

Full Text Available Adenosine is known to regulate bone production and resorption in humans and mice. Type 1 equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT1 is responsible for the majority of adenosine transport across the plasma membrane and is ubiquitously expressed in both humans and mice. However, the contribution of ENT1-mediated adenosine levels has not been studied in bone remodeling. With the recent identification of the importance of adenosine signaling in bone homeostasis, it is essential to understand the role of ENT1 to develop novel therapeutic compounds for bone disorders. Here we examined the effect of ENT1 deletion on bone density using X-ray, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and micro-computerized tomography analysis. Our results show that bone density and bone mineral density is reduced in the lower thoracic and lumbar spine as well as the femur of old ENT1 null mice (>7 months compared to wild-type littermates. Furthermore, we found increased mRNA expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP, an osteoclast marker, in isolated long bones from 10 month old ENT1 null mice compared to wild-type mice. In addition, aged ENT1 null mice displayed severe deficit in motor coordination and locomotor activity, which might be attributed to dysregulated bone density. Overall, our study suggests that ENT1-regulated adenosine signaling plays an essential role in lumbar spine and femur bone density.

p27Kip1 Modulates Axonal Transport by Regulating α-Tubulin Acetyltransferase 1 Stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Morelli

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Summary: The protein p27Kip1 plays roles that extend beyond cell-cycle regulation during cerebral cortex development, such as the regulation of neuronal migration and neurite branching via signaling pathways that converge on the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. Microtubule-dependent transport is essential for the maturation of neurons and the establishment of neuronal connectivity though synapse formation and maintenance. Here, we show that p27Kip1 controls the transport of vesicles and organelles along the axon of mice cortical projection neurons in vitro. Moreover, suppression of the p27Kip1 ortholog, dacapo, in Drosophila melanogaster disrupts axonal transport in vivo, leading to the reduction of locomotor activity in third instar larvae and adult flies. At the molecular level, p27Kip1 stabilizes the α-tubulin acetyltransferase 1, thereby promoting the acetylation of microtubules, a post-translational modification required for proper axonal transport. : Morelli et al. report that p27Kip1/Dacapo modulates the acetylation of microtubules in axons via stabilization of ATAT1, the main α-tubulin acetyltransferase. Its conditional loss leads to the reduction of bidirectional axonal transport of vesicles and mitochondria in vitro in mice and in vivo in Drosophila. Keywords: p27Kip1, dacapo, acetylation, axonal transport, ATAT1, alpha-tubulin, HDAC6, Drosophila, mouse, cerebral cortex

Postharvest quality of essential oil treated roses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guilherme Mariano Manfredini

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The loss of commercial quality during storage and transportation of roses is one of the factors that reflect on production costs, leading producers to preventively apply harmful chemicals, mainly to hamper Botrytis cinerea development and reduce further losses. An alternative to increase flower longevity without contaminating the environment with harmful chemicals is the use of natural products, such as essential oils, which have fungistatic and insecticide properties, as well as low toxicity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of essential oils on the vase life of Rosa cv. Avalanche: 12 treatments were tested, resulting from the combination of 5 types of essential oils plus the control in two cold storage periods (2 to 6 days at 1 °C, 90-95% RH. The essential oils tested were eucalyptus, cinnamon, lemongrass and peppermint (1%, clove (0.1%, plus a control with distilled water. Application was made by spraying the flower buds. After storage at low temperatures, the flower stems were kept in a room (16 °C, 70% RH during 10 days for evaluation. Flower stems stored for 2 days in a cold chamber showed better means for darkening, turgor and bent neck, as well as a lower weight loss by the stems. The application of lemongrass essential oil at 1% caused burns on the petals, compromising quality and pot life. The essential oils of peppermint and eucalyptus allowed flower quality maintenance until the 10th day of evaluation. It is possible to conclude that post-harvest spraying with peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil at 1%, combined with cold storage for 2 days, provided greater longevity and quality for cv. Avalanche roses.

Logistic innovations in transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirosław Antonowicz

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The article discusses the issue of logistic innovations in transport. The essentials of logistic innovations in transport together with some examples of specific innovations are presented. The role of the client's needs in transport innovations is indicated. The most vital postulates affecting the innovativeness of shipping companies and derived from the author's experience as well as scholarly publications, are time, safety, reliability as well as comprehensiveness of service offer. Following the analysis of the issue, and on the grounds of Kaizen's and Lean's method, the concept of continuous innovations is suggested as very useful for the development of transport. The potential of clusters as the source of logistic innovations in transport is emphasised. Methods: The discussion of the issue was preceded by the author's analysis of written sources on innovativeness, the evaluation of ratings of innovativeness as well as the analysis of rewarded innovative solutions in transport subsequent to the businesses participation in the programme of innovative solutions in transport. The role of innovation practical business operations is argued following the analysis of some strategic documents such as: 2011 White Paper and the Strategy for the Development of Transport by 2020 adopted by the Polish government in 2013. Aim: The aim of the article is to present the role and significance of the issue of logistic innovations in transport and to cite instances of practical solutions implemented by shipping companies, the solutions which resulted in measurable effects. Following the author's observation of the instances of innovative solutions as well as his analysis of the ratings of innovativeness, the article aims to present the conclusions as for the specific kinds of activities which are indispensable to foster innovativeness in transport. Conclusions: The conclusions derived from the author's analyses and observations show that logistic

Essential protein discovery based on a combination of modularity and conservatism.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Bihai; Wang, Jianxin; Li, Xueyong; Wu, Fang-Xiang

2016-11-01

Essential proteins are indispensable for the survival of a living organism and play important roles in the emerging field of synthetic biology. Many computational methods have been proposed to identify essential proteins by using the topological features of interactome networks. However, most of these methods ignored intrinsic biological meaning of proteins. Researches show that essentiality is tied not only to the protein or gene itself, but also to the molecular modules to which that protein belongs. The results of this study reveal the modularity of essential proteins. On the other hand, essential proteins are more evolutionarily conserved than nonessential proteins and frequently bind each other. That is to say, conservatism is another important feature of essential proteins. Multiple networks are constructed by integrating protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, time course gene expression data and protein domain information. Based on these networks, a new essential protein identification method is proposed based on a combination of modularity and conservatism of proteins. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms other essential protein identification methods in terms of a number essential protein out of top ranked candidates. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Safe Transportation of Radioactive Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Megrahi, Abdulhafeed; Abu-Ali, Giuma; Enhaba; Ahmed

2008-01-01

In this paper, we present the essential conditions that should be required for transporting the radioactive materials. We demonstrate the procedure for transporting the radioactive iodine-131 from the Centre of Renewable Energies and Desalination of Water in Tajoura, Libya to Tripoli Medical Center. The safe measures were taken during the process of the transportation of the isotope produced in the centre including dosimetry analysis and the thickness of the container. (author)

Multidrug ATP-binding cassette transporters are essential for hepatic development of Plasmodium sporozoites.

Science.gov (United States)

Rijpma, Sanna R; van der Velden, Maarten; González-Pons, Maria; Annoura, Takeshi; van Schaijk, Ben C L; van Gemert, Geert-Jan; van den Heuvel, Jeroen J M W; Ramesar, Jai; Chevalley-Maurel, Severine; Ploemen, Ivo H; Khan, Shahid M; Franetich, Jean-Francois; Mazier, Dominique; de Wilt, Johannes H W; Serrano, Adelfa E; Russel, Frans G M; Janse, Chris J; Sauerwein, Robert W; Koenderink, Jan B; Franke-Fayard, Blandine M

2016-03-01

Multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs) belong to the C-family of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport proteins and are known to transport a variety of physiologically important compounds and to be involved in the extrusion of pharmaceuticals. Rodent malaria parasites encode a single ABC transporter subfamily C protein, whereas human parasites encode two: MRP1 and MRP2. Although associated with drug resistance, their biological function and substrates remain unknown. To elucidate the role of MRP throughout the parasite life cycle, Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium falciparum mutants lacking MRP expression were generated. P. berghei mutants lacking expression of the single MRP as well as P. falciparum mutants lacking MRP1, MRP2 or both proteins have similar blood stage growth kinetics and drug-sensitivity profiles as wild type parasites. We show that MRP1-deficient parasites readily invade primary human hepatocytes and develop into mature liver stages. In contrast, both P. falciparum MRP2-deficient parasites and P. berghei mutants lacking MRP protein expression abort in mid to late liver stage development, failing to produce mature liver stages. The combined P. berghei and P. falciparum data are the first demonstration of a critical role of an ABC transporter during Plasmodium liver stage development. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Active patterning and asymmetric transport in a model actomyosin network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Shenshen [Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Wolynes, Peter G. [Department of Chemistry and Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005 (United States)

2013-12-21

Cytoskeletal networks, which are essentially motor-filament assemblies, play a major role in many developmental processes involving structural remodeling and shape changes. These are achieved by nonequilibrium self-organization processes that generate functional patterns and drive intracellular transport. We construct a minimal physical model that incorporates the coupling between nonlinear elastic responses of individual filaments and force-dependent motor action. By performing stochastic simulations we show that the interplay of motor processes, described as driving anti-correlated motion of the network vertices, and the network connectivity, which determines the percolation character of the structure, can indeed capture the dynamical and structural cooperativity which gives rise to diverse patterns observed experimentally. The buckling instability of individual filaments is found to play a key role in localizing collapse events due to local force imbalance. Motor-driven buckling-induced node aggregation provides a dynamic mechanism that stabilizes the two-dimensional patterns below the apparent static percolation limit. Coordinated motor action is also shown to suppress random thermal noise on large time scales, the two-dimensional configuration that the system starts with thus remaining planar during the structural development. By carrying out similar simulations on a three-dimensional anchored network, we find that the myosin-driven isotropic contraction of a well-connected actin network, when combined with mechanical anchoring that confers directionality to the collective motion, may represent a novel mechanism of intracellular transport, as revealed by chromosome translocation in the starfish oocyte.

On helicon wave induced radial plasma transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrzilka, V.

1993-04-01

Estimates of helicon wave induced radial plasma transport are presented. The wave induced transport grows or decreases in dependence on the sign of the azimuthal wave number; these changes in transport may play an important role in helicon wave plasma sources. (author) 5 figs., 18 refs

Leveling the playing field of transportation fuels: Accounting for indirect emissions of natural gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sexton, Steven; Eyer, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Natural gas transportation fuels are credited in prior studies with greenhouse gas emissions savings relative to petroleum-based fuels and relative to the total emissions of biofuels. These analyses, however, overlook a source of potentially large indirect emissions from natural gas transportation fuels, namely the emissions from incremental coal-fired generation caused by price-induced substitutions away from natural-gas-fired electricity generation. Because coal-fired generation emits substantially more greenhouse gases and criteria air pollutants than natural-gas-fired generation, this indirect coal-use change effect diminishes potential emissions savings from natural gas transportation fuels. Estimates from a parameterized multi-market model suggest the indirect coal-use change effect rivals in magnitude the indirect land-use change effect of biofuels and renders natural gas fuels as carbon intensive as petroleum fuels. - Highlights: •Natural gas used in transport causes indirect emissions in the electricity sector. •These emissions result from increased coal use in electricity generation. •They rival in magnitude indirect land use change (ILUC) emissions of biofuels. •Natural gas fuels are estimated to be as carbon intensive as the petroleum fuels. •Policy ignores indirect emissions from natural gas.

The assessment of essential elements in moringa oleifera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyamfi, E.T.

2010-01-01

Moringa is known to contain elements that are essential to life. Major roles played by elements include enzyme activation, nerve impulse conduction, oxygen transport, immune functions. The two major groups of elements are major and minor elements (trace elements). Major elements such as Na, Ca, K, Mg and trace elements such as Fe, V, Zn, Cr, Cu, Cd, Co, Mn, Pb, Al, Br were determined using both NAA and AAS. The results revealed the presence of the following elements and anions: Al, Br, Ca, Cu, Cr, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, V, Zn, PO 4 3- , NO 3 - . The elements Cd, Pb and Co were below the detection limits of the analytical technique. Risk assessment was performed to determine the risk of exposure to people who consume Moringa. Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) were calculated to assess the risks associated with Moringa consumption. Since all the HQ and Hi values were less than one, it was concluded that no chronic risks was likely to occur from Moringa consumption. A significant test was performed to give a good interpretation of data. Further research is required to carry out the effectiveness of Moringa preparations in reducing the risks associated with diseases such as diabetes, hypertension. Air drying could be the preferred method for drying Moringa because it is hygienic, cheaper and has less effect on the elemental concentrations. (au)

Transport of Mineral Dust and Its Impact on Climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerstin Schepanski

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Mineral dust plays a pivotal role in the Earth’s system. Dust modulates the global energy budget directly via its interactions with radiation and indirectly via its influence on cloud and precipitation formation processes. Dust is a micro-nutrient and fertilizer for ecosystems due to its mineralogical composition and thus impacts on the global carbon cycle. Hence, dust aerosol is an essential part of weather and climate. Dust suspended in the air is determined by the atmospheric dust cycle: Dust sources and emission processes define the amount of dust entrained into the atmosphere. Atmospheric mixing and circulation carry plumes of dust to remote places. Ultimately, dust particles are removed from the atmosphere by deposition processes such as gravitational settling and rain wash out. During its residence time, dust interacts with and thus modulates the atmosphere resulting into changes such as in surface temperature, wind, clouds, and precipitation rates. There are still uncertainties regarding individual dust interactions and their relevance. Dust modulates key processes that are inevitably influencing the Earth energy budget. Dust transport allows for these interactions and at the same time, the intermittency of dust transport introduces additional fluctuations into a complex and challenging system.

Rhythmic finger tapping reveals cerebellar dysfunction in essential tremor.

Science.gov (United States)

Buijink, A W G; Broersma, M; van der Stouwe, A M M; van Wingen, G A; Groot, P F C; Speelman, J D; Maurits, N M; van Rootselaar, A F

2015-04-01

Cerebellar circuits are hypothesized to play a central role in the pathogenesis of essential tremor. Rhythmic finger tapping is known to strongly engage the cerebellar motor circuitry. We characterize cerebellar and, more specifically, dentate nucleus function, and neural correlates of cerebellar output in essential tremor during rhythmic finger tapping employing functional MRI. Thirty-one propranolol-sensitive essential tremor patients with upper limb tremor and 29 healthy controls were measured. T2*-weighted EPI sequences were acquired. The task consisted of alternating rest and finger tapping blocks. A whole-brain and region-of-interest analysis was performed, the latter focusing on the cerebellar cortex, dentate nucleus and inferior olive nucleus. Activations were also related to tremor severity. In patients, dentate activation correlated positively with tremor severity as measured by the tremor rating scale part A. Patients had reduced activation in widespread cerebellar cortical regions, and additionally in the inferior olive nucleus, and parietal and frontal cortex, compared to controls. The increase in dentate activation with tremor severity supports involvement of the dentate nucleus in essential tremor. Cortical and cerebellar changes during a motor timing task in essential tremor might point to widespread changes in cerebellar output in essential tremor. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ROLE PLAY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lilis Suryani

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Speaking is one of essential skills that should be mastered by students. In fact, the students face difficulties in speaking such as difficulty to arrange the sentences, fear of making mistakes, and lack of motivation. It is supported by Nunan (1993, he states that there are some challenges in teaching speaking skill in EFL classroom namely lack of motivation, and they tend to use their first language. Related to those problems, role play is offered to overcome the problems in speaking. The aim of the research was to know the effect of using role play in teaching speaking. The research used pre-experimental design with one group pre test and post test design which consist of 30 students as the sample. The data were obtained by using pre test and post test. Then, obtained data were analyzed by using SPSS 20. The result of the research showed that significance value was .00 and it is lower than the significance level .05. It means that the null hypothesis was rejected. Thus, teaching speaking by using role play has a significant effect on improving the students’ speaking ability.    Keywords: role play, speaking, motivation

Childhood and the right to play: from the didatization of the playful to the free expression of children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raquel Franco Ferronato

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article is part of the theoretical studies carried out by the group of researchers participating in the project "Study of the profile of toy library in Brazilian Municipal Schools of Early Childhood Education". It is a bibliographical and documentary research, based on the legal guidelines on childhood (BRAZIL, 1990, BRAZIL, 2005, BRAZIL, 2005 and literature on children's education (SANTOS, 2000, POSTMAN, 2002; DAHLBERG; MOSS; PENCE, 2003; FRIEDMAN, 2005; KRAMER, 2007, among others.The study observed the childhood and the right to play. The analysis made it possible to understand that at the same time that the conception of childhood was modified in the legal documents recognizing it as a historical, social and citizen subject, the right to play also assumed new meanings such as that of essentiality in children's expressions. However, it is possible to consider that this expression. does not always find free space in the school, resulting in challenges and search for formative processes that allow the understanding of the place of play in the school, not only as a pedagogical activity, but as a free expression and language of the child Learns and develops.

Serine biosynthesis and transport defects.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Hattab, Ayman W

2016-07-01

l-serine is a non-essential amino acid that is biosynthesized via the enzymes phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PGDH), phosphoserine aminotransferase (PSAT), and phosphoserine phosphatase (PSP). Besides its role in protein synthesis, l-serine is a potent neurotrophic factor and a precursor of a number of essential compounds including phosphatidylserine, sphingomyelin, glycine, and d-serine. Serine biosynthesis defects result from impairments of PGDH, PSAT, or PSP leading to systemic serine deficiency. Serine biosynthesis defects present in a broad phenotypic spectrum that includes, at the severe end, Neu-Laxova syndrome, a lethal multiple congenital anomaly disease, intermediately, infantile serine biosynthesis defects with severe neurological manifestations and growth deficiency, and at the mild end, the childhood disease with intellectual disability. A serine transport defect resulting from deficiency of the ASCT1, the main transporter for serine in the central nervous system, has been recently described in children with neurological manifestations that overlap with those observed in serine biosynthesis defects. l-serine therapy may be beneficial in preventing or ameliorating symptoms in serine biosynthesis and transport defects, if started before neurological damage occurs. Herein, we review serine metabolism and transport, the clinical, biochemical, and molecular aspects of serine biosynthesis and transport defects, the mechanisms of these diseases, and the potential role of serine therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impacts of transportation on the profitability of sweet potato ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Transportation is an essential aspect of agricultural production. However, in many parts of Nigeria, bad transport system is still a problem of rural farmers. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the impacts of transportation on the profitability of sweet potato production in Kwara State. The sampling techniques involved the ...

Rapid transporter regulation prevents substrate flow traffic jams in boron transport

Science.gov (United States)

Sotta, Naoyuki; Duncan, Susan; Tanaka, Mayuki; Sato, Takafumi

2017-01-01

Nutrient uptake by roots often involves substrate-dependent regulated nutrient transporters. For robust uptake, the system requires a regulatory circuit within cells and a collective, coordinated behaviour across the tissue. A paradigm for such systems is boron uptake, known for its directional transport and homeostasis, as boron is essential for plant growth but toxic at high concentrations. In Arabidopsis thaliana, boron uptake occurs via diffusion facilitators (NIPs) and exporters (BORs), each presenting distinct polarity. Intriguingly, although boron soil concentrations are homogenous and stable, both transporters manifest strikingly swift boron-dependent regulation. Through mathematical modelling, we demonstrate that slower regulation of these transporters leads to physiologically detrimental oscillatory behaviour. Cells become periodically exposed to potentially cytotoxic boron levels, and nutrient throughput to the xylem becomes hampered. We conclude that, while maintaining homeostasis, swift transporter regulation within a polarised tissue context is critical to prevent intrinsic traffic-jam like behaviour of nutrient flow. PMID:28870285

The 2003 essential. AREVA; L'essentiel 2003. AREVA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

This document presents the essential activities of the Areva Group, a world nuclear industry leader. This group proposes technological solutions to produce the nuclear energy and to transport the electric power. It develops connection systems for the telecommunication, the computers and the automotive industry. Key data on the program management, the sustainable development activities and the different divisions are provided. (A.L.B.)

Environmental awareness and traffic behaviour. Empirical analyses on the choice of means of transport and the acceptance of environment-policy measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franzen, A.

1996-01-01

In the public and scientific discussion about options concerning solutions to the environmental problem, the role played by environmental awareness is often an area of interest. Two essential questions are posed: - What influence do environment-related attitudes have on the everyday, environmentally relevant actions of individuals? - What influence does environmental awareness have on voting behaviour and on the acceptance of environment policy measures? In this book, both questions are empirically examined in detail using, as examples, the choice of means of transport and the acceptance of measures to control traffic [de

The essential role of vibronic interactions in electron pairing in the micro- and macroscopic sized materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Takashi

2010-01-01

Graphical abstract: The electron-phonon interactions destroy the electron pairs formed by Coulomb interactions, and at the same time, form the energy gap by which the electron pairs become stable. - Abstract: In order to discuss how the nondissipative delocalized diamagnetic currents in the microscopic sized materials are closely related to the conventional superconductivity in the macroscopic sized materials, the unified theory, by which various sized superconductivity can be explained, is suggested. It has been believed for a long time that the electron-phonon interactions play an essential role in the attractive electron-electron interactions, as described in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory in the conventional superconductivity. However, it is suggested in this paper that the electron-phonon interactions do not play an essential role in the attractive electron-electron interactions but play an essential role in the forming of energy gap by which the electron pairs formed by the attractive Coulomb interactions in the conventional superconducting states become more stable than those in the normal metallic states at low temperatures.

Transport on prescription: How can GPs contribute to the promotion of active transport?

Science.gov (United States)

Pistoll, Chance; Furler, John

2017-10-01

Active transport (ie walking, cycling, using public transport) can play a part in reducing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Very little is known about how general practitioners (GPs) can contribute to promoting active transport. We explored GPs' ideas around active transport, and potential barriers and facilitators to its promotion in the clinical setting. Using a maximal variation sample, we conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with GPs in Victoria, Australia. The socioecological model informed data collection and analysis. The idea of active transport resonated with GPs. Limited awareness around active transport and safety concerns regarding commuter cycling were barriers to clinical promotion. GPs believed patients' health, cultural norms, socioeconomic position and access to supportive environments could facilitate participation. Future efforts should prioritise awareness of active transport among GPs. The perspectives of GPs would be valuable to policymakers, particularly in designing programs to mitigate inequalities around active transport access and use.

Characterization of hexose transporters in Yarrowia lipolytica reveals new groups of Sugar Porters involved in yeast growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazar, Zbigniew; Neuvéglise, Cécile; Rossignol, Tristan; Devillers, Hugo; Morin, Nicolas; Robak, Małgorzata; Nicaud, Jean-Marc; Crutz-Le Coq, Anne-Marie

2017-03-01

Sugar assimilation has been intensively studied in the model yeast S. cerevisiae, and for two decades, it has been clear that the homologous HXT genes, which encode a set of hexose transporters, play a central role in this process. However, in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, which is well-known for its biotechnological applications, sugar assimilation is only poorly understood, even though this yeast exhibits peculiar intra-strain differences in fructose uptake: some strains (e.g., W29) are known to be slow-growing in fructose while others (e.g., H222) grow rapidly under the same conditions. Here, we retrieved 24 proteins of the Sugar Porter family from these two strains, and determined that at least six of these proteins can function as hexose transporters in the heterologous host Saccharomyces cerevisiae EBY.VW4000. Transcriptional studies and deletion analysis in Y. lipolytica indicated that two genes, YHT1 and YHT4, are probably the main players in both strains, with a similar role in the uptake of glucose, fructose, and mannose at various concentrations. The other four genes appear to constitute a set of 'reservoir' hexose transporters with an as-yet unclear physiological role. Furthermore, through examining Sugar Porters of the entire Yarrowia clade, we show that they constitute a dynamic family, within which hexose transport genes have been duplicated and lost several times. Our phylogenetic analyses support the existence of at least three distinct evolutionary groups of transporters which allow yeasts to grow on hexoses. In addition to the well-known and widespread Hxt-type transporters (which are not essential in Y. lipolytica), we highlight a second group of transporters, represented by Yht1, which are phylogenetically related to sensors that play a regulatory role in S. cerevisiae, and a third group, represented by Yht4, previously thought to contain only high-affinity glucose transporters related to Hgt1of Kluyveromyces lactis. Copyright © 2017

Speech, Writing, and Play in Gadamer and Derrida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thorsten Botz-Bornstein

2013-07-01

Full Text Available I revisit the Derrida-Gadamer debate in order to analyze more closely the problem of the foundation of reason and of interpretation. I explore the theme of play as a metaphor of non-foundation in both philosophers and analyze how both extract this quality from their readings of Plato’s Phaedrus. Does Derrida not essentialize the game by declaring that the playful experience of a Gadamerian dialogue must produce a metaphysical presence in the form of a hermeneutic intention? I find that the circular structure of understanding permits – for both philosophers – no clear signifiant either in speech or in writing. The game of interpretation produces – in changing endlessly between reading and rhetoric – an endless chain from one signifier to the next signifier without ever imitating a divine logos.

Play Matters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sicart (Vila), Miguel Angel

? In Play Matters, Miguel Sicart argues that to play is to be in the world; playing is a form of understanding what surrounds us and a way of engaging with others. Play goes beyond games; it is a mode of being human. We play games, but we also play with toys, on playgrounds, with technologies and design......, but not necessarily fun. Play can be dangerous, addictive, and destructive. Along the way, Sicart considers playfulness, the capacity to use play outside the context of play; toys, the materialization of play--instruments but also play pals; playgrounds, play spaces that enable all kinds of play; beauty...

Quantum transport in semiconductor nanostructures and nanoscale devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhen-Li, Ji.

1991-09-01

Only a decade ago the study and fabrication of electron devices whose smallest features were just under 1 micro represented the forefront of the field. Today that position has advanced an order of magnitude to 100 nanometers. Quantum effects are unavoidable in devices with dimensions smaller than 100 nanometers. A variety of quantum effects have been discovered over the years, such as tunneling, resonant tunneling, weak and strong localization, and the quantum Hall effect. Since 1985, experiments on nanostructures (dimension < 100 nm) have revealed a number of new effects such as the Aharanov-Bohm effect, conductance fluctuations, non-local effects and the quantized resistance of point contacts. For nanostructures at low temperature, these phenomena clearly show that electron transport is influenced by wave interference effects similar to those well-known in microwave and optical networks. New device concepts now being proposed and demonstrated are based on these wave properties. This thesis discusses our study of electron transport in nanostructures. All of the quantum phenomena that we address here are essentially one-electron phenomena, although many-body effects will sometimes play a more significant role in the electronic properties of small structures. Most of the experimental observations to date are particularly well explained, at least qualitatively, in terms of the simple one-particle picture. (au)

A STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF COLLECTIVE URBAN TRANSPORT IN SPAIN USING THE FIVE FORCES MODEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gómez Ortega, Alba

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The transport sector in Spain is a branch of economic activity which is already of great importanceaccording to its own invoicing, value added and occupation figures, in addition to its indirect economic effects. It has an additional strategic value for economic policy, since it constitutes a fundamental part ofthe cost of placing products on increasing markets in a competitive manner. The mobility and trans-portation of passengers in cities in turn plays an essential role in the economic and social activity. All of these reasons, in addition to the recent significant problems of ustainability which this priority sector is currently confronting in all aspects, justify an interest in a study which attempts to obtaina profile of this public service by using a strategic analysis through the application of the traditional Porter Five Forces Model. The application of this model will allow us to obtain a general strategic vision which, when combined with a maturity analysis, ill provide a more in-depth knowledge of the object under study, that will serve as a basis for subsequent analyses of the collective urban public transport service.

Playful empowerment, the role of game design innovation in participatory citizenship.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, B.A.M.; Marsh, T.

2016-01-01

In this talk I will address a changing perspective on design, one in which users are defined as social and economical actors who co-create products and services. We will see that the role of play in its contemporary and digital form for instance through games, apps, interactive toys is essential in

Relative contribution of CTR1 and DMT1 in copper transport by the blood–CSF barrier: Implication in manganese-induced neurotoxicity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Gang [School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States); Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and the Ministry of Education Key Lab of Hazard Assessment and Control in Special Operational Environment, School of Public Health, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an, Shanxi 710032 (China); Chen, Jingyuan [Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and the Ministry of Education Key Lab of Hazard Assessment and Control in Special Operational Environment, School of Public Health, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an, Shanxi 710032 (China); Zheng, Wei, E-mail: wzheng@purdue.edu [School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States)

2012-05-01

The homeostasis of copper (Cu) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is partially regulated by the Cu transporter-1 (CTR1) and divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT1) at the blood–CSF barrier (BCB) in the choroid plexus. Data from human and animal studies suggest an increased Cu concentration in blood, CSF, and brains following in vivo manganese (Mn) exposure. This study was designed to investigate the relative role of CTR1 and DMT1 in Cu transport under normal or Mn-exposed conditions using an immortalized choroidal Z310 cell line. Mn exposure in vitro resulted in an increased cellular {sup 64}Cu uptake and the up-regulation of both CTR1 and DMT1. Knocking down CTR1 by siRNA counteracted the Mn-induced increase of {sup 64}Cu uptake, while knocking down DMT1 siRNA resulted in an increased cellular {sup 64}Cu uptake in Mn-exposed cells. To distinguish the roles of CTR1 and DMT1 in Cu transport, the Z310 cell-based tetracycline (Tet)-inducible CTR1 and DMT1 expression cell lines were developed, namely iZCTR1 and iZDMT1 cells, respectively. In iZCTR1 cells, Tet induction led to a robust increase (25 fold) of {sup 64}Cu uptake with the time course corresponding to the increased CTR1. Induction of DMT1 by Tet in iZDMT1 cells, however, resulted in only a slight increase of {sup 64}Cu uptake in contrast to a substantial increase in DMT1 mRNA and protein expression. These data indicate that CTR1, but not DMT1, plays an essential role in transporting Cu by the BCB in the choroid plexus. Mn-induced cellular overload of Cu at the BCB is due, primarily, to Mn-induced over-expression of CTR1. -- Highlights: ► This study compares the relative role of CTR1 and DMT1 in Cu transport by the BCB. ► Two novel tetracycline-inducible CTR1 and DMT1 expression cell lines are created. ► CTR1, but not DMT1, plays an essential role in transporting Cu by the BCB. ► Mn-induced cellular Cu overload is due to its induction of CTR1 rather than DMT1. ► Induction of CTR1 by Mn in the BCB

TOPICAL PROBLEMS AND DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES OF INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT TRANSPORT

OpenAIRE

Sulce, Anastasija

2014-01-01

The title of thesis is Typical Problems and Development Perspectives of International Freight Transport. This work is dedicated to different modes of international transportation, freight and logistics their advantages and disadvantages. Another essential part of the work related to different way for transport development and its efficient usage The objective is to explore modes of freight transport and logistics in details and, thereof, reveal advantages and disadvantages. On the basis ...

Narrative increases step counts during active video game play among children

Science.gov (United States)

Active video games (AVGs) capable of inducing physical activity (PA) level offer a novel alternative to child obesity. Unfortunately, children's motivation to play AVG decreases quickly, underscoring the need to find new methods to maintain their engagement. According to narrative transportation th...

Zinc Transporter SLC39A7/ZIP7 Promotes Intestinal Epithelial Self-Renewal by Resolving ER Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Ohashi, Wakana; Kimura, Shunsuke; Iwanaga, Toshihiko; Furusawa, Yukihiro; Irié, Tarou; Izumi, Hironori; Watanabe, Takashi; Hara, Takafumi; Ohara, Osamu; Koseki, Haruhiko; Sato, Toshiro; Robine, Sylvie; Mori, Hisashi; Hattori, Yuichi; Mishima, Kenji; Ohno, Hiroshi; Hase, Koji; Fukada, Toshiyuki

2016-01-01

Zinc transporters play a critical role in spatiotemporal regulation of zinc homeostasis. Although disruption of zinc homeostasis has been implicated in disorders such as intestinal inflammation and aberrant epithelial morphology, it is largely unknown which zinc transporters are responsible for the intestinal epithelial homeostasis. Here, we show that Zrt-Irt-like protein (ZIP) transporter ZIP7, which is highly expressed in the intestinal crypt, is essential for intestinal epithelial proliferation. Mice lacking Zip7 in intestinal epithelium triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in proliferative progenitor cells, leading to significant cell death of progenitor cells. Zip7 deficiency led to the loss of Olfm4+ intestinal stem cells and the degeneration of post-mitotic Paneth cells, indicating a fundamental requirement for Zip7 in homeostatic intestinal regeneration. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for the importance of ZIP7 in maintenance of intestinal epithelial homeostasis through the regulation of ER function in proliferative progenitor cells and maintenance of intestinal stem cells. Therapeutic targeting of ZIP7 could lead to effective treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. PMID:27736879

Zinc Transporter SLC39A7/ZIP7 Promotes Intestinal Epithelial Self-Renewal by Resolving ER Stress.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wakana Ohashi

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Zinc transporters play a critical role in spatiotemporal regulation of zinc homeostasis. Although disruption of zinc homeostasis has been implicated in disorders such as intestinal inflammation and aberrant epithelial morphology, it is largely unknown which zinc transporters are responsible for the intestinal epithelial homeostasis. Here, we show that Zrt-Irt-like protein (ZIP transporter ZIP7, which is highly expressed in the intestinal crypt, is essential for intestinal epithelial proliferation. Mice lacking Zip7 in intestinal epithelium triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress in proliferative progenitor cells, leading to significant cell death of progenitor cells. Zip7 deficiency led to the loss of Olfm4+ intestinal stem cells and the degeneration of post-mitotic Paneth cells, indicating a fundamental requirement for Zip7 in homeostatic intestinal regeneration. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for the importance of ZIP7 in maintenance of intestinal epithelial homeostasis through the regulation of ER function in proliferative progenitor cells and maintenance of intestinal stem cells. Therapeutic targeting of ZIP7 could lead to effective treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.

Essential roles of aspartate aminotransferase 1 and vesicular glutamate transporters in β-cell glutamate signaling for incretin-induced insulin secretion.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naoya Murao

Full Text Available Incretins (GLP-1 and GIP potentiate insulin secretion through cAMP signaling in pancreatic β-cells in a glucose-dependent manner. We recently proposed a mechanistic model of incretin-induced insulin secretion (IIIS that requires two critical processes: 1 generation of cytosolic glutamate through the malate-aspartate (MA shuttle in glucose metabolism and 2 glutamate transport into insulin granules by cAMP signaling to promote insulin granule exocytosis. To directly prove the model, we have established and characterized CRISPR/Cas9-engineered clonal mouse β-cell lines deficient for the genes critical in these two processes: aspartate aminotransferase 1 (AST1, gene symbol Got1, a key enzyme in the MA shuttle, which generates cytosolic glutamate, and the vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUT1, VGLUT2, and VGLUT3, gene symbol Slc17a7, Slc17a6, and Slc17a8, respectively, which participate in glutamate transport into secretory vesicles. Got1 knockout (KO β-cell lines were defective in cytosolic glutamate production from glucose and showed impaired IIIS. Unexpectedly, different from the previous finding that global Slc17a7 KO mice exhibited impaired IIIS from pancreatic islets, β-cell specific Slc17a7 KO mice showed no significant impairment in IIIS, as assessed by pancreas perfusion experiment. Single Slc17a7 KO β-cell lines also retained IIIS, probably due to compensatory upregulation of Slc17a6. Interestingly, triple KO of Slc17a7, Slc17a6, and Slc17a8 diminished IIIS, which was rescued by exogenously introduced wild-type Slc17a7 or Slc17a6 genes. The present study provides direct evidence for the essential roles of AST1 and VGLUTs in β-cell glutamate signaling for IIIS and also shows the usefulness of the CRISPR/Cas9 system for studying β-cells by simultaneous disruption of multiple genes.

Theoretical comparative studies on transport properties of pentacene, pentathienoacene, and 6,13-dichloropentacene.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xu; Yang, Xiaodi; Geng, Hua; Nan, Guangjun; Sun, Xingwen; Xi, Jinyang; Xu, Xin

2015-05-05

Pentacene derivative 6,13-dichloropentacene (DCP) is one of the latest additions to the family of organic semiconductors with a great potential for use in transistors. We carry out a detailed theoretical calculation for DCP, with systematical comparison to pentacene, pentathienoacene (PTA, the thiophene equivalent of pentacene), to gain insights in the theoretical design of organic transport materials. The charge transport parameters and carrier mobilities are investigated from the first-principles calculations, based on the widely used Marcus electron transfer theory and quantum nuclear tunneling model, coupled with random walk simulation. Molecular structure and the crystal packing type are essential to understand the differences in their transport behaviors. With the effect of molecule modification, significant one-dimensional π-stacks are found within the molecular layer in PTA and DCP crystals. The charge transport along the a-axis plays a dominant role for the carrier mobilities in the DCP crystal due to the strong transfer integrals within the a-axis. Pentacene shows a relatively large 3D mobility. This is attributed to the relatively uniform electronic couplings, which thus provides more transport pathways. PTA has a much smaller 3D mobility than pentacene and DCP for the obvious increase of the reorganization energy with the introduction of thiophene. It is found that PTA and DCP exhibit lower HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) levels and better environmental stability, indicating the potential applications in organic electronics. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Technology Roadmaps: Biofuels for Transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

Biofuels could provide up to 27% of total transport fuel worldwide by 2050. The use of transport fuels from biomass, when produced sustainably, can help cut petroleum use and reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector, especially in heavy transport. Sustainable biofuel technologies, in particular advanced biofuels, will play an important role in achieving this roadmap vision. The roadmap describes the steps necessary to realise this ambitious biofuels target; identifies key actions by different stakeholders, and the role for government policy to adopt measures needed to ensure the sustainable expansion of both conventional and advanced biofuel production.

Problems of linear electron (polaron) transport theory in semiconductors

CERN Document Server

Klinger, M I

1979-01-01

Problems of Linear Electron (Polaron) Transport Theory in Semiconductors summarizes and discusses the development of areas in electron transport theory in semiconductors, with emphasis on the fundamental aspects of the theory and the essential physical nature of the transport processes. The book is organized into three parts. Part I focuses on some general topics in the theory of transport phenomena: the general dynamical theory of linear transport in dissipative systems (Kubo formulae) and the phenomenological theory. Part II deals with the theory of polaron transport in a crystalline semicon

Alternative oxidase: a respiratory electron transport chain pathway essential for maintaining photosynthetic performance during drought stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanlerberghe, Greg C; Martyn, Greg D; Dahal, Keshav

2016-07-01

Photosynthesis and respiration are the hubs of energy metabolism in plants. Drought strongly perturbs photosynthesis as a result of both diffusive limitations resulting from stomatal closure, and in some cases biochemical limitations that are associated with a reduced abundance of key photosynthetic components. The effects of drought on respiration, particularly respiration in the light (RL ), are less understood. The plant mitochondrial electron transport chain includes a non-energy conserving terminal oxidase called alternative oxidase (AOX). Several studies have shown that drought increases AOX transcript, protein and maximum capacity. Here we review recent studies comparing wild-type (WT) tobacco to transgenic lines with altered AOX protein amount. Specifically during drought, RL was compromised in AOX knockdown plants and enhanced in AOX overexpression plants, compared with WT. Significantly, these differences in RL were accompanied by dramatic differences in photosynthetic performance. Knockdown of AOX increased the susceptibility of photosynthesis to drought-induced biochemical limitations, while overexpression of AOX delayed the development of such biochemical limitations, compared with WT. Overall, the results indicate that AOX is essential to maintaining RL during drought, and that this non-energy conserving respiration maintains photosynthesis during drought by promoting energy balance in the chloroplast. This review also outlines several areas for future research, including the possibility that enhancement of non-energy conserving respiratory electron sinks may be a useful biotechnological approach to increase plant performance during stress. © 2016 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

Transport properties of dense matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itoh, Naoki; Mitake, Shinichi; Iyetomi, Hiroshi; Ichimaru, Setsuo

1983-01-01

Transport coefficients, electrical and thermal conductivities in particular, are essential physical quantities for the theories of stellar structure. Since the discoveries of pulsars and X-ray stars, an accurate evaluation of the transport coefficients in the dense matter has become indispensable to the quantitative understanding of the observed neutron stars. The authors present improved calculations of the electrical and thermal conductivities of the dense matter in the liquid metal phase, appropriate to white dwarfs and neutron stars. (Auth.)

Facilitation of Nanoscale Thermal Transport by Hydrogen Bonds

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Lin

2017-01-01

Thermal transport performance at the nanoscale and/or of biomaterials is essential to the success of many new technologies including nanoelectronics, biomedical devices, and various nanocomposites. Due to complicated microstructures and chemical bonding, thermal transport process in these materials has not been well understood yet. In terms of chemical bonding, it is well known that the strength of atomic bonding can significantly affect thermal transport across materials or across interfaces...

Interleukin 10 is an essential modulator of mucoid metaplasia in a mouse otitis media model

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuchiya, Katsuyuki; Komori, Masahiro; Zheng, Qing Yin; Ferrieri, Patricia; Lin, Jizhen

2009-01-01

Inflammatory cytokines are involved in the development of mucus cell metaplasia/hyperplasia (MCM) in otitis media (OM). However, which cytokines play an essential role in MCM OM is not clear at the moment. In this study, we hypothesized that interleukin-10 (IL-10) played an indispensable role in MCM of bacterial OM and used IL-10 knockout mice to test this hypothesis. In wild-type mice, both S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae triggered the development of MCM in the middle ear mucosa. In IL-10 knockout mice, the number of goblet cells and mucin-producing cells in the middle ear was significantly reduced after bacterial middle ear infection compared with that in wild-type mice. We, therefore, concluded that IL-10 plays an essential role in MCM of bacterial OM. IL-10 is a potential target for the treatment of MCM in OM. PMID:18771082

Human transporter database: comprehensive knowledge and discovery tools in the human transporter genes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Y Ye

Full Text Available Transporters are essential in homeostatic exchange of endogenous and exogenous substances at the systematic, organic, cellular, and subcellular levels. Gene mutations of transporters are often related to pharmacogenetics traits. Recent developments in high throughput technologies on genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics allow in depth studies of transporter genes in normal cellular processes and diverse disease conditions. The flood of high throughput data have resulted in urgent need for an updated knowledgebase with curated, organized, and annotated human transporters in an easily accessible way. Using a pipeline with the combination of automated keywords query, sequence similarity search and manual curation on transporters, we collected 1,555 human non-redundant transporter genes to develop the Human Transporter Database (HTD (http://htd.cbi.pku.edu.cn. Based on the extensive annotations, global properties of the transporter genes were illustrated, such as expression patterns and polymorphisms in relationships with their ligands. We noted that the human transporters were enriched in many fundamental biological processes such as oxidative phosphorylation and cardiac muscle contraction, and significantly associated with Mendelian and complex diseases such as epilepsy and sudden infant death syndrome. Overall, HTD provides a well-organized interface to facilitate research communities to search detailed molecular and genetic information of transporters for development of personalized medicine.

Problematic Game Play: The Diagnostic Value of Playing Motives, Passion, and Playing Time in Men

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Kneer

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Internet gaming disorder is currently listed in the DSM—not in order to diagnose such a disorder but to encourage research to investigate this phenomenon. Even whether it is still questionable if Internet Gaming Disorder exists and can be judged as a form of addiction, problematic game play is already very well researched to cause problems in daily life. Approaches trying to predict problematic tendencies in digital game play have mainly focused on playing time as a diagnostic criterion. However, motives to engage in digital game play and obsessive passion for game play have also been found to predict problematic game play but have not yet been investigated together. The present study aims at (1 analyzing if obsessive passion can be distinguished from problematic game play as separate concepts, and (2 testing motives of game play, passion, and playing time for their predictive values for problematic tendencies. We found (N = 99 males, Age: M = 22.80, SD = 3.81 that obsessive passion can be conceptually separated from problematic game play. In addition, the results suggest that compared to solely playing time immersion as playing motive and obsessive passion have added predictive value for problematic game play. The implications focus on broadening the criteria in order to diagnose problematic playing.

Problematic game play: the diagnostic value of playing motives, passion, and playing time in men.

Science.gov (United States)

Kneer, Julia; Rieger, Diana

2015-04-30

Internet gaming disorder is currently listed in the DSM-not in order to diagnose such a disorder but to encourage research to investigate this phenomenon. Even whether it is still questionable if Internet Gaming Disorder exists and can be judged as a form of addiction, problematic game play is already very well researched to cause problems in daily life. Approaches trying to predict problematic tendencies in digital game play have mainly focused on playing time as a diagnostic criterion. However, motives to engage in digital game play and obsessive passion for game play have also been found to predict problematic game play but have not yet been investigated together. The present study aims at (1) analyzing if obsessive passion can be distinguished from problematic game play as separate concepts, and (2) testing motives of game play, passion, and playing time for their predictive values for problematic tendencies. We found (N = 99 males, Age: M = 22.80, SD = 3.81) that obsessive passion can be conceptually separated from problematic game play. In addition, the results suggest that compared to solely playing time immersion as playing motive and obsessive passion have added predictive value for problematic game play. The implications focus on broadening the criteria in order to diagnose problematic playing.

Acidic and uncharged polar residues in the consensus motifs of the yeast Ca2+ transporter Gdt1p are required for calcium transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Colinet, Anne-Sophie; Thines, Louise; Deschamps, Antoine; Flémal, Gaëlle; Demaegd, Didier; Morsomme, Pierre

2017-07-01

The UPF0016 family is a recently identified group of poorly characterized membrane proteins whose function is conserved through evolution and that are defined by the presence of 1 or 2 copies of the E-φ-G-D-[KR]-[TS] consensus motif in their transmembrane domain. We showed that 2 members of this family, the human TMEM165 and the budding yeast Gdt1p, are functionally related and are likely to form a new group of Ca 2+ transporters. Mutations in TMEM165 have been demonstrated to cause a new type of rare human genetic diseases denominated as Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we generated 17 mutations in the yeast Golgi-localized Ca 2+ transporter Gdt1p. Single alanine substitutions were targeted to the highly conserved consensus motifs, 4 acidic residues localized in the central cytosolic loop, and the arginine at position 71. The mutants were screened in a yeast strain devoid of both the endogenous Gdt1p exchanger and Pmr1p, the Ca 2+ -ATPase of the Golgi apparatus. We show here that acidic and polar uncharged residues of the consensus motifs play a crucial role in calcium tolerance and calcium transport activity and are therefore likely to be architectural components of the cation binding site of Gdt1p. Importantly, we confirm the essential role of the E53 residue whose mutation in humans triggers congenital disorders of glycosylation. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Orbital transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oertel, H. Jr.; Koerner, H.

1993-01-01

The Third Aerospace Symposium in Braunschweig presented, for the first time, the possibility of bringing together the classical disciplines of aerospace engineering and the natural science disciplines of meteorology and air chemistry in a european setting. In this way, aspects of environmental impact on the atmosphere could be examined quantitatively. An essential finding of the european conference, is the unrestricted agreement of the experts that the given launch frequencies of the present orbital transport result in a negligible amount of pollutants being released in the atmosphere. The symposium does, however, call attention to the increasing need to consider the effect of orbital and atmospheric environmental impact of a future increase in launch frequencies of orbital transport in connection with future space stations. The Third Aerospace Symposium, 'Orbital Transport, Technical, Meteorological and Chemical Aspects', constituted a first forum of discussion for engineers and scientists. Questions of new orbital transport technologies and their environmental impact were to be discussed towards a first consensus. Through the 34 reports and articles, the general problems of space transportation and environmental protection were addressed, as well as particular aspects of high temperatures during reentry in the atmosphere of the earth, precision navigation of flight vehicles or flow behavior and air chemistry in the stratosphere. (orig./CT). 342 figs

Opposite temperature effect on transport activity of KCC2/KCC4 and N(K)CCs in HEK-293 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, Anna-Maria; Nothwang, Hans Gerd

2011-12-09

Cation chloride cotransporters play essential roles in many physiological processes such as volume regulation, transepithelial salt transport and setting the intracellular chloride concentration in neurons. They consist mainly of the inward transporters NCC, NKCC1, and NKCC2, and the outward transporters KCC1 to KCC4. To gain insight into regulatory and structure-function relationships, precise determination of their activity is required. Frequently, these analyses are performed in HEK-293 cells. Recently the activity of the inward transporters NKCC1 and NCC was shown to increase with temperature in these cells. However, the temperature effect on KCCs remains largely unknown. Here, we determined the temperature effect on KCC2 and KCC4 transport activity in HEK-293 cells. Both transporters demonstrated significantly higher transport activity (2.5 fold for KCC2 and 3.3 fold for KCC4) after pre-incubation at room temperature compared to 37°C. These data identify a reciprocal temperature dependence of cation chloride inward and outward cotransporters in HEK-293 cells. Thus, lower temperature should be used for functional characterization of KCC2 and KCC4 and higher temperatures for N(K)CCs in heterologous mammalian expression systems. Furthermore, if this reciprocal effect also applies to neurons, the action of inhibitory neurotransmitters might be more affected by changes in temperature than previously thought.

Pannexin 1 channels play essential roles in urothelial mechanotransduction and intercellular signaling.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiromitsu Negoro

Full Text Available Urothelial cells respond to bladder distension with ATP release, and ATP signaling within the bladder and from the bladder to the CNS is essential for proper bladder function. In other cell types, pannexin 1 (Panx1 channels provide a pathway for mechanically-induced ATP efflux and for ATP-induced ATP release through interaction with P2X7 receptors (P2X7Rs. We report that Panx1 and P2X7R are functionally expressed in the bladder mucosa and in immortalized human urothelial cells (TRT-HU1, and participate in urothelial ATP release and signaling. ATP release from isolated rat bladders induced by distention was reduced by the Panx1 channel blocker mefloquine (MFQ and was blunted in mice lacking Panx1 or P2X7R expression. Hypoosmotic shock induced YoPro dye uptake was inhibited by MFQ and the P2X7R blocker A438079 in TRT-HU1 cells, and was also blunted in primary urothelial cells derived from mice lacking Panx1 or P2X7R expression. Rinsing-induced mechanical stimulation of TRT-HU1 cells triggered ATP release, which was reduced by MFQ and potentiated in low divalent cation solution (LDPBS, a condition known to enhance P2X7R activation. ATP signaling evaluated as intercellular Ca2+ wave radius was significantly larger in LDPBS, reduced by MFQ and by apyrase (ATP scavenger. These findings indicate that Panx1 participates in urothelial mechanotransduction and signaling by providing a direct pathway for mechanically-induced ATP release and by functionally interacting with P2X7Rs.

A system view and analysis of essential hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Botzer, Alon; Grossman, Ehud; Moult, John; Unger, Ron

2018-05-01

The goal of this study was to investigate genes associated with essential hypertension from a system perspective, making use of bioinformatic tools to gain insights that are not evident when focusing at a detail-based resolution. Using various databases (pathways, Genome Wide Association Studies, knockouts etc.), we compiled a set of about 200 genes that play a major role in hypertension and identified the interactions between them. This enabled us to create a protein-protein interaction network graph, from which we identified key elements, based on graph centrality analysis. Enriched gene regulatory elements (transcription factors and microRNAs) were extracted by motif finding techniques and knowledge-based tools. We found that the network is composed of modules associated with functions such as water retention, endothelial vasoconstriction, sympathetic activity and others. We identified the transcription factor SP1 and the two microRNAs miR27 (a and b) and miR548c-3p that seem to play a major role in regulating the network as they exert their control over several modules and are not restricted to specific functions. We also noticed that genes involved in metabolic diseases (e.g. insulin) are central to the network. We view the blood-pressure regulation mechanism as a system-of-systems, composed of several contributing subsystems and pathways rather than a single module. The system is regulated by distributed elements. Understanding this mode of action can lead to a more precise treatment and drug target discovery. Our analysis suggests that insulin plays a primary role in hypertension, highlighting the tight link between essential hypertension and diseases associated with the metabolic syndrome.

Study on the Relationship between Land Transport and Economic Growth in Xinjiang

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingxin Sun

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Xinjiang’s land transport network is mainly comprised of highways and railways. Using statistical data from 1985 to 2015, this study applies the Lotka-Volterra model to investigate the competitive interactions among highway transport, railway transport, and the regional economy of Xinjiang. We can draw the following conclusions: First, highway mileage, highway passenger transportation, and railway freight transportation have played a significant role in promoting the development of the national economy in Xinjiang, while the latter has weakened highway passenger transportation and promoted the growth of the added value of transportation industry (AVTI, railway mileage, and railway passenger transportation. Second, highway passenger transportation enhances the development of railway passenger transportation, while railway freight transportation has played the same role in the development of highway freight transportation. Third, the increase in AVTI will increase total population, but both may have a negative impact on the national economy in the short term. Fourth, there is no significant relationship between the economy and transportation investment.

Influence of Humic Acid on the Transport and Deposition of Colloidal Silica under Different Hydrogeochemical Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingjing Zhou

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The transport and deposition of colloids in aquifers plays an important role in managed aquifer recharge (MAR schemes. Here, the processes of colloidal silica transport and deposition were studied by displacing groundwater with recharge water. The results showed that significant amounts of colloidal silica transport occurred when native groundwater was displaced by HA solution. Solution contains varying conditions of ionic strength and ion valence. The presence of humic acid could affect the zeta potential and size of the colloidal silica, which led to obvious colloidal silica aggregation in the divalent ion solution. Humic acid increased colloidal silica transport by formation of non-adsorbing aqueous phase silica–HA complexes. The experimental and modeling results showed good agreement, indicating that the essential physics were accurately captured by the model. The deposition rates were less than 10−8 s−1 in deionized water and monovalent ion solution. Moreover, the addition of Ca2+ and increase of IS resulted in the deposition rates increasing by five orders of magnitude to 10−4 s−1. In all experiments, the deposition rates decreased in the presence of humic acid. Overall, the promotion of humic acid in colloidal silica was strongly associated with changes in water quality, indicating that they should receive greater attention during MAR.

Level playing field for biomass. Government interventions with regard to fuels and energy carriers for mobility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoogma, R.; Te Buck, S.

2010-09-01

A healthy development of the BioBased Economy (BBE) requires government support to one application to not complicate the development of another application. It is important to have a level playing field. This report takes a closer look at the level playing field for biomass in transport. [nl

Cosmic-ray neutron transport at a forest field site

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreasen, Mie; Jensen, Karsten Høgh; Desilets, Darin

2017-01-01

-ray neutron intensity is essential (e.g., the effect of vegetation, litter layer and soil type). In this study the environmental effect is examined by performing a sensitivity analysis using neutron transport modeling. We use a neutron transport model with various representations of the forest and different...

Turbulent Transport in a Three-dimensional Solar Wind

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shiota, D. [Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601 (Japan); Zank, G. P.; Adhikari, L.; Hunana, P. [Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR), Department of Space Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35805 (United States); Telloni, D. [INAF—Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese (Italy); Bruno, R., E-mail: shiota@isee.nagoya-u.ac.jp [INAF-IAPS Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma (Italy)

2017-03-01

Turbulence in the solar wind can play essential roles in the heating of coronal and solar wind plasma and the acceleration of the solar wind and energetic particles. Turbulence sources are not well understood and thought to be partly enhanced by interaction with the large-scale inhomogeneity of the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field and/or transported from the solar corona. To investigate the interaction with background inhomogeneity and the turbulence sources, we have developed a new 3D MHD model that includes the transport and dissipation of turbulence using the theoretical model of Zank et al. We solve for the temporal and spatial evolution of three moments or variables, the energy in the forward and backward fluctuating modes and the residual energy and their three corresponding correlation lengths. The transport model is coupled to our 3D model of the inhomogeneous solar wind. We present results of the coupled solar wind-turbulence model assuming a simple tilted dipole magnetic configuration that mimics solar minimum conditions, together with several comparative intermediate cases. By considering eight possible solar wind and turbulence source configurations, we show that the large-scale solar wind and IMF inhomogeneity and the strength of the turbulence sources significantly affect the distribution of turbulence in the heliosphere within 6 au. We compare the predicted turbulence distribution results from a complete solar minimum model with in situ measurements made by the Helios and Ulysses spacecraft, finding that the synthetic profiles of the turbulence intensities show reasonable agreement with observations.

Advances in methods for identification and characterization of plant transporter function

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Bo; Xu, Deyang; Halkier, Barbara Ann

2017-01-01

Transport proteins are crucial for cellular function at all levels. Numerous importers and exporters facilitate transport of a diverse array of metabolites and ions intra- and intercellularly. Identification of transporter function is essential for understanding biological processes at both......-based approaches. In this review, we highlight examples that illustrate how new technology and tools have advanced identification and characterization of plant transporter functions....

Two cation transporters Ena1 and Nha1 cooperatively modulate ion homeostasis, antifungal drug resistance, and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans via the HOG pathway

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Kwang-Woo; Strain, Anna K; Nielsen, Kirsten; Jung, Kwang-Hwan; Bahn, Yong-Sun

2012-01-01

Maintenance of cation homeostasis is essential for survival of all living organisms in their biological niches. It is also important for the survival of human pathogenic fungi in the host, where cation concentrations and pH will vary depending on different anatomical sites. However, the exact role of diverse cation transporters and ion channels in virulence of fungal pathogens remains elusive. In this study we functionally characterized ENA1 and NHA1, encoding a putative Na+/ATPase and Na+/H+ antiporter, respectively, in Cryptococcus neoformans, a basidiomycete fungal pathogen which causes fatal meningoencephalitis. Expression of NHA1 and ENA1 is induced in response to salt and osmotic shock mainly in a Hog1-dependent manner. Phenotypic analysis of the ena1, nha1, and ena1 nha1 mutants revealed that Ena1 controls cellular levels of toxic cations, such as Na+ and Li+ whereas both Ena1 and Nha1 are important for controlling less toxic K+ ions. Under alkaline conditions, Ena1 was highly induced and required for growth in the presence of low levels of Na+ or K+ salt and Nha1 played a role in survival under K+ stress. In contrast, Nha1, but not Ena1, was essential for survival at acidic conditions (pH 4.5) under high K+ stress. In addition, Ena1 and Nha1 were required for maintenance of plasma membrane potential and stability, which appeared to modulate antifungal drug susceptibility. Perturbation of ENA1 and NHA1 enhanced capsule production and melanin synthesis. However, Nha1 was dispensable for virulence of C. neoformans although Ena1 was essential. In conclusion, Ena1 and Nha1 play redundant and discrete roles in cation homeostasis, pH regulation, membrane potential, and virulence in C. neoformans, suggesting that these transporters could be novel antifungal drug targets for treatment of cryptococcosis. PMID:22343280

Transport Choice Modeling for the Evaluation of New Transport Policies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ander Pijoan

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Quantifying the impact of the application of sustainable transport policies is essential in order to mitigate effects of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the transport sector. One of the most common approaches used for this purpose is that of traffic modelling and simulation, which consists of emulating the operation of an entire road network. This article presents the results of fitting 8 well known data science methods for transport choice modelling, the area in which more research is needed. The models have been trained with information from Biscay province in Spain in order to match as many of its commuters as possible. Results show that the best models correctly forecast more than 51% of the trips recorded. Finally, the results have been validated with a second data set from the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland, showing that all models indeed maintain their forecasting ability.

Application of method of volume averaging coupled with time resolved PIV to determine transport characteristics of turbulent flows in porous bed

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, Vishal; Liburdy, James

2012-11-01

Turbulent porous media flows are encountered in catalytic bed reactors and heat exchangers. Dispersion and mixing properties of these flows play an essential role in efficiency and performance. In an effort to understand these flows, pore scale time resolved PIV measurements in a refractive index matched porous bed were made. Pore Reynolds numbers, based on hydraulic diameter and pore average velocity, were varied from 400-4000. Jet-like flows and recirculation regions associated with large scale structures were found to exist. Coherent vortical structures which convect at approximately 0.8 times the pore average velocity were identified. These different flow regions exhibited different turbulent characteristics and hence contributed unequally to global transport properties of the bed. The heterogeneity present within a pore and also from pore to pore can be accounted for in estimating transport properties using the method of volume averaging. Eddy viscosity maps and mean velocity field maps, both obtained from PIV measurements, along with the method of volume averaging were used to predict the dispersion tensor versus Reynolds number. Asymptotic values of dispersion compare well to existing correlations. The role of molecular diffusion was explored by varying the Schmidt number and molecular diffusion was found to play an important role in tracer transport, especially in recirculation regions. Funding by NSF grant 0933857, Particulate and Multiphase Processing.

A novel member of the trehalose transporter family functions as an H+-dependent trehalose transporter in the reabsorption of trehalose in Malpighian tubules.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shingo eKikuta

2012-07-01

Full Text Available In insects, Malpighian tubules are functionally analogous to mammalian kidneys in that they not only are essential to excrete waste molecules into the lumen but also are responsible for the reabsorption of indispensable molecules, such as sugars, from the lumen to the principal cells. Among sugars, the disaccharide trehalose is highly important to insects because it is the main hemolymph sugar to serve as a source of energy and carbon. The trehalose transporter TRET1 participates in the transfer of newly synthesized trehalose from the fat body across the cellular membrane into the hemolymph. Although transport proteins must play a pivotal role in the reabsorption of trehalose in Malpighian tubules, the molecular context underlying this process remains obscure. Previously, we identified a Tret1 homolog (Nlst8 that is expressed principally in the Malpighian tubules of the brown planthopper (BPH. Here, we used the Xenopus oocyte expression system to show that NlST8 exerts trehalose transport activity that is elevated under low pH conditions. These functional assays indicate that Nlst8 encodes a proton-dependent trehalose transporter (H-TRET1. To examine the involvement of Nlst8 in trehalose reabsorption, we analyzed the sugar composition of honeydew by using BPH with RNAi gene silencing. Trehalose was detected in the honeydew as waste excreted from Nlst8-dsRNA-injected BPH under hyperglycemic conditions. However, trehalose was not expelled from GFP-dsRNA-injected BPH even under hyperglycemic conditions. We conclude that NlST8 could participate in trehalose reabsorption driven by a H+ gradient from the lumen to the principal cells of the Malpighian tubules.

Genome-wide identification, characterization and phylogenetic analysis of 50 catfish ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shikai; Li, Qi; Liu, Zhanjiang

2013-01-01

Although a large set of full-length transcripts was recently assembled in catfish, annotation of large gene families, especially those with duplications, is still a great challenge. Most often, complexities in annotation cause mis-identification and thereby much confusion in the scientific literature. As such, detailed phylogenetic analysis and/or orthology analysis are required for annotation of genes involved in gene families. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter gene superfamily is a large gene family that encodes membrane proteins that transport a diverse set of substrates across membranes, playing important roles in protecting organisms from diverse environment. In this work, we identified a set of 50 ABC transporters in catfish genome. Phylogenetic analysis allowed their identification and annotation into seven subfamilies, including 9 ABCA genes, 12 ABCB genes, 12 ABCC genes, 5 ABCD genes, 2 ABCE genes, 4 ABCF genes and 6 ABCG genes. Most ABC transporters are conserved among vertebrates, though cases of recent gene duplications and gene losses do exist. Gene duplications in catfish were found for ABCA1, ABCB3, ABCB6, ABCC5, ABCD3, ABCE1, ABCF2 and ABCG2. The whole set of catfish ABC transporters provide the essential genomic resources for future biochemical, toxicological and physiological studies of ABC drug efflux transporters. The establishment of orthologies should allow functional inferences with the information from model species, though the function of lineage-specific genes can be distinct because of specific living environment with different selection pressure.

The molecular mechanism for overcoming the rate-limiting step in monoamine neurotransmitter transport

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sinning, Steffen; Said, Saida; Malinauskaite, Lina

The monoamine transporter family consists of dopamine (DAT), norepinephrine (NET) and serotonin transporters (SERT) that mediate the reuptake of the monoamine neurotransmitters after their release during neurotransmission. These transporters play prominent roles in psychiatric disorders and are t......The monoamine transporter family consists of dopamine (DAT), norepinephrine (NET) and serotonin transporters (SERT) that mediate the reuptake of the monoamine neurotransmitters after their release during neurotransmission. These transporters play prominent roles in psychiatric disorders...... membrane. The rate-limiting step in monoamine reuptake is the return of the empty transporter from an inward-facing to an outward-facing conformation without neurotransmitter and sodium bound. The molecular mechanism underlying this important conformational transition has not been described. Crystal...

Ballistic transport and electronic structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schep, Kees M.; Kelly, Paul J.; Bauer, Gerrit E.W.

1998-01-01

The role of the electronic structure in determining the transport properties of ballistic point contacts is studied. The conductance in the ballistic regime is related to simple geometrical projections of the Fermi surface. The essential physics is first clarified for simple models. For real

Analysis of pan-genome to identify the core genes and essential genes of Brucella spp.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaowen; Li, Yajie; Zang, Juan; Li, Yexia; Bie, Pengfei; Lu, Yanli; Wu, Qingmin

2016-04-01

Brucella spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens, that cause a contagious zoonotic disease, that can result in such outcomes as abortion or sterility in susceptible animal hosts and grave, debilitating illness in humans. For deciphering the survival mechanism of Brucella spp. in vivo, 42 Brucella complete genomes from NCBI were analyzed for the pan-genome and core genome by identification of their composition and function of Brucella genomes. The results showed that the total 132,143 protein-coding genes in these genomes were divided into 5369 clusters. Among these, 1710 clusters were associated with the core genome, 1182 clusters with strain-specific genes and 2477 clusters with dispensable genomes. COG analysis indicated that 44 % of the core genes were devoted to metabolism, which were mainly responsible for energy production and conversion (COG category C), and amino acid transport and metabolism (COG category E). Meanwhile, approximately 35 % of the core genes were in positive selection. In addition, 1252 potential essential genes were predicted in the core genome by comparison with a prokaryote database of essential genes. The results suggested that the core genes in Brucella genomes are relatively conservation, and the energy and amino acid metabolism play a more important role in the process of growth and reproduction in Brucella spp. This study might help us to better understand the mechanisms of Brucella persistent infection and provide some clues for further exploring the gene modules of the intracellular survival in Brucella spp.

Is diet an essential risk factor for coronary heart disease?

OpenAIRE

Ball, K. P.

1980-01-01

Cigarette smoking, hypertension and diet each play a major role in the development of coronary heart attacks in most industrialized nations. In some countries where cigarette smoking and hypertension are prevalent there is a low risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Hyperlipidaemia resulting from national food habits appears to be the essential factor in the high rates of CHD in developed countries.

Sustainable transport studies in Asia

CERN Document Server

Zhang, Junyi

2013-01-01

This book aims to provide a good understanding of and perspective on sustainable transport in Asia by focusing on economic, environmental, and social sustainability. It is widely acknowledged that the current situation and trends in transport are not always sustainable in Asia, due in part to the fast-growing economy and the astounding speed of urbanization as well as least-mature governance. As essential research material, the book provides strong support for policy makers and planners by comprehensively covering three groups of strategies, characterized by the words “avoid” (e.g., urban form design and control of car ownership), “shift” (e.g., establishing comprehensive transportation systems and increasing public transportation systems for both intracity and intercity travel), and “improve” (e.g., redesign of paratransit system, low-emission vehicles, intelligent transportation systems, and eco-life). These are elaborated in the book alongside consideration of the uncertainty of policy effects ...

Spin resolved electronic transport through N@C20 fullerene molecule between Au electrodes: A first principles study

Science.gov (United States)

Caliskan, Serkan

2018-05-01

Using first principles study, through Density Functional Theory combined with Non Equilibrium Green's Function Formalism, electronic properties of endohedral N@C20 fullerene molecule joining Au electrodes (Au-N@C20) was addressed in the presence of spin property. The electronic transport behavior across the Au-N@C20 molecular junction was investigated by spin resolved transmission, density of states, molecular orbitals, differential conductance and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. Spin asymmetric variation was clearly observed in the results due to single N atom encapsulated in the C20 fullerene cage, where the N atom played an essential role in the electronic behavior of Au-N@C20. This N@C20 based molecular bridge, exhibiting a spin dependent I-V variation, revealed a metallic behavior within the bias range from -1 V to 1 V. The induced magnetic moment, spin polarization and other relevant quantities associated with the spin resolved transport were elucidated.

Amino acid transporter genes are essential for FLO11-dependent and FLO11-independent biofilm formation and invasive growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasmus Torbensen

Full Text Available Amino acids can induce yeast cell adhesion but how amino acids are sensed and signal the modulation of the FLO adhesion genes is not clear. We discovered that the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK evolved invasive growth ability under prolonged nitrogen limitation. Such invasive mutants were used to identify amino acid transporters as regulators of FLO11 and invasive growth. One invasive mutant had elevated levels of FLO11 mRNA and a Q320STOP mutation in the SFL1 gene that encodes a protein kinase A pathway regulated repressor of FLO11. Glutamine-transporter genes DIP5 and GNP1 were essential for FLO11 expression, invasive growth and biofilm formation in this mutant. Invasive growth relied on known regulators of FLO11 and the Ssy1-Ptr3-Ssy5 complex that controls DIP5 and GNP1, suggesting that Dip5 and Gnp1 operates downstream of the Ssy1-Ptr3-Ssy5 complex for regulation of FLO11 expression in a protein kinase A dependent manner. The role of Dip5 and Gnp1 appears to be conserved in the S. cerevisiae strain ∑1278b since the dip5 gnp1 ∑1278b mutant showed no invasive phenotype. Secondly, the amino acid transporter gene GAP1 was found to influence invasive growth through FLO11 as well as other FLO genes. Cells carrying a dominant loss-of-function PTR3(647::CWNKNPLSSIN allele had increased transcription of the adhesion genes FLO1, 5, 9, 10, 11 and the amino acid transporter gene GAP1. Deletion of GAP1 caused loss of FLO11 expression and invasive growth. However, deletions of FLO11 and genes encoding components of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway or the protein kinase A pathway were not sufficient to abolish invasive growth, suggesting involvement of other FLO genes and alternative pathways. Increased intracellular amino acid pools in the PTR3(647::CWNKNPLSSIN-containing strain opens the possibility that Gap1 regulates the FLO genes through alteration of the amino acid pool sizes.

The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bond: focus on children in poverty.

Science.gov (United States)

Milteer, Regina M; Ginsburg, Kenneth R

2012-01-01

Play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being of children beginning in early childhood. It is a natural tool for children to develop resiliency as they learn to cooperate, overcome challenges, and negotiate with others. Play also allows children to be creative. It provides time for parents to be fully engaged with their children, to bond with their children, and to see the world from the perspective of their child. However, children who live in poverty often face socioeconomic obstacles that impede their rights to have playtime, thus affecting their healthy social-emotional development. For children who are underresourced to reach their highest potential, it is essential that parents, educators, and pediatricians recognize the importance of lifelong benefits that children gain from play.

Molecular and ionic mimicry and the transport of toxic metals

Science.gov (United States)

Bridges, Christy C.; Zalups, Rudolfs K.

2008-01-01

Despite many scientific advances, human exposure to, and intoxication by, toxic metal species continues to occur. Surprisingly, little is understood about the mechanisms by which certain metals and metal-containing species gain entry into target cells. Since there do not appear to be transporters designed specifically for the entry of most toxic metal species into mammalian cells, it has been postulated that some of these metals gain entry into target cells, through the mechanisms of ionic and/or molecular mimicry, at the site of transporters of essential elements and/or molecules. The primary purpose of this review is to discuss the transport of selective toxic metals in target organs and provide evidence supporting a role of ionic and/or molecular mimicry. In the context of this review, molecular mimicry refers to the ability of a metal ion to bond to an endogenous organic molecule to form an organic metal species that acts as a functional or structural mimic of essential molecules at the sites of transporters of those molecules. Ionic mimicry refers to the ability of a cationic form of a toxic metal to mimic an essential element or cationic species of an element at the site of a transporter of that element. Molecular and ionic mimics can also be sub-classified as structural or functional mimics. This review will present the established and putative roles of molecular and ionic mimicry in the transport of mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, selenium, and selected oxyanions in target organs and tissues. PMID:15845419

Molecular and ionic mimicry and the transport of toxic metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bridges, Christy C.; Zalups, Rudolfs K.

2005-01-01

Despite many scientific advances, human exposure to, and intoxication by, toxic metal species continues to occur. Surprisingly, little is understood about the mechanisms by which certain metals and metal-containing species gain entry into target cells. Since there do not appear to be transporters designed specifically for the entry of most toxic metal species into mammalian cells, it has been postulated that some of these metals gain entry into target cells, through the mechanisms of ionic and/or molecular mimicry, at the site of transporters of essential elements and/or molecules. The primary purpose of this review is to discuss the transport of selective toxic metals in target organs and provide evidence supporting a role of ionic and/or molecular mimicry. In the context of this review, molecular mimicry refers to the ability of a metal ion to bond to an endogenous organic molecule to form an organic metal species that acts as a functional or structural mimic of essential molecules at the sites of transporters of those molecules. Ionic mimicry refers to the ability of a cationic form of a toxic metal to mimic an essential element or cationic species of an element at the site of a transporter of that element. Molecular and ionic mimics can also be sub-classified as structural or functional mimics. This review will present the established and putative roles of molecular and ionic mimicry in the transport of mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, selenium, and selected oxyanions in target organs and tissues

Boron transport in plants: co-ordinated regulation of transporters

Science.gov (United States)

Miwa, Kyoko; Fujiwara, Toru

2010-01-01

Background The essentiality of boron (B) for plant growth was established >85 years ago. In the last decade, it has been revealed that one of the physiological roles of B is cross-linking the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan II in primary cell walls. Borate cross-linking of pectic networks serves both for physical strength of cell walls and for cell adhesion. On the other hand, high concentrations of B are toxic to plant growth. To avoid deficiency and toxicity problems, it is important for plants to maintain their tissue B concentrations within an optimum range by regulating transport processes. Boron transport was long believed to be a passive, unregulated process, but the identification of B transporters has suggested that plants sense and respond to the B conditions and regulate transporters to maintain B homeostasis. Scope Transporters responsible for efficient B uptake by roots, xylem loading and B distribution among leaves have been described. These transporters are required under B limitation for efficient acquisition and utilization of B. Transporters important for tolerating high B levels in the environment have also been identified, and these transporters export B from roots back to the soil. Two types of transporters are involved in these processes: NIPs (nodulin-26-like intrinsic proteins), boric acid channels, and BORs, B exporters. It is demonstrated that the expression of genes encoding these transporters is finely regulated in response to B availability in the environment to ensure tissue B homeostasis. Furthermore, plants tolerant to stress produced by low B or high B in the environment can be generated through altered expression of these transporters. Conclusions The identification of the first B transporter led to the discovery that B transport was a process mediated not only by passive diffusion but also by transporters whose activity was regulated in response to B conditions. Now it is evident that plants sense internal and external B

Ultrafast Thermal Transport at Interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cahill, David [Univ. of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States); Murphy, Catherine [Univ. of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States); Martin, Lane [Univ. of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States)

2014-10-21

Our research program on Ultrafast Thermal Transport at Interfaces advanced understanding of the mesoscale science of heat conduction. At the length and time scales of atoms and atomic motions, energy is transported by interactions between single-particle and collective excitations. At macroscopic scales, entropy, temperature, and heat are the governing concepts. Key gaps in fundamental knowledge appear at the transitions between these two regimes. The transport of thermal energy at interfaces plays a pivotal role in these scientific issues. Measurements of heat transport with ultrafast time resolution are needed because picoseconds are the fundamental scales where the lack of equilibrium between various thermal excitations becomes a important factor in the transport physics. A critical aspect of our work has been the development of experimental methods and model systems that enabled more precise and sensitive investigations of nanoscale thermal transport.

Charge transport in amorphous organic semiconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lukyanov, Alexander

2011-03-15

Organic semiconductors with the unique combination of electronic and mechanical properties may offer cost-effective ways of realizing many electronic applications, e. g. large-area flexible displays, printed integrated circuits and plastic solar cells. In order to facilitate the rational compound design of organic semiconductors, it is essential to understand relevant physical properties e. g. charge transport. This, however, is not straightforward, since physical models operating on different time and length scales need to be combined. First, the material morphology has to be known at an atomistic scale. For this atomistic molecular dynamics simulations can be employed, provided that an atomistic force field is available. Otherwise it has to be developed based on the existing force fields and first principle calculations. However, atomistic simulations are typically limited to the nanometer length- and nanosecond time-scales. To overcome these limitations, systematic coarse-graining techniques can be used. In the first part of this thesis, it is demonstrated how a force field can be parameterized for a typical organic molecule. Then different coarse-graining approaches are introduced together with the analysis of their advantages and problems. When atomistic morphology is available, charge transport can be studied by combining the high-temperature Marcus theory with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. The approach is applied to the hole transport in amorphous films of tris(8- hydroxyquinoline)aluminium (Alq{sub 3}). First the influence of the force field parameters and the corresponding morphological changes on charge transport is studied. It is shown that the energetic disorder plays an important role for amorphous Alq{sub 3}, defining charge carrier dynamics. Its spatial correlations govern the Poole-Frenkel behavior of the charge carrier mobility. It is found that hole transport is dispersive for system sizes accessible to simulations, meaning that calculated

Crime and public transport: designing a safer journey

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Kruger, Tinus

2007-07-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses issues related to transport and security with a particular focus on the role that the physical environment plays in increasing or reducing opportunities for crime. The focus is on crime problems on public transport and the use...

Essential relationships between in situ measurements and laboratory experiments for realistic evaluation of transport in the neighbourhood of geological waste storage sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rancon, D.

1984-02-01

As part of the study of waste storage in geological formations, a plan of research was developed which reconciles the difficulty of carrying out transport experiments in formations at a depth of 1000 m and reproducing in the laboratory the real conditions of these environments. In situ measurements should provide the characteristics of the solid and aqueous environments of the formation under consideration. In solid environments, it is essential to distinguish between pulverulent rocks and fissured compact rocks because they have totally different retention mechanisms. In the aqueous environment the physical and chemical properties of the water are of paramount importance for determining the behaviour of the radioisotopes. Borehole core samples enable the structure of the materials to be studied and provide the necessary samples for experiments. The water analysis takes into account the high pressures prevailing at depth, and for this purpose special probes are used which enable direct measurements to be taken (pH, Eh, temperature, pressure). The samples are transferred in air-tight bottles to special facilities for quantitative determination of the dissolved gases. The transformations which the aqueous environment undergoes as a result of interactions with the confinement barriers are to be taken into account in a large-scale ''integral experiment'' which will reproduce the various stages of transport while monitoring the parameters and allowing for the source term. The integral experiment will enable the tests to be carried out from underground laboratories with optimum reliability

The solute carrier 6 family of transporters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bröer, Stefan; Gether, Ulrik

2012-01-01

of these transporters is associated with a variety of diseases. Pharmacological inhibition of the neurotransmitter transporters in this family is an important strategy in the management of neurological and psychiatric disorders. This review provides an overview of the biochemical and pharmacological properties......The solute carrier 6 (SLC6) family of the human genome comprises transporters for neurotransmitters, amino acids, osmolytes and energy metabolites. Members of this family play critical roles in neurotransmission, cellular and whole body homeostasis. Malfunction or altered expression...... of the SLC6 family transporters....

A Rapid Screen Technique for Estimating Nanoparticle Transport in Porous Media

Science.gov (United States)

Quantifying the mobility of engineered nanoparticles in hydrologic pathways from point of release to human or ecological receptors is essential for assessing environmental exposures. Column transport experiments are a widely used technique to estimate the transport parameters of ...

[Health reasons for work disability among municipal transport drivers].

Science.gov (United States)

Szubert, Zuzanna; Sobala, Wojciech

2005-01-01

The health condition of public transport drivers is one of the factors playing a role in assuring safety of passengers taking use of this kind of transportation means. Therefore, the assessment of pathologies occurring in this occupational group is essential from the prevention point of view. Drivers employed in the municipal transport system are at particular risk. The aim of the study was to define health reasons of work disability among bus and tram drivers in general and to indicate pathologies responsible for disabilities in particular. The study covered 940 drivers (including 788 men and 152 women) employed in a municipal transportation enterprise during the years 1996-2000. Bus (30%) and tram (22%) drivers as well as transport service workers (48%), aged over 45 years, but under the retirement age, were eligible for the study. The analysis of temporary work disability during a five-year period was based on sickness absence, sickness absence rate and the average duration of sickness absence. The analysis revealed that diseases of the circulatory system form the major group of pathologies responsible for total sickness absence among bus drivers (43%), tram drivers (27%) and transport service workers (27%). These disease are also a leading cause of earlier retirement. They mostly include ischemic heart disease in bus drivers and hypertension in tram drivers. Cancers (pleura, kidney and eye) were responsible for 9% of sickness absence in the group of male tram drivers, whereas endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and immunity disorders (diabetes, disorders of thyroid gland) in 16% of female tram drivers. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system were major causes of sickness absence among female tram drivers (24%), whereas malignant and benign neoplasms of breast and uterine myoma in 24% of female transport service workers. The results of the analysis are in agreement with the literature findings and provide explicit evidence that employment in the

Institutional issues affecting transportation of nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reese, R.T.; Luna, R.E.

1980-01-01

The institutional issues affecting transportation of nuclear materials in the United States represent significant barriers to meeting future needs in the transport of radioactive waste materials to their ultimate repository. While technological problems which must be overcome to perform such movements seem to be within the state-of-the-art, the timely resolution of these institutional issues seems less assured. However, the definition of these issues, as attempted in this paper, together with systematic analysis of cause and possible solutions are the essential elements of the Transportation Technology Center's Institutional Issues Program

Play and playfulness, basic features of early childhood education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Singer, E.

2013-01-01

This article argues that play and playfulness are basic features in early childhood education, but that play curricula can have serious drawbacks. The starting point is the play theory of the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga, a radical critic of the focus on the educational benefits of play. According

Radiometric characterisation supports, burnup credit, safeguards and radionuclide inventory determination for spent fuel transport, storage and disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chesterman, A.S.; Clapham, M.J.; Gardner, N.

1999-01-01

Spent nuclear fuel characterisation measurements play an essential role in a range of fuel handling activities. In particular, they are necessary to support the application of burnup credit to the transport of spent fuel, to detect diversion of safeguarded nuclear material and to determine the radionuclide inventory of materials destined for final disposal. To apply measurements to these activities the measurement procedures need to be approved by the relevant regulatory bodies. Often key to the measurement procedures is the method of instrument system calibration and what a priori data is acceptable to aid the measurement process. Discussion of these, pertinent to the three areas of application mentioned above, is presented with suggestions of alternative approaches where considered appropriate. (author)

Play for Peace as a Violence Prevention Model: Achieving "Voluntad y Convivencia"

Science.gov (United States)

Gass, Michael; Gough, Sarah; Armas, Andres; Dolcino, Cristina

2016-01-01

Violence prevention is a key focus for many intervention programs, yet little is known about how or why certain programs are able to successfully produce effective prevention efforts. The purpose of this study was to identify the essential elements of the Play for Peace (PFP) program, how it creates change in participants, and how it is…

Kinesin-1 plays a role in transport of SNAP-25 to the plasma membrane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morton, April M.; Cunningham, Anthony L. [Centre for Virus Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, The University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145 (Australia); Diefenbach, Russell J., E-mail: russell_diefenbach@wmi.usyd.edu.au [Centre for Virus Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, The University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145 (Australia)

2010-01-01

The cellular molecular motor kinesin-1 mediates the microtubule-dependent transport of a range of cargo. We have previously identified an interaction between the cargo-binding domain of kinesin-1 heavy chain KIF5B and the membrane-associated SNARE proteins SNAP-25 and SNAP-23. In this study we further defined the minimal SNAP-25 binding domain in KIF5B to residues 874-894. Overexpression of a fragment of KIF5B (residues 594-910) resulted in significant colocalization with SNAP-25 with resulting blockage of the trafficking of SNAP-25 to the periphery of cells. This indicates that kinesin-1 facilitates the transport of SNAP-25 containing vesicles as a prerequisite to SNAP-25 driven membrane fusion events.

Physics of transport in tokamaks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garbet, X [Assoc. EURATOM-CEA, CEA/DSM/DRFC CEA-Cadarache, 13108 Saint Paul lez Durance (France); Mantica, P [Istituto di Fisica del Plasma EURATOM-ENEA/CNR, via Cozzi 53, 20125 Milan (Italy); Angioni, C [MPI fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM-Assoz., D-8046 Garching (Germany)] [and others

2004-12-01

This paper is an overview of recent results relating to turbulent particle and heat transport, and to the triggering of internal transport barriers (ITBs). The dependence of the turbulent particle pinch velocity on plasma parameters has been clarified and compared with experiment. Magnetic shear and collisionality are found to play a central role. Analysis of heat transport has made progress along two directions: dimensionless scaling laws, which are found to agree with the prediction for electrostatic turbulence, and analysis of modulation experiments, which provide a stringent test of transport models. Finally the formation of ITBs has been addressed by analysing electron transport barriers. It is confirmed that negative magnetic shear, combined with the Shafranov shift, is a robust stabilizing mechanism. However, some well established features of internal barriers are not explained by theory.

Playful Membership

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Åkerstrøm Andersen, Niels; Pors, Justine Grønbæk

2014-01-01

This article studies the implications of current attempts by organizations to adapt to a world of constant change by introducing the notion of playful organizational membership. To this end we conduct a brief semantic history of organizational play and argue that when organizations play, employees...... are expected to engage in playful exploration of alternative selves. Drawing on Niklas Luhmann's theory of time and decision-making and Gregory Bateson's theory of play, the article analyses three empirical examples of how games play with conceptions of time. We explore how games represent an organizational...

MANAGEMENT OF TOURISM TRANSPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela Cecilia STĂNCIULESCU

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Undoubtedly, the relevance of transport activities in relation to tourism activities is essential, because it is extremely important and necessary to offer feasible information about tourism services to help consumer to choose the mode of travel to destinations ideal holiday. The methods used in the development of this hypothesis were explanation, exemplification (brief presentation of each mode of transport comparison etc. Analyzing the current situation of national, European and World Wide tourism transportation, the paper proposes practical applications able to explain that the conduct of economic activities as an integral part of the sector of trade and services within a national economy, would not be possible without the involvement of transport, whether by road, rail and air and naval. The results of the analysis are perfectly applicable offering guests the opportunity to reach the most remote corners of the world in a short time, high degree of comfort and affordable price.

Getting Bicycles on Trains - Inter-modal Transport Developments in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Ulrik; Pedersen, Bjørn Brix

2001-01-01

The combined use of bicycles and trains has been favored in contemporary public transport policies in Denmark. Although bicycling has played a major role in Danish personal transportation in more than hundred years, the attitude from public transport authorities towards supporting bicyclists has ...... varied quite a lot....

Functional characterisation of three zinc transporters in Thlaspi caerulescens

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Talukdar, S.

2007-01-01

Heavy metal hyperaccumulation in plants is a poorly understood phenomenon. Transmembrane metal transporters are assumed to play a key role in this process. In the research described in this thesis, genes encoding Zn transporters of Thlaspi

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L. essential oil: Chemistry and biological activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shyamapada Mandal

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Coriandrum sativum L. (C. sativum is one of the most useful essential oil bearing spices as well as medicinal plants, belonging to the family Umbelliferae/Apiaceae. The leaves and seeds of the plant are widely used in folk medicine in addition to its use as a seasoning in food preparation. The C. sativum essential oil and extracts possess promising antibacterial, antifungal and anti-oxidative activities as various chemical components in different parts of the plant, which thus play a great role in maintaining the shelf-life of foods by preventing their spoilage. This edible plant is non-toxic to humans, and the C. sativum essential oil is thus used in different ways, viz., in foods (like flavouring and preservatives and in pharmaceutical products (therapeutic action as well as in perfumes (fragancias and lotions. The current updates on the usefulness of the plant C. sativum are due to scientific research published in different web-based journals.

Theories of transporting processes of Cu in Jiaozhou Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Dongfang; Su, Chunhua; Zhu, Sixi; Wu, Yunjie; Zhou, Wei

2018-02-01

Many marine bays have been polluted along with the rapid development of industry and population size, and understanding the transporting progresses of pollutants is essential to pollution control. In order to better understanding the transporting progresses of pollutants in marine, this paper carried on a comprehensive research of the theories of transporting processes of Cu in Jiaozhou Bay. Results showed that the transporting processes of Cu in this bay could be summarized into seven key theories including homogeneous theory, environmental dynamic theory, horizontal loss theory, source to waters transporting theory, sedimentation transporting theory, migration trend theory and vertical transporting theory, respectively. These theories helpful to better understand the migration progress of pollutants in marine bay.

An Essential Physiological Role for MCT8 in Bone in Male Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Leitch, Victoria D; Di Cosmo, Caterina; Liao, Xiao-Hui; O'Boy, Sam; Galliford, Thomas M; Evans, Holly; Croucher, Peter I; Boyde, Alan; Dumitrescu, Alexandra; Weiss, Roy E; Refetoff, Samuel; Williams, Graham R; Bassett, J H Duncan

2017-09-01

T3 is an important regulator of skeletal development and adult bone maintenance. Thyroid hormone action requires efficient transport of T4 and T3 into target cells. We hypothesized that monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) 8, encoded by Mct8 on the X-chromosome, is an essential thyroid hormone transporter in bone. To test this hypothesis, we determined the juvenile and adult skeletal phenotypes of male Mct8 knockout mice (Mct8KO) and Mct8D1D2KO compound mutants, which additionally lack the ability to convert the prohormone T4 to the active hormone T3. Prenatal skeletal development was normal in both Mct8KO and Mct8D1D2KO mice, whereas postnatal endochondral ossification and linear growth were delayed in both Mct8KO and Mct8D1D2KO mice. Furthermore, bone mass and mineralization were decreased in adult Mct8KO and Mct8D1D2KO mice, and compound mutants also had reduced bone strength. Delayed bone development and maturation in Mct8KO and Mct8D1D2KO mice is consistent with decreased thyroid hormone action in growth plate chondrocytes despite elevated serum T3 concentrations, whereas low bone mass and osteoporosis reflects increased thyroid hormone action in adult bone due to elevated systemic T3 levels. These studies identify an essential physiological requirement for MCT8 in chondrocytes, and demonstrate a role for additional transporters in other skeletal cells during adult bone maintenance.

Case Studies in Understanding Transport Sensitive Industries (TSI)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holzweber, Markus; Serin, Göran Folke

The mega trends of modern mobility are increasing the pressure on capacity, time and costs. Globalization, urbanization, demographic, and change in consumerism represent the biggest challenges to transport and logistics today. More and more goods have to be brought to their destination. Goods mus...... oriented businesses. The essential reason for understanding business in transport and logistics, especially in this report...

Circadian Regulation of Glutamate Transporters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donají Chi-Castañeda

2018-06-01

Full Text Available L-glutamate is the major excitatory amino acid in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS. This neurotransmitter is essential for higher brain functions such as learning, cognition and memory. A tight regulation of extra-synaptic glutamate levels is needed to prevent a neurotoxic insult. Glutamate removal from the synaptic cleft is carried out by a family of sodium-dependent high-affinity transporters, collectively known as excitatory amino acid transporters. Dysfunction of glutamate transporters is generally involved in acute neuronal injury and neurodegenerative diseases, so characterizing and understanding the mechanisms that lead to the development of these disorders is an important goal in the design of novel treatments for the neurodegenerative diseases. Increasing evidence indicates glutamate transporters are controlled by the circadian system in direct and indirect manners, so in this contribution we focus on the mechanisms of circadian regulation (transcriptional, translational, post-translational and post-transcriptional regulation of glutamate transport in neuronal and glial cells, and their consequence in brain function.

Improving transport service delivery in the Capricorn district municipality by strengthening ITS transport function

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mashiri, M

2010-08-01

Full Text Available , transport authority, functions, capacity building, funding, institutional strengthening, legislative mandates, South Africa 224 1 INTRODUCTION Since the advent of the democratic political dispensation in South Africa in 1994, the nature and functions... in that it influences the quality and style of life, the range and location of productive and leisure activities, and the goods and services which will be available for consumption (Morlok, 1978; Fuller, 2004). Given that transport plays this important triple role...

Chiral transport of neutrinos in supernovae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yamamoto Naoki

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The conventional neutrino transport theory for core-collapse supernovae misses one key property of neutrinos: the left-handedness. The chirality of neutrinos modifies the hydrodynamic behavior at the macroscopic scale and leads to topological transport phenomena. We argue that such transport phenomena should play important roles in the evolution of core-collapse supernovae, and, in particular, lead to a tendency toward the inverse energy cascade from small to larger scales, which may be relevant to the origin of the supernova explosion.

Monte Carlo method in radiation transport problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dejonghe, G.; Nimal, J.C.; Vergnaud, T.

1986-11-01

In neutral radiation transport problems (neutrons, photons), two values are important: the flux in the phase space and the density of particles. To solve the problem with Monte Carlo method leads to, among other things, build a statistical process (called the play) and to provide a numerical value to a variable x (this attribution is called score). Sampling techniques are presented. Play biasing necessity is proved. A biased simulation is made. At last, the current developments (rewriting of programs for instance) are presented due to several reasons: two of them are the vectorial calculation apparition and the photon and neutron transport in vacancy media [fr

The Impact of Intelligent Transportation System Implementations on the Sustainable Growth of Passenger Transport in EU Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ewa Stawiarska

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This article discusses original studies that demonstrate the relation between developed elements of the transportation network (road system density; railway system density; number of regional railway and bus connections, length of regional railway and bus connections, online accessibility to transportation services and other services related to the development of IT techniques to benefit mass transit and the regional GNP. A new development relative to preceding studies (as quoted is that the correlation coefficients calculated do not indicate any essential interrelations between elements of the transport system, or even the number of regional passenger transport services and regional GNP. A determination of the remaining data interrelations indicated the elements of the network which are considered essential to the development of mass transit, as resulting from a study carried out for the first time in 2015 for the Górnośląska-Zagłębioska Metropolis. Considering the fact that the number of railway connections has proven to be the most important determinant of the overall number of passenger transport services, the second part of the article presents studies that focus on the modeling of the railway network, applying the graph theory (extensively applied for ITS. Selected optimized models were analyzed and assessed in terms of possible implementability of specific improvements and the resultant growth in the number of passenger transport services. The research method applied was not novel, but the conclusions drawn from it were surprising, as they indicated that an optimized network of railway connections would not cause any significant increase in the number of passenger transport services. Successive surveys (supplementing statistical analyses have confirmed the importance of ITS in increasing the share of mass transit in overall transit. (1 The study was carried out in Polish regions, with particular emphasis on Silesia. (2 Its

Luminal nucleotides are tonic inhibitors of renal tubular transport

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leipziger, Jens Georg

2011-01-01

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Extracellular ATP is an essential local signaling molecule in all organ systems. In the kidney, purinergic signaling is involved in an array of functions and this review highlights those of relevance for renal tubular transport. RECENT FINDINGS: Purinergic receptors are express...... discovered as an important signaling compartment in which local purinergic signaling determines an inhibitory tone for renal tubular transport. Blocking components of this system leads to tubular hyper-absorption, volume retention and elevated blood pressure.......PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Extracellular ATP is an essential local signaling molecule in all organ systems. In the kidney, purinergic signaling is involved in an array of functions and this review highlights those of relevance for renal tubular transport. RECENT FINDINGS: Purinergic receptors are expressed...... in all renal tubular segments and their stimulation generally leads to transport inhibition. Recent evidence has identified the tubular lumen as a restricted space for purinergic signaling. The concentrations of ATP in the luminal fluids are sufficiently high to inflict a tonic inhibition of renal...

In Vitro Analysis of Metabolite Transport Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Roell, Marc-Sven; Kuhnert, Franziska; Zamani-Nour, Shirin; Weber, Andreas P M

2017-01-01

The photorespiratory cycle is distributed over four cellular compartments, the chloroplast, peroxisomes, cytoplasm, and mitochondria. Shuttling of photorespiratory intermediates between these compartments is essential to maintain the function of photorespiration. Specific transport proteins mediate the transport across biological membranes and represent important components of the cellular metabolism. Although significant progress was made in the last years on identifying and characterizing new transport proteins, the overall picture of intracellular metabolite transporters is still rather incomplete. The photorespiratory cycle requires at least 25 transmembrane transport steps; however to date only plastidic glycolate/glycerate transporter and the accessory 2-oxoglutarate/malate and glutamate/malate transporters as well as the mitochondrial transporter BOU1 have been identified. The characterization of transport proteins and defining their substrates and kinetics are still major challenges.Here we present a detailed set of protocols for the in vitro characterization of transport proteins. We provide protocols for the isolation of recombinant transport protein expressed in E. coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the extraction of total leaf membrane protein for in vitro analysis of transporter proteins. Further we explain the process of reconstituting transport proteins in artificial lipid vesicles and elucidate the details of transport assays.

Vesicular transport of progeny parvovirus particles through ER and Golgi regulates maturation and cytolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bär, Séverine; Rommelaere, Jean; Nüesch, Jürg P F

2013-09-01

Progeny particles of non-enveloped lytic parvoviruses were previously shown to be actively transported to the cell periphery through vesicles in a gelsolin-dependent manner. This process involves rearrangement and destruction of actin filaments, while microtubules become protected throughout the infection. Here the focus is on the intracellular egress pathway, as well as its impact on the properties and release of progeny virions. By colocalization with cellular marker proteins and specific modulation of the pathways through over-expression of variant effector genes transduced by recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors, we show that progeny PV particles become engulfed into COPII-vesicles in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and are transported through the Golgi to the plasma membrane. Besides known factors like sar1, sec24, rab1, the ERM family proteins, radixin and moesin play (an) essential role(s) in the formation/loading and targeting of virus-containing COPII-vesicles. These proteins also contribute to the transport through ER and Golgi of the well described analogue of cellular proteins, the secreted Gaussia luciferase in absence of virus infection. It is therefore likely that radixin and moesin also serve for a more general function in cellular exocytosis. Finally, parvovirus egress via ER and Golgi appears to be necessary for virions to gain full infectivity through post-assembly modifications (e.g. phosphorylation). While not being absolutely required for cytolysis and progeny virus release, vesicular transport of parvoviruses through ER and Golgi significantly accelerates these processes pointing to a regulatory role of this transport pathway.

Problems relating to international transport of nuclear fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Timm, U.E.

1985-01-01

Owing to the tremendous geographic distances between uranium deposits of interest, to the various degrees of sophistication of nuclear industry in industrialized countries and to the close international cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, safe international transports, physical protection and transport handling play an important role. It is suggested to better coordinate the activities of nuclear power plant operators, the nuclear industry and specialized transport companies with respect to all national and international issues of nuclear fuel transports. (DG) [de

Transport infrastructure costs in low-carbon pathways

OpenAIRE

Ó BROIN , Eoin; Guivarch , Céline

2016-01-01

International audience; The rate and manner in which transport infrastructure (e.g. roads, railway tracks, airports) is deployed, will play an important role in determining energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions and the economic impact of the transport sector. This paper describes an exercise where the costs of infrastructure deployment for the transport sector have been incorporated into the IMACLIM-R Global E3 IAM. In addition to adding these costs, the modelling of the criteria for the de...

The transport of hazardous materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goemmel, F.

1987-01-01

The rapid development of all kinds of transports has been leading to a continuously increasing number of accidents involving the release and escape of hazardous materials. The risks involved for men and the environment have to be realized and reduced to a minimum. Efforts in this field have meanwhile been accumulating an enormous quantity of rules, recommendations and regulations. They comprise, among others, both national and international rail transport, maritime transport, inland shipping, air and road transport regulations adding up to a total of about 5000 pages. The publication discusses the necessity and justification of the existing quantity of regulations, it deals with their possible simplification and modified user-oriented arrangement as well as with a possible international harmonization of regulations. Apart from giving a general survey of the transport of hazardous materials the author reviews the intensive efforts which are going into the safety of the transport of hazardous materials and points out technical and legal problems which have remained unsolved so far. The publication essentially contributes to clearing up the background, perspectives and prospects of the complex regulations controlling the transport of hazardous materials. (orig./HP) [de

Transport of radioactive materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1960-04-15

The increasing use of radioactive substances, not only in reactor operations but also in medicine, industry and other fields, is making the movement of these materials progressively wider, more frequent and larger in volume. Although regulations for the safe transport of radioactive materials have been in existence for many years, it has now become necessary to modify or supplement the existing provisions on an international basis. It is essential that the regulations should be applied uniformly by all countries. It is also desirable that the basic regulations should be uniform for all modes of transport so as to simplify the procedures to be complied with by shippers and carriers

Transportation of hazardous goods

CERN Multimedia

TS Department

2008-01-01

A general reminder: any transportation of hazardous goods by road is subject to the European ADR rules. The goods concerned are essentially the following: Explosive substances and objects; Gases (including aerosols and non-flammable gases such as helium and nitrogen); Flammable substances and liquids (inks, paints, resins, petroleum products, alcohols, acetone, thinners); Toxic substances (acids, thinners); Radioactive substances; Corrosive substances (paints, acids, caustic products, disinfectants, electrical batteries). Any requests for the transport of hazardous goods must be executed in compliance with the instructions given at this URL: http://ts-dep.web.cern.ch/ts-dep/groups/he/HH/adr.pdf Heavy Handling Section TS-HE-HH 73793 - 160364

Converged wireline and wireless signal transport over optical fibre access links

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tafur Monroy, Idelfonso; Prince, Kamau; Osadchiy, Alexey Vladimirovich

2009-01-01

This article reviews emerging trends in converged optical-wireless communication systems and outline the role that photonic technologies are playing in making the vision of a wireline-wireless converged signal transport network a reality.......This article reviews emerging trends in converged optical-wireless communication systems and outline the role that photonic technologies are playing in making the vision of a wireline-wireless converged signal transport network a reality....

Playful Learning Culture in the Museum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marchetti, Emanuela

2013-01-01

not undergone much investigation. This study was conducted in cooperation with two historical museums, these being the Transport Museum in Coventry, England and The Viking Museum in Ribe, Denmark. A new learning platform called MicroCulture has been created, aimed at eliciting a sociocultural understanding......Museum learning culture is going through a paradigmatic change. Two main positions are dominant: the modernist, emphasizing the need for assessment and uniform learning outcomes, and the postmodern, encouraging dialogue and multiple learning outcomes. A critical factor is the potential contribution...... of history in young visitors. This study indicates that museum learning culture could be enriched by the introduction of mediated play as a resource for conceptual thinking and social interaction....

Placenta Copper Transport Proteins in Preeclampsia

Science.gov (United States)

Placental insufficiency underlying preeclampsia (PE) is associated with impaired placental angiogenesis. As copper (Cu) is essential to angiogenesis, we investigated differences in the expression of placental Cu transporters Menkes (ATP7A), Wilsons (ATP7B) and the Cu chaperone (CCS) for superoxide d...

Complement Activation by Ceramide Transporter Proteins

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bode, G.H.; Losen, M.; Buurman, W.A.; Veerhuis, R.; Molenaar, P.C.; Steinbusch, H.W.M.; De Baets, M.H.; Daha, MR; Martinez-Martinez, P.

2014-01-01

C1q is the initiator of the classical complement pathway and, as such, is essential for efficient opsonization and clearance of pathogens, altered self-structures, and apoptotic cells. The ceramide transporter protein (CERT) and its longer splicing isoform CERTL are known to interact with

Electrostatic Stabilization Plays a Central Role in Autoinhibitory Regulation of the Na+,K+-ATPase

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiang, Qiucen; Garcia, Alvaro; Han, Minwoo

2017-01-01

The Na+,K+-ATPase is present in the plasma membrane of all animal cells. It plays a crucial role in maintaining the Na+ and K+ electrochemical potential gradients across the membrane, which are essential in numerous physiological processes, e.g., nerve, muscle, and kidney function. Its cellular a...

Theraplay: Helping Parents and Children Build Better Relationships through Attachment-Based Play. Second Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Booth, Phyllis B.; Jernberg, Ann M.

Theraplay, modeled on the natural, playful patterns of healthy interaction between parent and child, produces remarkable change in a short time for troubled families. It achieves its success by aggressively addressing four serious problems that prevent the development of the secure attachment relationship essential to healthy development: (1)…

Glutaminolysis is Essential for Energy Production and Ion Transport in Human Corneal Endothelium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenlin Zhang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Corneal endothelium (CE is among the most metabolically active tissues in the body. This elevated metabolic rate helps the CE maintain corneal transparency by its ion and fluid transport properties, which when disrupted, leads to visual impairment. Here we demonstrate that glutamine catabolism (glutaminolysis through TCA cycle generates a large fraction of the ATP needed to maintain CE function, and this glutaminolysis is severely disrupted in cells deficient in NH3:H+ cotransporter Solute Carrier Family 4 Member 11 (SLC4A11. Considering SLC4A11 mutations leads to corneal endothelial dystrophy and sensorineural deafness, our results indicate that SLC4A11-associated developmental and degenerative disorders result from altered glutamine catabolism. Overall, our results describe an important metabolic mechanism that provides CE cells with the energy required to maintain high level transport activity, reveal a direct link between glutamine metabolism and developmental and degenerative neuronal diseases, and suggest an approach for protecting the CE during ophthalmic surgeries.

Word Play: Scaffolding Language Development through Child-Directed Play

Science.gov (United States)

Wasik, Barbara A.; Jacobi-Vessels, Jill L.

2017-01-01

Play is an important activity in young children's lives. It is how children explore their world and build knowledge. Although free play, which is play that is totally child directed, contributes to children's learning, self-regulation and motivation, adults' participation in children's play is critical in their development, especially their…

Heat and Moisture transport of socks

Science.gov (United States)

Komárková, P.; Glombíková, V.; Havelka, A.

2017-10-01

Investigating the liquid moisture transport and thermal properties is essential for understanding physiological comfort of clothes. This study reports on an experimental investigation of moisture management transport and thermal transport on the physiological comfort of commercially available socks. There are subjective evaluation and objective measurements. Subjective evaluation of the physiological comfort of socks is based on individual sensory perception of probands during and after physical exertion. Objective measurements were performed according to standardized methods using Moisture Management tester for measuring the humidity parameters and C-term TCi analyzer for thermal conductivity and thermal effusivity. The obtained values of liquid moisture transport and thermal properties were related to the material composition and structure of the tested socks. In summary, these results show that objective measurement corresponds with probands feelings.

Optimal transportation networks models and theory

CERN Document Server

Bernot, Marc; Morel, Jean-Michel

2009-01-01

The transportation problem can be formalized as the problem of finding the optimal way to transport a given measure into another with the same mass. In contrast to the Monge-Kantorovitch problem, recent approaches model the branched structure of such supply networks as minima of an energy functional whose essential feature is to favour wide roads. Such a branched structure is observable in ground transportation networks, in draining and irrigation systems, in electrical power supply systems and in natural counterparts such as blood vessels or the branches of trees. These lectures provide mathematical proof of several existence, structure and regularity properties empirically observed in transportation networks. The link with previous discrete physical models of irrigation and erosion models in geomorphology and with discrete telecommunication and transportation models is discussed. It will be mathematically proven that the majority fit in the simple model sketched in this volume.

Playful Literacy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Froes, Isabel

these practices, which compose the taxonomy of tablet play. My contribution lies in identifying and proposing a series of theoretical concepts that complement recent theories related to play and digital literacy studies. The data collected through observations informed some noteworthy aspects, including how...... with tablets’ physical and digital affordances shape children’s digital play. This thesis presents how young children’s current practices when playing with tablets inform digital experiences in Denmark and Japan. Through an interdisciplinary lens and a grounded theory approach, I have identified and mapped...... vocabulary in children’s digital play experiences. These early digital experiences set the rules for the playgrounds and assert digital tablets as twenty-first-century toys, shaping young children’s playful literacy....

Pre-transport factors affecting the welfare of cattle during road transport for slaughter – a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veronika Šímová

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In terms of animal welfare, transport per se is very important in the course of the transportation process and transport duration is considered as one of the determining factors, however, the phase that precedes the actual transport is also of great importance (and often even more important as to stress induction. This pre-transport phase includes many aspects, such as on-farm handling, rearing conditions, assembly of animals, classifying, weighing, repenning in a new environment, re-grouping, mixing with unfamiliar animals, and handling at loading, which is regarded as the most significant factor affecting animal welfare. Therefore, the present work focuses on the factors that play a role during this phase. Those factors are naturally interconnected and their adverse consecutive effects on animal welfare can hardly be separated.

Play Therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Lawver, Timothy; Blankenship, Kelly

2008-01-01

Play therapy is a treatment modality in which the therapist engages in play with the child. Its use has been documented in a variety of settings and with a variety of diagnoses. Treating within the context of play brings the therapist and the therapy to the level of the child. By way of an introduction to this approach, a case is presented of a six-year-old boy with oppositional defiant disorder. The presentation focuses on the events and interactions of a typical session with an established patient. The primary issues of the session are aggression, self worth, and self efficacy. These themes manifest themselves through the content of the child’s play and narration of his actions. The therapist then reflects these back to the child while gently encouraging the child toward more positive play. Though the example is one of nondirective play therapy, a wide range of variation exists under the heading of play therapy. PMID:19724720

Unraveling fatty acid transport and activation mechanisms in Yarrowia lipolytica.

Science.gov (United States)

Dulermo, Rémi; Gamboa-Meléndez, Heber; Ledesma-Amaro, Rodrigo; Thévenieau, France; Nicaud, Jean-Marc

2015-09-01

Fatty acid (FA) transport and activation have been extensively studied in the model yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae but have rarely been examined in oleaginous yeasts, such as Yarrowia lipolytica. Because the latter begins to be used in biodiesel production, understanding its FA transport and activation mechanisms is essential. We found that Y. lipolytica has FA transport and activation proteins similar to those of S. cerevisiae (Faa1p, Pxa1p, Pxa2p, Ant1p) but mechanism of FA peroxisomal transport and activation differs greatly with that of S. cerevisiae. While the ScPxa1p/ScPxa2p heterodimer is essential for growth on long-chain FAs, ΔYlpxa1 ΔYlpxa2 is not impaired for growth on FAs. Meanwhile, ScAnt1p and YlAnt1p are both essential for yeast growth on medium-chain FAs, suggesting they function similarly. Interestingly, we found that the ΔYlpxa1 ΔYlpxa2 ΔYlant1 mutant was unable to grow on short-, medium-, or long-chain FAs, suggesting that YlPxa1p, YlPxa2p, and YlAnt1p belong to two different FA degradation pathways. We also found that YlFaa1p is involved in FA storage in lipid bodies and that FA remobilization largely depended on YlFat1p, YlPxa1p and YlPxa2p. This study is the first to comprehensively examine FA intracellular transport and activation in oleaginous yeast. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The Impact of Transport on International Trade Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavlović Duško

2016-09-01

Full Text Available International trade implies transport of specific quantity of goods to (frequently large distances, the success of which depends on the safety and speed of delivery. These are greatly conditioned by the quality of means of transport and infrastructure. This is why international trade development is affected by transport, and the development of means of transport and infrastructure is, to a great extent, influenced by demand for international delivery of various commodities. This paper looks at the interdependence of international trade and transport, showing how transport played a very significant role in international trade development in the past as it does today, commensurate to the role of international trade in the development of carriers and transport infrastructure.

Direct measurements of transport properties are essential for site characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, J.; Conca, J.L.

1994-08-01

Direct measurements of transport parameters on subsurface sediments using, the UFA method provided detailed hydrostratigraphic mapping, and subsurface flux distributions at a mixed-waste disposal site at Hanford. Seven hundred unsaturated conductivity measurements on fifty samples were obtained in only six months total of UFA run time. These data are used to provide realistic information to conceptual models, predictive models and restoration strategies. The UFA instrument consists of an ultracentrifuge with a constant, ultralow flow pump that provides fluid to the sample surface through a rotating seal assembly and microdispersal system. Effluent from the sample is collected in a transparent, volumetrically-calibrated chamber at the bottom of the sample assembly. Using a strobe light, an observer can check the chamber while the sample is being centrifuged. Materials can be run in the UFA as recomposited samples or in situ samples can be subcored directly into the sample UFA chamber

Neonatal carrier: An easy to make alternative device to costly transport chambers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshi Milind

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The transport of sick neonates to the surgical centers or transportation within the center is an essential requirement of neonatal surgery. Neonatal transport incubators are costly, space occupying, and are not available at many places in the developing countries. We report here a cheap yet effective and easy to make, alternate neonatal carrier device.

Distillation Parameters for Pilot Plant Production of Laurus nobilis Essential oil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Temel Özek

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Essential oils have increasing importance in flavour and fragrance industries. They are obtained by distillation techniques. In order to produce an oil with market potential its optimum production parameters have to be well known prior to its commercial production. Determination of the steam distillation parameters of commercially available Laurel leaves oil in pilot plant scale is described. The effect of steam rate and processing time play a major role in distillation of essential oils. Distillation speed was high in the beginning of the process, then gradually reduced as the distillation proceeded. The main component of the oil of Laurel leaf oil was 1,8-cineole accumulating significantly in the early fractions.

Many-body effects in transport through a quantum-dot cavity system

Science.gov (United States)

Dinu, I. V.; Moldoveanu, V.; Gartner, P.

2018-05-01

We theoretically describe electric transport through an optically active quantum dot embedded in a single-mode cavity, and coupled to source-drain particle reservoirs. The populations of various many-body configurations (e.g., excitons, trions, biexciton) and the photon-number occupancies are calculated from a master equation which is derived in the basis of dressed states. These take into account both the Coulomb and the light-matter interaction. The former is essential in the description of the transport, while for the latter we identify situations in which it can be neglected in the expression of tunneling rates. The fermionic nature of the particle reservoirs plays an important role in the argument. The master equation is numerically solved for the s -shell many-body configurations of disk-shaped quantum dots. If the cavity is tuned to the biexciton-exciton transition, the most efficient optical processes take place in a three-level Λ system. The alternative exciton-ground-state route is inhibited as nonresonant due to the biexciton binding energy. The steady-state current is analyzed as a function of the photon frequency and the coupling to the leads. An unexpected feature appears in its dependence on the cavity loss rate, which turns out to be nonmonotonic.

Plant ABC transporters enable many unique aspects of a terrestrial plant's lifestyle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hwang, Jae-Ung; Song, Won-Yong; Hong, Daewoong

2016-01-01

Terrestrial plants have two to four times more ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes than other organisms, including their ancestral microalgae. Recent studies found that plants harboring mutations in these transporters exhibit dramatic phenotypes, many of which are related to developmental...... to propose that diverse ABC transporters enabled many unique and essential aspects of a terrestrial plant's lifestyle, by transporting various compounds across specific membranes of the plant....

Switch-loop flexibility affects transport of large drugs by the promiscuous AcrB multidrug efflux transporter.

Science.gov (United States)

Cha, Hi-jea; Müller, Reinke T; Pos, Klaas M

2014-08-01

Multidrug efflux transporters recognize a variety of structurally unrelated compounds for which the molecular basis is poorly understood. For the resistance nodulation and cell division (RND) inner membrane component AcrB of the AcrAB-TolC multidrug efflux system from Escherichia coli, drug binding occurs at the access and deep binding pockets. These two binding areas are separated by an 11-amino-acid-residue-containing switch loop whose conformational flexibility is speculated to be essential for drug binding and transport. A G616N substitution in the switch loop has a distinct and local effect on the orientation of the loop and on the ability to transport larger drugs. Here, we report a distinct phenotypical pattern of drug recognition and transport for the G616N variant, indicating that drug substrates with minimal projection areas of >70 Å(2) are less well transported than other substrates. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Medicago truncatula transporter database: a comprehensive database resource for M. truncatula transporters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miao Zhenyan

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Medicago truncatula has been chosen as a model species for genomic studies. It is closely related to an important legume, alfalfa. Transporters are a large group of membrane-spanning proteins. They deliver essential nutrients, eject waste products, and assist the cell in sensing environmental conditions by forming a complex system of pumps and channels. Although studies have effectively characterized individual M. truncatula transporters in several databases, until now there has been no available systematic database that includes all transporters in M. truncatula. Description The M. truncatula transporter database (MTDB contains comprehensive information on the transporters in M. truncatula. Based on the TransportTP method, we have presented a novel prediction pipeline. A total of 3,665 putative transporters have been annotated based on International Medicago Genome Annotated Group (IMGAG V3.5 V3 and the M. truncatula Gene Index (MTGI V10.0 releases and assigned to 162 families according to the transporter classification system. These families were further classified into seven types according to their transport mode and energy coupling mechanism. Extensive annotations referring to each protein were generated, including basic protein function, expressed sequence tag (EST mapping, genome locus, three-dimensional template prediction, transmembrane segment, and domain annotation. A chromosome distribution map and text-based Basic Local Alignment Search Tools were also created. In addition, we have provided a way to explore the expression of putative M. truncatula transporter genes under stress treatments. Conclusions In summary, the MTDB enables the exploration and comparative analysis of putative transporters in M. truncatula. A user-friendly web interface and regular updates make MTDB valuable to researchers in related fields. The MTDB is freely available now to all users at http://bioinformatics.cau.edu.cn/MtTransporter/.

Development of PEFC for transportable applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maeda, Hideo; Fuklumoto, Hisatoshi; Mitsuda, Kenro [Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Hyogo (Japan)] [and others

1996-12-31

Since FY1992, we have been developing PEFC technologies under NEDO`s R&D program. High power density and rapid start-up are essential requirements for transportable applications. Also, if reformed gas is used as fuel, the prevention of CO poisoning and improvement of response to loading are essential. In this paper, methods to increase the effective surface area of a cell, start-up and endurance test results, the study of CO poisoning with a pulse electrolyzing method and the demonstration of a hydrogen recovery subsystem are presented.

Multi-functional roles for the polypeptide transport associated domains of Toc75 in chloroplast protein import

Science.gov (United States)

Paila, Yamuna D; Richardson, Lynn GL; Inoue, Hitoshi; Parks, Elizabeth S; McMahon, James; Inoue, Kentaro; Schnell, Danny J

2016-01-01

Toc75 plays a central role in chloroplast biogenesis in plants as the membrane channel of the protein import translocon at the outer envelope of chloroplasts (TOC). Toc75 is a member of the Omp85 family of bacterial and organellar membrane insertases, characterized by N-terminal POTRA (polypeptide-transport associated) domains and C-terminal membrane-integrated β-barrels. We demonstrate that the Toc75 POTRA domains are essential for protein import and contribute to interactions with TOC receptors, thereby coupling preprotein recognition at the chloroplast surface with membrane translocation. The POTRA domains also interact with preproteins and mediate the recruitment of molecular chaperones in the intermembrane space to facilitate membrane transport. Our studies are consistent with the multi-functional roles of POTRA domains observed in other Omp85 family members and demonstrate that the domains of Toc75 have evolved unique properties specific to the acquisition of protein import during endosymbiotic evolution of the TOC system in plastids. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12631.001 PMID:26999824

A Glimpse of Membrane Transport through Structures-Advances in the Structural Biology of the GLUT Glucose Transporters.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Nieng

2017-08-18

The cellular uptake of glucose is an essential physiological process, and movement of glucose across biological membranes requires specialized transporters. The major facilitator superfamily glucose transporters GLUTs, encoded by the SLC2A genes, have been a paradigm for functional, mechanistic, and structural understanding of solute transport in the past century. This review starts with a glimpse into the structural biology of membrane proteins and particularly membrane transport proteins, enumerating the landmark structures in the past 25years. The recent breakthrough in the structural elucidation of GLUTs is then elaborated following a brief overview of the research history of these archetypal transporters, their functional specificity, and physiological and pathophysiological significances. Structures of GLUT1, GLUT3, and GLUT5 in distinct transport and/or ligand-binding states reveal detailed mechanisms of the alternating access transport cycle and substrate recognition, and thus illuminate a path by which structure-based drug design may be applied to help discover novel therapeutics against several debilitating human diseases associated with GLUT malfunction and/or misregulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nuclear risk and communication: the essential role of safety authorities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hautin, N.

1998-01-01

Full text of publication follows: whether concerning mad cow disease, asbestos, nuclear, OGM or now, dioxin in French meat, public health risks have been making the headlines of newspapers for a while. And, firms whose activity is associated with these risks are in effect in the defendants box. Therefore, communicating becomes difficult: their word is suspect and, debates quite rapidly exceed the firm competencies to become a socio-cultural conflict. This paper explores in nuclear fields the essential role of safety authorities in such communication cases. Our surveys and the comparative case study between the pipe at La Hague and 'contaminated' nuclear transports in France are eloquent: the messages of nuclear firms is perceived through their image of a State within the State built from the past and reinforced by the negative prism of the news. Regular and technical arguments (the respect of norms) entertain the debate rather than hush it. That is why we could infer an objective, and independent opinion is required, one different from the firm, the public and ministries: its role of referee could allow a constructive dialog between the public and the firm. Risk communication nature and efficiency depend on that (cf. the diagram). As a solution, we think about a legitimate authority organization identified by the public first, but by other actors as well. From the public point of view, if we see the place of pressure groups (e.g. Greenpeace) in the debate as a measure of the lack of trust in the independence of safety authorities, we can infer that it is a reaffirmation of democracy which is demanded by the French public, which could be satisfied with powerful safety authorities. That is why safety authorities have an essential role to play, beyond this of control, in nuclear risk communication towards the public. Diagram: communication path between a nuclear firm and the public during conflict. (author)

Toll-like receptor 4 plays a protective role in pulmonary tuberculosis in mice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Branger, Judith; Leemans, Jaklien C.; Florquin, Sandrine; Weijer, Sebastiaan; Speelman, Peter; van der Poll, Tom

2004-01-01

Toll-like receptors (TLR) play an essential role in the innate recognition of microorganisms by the host. To determine the role of TLR4 in host defense against lung tuberculosis, TLR4 mutant (C3H/HeJ) and wild-type (C3H/HeN) mice were intranasally infected with live Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TLR4

Daily portraits of five and six-year old boys: the play activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flavia Bignardi da Silva Nunes

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Daily life experiences provide maturity along human development, and the environments in which they occur are essential for this process. These experiences help to build children’s personalities and the way they deal with the world around them. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to understand the occupational behavior of four children aged five to six years old through their mothers’ reports. Methodology: The average time spent with daily activities is described, and playing was a central theme of analysis. We analyzed the preferences, companies and emotional characteristics of the play activity. We used an Activity Clock and semi-structured interviews with the children’s mothers as data collection instruments. Results: The main results show that most of their daily life time is spent with sleep, school and play activities. They indicate that children prefer games that challenge acquisitions that are under construction. Regarding company, these children still have their mothers as a reference to the play activity, but also peers their age or a little older. Conclusion: Play has an important representation in the daily occupational lives of these children and it stands as a key life experience to acquire skills and face challenges.

AUTOMATION OF CONVEYOR BELT TRANSPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nenad Marinović

1990-12-01

Full Text Available Belt conveyor transport, although one of the most economical mining transport system, introduce many problems to mantain the continuity of the operation. Every stop causes economical loses. Optimal operation require correct tension of the belt, correct belt position and velocity and faultless rolls, which are together input conditions for automation. Detection and position selection of the faults are essential for safety to eliminate fire hazard and for efficient maintenance. Detection and location of idler roll faults are still open problem and up to now not solved successfully (the paper is published in Croatian.

The Structure of a Sugar Transporter of the Glucose EIIC Superfamily Provides Insight into the Elevator Mechanism of Membrane Transport.

Science.gov (United States)

McCoy, Jason G; Ren, Zhenning; Stanevich, Vitali; Lee, Jumin; Mitra, Sharmistha; Levin, Elena J; Poget, Sebastien; Quick, Matthias; Im, Wonpil; Zhou, Ming

2016-06-07

The phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase systems are found in bacteria, where they play central roles in sugar uptake and regulation of cellular uptake processes. Little is known about how the membrane-embedded components (EIICs) selectively mediate the passage of carbohydrates across the membrane. Here we report the functional characterization and 2.55-Å resolution structure of a maltose transporter, bcMalT, belonging to the glucose superfamily of EIIC transporters. bcMalT crystallized in an outward-facing occluded conformation, in contrast to the structure of another glucose superfamily EIIC, bcChbC, which crystallized in an inward-facing occluded conformation. The structures differ in the position of a structurally conserved substrate-binding domain that is suggested to play a central role in sugar transport. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations suggest a potential pathway for substrate entry from the periplasm into the bcMalT substrate-binding site. These results provide a mechanistic framework for understanding substrate recognition and translocation for the glucose superfamily EIIC transporters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The serotonin transporter in psychiatric disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Spies, Marie; Knudsen, Karen Birgitte Moos; Lanzenberger, Rupert

2015-01-01

Over the past 20 years, psychotropics affecting the serotonergic system have been used extensively in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Molecular imaging, in particular PET, has allowed for elucidation of the essential contribution of the serotonin transporter to the pathophysiology...... of various psychiatric disorders and their treatment. We review studies that use PET to measure cerebral serotonin transporter activity in psychiatric disorders, focusing on major depressive disorder and antidepressant treatment. We also discuss opportunities and limitations in the application...... of this neuroimaging method in clinical practice. Although results from individual studies diverge, meta-analysis indicates a trend towards reduced serotonin transporter availability in patients with major depressive disorder. Inconsistencies in results might suggest symptom heterogeneity in major depressive disorder...

The high affinity K+ transporter AtHAK5 plays a physiological role in planta at very low K+ concentrations and provides a caesium uptake pathway in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Zhi; Hampton, Corrina R; Shin, Ryoung; Barkla, Bronwyn J; White, Philip J; Schachtman, Daniel P

2008-01-01

Caesium (Cs(+)) is a potentially toxic mineral element that is released into the environment and taken up by plants. Although Cs(+) is chemically similar to potassium (K(+)), and much is known about K(+) transport mechanisms, it is not clear through which K(+) transport mechanisms Cs(+) is taken up by plant roots. In this study, the role of AtHAK5 in high affinity K(+) and Cs(+) uptake was characterized. It is demonstrated that AtHAK5 is localized to the plasma membrane under conditions of K(+) deprivation, when it is expressed. Growth analysis showed that AtHAK5 plays a role during severe K(+) deprivation. Under K(+)-deficient conditions in the presence of Cs(+), Arabidopsis seedlings lacking AtHAK5 had increased inhibition of root growth and lower Cs(+) accumulation, and significantly higher leaf chlorophyll concentrations than wild type. These data indicate that, in addition to transporting K(+) in planta, AtHAK5 also transports Cs(+). Further experiments showed that AtHAK5 mediated Cs(+) uptake into yeast cells and that, although the K(+) deficiency-induced expression of AtHAK5 was inhibited by low concentrations of NH(4)(+) in planta, Cs(+) uptake by yeast was stimulated by low concentrations of NH(4)(+). Interestingly, the growth of the Arabidopsis atakt1-1 mutant was more sensitive to Cs(+) than the wild type. This may be explained, in part, by increased expression of AtHAK5 in the atakt1-1 mutant. It is concluded that AtHAK5 is a root plasma membrane uptake mechanism for K(+) and Cs(+) under conditions of low K(+) availability.

Design for Play

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feder, Karen

2017-01-01

Abstract The purpose of the new Design for Play initiative is to inspire and educate designers to design for the future of play. To create “play ambassadors” equipped with excellent tools, methods, approaches and mind-sets to design for the playful human being in an ever-changing world. To teach...... and inspire children to grow up to be creative designers of their own life and the world around them. The Design for Play research team will study the interplay between people, processes and products in design for play and support the development of playful designers, playful solutions and playful experiences...

Molecular cloning and characterization of glucose transporter 1 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Glucose transporter type-1 (glut1) and citrate synthase plays crucial role in glucose transport and regulation of tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) cycle in mammalian energy metabolism. The present study was aimed to clone and characterize glut1 and citrate synthase cDNA in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Total of 90 ...

Diabetic Hyperglycemia: Link to Impaired Glucose Transport in Pancreatic β Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Unger, Roger H.

1991-03-01

Glucose uptake into pancreatic β cells by means of the glucose transporter GLUT-2, which has a high Michaelis constant, is essential for the normal insulin secretory response to hyperglycemia. In both autoimmune and nonautoimmune diabetes, this glucose transport is reduced as a consequence of down-regulation of the normal β-cell transporter. In autoimmune diabetes, circulating immunoglobulins can further impair this glucose transport by inhibiting functionally intact transporters. Insights into mechanisms of the unresponsiveness of β cells to hyperglycemia may improve the management and prevention of diabetes.

FairyPlay

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toft, Herdis

2018-01-01

in a play culture where children recycle them in transmitted, transformed and transgressive modes. His fairy tales function as raw materials – trash – for play-production, and these contemporary children muddle, mingle, remix their formulas and elements with other materials and adjust them to a play context......Hans Christian Andersen is a cultural icon in the Danish community, and his fairy tales are canonized as treasured Danish cultural heritage. However, situated as they are today in a crosscultural mix between folklore, booklore and medialore, they also may be analysed as useful, treasured trash...... through improvisations. So they perform what we shall name FairyPlay - just like Hans Christian Andersen himself did. We show Hans Christian Andersen as an intimate connoisseur of play culture, a homo ludens, a trash-sculptor and a thing-finder, like Pippi Longstocking and like children in play. Examples...

Co-evolution of intelligent socio-technical systems modelling and applications in large scale emergency and transport domains

CERN Document Server

2013-01-01

As the interconnectivity between humans through technical devices is becoming ubiquitous, the next step is already in the making: ambient intelligence, i.e. smart (technical) environments, which will eventually play the same active role in communication as the human players, leading to a co-evolution in all domains where real-time communication is essential. This topical volume, based on the findings of the Socionical European research project, gives equal attention to two highly relevant domains of applications: transport, specifically traffic, dynamics from the viewpoint of a socio-technical interaction and evacuation scenarios for large-scale emergency situations. Care was taken to investigate as much as possible the limits of scalability and to combine the modeling using complex systems science approaches with relevant data analysis.

The role of cysteine residues in the sulphate transporter, SHST1: construction of a functional cysteine-less transporter.

Science.gov (United States)

Howitt, Susan M

2005-05-20

We investigated the role of cysteine residues in the sulphate transporter, SHST1, with the aim of generating a functional cysteine-less variant. SHST1 contains five cysteine residues and none was essential for function. However, replacement of C421 resulted in a reduction in transport activity. Sulphate transport by C205 mutants was dependent on the size of the residue at this position. Alanine at position 205 resulted in a complete loss of function whereas leucine resulted in a 3-fold increase in sulphate transport relative to wild type SHST1. C205 is located in a putative intracellular loop and our results suggest that this loop may be important for sulphate transport. By replacing C205 with leucine and the other four cysteine residues with alanine, we constructed a cysteine-less variant of SHST1 that has transport characteristics indistinguishable from wild type. This construct will be useful for further structure and function studies of SHST1.

Progress in transport modelling of internal transport barrier plasmas in JET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tala, T.; Bourdelle, C.; Imbeaux, F.; Moreau, D.; Garbet, X.; Joffrin, E.; Laborde, L.; Litaudon, X.; Mazon, D.; Parail, V.; Corrigan, G.; Heading, D.; Crisanti, F.; Mantica, P.; Salmi, A.; Strand, P.; Weiland, J.

2005-01-01

This paper will report on the recent progress in transport modelling of Internal Transport Barrier (ITB) plasmas. Two separate issues will be covered, fully predictive transport modelling of ITBs in the multi-tokamak database, including micro-stability analyses of ITBs, and predictive closed-loop (i.e. real-time control) transport simulations of the q-profile and ITBs. For the first time, the predictive capabilities of the mixed Bohm/GyroBohm and Weiland transport models are investigated with discharges from the ITPA ITB database by fully predictive transport simulations. The predictive transport simulations with the Bohm/GyroBohm model agree very well with experimental results from JET and JT-60U. In order to achieve a good agreement in DIII-D, the stabilisation had to be included into the model, showing the significant role played by the stabilisation in governing the physics of the ITBs. The significant role of the stabilisation is also emphasised by the gyrokinetic analysis. The Weiland transport model shows only limited agreement between the model predictions and experimental results with respect to the formation and location of the ITB. The fully predictive closed-loop simulations with real-time control of the q-profile and ITB show that it is possible to reach various set-point profiles for q and ITB and control them for longer than a current diffusion time in JET using the same real-time control technique as in the experiments. (author)

The dopamine transporter: role in neurotoxicity and human disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bannon, Michael J.

2005-01-01

The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a plasma membrane transport protein expressed exclusively within a small subset of CNS neurons. It plays a crucial role in controlling dopamine-mediated neurotransmission and a number of associated behaviors. This review focuses on recent data elucidating the role of the dopamine transporter in neurotoxicity and a number of CNS disorders, including Parkinson disease, drug abuse, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

The dopamine transporter: role in neurotoxicity and human disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bannon, Michael J [Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Pharmacology, and Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201 (United States)

2005-05-01

The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a plasma membrane transport protein expressed exclusively within a small subset of CNS neurons. It plays a crucial role in controlling dopamine-mediated neurotransmission and a number of associated behaviors. This review focuses on recent data elucidating the role of the dopamine transporter in neurotoxicity and a number of CNS disorders, including Parkinson disease, drug abuse, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Alabama Department of Transportation : research and development 2011 peer exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-01

Research and development are key to safe and efficient transportation systems in our country. They have played a vital role in the advancements that have led to our current transportation system. Federal regulation (23 CRF 420 Subpart B) establishes ...

Uptake of biotin by Chlamydia Spp. through the use of a bacterial transporter (BioY and a host-cell transporter (SMVT.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Derek J Fisher

Full Text Available Chlamydia spp. are obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterial pathogens that cause disease in humans and animals. Minor variations in metabolic capacity between species have been causally linked to host and tissue tropisms. Analysis of the highly conserved genomes of Chlamydia spp. reveals divergence in the metabolism of the essential vitamin biotin with genes for either synthesis (bioF_2ADB and/or transport (bioY. Streptavidin blotting confirmed the presence of a single biotinylated protein in Chlamydia. As a first step in unraveling the need for divergent biotin acquisition strategies, we examined BioY (CTL0613 from C. trachomatis 434/Bu which is annotated as an S component of the type II energy coupling-factor transporters (ECF. Type II ECFs are typically composed of a transport specific component (S and a chromosomally unlinked energy module (AT. Intriguingly, Chlamydia lack recognizable AT modules. Using (3H-biotin and recombinant E. coli expressing CTL0613, we demonstrated that biotin was transported with high affinity (a property of Type II ECFs previously shown to require an AT module and capacity (apparent K(m of 3.35 nM and V(max of 55.1 pmol×min(-1×mg(-1. Since Chlamydia reside in a host derived membrane vacuole, termed an inclusion, we also sought a mechanism for transport of biotin from the cell cytoplasm into the inclusion vacuole. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the mammalian sodium multivitamin transporter (SMVT, which transports lipoic acid, biotin, and pantothenic acid into cells, localizes to the inclusion. Since Chlamydia also are auxotrophic for lipoic and pantothenic acids, SMVT may be subverted by Chlamydia to move multiple essential compounds into the inclusion where BioY and another transporter(s would be present to facilitate transport into the bacterium. Collectively, our data validates the first BioY from a pathogenic organism and describes a two-step mechanism by which Chlamydia transport biotin

Uptake of Biotin by Chlamydia Spp. through the Use of a Bacterial Transporter (BioY) and a Host-Cell Transporter (SMVT)

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Derek J.; Fernández, Reinaldo E.; Adams, Nancy E.; Maurelli, Anthony T.

2012-01-01

Chlamydia spp. are obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterial pathogens that cause disease in humans and animals. Minor variations in metabolic capacity between species have been causally linked to host and tissue tropisms. Analysis of the highly conserved genomes of Chlamydia spp. reveals divergence in the metabolism of the essential vitamin biotin with genes for either synthesis (bioF_2ADB) and/or transport (bioY). Streptavidin blotting confirmed the presence of a single biotinylated protein in Chlamydia. As a first step in unraveling the need for divergent biotin acquisition strategies, we examined BioY (CTL0613) from C. trachomatis 434/Bu which is annotated as an S component of the type II energy coupling-factor transporters (ECF). Type II ECFs are typically composed of a transport specific component (S) and a chromosomally unlinked energy module (AT). Intriguingly, Chlamydia lack recognizable AT modules. Using 3H-biotin and recombinant E. coli expressing CTL0613, we demonstrated that biotin was transported with high affinity (a property of Type II ECFs previously shown to require an AT module) and capacity (apparent K(m) of 3.35 nM and V(max) of 55.1 pmol×min−1×mg−1). Since Chlamydia reside in a host derived membrane vacuole, termed an inclusion, we also sought a mechanism for transport of biotin from the cell cytoplasm into the inclusion vacuole. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the mammalian sodium multivitamin transporter (SMVT), which transports lipoic acid, biotin, and pantothenic acid into cells, localizes to the inclusion. Since Chlamydia also are auxotrophic for lipoic and pantothenic acids, SMVT may be subverted by Chlamydia to move multiple essential compounds into the inclusion where BioY and another transporter(s) would be present to facilitate transport into the bacterium. Collectively, our data validates the first BioY from a pathogenic organism and describes a two-step mechanism by which Chlamydia transport biotin from the

Play Therapy: Facilitative Use of Child's Play in Elementary School Counseling.

Science.gov (United States)

Landreth, Garry L.

1987-01-01

Reviews five major developments in play therapy: psychoanalysis, release therapy, relationship therapy, nondirective therapy, and play therapy in school settings. Suggests ways school counselors can use play therapy. Describes play therapy facilities, location selection, and play materials. Lists objectives of play therapy and how teachers can aid…

Investigating anomalous transport of electrolytes in charged porous media

Science.gov (United States)

Skjøde Bolet, Asger Johannes; Mathiesen, Joachim

2017-04-01

Surface charge is know to play an important role in microfluidics devices when dealing with electrolytes and their transport properties. Similarly, surface charge could play a role for transport in porous rock with submicron pore sizes. Estimates of the streaming potentials and electro osmotic are mostly considered in simple geometries both using analytic and numerical tools, however it is unclear at present how realistic complex geometries will modify the dynamics. Our work have focused on doing numerical studies of the full three-dimensional Stokes-Poisson-Nernst-Planck problem for electrolyte transport in porous rock. As the numerical implementation, we have used a finite element solver made using the FEniCS project code base, which can both solve for a steady state configuration and the full transient. In the presentation, we will show our results on anomalous transport due to electro kinetic effects such as the streaming potential or the electro osmotic effect.

Transport and low-carbon fuel: A study of public preferences in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loureiro, Maria L.; Labandeira, Xavier; Hanemann, Michael

2013-01-01

Transport is essential for the control of future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and thus a target for active policy intervention in the future. Yet, social preferences for policies are likely to play an important role. In this paper we first review the existing literature on preferences regarding low-GHG car fuels, but also covering policy instruments and strategies in this area. We then present the results of a survey of Spanish households aimed at measuring preferences for climate change policies. We find a positive willingness to pay (WTP) (in the form of higher car fuel prices) for a policy to reduce GHG emissions through biofuels. There is, however, significant heterogeneity in public preferences due to personal motivations (accounted for via factor analysis of responses to attitudinal questions) and to socio-demographic variables. - Highlights: • Road transport is the cause of important energy-related problems, particularly the emission of greenhouse gases and local pollution. • This paper explores public attitudes and preferences towards low-carbon fuel policies in Spain via contingent valuation. • A factor analysis is performed, showing the existence of pro-social and economic factors related to preferences for policies. • Drivers were willing to pay an extra of 115.5 Euros per year for low-carbon fuels, roughly an extra 0.07 (0.08) Euros/liter for gasoline (diesel). • The results encourage the use of these low-GHG policies as feasible alternatives for climate policies in the transport area

Isolation and functional characterization of an ammonium transporter gene, PyAMT1, related to nitrogen assimilation in the marine macroalga Pyropia yezoensis (Rhodophyta).

Science.gov (United States)

Kakinuma, Makoto; Nakamoto, Chika; Kishi, Kazuki; Coury, Daniel A; Amano, Hideomi

2017-07-01

Ammonium and nitrate are the primary nitrogen sources in natural environments, and are essential for growth and development in photosynthetic eukaryotes. In this study, we report on the isolation and characterization of an ammonium transporter gene (PyAMT1) which performs a key function in nitrogen (N) metabolism of Pyropia yezoensis thalli. The predicted length of PyAMT1 was 483 amino acids (AAs). The AA sequence included 11 putative transmembrane domains and showed approximately 33-44% identity to algal and plant AMT1 AA sequences. Functional complementation in an AMT-defective yeast mutant indicated that PyAMT1 mediated ammonium transport across the plasma membrane. Expression analysis showed that the PyAMT1 mRNA level was strongly induced by N-deficiency, and was more highly suppressed by resupply of inorganic-N than organic-N. These results suggest that PyAMT1 plays important roles in the ammonium transport system, and is highly regulated in response to external/internal N-status. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transporter-mediated biofuel secretion.

Science.gov (United States)

Doshi, Rupak; Nguyen, Tuan; Chang, Geoffrey

2013-05-07

Engineering microorganisms to produce biofuels is currently among the most promising strategies in renewable energy. However, harvesting these organisms for extracting biofuels is energy- and cost-intensive, limiting the commercial feasibility of large-scale production. Here, we demonstrate the use of a class of transport proteins of pharmacological interest to circumvent the need to harvest biomass during biofuel production. We show that membrane-embedded transporters, better known to efflux lipids and drugs, can be used to mediate the secretion of intracellularly synthesized model isoprenoid biofuel compounds to the extracellular milieu. Transporter-mediated biofuel secretion sustainably maintained an approximate three- to fivefold boost in biofuel production in our Escherichia coli test system. Because the transporters used in this study belong to the ubiquitous ATP-binding cassette protein family, we propose their use as "plug-and-play" biofuel-secreting systems in a variety of bacteria, cyanobacteria, diatoms, yeast, and algae used for biofuel production. This investigation showcases the potential of expressing desired membrane transport proteins in cell factories to achieve the export or import of substances of economic, environmental, or therapeutic importance.

Mediatized play

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, Stine Liv

Children’s play must nowadays be understood as a mediatized field in society and culture. Media – understood in a very broad sense - holds severe explanatory power in describing and understanding the practice of play, since play happens both with, through and inspired by media of different sorts........ In this presentation the case of ‘playing soccer’ will be outlined through its different mediated manifestations, including soccer games and programs on TV, computer games, magazines, books, YouTube videos and soccer trading cards....

Biosensor discovery of thyroxine transport disrupting chemicals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marchesini, G.R.; Meimaridou, A.; Haasnoot, W.; Meulenberg, E.; Albertus, F.; Mizuguchi, M.; Takeuchi, M.; Irth, H.; Murk, A.J.

2008-01-01

Ubiquitous chemicals may interfere with the thyroid system that is essential in the development and physiology of vertebrates. We applied a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor-based screening method for the fast screening of chemicals with thyroxine (T4) transport disrupting activity. Two

Transcriptional Responses of Escherichia coli to a Small-Molecule Inhibitor of LolCDE, an Essential Component of the Lipoprotein Transport Pathway

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenz, Christian; Dougherty, Thomas J.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT In Gram-negative bacteria, a dedicated machinery consisting of LolABCDE components targets lipoproteins to the outer membrane. We used a previously identified small-molecule inhibitor of the LolCDE complex of Escherichia coli to assess the global transcriptional consequences of interference with lipoprotein transport. Exposure of E. coli to the LolCDE inhibitor at concentrations leading to minimal and significant growth inhibition, followed by transcriptome sequencing, identified a small group of genes whose transcript levels were decreased and a larger group whose mRNA levels increased 10- to 100-fold compared to those of untreated cells. The majority of the genes whose mRNA concentrations were reduced were part of the flagellar assembly pathway, which contains an essential lipoprotein component. Most of the genes whose transcript levels were elevated encode proteins involved in selected cell stress pathways. Many of these genes are involved with envelope stress responses induced by the mislocalization of outer membrane lipoproteins. Although several of the genes whose RNAs were induced have previously been shown to be associated with the general perturbation of the cell envelope by antibiotics, a small subset was affected only by LolCDE inhibition. Findings from this work suggest that the efficiency of the Lol system function may be coupled to a specific monitoring system, which could be exploited in the development of reporter constructs suitable for use for screening for additional inhibitors of lipoprotein trafficking. IMPORTANCE Inhibition of the lipoprotein transport pathway leads to E. coli death and subsequent lysis. Early significant changes in the levels of RNA for a subset of genes identified to be associated with some periplasmic and envelope stress responses were observed. Together these findings suggest that disruption of this key pathway can have a severe impact on balanced outer membrane synthesis sufficient to affect viability. PMID

Transcriptional Responses of Escherichia coli to a Small-Molecule Inhibitor of LolCDE, an Essential Component of the Lipoprotein Transport Pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenz, Christian; Dougherty, Thomas J; Lory, Stephen

2016-12-01

In Gram-negative bacteria, a dedicated machinery consisting of LolABCDE components targets lipoproteins to the outer membrane. We used a previously identified small-molecule inhibitor of the LolCDE complex of Escherichia coli to assess the global transcriptional consequences of interference with lipoprotein transport. Exposure of E. coli to the LolCDE inhibitor at concentrations leading to minimal and significant growth inhibition, followed by transcriptome sequencing, identified a small group of genes whose transcript levels were decreased and a larger group whose mRNA levels increased 10- to 100-fold compared to those of untreated cells. The majority of the genes whose mRNA concentrations were reduced were part of the flagellar assembly pathway, which contains an essential lipoprotein component. Most of the genes whose transcript levels were elevated encode proteins involved in selected cell stress pathways. Many of these genes are involved with envelope stress responses induced by the mislocalization of outer membrane lipoproteins. Although several of the genes whose RNAs were induced have previously been shown to be associated with the general perturbation of the cell envelope by antibiotics, a small subset was affected only by LolCDE inhibition. Findings from this work suggest that the efficiency of the Lol system function may be coupled to a specific monitoring system, which could be exploited in the development of reporter constructs suitable for use for screening for additional inhibitors of lipoprotein trafficking. Inhibition of the lipoprotein transport pathway leads to E. coli death and subsequent lysis. Early significant changes in the levels of RNA for a subset of genes identified to be associated with some periplasmic and envelope stress responses were observed. Together these findings suggest that disruption of this key pathway can have a severe impact on balanced outer membrane synthesis sufficient to affect viability. Copyright © 2016 Lorenz et al.

The essential function of B. subtilis RNase III is to silence foreign toxin genes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sylvain Durand

Full Text Available RNase III-related enzymes play key roles in cleaving double-stranded RNA in many biological systems. Among the best-known are RNase III itself, involved in ribosomal RNA maturation and mRNA turnover in bacteria, and Drosha and Dicer, which play critical roles in the production of micro (mi-RNAs and small interfering (si-RNAs in eukaryotes. Although RNase III has important cellular functions in bacteria, its gene is generally not essential, with the remarkable exception of that of Bacillus subtilis. Here we show that the essential role of RNase III in this organism is to protect it from the expression of toxin genes borne by two prophages, Skin and SPβ, through antisense RNA. Thus, while a growing number of organisms that use RNase III or its homologs as part of a viral defense mechanism, B. subtilis requires RNase III for viral accommodation to the point where the presence of the enzyme is essential for cell survival. We identify txpA and yonT as the two toxin-encoding mRNAs of Skin and SPβ that are sensitive to RNase III. We further explore the mechanism of RNase III-mediated decay of the txpA mRNA when paired to its antisense RNA RatA, both in vivo and in vitro.

RLIP76, a glutathione-conjugate transporter, plays a major role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jyotsana Singhal

Full Text Available PURPOSE: Characteristic hypoglycemia, hypotriglyceridemia, hypocholesterolemia, lower body mass, and fat as well as pronounced insulin-sensitivity of RLIP76⁻/⁻ mice suggested to us the possibility that elevation of RLIP76 in response to stress could itself elicit metabolic syndrome (MSy. Indeed, if it were required for MSy, drugs used to treat MSy should have no effect on RLIP76⁻/⁻ mice. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Blood glucose (BG and lipid measurements were performed in RLIP76⁺/⁺ and RLIP76⁻/⁻ mice, using Ascensia Elite Glucometer® for glucose and ID Labs kits for cholesterol and triglycerides assays. The ultimate effectors of gluconeogenesis are the three enzymes: PEPCK, F-1,6-BPase, and G6Pase, and their expression is regulated by PPARγ and AMPK. The activity of these enzymes was tested by protocols standardized by us. Expressions of RLIP76, PPARα, PPARγ, HMGCR, pJNK, pAkt, and AMPK were performed by Western-blot and tissue staining. RESULTS: The concomitant activation of AMPK and PPARγ by inhibiting transport activity of RLIP76, despite inhibited activity of key glucocorticoid-regulated hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes like PEPCK, G6Pase and F-1,6-BP in RLIP76⁻/⁻ mice, is a salient finding of our studies. The decrease in RLIP76 protein expression by rosiglitazone and metformin is associated with an up-regulation of PPARγ and AMPK. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: All four drugs, rosiglitazone, metformin, gemfibrozil and atorvastatin failed to affect glucose and lipid metabolism in RLIP76⁻/⁻ mice. Studies confirmed a model in which RLIP76 plays a central role in the pathogenesis of MSy and RLIP76 loss causes profound and global alterations of MSy signaling functions. RLIP76 is a novel target for single-molecule therapeutics for metabolic syndrome.

ADAM10 is essential for cranial neural crest-derived maxillofacial bone development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, Yu, E-mail: tanyu2048@163.com; Fu, Runqing, E-mail: furunqing@sjtu.edu.cn; Liu, Jiaqiang, E-mail: liujqmj@163.com; Wu, Yong, E-mail: wyonger@gmail.com; Wang, Bo, E-mail: wb228@126.com; Jiang, Ning, E-mail: 179639060@qq.com; Nie, Ping, E-mail: nieping1011@sina.com; Cao, Haifeng, E-mail: 0412chf@163.com; Yang, Zhi, E-mail: wcums1981@163.com; Fang, Bing, E-mail: fangbing@sjtu.edu.cn

2016-07-08

Growth disorders of the craniofacial bones may lead to craniofacial deformities. The majority of maxillofacial bones are derived from cranial neural crest cells via intramembranous bone formation. Any interruption of the craniofacial skeleton development process might lead to craniofacial malformation. A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)10 plays an essential role in organ development and tissue integrity in different organs. However, little is known about its function in craniofacial bone formation. Therefore, we investigated the role of ADAM10 in the developing craniofacial skeleton, particularly during typical mandibular bone development. First, we showed that ADAM10 was expressed in a specific area of the craniofacial bone and that the expression pattern dynamically changed during normal mouse craniofacial development. Then, we crossed wnt1-cre transgenic mice with adam10-flox mice to generate ADAM10 conditional knockout mice. The stereomicroscopic, radiographic, and von Kossa staining results showed that conditional knockout of ADAM10 in cranial neural crest cells led to embryonic death, craniofacial dysmorphia and bone defects. Furthermore, we demonstrated that impaired mineralization could be triggered by decreased osteoblast differentiation, increased cell death. Overall, these findings show that ADAM10 plays an essential role in craniofacial bone development. -- Highlights: •We firstly reported that ADAM10 was essentially involved in maxillofacial bone development. •ADAM10 cKO mice present craniofacial dysmorphia and bone defects. •Impaired osteoblast differentiation,proliferation and apoptosis underlie the bone deformity.

ADAM10 is essential for cranial neural crest-derived maxillofacial bone development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, Yu; Fu, Runqing; Liu, Jiaqiang; Wu, Yong; Wang, Bo; Jiang, Ning; Nie, Ping; Cao, Haifeng; Yang, Zhi; Fang, Bing

2016-01-01

Growth disorders of the craniofacial bones may lead to craniofacial deformities. The majority of maxillofacial bones are derived from cranial neural crest cells via intramembranous bone formation. Any interruption of the craniofacial skeleton development process might lead to craniofacial malformation. A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)10 plays an essential role in organ development and tissue integrity in different organs. However, little is known about its function in craniofacial bone formation. Therefore, we investigated the role of ADAM10 in the developing craniofacial skeleton, particularly during typical mandibular bone development. First, we showed that ADAM10 was expressed in a specific area of the craniofacial bone and that the expression pattern dynamically changed during normal mouse craniofacial development. Then, we crossed wnt1-cre transgenic mice with adam10-flox mice to generate ADAM10 conditional knockout mice. The stereomicroscopic, radiographic, and von Kossa staining results showed that conditional knockout of ADAM10 in cranial neural crest cells led to embryonic death, craniofacial dysmorphia and bone defects. Furthermore, we demonstrated that impaired mineralization could be triggered by decreased osteoblast differentiation, increased cell death. Overall, these findings show that ADAM10 plays an essential role in craniofacial bone development. -- Highlights: •We firstly reported that ADAM10 was essentially involved in maxillofacial bone development. •ADAM10 cKO mice present craniofacial dysmorphia and bone defects. •Impaired osteoblast differentiation,proliferation and apoptosis underlie the bone deformity.

Quantitative Efficiency Evaluation Method for Transportation Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin Qin

2014-11-01

Full Text Available An effective evaluation of transportation network efficiency/performance is essential to the establishment of sustainable development in any transportation system. Based on a redefinition of transportation network efficiency, a quantitative efficiency evaluation method for transportation network is proposed, which could reflect the effects of network structure, traffic demands, travel choice, and travel costs on network efficiency. Furthermore, the efficiency-oriented importance measure for network components is presented, which can be used to help engineers identify the critical nodes and links in the network. The numerical examples show that, compared with existing efficiency evaluation methods, the network efficiency value calculated by the method proposed in this paper can portray the real operation situation of the transportation network as well as the effects of main factors on network efficiency. We also find that the network efficiency and the importance values of the network components both are functions of demands and network structure in the transportation network.

Metal transport across biomembranes: emerging models for a distinct chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Argüello, José M; Raimunda, Daniel; González-Guerrero, Manuel

2012-04-20

Transition metals are essential components of important biomolecules, and their homeostasis is central to many life processes. Transmembrane transporters are key elements controlling the distribution of metals in various compartments. However, due to their chemical properties, transition elements require transporters with different structural-functional characteristics from those of alkali and alkali earth ions. Emerging structural information and functional studies have revealed distinctive features of metal transport. Among these are the relevance of multifaceted events involving metal transfer among participating proteins, the importance of coordination geometry at transmembrane transport sites, and the presence of the largely irreversible steps associated with vectorial transport. Here, we discuss how these characteristics shape novel transition metal ion transport models.

'Like Playing with Fire Under a Hut' - You Will Get Burnt If You Do ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

'Like Playing with Fire Under a Hut' - You Will Get Burnt If You Do Not Adjust: Reflections of Social Work Students on Adjusting to University Life. ... High dropout rates in first year and the enculturation into the academic literacies essential in promoting a successful academic adjustment are some of the challenges faced by ...

Scandium - problem of ultra-trace-element essentiality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kist, A.A.; Zkuk, L.I.; Danilova, E.A.; Makhmudov, E.A.

2006-01-01

Full text: Role of constitutional and essential elements in Life is known quite well. It is also well known that all chemical elements present in the living matter. Nevertheless essentiality of at least 55 chemical elements (more than a half of number of natural elements) is still not accepted. In many cases these elements presumably play important role in the Life. On the other hand their essentiality is still under doubt. One of the 'strange' elements in this connection is scandium. Scandium is an element which is very 'simple' for instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). For many years in our laboratory were carried out studies on animals and human tissues and fluids elemental composition using INAA in which data for scandium were obtained as 'redundant' information. Essentiality of scandium was newer proven using accepted criteria of elements. Nevertheless in our studies were found various regularities, statistically significant inter-elemental correlations and correlations between elements in tissues and fluids versus clinic and biochemical data. There are some examples. There were found correlations of scandium hair concentration and blood glucose (r=0.68±0.13), body mass index (r=0.86±0.07), leukocyte with phagocytic activity migration inhibition test (r=0.68±0.18), size of cavity of the left heart auricle (r=-0.65±0.16), final systolic bulk (r=0.80±0.12), stroke output of heart (r=-0.79±0.12), final diastolic bulk (0.88±0.0080) etc. In addition using gel filtration in rat liver cytosol was found peak of scandium in elution curve. Examples and correlations given in the paper say in favor that scandium may play quite important role in biological processes and that the biological role of scandium should be studied more intensive. The most important criterion is an appearance of the organism dysfunction in case of removal of the studied elements from the diet (intake) which in all other sides remains completely valuable and disappearance of all

Combined evaluation. Plutonium transports in France. Problems of safety and reliability of transport container FS47; Evaluation Conjointe. Transports de plutonium en France. Problemes de surete et de securite du container de transport FS47

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marignac, Y.; Coeytaux, X. [Wise-Paris, 75 (France); Large, J.H. [Nuclear Engineer, Large and Associates, Londres (United Kingdom)

2004-09-15

This report concerns the safety and the protection of plutonium dioxide transported from Cogema La Hague to the mixed oxide fuel plant of Marcoule and Cadarache. The French approach of the transport safety is based on the combining of two essential principles: the first one affirms that the performances of the FS47 container in regard of containment (norms TS-R-1 from IAEA for the accidental conditions) is conceived to resist in any situation even terrorism or sabotage. In fact, the IAEA norm follows a probabilistic study without a voluntary attack such a terrorist one. The second principle rests on the ability to prevent the treat of terrorism acts, because of a secrecy policy on the plutonium transport. It appeared that the Green peace association has succeeded several times to know exactly the hours, the trips of the plutonium transport and this simple thing raises more questions than it solves. (N.C.)

Play at Work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meier Sørensen, Bent; Spoelstra, Sverre

2012-01-01

The interest in organizational play is growing, both in popular business discourse and organization studies. As the presumption that play is dysfunctional for organizations is increasingly discarded, the existing positions may be divided into two camps; one proposes ‘serious play’ as an engine fo...... workplaces engage in play: play as a (serious) continuation of work, play as a (critical) intervention into work and play as an (uninvited) usurpation of work....

Playful Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2003-01-01

The video Playful Interaction describes a future architectural office, and envisions ideas and concepts for playful interactions between people, materials and appliances in a pervasive and augmented working environment. The video both describes existing developments, technologies and designs...... as well as ideas not yet implemented such as playful modes of interaction with an augmented ball. Playful Interaction has been used as a hybrid of a vision video and a video prototype (1). Externally the video has been used to visualising our new ideas, and internally the video has also worked to inspire...

The role of play themes in non-directive play therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Virginia; Edge, Andrew

2012-07-01

Describing the processes underlying play therapy is important for evidence based practice in child therapy. Employing play themes to describe children's play session contents is in widespread use by practitioners, but an adequate classification of these themes for non-directive play therapy practice has not yet been established. This article sets out to fill this gap by first describing how themes can be distinguished and distilled from the contents of play therapy contents. Second, a classification of main themes and sub-themes with exemplars to illustrate these concepts which is compatible with non-directive play therapy practice is set out. Finally a pilot project with experienced play therapists to test this classification in practice is suggested, along with the research questions that will need to be investigated in the shorter and longer terms.

Online estimation of radionuclide transportation in water environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi-Jing Zhang; Li-Sheng Hu

2017-01-01

Transportation evaluation of the radionuclide waste discharged from nuclear power plants is an essential licensing issue, especially for inland sites. Basically, the dynamics of radionuclide transportation are nonlinear and time-varying. Motivated by its time-consuming computation, the work proposed an online estimation method for the radionuclide waste in water surface. After extracting the nonlinearity of factors influencing radionuclide transportation, the method utilizes transfer function and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity models to perform deterministic and probabilistic estimations. It turns out that, the resulting predictions show high accuracy and can optimize the online discharge management of radioactive waste for nuclear power plants. (author)

Strategic Spatial Planning's Role in Legitimizing Investments in Transport Infrastructure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Kristian

This paper discusses to what extent spatial visions might play an important role in not only supporting, but also legitimizing the need for investments in transport infrastructures. Drawing on discussion of an ‘infrastructure turn’ in strategic spatial planning (Dodson 2009), this paper explores...... how the recently proposed vision of a Loop City for the Danish/Swedish Øresund Region has played an important role in legitimizing and building political support for a light railway connecting the outer suburbs of Copenhagen. It is not unusual for large investments in new transport infrastructures...

Pipelines, inexpensive and safe mode of transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grover, D D

1979-01-01

Pipelines are the leading bulk commodity transporter and should play an even more important role in the future of energy transportation and distribution. As fossil fuel and low-cost uranium resources become depleted, it will be economical to produce hydrogen by electrolysis and transport it through underground pipelines to points of consumption. The cost would be only two to three times that of transporting natural gas per unit of heat energy and substantially less than the cost of transporting electric energy in overhead, extra-high-voltage transmission lines. Pipeline design, including economic pipe diameter; pipe material; operation by remote control and automation; cathodic protection; pipeline construction; and pipeline maintenance, particularly as regards the 1157 km long Oil India Pipeline, are discussed.

Electron stopping powers for transport calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger, M.J.

1988-01-01

The reliability of radiation transport calculations depends on the accuracy of the input cross sections. Therefore, it is essential to review and update the cross sections from time to time. Even though the main interest of the author's group at NBS is in transport calculations and their applications, the group spends almost as much time on the analysis and preparation of cross sections as on the development of transport codes. Stopping powers, photon attenuation coefficients, bremsstrahlung cross sections, and elastic-scattering cross sections in recent years have claimed attention. This chapter deals with electron stopping powers (with emphasis on collision stopping powers), and reviews the state of the art as reflected by Report 37 of the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements

An Essential Role of Hrs/Vps27 in Endosomal Cholesterol Trafficking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ximing Du

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT plays a crucial role in the degradation of ubiquitinated endosomal membrane proteins. Here, we report that Hrs, a key protein of the ESCRT-0 complex, is required for the transport of low-density lipoprotein-derived cholesterol from endosomes to the endoplasmic reticulum. This function of Hrs in cholesterol transport is distinct from its previously defined role in lysosomal sorting and downregulation of membrane receptors via the ESCRT pathway. In line with this, knocking down other ESCRT proteins does not cause prominent endosomal cholesterol accumulation. Importantly, the localization and biochemical properties of key cholesterol-sorting proteins, NPC1 and NPC2, appear to be unchanged upon Hrs knockdown. Our data identify Hrs as a regulator of endosomal cholesterol trafficking and provide additional insights into the budding of intralumenal vesicles.

Imagination, Playfulness, and Creativity in Children's Play with Different Toys

Science.gov (United States)

Mo????ller, Signe?? Juhl?

2015-01-01

Based on a four-month experimental study of preschool children's play with creative-construction and social-fantasy toys, the author examines the in?uence of both types of toys on the play of preschool children. Her comparative analysis considers the impact of transformative play on the development of imagination during play activities and…

Synergistic mosquito-repellent activity of Curcuma longa, Pogostemon heyneanus and Zanthoxylum limonella essential oils.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, N G; Dhiman, Sunil; Talukdar, P K; Rabha, Bipul; Goswami, Diganta; Veer, Vijay

2015-01-01

Mosquito repellents play an important role in preventing man-mosquito contact. In the present study, we evaluated the synergistic mosquito-repellent activity of Curcuma longa, Pogostemon heyneanus and Zanthoxylum limonella essential oils. The mosquito repellent efficacies of three essential oils were evaluated separately and in combination under laboratory and field conditions. N,N-Diethylphenylacetamide (DEPA) and dimethylphthalate (DMP) were used for comparison of the protection time of the mixture of essential oils. At an optimum concentration of 20%, the essential oils of C. longa, Z. limonella and P. heyneanus provided complete protection times (CPTs) of 96.2, 91.4 and 123.4 min, respectively, against Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in the laboratory. The 1:1:2 mixture of the essential oils provided 329.4 and 391.0 min of CPT in the laboratory and field trials, respectively. The percent increases in CPTs for the essential oil mixture were 30 for DMP and 55 for N,N-diethylphenylacetamide (DEPA). The synergistic repellent activity of the essential oils used in the present study might be useful for developing safer alternatives to synthetic repellents for personal protection against mosquitoes. Copyright © 2015 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vasomotion of renal blood flow in essential hypertension. Oscillations in xenon transit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollenberg, N.K.; Sandor, T.

1984-01-01

To assess the frequency and magnitude of phasic renal blood flow changes in essential hypertension, we applied an analytical method based on the estimation of power spectral density to xenon transit through the kidney. Despite similar age and gender distribution of the patients and exclusion of those with accelerated hypertension, mean renal blood flow was significantly lower in 100 patients with essential hypertension (299 +/- 8 ml/100 g/min) than in the 144 normal subjects (335 +/- 6 ml/100 g/min; p less than 0.001). Normalized power, the index of oscillatory behavior, was more than twice normal in patients with essential hypertension (p less than 0.001), but there was no difference in the frequency or cycle length of the oscillation. Two maneuvers that induced renal vasoconstriction, the application of cuffs to the thighs which were then inflated to diastolic blood pressure and an emotional provocation, reduced renal blood flow much more in patients with essential hypertension (p less than 0.01) in association with a striking increase in normalized power (p less than 0.001). The oscillations, which reflected not the phasic blood pressure change but rather the phasic change in renal perfusion, provided additional evidence that renal vasoconstriction plays an active role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension

Exercise scintirenography in normotensive young offspring of essential hypertensives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong Fanzhen; Zhang Chenggang; Zhao Deshan

2004-01-01

Objective: To observe whether there is potential renal function decline in normotensive young offspring of essential hypertensives and to probe into the possible mechanism giving rise to it, providing some clues to the study of the pathogenic and hereditary mechanism of essential hypertension. Methods: Using 99 Tc m -DTPA as the imaging agent, authors performed rest and exercise scintirenography in normotensive young offspring of essential hypertensives [NOH, 31 cases, 14 males, 17 females; mean age: (23.2 ± 4.1) years], normotensive young off-spring of non-hypertensives [NON, 31 cases, 20 males, 11 females; mean age: (23.1±3.6) years], some of the hypertensive parents [21 cases, 5 males, 16 females; mean age: (53.0 ± 5.61) years] and old non-hypertensive subjects [10 cases, 6 males, 4 females; mean age: (53.7 ± 5.2) years]. The results were analyzed with the software of SPSS 10.0 for Windows. Results: Though all of the rest renal function indexes from NOH were within the normal range, there were significant differences between most of those indexes from NOH and those from NON, e. g., t p and MTT from NOH were significantly delayed than those from NON; exercise made these differences more significant, and after exercise, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and RI were significantly lower, and 20/P was significantly higher. There were 4, 5, 2 cases showing abnormal exercise scintirenography in NOH, hypertensive parents and old non-hypertensive subjects, respectively, but none in NON group. Conclusions: There is potential renal function decline in normotensive young offspring of essential hypertensives. The kidney may play an important role in the pathogenic and hereditary mechanism of essential hypertension

Molecular Dynamics Investigation of Cl− and Water Transport through a Eukaryotic CLC Transporter

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Mary Hongying; Coalson, Rob D.

2012-01-01

Early crystal structures of prokaryotic CLC proteins identified three Cl– binding sites: internal (Sint), central (Scen), and external (Sext). A conserved external GLU (GLUex) residue acts as a gate competing for Sext. Recently, the first crystal structure of a eukaryotic transporter, CmCLC, revealed that in this transporter GLUex competes instead for Scen. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate Cl– transport through CmCLC. The gating and Cl–/H+ transport cycle are inferred through comparative molecular dynamics simulations with protonated and deprotonated GLUex in the presence/absence of external potentials. Adaptive biasing force calculations are employed to estimate the potential of mean force profiles associated with transport of a Cl– ion from Sext to Sint, depending on the Cl– occupancy of other sites. Our simulations demonstrate that protonation of GLUex is essential for Cl– transport from Sext to Scen. The Scen site may be occupied by two Cl– ions simultaneously due to a high energy barrier (∼8 Kcal/mol) for a single Cl– ion to translocate from Scen to Sint. Binding two Cl– ions to Scen induces a continuous water wire from Scen to the extracellular solution through the side chain of the GLUex gate. This may initiate deprotonation of GLUex, which then drives the two Cl– ions out of Scen toward the intracellular side via two putative Cl– transport paths. Finally, a conformational cycle is proposed that would account for the exchange stoichiometry. PMID:22455919

Polymorphisms in the glial glutamate transporter SLC1A2 are associated with essential tremor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thier, Sandra; Lorenz, Delia; Nothnagel, Michael

2012-01-01

Sporadic, genetically complex essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders and may lead to severe impairment of the quality of life. Despite high heritability, the genetic determinants of ET are largely unknown. We performed the second genome-wide association study (GWAS...

A roadmap for the EU White Paper goal on Urben Transport

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gudmundsson, Henrik; Schippl, Jens; Leiren, Merethe Dotterud

2015-01-01

in urban transport by 2030; and to phase them out by 2050; and to achieve “essentially CO2-free city logistics in major urban centres by 2030.” The question driving the research behind this paper is how to realise this dual urban transport goal for 2030, taking into consideration existing trends, available...

Playful biometrics: controversial technology through the lens of play.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellerbrok, Ariane

2011-01-01

This article considers the role of play in the context of technological emergence and expansion, particularly as it relates to recently emerging surveillance technologies. As a case study, I consider the trajectory of automated face recognition—a biometric technology of numerous applications, from its more controversial manifestations under the rubric of national security to a clearly emerging orientation toward play. This shift toward “playful” biometrics—or from a technology traditionally coded as “hard” to one now increasingly coded as “soft”—is critical insofar as it renders problematic the traditional modes of critique that have, up until this point, challenged the expansion of biometric systems into increasingly ubiquitous realms of everyday life. In response to this dynamic, I propose theorizing the expansion of face recognition specifically in relation to “play,” a step that allows us to broaden the critical space around newly emerging playful biometrics, as well as playful surveillance more generally. In addition, play may also have relevance for theorizing other forms of controversial technology, particularly given its potential role in processes of obfuscation, normalization, and marginalization.

Harvesting and transport operations to optimise biomass supply chain and industrial biorefinery processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Matindi

2018-10-01

Full Text Available In Australia, Bioenergy plays an important role in modern power systems, where many biomass resources provide greenhouse gas neutral and electricity at a variety of scales. By 2050, the Biomass energy is projected to have a 40-50 % share as an alternative source of energy. In addition to conversion of biomass, barriers and uncertainties in the production, supply may hinder biomass energy development. The sugarcane is an essential ingredient in the production of Bioenergy, across the whole spectrum ranging from the first generation to second generation, e.g., production of energy from the lignocellulosic component of the sugarcane initially regarded as waste (bagasse and cane residue. Sustainable recovery of the Lignocellulosic component of sugarcane from the field through a structured process is largely unknown and associated with high capital outlay that have stifled the growth of bioenergy sector. In this context, this paper develops a new scheduler to optimise the recovery of lignocellulosic component of sugarcane and cane, transport and harvest systems with reducing the associated costs and operational time. An Optimisation Algorithm called Limited Discrepancy Search has been adapted and integrated with the developed scheduling transport algorithms. The developed algorithms are formulated and coded by Optimization Programming Language (OPL to obtain the optimised cane and cane residues transport schedules. Computational experiments demonstrate that high-quality solutions are obtainable for industry-scale instances. To provide insightful decisions, sensitivity analysis is conducted in terms of different scenarios and criteria.

Maximum overpressure in gastight containers of the storage and transport of dangerous liquids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steen, H.

1977-11-01

For a design of containers suitable under safety aspects for the transport and storage of dangerous liquids the maximum overpressure to be expected is an important value. The fundamentals for the determination of the internal pressure are pointed out for the simplified model of a rigid (i.e. not elastically or plastically deforming) and gastight container. By assuming of extreme storage and transport conditions (e.g. for the maximum liquid temperatures due to sun radiation) the figures of the maximum overpressure are calculated for about hundred liquids being of practical interest. The results show a significant influence of the compression of air in the ullage space caused by liquid expansion due to temperature rise (compression effect), particularly for liquids with a higher boiling point. The influence of the solubility of air in the liquid on the internal pressure can be neglected under the assumed transport conditions. The estimation of the volume increase of the container due to the effect of the internal pressure leads to the limitation, that the assumption of a rigid container is only justified for cylindrical and spherical steel tanks. The enlargement of the container volume due to a heating of the container shell does play no significant roll for all metal containers under the assumed conditions of storage and transport. The results obtained bear out essentially the stipulations for the test pressure and the filling limits laid down in the older German regulations for the transport of dangerous liquids in rail tank waggons and road tank vehicles without pressure relief valves. For the recently fixed and internationally harmonized regulations for tankcontainers the considerations and the results pointed out in this paper give rise to a review. (orig.) [de

Tungsten Transport in the Core of JET H-mode Plasmas, Experiments and Modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Angioni, Clemente

2014-10-01

The physics of heavy impurity transport in tokamak plasmas plays an essential role towards the achievement of practical fusion energy. Reliable predictions of the behavior of these impurities require the development of realistic theoretical models and a complete understanding of present experiments, against which models can be validated. Recent experimental campaigns at JET with the ITER-like wall, with a W divertor, provide an extremely interesting and relevant opportunity to perform this combined experimental and theoretical research. Theoretical models of both neoclassical and turbulent transport must consistently include the impact of any poloidal asymmetry of the W density to enable quantitative predictions of the 2D W density distribution over the poloidal cross section. The agreement between theoretical predictions and experimentally reconstructed 2D W densities allows the identification of the main mechanisms which govern W transport in the core of JET H-mode plasmas. Neoclassical transport is largely enhanced by centrifugal effects and the neoclassical convection dominates, leading to central accumulation in the presence of central peaking of the density profiles and insufficiently peaked ion temperature profiles. The strength of the neoclassical temperature screening is affected by poloidal asymmetries. Only around mid-radius, turbulent diffusion offsets neoclassical transport. Consistently with observations in other devices, ion cyclotron resonance heating in the plasma center can flatten the electron density profile and peak the ion temperature profile and provide a means to reverse the neoclassical convection. MHD activity may hamper or speed up the accumulation process depending on mode number and plasma conditions. Finally, the relationship of JET results to a parallel modelling activity of the W behavior in the core of ASDEX Upgrade plasmas is presented. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation

Combined evaluation. Plutonium transports in France. Problems of safety and reliability of transport container FS47

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marignac, Y.; Coeytaux, X.; Large, J.H.

2004-09-01

This report concerns the safety and the protection of plutonium dioxide transported from Cogema La Hague to the mixed oxide fuel plant of Marcoule and Cadarache. The French approach of the transport safety is based on the combining of two essential principles: the first one affirms that the performances of the FS47 container in regard of containment (norms TS-R-1 from IAEA for the accidental conditions) is conceived to resist in any situation even terrorism or sabotage. In fact, the IAEA norm follows a probabilistic study without a voluntary attack such a terrorist one. The second principle rests on the ability to prevent the treat of terrorism acts, because of a secrecy policy on the plutonium transport. It appeared that the Green peace association has succeeded several times to know exactly the hours, the trips of the plutonium transport and this simple thing raises more questions than it solves. (N.C.)

The Play Experiences of Preschool Children from a Low-socio-economic Rural Community in Worcester, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartie, Michelle; Dunnell, Alex; Kaplan, Jesse; Oosthuizen, Dianka; Smit, Danielle; van Dyk, Anchen; Cloete, Lizahn; Duvenage, Mia

2016-06-01

Occupational therapists believe that play is a child's main occupation and is considered essential for healthy motor, cognitive and emotional development. However, play spaces and activities in low socio-economic areas are often different to those provided in structured occupational therapy treatment environments. The main objective was to determine play opportunities, activities, equipment, toys and the play environment for 5- to 6-year-olds living in a low-socio-economic community outside a small town in South Africa, in order to understand the nature of play in this environment better. Participant observation together with an adapted photovoice method to capture the play experience was used. Data was analysed using inductive content analysis. Two global themes emerged from the results: "neighbourhood children find ways to play" and "context influences play". Children were given ample opportunity to play and participated in extensive outdoor play. Their games were highly social and involved the imaginative use of found items as toys. Play was also used to make sense of social hazards. An understanding of play in a low-income context has implications for the development of future play assessments and the provision of play therapy in these communities. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The transportation economy : just in time.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-01

The purpose of this project was to produce a short educational video, targeted at middle school and high school students, illustrating the critical role transportation plays in our modern economy. This report documents the production of a 6.5-minute ...

Safety And Reduce In Pollution Issues For Inland Waterway Transportation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Van Huong Dong

2017-04-01

Full Text Available According to the Ministry of Transport inland water transport is one of the five modes of transport in our country play a very important role. Inland waterway transport not only plays a major role in transporting large volumes of goods and passengers but also creates millions of jobs contributing to ensuring social security and national defense and security. However there are still many inadequacies in waterway transportation such as unequal waterway traffic The phenomenon of exploitation of river resources as planned or Process technology is not as planned exploitation of sand gravel etc. are common in most rivers and canals in the country. The signaling system is not synchronized between the signal of the inland waterway management unit and the signal of the owner The handling of domestic goods transportation and inland port management is inadequate The force of the means of development is fast uneven but concentrated in some urban areas and industrial parks. Therefore the Ministry of Transport has proposed a scheme to facilitate the development of a synchronized inland waterway infrastructure linking with other modes of transport To improve the capacity of the crew and the inland waterway transport crews. To create favorable conditions for inland waterway transportation business with reasonable transportation costs Improve the quality of water transport services Ensure safety and environmental friendliness Make a distinct advantage over other modes of transport. Specifically will develop promulgate mechanisms The policy is to facilitate the development of inland waterway infrastructure Build and promulgate mechanism The policy of supporting the development of the fleet has a reasonable structure with a fleet of about 30 self-propelled ships accounting for about 70 of the total number of inland waterway vessels To prioritize the development of the container fleet Inland waterway transportation and training retraining of human resources for

Content and cultural validity in the development of the Indigenous Play Partner Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Dender, Alma M; Stagnitti, Karen E

2017-08-01

Culturally relevant assessments of Australian Indigenous children's social pretend play do not exist. This study investigated the content validity and cultural validity of the Indigenous Play Partner Scale (I-PPS). Six pairs of children (i.e. 12 children) aged four-six years from a remote Australian town were videoed playing in pairs, and 14 community elders and mothers participated across three focus groups. The social interactions between the children were transcribed from the videos. Nineteen verbs, grouped into five categories of social interaction, described the social interactions between the pairs of children. The descriptions of the social interaction verbs were presented to the community elders and mothers in a focus group. The themes from the focus groups were 'background of Indigenous understanding of play' and 'proposed social interaction verbs'. The first theme reflected community collaboration, children playing in multi-aged groups and the role of older children within the play. Guided by the focus group discussion, the videos were re-analysed and 20 social interaction verbs were described that reflected the cultural context of play. The content and cultural validity of the I-PPS was established through community consultation. Twenty social interaction verbs, which form the basis of the items of the I-PPS, reflected Indigenous cultural values of being non-judgemental of Indigenous children's social interactions during pretend play. Culturally relevant assessments for Australian Indigenous children do not disadvantage this population group and are essential for practice in occupational therapy. © 2017 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Astronomy essentials

CERN Document Server

Brass, Charles O

2012-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Astronomy includes the historical perspective of astronomy, sky basics and the celestial coordinate systems, a model and the origin of the solar system, the sun, the planets, Kepler'

Ludokrebs: playing with and learning energetic metabolism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.V. Pereira

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The teaching-learning process of the contents and processes involving metabolism in the disciplines of biochemistry is complex and abstract, with high number of connected simultaneous reactions. One strategy (that has been widely employed is the use of educational games (electronic or printed. In this work, a game called LudoKrebs, about ATP production, was developed and applied. It involves the glycolytic pathway, Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain. Material and Methods: The game was to provide a better way to understanding the main steps of ATP production, as well as the perception of the reactions simultaneity and interdependence. It was developed as a puzzle and two boards integrated (one inside the other. The two boards are played simultaneously. On the board outside, the player moves the pawn in order to raise essential cards so that the pawn of the internal tray can be moved completing the glycolytic pathway and the Krebs cycle. Also, on the external board, the players get pieces for assembling the puzzle collaboratively. The game was applied in a biochemistry discipline part of a distance course of Biological Sciences, and subsequently an online survey with questions has been applied, addressing educational, affective and technical aspects. Results and Discussion: The results indicated that the game contributed positively to learning, with good evaluations in all areas covered by the survey. It was also motivating and has contributed for the understanding of the dynamic processes, being the main reasons for this type of game design with simultaneous boards. Conclusions: The results of the building, implementation and evaluation of the game indicate the strategy as significant for learning as well as motivating, being an evidence for the development this kind of games for the theme to be continued.

Functional Diversity of Tandem Substrate-Binding Domains in ABC Transporters from Pathogenic Bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fulyani, Faizah; Schuurman-Wolters, Gea K.; Vujicic - Zagar, Andreja; Guskov, Albert; Slotboom, Dirk-Jan; Poolman, Bert

2013-01-01

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter GInPQ is an essential uptake system for amino acids in gram-positive pathogens and related nonpathogenic bacteria. The transporter has tandem substrate-binding domains (SBDs) fused to each transmembrane domain, giving rise to four SBDs per functional

Two-echelon transportation optimisation: a meta-narrative analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesus Gonzalez-Feliu

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Freight transportation constitutes one of the main activities that influences economy and society, as it assures a vital link between suppliers and customers and it represents a major source of employment. Multi-echelon distribution is one of the most common strategies adopted by the transportation companies in an aim of cost reduction. Although vehicle routing problems are very common in operational research, they are essentially related to single-echelon cases. This paper presents the main concepts of multi-echelon distribution with cross-docks and a unified notation for two-chelon transportation cost optimization. A systematic review is also presented, in order to list the main issues and methods that can be helpful for scientists and transportation practitioners.

Dangerous goods regulations in Europe and worldwide inland navigation and other modes of transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ridder, K.

1993-01-01

Since, for historical reasons, separate dangerous goods regulations were developed for each mode of transport, there now exist several different regulatory regimes. For Europe, and indeed the whole world, these uncoordinated regulations pose a serious problem. In my paper I will show 1) which regulations are applicable in Europe, 2) which role international transport organizations play and 3) which role the European Community plays. Special emphasis will be placed on inland navigation, since it is this mode of transport that will experience extensive changes during 1992. (J.P.N.)

Essential hypertension in adolescents and children: Recent advances in causative mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manu Raj

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Essential hypertension is the most common form of hypertension in adults, and it is recognized more often in adolescents than in younger children. It is well known that the probability of a diagnosis of essential hypertension increases with age from birth onward. The initiation of high blood pressure burden starts in childhood and continues through adolescence to persist in the remaining phases of life. The genesis of essential hypertension is likely to be multifactorial. Obesity, insulin resistance, activation of sympathetic nervous system, sodium homeostasis, renin-angiotensin system, vascular smooth muscle structure and reactivity, serum uric acid levels, genetic factors and fetal programming have been implicated in this disorder. In addition, erythrocyte sodium transport, the free calcium concentration in platelets and leukocytes, urine kallikrein excretion, and sympathetic nervous system receptors have also been investigated as other possible mechanisms. Obesity in children appears to be the lead contributor of essential hypertension prevalence in children and adolescents. Suggested mechanisms of obesity-related hypertension include insulin resistance, sodium retention, increased sympathetic nervous system activity, activation of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone, and altered vascular function. The etiopathogenesis of essential hypertension in children and adolescents appears to closely resemble that of adults. The minor variations seen could probably be due to the evolving nature of this condition. Many of the established mechanisms that are confirmed in adult population need to be replicated in the pediatric age group by means of definitive research for a better understanding of this condition in future.

Public and media acceptance of nuclear materials transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindeman, E.

1999-01-01

Transport is absolutely essential to the continued existence of a nuclear industry that includes large-scale power generation, sophisticated research, and medicine. Indeed, transport of nuclear materials is hardly a new business. What is new is the public's awareness and distrust of this transport - a distrust fuelled by the well-funded and skilled manipulation of the nuclear industry's detractors. The nuclear industry itself has only recently begun to acknowledge the importance and the implications of transport. This paper looks at the public and media response to the European-Japanese and the US Department of Energy's transport campaigns and quotes from several telling newspaper articles. It emphasizes the need for the nuclear industry to continue to be vigilant in its efforts to reach the public, media and governments with good science, openness and well-communicated facts. (author)

Cyclic di-AMP regulation of osmotic homeostasis is essential in Group B Streptococcus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Devaux

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Cyclic nucleotides are universally used as secondary messengers to control cellular physiology. Among these signalling molecules, cyclic di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP is a specific bacterial second messenger recognized by host cells during infections and its synthesis is assumed to be necessary for bacterial growth by controlling a conserved and essential cellular function. In this study, we sought to identify the main c-di-AMP dependent pathway in Streptococcus agalactiae, the etiological agent of neonatal septicaemia and meningitis. By conditionally inactivating dacA, the only diadenyate cyclase gene, we confirm that c-di-AMP synthesis is essential in standard growth conditions. However, c-di-AMP synthesis becomes rapidly dispensable due to the accumulation of compensatory mutations. We identified several mutations restoring the viability of a ΔdacA mutant, in particular a loss-of-function mutation in the osmoprotectant transporter BusAB. Identification of c-di-AMP binding proteins revealed a conserved set of potassium and osmolyte transporters, as well as the BusR transcriptional factor. We showed that BusR negatively regulates busAB transcription by direct binding to the busAB promoter. Loss of BusR repression leads to a toxic busAB expression in absence of c-di-AMP if osmoprotectants, such as glycine betaine, are present in the medium. In contrast, deletion of the gdpP c-di-AMP phosphodiesterase leads to hyperosmotic susceptibility, a phenotype dependent on a functional BusR. Taken together, we demonstrate that c-di-AMP is essential for osmotic homeostasis and that the predominant mechanism is dependent on the c-di-AMP binding transcriptional factor BusR. The regulation of osmotic homeostasis is likely the conserved and essential function of c-di-AMP, but each species has evolved specific c-di-AMP mechanisms of osmoregulation to adapt to its environment.

Regional transport sector mitigation options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Peter [EECG Consultants, Gaborone (Botswana)

1998-10-01

The rationale for conducting climate change mitigation studies in the transport sector is on the premise that: The transport sector is the second largest consumer of fossil fuels in the region; The regional transport sector is an area with high opportunity for infrastructural development under UNFCCC financial mechanism; The regional transport sector is crucial in the SADC region for trade and coupled with the Trade Protocol will play a major role in development hence the need to make it efficient in terms of energy demand and provision of services; The sector offers many mitigation options but with a challenge to evaluate their energy saving and GHG saving potential and yet there is need to quantify possible emission reduction for possible future emission trading. This is also a sector with potential to qualify for financing through Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) recently stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol. (au)

Regional transport sector mitigation options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Peter

1998-01-01

The rationale for conducting climate change mitigation studies in the transport sector is on the premise that: The transport sector is the second largest consumer of fossil fuels in the region; The regional transport sector is an area with high opportunity for infrastructural development under UNFCCC financial mechanism; The regional transport sector is crucial in the SADC region for trade and coupled with the Trade Protocol will play a major role in development hence the need to make it efficient in terms of energy demand and provision of services; The sector offers many mitigation options but with a challenge to evaluate their energy saving and GHG saving potential and yet there is need to quantify possible emission reduction for possible future emission trading. This is also a sector with potential to qualify for financing through Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) recently stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol. (au)

The recent international situation on the transport of radioactive material and IAEA 2003 transport conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tani, Hiroshi

2003-01-01

Since the creation of the United Nations, the international community initiated efforts to harmonize international practices for the safe transport of hazardous goods, including radioactive material. And, IAEA is playing a key role in fostering the establishment of transport regulations on radioactive material. This current worldwide system of regulatory control has achieved an excellent safety record. However, some concerns still remain regarding the transport of radioactive material, as the discussion of this topic at IAEA General Conferences in the last few years. IAEA Transport conference planed as a forum in which to better understand these concerns, and to answer relevant underlying questions. At the same time, outside these technical areas, discussions also covered related issues such as liability resulting from an accident during the transport and communication between concerned governments, and between these governments and the public at large. The International Conference on the Safety of Transport of Radioactive Material took place in Vienna, Austria, from 7 to 11 July 2003. There were 534 nominated participants from 82 States, 9 intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and 5 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and there were 132 contributed and invited papers. By this report, I report the recent international situation on the transport of radioactive material and result of the IAEA 2003 Transport Conference. (author)

Intracellular sodium concentration and transport in red cells in essential hypertension, hyperthyroidism, pregnancy and hypokalemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gless, K H; Sütterlin, U; Schaz, K; Schütz, V; Hunstein, W

1986-01-01

Intracellular sodium content ([Nai]), ouabain-sensitive ('Na-K ATPase') and ouabain-insensitive ('passive permeability') sodium efflux, Na-K cotransport and Na-Li ('Na-Na') countertransport were estimated in erythrocytes in 39 control subjects, 20 patients with essential hypertension, 14 patients with hypokalemia of renal or unknown etiology, 13 hyperthyroid patients and 19 pregnant women. In normokalemic essential hypertension there was only a moderate, but significant elevation of the activity of the Na-Li countertransport system. In the group of patients with hypokalemia, there was a significant increase of [Nai], ouabain-insensitive sodium efflux and Na-Li countertransport. In hyperthyroidism, a marked decrease of Na-Li countertransport was associated with a marked elevation of [Nai], in pregnancy an elevation of the Na-Li countertransport with a [Nai] 43% lower than the control values. The ouabain-sensitive sodium efflux was elevated in hyperthyroidism and hypokalemia, in which [Nai] was increased. In the control subjects there was a positive linear correlation between ouabain-sensitive sodium efflux and [Nai]. The sodium component of the Na-K cotransport was decreased to about one third of the unchanged furosemide-sensitive potassium component during pregnancy. The changes of cellular sodium metabolism in essential hypertension are of minor degree as compared to those in the other conditions studied. Cellular sodium metabolism in blood cells is influenced by thyroid hormones and metabolic disorders. Na-Li countertransport, i.e. Na-Na countertransport, seems to be involved in the regulation of [Nai]: an increase of its activity diminishes [Nai] (pregnancy); a decrease elevates [Nai] (hyperthyroidism). Ouabain-sensitive sodium efflux, i.e. 'Na-K ATPase', is mainly regulated by its substrate, [Nai].

Electrolyte solution transport in electropolar nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Jianbing; Culligan, Patricia J; Chen Xi; Qiao Yu; Zhou Qulan; Li Yibing; Tak, Moonho; Park, Taehyo

2010-01-01

Electrolyte transport in nanochannels plays an important role in a number of emerging areas. Using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations, the fundamental transport behavior of an electrolyte/water solution in a confined model nanoenvironment is systematically investigated by varying the nanochannel dimension, solid phase, electrolyte phase, ion concentration and transport rate. It is found that the shear resistance encountered by the nanofluid strongly depends on these material/system parameters; furthermore, several effects are coupled. The mechanisms of the nanofluidic transport characteristics are explained by considering the unique molecular/ion structure formed inside the nanochannel. The lower shear resistance observed in some of the systems studies could be beneficial for nanoconductors, while the higher shear resistance (or higher effective viscosity) observed in other systems might enhance the performance of energy dissipation devices.

Renal Tissue Oxygenation in Essential Hypertension and Chronic Kidney Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Menno Pruijm

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Animal studies suggest that renal tissue hypoxia plays an important role in the development of renal damage in hypertension and renal diseases, yet human data were scarce due to the lack of noninvasive methods. Over the last decade, blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-MRI, detecting deoxyhemoglobin in hypoxic renal tissue, has become a powerful tool to assess kidney oxygenation noninvasively in humans. This paper provides an overview of BOLD-MRI studies performed in patients suffering from essential hypertension or chronic kidney disease (CKD. In line with animal studies, acute changes in cortical and medullary oxygenation have been observed after the administration of medication (furosemide, blockers of the renin-angiotensin system or alterations in sodium intake in these patient groups, underlining the important role of renal sodium handling in kidney oxygenation. In contrast, no BOLD-MRI studies have convincingly demonstrated that renal oxygenation is chronically reduced in essential hypertension or in CKD or chronically altered after long-term medication intake. More studies are required to clarify this discrepancy and to further unravel the role of renal oxygenation in the development and progression of essential hypertension and CKD in humans.

Iron transport across the skin and gut epithelia of Pacific hagfish: Kinetic characterisation and effect of hypoxia.

Science.gov (United States)

Glover, Chris N; Niyogi, Som; Blewett, Tamzin A; Wood, Chris M

2016-09-01

In most animals, the acquisition of the essential trace metal iron (Fe) is achieved by the gut, but in hagfishes, the skin is a nutrient absorbing epithelium, and thus may also play a role in Fe uptake. In the current study, the absorption of Fe, as Fe(II), across the intestinal and cutaneous epithelia of Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus cirrhatus) was investigated. Both epithelia absorbed Fe, with saturation at lower tested concentrations, superseded by a diffusive component at higher Fe exposure concentrations. Affinity constants (Km) of 9.4 and 137μM, and maximal Fe transport rates (Jmax) of 0.81 and 0.57nmolcm(-2)h(-1) were determined for the skin and the gut, respectively. This characterises the skin as a relatively high-affinity Fe transport epithelium. The majority of the absorbed Fe in the skin remained in the tissue, whereas in the gut, most absorbed Fe was found in the serosal fluid, suggesting distinct mechanisms of Fe handling between the two epithelia. To determine if reduced dissolved oxygen altered Fe transport, hagfish were subjected to hypoxia for 24h, before Fe transport was again assessed. Hypoxia had no effect on Fe transport across gut or skin, likely owing to the relative lack of change in haematological variables, and thus an unaltered Fe demand under such conditions. These data are the first to kinetically characterise the absorption of a nutritive trace metal across the epithelia of hagfish and add to the growing understanding of the role of the skin in nutritive transport in this group. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sugar and Glycerol Transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Bisson, Linda F; Fan, Qingwen; Walker, Gordon A

2016-01-01

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae the process of transport of sugar substrates into the cell comprises a complex network of transporters and interacting regulatory mechanisms. Members of the large family of hexose (HXT) transporters display uptake efficiencies consistent with their environmental expression and play physiological roles in addition to feeding the glycolytic pathway. Multiple glucose-inducing and glucose-independent mechanisms serve to regulate expression of the sugar transporters in yeast assuring that expression levels and transporter activity are coordinated with cellular metabolism and energy needs. The expression of sugar transport activity is modulated by other nutritional and environmental factors that may override glucose-generated signals. Transporter expression and activity is regulated transcriptionally, post-transcriptionally and post-translationally. Recent studies have expanded upon this suite of regulatory mechanisms to include transcriptional expression fine tuning mediated by antisense RNA and prion-based regulation of transcription. Much remains to be learned about cell biology from the continued analysis of this dynamic process of substrate acquisition.

Investigation of transport properties of colossal magnetoresistive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaurav, Netram

2006-01-01

The transport properties, i.e. resistivity, heat capacity, thermal conductivity and optical conductivity have been theoretically analysed for colossal magnetoresistive materials within the framework of double exchange mechanism. Following an effective interaction potential, we deduce acoustic (optical) phonon modes, coupling strength for electron-phonon and phonon-impurities, the phonon (magnon) scattering rate and constants characterise the scattering of charge and heat carriers with various disorders in the crystal. The theoretical models have been developed to account the anomalies observed in the transport phenomenon. It is noticed that electron-electron, electron-phonon and electron-magnon interactions are essential in discussing the transport behaviour of doped magnetites. (author)

Dynamic changes in extracellular release of GABA and glutamate in the lateral septum during social play behavior in juvenile rats: Implications for sex-specific regulation of social play behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Bredewold, Remco; Schiavo, Jennifer K.; van der Hart, Marieke; Verreij, Michelle; Veenema, Alexa H.

2015-01-01

Social play is a motivated and rewarding behavior that is displayed by nearly all mammals and peaks in the juvenile period. Moreover, social play is essential for the development of social skills and is impaired in social disorders like autism. We recently showed that the lateral septum (LS) is involved in the regulation of social play behavior in juvenile male and female rats. The LS is largely modulated by GABA and glutamate neurotransmission, but their role in social play behavior is unknown. Here, we determined whether social play behavior is associated with changes in the extracellular release of GABA and glutamate in the LS and to what extent such changes modulate social play behavior in male and female juvenile rats. Using intracerebral microdialysis in freely behaving rats, we found no sex difference in extracellular GABA concentrations, but extracellular glutamate concentrations are higher in males than in females under baseline condition and during social play. This resulted in a higher glutamate/GABA concentration ratio in males versus females and thus, an excitatory predominance in the LS of males. Furthermore, social play behavior in both sexes is associated with significant increases in extracellular release of GABA and glutamate in the LS. Pharmacological blockade of GABA-A receptors in the LS with bicuculline (100 ng/0.5 µl, 250 ng/0.5 µl) dose-dependently decreased the duration of social play behavior in both sexes. In contrast, pharmacological blockade of ionotropic glutamate receptors (NMDA and AMPA/kainate receptors) in the LS with AP-5 + CNQX (2 mM+0.4 mM/0.5 µl, 30 mM+3 mM/0.5 µl) dose-dependently decreased the duration of social play behavior in females, but did not alter social play behavior in males. Together, these data suggest a role for GABA neurotransmission in the LS in the regulation of juvenile social play behavior in both sexes, while glutamate neurotransmission in the LS is involved in the sex-specific regulation of juvenile

Molecular properties of bacterial multidrug transporters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Putman, M; van Veen, HW; Konings, WN

2000-01-01

One of the mechanisms that bacteria utilize to evade the toxic effects of antibiotics is the active extrusion of structurally unrelated drugs from the cell. Both intrinsic and acquired multidrug transporters play an important role in antibiotic resistance of several pathogens, including Neisseria

Disruption Management in Passenger Railway Transportation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Groth, Julie Jespersen; Potthoff, Daniel; Clausen, Jens

2009-01-01

This paper deals with disruption management in passenger railway transportation. In the disruption management process, many actors belonging to different organizations play a role. In this paper we therefore describe the process itself and the roles of the different actors. Furthermore, we discuss...

DRP1-Dependent Endocytosis is Essential for Polar Localization and Boron-Induced Degradation of the Borate Transporter BOR1 in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshinari, Akira; Fujimoto, Masaru; Ueda, Takashi; Inada, Noriko; Naito, Satoshi; Takano, Junpei

2016-09-01

Boron (B) is essential for plants but toxic in excess. The borate efflux transporter BOR1 is expressed in various root cells and localized to the inner/stele-side domain of the plasma membrane (PM) under low-B conditions. BOR1 is rapidly degraded through endocytosis upon sufficient B supply. The polar localization and degradation of BOR1 are considered important for efficient B translocation and avoidance of B toxicity, respectively. In this study, we first analyzed the subcellular localization of BOR1 in roots, cotyledons and hypocotyls, and revealed a polar localization in various cell types. We also found that the inner polarity of BOR1 is established after completion of cytokinesis in the root meristem. Moreover, variable-angle epifluorescence microscopy visualized BOR1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) as particles in the PM with significant lateral movements but in restricted areas. Importantly, a portion of BOR1-GFP particles co-localized with DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN 1A (DRP1A), which is involved in scission of the clathrin-coated vesicles, and they disappeared together from the PM. To examine the contribution of DRP1A-mediated endocytosis to BOR1 localization and degradation, we developed an inducible expression system of the DRP1A K47A variant. The DRP1A variant prolonged the residence time of clathrin on the PM and inhibited endocytosis of membrane lipids. The dominant-negative DRP1A blocked endocytosis of BOR1 and disturbed its polar localization and B-induced degradation. Our results provided insight into the endocytic mechanisms that modulate the subcellular localization and abundance of a mineral transporter for nutrient homeostasis in plant cells. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sulfate Transporters in Dissimilatory Sulfate Reducing Microorganisms: A Comparative Genomics Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angeliki Marietou

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The first step in the sulfate reduction pathway is the transport of sulfate across the cell membrane. This uptake has a major effect on sulfate reduction rates. Much of the information available on sulfate transport was obtained by studies on assimilatory sulfate reduction, where sulfate transporters were identified among several types of protein families. Despite our growing knowledge on the physiology of dissimilatory sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM there are no studies identifying the proteins involved in sulfate uptake in members of this ecologically important group of anaerobes. We surveyed the complete genomes of 44 sulfate-reducing bacteria and archaea across six phyla and identified putative sulfate transporter encoding genes from four out of the five surveyed protein families based on homology. We did not find evidence that ABC-type transporters (SulT are involved in the uptake of sulfate in SRM. We speculate that members of the CysP sulfate transporters could play a key role in the uptake of sulfate in thermophilic SRM. Putative CysZ-type sulfate transporters were present in all genomes examined suggesting that this overlooked group of sulfate transporters might play a role in sulfate transport in dissimilatory sulfate reducers alongside SulP. Our in silico analysis highlights several targets for further molecular studies in order to understand this key step in the metabolism of SRMs.

Comprehensive Genomic Identification and Expression Analysis of the Phosphate Transporter (PHT) Gene Family in Apple.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Tingting; Li, Mingjun; Shao, Yun; Yu, Lingyan; Ma, Fengwang

2017-01-01

Elemental phosphorus (Pi) is essential to plant growth and development. The family of phosphate transporters (PHTs) mediates the uptake and translocation of Pi inside the plants. Members include five sub-cellular phosphate transporters that play different roles in Pi uptake and transport. We searched the Genome Database for Rosaceae and identified five clusters of phosphate transporters in apple ( Malus domestica ), including 37 putative genes. The MdPHT1 family contains 14 genes while MdPHT2 has two, MdPHT3 has seven, MdPHT4 has 11, and MdPHT5 has three. Our overview of this gene family focused on structure, chromosomal distribution and localization, phylogenies, and motifs. These genes displayed differential expression patterns in various tissues. For example, expression was high for MdPHT1;12, MdPHT3;6 , and MdPHT3;7 in the roots, and was also increased in response to low-phosphorus conditions. In contrast, MdPHT4;1, MdPHT4;4 , and MdPHT4;10 were expressed only in the leaves while transcript levels of MdPHT1;4, MdPHT1;12 , and MdPHT5;3 were highest in flowers. In general, these 37 genes were regulated significantly in either roots or leaves in response to the imposition of phosphorus and/or drought stress. The results suggest that members of the PHT family function in plant adaptations to adverse growing environments. Our study will lay a foundation for better understanding the PHT family evolution and exploring genes of interest for genetic improvement in apple.

Aeolian sand transport and aeolian deposits on Venus: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Kreslavsly, Mikhail A.; Bondarenko, Nataliya V.

2017-06-01

We review the current state of knowledge about aeolian sand transport and aeolian bedforms on planet Venus. This knowledge is limited by lack of observational data. Among the four planetary bodies of the Solar System with sufficient atmospheres in contact with solid surfaces, Venus has the densest atmosphere; the conditions there are transitional between those for terrestrial subaerial and subaqueous transport. The dense atmosphere causes low saltation threshold and short characteristic saltation length, and short scale length of the incipient dunes. A few lines of evidence indicate that the typical wind speeds exceed the saltation threshold; therefore, sand transport would be pervasive, if sand capable of saltation is available. Sand production on Venus is probably much slower than on the Earth; the major terrestrial sand sinks are also absent, however, lithification of sand through sintering is expected to be effective under Venus' conditions. Active transport is not detectable with the data available. Aeolian bedforms (transverse dunes) resolved in the currently available radar images occupy a tiny area on the planet; however, indirect observations suggest that small-scale unresolved aeolian bedforms are ubiquitous. Aeolian transport is probably limited by sand lithification causing shortage of saltation-capable material. Large impact events likely cause regional short-term spikes in aeolian transport by supplying a large amount of sand-size particles, as well as disintegration and activation of older indurated sand deposits. The data available are insufficient to understand whether the global aeolian sand transport occurs or not. More robust knowledge about aeolian transport on Venus is essential for future scientific exploration of the planet, in particular, for implementation and interpretation of geochemical studies of surface materials. High-resolution orbital radar imaging with local to regional coverage and desirable interferometric capabilities is the

THE INFLUENCE OF NATURAL ESSENTIAL OILS ON THE GROWTH OF PHYTOPHTHORA SPP. ISOLATED FROM PELARGONIUM CUTTINGS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelina Machura

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Ornamental plants play an important role in human life. Plants positively influence the psyche and improve the well-being of people around them. They produce oxygen, provide a barrier to dust and noise, lower the temperature and increase air humidity, thereby positively impacting the microclimate. The unmatched appeal of pelargonium, ease of cultivation and care, abundance of flowering from spring to late autumn and its decorative qualities make it a universal application. The aim of the study was to isolate the microorganisms that inhabit the cuttings of pelargonium, identify fungal isolates, investigate the pathogenicity of selected isolates and evaluate the influence of certain essential oils (Carum carvi L. essential oils, Citrus limon L. essential oils, Citrus reticulatae aetheroleum essential oils, essential oil of tea tree in in vitro circumstances on the linear growth of the mycelium: Phytophthora cryptogea, Phytophthora nicotianae var. nicotianae. Previcur Energy 840 SL was used as a standard chemical protection. The most numerous isolated fungi were: Phytophthora, Botrytis, Cylindrocladium, Alternaria and Cylindrocarpon. The highest efficiency in relation to Phytophthora cryptogea characterized the Citrus limon L. essential oils (concentration 0.1% and 1% and Carum carvi L. essential oil (concentration 1%.

[Play therapy--psychotherapy with play as the medium: II. New developments].

Science.gov (United States)

von Gontard, Alexander; Lehmkuhl, Gerd

2003-02-01

A wide array of new forms and combinations of play therapy have been developed. The aim of the second part of this paper is to present an overview of these newer approaches, including: focussed therapies for specific disorders; behavioural approaches like the Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy and the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy; various combinations with family therapy; and therapies especially for preschool children like Filial Therapy, Developmental Play Therapy and Thera-play. Following a phase of experiments and combinations, the empirical evaluation of many play-therapy forms is needed. Especially questions of the differential indication of specific play-therapies and their effectiveness in the therapeutical practice need to be studied.

Analysing playing using the note-time playing path.

Science.gov (United States)

de Graaff, Deborah L E; Schubert, Emery

2011-03-01

This article introduces a new method of data analysis that represents the playing of written music as a graph. The method, inspired by Miklaszewski, charts low-level note timings from a sound recording of a single-line instrument using high-precision audio-to-MIDI conversion software. Note onset times of pitch sequences are then plotted against the score-predicted timings to produce a Note-Time Playing Path (NTPP). The score-predicted onset time of each sequentially performed note (horizontal axis) unfolds in performed time down the page (vertical axis). NTPPs provide a visualisation that shows (1) tempo variations, (2) repetitive practice behaviours, (3) segmenting of material, (4) precise note time positions, and (5) time spent on playing or not playing. The NTPP can provide significant new insights into behaviour and cognition of music performance and may also be used to complement established traditional approaches such as think-alouds, interviews, and video coding.

Chemical composition, in vitro antitumor and pro-oxidant activities of Glandora rosmarinifolia (Boraginaceae) essential oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Poma, Paola; Labbozzetta, Manuela; Notarbartolo, Monica; Bruno, Maurizio; Maggio, Antonella; Rosselli, Sergio; Sajeva, Maurizio; Zito, Pietro

2018-01-01

The biological properties of essential oils have been demonstrated in the treatment of several diseases and to enhance the bioavailability of other drugs. In natural habitats the essential oils compounds may play important roles in the protection of the plants as antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, insecticides and also against herbivores by reducing their appetite for such plants or by repelling undesirable others. We analyzed by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry the chemical composition of the essential oil of aerial parts of Glandora rosmarinifolia (Ten.) D.C. Thomas obtained by hydrodistillation and verified some biological activities on a panel of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HA22T/VGH, HepG2, Hep3B) and triple negative breast cancer cell lines (SUM 149, MDA-MB-231). In the essential oil we detected 35 compounds. The results of the biological assays indicate that essential oil of G. rosmarinifolia induces cell growth inhibition at concentration-dependent way in all cell line models. This oil does not seem to possess antioxidant activity, while the cytotoxicity of G. rosmarinifolia essential oil appeared to involve, at least in part, a pro-oxidant mechanism. Our results show for the first time the antitumoral and pro-oxidant activities of G. rosmarinifolia essential oil and suggest that it may represent a resource of pharmacologically active compounds.

Tunical Outer Layer Plays an Essential Role in Penile Veno-occlusive Mechanism Evidenced from Electrocautery Effects to the Corpora Cavernosa in Defrosted Human Cadavers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Cheng-Hsing; Huang, Yi-Ping; Tsai, Mang-Hung; Chen, Heng-Shen; Huang, Po-Cheng; Lin, Chung-Wu; Hsu, Geng-Long

2015-12-01

To determine the exact anatomical structure for establishing penile veno-occlusive function, we sought to conduct a hemodynamic study on defrosted human cadavers. Thirteen penises were used for this experiment, and 11 intact penises were allocated into the electrocautery group (EG, n = 6) and the ligation group (LG, n = 5). A circumcision was made on the penis to access the veins. Two #19 scalp needles were fixed in the 3 and 9 o'clock positions in the distal penis for colloid infusion and intracavernous pressure (ICP) monitoring, respectively. For the EG, the deep dorsal vein and cavernosal vein trunks were freed for 3-5 cm where at least 3 emissary veins were identified via opening Buck's fascia; these veins underwent electrocautery at 45 watts, while the ICP was maintained at 0, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 mmHg, respectively. For control, venous ligation was made but at the ICP of 150 mmHg. A tissue block including the emissary vein was then obtained for histological analysis. Except all in the EG and those whose ICP exceed 125 mmHg in the EG, the sinusoids of the corpora cavernosa sustained varied fulgurated fibrosis in every specimen and the severity appeared reversely commensurate with the ICP regarding sinusoidal clumping and darkish bands (P electrocautery damage to intracavernous sinusoids once the ICP reached a level corresponding to a rigid erection. The outer tunica plays an essential role in fulfilling the veno-occlusive mechanism. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The expression and regulation of glucose transporters in tumor cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pengfei Zhao

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Glucose transporter proteins are involved in many physiological and biochemical processes. In particular, the high expressions of sodium-glucose cotransporter and glucose transporter proteins in tumor cells show that these two transporters play a key role in tumor cell metabolism. Studying the crystal structure and conformation of human glucose transporter proteins has enabled the development of drugs based on specific binding sites, opening up a new path towards more effective cancer treatments. This mini review serves to summarize our existing understanding of the metabolic pathways of tumor cells, focusing on the roles of glucose transporter proteins.

Vibrio Iron Transport: Evolutionary Adaptation to Life in Multiple Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Mey, Alexandra R.; Wyckoff, Elizabeth E.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Iron is an essential element for Vibrio spp., but the acquisition of iron is complicated by its tendency to form insoluble ferric complexes in nature and its association with high-affinity iron-binding proteins in the host. Vibrios occupy a variety of different niches, and each of these niches presents particular challenges for acquiring sufficient iron. Vibrio species have evolved a wide array of iron transport systems that allow the bacteria to compete for this essential element in each of its habitats. These systems include the secretion and uptake of high-affinity iron-binding compounds (siderophores) as well as transport systems for iron bound to host complexes. Transporters for ferric and ferrous iron not complexed to siderophores are also common to Vibrio species. Some of the genes encoding these systems show evidence of horizontal transmission, and the ability to acquire and incorporate additional iron transport systems may have allowed Vibrio species to more rapidly adapt to new environmental niches. While too little iron prevents growth of the bacteria, too much can be lethal. The appropriate balance is maintained in vibrios through complex regulatory networks involving transcriptional repressors and activators and small RNAs (sRNAs) that act posttranscriptionally. Examination of the number and variety of iron transport systems found in Vibrio spp. offers insights into how this group of bacteria has adapted to such a wide range of habitats. PMID:26658001

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Capacity, Acetyl- and Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activities of the Essential Oil of Thymus haussknechtii Velen.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Handan G. Sevindik

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The chemical composition of the essential oil from the aerial parts of Thymus haussknechtii Velen. was analyzed by using gas chromatography (GC-FID and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS. The major component of the essential oil was thymol (52.2%. Total phenolic content of the essential oil was determined as 132.9 µg gallic acid equivalent. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by DPPH free radical, superoxide anion radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activities along with ferrous ion-chelating power test, ABTS radical cation decolorization assay and ferric thiocyanate methods. In addition to antioxidant activity, anticholinesterase activity of the essential oil was also evaluated. It exhibited inhibitory activities on AChE and BuChE which play an important role in Alzheimer’s disease, along with significant antioxidant activity.

AtCHX13 is a plasma membrane K(+) transporter

Science.gov (United States)

Potassium (K+) homeostasis is essential for diverse cellular processes, although how various cation transporters collaborate to maintain a suitable K(+) required for growth and development is poorly understood. The Arabidopsis ("Arabidopsis thaliana") genome contains numerous cation:proton antiporte...

AtCHX13 is a plasma membrane K+ transporter

Science.gov (United States)

Potassium (K+) homeostasis is essential for diverse cellular processes, although how various cation transporters collaborate to maintain a suitable K+ required for growth and development is poorly understood. The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome contains numerous cation:proton antiporters (...

Enabling technologies for demand management: Transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Roderick A.

2008-01-01

Rising transport demand is likely to be the biggest hurdle to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Globally and nationally, transport is consuming an ever increasing share of our total energy use. Furthermore, the bulk of energy used in transport comes from the burning of petroleum products. This brief paper summarises options arising from the two routes to reduce energy demand in transport: improved and more efficient use of existing and possible new transport modes, and the reduction of transport demand. In both areas, the prospects in the immediate and longer-term future are hedged with difficulties. Automobiles and aircraft have improved considerably in recent decades, but future improvements are likely to be incremental. The introduction of hydrogen as a fuel is appealing, but there are technical problems to be solved. Active reduction of demand for transport will require a decoupling of the link between demand and growth in gross domestic product. Globally, this will be very difficult to achieve. Various modes of public transport exist that are efficient in terms of their energy use per passenger kilometre. But they need large investments to make them more attractive than the automobile. However, population concentration in mega-cities, allied with congestion, will make such innovation essential. Policy measures can be assisted in their implementation by new technology, but will remain politically problematic

WELFARE ASPECTS OF THE LONG DISTANCE TRANSPORTATION OF CATTLE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

EVANGELIA N. SOSSIDOU

2009-10-01

Full Text Available This paper sets out to examine the facts behind the trade of long distance transportation of cattle. In particular it looks at the various welfare implications during handling and transport with examples from research work on cattle. The role of the science is explained and the methodology for assessing the welfare of animals is then presented. Finally, public concerns and legal position are presented as they play an important role to promote farm animal welfare principles during transportation.

Insights into the Structure, Function, and Ligand Discovery of the Large Neutral Amino Acid Transporter 1, LAT1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natesh Singh

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The large neutral amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1, or SLC7A5 is a sodium- and pH-independent transporter, which supplies essential amino acids (e.g., leucine, phenylalanine to cells. It plays an important role at the Blood–Brain Barrier (BBB where it facilitates the transport of thyroid hormones, pharmaceuticals (e.g., l-DOPA, gabapentin, and metabolites into the brain. Moreover, its expression is highly upregulated in various types of human cancer that are characterized by an intense demand for amino acids for growth and proliferation. Therefore, LAT1 is believed to be an important drug target for cancer treatment. With the crystallization of the arginine/agmatine antiporter (AdiC from Escherichia Coli, numerous homology models of LAT1 have been built to elucidate the substrate binding site, ligand–transporter interaction, and structure–function relationship. The use of these models in combination with molecular docking and experimental testing has identified novel chemotypes of ligands of LAT1. Here, we highlight the structure, function, transport mechanism, and homology modeling of LAT1. Additionally, results from structure–function studies performed on LAT1 are addressed, which have enhanced our knowledge of the mechanism of substrate binding and translocation. This is followed by a discussion on ligand- and structure-based approaches, with an emphasis on elucidating the molecular basis of LAT1 inhibition. Finally, we provide an exhaustive summary of different LAT1 inhibitors that have been identified so far, including the recently discovered irreversible covalent inhibitors.

Benefits of Play Therapy in Hospitalized Children: An Integrative Review of the Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olívia Engenheiro

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: To identify the trend of articles published by nurses in databases on the benefits of play therapy to hospitalized children. Methodology: The PI[C]O method was used to elaborate the guiding question and the definition of inclusion and exclusion criteria for the selection of articles. Keywords were organized with the addition of the Boolean AND: Hospitalized Child; AND Play Therapy; AND Benefits and their combinations in Spanish and Portuguese languages. The study consists of an integrative bibliographical research with qualitative approach, and it was performed in the platforms of electronic databases EBSCO and B-ON, within the 2009-2013 chronological interval. Fifty articles that fitted into the objective of this study were selected. We elaborated a data collection instrument with the variables considered more relevant. Data were analyzed according to Braden and Minayo. Results: After the analysis, we proceeded to the categorization of studies: 1 Meaning of the therapy toy; 2 Ways of play therapy and types of therapy toy; 3 Importance/ benefits of using the therapy toy. Conclusion: According to the results, the benefits of play therapy are evidenced in all articles analyzed. Thus, it becomes essential to insert the play therapy in the pediatric nursing care plan for an integral and quality care.

Calmodulin kinase II interacts with the dopamine transporter C terminus to regulate amphetamine-induced reverse transport

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fog, Jacob U; Khoshbouei, Habibeh; Holy, Marion

2006-01-01

Efflux of dopamine through the dopamine transporter (DAT) is critical for the psychostimulatory properties of amphetamines, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here we show that Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) plays a key role in this efflux. CaMKIIalpha bound to the d...

The endoplasmic reticulum coat protein II transport machinery coordinates cellular lipid secretion and cholesterol biosynthesis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fryer, Lee G. D.; Jones, Bethan; Duncan, Emma J.; Hutchison, Claire E.; Ozkan, Tozen; Williams, Paul A.; Alder, Olivia; Nieuwdorp, Max; Townley, Anna K.; Mensenkamp, Arjen R.; Stephens, David J.; Dallinga-Thie, Geesje M.; Shoulders, Carol C.

2014-01-01

Triglycerides and cholesterol are essential for life in most organisms. Triglycerides serve as the principal energy storage depot and, where vascular systems exist, as a means of energy transport. Cholesterol is essential for the functional integrity of all cellular membrane systems. The endoplasmic

Transport barriers in bootstrap-driven tokamaks

Science.gov (United States)

Staebler, G. M.; Garofalo, A. M.; Pan, C.; McClenaghan, J.; Van Zeeland, M. A.; Lao, L. L.

2018-05-01

Experiments have demonstrated improved energy confinement due to the spontaneous formation of an internal transport barrier in high bootstrap fraction discharges. Gyrokinetic analysis, and quasilinear predictive modeling, demonstrates that the observed transport barrier is caused by the suppression of turbulence primarily from the large Shafranov shift. It is shown that the Shafranov shift can produce a bifurcation to improved confinement in regions of positive magnetic shear or a continuous reduction in transport for weak or negative magnetic shear. Operation at high safety factor lowers the pressure gradient threshold for the Shafranov shift-driven barrier formation. Two self-organized states of the internal and edge transport barrier are observed. It is shown that these two states are controlled by the interaction of the bootstrap current with magnetic shear, and the kinetic ballooning mode instability boundary. Election scale energy transport is predicted to be dominant in the inner 60% of the profile. Evidence is presented that energetic particle-driven instabilities could be playing a role in the thermal energy transport in this region.

FEATURES FOR TRANSPORT AND AIR MECHANICAL SYSTEMS OF DANGEROUS GOODS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugen Dumitru BUSA

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Transport of dangerous goods are regulated activities, they take place under the direction and control of the authorities and specialized bodies in an institutional framework determined by national and international law. Of economic, transport infrastructure is the crucial element without which both production and trade would become meaningless, it is an essential element of a civilization, is also a necessary accessory of other economic activities.

Robots and ICT to support play in children with severe physical disabilities: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Heuvel, Renée J F; Lexis, Monique A S; Gelderblom, Gert Jan; Jansens, Rianne M L; de Witte, Luc P

2015-09-02

Play is an essential part of children's lives. Children with physical disabilities experience difficulties in play, especially those with severe physical disabilities. With the progress of innovative technology, the possibilities to support play are increasing. The purpose of this literature study is to gain insight into the aims, control options and commercial availability of information and communication technology (ICT) and robots to support play (especially play for the sake of play) in children with severe physical disabilities. A systematic literature search in the databases PubMed, CINAHL, IEEE and ERIC was carried out. Titles and abstracts were assessed independently by three reviewers. In addition, studies were selected using Google Scholar, conference proceedings and reference lists. Three main groups of technology for play could be distinguished: robots (n = 8), virtual reality systems (n = 15) and computer systems (n = 4). Besides, ICT and robots developed for specific therapy or educational goals using play-like activities, five of the in total 27 technologies in this study described the aim of "play for play's sake". Many ICT systems and robots to support play in children with physical disabilities were found. Numerous technologies use play-like activities to achieve therapeutic or educational goals. Robots especially are used for "play for play's sake". Implications for Rehabilitation This study gives insight into the aims, control options and commercial availability for application of robots and ICT to support play in children with severe physical disabilities. This overview can be used in both the fields of rehabilitation and special education to search for new innovative intervention options and it can stimulate them to use these innovative play materials. Especially robots may have great potential in supporting "play for play's sake".

Using the GTFS format to improve public transport data accessibility in Gauteng

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Koetsier, Sumarie

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Public transport plays an important role in cities. It is a less expensive option than private transport and could reduce congestion and improve accessibility to jobs. However, ridership could be hampered when information regarding an operator’s...

Redirecting treatment during neonatal transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Dulkerian, Susan J; Douglas, Webra Price; Taylor, Renee McCraine

2011-01-01

Neonatal transport teams comprise multidisciplinary health care providers who are skilled in patient care, communication and customer service, and equipment mechanics. They are extensively trained in resuscitation and stabilization, preparing for accelerating care, and their focus is preservation of life. In any situation focused on caring for critically ill patients, ethical issues and questions may arise. For instance, is it compassionate and/or cost-effective to separate mothers and infants when continuing/accelerating care is futile, and when and how should care be redirected from acute and lifesaving care to comfort care and bereavement support for the family? The knowledge and skills required to address such situations and communicate and participate in a redirection of care may not be adequately emphasized in the preparation of the professionals responsible for stabilizing and transporting critically ill newborns. This article raises issues relating to transport and redirecting care such as eligibility for transport, parental request and consent, separation of mothers and infants, palliative and bereavement care, ethical considerations, competitive transport environment, and customer service. A shared mental model is essential. The focus of this article is not to provide answers to all of these issues, but to highlight the complexity of the topic of redirecting treatment during neonatal transport. Redirecting treatment needs to be discussed, and health care professionals should be prepared during their transport team training. Each family and situation must be approached individually, with the acceptance that there will always be more questions than answers.

Identification of a mammalian silicon transporter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ratcliffe, Sarah; Jugdaohsingh, Ravin; Vivancos, Julien; Marron, Alan; Deshmukh, Rupesh; Ma, Jian Feng; Mitani-Ueno, Namiki; Robertson, Jack; Wills, John; Boekschoten, Mark V.; Müller, Michael; Mawhinney, Robert C.; Kinrade, Stephen D.; Isenring, Paul; Bélanger, Richard R.; Powell, Jonathan J.

2017-01-01

Silicon (Si) has long been known to play a major physiological and structural role in certain organisms, including diatoms, sponges, and many higher plants, leading to the recent identification of multiple proteins responsible for Si transport in a range of algal and plant species. In mammals,

Concepts of Play and Play Culture for the 21st Century

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgård, Rikke Toft; Toft, Herdis; Karoff, Helle Skovbjerg

2014-01-01

, Associate professor Carsten Jessen, Aarhus University, Assistant professor Helle Skovbjerg Karoff, University of Aalborg and Assistant professor Rikke Toft Nørgård, Aarhus University. This panel represents and discusses different concepts of play and play culture in both diachronic and synchronic dimensions......BIN Norden conference 2014 Accepted panel ________________________________________ Concepts of Play and Play Culture for the 21st Century Participants in the panel are: Associate professor Herdis Toft, University of Southern Denmark (organizer), Professor Beth Juncker, University of Copenhagen....... For several centuries western theorists, for instance Baumgarten, Schiller, Huizinga, Caillois, Sutton Smith, Vygotsky, Bateson, Salen & Zimmerman, Flemming Mouritsen and later on the panel participants, have discussed the concept of play and play culture. They have presented their own theoretical...

Intraflagellar transporter protein (IFT27), an IFT25 binding partner, is essential for male fertility and spermiogenesis in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yong; Liu, Hong; Li, Wei; Zhang, Zhengang; Shang, Xuejun; Zhang, David; Li, Yuhong; Zhang, Shiyang; Liu, Junpin; Hess, Rex A; Pazour, Gregory J; Zhang, Zhibing

2017-12-01

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism essential for the assembly and maintenance of most eukaryotic cilia and flagella. In mice, mutations in IFT proteins have been shown to cause several ciliopathies including retinal degeneration, polycystic kidney disease, and hearing loss. However, little is known about its role in the formation of the sperm tail, which has the longest flagella of mammalian cells. IFT27 is a component of IFT-B complex and binds to IFT25 directly. In mice, IFT27 is highly expressed in the testis. To investigate the role of IFT27 in male germ cells, the floxed Ift27 mice were bred with Stra8-iCre mice so that the Ift27 gene was disrupted in spermatocytes/spermatids. The Ift27: Stra8-iCre mutant mice did not show any gross abnormalities, and all of the mutant mice survived to adulthood. There was no difference between testis weight/body weight between controls and mutant mice. All adult homozygous mutant males examined were completely infertile. Histological examination of the testes revealed abnormally developed germ cells during the spermiogenesis phase. The epididymides contained round bodies of cytoplasm. Sperm number was significantly reduced compared to the controls and only about 2% of them remained significantly reduced motility. Examination of epididymal sperm by light microscopy and SEM revealed multiple morphological abnormalities including round heads, short and bent tails, abnormal thickness of sperm tails in some areas, and swollen tail tips in some sperm. TEM examination of epididymal sperm showed that most sperm lost the "9+2″ axoneme structure, and the mitochondria sheath, fibrous sheath, and outer dense fibers were also disorganized. Some sperm flagella also lost cell membrane. Levels of IFT25 and IFT81 were significantly reduced in the testis of the conditional Ift27 knockout mice, and levels of IFT20, IFT74, and IFT140 were not changed. Sperm lipid rafts, which were disrupted in the

Intraflagellar Transporter Protein (IFT27), an IFT25 binding partner, Is Essential For Male Fertility and Spermiogenesis In Mice

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yong; Liu, Hong; Li, Wei; Zhang, Zhengang; Shang, Xuejun; Zhang, David; Li, Yuhong; Zhang, Shiyang; Liu, Junpin; Hess, Rex A; Pazour, Gregory J; Zhang, Zhibing

2017-01-01

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism essential for the assembly and maintenance of most eukaryotic cilia and flagella. In mice, mutations in IFT proteins have been shown to cause several ciliopathies including retinal degeneration, polycystic kidney disease, and hearing loss. However, little is known about its role in the formation of the sperm tail, which has the longest flagella of mammalian cells. IFT27 is a component of IFT-B complex and binds to IFT25 directly. In mice, IFT27 is highly expressed in the testis. To investigate the role of IFT27 in male germ cells, the floxed Ift27 mice were bred with Stra8-iCre mice so that the Ift27 gene was disrupted in spermatocytes/spermatids. The Ift27:Stra8-iCre mutant mice did not show any gross abnormalities, and all of the mutant mice survive to adulthood. There was no difference between testis weight/body weight between controls and mutant mice. All adult homozygous mutant males examined were completely infertile. Histological examination of the testes revealed abnormally developed germ cells during the spermiogenesis phase. The epididymis contained round bodies of cytoplasm. Sperm number was significantly reduced compared to the controls and only about 2% of them remained significantly reduced motility. Examination of epididymal sperm by light microscopy and SEM revealed multiple morphological abnormalities including round heads, short and bent tails, abnormal thickness of sperm tails in some areas, and swollen tail tips in some sperm. TEM examination of epididymal sperm showed that most sperm lost the “9+2” axoneme structure, and the mitochondria sheath, fibrous sheath, and outer dense fibers were also disorganized. Some sperm flagella also lost cell membrane. Levels of IFT25 and IFT81 were significantly reduced in the testis of the conditional Ift27 knockout mice, and levels of IFT20, IFT74, and IFT140 were not changed. Sperm lipid rafts, which were disrupted in the conditional

Play Therapy: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Maggie L.; Hernandez-Reif, Maria; Jessee, Peggy

2009-01-01

This article discusses the current issues in play therapy and its implications for play therapists. A brief history of play therapy is provided along with the current play therapy approaches and techniques. This article also touches on current issues or problems that play therapists may face, such as interpreting children's play, implementing…

Well Played: The Origins and Future of Playfulness

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, Gwen

2014-01-01

In this article, the author synthesizes research from several disciplines to shed light on play's central role in healthy development. Gordon builds on research in attachment theory that correlates secure attachment in infancy with adult well-being to demonstrate how playfulness might be a lifelong outcome of secure attachment and a primary…

Depression and play in early childhood. Play behavior of depressed and nondepressed 3- to 6-year olds in various play situations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mol Lous, A.; Wit, C.A.M. de; Bruyn, E.E.J. De; Riksen-Walraven, J.M.A.; Rost, H.

2000-01-01

The behavior of seven depressed and seven nondepressed 3- to 6-year-olds was compared in three play situations: solitary free play, interactive free play, and play narratives. Depressed children played significantly less than their nondepressed controls. This was mainly due to differences in

IFT25, an intraflagellar transporter protein dispensable for ciliogenesis in somatic cells, is essential for sperm flagella formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hong; Li, Wei; Zhang, Yong; Zhang, Zhengang; Shang, Xuejun; Zhang, Ling; Zhang, Shiyang; Li, Yanwei; Somoza, Andres V; Delpi, Brandon; Gerton, George L; Foster, James A; Hess, Rex A; Pazour, Gregory J; Zhang, Zhibing

2017-05-01

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is a conserved mechanism essential for the assembly and maintenance of most eukaryotic cilia and flagella. However, IFT25, a component of the IFT complex, is not required for the formation of cilia in somatic tissues. In mice, the gene is highly expressed in the testis, and its expression is upregulated during the final phase when sperm flagella are formed. To investigate the role of IFT25 in sperm flagella formation, the gene was specifically disrupted in male germ cells. All homozygous knockout mice survived to adulthood and did not show any gross abnormalities. However, all homozygous knockout males were completely infertile. Sperm numbers were reduced and these sperm were completely immotile. Multiple morphological abnormalities were observed in sperm, including round heads, short and bent tails, with some tails showing branched flagella and others with frequent abnormal thicknesses, as well as swollen tips of the tail. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that flagellar accessory structures, including the fibrous sheath and outer dense fibers, were disorganized, and most sperm had also lost the "9+2" microtubule structure. In the testis, IFT25 forms a complex with other IFT proteins. In Ift25 knockout testes, IFT27, an IFT25 binding partner, was missing, and IFT20 and IFT81 levels were also reduced. Our findings suggest that IFT25, although not necessary for the formation of cilia in somatic cells, is indispensable for sperm flagellum formation and male fertility in mice. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for the Study of Reproduction. All rights reserved. For permissions, please journals.permissions@oup.com.

Play as Self-Realization: Toward a General Theory of Play

Science.gov (United States)

Henricks, Thomas S.

2014-01-01

In a wide-ranging essay that reviews the major theories of plays and relates them to significant notions of the self, the author addresses the question of why we play. He does so to argue that play is a biologically driven project of self-understanding and self-realization, one that humans--although they also share the experience with other…

KNIME essentials

CERN Document Server

Bakos, Gábor

2013-01-01

KNIME Essentials is a practical guide aimed at getting the results you want, as quickly as possible.""Knime Essentials"" is written for data analysts looking to quickly get up to speed using the market leader in data processing tools, KNIME. No knowledge of KNIME is required, but we will assume that you have some background in data processing.

A novel image database analysis system for maintenance of transportation facility : phase I.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

Transportation is critical to the global economy and plays a particularly vital role in this regions economic growth. Transportation infrastructures such as highways, streets, and bridges represent one of the largest public investments of many gov...

Electron thermal transport in tokamak plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Konings, J A

1994-11-30

The process of fusion of small nuclei thereby releasing energy, as it occurs continuously in the sun, is essential for the existence of mankind. The same process applied in a controlled way on earth would provide a clean and an abundant energy source, and be the long term solution of the energy problem. Nuclear fusion requires an extremely hot (10{sup 8} K) ionized gas, a plasma, that can only be maintained if it is kept insulated from any material wall. In the so called `tokamak` this is achieved by using magnetic fields. The termal insulation, which is essential if one wants to keep the plasma at the high `fusion` temperature, can be predicted using basic plasma therory. A comparison with experiments in tokamaks, however, showed that the electron enery losses are ten to hundred times larger than this theory predicts. This `anomalous transport` of thermal energy implies that, to reach the condition for nuclear fusion, a fusion reactor must have very large dimensions. This may put the economic feasibility of fusion power in jeopardy. Therefore, in a worldwide collaboration, physicists study tokamak plasmas in an attempt to understand and control the energy losses. From a scientific point of view, the mechanisms driving anomalous transport are one of the challenges in fudamental plasma physics. In Nieuwegein, a tokamak experiment (the Rijnhuizen Tokamak Project, RTP) is dedicated to the study of anomalous transport, in an international collaboration with other laboratories. (orig./WL).

Increased xylose affinity of Hxt2 through gene shuffling of hexose transporters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijland, Jeroen G; Shin, Hyun Yong; de Waal, Paul P; Klaassen, Paul; Driessen, Arnold J M

AIMS: Optimizing D-xylose transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is essential for efficient bioethanol production from cellulosic materials. We have used a gene shuffling approach of hexose (Hxt) transporters in order to increase the affinity for D-xylose. METHODS AND RESULTS: Various libraries were

Possible way to check up superbanana transport effects in present-day stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bykov, V.E.; Volkov, E.D.; Georgievskij, A.V.; Shishkin, A.A.

1986-01-01

An important, as yet unanswered question in stellarator research is the following: how dangerous is the superbanana transport to the plasma confinement? Comparison of experimental data with theoretical transport coefficients indicates that the superbanana transport does occur in experiments. But it is believed that the experimental plasma loss rates (W-VIIA) are considerably lower than those predicted by neoclassical theory. The existing inconsistencies make it necessary to search for additional ways to find out whether the superbanana transport is feasible. One of possible ways is connected with the fact that the neoclassical superbanana transport coefficients depend essentially on the harmonic composition of the magnetic field

The essential tension competition, cooperation and multilevel selection in evolution

CERN Document Server

Bahar, Sonya

2018-01-01

'The Essential Tension' explores how agents that naturally compete come to act together as a group. The author argues that the controversial concept of multilevel selection is essential to biological evolution, a proposition set to stimulate new debate. The idea of one collective unit emerging from the cooperative interactions of its constituent (and mutually competitive) parts has its roots in the ancient world. More recently, it has illuminated studies of animal behavior, and played a controversial role in evolutionary biology. In Part I, the author explores the historical development of the idea of a collectivity in biological systems, from early speculations on the sociology of human crowd behavior, through the mid-twentieth century debates over the role of group selection in evolution, to the notion of the selfish gene. Part II investigates the balance between competition and cooperation in a range of contemporary biological problems, from flocking and swarming to experimental evolution and the evolutio...

l-Arginine Uptake by Cationic Amino Acid Transporter Promotes Intra-Macrophage Survival of Leishmania donovani by Enhancing Arginase-Mediated Polyamine Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhishek Mandal

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The survival of intracellular protozoan parasite, Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of Indian visceral leishmaniasis (VL, depends on the activation status of macrophages. l-Arginine, a semi-essential amino acid plays a crucial regulatory role for activation of macrophages. However, the role of l-arginine transport in VL still remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrated that intra-macrophage survival of L. donovani depends on the availability of extracellular l-arginine. Infection of THP-1-derived macrophage/human monocyte-derived macrophage (hMDM with Leishmania, resulted in upregulation of l-arginine transport. While investigating the involvement of the transporters, we observed that Leishmania survival was greatly impaired when the transporters were blocked either using inhibitor or siRNA-mediated downregulation. CAT-2 was found to be the main isoform associated with l-arginine transport in L. donovani-infected macrophages. l-arginine availability and its transport regulated the host arginase in Leishmania infection. Arginase and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS expression were reciprocally regulated when assayed using specific inhibitors and siRNA-mediated downregulation. Interestingly, induction of iNOS expression and nitric oxide production were observed in case of inhibition of arginase in infected macrophages. Furthermore, inhibition of l-arginine transport as well as arginase resulted in decreased polyamine production, limiting parasite survival inside macrophages. l-arginine availability and transport regulated Th1/Th2 cytokine levels in case of Leishmania infection. Upregulation of l-arginine transport, induction of host arginase, and enhanced polyamine production were correlated with increased level of IL-10 and decreased level of IL-12 and TNF-α in L. donovani-infected macrophages. Our findings provide clear evidence for targeting the metabolism of l-arginine and l-arginine-metabolizing enzymes as an important

Charge Transport in LDPE Nanocomposites Part II—Computational Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anh T. Hoang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available A bipolar charge transport model is employed to investigate the remarkable reduction in dc conductivity of low-density polyethylene (LDPE based material filled with uncoated nanofillers (reported in the first part of this work. The effect of temperature on charge transport is considered and the model outcomes are compared with measured conduction currents. The simulations reveal that the contribution of charge carrier recombination to the total transport process becomes more significant at elevated temperatures. Among the effects caused by the presence of nanoparticles, a reduced charge injection at electrodes has been found as the most essential one. Possible mechanisms for charge injection at different temperatures are therefore discussed.

A transportation-scheduling system for managing silvicultural projects

Science.gov (United States)

Jorge F. Valenzuela; H. Hakan Balci; Timothy McDonald

2005-01-01

A silvicultural project encompasses tasks such as sitelevel planning, regeneration, harvestin, and stand-tending treatments. an essential problem in managing silvicultural projects is to efficiently schedule the operations while considering project task due dates and costs of moving scarce resources to specific job locations. Transportation costs represent a...

Electrical railway transportation systems

CERN Document Server

Brenna, Morris; Zaninelli, Dario

2018-01-01

Allows the reader to deepen their understanding of various technologies for both fixed power supply installations of railway systems and for railway rolling stock. This book explores the electric railway systems that play a crucial role in the mitigation of congestion and pollution caused by road traffic. It is divided into two parts: the first covering fixed power supply systems, and the second concerning the systems for railway rolling stock. In particular, after a historical introduction to the framework of technological solutions in current use, the authors investigate electrification systems for the power supply of rail vehicles, trams, and subways. Electrical Railway Transportation Systems explores the direct current systems used throughout the world for urban and suburban transport, which are also used in various countries for regional transport. It provides a study of alternating current systems, whether for power supply frequency or for special railway frequency, that are used around the world for ...

Essential role of RAB27A in determining constitutive human skin color.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasuko Yoshida-Amano

Full Text Available Human skin color is predominantly determined by melanin produced in melanosomes within melanocytes and subsequently distributed to keratinocytes. There are many studies that have proposed mechanisms underlying ethnic skin color variations, whereas the processes involved from melanin synthesis in melanocytes to the transfer of melanosomes to keratinocytes are common among humans. Apart from the activities in the melanogenic rate-limiting enzyme, tyrosinase, in melanocytes and the amounts and distribution patterns of melanosomes in keratinocytes, the abilities of the actin-associated factors in charge of melanosome transport within melanocytes also regulate pigmentation. Mutations in genes encoding melanosome transport-related molecules, such as MYO5A, RAB27A and SLAC-2A, have been reported to cause a human pigmentary disease known as Griscelli syndrome, which is associated with diluted skin and hair color. Thus we hypothesized that process might play a role in modulating skin color variations. To address that hypothesis, the correlations of expression of RAB27A and its specific effector, SLAC2-A, to melanogenic ability were evaluated in comparison with tyrosinase, using human melanocytes derived from 19 individuals of varying skin types. Following the finding of the highest correlation in RAB27A expression to the melanogenic ability, darkly-pigmented melanocytes with significantly higher RAB27A expression were found to transfer significantly more melanosomes to keratinocytes than lightly-pigmented melanocytes in co-culture and in human skin substitutes (HSSs in vivo, resulting in darker skin color in concert with the difference observed in African-descent and Caucasian skins. Additionally, RAB27A knockdown by a lentivirus-derived shRNA in melanocytes concomitantly demonstrated a significantly reduced number of transferred melanosomes to keratinocytes in co-culture and a significantly diminished epidermal melanin content skin color intensity (�

Rate and Regulation of Copper Transport by Human Copper Transporter 1 (hCTR1)*

Science.gov (United States)

Maryon, Edward B.; Molloy, Shannon A.; Ivy, Kristin; Yu, Huijun; Kaplan, Jack H.

2013-01-01

Human copper transporter 1 (hCTR1) is a homotrimer of a 190-amino acid monomer having three transmembrane domains believed to form a pore for copper permeation through the plasma membrane. The hCTR1-mediated copper transport mechanism is not well understood, nor has any measurement been made of the rate at which copper ions are transported by hCTR1. In this study, we estimated the rate of copper transport by the hCTR1 trimer in cultured cells using 64Cu uptake assays and quantification of plasma membrane hCTR1. For endogenous hCTR1, we estimated a turnover number of about 10 ions/trimer/s. When overexpressed in HEK293 cells, a second transmembrane domain mutant of hCTR1 (H139R) had a 3-fold higher Km value and a 4-fold higher turnover number than WT. Truncations of the intracellular C-terminal tail and an AAA substitution of the putative metal-binding HCH C-terminal tripeptide (thought to be required for transport) also exhibited elevated transport rates and Km values when compared with WT hCTR1. Unlike WT hCTR1, H139R and the C-terminal mutants did not undergo regulatory endocytosis in elevated copper. hCTR1 mutants combining methionine substitutions that block transport (M150L,M154L) on the extracellular side of the pore and the high transport H139R or AAA intracellular side mutations exhibited the blocked transport of M150L,M154L, confirming that Cu+ first interacts with the methionines during permeation. Our results show that hCTR1 elements on the intracellular side of the hCTR1 pore, including the carboxyl tail, are not essential for permeation, but serve to regulate the rate of copper entry. PMID:23658018

The play grid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fogh, Rune; Johansen, Asger

2013-01-01

In this paper we propose The Play Grid, a model for systemizing different play types. The approach is psychological by nature and the actual Play Grid is based, therefore, on two pairs of fundamental and widely acknowledged distinguishing characteristics of the ego, namely: extraversion vs. intro...

Coupled ion binding and structural transitions along the transport cycle of glutamate transporters

OpenAIRE

Verdon, Grégory; Oh, SeCheol; Serio, Ryan N; Boudker, Olga

2014-01-01

eLife digest Molecules of glutamate can carry messages between cells in the brain, and these signals are essential for thought and memory. Glutamate molecules can also act as signals to build new connections between brain cells and to prune away unnecessary ones. However, too much glutamate outside of the cells kills the brain tissue and can lead to devastating brain diseases. In a healthy brain, special pumps called glutamate transporters move these molecules back into the brain cells, where...

The cysteines of the extracellular loop are crucial for trafficking of human organic cation transporter 2 to the plasma membrane and are involved in oligomerization.

Science.gov (United States)

Brast, Sabine; Grabner, Alexander; Sucic, Sonja; Sitte, Harald H; Hermann, Edwin; Pavenstädt, Hermann; Schlatter, Eberhard; Ciarimboli, Giuliano

2012-03-01

Human organic cation transporter 2 (hOCT2) is involved in transport of many endogenous and exogenous organic cations, mainly in kidney and brain cells. Because the quaternary structure of transmembrane proteins plays an essential role for their cellular trafficking and function, we investigated whether hOCT2 forms oligomeric complexes, and if so, which part of the transporter is involved in the oligomerization. A yeast 2-hybrid mating-based split-ubiquitin system (mbSUS), fluorescence resonance energy transfer, Western blot analysis, cross-linking experiments, immunofluorescence, and uptake measurements of the fluorescent organic cation 4-(4-(dimethylamino)styryl)-N-methylpyridinium were applied to human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells transfected with hOCT2 and partly also to freshly isolated human proximal tubules. The role of cysteines for oligomerization and trafficking of the transporter to the plasma membranes was investigated in cysteine mutants of hOCT2. hOCT2 formed oligomers both in the HEK293 expression system and in native human kidneys. The cysteines of the large extracellular loop are important to enable correct folding, oligomeric assembly, and plasma membrane insertion of hOCT2. Mutation of the first and the last cysteines of the loop at positions 51 and 143 abolished oligomer formation. Thus, the cysteines of the extracellular loop are important for correct trafficking of the transporter to the plasma membrane and for its oligomerization.

Implementation of advanced technologies and other means in dangerous freight transportation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Batarlienė

2007-12-01

Full Text Available This article examines types of modern technologies application possibilities in dangerous freight transportation. It is noted that the solution to transport technology problems is based on the improvement of technological supply, the rational usage of informational modeling methodology of the whole transportation process. The aspects of mobile solution of public information and transport are named in this paper. The article presents concrete vehicles and freight tracking on their trips analysis, the principles and methods of their operation. Tracking and localization systems are playing a great role in the transportation of dangerous freight. The newly developed remote identification system for transport facilities and freight are presented.

Plant Essential Oils Synergize and Antagonize Toxicity of Different Conventional Insecticides against Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Science.gov (United States)

Faraone, Nicoletta; Hillier, N. Kirk; Cutler, G. Christopher

2015-01-01

Plant-derived products can play an important role in pest management programs. Essential oils from Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) and Thymus vulgaris (thyme) and their main constituents, linalool and thymol, respectively, were evaluated for insecticidal activity and synergistic action in combination with insecticides against green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). The essential oils and their main constituents exerted similar insecticidal activity when aphids were exposed by direct sprays, but were non-toxic by exposure to treated leaf discs. In synergism experiments, the toxicity of imidacloprid was synergized 16- to 20-fold by L. angustifolia and T. vulgaris essential oils, but far less synergism occurred with linalool and thymol, indicating that secondary constituents of the oils were probably responsible for the observed synergism. In contrast to results with imidacloprid, the insecticidal activity of spirotetramat was antagonized by L. angustifolia and T. vulgaris essential oils, and linalool and thymol. Our results demonstrate the potential of plant essential oils as synergists of insecticides, but show that antagonistic action against certain insecticides may occur. PMID:26010088

Comparison between stellarator and tokamak divertor transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Y.; Lunt, T.; Kobayashi, M.; Reiter, D.

2010-11-01

The paper compares the essential divertor transport features of the poloidal divertor, which is well-developed for tokamaks, and the non-axisymmetric divertors currently investigated on helical devices. It aims at surveying the fundamental similarities and differences in divertor concept and geometry, and their consequences for how the divertor functions. In particular, the importance of various transport terms governing axisymmetric and helical scrape-off-layers (SOLs) is examined, with special attention being paid to energy, momentum and impurity transport. Tokamak and stellarator SOLs are compared by identifying key geometric parameters through which the governing physics can be illustrated by simple models and estimates. More quantitative assessments rely nevertheless on the modeling using EMC3-EIRENE code. Most of the theoretical results are discussed in conjunction with experimental observations. (author)

Alibis for Adult Play

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

The social meanings of play sit at odds with norms of responsible and productive adult conduct. To be “caught” playing as an adult therefore risks embarrassment. Still, many designers want to create enjoyable, nonembarrassing play experiences for adults. To address this need, this article reads instances of spontaneous adult play through the lens of Erving Goffman’s theory of the interaction order to unpack conditions and strategies for nonembarrassing adult play. It identifies established frames, segregated audiences, scripts supporting smooth performance, managing audience awareness, role distancing, and, particularly, alibis for play: Adults routinely provide alternative, adult-appropriate motives to account for their play, such as child care, professional duties, creative expression, or health. Once legitimized, the norms and rules of play themselves then provide an alibi for behavior that would risk being embarrassing outside play.

Ballistic food transport in toucans.

Science.gov (United States)

Baussart, Sabine; Korsoun, Leonid; Libourel, Paul-Antoine; Bels, Vincent

2009-08-01

The basic mechanism of food transport in tetrapods is lingual-based. Neognathous birds use this mechanism for exploiting a large diversity of food resources, whereas paleognathous birds use cranioinertial mechanism with or without tongue involvement. Food transport in two neognathous species of toucans (Ramphastos toco and R. vitellinus) is defined as ballistic transport mechanism. Only one transport cycle is used for moving the food from the tip of the beak to the pharynx. The food is projected between jaws with similar initial velocity in both species. At the time of release, the angle between trajectory of food position and horizontal is higher in R. vitellinus with a shorter beak than in R. toco. The tongue never makes contact with the food nor is it used to expand the buccal cavity. Tongue movement is associated with throat expansion, permitting the food to reach the entrance of the esophagus at the end of the ballistic trajectory. Selection of large food items in the diet may explain the evolutionary trend of using ballistic transport in the feeding behavior of toucans, which plays a key role in ecology of tropical forest. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Clinical usefulness of dopamine transporter imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Min; Kim, Yu Kyeong; Kim, Sang Eun; Jeon, Beom S.

2007-01-01

Imaging of the dopamine transporter (DAT) provides a marker for the integrity of presynaptic nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. DAT density is reduced in Parkinson disease, multiple system atrophy, and progressive supranuclear palsy. In patients with suspicious parkinsonism, normal DAT imaging suggests an alternative diagnosis such as essential tremor, vascular parkinsonism, or drug-induced parkinsonism. DAT imaging is a useful tool to aid clinician's differential diagnosis in parkinsonism

Modern algebra essentials

CERN Document Server

Lutfiyya, Lutfi A

2012-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Modern Algebra includes set theory, operations, relations, basic properties of the integers, group theory, and ring theory.

Calculus III essentials

CERN Document Server

REA, Editors of

2012-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Calculus III includes vector analysis, real valued functions, partial differentiation, multiple integrations, vector fields, and infinite series.

Alibis for Adult Play: A Goffmanian Account of Escaping Embarrassment in Adult Play.

Science.gov (United States)

Deterding, Sebastian

2018-05-01

The social meanings of play sit at odds with norms of responsible and productive adult conduct. To be "caught" playing as an adult therefore risks embarrassment. Still, many designers want to create enjoyable, nonembarrassing play experiences for adults. To address this need, this article reads instances of spontaneous adult play through the lens of Erving Goffman's theory of the interaction order to unpack conditions and strategies for nonembarrassing adult play. It identifies established frames, segregated audiences, scripts supporting smooth performance, managing audience awareness, role distancing, and, particularly, alibis for play: Adults routinely provide alternative, adult-appropriate motives to account for their play, such as child care, professional duties, creative expression, or health. Once legitimized, the norms and rules of play themselves then provide an alibi for behavior that would risk being embarrassing outside play.

Playing Shakespeare.

Science.gov (United States)

Bashian, Kathleen Ryniker

1993-01-01

Describes a yearlong project at 12 Catholic middle schools in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, to incorporate the plays of William Shakespeare into the curriculum. Teachers attended university lectures and directed students in performances of the plays. Concludes that Shakespeare can be understood and enjoyed by middle school students. (BCY)

Microvillus-Specific Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase SAP-1 Plays a Role in Regulating the Intestinal Paracellular Transport of Macromolecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, Shingo; Kamei, Noriyasu; Murata, Yoji; Takayama, Kozo; Matozaki, Takashi; Takeda-Morishita, Mariko

2017-09-01

The stomach cancer-associated protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 (SAP-1) is a receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase that is specifically expressed on the apical membrane of the intestinal epithelium. SAP-1 is known to maintain the balance of phosphorylation of proteins together with protein kinases; however, its biological function and impact on pharmacokinetics in the intestine remain unclear. The present study, therefore, aimed at clarifying the relationship between SAP-1 and the intestinal absorption behaviors of typical transporter substrates and macromolecules. The endogenous levels of glucose and total cholesterol in the blood were similar between wild-type and SAP-1-deficient mice (Sap1 -/- ), suggesting no contribution of SAP-1 to biogenic influx. Moreover, in vitro transport study with everted ileal sacs demonstrated that there was no difference in the absorption of breast cancer resistance protein, P-glycoprotein, and peptide transporter substrates between both mice. However, absorptive clearance of macromolecular model dextrans (FD-4 and FD-10) in Sap1 -/- mice was significantly higher than that in wild-type mice, and this was confirmed by the trend of increased FD-4 absorption from colonic loops of Sap1 -/- mice. Therefore, the results of this study suggest the partial contribution of SAP-1 to the regulated transport of hydrophilic macromolecules through paracellular tight junctions. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Virtual Playgrounds? Assessing the Playfulness of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Kerrie Lewis

2010-01-01

Millions of children and adults devote much of their leisure time to playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Most observers commonly categorize computer games as a play activity, but this article asks whether MMORPGs contain activities that might not be play. The author examines the phenomenon of online gaming and…

Assessment of CO 2 emission level in urban transport of Mekelle ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Transport plays a crucial role in accelerating development and improving quality of life by allowing ease transfer of people, goods and services. It is also one of the important preconditions for achieving developmental goals. This study therefore intends to assess the level of CO2 emissions in urban transport of Mekelle city.

The putative Na+/Cl−-dependent neurotransmitter/osmolyte transporter inebriated in the Drosophila hindgut is essential for the maintenance of systemic water homeostasis

Science.gov (United States)

Luan, Zhuo; Quigley, Caitlin; Li, Hong-Sheng

2015-01-01

Most organisms are able to maintain systemic water homeostasis over a wide range of external or dietary osmolarities. The excretory system, composed of the kidneys in mammals and the Malpighian tubules and hindgut in insects, can increase water conservation and absorption to maintain systemic water homeostasis, which enables organisms to tolerate external hypertonicity or desiccation. However, the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of systemic water homeostasis by the excretory system have not been fully characterized. In the present study, we found that the putative Na+/Cl−-dependent neurotransmitter/osmolyte transporter inebriated (ine) is expressed in the basolateral membrane of anterior hindgut epithelial cells. This was confirmed by comparison with a known basolateral localized protein, the α subunit of Na+-K+ ATPase (ATPα). Under external hypertonicity, loss of ine in the hindgut epithelium results in severe dehydration without damage to the hindgut epithelial cells, implicating a physiological failure of water conservation/absorption. We also found that hindgut expression of ine is required for water conservation under desiccating conditions. Importantly, specific expression of ine in the hindgut epithelium can completely restore disrupted systemic water homeostasis in ine mutants under both conditions. Therefore, ine in the Drosophila hindgut is essential for the maintenance of systemic water homeostasis. PMID:25613130

Statistics I essentials

CERN Document Server

Milewski, Emil G

2012-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Statistics I covers include frequency distributions, numerical methods of describing data, measures of variability, parameters of distributions, probability theory, and distributions.

Electric circuits essentials

CERN Document Server

REA, Editors of

2012-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Electric Circuits I includes units, notation, resistive circuits, experimental laws, transient circuits, network theorems, techniques of circuit analysis, sinusoidal analysis, polyph

Pre-calculus essentials

CERN Document Server

Woodward, Ernest

2012-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Pre-Calculus reviews sets, numbers, operations and properties, coordinate geometry, fundamental algebraic topics, solving equations and inequalities, functions, trigonometry, exponents

Electronics I essentials

CERN Document Server

REA, The Editors of

2012-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Electronics I covers fundamentals of semiconductor devices, junction diodes, bipolar junction transistors, power supplies, multitransistor circuits, small signals, low-frequency anal

Position of the third Na+ site in the aspartate transporter GltPh and the human glutamate transporter, EAAT1.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Turgut Bastug

Full Text Available Glutamate transport via the human excitatory amino acid transporters is coupled to the co-transport of three Na(+ ions, one H(+ and the counter-transport of one K(+ ion. Transport by an archaeal homologue of the human glutamate transporters, Glt(Ph, whose three dimensional structure is known is also coupled to three Na(+ ions but only two Na(+ ion binding sites have been observed in the crystal structure of Glt(Ph. In order to fully utilize the Glt(Ph structure in functional studies of the human glutamate transporters, it is essential to understand the transport mechanism of Glt(Ph and accurately determine the number and location of Na(+ ions coupled to transport. Several sites have been proposed for the binding of a third Na(+ ion from electrostatic calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. In this study, we have performed detailed free energy simulations for Glt(Ph and reveal a new site for the third Na(+ ion involving the side chains of Threonine 92, Serine 93, Asparagine 310, Aspartate 312, and the backbone of Tyrosine 89. We have also studied the transport properties of alanine mutants of the coordinating residues Threonine 92 and Serine 93 in Glt(Ph, and the corresponding residues in a human glutamate transporter, EAAT1. The mutant transporters have reduced affinity for Na(+ compared to their wild type counterparts. These results confirm that Threonine 92 and Serine 93 are involved in the coordination of the third Na(+ ion in Glt(Ph and EAAT1.