Evidence for differentiation of cell wall poles in Bacillus subtilis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonnenfeld, E.M.

1985-01-01

Previous data have suggested that the chromosome of Bacillus subtilis was found to the cell surface at polar regions. A significant corollary of DNA attachment to cell poles is the role of the cell wall in chromosome segregation. This project was mainly concerned with visualizing the DNA-cell wall association through autoradiography. The origin and terminus of replication were labelled with ( 3 H)-thymidine using a temperature-sensitive DNA initiation mutant. It was found that most of the radioactivity was associated with cell poles. Ultrastructural analyses of cell walls stained with dilute cationized ferritin showed that the polar area contained a site of dense electronegativity. It is not immediately apparent why cell wall poles would contain an area with a high concentration of negative charge. This finding may be related to the cell pole functioning as the site of chromosome attachment. An additional observation encountered in this study was that cell wall exhibited asymmetry with regard to negative charge, the outside surface being more electronegative than the inside. A significant consequence of this finding is that both teichoic acid and muramyl peptides are situated perpendicularly to the cell surface. This favored arrangement may facilitate cell separation during the division process due to opposition of like charges at septa. The results of this work provide further convincing evidence that the cell wall of B. subtilis is differentiated

Immersion Refractometry of Isolated Bacterial Cell Walls

Science.gov (United States)

Marquis, Robert E.

1973-01-01

Immersion-refractometric and light-scattering measurements were adapted to determinations of average refractive indices and physical compactness of isolated bacterial cell walls. The structures were immersed in solutions containing various concentrations of polymer molecules that cannot penetrate into wall pores, and then an estimate was made of the polymer concentration or the refractive index of the polymer solution in which light scattering was reduced to zero. Because each wall preparation was heterogeneous, the refractive index of the medium for zero light scattering had to be estimated by extrapolation. Refractive indices for walls suspended in bovine serum albumin solutions ranged from 1.348 for walls of the rod form of Arthrobacter crystallopoietes to 1.382 for walls of the teichoic acid deficient, 52A5 strain of Staphylococcus aureus. These indices were used to calculate approximate values for solids content per milliliter, and the calculated values agreed closely with those estimated from a knowledge of dextran-impermeable volumes per gram, dry weight, of the walls. When large molecules such as dextrans or serum albumin were used for immersion refractometry, the refractive indices obtained were for entire walls, including both wall polymers and wall water. When smaller molecules that can penetrate wall pores to various extents were used with Micrococcus lysodeikticus walls, the average, apparent refractive index of the structures increased as the molecular size of probing molecules was decreased. It was possible to obtain an estimate of 1.45 to 1.46 for the refractive index of wall polymers, predominantly peptidoglycans in this case, by extrapolating the curve for refractive index versus molecular radius to a value of 0.2 nm, the approximate radius of a water molecule. This relatively low value for polymer refractive index was interpreted as evidence in favor of the amorphous, elastic model of peptidoglycan structure and against the crystalline, rigid

Present and future etiological treatment of bacterial pneumonia 3. The antibacterial drugs under development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.A. Abaturov

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains necessitates the development of new antibacterial agents and a review of the guidelines for etiological treatment of bacterial infections, including pneumonia. Currently, new antibacterial agents are being developed that disrupt the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan, teichoic and lipoteichoic acids, and also block the attachment of virulent factors to the bacterial wall. New molecules of old classes of antibiotics and representatives of new classes of antibiotics with their targets (lipid II and III, teichoic and lipoteichoic acids, alanine racemase, and sortase A will become practical tools in clinical practice in the very near future. The goals and mechanisms of action of new antibacterial compounds predetermine their clinical prospects in future strategies for the treatment of infectious bacterial diseases.

Multiple Genome Sequences of Lactobacillus plantarum Strains

OpenAIRE

Kafka, Thomas A.; Geissler, Andreas J.; Vogel, Rudi F.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT We report here the genome sequences of four Lactobacillus plantarum strains which vary in surface hydrophobicity. Bioinformatic analysis, using additional genomes of Lactobacillus plantarum strains, revealed a possible correlation between the cell wall teichoic acid-type and cell surface hydrophobicity and provide the basis for consecutive analyses.

Anti-Infectious Agents against MRSA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nobuhiro Koyama

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Clinically useful antibiotics, β-lactams and vancomycin, are known to inhibit bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA has a unique cell wall structure consisting of peptidoglycan and wall teichoic acid. In recent years, new anti-infectious agents (spirohexaline, tripropeptin C, DMPI, CDFI, cyslabdan, 1835F03, and BPH-652 targeting MRSA cell wall biosynthesis have been discovered using unique screening methods. These agents were found to inhibit important enzymes involved in cell wall biosynthesis such as undecaprenyl pyrophosphate (UPP synthase, FemA, flippase, or UPP phosphatase. In this review, the discovery, the mechanism of action, and the future of these anti-infectious agents are described.

Supernatants from Staphylococcus epidermidis grown in the presence of different antibiotics induce differential release of tumor necrosis factor alpha from human monocytes.

OpenAIRE

Mattsson, E; Van Dijk, H; Verhoef, J; Norrby, R; Rollof, J

1996-01-01

Bacterial products from gram-positive bacteria, such as peptidoglycan, teichoic acid, and toxins, activate mononuclear cells to produce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF). The present study evaluated the release of soluble cell wall components from Staphylococcus epidermidis capable of inducing TNF after exposure of the bacteria to various antibiotics. A clinical S. epidermidis isolate (694) was incubated with either penicillin, oxacillin, vancomycin, or clindamycin at five times the MIC. Supe...

Effect of amino acid-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In a single-step, rapid microwave-assisted process, multi-walled carbon nanotubes were functionalized by -valine amino acid. Formation of amino acid on nanotube surface was confirmed by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning and transmission ...

A full-scale porous reactive wall for prevention of acid mine drainage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benner, S.G.; Blowes, D.W.; Ptacek, C.J.

1997-01-01

The generation and release of acidic drainage containing high concentrations of dissolved metals from decommissioned mine wastes is an environmental problem of international scale. A potential solution to many acid drainage problems is the installation of permeable reactive walls into aquifers affected by drainage water derived from mine waste materials. A permeable reactive wall installed into an aquifer impacted by low-quality mine drainage waters was installed in August 1995 at the Nickel Rim mine site near Sudbury, Ontario. The reactive mixture, containing organic matter, was designed to promote bacterially mediated sulfate reduction and subsequent metal sulfide precipitation. The reactive wall is installed to an average depth of 12 feet (3.6 m) and is 49 feet (15 m) long perpendicular to ground water flow. The wall thickness (flow path length) is 13 feet (4 m). Initial results, collected nine months after installation, indicate that sulfate reduction and metal sulfide precipitation is occurring. The reactive wall has effectively removed the capacity of the ground water to generate acidity on discharge to the surface. Calculations based on comparison to previously run laboratory column experiments indicate that the reactive wall has potential to remain effective for at least 15 years

Acid base activity of live bacteria: Implications for quantifying cell wall charge

Science.gov (United States)

Claessens, Jacqueline; van Lith, Yvonne; Laverman, Anniet M.; Van Cappellen, Philippe

2006-01-01

To distinguish the buffering capacity associated with functional groups in the cell wall from that resulting from metabolic processes, base or acid consumption by live and dead cells of the Gram-negative bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens was measured in a pH stat system. Live cells exhibited fast consumption of acid (pH 4) or base (pH 7, 8, 9, and 10) during the first few minutes of the experiments. At pH 5.5, no acid or base was required to maintain the initial pH constant. The initial amounts of acid or base consumed by the live cells at pH 4, 8, and 10 were of comparable magnitudes as those neutralized at the same pHs by intact cells killed by exposure to gamma radiation or ethanol. Cells disrupted in a French press required higher amounts of acid or base, due to additional buffering by intracellular constituents. At pH 4, acid neutralization by suspensions of live cells stopped after 50 min, because of loss of viability. In contrast, under neutral and alkaline conditions, base consumption continued for the entire duration of the experiments (5 h). This long-term base neutralization was, at least partly, due to active respiration by the cells, as indicated by the build-up of succinate in solution. Qualitatively, the acid-base activity of live cells of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis resembled that of S. putrefaciens. The pH-dependent charging of ionizable functional groups in the cell walls of the live bacteria was estimated from the initial amounts of acid or base consumed in the pH stat experiments. From pH 4 to 10, the cell wall charge increased from near-zero values to about -4 × 10 -16 mol cell -1 and -6.5 × 10 -16 mol cell -1 for S. putrefaciens and B. subtilis, respectively. The similar cell wall charging of the two bacterial strains is consistent with the inferred low contribution of lipopolysaccharides to the buffering capacity of the Gram-negative cell wall (of the order of 10%).

Evidence for a structural role for acid-fast lipids in oocyst walls of Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, and Eimeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Bushkin, G Guy; Motari, Edwin; Carpentieri, Andrea; Dubey, Jitender P; Costello, Catherine E; Robbins, Phillips W; Samuelson, John

2013-09-03

Coccidia are protozoan parasites that cause significant human disease and are of major agricultural importance. Cryptosporidium spp. cause diarrhea in humans and animals, while Toxoplasma causes disseminated infections in fetuses and untreated AIDS patients. Eimeria is a major pathogen of commercial chickens. Oocysts, which are the infectious form of Cryptosporidium and Eimeria and one of two infectious forms of Toxoplasma (the other is tissue cysts in undercooked meat), have a multilayered wall. Recently we showed that the inner layer of the oocyst walls of Toxoplasma and Eimeria is a porous scaffold of fibers of β-1,3-glucan, which are also present in fungal walls but are absent from Cryptosporidium oocyst walls. Here we present evidence for a structural role for lipids in the oocyst walls of Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, and Eimeria. Briefly, oocyst walls of each organism label with acid-fast stains that bind to lipids in the walls of mycobacteria. Polyketide synthases similar to those that make mycobacterial wall lipids are abundant in oocysts of Toxoplasma and Eimeria and are predicted in Cryptosporidium. The outer layer of oocyst wall of Eimeria and the entire oocyst wall of Cryptosporidium are dissolved by organic solvents. Oocyst wall lipids are complex mixtures of triglycerides, some of which contain polyhydroxy fatty acyl chains like those present in plant cutin or elongated fatty acyl chains like mycolic acids. We propose a two-layered model of the oocyst wall (glucan and acid-fast lipids) that resembles the two-layered walls of mycobacteria (peptidoglycan and acid-fast lipids) and plants (cellulose and cutin). Oocysts, which are essential for the fecal-oral spread of coccidia, have a wall that is thought responsible for their survival in the environment and for their transit through the stomach and small intestine. While oocyst walls of Toxoplasma and Eimeria are strengthened by a porous scaffold of fibrils of β-1,3-glucan and by proteins cross

The Baseplate of Lactobacillus delbrueckii Bacteriophage Ld17 Harbors a Glycerophosphodiesterase.

Science.gov (United States)

Cornelissen, Anneleen; Sadovskaya, Irina; Vinogradov, Evgeny; Blangy, Stéphanie; Spinelli, Silvia; Casey, Eoghan; Mahony, Jennifer; Noben, Jean-Paul; Dal Bello, Fabio; Cambillau, Christian; van Sinderen, Douwe

2016-08-05

Glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterases (GDPDs; EC 3.1.4.46) typically hydrolyze glycerophosphodiesters to sn-glycerol 3-phosphate (Gro3P) and their corresponding alcohol during patho/physiological processes in bacteria and eukaryotes. GDPD(-like) domains were identified in the structural particle of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) specifically infecting Gram-positive bacteria. The GDPD of phage 17 (Ld17; GDPDLd17), representative of the group b Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (Ldb)-infecting bacteriophages, was shown to hydrolyze, besides the simple glycerophosphodiester, two complex surface-associated carbohydrates of the Ldb17 cell envelope: the Gro3P decoration of the major surface polysaccharide d-galactan and the oligo(glycerol phosphate) backbone of the partially glycosylated cell wall teichoic acid, a minor Ldb17 cell envelope component. Degradation of cell wall teichoic acid occurs according to an exolytic mechanism, and Gro3P substitution is presumed to be inhibitory for GDPDLd17 activity. The presence of the GDPDLd17 homotrimer in the viral baseplate structure involved in phage-host interaction together with the dependence of native GDPD activity, adsorption, and efficiency of plating of Ca(2+) ions supports a role for GDPDLd17 activity during phage adsorption and/or phage genome injection. In contrast to GDPDLd17, we could not identify any enzymatic activity for the GDPD-like domain in the neck passage structure of phage 340, a 936-type Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis bacteriophage. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Porous reactive wall for prevention of acid mine drainage: Results of a full-scale field demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benner, S.G.; Blowes, D.W.; Ptacek, C.J.

1997-01-01

A porous reactive wall was installed in August, 1995, to treat mine drainage flowing within an aquifer at the Nickel Rim mine site, near Sudbury, Ontario. The reactive mixture was designed to maximize removal of metals and acid generating capacity from the groundwater by enhancing sulfate reduction and metal sulfide precipitation. The installed structure, composed of a mixed organic substrate, is 15 meters long, 3.6 meters deep and the flow path length (wall width) is 4 meters. Results of sampling nine months after installation, indicate that sulfate reduction and metal sulfide precipitation is occurring. Comparing the chemistry of water entering the wall to treated water exiting the wall nine months after installation: SO 4 concentrations decrease by >50% (from 2400-4800 mg/L to 60-3600 mg/L), Fe concentrations decrease by >95% (from 260-1300 mg/L to 1.0-40 mg/L), pH increased from 5.8 to 7.0 and alkalinity increased from 0-60 mg/L to 700-3200 mg/L as CaCO 3 . After passing through the reactive wall, the net acid generating potential of the aquifer water was converted from acid producing to acid consuming

Cloning and expression of cell wall acid invertase gene fragment ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ONOS

2010-01-25

Jan 25, 2010 ... intron. It had a high homology to previously cloned cell wall acid invertase genes in other plants by sequence .... Japan) in a final volume of 50 µl. The programs for ... The first strand of cDNA was synthesized by using SYBR ...

Role of the Group B antigen of Streptococcus agalactiae: a peptidoglycan-anchored polysaccharide involved in cell wall biogenesis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Élise Caliot

Full Text Available Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B streptococcus, GBS is a leading cause of infections in neonates and an emerging pathogen in adults. The Lancefield Group B carbohydrate (GBC is a peptidoglycan-anchored antigen that defines this species as a Group B Streptococcus. Despite earlier immunological and biochemical characterizations, the function of this abundant glycopolymer has never been addressed experimentally. Here, we inactivated the gene gbcO encoding a putative UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate:lipid phosphate transferase thought to catalyze the first step of GBC synthesis. Indeed, the gbcO mutant was unable to synthesize the GBC polymer, and displayed an important growth defect in vitro. Electron microscopy study of the GBC-depleted strain of S. agalactiae revealed a series of growth-related abnormalities: random placement of septa, defective cell division and separation processes, and aberrant cell morphology. Furthermore, vancomycin labeling and peptidoglycan structure analysis demonstrated that, in the absence of GBC, cells failed to initiate normal PG synthesis and cannot complete polymerization of the murein sacculus. Finally, the subcellular localization of the PG hydrolase PcsB, which has a critical role in cell division of streptococci, was altered in the gbcO mutant. Collectively, these findings show that GBC is an essential component of the cell wall of S. agalactiae whose function is reminiscent of that of conventional wall teichoic acids found in Staphylococcus aureus or Bacillus subtilis. Furthermore, our findings raise the possibility that GBC-like molecules play a major role in the growth of most if not all beta-hemolytic streptococci.

Fluorescent D-amino-acids reveal bi-cellular cell wall modifications important for Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus predation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuru, Erkin; Lambert, Carey; Rittichier, Jonathan; Till, Rob; Ducret, Adrien; Derouaux, Adeline; Gray, Joe; Biboy, Jacob; Vollmer, Waldemar; VanNieuwenhze, Michael; Brun, Yves V; Sockett, R Elizabeth

2017-12-01

Modification of essential bacterial peptidoglycan (PG)-containing cell walls can lead to antibiotic resistance; for example, β-lactam resistance by L,D-transpeptidase activities. Predatory Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus are naturally antibacterial and combat infections by traversing, modifying and finally destroying walls of Gram-negative prey bacteria, modifying their own PG as they grow inside prey. Historically, these multi-enzymatic processes on two similar PG walls have proved challenging to elucidate. Here, with a PG-labelling approach utilizing timed pulses of multiple fluorescent D-amino acids, we illuminate dynamic changes that predator and prey walls go through during the different phases of bacteria:bacteria invasion. We show formation of a reinforced circular port-hole in the prey wall, L,D-transpeptidase Bd -mediated D-amino acid modifications strengthening prey PG during Bdellovibrio invasion, and a zonal mode of predator elongation. This process is followed by unconventional, multi-point and synchronous septation of the intracellular Bdellovibrio, accommodating odd- and even-numbered progeny formation by non-binary division.

Enhancement of heat transfer for thermal energy storage application using stearic acid nanocomposite with multi-walled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, TingXian; Lee, Ju-Hyuk; Wang, RuZhu; Kang, Yong Tae

2013-01-01

A latent heat storage nanocomposite made of stearic acid (SA) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) is prepared for thermal energy storage application. The thermal properties of the SA/MWCNT nanocomposite are characterized by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) analysis techniques, and the effects of different volume fractions of MWCNT on the heat transfer enhancement and thermal performance of stearic acid are investigated during the charging and discharging phases. The SEM analysis shows that the additive of MWCNT is uniformly distributed in the phase change material of stearic acid, and the DSC analysis reveals that the melting point of SA/MWCNT nanocomposite shifts to a lower temperature during the charging phase and the freezing point shifts to a higher temperature during the discharging phase when compared with the pure stearic acid. The experimental results show that the addition of MWCNT can improve the thermal conductivity of stearic acid effectively, but it also weakens the natural convection of stearic acid in liquid state. In comparison with the pure stearic acid, the charging rate can be decreased by about 50% while the discharging rate can be improved by about 91% respectively by using the SA/5.0% MWCNT nanocomposite. It appears that the MWCNT is a promising candidate for enhancing the heat transfer performance of latent heat thermal energy storage system. - Highlights: • A nanocomposite made of stearic acid and multi-walled carbon nanotube is prepared for thermal energy storage application. • Effects of multi-walled carbon nanotube on the thermal performance of the nanocomposite are investigated. • Multi-walled carbon nanotube enhances the thermal conductivity but weakens the natural convection of stearic acid. • Discharging/charging rates of stearic acid are increased/decreased by using multi-walled carbon nanotube

Ferulic acid: an antioxidant found naturally in plant cell walls and feruloyl esterases involved in its release and their applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathew, Sindhu; Abraham, T Emilia

2004-01-01

Ferulic acid is the most abundant hydroxycinnamic acid in the plant world and maize bran with 3.1% (w/w) ferulic acid is one of the most promising sources of this antioxidant. The dehydrodimers of ferulic acid are important structural components in the plant cell wall and serve to enhance its rigidity and strength. Feruloyl esterases are a subclass of the carboxylic acid esterases that hydrolyze the ester bond between hydroxycinnamic acids and sugars present in plant cell walls and they have been isolated from a wide range of microorganisms, when grown on complex substrates such as cereal brans, sugar beet pulp, pectin and xylan. These enzymes perform a function similar to alkali in the deesterification of plant cell wall and differ in their specificities towards the methyl esters of cinnamic acids and ferulolylated oligosaccharides. They act synergistically with xylanases and pectinases and facilitate the access of hydrolases to the backbone of cell wall polymers. The applications of ferulic acid and feruloyl esterase enzymes are many and varied. Ferulic acid obtained from agricultural byproducts is a potential precursor for the production of natural vanillin, due to the lower production cost.

The role of wall calcium in the extension of cell walls of soybean hypocotyls

Science.gov (United States)

Virk, S. S.; Cleland, R. E.

1990-01-01

Calcium crosslinks are load-bearing bonds in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) hypocotyl cell walls, but they are not the same load-bearing bonds that are broken during acid-mediated cell elongation. This conclusion is reached by studying the relationship between wall calcium, pH and the facilitated creep of frozen-thawed soybean hypocotyl sections. Supporting data include the following observations: 1) 2-[(2-bis-[carboxymethyl]amino-5-methylphenoxy)methyl]-6-methoxy-8-bis[car boxymethyl]aminoquinoline (Quin 2) and ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) caused only limited facilitated creep as compared with acid, despite removal of comparable or larger amounts of wall calcium; 2) the pH-response curves for calcium removal and acid-facilitated creep were different; 3) reversible acid-extension occurred even after removal of almost all wall calcium with Quin 2; and 4) growth of abraded sections did not involve a proportional loss of wall calcium. Removal of wall calcium, however, increased the capacity of the walls to undergo acid-facilitated creep. These data indicate that breakage of calcium crosslinks is not a major mechanism of cell-wall loosening in soybean hypocotyl tissues.

Dissecting Bacterial Cell Wall Entry and Signaling in Eukaryotic Cells: an Actin-Dependent Pathway Parallels Platelet-Activating Factor Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Loh, Lip Nam; Gao, Geli; Tuomanen, Elaine I

2017-01-03

The Gram-positive bacterial cell wall (CW) peptidoglycan-teichoic acid complex is released into the host environment during bacterial metabolism or death. It is a highly inflammatory Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) ligand, and previous in vivo studies have demonstrated its ability to recapitulate pathological features of pneumonia and meningitis. We report that an actin-dependent pathway is involved in the internalization of the CW by epithelial and endothelial cells, in addition to the previously described platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFr)-dependent uptake pathway. Unlike the PAFr-dependent pathway, which is mediated by clathrin and dynamin and does not lead to signaling, the alternative pathway is sensitive to 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride (EIPA) and engenders Rac1, Cdc42, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling. Upon internalization by this macropinocytosis-like pathway, CW is trafficked to lysosomes. Intracellular CW trafficking is more complex than previously recognized and suggests multiple points of interaction with and without innate immune signaling. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human pathogen infecting the respiratory tract and brain. It is an established model organism for understanding how infection injures the host. During infection or bacterial growth, bacteria shed their cell wall (CW) into the host environment and trigger inflammation. A previous study has shown that CW enters and crosses cell barriers by interacting with a receptor on the surfaces of host cells, termed platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFr). In the present study, by using cells that are depleted of PAFr, we identified a second pathway with features of macropinocytosis, which is a receptor-independent fluid uptake mechanism by cells. Each pathway contributes approximately the same amount of cell wall trafficking, but the PAFr pathway is silent, while the new pathway appears to contribute to the host inflammatory response to CW insult. Copyright © 2017

Monitoring the functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes with chitosan and folic acid by two-dimensional diffusion-ordered nmr spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castillo, John J.; Torres, Mary H.; Molina, Daniel R.

2012-01-01

A conjugate between single-walled carbon nanotubes, chitosan and folic acid has been prepared. It was characterized by diffusion ordered two-dimensional hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance and hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy which revealed the presence of a conjugate that was......A conjugate between single-walled carbon nanotubes, chitosan and folic acid has been prepared. It was characterized by diffusion ordered two-dimensional hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance and hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy which revealed the presence of a conjugate...... that was generated by the linkage between the carboxyl moiety of the folic acid and the amino group of the chitosan, which in turn was non-covalently bound to the single-walled carbon nanotubes. The obtained diffusion coefficient values demonstrated that free folic acid diffused more rapidly than the folic acid...... conjugated to single-walled carbon nanotubes-chitosan. The values of the proton signal of hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and two-dimensional hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy further confirmed that the folic acid was conjugated to the chitosan, wrapping the single...

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Structural and Functional Effects on the Vascular Wall

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michela Zanetti

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA consumption is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk. Increasing evidence demonstrating a beneficial effect of n-3 PUFA on arterial wall properties is progressively emerging. We reviewed the recent available evidence for the cardiovascular effects of n-3 PUFA focusing on structural and functional properties of the vascular wall. In experimental studies and clinical trials n-3 PUFA have shown the ability to improve arterial hemodynamics by reducing arterial stiffness, thus explaining some of its cardioprotective properties. Recent studies suggest beneficial effects of n-3 PUFA on endothelial activation, which are likely to improve vascular function. Several molecular, cellular, and physiological pathways influenced by n-3 PUFA can affect arterial wall properties and therefore interfere with the atherosclerotic process. Although the relative weight of different physiological and molecular mechanisms and the dose-response on arterial wall properties have yet to be determined, n-3 PUFA have the potential to beneficially impact arterial wall remodeling and cardiovascular outcomes by targeting arterial wall stiffening and endothelial dysfunction.

Adsorption of nucleic acid bases and amino acids on single-walled carbon and boron nitride nanotubes: a first-principles study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Jiaxin; Song, Wei; Wang, Lu; Lu, Jing; Luo, Guangfu; Zhou, Jing; Qin, Rui; Li, Hong; Gao, Zhengxiang; Lai, Lin; Li, Guangping; Mei, Wai Ning

2009-11-01

We study the adsorptions of nucleic acid bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), thymine (T), and uracil (U) and four amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, alanine on the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and boron nitride nanotubes (SWBNNTs) by using density functional theory. We find that the aromatic content plays a critical role in the adsorption. The adsorptions of nucleic acid bases and amino acids on the (7, 7) SWBNNT are stronger than those on the (7, 7) SWCNT. Oxidative treatment of SWCNTs favors the adsorption of biomolecules on nanotubes.

Computational and experimental studies of the interaction between single-walled carbon nanotubes and folic acid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castillo, John J.; Rozo, Ciro E.; Castillo-León, Jaime

2013-01-01

Nlayered Integrated Molecular Orbital and Molecular Mechanics (B3LYP(6–31G(d):UFF)). The results confirmed that the interaction occurred via hydrogen bonding between protons of the glutamic moiety from folic acid and π electrons from the carbon nanotubes. The single-walled carbon nanotube-folic acid...

Nitric acid treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes optimized by Taguchi method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shamsuddin, Shahidah Arina; Hashim, Uda; Halim, Nur Hamidah Abdul [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Derman, Mohd Nazree, E-mail: nazree@unimap.edu.my; Tahir, Muhammad Faheem Mohd [Centre of Excellence Geopolymer & Green Technology (CEGeoGTech), School of Material Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Kashif, Muhammad [Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak (Malaysia); Adam, Tijjani [Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02100, Padang Besar, Perlis (Malaysia)

2016-07-19

Electron transfer rate (ETR) of CNTs can be enhanced by increasing the amounts of COOH groups to their wall and opened tips. With the aim to achieve the highest production amount of COOH, Taguchi robust design has been used for the first time to optimize the surface modification of MWCNTs by nitric acid oxidation. Three main oxidation parameters which are concentration of acid, treatment temperature and treatment time have been selected as the control factors that will be optimized. The amounts of COOH produced are measured by using FTIR spectroscopy through the absorbance intensity. From the analysis, we found that acid concentration and treatment time had the most important influence on the production of COOH. Meanwhile, the treatment temperature will only give intermediate effect. The optimum amount of COOH can be achieved with the treatment by 8.0 M concentration of nitric acid at 120 °C for 2 hour.

Nitric acid treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes optimized by Taguchi method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shamsuddin, Shahidah Arina; Hashim, Uda; Halim, Nur Hamidah Abdul; Derman, Mohd Nazree; Tahir, Muhammad Faheem Mohd; Kashif, Muhammad; Adam, Tijjani

2016-01-01

Electron transfer rate (ETR) of CNTs can be enhanced by increasing the amounts of COOH groups to their wall and opened tips. With the aim to achieve the highest production amount of COOH, Taguchi robust design has been used for the first time to optimize the surface modification of MWCNTs by nitric acid oxidation. Three main oxidation parameters which are concentration of acid, treatment temperature and treatment time have been selected as the control factors that will be optimized. The amounts of COOH produced are measured by using FTIR spectroscopy through the absorbance intensity. From the analysis, we found that acid concentration and treatment time had the most important influence on the production of COOH. Meanwhile, the treatment temperature will only give intermediate effect. The optimum amount of COOH can be achieved with the treatment by 8.0 M concentration of nitric acid at 120 °C for 2 hour.

Characterization of N-Succinylation of L-Lysylphosphatidylglycerol in Bacillus subtilis Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Atila, Metin; Katselis, George; Chumala, Paulos; Luo, Yu

2016-10-01

Phospholipids generally dominate in bacterial lipids. The negatively charged nature of phospholipids renders bacteria susceptible to cationic antibiotic peptides. In comparison with Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria in general have much less zwitterionic phosphatidylethanolamine. However, they are known for producing aminoacylated phosphatidylglycerol (PG), especially positively charged l-lysyl-PG, which is catalyzed by lysyl-PG synthase MprF, which appears to have a broad range of specificity for l-aminoacyl transfer RNAs. In addition, many Gram-positive bacteria also have a dlt-gene-coded d-alanylation pathway for lipoteichoic acids and wall teichoic acids covalently attached to a glycolipid or peptidoglycan. d-Alanylation also masks the dominant negative charge of the phosphate-rich polymers of teichoic acids. Using mass spectrometry, we have recently observed that precursor scans in negative mode for deprotonated amino acid fragments were most sensitive for ester-linked amino acids. Such a scan for precursors generating an m/ z 145 lysyl anion revealed lysyl-PG as well as an additional species 100 m/ z units greater than lysyl-PG. This unexpected species corresponded precisely to the expected mass of N-succinylated lysyl-PG. Tandem mass spectrometry revealed a precise match to the fragmentation pattern of this putative new species. PG, lysyl-PG, and N-succinyl-lysyl-PG may form a complete loop of charge reversal from -1 to +1 and then back to -1. Analogous charge reversal by N-succinylation of lysine residues in the bacterial as well as eukaryotic proteomes has been recently discovered as a major posttranslational modification. Such modification in bacterial lipids is possibly catalyzed by an enzyme homologous to the enzymes that modify lysine residues in proteins.

Simple quantification of surface carboxylic acids on chemically oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Hyejin; Kim, Seong-Taek; Lee, Jong Doo; Yim, Sanggyu

2013-02-01

The surface of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was chemically oxidized using nitric acid and sulfuric-nitric acid mixtures. Thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy revealed that the use of acid mixtures led to higher degree of oxidation. More quantitative identification of surface carboxylic acids was carried out using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and acid-base titration. However, these techniques are costly and require very long analysis times to promptly respond to the extent of the reaction. We propose a much simpler method using pH measurements and pre-determined pKa value in order to estimate the concentration of carboxylic acids on the oxidized MWCNT surfaces. The results from this technique were consistent with those obtained from XPS and titration, and it is expected that this simple quantification method can provide a cheap and fast way to monitor and control the oxidation reaction of MWCNT.

Leaching of cell wall components caused by acid deposition on fir needles and trees

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shigihara, Ado [Department of Material and Life Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kanagawa University, 3-27-1, Rokkakubashi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama 221-8686 (Japan)], E-mail: r200670202@kanagawa-u.ac.jp; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi [Department of Material and Life Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kanagawa University, 3-27-1, Rokkakubashi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama 221-8686 (Japan); Sakurai, Naoki [Faculty of Integrated Arts and Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8521 (Japan); Igawa, Manabu [Department of Material and Life Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kanagawa University, 3-27-1, Rokkakubashi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama 221-8686 (Japan)

2008-07-15

Virgin fir forests have been declining since the 1960s at Mt. Oyama, which is located at the eastern edge of the Tanzawa Mountains and adjacent to the Kanto plain in Japan. An acid fog frequently occurs in the mountains. We collected throughfall and stemflow under fir trees and rainfall every week during January-December 2004 at Mt. Oyama to clarify the influence of acid fog on the decline of fir (Abies firma) needles. In relation to throughfall and stemflow, D-mannose, D-galactose, and D-glucose are the major neutral sugar components; only D-glucose is a major component of rainfall. The correlation coefficient between the total neutral sugars and uronic acid (as D-galacturonic acid), which is a key component of the cross-linking between pectic polysaccharides, was high except for rainfall. The leached amount of calcium ion, neutral sugars, uronic acid, and boron is related to the nitrate ion concentration in throughfall. Results of a laboratory exposure experiment using artificial fog water simulating the average composition of fog water observed at Mt. Oyama (simulated acid fog: SAF) on the fir seedling needles also shows a large leaching of these components from the cell walls of fir needles. The leaching amount increased concomitantly with decreasing pH of the SAF solution. We also observed that a dimeric rhamnogalacturonan II-borate complex (dRG-II-B) that exists in the cell wall as pectic polysaccharide was converted to monomeric RG-II (mRG-II) by the leaching of calcium ion and boron. Results not only of field observations but also those of laboratory experiments indicate a large effect of acid depositions on fir needles.

Primary anterior vaginal wall pure ammonium acid urate stone. Case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sherif M. Khattab

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Vaginal stones are extremely rare and are classified as primary and secondary. A 45 year-old female presented with an unexplained dyspareunia and vaginal discomfort for 2 years unresponsive to traditional treatment. Vaginal examination revealed no prolapse or vaginal fistula. Digital examination revealed multiple small rounded firm to hard or tender masses varying in size from 0.5 to 1.5 cm anterior to the vagina. Patient was treated with midline anterior vaginal wall incision with the extraction of eight smooth surfaced stones with uneventful postoperative course. Stone analysis revealed that they were composed of pure ammonium acid urate (AU. We recommend that for any patient with unexplained dyspareunia or vaginal discomfort that has proved to be unresponsive to traditional treatment, the possibility of anterior vaginal wall stones should be kept in mind.

Thiacetazone, an antitubercular drug that inhibits cyclopropanation of cell wall mycolic acids in mycobacteria.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anuradha Alahari

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Mycolic acids are a complex mixture of branched, long-chain fatty acids, representing key components of the highly hydrophobic mycobacterial cell wall. Pathogenic mycobacteria carry mycolic acid sub-types that contain cyclopropane rings. Double bonds at specific sites on mycolic acid precursors are modified by the action of cyclopropane mycolic acid synthases (CMASs. The latter belong to a family of S-adenosyl-methionine-dependent methyl transferases, of which several have been well studied in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, namely, MmaA1 through A4, PcaA and CmaA2. Cyclopropanated mycolic acids are key factors participating in cell envelope permeability, host immunomodulation and persistence of M. tuberculosis. While several antitubercular agents inhibit mycolic acid synthesis, to date, the CMASs have not been shown to be drug targets.We have employed various complementary approaches to show that the antitubercular drug, thiacetazone (TAC, and its chemical analogues, inhibit mycolic acid cyclopropanation. Dramatic changes in the content and ratio of mycolic acids in the vaccine strain Mycobacterium bovis BCG, as well as in the related pathogenic species Mycobacterium marinum were observed after treatment with the drugs. Combination of thin layer chromatography, mass spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR analyses of mycolic acids purified from drug-treated mycobacteria showed a significant loss of cyclopropanation in both the alpha- and oxygenated mycolate sub-types. Additionally, High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning (HR-MAS NMR analyses on whole cells was used to detect cell wall-associated mycolates and to quantify the cyclopropanation status of the cell envelope. Further, overexpression of cmaA2, mmaA2 or pcaA in mycobacteria partially reversed the effects of TAC and its analogue on mycolic acid cyclopropanation, suggesting that the drugs act directly on CMASs.This is a first report on the mechanism of action of TAC, demonstrating the

Interactions of the cell-wall glycopolymers of lactic acid bacteria with their bacteriophages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie-Pierre eChapot-Chartier

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Lactic acid bacteria (LAB are Gram positive bacteria widely used in the production of fermented food in particular cheese and yoghurts. Bacteriophage infections during fermentation processes have been for many years a major industrial concern and have stimulated numerous research efforts. Better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of bacteriophage interactions with their host bacteria is required for the development of efficient strategies to fight against infections. The bacterial cell wall plays key roles in these interactions. First, bacteriophages must adsorb at the bacterial surface through specific interactions with receptors that are cell wall components. At next step, phages must overcome the barrier constituted by cell wall peptidoglycan to inject DNA inside bacterial cell. Also at the end of the infection cycle, phages synthesize endolysins able to hydrolyze peptidoglycan and lyse bacterial cells to release phage progeny. In the last decade, concomitant development of genomics and structural analysis of cell wall components allowed considerable advances in the knowledge of their structure and function in several model LAB. Here, we describe the present knowledge on the structure of the cell wall glycopolymers of the best characterized LAB emphasizing their structural variations and we present the available data regarding their role in bacteria-phage specific interactions at the different steps of the infection cycle.

Aortic wall damage in mice unable to synthesize ascorbic acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Maeda, N; Hagihara, H; Nakata, Y; Hiller, S; Wilder, J; Reddick, R

2000-01-18

By inactivating the gene for L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase, a key enzyme in ascorbic acid synthesis, we have generated mice that, like humans, depend on dietary vitamin C. Regular chow, containing about 110 mg/kg of vitamin C, is unable to support the growth of the mutant mice, which require L-ascorbic acid supplemented in their drinking water (330 mg/liter). Upon withdrawal of supplementation, plasma and tissue ascorbic acid levels decreased to 10-15% of normal within 2 weeks, and after 5 weeks the mutants became anemic, began to lose weight, and die. Plasma total antioxidative capacities were approximately 37% normal in homozygotes after feeding the unsupplemented diet for 3-5 weeks. As plasma ascorbic acid decreased, small, but significant, increases in total cholesterol and decreases in high density lipoprotein cholesterol were observed. The most striking effects of the marginal dietary vitamin C were alterations in the wall of aorta, evidenced by the disruption of elastic laminae, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and focal endothelial desquamation of the luminal surface. Thus, marginal vitamin C deficiency affects the vascular integrity of mice unable to synthesize ascorbic acid, with potentially profound effects on the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. Breeding the vitamin C-dependent mice with mice carrying defined genetic mutations will provide numerous opportunities for systematic studies of the role of antioxidants in health and disease.

Effects of a tetracycline blended polylactic and polyglycolic acid membrane on the healing of one-wall intrabony defects in beagle dogs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Il-Young; Jung, Ui-Won; Kim, Chang-Sung; Lee, Yong-Keun; Cho, Kyoo-Sung; Chai, Jung-Kiu; Kim, Chong-Kwan; Choi, Seong-Ho

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the regenerative effects of a tetracycline blended polylactic and polyglycolic acid (TC-PLGA) and non-blended polylactic and polyglycolic acid (PLGA) barrier membrane on one-wall intrabony defects in beagle dogs. It can be concluded that when used for guided tissue regeneration TC-PLGA membranes show a beneficial effect on one-wall intrabony defects in beagle dogs

Non-covalent conjugates of single-walled carbon nanotubes and folic acid for interaction with cells overexpressing folate receptors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castillo, John J.; Rindzevicius, Tomas; Novoa, Leidy V.

2013-01-01

We here present amethod to form a noncovalent conjugate of single-walled carbon nanotubes and folic acid aimed to interact with cells over-expressing folate receptors. The bonding was obtained without covalent chemical functionalization using a simple, rapid “one pot” synthesis method. The zeta...... a low toxicity of the conjugates in the THP-1 cells. The low toxicity and the cellular uptake of single-walled carbon nanotube–folic acid by cancer cells suggest their potential use in carbon nanotube-based drug delivery systems and in the diagnosis of cancer or tropical diseases such as leishmaniasis....

Topochemical distribution of lignin and hydroxycinnamic acids in sugar-cane cell walls and its correlation with the enzymatic hydrolysis of polysaccharides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koch Gerald

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Lignin and hemicelluloses are the major components limiting enzyme infiltration into cell walls. Determination of the topochemical distribution of lignin and aromatics in sugar cane might provide important data on the recalcitrance of specific cells. We used cellular ultraviolet (UV microspectrophotometry (UMSP to topochemically detect lignin and hydroxycinnamic acids in individual fiber, vessel and parenchyma cell walls of untreated and chlorite-treated sugar cane. Internodes, presenting typical vascular bundles and sucrose-storing parenchyma cells, were divided into rind and pith fractions. Results Vascular bundles were more abundant in the rind, whereas parenchyma cells predominated in the pith region. UV measurements of untreated fiber cell walls gave absorbance spectra typical of grass lignin, with a band at 278 nm and a pronounced shoulder at 315 nm, assigned to the presence of hydroxycinnamic acids linked to lignin and/or to arabino-methylglucurono-xylans. The cell walls of vessels had the highest level of lignification, followed by those of fibers and parenchyma. Pith parenchyma cell walls were characterized by very low absorbance values at 278 nm; however, a distinct peak at 315 nm indicated that pith parenchyma cells are not extensively lignified, but contain significant amounts of hydroxycinnamic acids. Cellular UV image profiles scanned with an absorbance intensity maximum of 278 nm identified the pattern of lignin distribution in the individual cell walls, with the highest concentration occurring in the middle lamella and cell corners. Chlorite treatment caused a rapid removal of hydroxycinnamic acids from parenchyma cell walls, whereas the thicker fiber cell walls were delignified only after a long treatment duration (4 hours. Untreated pith samples were promptly hydrolyzed by cellulases, reaching 63% of cellulose conversion after 72 hours of hydrolysis, whereas untreated rind samples achieved only 20

Effects of exogenous salicylic acid on cell wall polysaccharides and aluminum tolerance of trichosanthes kirilowii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, G.; Liu, D.; Xio, Y.; Liu, P.; Gao, P. P.; Cao, L.; Wu, Y.

2015-01-01

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to study the effects of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) on root length, relative aluminum content in the apical cell wall, acid phosphatase (APA) and pectin methyl esterase (PME) activity, root pectin, hemicellulose 1(HC1), and hemicellulose 2 (HC2) contents of Anguo Trichosanthes kirilowii (Al-tolerant genotype) and Pujiang T. kirilowii (Al-sensitive genotype) under 800 micro mol/L of aluminum stress. The results showed that the growth of Al-tolerant Anguo T. kirilowii and Al-sensitive Pujiang T. kirilowii was inhibited when exposed to 800 micro mol/L of aluminum solution. APA and PME activities were also enhanced for both genotypes. The contents of relative aluminum, pectin, HC1, and HC2, as well as Al accumulation in the root tips were increased under aluminum toxicity. Pujiang T. kirilowii showed higher enzyme activity and cell wall polysaccharide contents than Anguo T. kirilowii. In addition, the root cell wall pectin, HC1, and HC2 contents of Pujiang T. kirilowii were increased by a large margin, showing its greater sensitivity to aluminum toxicity. Root length is an important indicator of aluminum toxicity, and has an important relationship with cell wall polysaccharide content. Aluminum toxicity led to the accumulation of pectin and high PME activity, and also increased the number of free carboxyl groups, which have more aluminum binding sites. Membrane skim increased extensively with the increase in APA activity, damaging membrane structure and function. Different SA concentrations can decrease enzyme activity and cell wall polysaccharide content to some extent. With the addition of different SA concentrations, the root relative aluminum content, cell wall polysaccharide content, APA and PME activities decreased. Aluminum toxicity to both genotypes of T. kirilowii was relieved in different degrees as exogenous SA concentration increased. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker was used to examine the genetic distance

Hydroxycinnamate Conjugates as Potential Monolignol Replacements: In vitro Lignification and Cell Wall Studies with Rosmarinic Acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuki, Tobimatsu; Sasikumar, Elumalai; Grabber, John H.; Davidson, Christy L.; Xuejun, Pan; John, Ralph

2012-04-01

The plasticity of lignin biosynthesis should permit the inclusion of new compatible phenolic monomers, such as rosmarinic acid (RA) and analogous catechol derivatives, into cell-wall lignins that are consequently less recalcitrant to biomass processing. In vitro lignin polymerization experiments revealed that RA readily underwent peroxidase-catalyzed copolymerization with monolignols and lignin oligomers to form polymers with new benzodioxane inter-unit linkages. Incorporation of RA permitted extensive depolymerization of synthetic lignins by mild alkaline hydrolysis, presumably by cleavage of ester intra-unit linkages within RA. Copolymerization of RA with monolignols into maize cell walls by in situ peroxidases significantly enhanced alkaline lignin extractability and promoted subsequent cell wall saccharification by fungal enzymes. Incorporating RA also improved cell wall saccharification by fungal enzymes and by rumen microflora even without alkaline pretreatments, possibly by modulating lignin hydrophobicity and/or limiting cell wall cross-linking. Consequently, we anticipate that bioengineering approaches for partial monolignol substitution with RA and analogous plant hydroxycinnamates would permit more efficient utilization of plant fiber for biofuels or livestock production.

Phytotoxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on red spinach (Amaranthus tricolor L) and the role of ascorbic acid as an antioxidant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Begum, Parvin; Fugetsu, Bunshi

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► MWNTs are selected for study of the systemic toxicity and the potential influence on red spinach. ► Microscopic observation revealed some adverse effects on root and leaf. ► Cell damage were detected on 15 days after the exposure to MWNTs. ► ROS increase ceased once ascorbic acid was added into media. ► Oxidative stress seems to be the key element responsible for causing the toxicity. - Abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a novel nanomaterial with wide potential applications; however the adverse effects of CNTs following environmental exposure have recently received significant attention. Herein, we explore the systemic toxicity and potential influence of 0–1000 mg L −1 the multi-walled CNTs on red spinach. The multi-walled CNTs exposed plants exhibited growth inhibition and cell death after 15 days of hydroponic culture. The multi-walled CNTs had adverse effects on root and leaf morphology, as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Raman spectroscopy detected the multi-walled CNTs in leaves. Biomarkers of nanoparticle toxicity, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cell damage in the red spinach were greatly increased 15 days post-exposure to the multi-walled CNTs. These effects were reversed when the multi-walled CNTs were supplemented with ascorbic acid (AsA), suggesting a role of ROS in the multl-walled CNT-induced toxicity and that the primary mechanism of the multi-walled CNTs’ toxicity is oxidative stress.

Phytotoxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on red spinach (Amaranthus tricolor L) and the role of ascorbic acid as an antioxidant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Begum, Parvin [Laboratory of Environmental Medical Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810 (Japan); Fugetsu, Bunshi, E-mail: hu@ees.hokudai.ac.jp [Laboratory of Environmental Medical Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810 (Japan)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MWNTs are selected for study of the systemic toxicity and the potential influence on red spinach. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Microscopic observation revealed some adverse effects on root and leaf. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cell damage were detected on 15 days after the exposure to MWNTs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ROS increase ceased once ascorbic acid was added into media. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Oxidative stress seems to be the key element responsible for causing the toxicity. - Abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a novel nanomaterial with wide potential applications; however the adverse effects of CNTs following environmental exposure have recently received significant attention. Herein, we explore the systemic toxicity and potential influence of 0-1000 mg L{sup -1} the multi-walled CNTs on red spinach. The multi-walled CNTs exposed plants exhibited growth inhibition and cell death after 15 days of hydroponic culture. The multi-walled CNTs had adverse effects on root and leaf morphology, as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Raman spectroscopy detected the multi-walled CNTs in leaves. Biomarkers of nanoparticle toxicity, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cell damage in the red spinach were greatly increased 15 days post-exposure to the multi-walled CNTs. These effects were reversed when the multi-walled CNTs were supplemented with ascorbic acid (AsA), suggesting a role of ROS in the multl-walled CNT-induced toxicity and that the primary mechanism of the multi-walled CNTs' toxicity is oxidative stress.

The cell wall of Fusarium oxysporum

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schoffelmeer, EAM; Klis, FM; Sietsma, JH; Cornelissen, BJC

1999-01-01

Sugar analysis of isolated cell walls from three formae speciales of Fusarium oxysporum showed that they contained not only glucose and (N-acetyl)-glucosamine, but also mannose, galactose, and uronic acids, presumably originating from cell wall glycoproteins. Cell wall glycoproteins accounted for

A new antibiotic kills pathogens without detectable resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Losee L; Schneider, Tanja; Peoples, Aaron J; Spoering, Amy L; Engels, Ina; Conlon, Brian P; Mueller, Anna; Schäberle, Till F; Hughes, Dallas E; Epstein, Slava; Jones, Michael; Lazarides, Linos; Steadman, Victoria A; Cohen, Douglas R; Felix, Cintia R; Fetterman, K Ashley; Millett, William P; Nitti, Anthony G; Zullo, Ashley M; Chen, Chao; Lewis, Kim

2015-01-22

Antibiotic resistance is spreading faster than the introduction of new compounds into clinical practice, causing a public health crisis. Most antibiotics were produced by screening soil microorganisms, but this limited resource of cultivable bacteria was overmined by the 1960s. Synthetic approaches to produce antibiotics have been unable to replace this platform. Uncultured bacteria make up approximately 99% of all species in external environments, and are an untapped source of new antibiotics. We developed several methods to grow uncultured organisms by cultivation in situ or by using specific growth factors. Here we report a new antibiotic that we term teixobactin, discovered in a screen of uncultured bacteria. Teixobactin inhibits cell wall synthesis by binding to a highly conserved motif of lipid II (precursor of peptidoglycan) and lipid III (precursor of cell wall teichoic acid). We did not obtain any mutants of Staphylococcus aureus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to teixobactin. The properties of this compound suggest a path towards developing antibiotics that are likely to avoid development of resistance.

Spermidine Biosynthesis and Transport Modulate Pneumococcal Autolysis

Science.gov (United States)

Potter, Adam J.

2014-01-01

Polyamines are small cationic molecules that have far-reaching roles in biology. In the case of pathogenic bacteria, these functions include those central to their pathogenesis. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major bacterial pathogen, causing a diverse range of diseases that account for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In this work, we characterize the polyamine biosynthetic pathway of S. pneumoniae, demonstrating that this organism produces spermidine from arginine. The synthesis of spermidine was found to be nonessential for growth in a polyamine-free chemically defined medium. However, mutant strains lacking the ability to synthesize or transport spermidine displayed a significant delay in the onset of autolysis. We provide evidence for a model in which spermidine modulates the activity of the major autolysin LytA in the pneumococcal cell wall compartment via interactions with negatively charged molecules, such as teichoic acids. PMID:25092031

Molecular level computational studies of polyethylene and polyacrylonitrile composites containing single walled carbon nanotubes: effect of carboxylic acid functionalization on nanotube-polymer interfacial properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shayesteh eHaghighatpanah

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Molecular dynamics and molecular mechanics methods have been used to investigate additive-polymer interfacial properties in single walled carbon nanotube – polyethylene and single walled carbon nanotube – polyacrylonitrile composites. Properties such as the interfacial shear stress and bonding energy are similar for the two composites. In contrast, functionalizing the single walled carbon nanotubes with carboxylic acid groups leads to an increase in these properties, with a larger increase for the polar polyacrylonitrile composite. Increasing the percentage of carbon atoms that were functionalized from 1% to 5% also leads to an increase in the interfacial properties. In addition, the interfacial properties depend on the location of the functional groups on the single walled carbon nanotube wall.

Effects of Gamma irradiation on uronic acid sugars as cell wall polysaccharide model systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irawati, Zubaidah; Pilnik, W.

2001-01-01

Irradiation is an alternative preservation method with can be utilized to extend the self-life of agricultural products by eliminating number of insects, and decreasing microbial growth effectively. Cell wall polysaccharides which mainly consist of pectic substances, hemicelluloses and cellulose play a major role on the immediate fruits. their degradation mechanism can be elucidates by studying their degradation products resulting from the irradiated cell wall or cell wall components. Isolated apple pectin and alginates as different in solid state by gamma irradiation at 15-30 kGy under two different humidities. The parameters observed were viscosity, β-elimination in the ester groups of pectin, and distribution of molecular weight. Irradiation with the doses of 15-30 kGy could reduce the viscosity of pectin and alginates, while irradiation did not cause β-elimination in the ester groups of pectin as confirmed by titration and ion exchange chromatography methods. The formation of 4,5-unsaturated uronosyl residues as a product of cleavage of the pectin backbone via- β-elimination was not found in irradiated pectin as confirmed by thio barbiture acid (TBA) test. High Performance Size Exclusion Chromatography (HPSEC) analysis for the irradiated polysaccharide model systems revealed that the average number of molecular weight showed a decrease by increasing radiation dose. Storage condition in two different relative humidities affected significantly the degree of polymerization of pectin and alginates in solid state

Roles of tRNA in cell wall biosynthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dare, Kiley; Ibba, Michael

2012-01-01

Recent research into various aspects of bacterial metabolism such as cell wall and antibiotic synthesis, degradation pathways, cellular stress, and amino acid biosynthesis has elucidated roles of aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid (aa-tRNA) outside of translation. Although the two enzyme families...... responsible for cell wall modifications, aminoacyl-phosphatidylglycerol synthases (aaPGSs) and Fem, were discovered some time ago, they have recently become of intense interest for their roles in the antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic microorganisms. The addition of positively charged amino acids...... and play a role in resistance to antibiotics that target the cell wall. Additionally, the formation of truncated peptides results in shorter peptide bridges and loss of branched linkages which makes bacteria more susceptible to antimicrobials. A greater understanding of the structure and substrate...

Prostate Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy: Injection of Hyaluronic Acid to Better Preserve The Rectal Wall

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapet, Olivier; Udrescu, Corina; Devonec, Marian; Tanguy, Ronan; Sotton, Marie-Pierre; Enachescu, Ciprian; Colombel, Marc; Azria, David; Jalade, Patrice; Ruffion, Alain

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of an injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) between the rectum and the prostate for reducing the dose to the rectal wall in a hypofractionated irradiation for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: In a phase 2 study, 10 cc of HA was injected between the rectum and prostate. For 16 patients, the same intensity modulated radiation therapy plan (62 Gy in 20 fractions) was optimized on 2 computed tomography scans: CT1 (before injection) and CT2 (after injection). Rectal parameters were compared: dose to 2.5 cc (D2.5), 5 cc (D5), 10 cc (D10), 15 cc (D15), and 20 cc (D20) of rectal wall and volume of rectum covered by the 90% isodose line (V90), 80% (V80), 70% (V70), 60% (V60), and 50% (V50). Results: The mean V90, V80, V70, V60, and V50 values were reduced by 73.8% (P<.0001), 55.7% (P=.0003), 43.0% (P=.007), 34% (P=.002), and 25% (P=.036), respectively. The average values of D2.5, D5, D10, D15, and D20 were reduced by 8.5 Gy (P<.0001), 12.3 Gy (P<.0001), 8.4 Gy (P=.005), 3.7 Gy (P=.026), and 1.2 Gy (P=.25), respectively. Conclusions: The injection of HA significantly limited radiation doses to the rectal wall

Prostate Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy: Injection of Hyaluronic Acid to Better Preserve The Rectal Wall

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chapet, Olivier, E-mail: olivier.chapet@chu-lyon.fr [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Udrescu, Corina [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Department of Medical Physics, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Devonec, Marian [Department of Urology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Tanguy, Ronan [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Sotton, Marie-Pierre [Department of Medical Physics, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Enachescu, Ciprian [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Colombel, Marc [Department of Urology, Hopital Edouard Herriot, Lyon (France); Azria, David [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Val d' Aurelle, Montpellier (France); Jalade, Patrice [Department of Medical Physics, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Ruffion, Alain [Department of Urology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France)

2013-05-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of an injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) between the rectum and the prostate for reducing the dose to the rectal wall in a hypofractionated irradiation for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: In a phase 2 study, 10 cc of HA was injected between the rectum and prostate. For 16 patients, the same intensity modulated radiation therapy plan (62 Gy in 20 fractions) was optimized on 2 computed tomography scans: CT1 (before injection) and CT2 (after injection). Rectal parameters were compared: dose to 2.5 cc (D2.5), 5 cc (D5), 10 cc (D10), 15 cc (D15), and 20 cc (D20) of rectal wall and volume of rectum covered by the 90% isodose line (V90), 80% (V80), 70% (V70), 60% (V60), and 50% (V50). Results: The mean V90, V80, V70, V60, and V50 values were reduced by 73.8% (P<.0001), 55.7% (P=.0003), 43.0% (P=.007), 34% (P=.002), and 25% (P=.036), respectively. The average values of D2.5, D5, D10, D15, and D20 were reduced by 8.5 Gy (P<.0001), 12.3 Gy (P<.0001), 8.4 Gy (P=.005), 3.7 Gy (P=.026), and 1.2 Gy (P=.25), respectively. Conclusions: The injection of HA significantly limited radiation doses to the rectal wall.

Abundance and distribution of fatty acids within the walls of an active deep-sea sulfide chimney

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jiwei; Zhou, Huaiyang; Peng, Xiaotong; Fu, Meiyan; Chen, Zhiqiang; Yao, Huiqiang

2011-04-01

Abundance and distribution of total fatty acids (TFAs) were examined along the physicochemical gradient within an active hydrothermal chimney collected from the Main Endeavour segment of Juan de Fuca Ridge. Approximately 27 fatty acids are identified with a chain-length ranging from C12 to C22. From the exterior to the interior of the chimney walls, the total concentrations of TFAs (∑ TFAs) show a trend of evident decrease. The observed compositions of TFAs are rich in bacterial biomarkers especially monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and minor branched and cyclopropyl FAs. On the basis of the species-specific FAs and bacterial 16SrRNA gene analysis (Li et al., unpublished data), sulfur-based metabolism appears to be the essential metabolic process in the chimney. Furthermore, the sulfur oxidizing bacteria (SOB) are identified as a basic component of microbial communities at the exterior of the hydrothermal chimney, and its proportion shows an inward decrease while the sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) have an inverse distribution.

Amino acids in cell wall of Gram-positive bacterium Micrococcus sp. hsn08 with flocculation activity on Chlorella vulgaris biomass.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yi; Xu, Yanting; Zheng, Tianling; Wang, Hailei

2018-02-01

The aim of this work was to investigate the flocculation mechanism by Gram-positive bacterium, Micrococcus sp. hsn08 as a means for harvesting Chlorella vulgaris biomass. Bacterial cells of Micrococcus sp. hsn08 were added into algal culture to harvest algal cells through direct contacting with algae to form flocs. Viability dependence test confirmed that flocculation activity does not depend on live bacteria, but on part of the peptidoglycan. The further investigation has determined that amino acids in cell wall play an important role to flocculate algal cells. Positively charged calcium can combine bacterial and algal cells together, and form a bridge between them, thereby forming the flocs, suggesting that ions bridging is the main flocculation mechanism. These results suggest that bacterial cells of Micrococcus sp. hsn08 can be applied to harvest microalgae biomass with the help of amino acids in cell wall. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Human SAP is a novel peptidoglycan recognition protein that induces complement- independent phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus

Science.gov (United States)

An, Jang-Hyun; Kurokawa, Kenji; Jung, Dong-Jun; Kim, Min-Jung; Kim, Chan-Hee; Fujimoto, Yukari; Fukase, Koichi; Coggeshall, K. Mark; Lee, Bok Luel

2014-01-01

The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for many community-acquired and hospital-associated infections and is associated with high mortality. Concern over the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains has renewed interest in the elucidation of host mechanisms that defend against S. aureus infection. We recently demonstrated that human serum mannose-binding lectin (MBL) binds to S. aureus wall teichoic acid (WTA), a cell wall glycopolymer, a discovery that prompted further screening to identify additional serum proteins that recognize S. aureus cell wall components. In this report, we incubated human serum with 10 different S. aureus mutants and determined that serum amyloid P component (SAP) bound specifically to a WTA-deficient S. aureus ΔtagO mutant, but not to tagO-complemented, WTA-expressing cells. Biochemical characterization revealed that SAP recognizes bacterial peptidoglycan as a ligand and that WTA inhibits this interaction. Although SAP binding to peptidoglycan was not observed to induce complement activation, SAP-bound ΔtagO cells were phagocytosed by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes in an Fcγ receptor-dependent manner. These results indicate that SAP functions as a host defense factor, similar to other peptidoglycan recognition proteins and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors. PMID:23966633

Bacterial cell wall preservation during organic matter diagenesis in sediments off Peru

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lomstein, Bente Aagaard; Niggemann, Jutta; Jørgensen, Bo Barker

BACTERIAL CELL WALL PRESERVATION DURING ORGANIC MATTER DIAGENESIS IN SEDIMENTS OFF PERU The spatial distribution of total hydrolysable amino acids, total hydrolysable amino sugars and amino acid enantiomers (D- and L-forms) were investigated in surface sediments at 20 stations in the Peru margin: 9......°45 S - 13º32 S. The objective of this study was to assess the preservation of bacterial cell walls during diagenesis of organic matter. Bacterial cell walls were traced by analysis of biomarkers uniquely produced by bacteria (D-amino acids and muramic acid). The diagenetic status of the sediments......:00 Presentation is given by student: No...

Structural investigation of cell wall polysaccharides of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus 17.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinogradov, E; Sadovskaya, I; Cornelissen, A; van Sinderen, D

2015-09-02

Lactobacilli are valuable strains for commercial (functional) food fermentations. Their cell surface-associated polysaccharides (sPSs) possess important functional properties, such as acting as receptors for bacteriophages (bacterial viruses), influencing autolytic characteristics and providing protection against antimicrobial peptides. The current report provides an elaborate molecular description of several surface carbohydrates of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strain 17. The cell surface of this strain was shown to contain short chain poly(glycerophosphate) teichoic acids and at least two different sPSs, designated here as sPS1 and sPS2, whose chemical structures were examined by 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and methylation analysis. Neutral branched sPS1, extracted with n-butanol, was shown to be composed of hexasaccharide repeating units (-[α-d-Glcp-(1-3)-]-4-β-l-Rhap2OAc-4-β-d-Glcp-[α-d-Galp-(1-3)]-4-α-Rhap-3-α-d-Galp-), while the major component of the TCA-extracted sPS2 was demonstrated to be a linear d-galactan with the repeating unit structure being (-[Gro-3P-(1-6)-]-3-β-Galf-3-α-Galp-2-β-Galf-6-β-Galf-3-β-Galp-). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid, dopamine, uric acid and tryptophan with Azure A-interlinked multi-walled carbon nanotube/gold nanoparticles composite modified electrode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hayati Filik

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper, multi-walled carbon nanotube/Azure A/gold nanoparticle composites (Nafion/AuNPs/AzA/MWCNTs were prepared by binding gold nanoparticles to the surfaces of Azure A-coated carbon nanotubes. Nafion/AuNPs/AzA/MWCNTs based electrochemical sensor was fabricated for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine, uric acid, and tryptophan. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to characterize the electrochemical properties of the modified electrodes. The modified electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity toward ascorbic acid, dopamine, uric acid, and tryptophan (pH 7.0. The experiment results showed that the linear response range for simultaneous detection of AA, DA, UA and Trp were 300–10,000 μM, 0.5–50 μM, 0.5–50 μM and 1.0–100 μM, respectively, and the detection limits were 16 μM, 0.014 μM, 0.028 μM and 0.56 μM (S/N = 3. The proposed method offers promise for simple, rapid, selective and cost-effective analysis of small biomolecules. The procedure was also applied to the determination of tryptophan in spiked milk samples.

Modification of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with tannic acid for the adsorption of La, Tb and Lu ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong, S.; Zhao, S.; Zhou, W.; Jia, Q.; Li, R.

2011-01-01

We have prepared an environmental friendly sorbent by modifying multi-walled carbon nanotubes with tannic acid. The adsorption of La (III), Tb (III) and Lu (III) as a function of contact time, initial solution pH, and quantity of adsorbent was studied using a batch technique. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms can be used to describe the process. The major adsorption mechanisms were attributed to ion exchange and surface complexation. The kinetics of the adsorption follows a pseudo-second-order model. The thermodynamic functions ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS indicate that the sorption is endothermically driven. The adsorbed ions can be readily desorbed from the surface with 1 M hydrochloric acid. (author)

Enhanced mucosal delivery of antigen with cell wall mutants of lactic acid bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Grangette, Corinne; Müller-Alouf, Heide; Hols, Pascal; Goudercourt, Denise; Delcour, Jean; Turneer, Mireille; Mercenier, Annick

2004-05-01

The potential of recombinant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to deliver heterologous antigens to the immune system and to induce protective immunity has been best demonstrated by using the C subunit of tetanus toxin (TTFC) as a model antigen. Two types of LAB carriers have mainly been used, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactococcus lactis, which differ substantially in their abilities to resist passage through the stomach and to persist in the mouse gastrointestinal tract. Here we analyzed the effect of a deficiency in alanine racemase, an enzyme that participates in cell wall synthesis, in each of these bacterial carriers. Recombinant wild-type and mutant strains of L. plantarum NCIMB8826 and L. lactis MG1363 producing TTFC intracellularly were constructed and used in mouse immunization experiments. Remarkably, we observed that the two cell wall mutant strains were far more immunogenic than their wild-type counterparts when the intragastric route was used. However, intestinal TTFC-specific immunoglobulin A was induced only after immunization with the recombinant L. plantarum mutant strain. Moreover, the alanine racemase mutant of either LAB strain allowed induction of a much stronger serum TTFC-specific immune response after immunization via the vagina, which is a quite different ecosystem than the gastrointestinal tract. The design and use of these mutants thus resulted in a major improvement in the mucosal delivery of antigens exhibiting vaccine properties.

Electrochemical characterization of mixed self-assembled films of water-soluble single-walled carbon nanotube-poly(m-aminobenzene sulfonic acid) and Iron(II) tetrasulfophthalocyanine

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Agboola, BO

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The redox activities of water-soluble iron(II) tetrasulfophthalocyanine (FeTSPc) and single-walled carbon nanotube-poly(m-aminobenzene sulfonic acid) (SWCNT-PABS) adsorbed on a gold surface precoated with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 2...

Seasonal biochemical changes in composition of body wall tissues of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Fei; Xu, Qiang; Yang, Hongsheng

2011-03-01

Seasonal Variation in proximate, amino acid and fatty acid composition of the body wall of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus was evaluated. The proximate composition, except for ash content, changed significantly among seasons ( P<0.05). Alanine, glycine, glutamic acid and asparagic acid were the most abundant amino acids. Total amino acid and essential amino acid Contents both varied clearly with seasons ( P<0.05). 16:0 and 16:ln7 were the primary saturated fatty acid (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) respectively for all months. EPA (20:5n-3), AA (20:4n-6) and DHA (22:6n-3) were the major polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The proportions of SFA and PUFA yielded significant seasonal variations ( P<0.001), but MUFA did not changed significantly. The results indicated that the biochemical compositions of the body wall in A. japonicus were significantly influenced by seasons and that the body wall tissue is an excellent source of protein, MUFA and n-3 PUFA for humans.

The Role of Auxin in Cell Wall Expansion.

Science.gov (United States)

Majda, Mateusz; Robert, Stéphanie

2018-03-22

Plant cells are surrounded by cell walls, which are dynamic structures displaying a strictly regulated balance between rigidity and flexibility. Walls are fairly rigid to provide support and protection, but also extensible, to allow cell growth, which is triggered by a high intracellular turgor pressure. Wall properties regulate the differential growth of the cell, resulting in a diversity of cell sizes and shapes. The plant hormone auxin is well known to stimulate cell elongation via increasing wall extensibility. Auxin participates in the regulation of cell wall properties by inducing wall loosening. Here, we review what is known on cell wall property regulation by auxin. We focus particularly on the auxin role during cell expansion linked directly to cell wall modifications. We also analyze downstream targets of transcriptional auxin signaling, which are related to the cell wall and could be linked to acid growth and the action of wall-loosening proteins. All together, this update elucidates the connection between hormonal signaling and cell wall synthesis and deposition.

Mechanical properties of PET composites using multi-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized by inorganic and itaconic acids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. May-Pat

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs were oxidized by two different acid treatments and further functionalized with itaconic acid (IA. The functionalized MWCNTs were used to fabricate Poly(ethylene terephthalate (PET composites by melt mixing. The presence of functional groups on the surface of the treated MWCNTs was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The MWCNTs oxidized with a concentrated mixture of HNO3 and H2SO4 exhibited more oxygen containing functional groups (OH, COOH but also suffer larger structural degradation than those oxidized by a mild treatment based on diluted HNO3 followed by H2O2. PET composites were fabricated using the oxidized-only and oxidized followed by functionalization with IA MWCNTs. PET composites fabricated with MWCNT oxidized by mild conditions showed improved tensile strength and failure strain, while harsh MWCNT oxidation render them overly brittle.

Dismountable wall for radiation shielding and screen realized from this wall

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blomart, P.

1988-01-01

The wall for protection against neutrons and gamma radiations is made of bricks with a shoulder on the upper and side faces and the complementary shape on the lower face to provide a barrier to radiations. Bricks are made of a heavy material for gamma absorption and of epoxy resin, boric acid and hydrated alumina [fr

Molecular regulation of plant cell wall extensibility

Science.gov (United States)

Cosgrove, D. J.

1998-01-01

Gravity responses in plants often involve spatial and temporal changes in cell growth, which is regulated primarily by controlling the ability of the cell wall to extend. The wall is thought to be a cellulose-hemicellulose network embedded in a hydrated matrix of complex polysaccharides and a small amount of structural protein. The wall extends by a form of polymer creep, which is mediated by expansins, a novel group of wall-loosening proteins. Expansins were discovered during a molecular dissection of the "acid growth" behavior of cell walls. Expansin alters the rheology of plant walls in profound ways, yet its molecular mechanism of action is still uncertain. It lacks detectable hydrolytic activity against the major components of the wall, but it is able to disrupt noncovalent adhesion between wall polysaccharides. The discovery of a second family of expansins (beta-expansins) sheds light on the biological role of a major group of pollen allergens and implies that expansins have evolved for diverse developmental functions. Finally, the contribution of other processes to wall extensibility is briefly summarized.

The Cell Wall Polymer Lipoteichoic Acid Becomes Nonessential in Staphylococcus aureus Cells Lacking the ClpX Chaperone

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baek, Kristoffer T.; Bowman, Lisa; Millership, Charlotte

2016-01-01

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is an important cell wall component of Gram-positive bacteria and a promising target for the development of vaccines and antimicrobial compounds against Staphylococcus aureus. Here we demonstrate that mutations in the conditionally essential ltaS (LTA synthase) gene arise...... not produce LTA, and genetic analyses confirmed that LTA becomes nonessential in the absence of the ClpX chaperone. In fact, inactivation of ltaS alleviated the severe growth defect conferred by the clpX deletion. Microscopic analyses showed that the absence of ClpX partly alleviates the septum placement...

Fabrication of micro-dot arrays and micro-walls of acrylic acid/melamine resin on aluminum by AFM probe processing and electrophoretic coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurokawa, S.; Kikuchi, T.; Sakairi, M.; Takahashi, H.

2008-01-01

Micro-dot arrays and micro-walls of acrylic acid/melamine resin were fabricated on aluminum by anodizing, atomic force microscope (AFM) probe processing, and electrophoretic deposition. Barrier type anodic oxide films of 15 nm thickness were formed on aluminum and then the specimen was scratched with an AFM probe in a solution containing acrylic acid/melamine resin nano-particles to remove the anodic oxide film locally. After scratching, the specimen was anodically polarized to deposit acrylic acid/melamine resin electrophoretically at the film-removed area. The resin deposited on the specimen was finally cured by heating. It was found that scratching with the AFM probe on open circuit leads to the contamination of the probe with resin, due to positive shifts in the potential during scratching. Scratching of the specimen under potentiostatic conditions at -1.0 V, however, resulted in successful resin deposition at the film-removed area without probe contamination. The rate of resin deposition increased as the specimen potential becomes more positive during electrophoretic deposition. Arrays of resin dots with a few to several tens μm diameter and 100-1000 nm height, and resin walls with 100-1000 nm height and 1 μm width were obtained on specimens by successive anodizing, probe processing, and electrophoretic deposition

Fabrication of micro-dot arrays and micro-walls of acrylic acid/melamine resin on aluminum by AFM probe processing and electrophoretic coating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurokawa, S.; Kikuchi, T.; Sakairi, M. [Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, N-13, W-8, Kita-Ku, Sapporo 060-8628 (Japan); Takahashi, H. [Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, N-13, W-8, Kita-Ku, Sapporo 060-8628 (Japan)], E-mail: takahasi@elechem1-mc.eng.hokudai.ac.jp

2008-11-30

Micro-dot arrays and micro-walls of acrylic acid/melamine resin were fabricated on aluminum by anodizing, atomic force microscope (AFM) probe processing, and electrophoretic deposition. Barrier type anodic oxide films of 15 nm thickness were formed on aluminum and then the specimen was scratched with an AFM probe in a solution containing acrylic acid/melamine resin nano-particles to remove the anodic oxide film locally. After scratching, the specimen was anodically polarized to deposit acrylic acid/melamine resin electrophoretically at the film-removed area. The resin deposited on the specimen was finally cured by heating. It was found that scratching with the AFM probe on open circuit leads to the contamination of the probe with resin, due to positive shifts in the potential during scratching. Scratching of the specimen under potentiostatic conditions at -1.0 V, however, resulted in successful resin deposition at the film-removed area without probe contamination. The rate of resin deposition increased as the specimen potential becomes more positive during electrophoretic deposition. Arrays of resin dots with a few to several tens {mu}m diameter and 100-1000 nm height, and resin walls with 100-1000 nm height and 1 {mu}m width were obtained on specimens by successive anodizing, probe processing, and electrophoretic deposition.

Evaluation of cell wall preparations for proteomics: a new procedure for purifying cell walls from Arabidopsis hypocotyls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Canut Hervé

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The ultimate goal of proteomic analysis of a cell compartment should be the exhaustive identification of resident proteins; excluding proteins from other cell compartments. Reaching such a goal closely depends on the reliability of the isolation procedure for the cell compartment of interest. Plant cell walls possess specific difficulties: (i the lack of a surrounding membrane may result in the loss of cell wall proteins (CWP during the isolation procedure, (ii polysaccharide networks of cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins form potential traps for contaminants such as intracellular proteins. Several reported procedures to isolate cell walls for proteomic analyses led to the isolation of a high proportion (more than 50% of predicted intracellular proteins. Since isolated cell walls should hold secreted proteins, one can imagine alternative procedures to prepare cell walls containing a lower proportion of contaminant proteins. Results The rationales of several published procedures to isolate cell walls for proteomics were analyzed, with regard to the bioinformatic-predicted subcellular localization of the identified proteins. Critical steps were revealed: (i homogenization in low ionic strength acid buffer to retain CWP, (ii purification through increasing density cushions, (iii extensive washes with a low ionic strength acid buffer to retain CWP while removing as many cytosolic proteins as possible, and (iv absence of detergents. A new procedure was developed to prepare cell walls from etiolated hypocotyls of Arabidopsis thaliana. After salt extraction, a high proportion of proteins predicted to be secreted was released (73%, belonging to the same functional classes as proteins identified using previously described protocols. Finally, removal of intracellular proteins was obtained using detergents, but their amount represented less than 3% in mass of the total protein extract, based on protein quantification. Conclusion The

Sequential study on reactive blue 29 dye removal from aqueous solution by peroxy acid and single wall carbon nanotubes: experiment and theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jahangiri-Rad Mahsa

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The majority of anthraquinone dye released to the environment come from antrapogenic sources. Several techniques are available for dyes' removal. In this study removal of reactive blue 29 (RB29 by an advanced oxidation process sequenced with single wall carbon nanotubes was investigated. Advanced oxidation process was optimized over a period of 60 minutes by changing the ratio of acetic acid to hydrogen peroxide, the compounds which form peroxy acid. Reduction of 20.2% -56.4% of reactive blue 29 was observed when the ratio of hydrogen peroxide/acetic acid/dye changed from 344/344/1 to 344/344/0.08 at different times (60, 120 and 180 min. The optimum ratio of acetic acid/hydrogen peroxide/dye was found to be 344/344/0.16 over 60 min. The resultant then was introduced for further removal by single wall carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs as adsorbent. The adsorption of reactive blue 29 onto SWCNTs was also investigated. Langmuir, Freundlich and BET isotherms were determined and the results revealed that the adsorption of RB29 onto SWCNTs was well explained by BET model and changed to Freundlich isotherm when SWCNTs was used after the application of peroxy acid. Kinetic study showed that the equilibrium time for adsorption of RB 29 on to SWCNT is 4 h. Experiments were carried out to investigate adsorption kinetics, adsorbent capacity and the effect of solution pH on the removal of reactive blue29. The pseudo-second order kinetic equation could best describe the sorption kinetics. The most efficient pH for color removal (amongst pH=3, 5 and 8 was pH= 5. Further studies are needed to identify the peroxy acid degradation intermediates and to investigate their effects on SWCNTs.

Identification of polysaccharide hydrolases involved in autolytic degradation of Zea cell walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nock, L.P.; Smith, C.J.

1987-01-01

Cell walls of Zea mays (cv L.G.11) seedlings labeled with 14 C were treated with α-amylase from Bacillus subtilis to remove starch and mixed linkage glucans. These walls released arabinose, xylose, galactose, and galacturonic acid in addition to glucose when they were allowed to autolyze. Methylation analysis was performed on samples of wall which had been incubated autolytically and the results indicated that degradation of the major polymer of the wall, the glucoarabinoxylan, had occurred. A number of glycanases could be dissociated from the wall by use of 3 M LiCL. The proteins which were released were found to contain a number of exoglycosidase activities in addition to being effective in degrading the polysaccharide substrates, araban, xylan, galactan, laminarin, mannan, and polygalacturonic acid. The effects of these enzymes on the wall during autolysis appear to result from endo-activity in addition to exo-activity. The structural changes that occurred in the cell walls during autolysis were found to be related to the changes previously found to occur in cell walls during auxin induced extension

An emerging role of pectic rhamnogalacturonanII for cell wall integrity

OpenAIRE

Reboul, Rebecca; Tenhaken, Raimund

2012-01-01

The plant cell wall is a complex network of different polysaccharides and glycoproteins, showing high diversity in nature. The essential components, tethering cell wall are under debate, as novel mutants challenge established models. The mutant ugd2,3 with a reduced supply of the important wall precursor UDP-glucuronic acid reveals the critical role of the pectic compound rhamnogalacturonanII for cell wall stability. This polymer seems to be more important for cell wall integrity than the pre...

A highly sensitive and selective sensor on the basis of 4-hydroxy-2-(triphenylphosphonio)phenolate and multi-wall carbon nanotubes for electrocatalytic determination of folic acid in presence of ascorbic acid and uric acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zare, Hamid R.; Shishehbore, M. Reza; Nematollahi, Davood

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► HTP has been used as modifier for electrocatalytic oxidation of FA. ► The oxidation mechanism of FA at the modified electrode surface is an E i C ′ i mechanism. ► Combination of carbon nanotubes and the modifier causes a dramatic enhancement in the sensitivity of FA quantification. ► The sensor could separate AA, FA and UA signals into three well-defined voltammetric peaks. - Abstract: In this study, a highly sensitive and selective sensor was fabricated on the basis of 4-hydroxy-2-(triphenylphosphonio)phenolate (HTP) and a multi-wall carbon nanotubes paste electrode (HTP-MWCNT-CPE) for the trace amounts quantification of folic acid (FA). The results show that the combination of multi-wall carbon nanotubes and a modifier causes a dramatic enhancement in the sensitivity of FA quantification. Kinetic parameters such as the electron transfer coefficient, α, and the catalytic electron transfer rate constant, k′, for the oxidation of FA at the modified electrode were estimated using cyclic voltammetry. The detection limit of 0.036 μM and two linear calibration ranges of 0.2–8.0 μM and 8.0–175.0 μM were obtained for FA determination at HTP-MWCNT-CPE using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). By DPV, the modified electrode could separate ascorbic acid (AA), FA, and uric acid (UA) signals into three well-defined voltammetric peaks. Finally, HTP-MWCNT-CPE proved to have good sensitivity and stability, and was successfully applied for the determination of FA in wheat flour and pharmaceutical samples, FA and AA in fruits, and AA, FA and UA in human urine samples.

Effects of SPORL and dilute acid pretreatment on substrate morphology, cell physical and chemical wall structures, and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of lodgepole pine

Science.gov (United States)

Xinping Li; Xiaolin Luo; Kecheng Li; J.Y. Zhu; J. Dennis Fougere; Kimberley Clarke

2012-01-01

The effects of pretreatment by dilute acid and sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance of lignocellulose (SPORL) on substrate morphology, cell wall physical and chemical structures, along with the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of lodgepole pine substrate were investigated. FE-SEM and TEM images of substrate structural morphological changes showed that SPORL...

A uric acid sensor based on electrodeposition of nickel hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles on an electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, B.; Feng, Y.; Wang, G.; Zhang, C.; Gu, A.; Liu, M.

2011-01-01

An electrode sensitive to uric acid was prepared by electrodeposition of nickel(II) hexacyanoferrate(III) on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The morphology of the material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The modified electrode were characterized via cyclic voltammetry and amperometry (i - t). It exhibited efficient electron transfer ability and a strong and fast (< 3 s) response towards uric acid which is linear in the range from 0.1 μM to 18 μM, with a lower detection limit of 50 nM (at an S/N ratio of 3). In addition, the electrode exhibited good reproducibility and long-term stability. (author)

Cell wall proteins in seedling cotyledons of Prosopis chilensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez, J G; Cardemil, L

1994-01-01

Four cell wall proteins of cotyledons of Prosopis chilensis seedlings were characterized by PAGE and Western analyses using a polyclonal antibody, generated against soybean seed coat extensin. These proteins had M(r)s of 180,000, 126,000, 107,000 and 63,000, as determined by SDS-PAGE. The proteins exhibited a fluorescent positive reaction with dansylhydrazine suggesting that they are glycoproteins; they did not show peroxidase activity. The cell wall proteins were also characterized by their amino acid composition and by their amino-terminal sequence. These analyses revealed that there are two groups of related cell wall proteins in the cotyledons. The first group comprises the proteins of M(r)s 180,000, 126,000, 107,000 which are rich in glutamic acid/glutamine and aspartic acid/asparagine and they have almost identical NH2-terminal sequences. The second group comprises the M(r) 63,000 protein which is rich in proline, glycine, valine and tyrosine, with an NH2-terminal sequence which was very similar to that of soybean proline-rich proteins.

Amino Acid Functionalization of Doped Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: Effects of Dopants and Side Chains as Well as Zwitterionic Stabilizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Lisha; Zhu, Chang; Fu, Yujie; Yang, Gang

2017-04-06

Functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is necessitated in a number of conditions such as drug delivery, and here amino acid functionalization of SWCNTs is conducted within the framework of density functional theory. Functionalization efficiencies of Gly are largely determined by dopants, as a combined effect of atomic radius, electronic configuration, and distortion to SWCNTs. Different functionalization sites in Gly have divergent interaction strengths with M/SWCNTs that decline as O b > N > O a , and this trend seems almost independent of the identity of metallic dopants. B/SWCNT behaves distinctly and prefers to the N site. Dopants affect principally interaction strengths, while amino acids regulate significantly both functionalization configurations and interaction energies. Then focus is given to stabilization of zwitterionic amino acids due to enhanced interactions with the widely used zwitterionic drugs. All metallic dopants render zwitterionic Gly to be the most stable, and side chains in amino acids rather than dopants in M/SWCNTs cause more pronounced effects to zwitterionic stabilizations. Charge transfers between amino acids and M/SWCNTs are closely associated with zwitterionic stabilization effects, and different charge transfer mechanisms between M/SWCNTs and metal ions are interpreted. Thus, this work provides a comprehensive understanding of amino acid functionalization of M/SWCNTs.

Chemical Profiling and Bioactivity of Body Wall Lipids from Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander N. Shikov

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The lipids from gonads and polyhydroxynaphthoquinone pigments from body walls of sea urchins are intensively studied. However, little is known about the body wall (BW lipids. Ethanol extract (55 °C contained about equal amounts of saturated (SaFA and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA representing 60% of total fatty acids, with myristic, palmitic and eicosenoic acids as major SaFAs and MUFAs, respectively. Non-methylene-interrupted dienes (13% were composed of eicosadienoic and docosadienoic acids. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA included two main components, n6 arachidonic and n3 eicosapentaenoic acids, even with equal concentrations (15 μg/mg and a balanced n6/n3 PUFA ratio (0.86. The UPLC-ELSD analysis showed that a great majority of the lipids (80% in the ethanolic extract were phosphatidylcholine (60 μg/mg and phosphatidylethanolamine (40 μg/mg, while the proportion of neutral lipids remained lower than 20%. In addition, alkoxyglycerol derivatives—chimyl, selachyl, and batyl alcohols—were quantified. We have assumed that the mechanism of action of body wall lipids in the present study is via the inhibition of MAPK p38, COX-1, and COX-2. Our findings open the prospective to utilize this lipid fraction as a source for the development of drugs with anti-inflammatory activity.

Abscisic acid ameliorates atherosclerosis by suppressing macrophage and CD4+ T cell recruitment into the aortic wall.

Science.gov (United States)

Guri, Amir J; Misyak, Sarah A; Hontecillas, Raquel; Hasty, Alyssa; Liu, Dongmin; Si, Hongwei; Bassaganya-Riera, Josep

2010-12-01

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a natural phytohormone which improves insulin sensitivity and reduces adipose tissue inflammation when supplemented into diets of obese mice. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms by which ABA prevents or ameliorates atherosclerosis. apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice were fed high-fat diets with or without ABA for 84 days. Systolic blood pressure was assessed on Days 0, 28, 56 and 72. Gene expression, immune cell infiltration and histological lesions were evaluated in the aortic root wall. Human aortic endothelial cells were used to examine the effect of ABA on 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and nitric oxide (NO) production in vitro. We report that ABA-treated mice had significantly improved systolic blood pressure and decreased accumulation of F4/80(+)CD11b(+) macrophages and CD4(+) T cells in aortic root walls. At the molecular level, ABA significantly enhanced aortic endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and tended to suppress aortic vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression and plasma MCP-1 concentrations. ABA also caused a dose-dependent increase in intracellular concentrations of cAMP and NO and up-regulated eNOS mRNA expression in human aortic endothelial cells. This is the first report showing that ABA prevents or ameliorates atherosclerosis-induced hypertension, immune cell recruitment into the aortic root wall and up-regulates aortic eNOS expression in ApoE(-/-) mice. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Two endogenous proteins that induce cell wall extension in plants

Science.gov (United States)

McQueen-Mason, S.; Durachko, D. M.; Cosgrove, D. J.

1992-01-01

Plant cell enlargement is regulated by wall relaxation and yielding, which is thought to be catalyzed by elusive "wall-loosening" enzymes. By employing a reconstitution approach, we found that a crude protein extract from the cell walls of growing cucumber seedlings possessed the ability to induce the extension of isolated cell walls. This activity was restricted to the growing region of the stem and could induce the extension of isolated cell walls from various dicot stems and the leaves of amaryllidaceous monocots, but was less effective on grass coleoptile walls. Endogenous and reconstituted wall extension activities showed similar sensitivities to pH, metal ions, thiol reducing agents, proteases, and boiling in methanol or water. Sequential HPLC fractionation of the active wall extract revealed two proteins with molecular masses of 29 and 30 kD associated with the activity. Each protein, by itself, could induce wall extension without detectable hydrolytic breakdown of the wall. These proteins appear to mediate "acid growth" responses of isolated walls and may catalyze plant cell wall extension by a novel biochemical mechanism.

The Cell Wall Teichuronic Acid Synthetase (TUAS Is an Enzyme Complex Located in the Cytoplasmic Membrane of Micrococcus luteus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lingyi Lynn Deng

2010-01-01

composed of disaccharide repeating units [-4-β-D-ManNAcAp-(1→6α-D-Glcp−1-]n, which is covalently anchored to the peptidoglycan on the inner cell wall and extended to the outer surface of the cell envelope. An enzyme complex responsible for the TUA chain biosynthesis was purified and characterized. The 440 kDa enzyme complex, named teichuronic acid synthetase (TUAS, is an octomer composed of two kinds of glycosyltransferases, Glucosyltransferase, and ManNAcA-transferase, which is capable of catalyzing the transfer of disaccharide glycosyl residues containing both glucose and the N-acetylmannosaminuronic acid residues. TUAS displays hydrophobic properties and is found primarily associated with the cytoplasmic membrane. The purified TUAS contains carotinoids and lipids. TUAS activity is diminished by phospholipase digestion. We propose that TUAS serves as a multitasking polysaccharide assembling station on the bacterial membrane.

Chemical characterisation and analysis of the cell wall polysaccharides of duckweed (Lemna minor).

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, X; Moates, G K; Wellner, N; Collins, S R A; Coleman, M J; Waldron, K W

2014-10-13

Duckweed is potentially an ideal biofuel feedstock due to its high proportion of cellulose and starch and low lignin content. However, there is little detailed information on the composition and structure of duckweed cell walls relevant to optimising the conversion of duckweed biomass to ethanol and other biorefinery products. This study reports that, for the variety and batch evaluated, carbohydrates constitute 51.2% (w/w) of dry matter while starch accounts for 19.9%. This study, for the first time, analyses duckweed cell wall composition through a detailed sequential extraction. The cell wall is rich in cellulose and also contains 20.3% pectin comprising galacturonan, xylogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan; 3.5% hemicellulose comprising xyloglucan and xylan, and 0.03% phenolics. In addition, essential fatty acids (0.6%, α-linolenic and linoleic/linoelaidic acid) and p-coumaric acid (0.015%) respectively are the most abundant fatty acids and phenolics in whole duckweed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antioxidant multi-walled carbon nanotubes by free radical grafting of gallic acid: new materials for biomedical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Cirillo, Giuseppe; Hampel, Silke; Klingeler, Rüdiger; Puoci, Francesco; Iemma, Francesca; Curcio, Manuela; Parisi, Ortensia Ilaria; Spizzirri, Umile Gianfranco; Picci, Nevio; Leonhardt, Albrecht; Ritschel, Manfred; Büchner, Bernd

2011-02-01

To prove the possibility of covalently functionalizing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by free radical grafting of gallic acid on their surface with the subsequent synthesis of materials with improved biological properties evaluated by specific in-vitro assays. Antioxidant CNTs were synthesized by radical grafting of gallic acid onto pristine CNTs. The synthesis of carbon nanotubes was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor and, after the removal of the amorphous carbon, the grafting process was performed. The obtained materials were characterized by fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses. After assessment of the biocompatibility and determination of the disposable phenolic group content, the antioxidant properties were evaluated in terms of total antioxidant activity and scavenger ability against 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl and peroxyl radicals. Finally the inhibition activity on acetylcholinesterase was evaluated.   The covalent functionalization of CNTs with gallic acid was confirmed and the amount of gallic acid bound per g of CNTs was found to be 2.1±0.2 mg. Good antioxidant and scavenging properties were recorded in the functionalized CNTs, which were found to be able to inhibit the acetylcholinesterase with potential improved activity for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. For the first time, a free radical grafting procedure was proposed as a synthetic approach for the covalent functionalization of CNTs with an antioxidant polyphenol. © 2010 The Authors. JPP © 2010 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Monocyte adhesion induced by multi-walled carbon nanotubes and palmitic acid in endothelial cells and alveolar-endothelial co-cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cao, Yi; Roursgaard, Martin; Jacobsen, Nicklas Raun

2016-01-01

Free palmitic acid (PA) is a potential pro-atherogenic stimulus that may aggravate particle-mediated cardiovascular health effects. We hypothesized that the presence of PA can aggravate oxidative stress and endothelial activation induced by multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) exposure in vitro. We...... measured in the lower chamber on HUVECs and THP-1 cells. The exposure to MWCNTs, including a short (NM400) and long (NM402) type of entangled fibers, was associated with elevated levels of reactive oxygen species as well as a decrease in the intracellular glutathione concentration in HUVEC and A549...

Human L-ficolin recognizes phosphocholine moieties of pneumococcal teichoic acid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vassal-Stermann, Emilie; Lacroix, Monique; Gout, Evelyne

2014-01-01

Human L-ficolin is a soluble protein of the innate immune system able to sense pathogens through its fibrinogen (FBG) recognition domains and to trigger activation of the lectin complement pathway through associated serine proteases. L-Ficolin has been previously shown to recognize pneumococcal c...

Sorption of humic acid to functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Fei; Yao, Jun; Chen, Huilun; Yi, Zhengji; Xing, Baoshan

2013-01-01

The environmental behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and humic acid (HA) is a prominent concern, but effect of functionalities on their sorption is not clear yet. Functionalized multi-walled CNTs (MCNT15) and HA were used to study their sorption behavior. Sorption rate of HA to MCNTs was dominantly controlled by its diffusion from liquid-MCNT boundary to MCNT surfaces. The sorption is in the sequence of MCNT15 > MCNT15-NH 2 > MCNT15-OH > MCNT15-COOH > MCNT15-Ni, which was dependent on their surface area and meso- and macro-pore volume. The functionalities of MCNTs regulated the sorption by affecting their interaction mechanisms (i.e., H-bonding, π–π, and hydrophobic interaction). Additionally, the amount of these functionalities on the MCNT surface reduced indirectly the sorption sites due to the steric hindrance. Electrostatic repulsion deceased the sorption of HA by MCNTs with increasing pH. This study demonstrated the importance of functionalities on the MCNTs for the sorption of HA. -- Highlights: •HA sorption kinetics was well fitted using Lagergren pseudo second-order model. •Sorption rate of HA was controlled by diffusion from liquid-MCNT boundary to MCNT surfaces. •Sorption was dependent on their surface area and meso- and macro-pore volume. •Functionalities of MCNTs regulated the sorption by affecting interaction mechanisms. -- The functionalities of MCNTs regulated the sorption behavior between MCNTs and HA

New synthesis of poly ortho-methoxyaniline nanostructures and its application to construct modified multi-wall carbon nanotube/graphite paste electrode for simultaneous determination of uric acid and folic acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rajabi, Hossein, E-mail: h.rajabi8086@gmail.com; Noroozifar, Meissam

2017-06-01

Uric acid (UA) and folic acid (FA) are compounds of biomedical interest. In humans, about 70% of daily uric acid disposal occurs via the kidneys, and in 5–25% of humans, impaired renal (kidney) excretion leads to hyperuricemia. Folate is another form folic acid of which is known as, is one of the B vitamins. It is used as a supplement by women to prevent neural tube defects developing during pregnancy. Polyortho-methoxyaniline nanostructures (POMANS) was synthesized with a new two phase (organic-water) synthesis method. The POMANS was characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform IR (FTIR). This polymer was used to construct a modified multi-wall carbon nanotube, graphite paste electrode (POMANS-MWCNT/GPE). Linear sweep voltammograms (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry were used to investigate the suitability of polyortho-methoxyaniline with multi-wall carbon nanotubes paste electrode as a modifier for the electrocatalytic oxidation of UA and FA in aqueous solutions with various pHs. The results showed that POMANS-MWCNT/GPE had high anodic peak currents for the electrooxidation of UA and FA in pH 6.0.Under the optimized conditions, The catalytic peak currents obtained, was linearly dependent on the UA and FA concentrations in the range of 0.6–52 and 0.5–68 μM with two segments and the detection limits 0.157 and 0.113 μM for UA and FA were, respectively. Finally, the proposed method was also examined as a sensitive, simple and inexpensive electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous determination of UA and FA in real samples such as urine and serum. - Highlights: • For the first time, POMANS was synthesized with a new method of two-phase organic & water. • POMANS-MWCNT/GPE was used for simultaneous determination of UA and FA at optimum pH 6.0. • Parameters n and α were also determined for UA and FA. • Electrochemical simultaneous determination of UA and FA with modified electrode real samples.

Three-dimensional wet-electrospun poly(lactic acid)/multi-wall carbon nanotubes scaffold induces differentiation of human menstrual blood-derived stem cells into germ-like cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Eyni, Hossein; Ghorbani, Sadegh; Shirazi, Reza; Salari Asl, Leila; P Beiranvand, Shahram; Soleimani, Masoud

2017-09-01

Infertility caused by the disruption or absence of germ cells is a major and largely incurable medical problem. Germ cells (i.e., sperm or egg) play a key role in the transmission of genetic and epigenetic information across generations. Generation of gametes derived in vitro from stem cells hold promising prospects which could potentially help infertile men and women. Menstrual blood-derived stem cells are a unique stem cell source. Evidence suggests that menstrual blood-derived stem cells exhibit a multi-lineage potential and have attracted extensive attention in regenerative medicine. To maintain the three-dimensional structure of natural extra cellular matrices in vitro, scaffolds can do this favor and mimic a microenvironment for cell proliferation and differentiation. According to previous studies, poly(lactic acid) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes have been introduced as novel and promising biomaterials for the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. Some cell types have been successfully grown on a matrix containing carbon nanotubes in tissue engineering but there is no report for this material to support stem cells differentiation into germ cells lineage. This study designed a 3D wet-electrospun poly(lactic acid) and poly(lactic acid)/multi-wall carbon nanotubes composite scaffold to compare infiltration, proliferation, and differentiation potential of menstrual blood-derived stem cells toward germ cell lineage with 2D culture. Our primary data revealed that the fabricated scaffold has mechanical and biological suitable qualities for supporting and attachments of stem cells. The differentiated menstrual blood-derived stem cells tracking in scaffolds using scanning electron microscopy confirmed cell attachment, aggregation, and distribution on the porous scaffold. Based on the differentiation assay by RT-PCR analysis, stem cells and germ-like cells markers were expressed in 3D groups as well as 2D one. It seems that poly(lactic acid)/multi-wall

Electrochemical Behavior and Determination of Chlorogenic Acid Based on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Modified Screen-Printed Electrode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyan Ma

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified screen-printed electrode (MWCNTs/SPE was prepared and the MWCNTs/SPE was employed for the electrochemical determination of the antioxidant substance chlorogenic acids (CGAs. A pair of well-defined redox peaks of CGA was observed at the MWCNTs/SPE in 0.10 mol/L acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer (pH 6.2 and the electrode process was adsorption-controlled. Cyclic voltammetry (CV and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV methods for the determination of CGA were proposed based on the MWCNTs/SPE. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed method exhibited linear ranges from 0.17 to 15.8 µg/mL, and the linear regression equation was Ipa (µA = 4.1993 C (×10−5 mol/L + 1.1039 (r = 0.9976 and the detection limit for CGA could reach 0.12 µg/mL. The recovery of matrine was 94.74%–106.65% (RSD = 2.92% in coffee beans. The proposed method is quick, sensitive, reliable, and can be used for the determination of CGA.

Dosimetric Implications of an Injection of Hyaluronic Acid for Preserving the Rectal Wall in Prostate Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chapet, Olivier, E-mail: olivier.chapet@chu-lyon.fr [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Udrescu, Corina [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Department of Medical Physics, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Tanguy, Ronan [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Ruffion, Alain [Department of Urology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Fenoglietto, Pascal [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Val d' Aurelle, Montpellier (France); Sotton, Marie-Pierre [Department of Medical Physics, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Devonec, Marian [Department of Urology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Colombel, Marc [Department of Urology, Hopital Edouard Herriot, Lyon (France); Jalade, Patrice [Department of Medical Physics, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Azria, David [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Val d' Aurelle, Montpellier (France)

2014-02-01

Purpose: This study assessed the contribution of ahyaluronic acid (HA) injection between the rectum and the prostate to reducing the dose to the rectal wall in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Methods and Materials: As part of a phase 2 study of hypofractionated radiation therapy (62 Gy in 20 fractions), the patients received a transperineal injection of 10 cc HA between the rectum and the prostate. A dosimetric computed tomographic (CT) scan was systematically performed before (CT1) and after (CT2) the injection. Two 9-beam intensity modulated radiation therapy-SBRT plans were optimized for the first 10 patients on both CTs according to 2 dosage levels: 5 × 6.5 Gy (PlanA) and 5 × 8.5 Gy (PlanB). Rectal wall parameters were compared with a dose–volume histogram, and the prostate–rectum separation was measured at 7 levels of the prostate on the center line of the organ. Results: For both plans, the average volume of the rectal wall receiving the 90% isodose line (V90%) was reduced up to 90% after injection. There was no significant difference (P=.32) between doses received by the rectal wall on CT1 and CT2 at the base of the prostate. This variation became significant from the median plane to the apex of the prostate (P=.002). No significant differences were found between PlanA without HA and PlanB with HA for each level of the prostate (P=.77, at the isocenter of the prostate). Conclusions: HA injection significantly reduced the dose to the rectal wall and allowed a dose escalation from 6.5 Gy to 8.5 Gy without increasing the dose to the rectum. A phase 2 study is under way in our department to assess the rate of acute and late rectal toxicities when SBRT (5 × 8.5 Gy) is combined with an injection of HA.

Dosimetric Implications of an Injection of Hyaluronic Acid for Preserving the Rectal Wall in Prostate Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapet, Olivier; Udrescu, Corina; Tanguy, Ronan; Ruffion, Alain; Fenoglietto, Pascal; Sotton, Marie-Pierre; Devonec, Marian; Colombel, Marc; Jalade, Patrice; Azria, David

2014-01-01

Purpose: This study assessed the contribution of ahyaluronic acid (HA) injection between the rectum and the prostate to reducing the dose to the rectal wall in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Methods and Materials: As part of a phase 2 study of hypofractionated radiation therapy (62 Gy in 20 fractions), the patients received a transperineal injection of 10 cc HA between the rectum and the prostate. A dosimetric computed tomographic (CT) scan was systematically performed before (CT1) and after (CT2) the injection. Two 9-beam intensity modulated radiation therapy-SBRT plans were optimized for the first 10 patients on both CTs according to 2 dosage levels: 5 × 6.5 Gy (PlanA) and 5 × 8.5 Gy (PlanB). Rectal wall parameters were compared with a dose–volume histogram, and the prostate–rectum separation was measured at 7 levels of the prostate on the center line of the organ. Results: For both plans, the average volume of the rectal wall receiving the 90% isodose line (V90%) was reduced up to 90% after injection. There was no significant difference (P=.32) between doses received by the rectal wall on CT1 and CT2 at the base of the prostate. This variation became significant from the median plane to the apex of the prostate (P=.002). No significant differences were found between PlanA without HA and PlanB with HA for each level of the prostate (P=.77, at the isocenter of the prostate). Conclusions: HA injection significantly reduced the dose to the rectal wall and allowed a dose escalation from 6.5 Gy to 8.5 Gy without increasing the dose to the rectum. A phase 2 study is under way in our department to assess the rate of acute and late rectal toxicities when SBRT (5 × 8.5 Gy) is combined with an injection of HA

Hyaluronic acid-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes as tumor-targeting MRI contrast agent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hou L

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Lin Hou,* Huijuan Zhang,* Yating Wang, Lili Wang, Xiaomin Yang, Zhenzhong ZhangSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: A tumor-targeting carrier, hyaluronic acid (HA-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs, was explored to deliver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI contrast agents (CAs targeting to the tumor cells specifically. In this system, HA surface modification for SWCNTs was simply accomplished by amidation process and could make this nanomaterial highly hydrophilic. Cellular uptake was performed to evaluate the intracellular transport capabilities of HA-SWCNTs for tumor cells and the uptake rank was HA-SWCNTs> SWCNTs owing to the presence of HA, which was also evidenced by flow cytometry. The safety evaluation of this MRI CAs was investigated in vitro and in vivo. It revealed that HA-SWCNTs could stand as a biocompatible nanocarrier and gadolinium (Gd/HA-SWCNTs demonstrated almost no toxicity compared with free GdCl3. Moreover, GdCl3 bearing HA-SWCNTs could significantly increase the circulation time for MRI. Finally, to investigate the MRI contrast enhancing capabilities of Gd/HA-SWCNTs, T1-weighted MR images of tumor-bearing mice were acquired. The results suggested Gd/HA-SWCNTs had the highest tumor-targeting efficiency and T1-relaxivity enhancement, indicating HA-SWCNTs could be developed as a tumor-targeting carrier to deliver the CAs, GdCl3, for the identifiable diagnosis of tumor.Keywords: gadolinium, magnetic resonance, SWCNTs, hyaluronic acid, contrast agent

Bioactive nanocomposite for chest-wall replacement: Cellular response in a murine model.

Science.gov (United States)

Jungraithmayr, Wolfgang; Laube, Isabelle; Hild, Nora; Stark, Wendelin J; Mihic-Probst, Daniela; Weder, Walter; Buschmann, Johanna

2014-07-01

Chest-wall invading malignancies usually necessitate the resection of the respective part of the thoracic wall. Gore-Tex® is the material of choice that is traditionally used to repair thoracic defects. This material is well accepted by the recipient; however, though not rejected, it is an inert material and behaves like a 'foreign body' within the thoracic wall. By contrast, there are materials that have the potential to physiologically integrate into the host, and these materials are currently under in vitro and also in vivo investigation. These materials offer a gradual but complete biodegradation over time, and severe adverse inflammatory responses can be avoided. Here, we present a novel material that is a biodegradable nanocomposite based on poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid and amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles in comparison to the traditionally employed Gore-Tex® being the standard for chest-wall replacement. On a mouse model of thoracic wall resection, that resembles the technique and localization applied in humans, poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid and amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles and Gore-Tex® were implanted subcutaneously and additionally tested in a separate series as a chest-wall graft. After 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks cell infiltration into the respective materials, inflammatory reactions as well as neo-vascularization (endothelial cells) were determined in six different zones. While Gore-Tex® allowed for cell infiltration only at the outer surface, electrospun poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid and amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles were completely penetrated by infiltrating cells. These cells were composed mainly by macrophages, with only 4% of giant cells and lymphocytes. Total macrophage count increased by time while the number of IL1-β-expressing macrophages decreased, indicating a protective state towards the graft. As such, poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid and amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles seem to develop ideal

Impaired respiration elicits SrrAB-dependent programmed cell lysis and biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus

Science.gov (United States)

Mashruwala, Ameya A; van de Guchte, Adriana; Boyd, Jeffrey M

2017-01-01

Biofilms are communities of microorganisms attached to a surface or each other. Biofilm-associated cells are the etiologic agents of recurrent Staphylococcus aureus infections. Infected human tissues are hypoxic or anoxic. S. aureus increases biofilm formation in response to hypoxia, but how this occurs is unknown. In the current study we report that oxygen influences biofilm formation in its capacity as a terminal electron acceptor for cellular respiration. Genetic, physiological, or chemical inhibition of respiratory processes elicited increased biofilm formation. Impaired respiration led to increased cell lysis via divergent regulation of two processes: increased expression of the AtlA murein hydrolase and decreased expression of wall-teichoic acids. The AltA-dependent release of cytosolic DNA contributed to increased biofilm formation. Further, cell lysis and biofilm formation were governed by the SrrAB two-component regulatory system. Data presented support a model wherein SrrAB-dependent biofilm formation occurs in response to the accumulation of reduced menaquinone. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23845.001 PMID:28221135

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of choline-binding protein F from Streptococcus pneumoniae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molina, Rafael [Grupo de Cristalografía Macromolecular y Biología Estructural, Instituto Química Física Rocasolano, CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid (Spain); González, Ana; Moscoso, Miriam; García, Pedro [Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Stelter, Meike; Kahn, Richard [Institut de Biologie Structurale J.-P. Ebel CEA CNRS UJF, Laboratoire de Cristallographie Macromoléculaire, 41 Rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble CEDEX 1 (France); Hermoso, Juan A., E-mail: xjuan@iqfr.csic.es [Grupo de Cristalografía Macromolecular y Biología Estructural, Instituto Química Física Rocasolano, CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid (Spain)

2007-09-01

The modular choline-binding protein F (CbpF) from S. pneumoniae has been crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. A SAD data set from a gadolinium-complex derivative has been collected to 2.1 Å resolution. Choline-binding protein F (CbpF) is a modular protein that is bound to the pneumococcal cell wall through noncovalent interactions with choline moieties of the bacterial teichoic and lipoteichoic acids. Despite being one of the more abundant proteins on the surface, along with the murein hydrolases LytA, LytB, LytC and Pce, its function is still unknown. CbpF has been crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 291 K. Diffraction-quality orthorhombic crystals belong to space group P2{sub 1}2{sub 1}2, with unit-cell parameters a = 49.13, b = 114.94, c = 75.69 Å. A SAD data set from a Gd-HPDO3A-derivatized CbpF crystal was collected to 2.1 Å resolution at the gadolinium L{sub III} absorption edge using synchrotron radiation.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of choline-binding protein F from Streptococcus pneumoniae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molina, Rafael; González, Ana; Moscoso, Miriam; García, Pedro; Stelter, Meike; Kahn, Richard; Hermoso, Juan A.

2007-01-01

The modular choline-binding protein F (CbpF) from S. pneumoniae has been crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. A SAD data set from a gadolinium-complex derivative has been collected to 2.1 Å resolution. Choline-binding protein F (CbpF) is a modular protein that is bound to the pneumococcal cell wall through noncovalent interactions with choline moieties of the bacterial teichoic and lipoteichoic acids. Despite being one of the more abundant proteins on the surface, along with the murein hydrolases LytA, LytB, LytC and Pce, its function is still unknown. CbpF has been crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 291 K. Diffraction-quality orthorhombic crystals belong to space group P2 1 2 1 2, with unit-cell parameters a = 49.13, b = 114.94, c = 75.69 Å. A SAD data set from a Gd-HPDO3A-derivatized CbpF crystal was collected to 2.1 Å resolution at the gadolinium L III absorption edge using synchrotron radiation

Characterization of the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum cell wall proteome.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Longzhou; Free, Stephen J

2016-08-01

We used a proteomic analysis to identify cell wall proteins released from Sclerotinia sclerotiorum hyphal and sclerotial cell walls via a trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMS) digestion. Cell walls from hyphae grown in Vogel's glucose medium (a synthetic medium lacking plant materials), from hyphae grown in potato dextrose broth and from sclerotia produced on potato dextrose agar were used in the analysis. Under the conditions used, TFMS digests the glycosidic linkages in the cell walls to release intact cell wall proteins. The analysis identified 24 glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell wall proteins and 30 non-GPI-anchored cell wall proteins. We found that the cell walls contained an array of cell wall biosynthetic enzymes similar to those found in the cell walls of other fungi. When comparing the proteins in hyphal cell walls grown in potato dextrose broth with those in hyphal cell walls grown in the absence of plant material, it was found that a core group of cell wall biosynthetic proteins and some proteins associated with pathogenicity (secreted cellulases, pectin lyases, glucosidases and proteases) were expressed in both types of hyphae. The hyphae grown in potato dextrose broth contained a number of additional proteins (laccases, oxalate decarboxylase, peroxidase, polysaccharide deacetylase and several proteins unique to Sclerotinia and Botrytis) that might facilitate growth on a plant host. A comparison of the proteins in the sclerotial cell wall with the proteins in the hyphal cell wall demonstrated that sclerotia formation is not marked by a major shift in the composition of cell wall protein. We found that the S. sclerotiorum cell walls contained 11 cell wall proteins that were encoded only in Sclerotinia and Botrytis genomes. © 2015 The Authors. Molecular Plant Pathology published by British Society for Plant Pathology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A novel role for D-alanylation of lipoteichoic acid of enterococcus faecalis in urinary tract infection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominique Wobser

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Enterococci are the third most common cause of healthcare-associated infections, which include urinary tract infections, bacteremia and endocarditis. Cell-surface structures such as lipoteichoic acid (LTA have been poorly examined in E. faecalis, especially with respect to urinary tract infections (UTIs. The dlt operon is responsible for the D-alanylation of LTA and includes the gene dltA, which encodes the D-alanyl carrier protein ligase (Dcl. The involvement of LTA in UTI infection by E. faecalis has not been studied so far. Here, we examined the role of teichoic acid alanylation in the adhesion of enterococci to uroepithelial cells. RESULTS: In a mouse model of urinary tract infection, we showed that E. faecalis 12030ΔdltA mutant colonizes uroepithelial surfaces more efficiently than wild type bacteria. We also demonstrated that this mutant adhered four fold better to human bladder carcinoma cell line T24 compared to the wild type strain. Bacterial adherence could be significantly inhibited by purified lipoteichoic acid (LTA and inhibition was specific. CONCLUSION: In contrast to bacteraemia model and adherence to colon surfaces, E. faecalis 12030ΔdltA mutant colonized uroepithelial surfaces more efficiently than wild-type bacteria. In the case of the uroepithelial surface the adherence to specific host cells could be prevented by purified LTA. Our results therefore suggest a novel function of alanylation of LTA in E. faecalis.

Assembly and enlargement of the primary cell wall in plants

Science.gov (United States)

Cosgrove, D. J.

1997-01-01

Growing plant cells are shaped by an extensible wall that is a complex amalgam of cellulose microfibrils bonded noncovalently to a matrix of hemicelluloses, pectins, and structural proteins. Cellulose is synthesized by complexes in the plasma membrane and is extruded as a self-assembling microfibril, whereas the matrix polymers are secreted by the Golgi apparatus and become integrated into the wall network by poorly understood mechanisms. The growing wall is under high tensile stress from cell turgor and is able to enlarge by a combination of stress relaxation and polymer creep. A pH-dependent mechanism of wall loosening, known as acid growth, is characteristic of growing walls and is mediated by a group of unusual wall proteins called expansins. Expansins appear to disrupt the noncovalent bonding of matrix hemicelluloses to the microfibril, thereby allowing the wall to yield to the mechanical forces generated by cell turgor. Other wall enzymes, such as (1-->4) beta-glucanases and pectinases, may make the wall more responsive to expansin-mediated wall creep whereas pectin methylesterases and peroxidases may alter the wall so as to make it resistant to expansin-mediated creep.

Quantitative Prediction of Cell Wall Polysaccharide Composition in Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) and Apple (Malus domestica) Skins from Acid Hydrolysis Monosaccharide Profiles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arnous, Anis; Meyer, Anne S.

2009-01-01

On the basis of monosaccharide analysis after acid hydrolysis of fruit skin samples of three wine grape cultivars, Vitis vinifera L. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Shiraz, and of two types of apple, Malus domestica Red Delicious and Golden Delicious, an iterative calculation method is reported...... for the quantitative allocation of plant cell wall monomers into relevant structural polysaccharide elements. By this method the relative molar distribution (mol %) of the different polysaccharides in the red wine grape skins was estimated as 57-62 mol % homogalacturonan, 6.0-14 mol % cellulose, 10-11 mol % xyloglucan......, 7 mol % arabinan, 4.5-5.0 mol % rhamnogalacturonan I, 3.5-4.0 mol % rhamnogalacturonan II, 3 mol % arabinogalactan, and 0.5-1.0 mol % mannans; the ranges indicate minor variations in the skin composition of the three different cultivars. These cell wall polysaccharides made up similar to 43...

Facile synthesis of palladium nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotube for efficient hydrogenation of biomass-derived levulinic acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Kai, E-mail: kyan@lakeheadu.ca; Lafleur, Todd [Lakehead University, Department of Chemistry (Canada); Liao, Jiayou [Tianjin University, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology (China)

2013-09-15

Different loading of palladium (Pd) nanoparticles were successfully fabricated on multi-walled carbon nanotubes using Pd acetylacetonate as the precursor via a simple liquid impregnation method. The crystal phase, morphology, textural structure and the chemical state of the resulting Pd nanoparticles (Pd/CNT) catalysts were studied and the characterization results indicated that the uniform dispersion of small Pd nanoparticles with the size range of 1.0-4.5 nm was achieved. The synthesized Pd/CNT catalysts exhibited efficient performance for the catalytic hydrogenation of biomass-derived levulinic acid into biofuel {gamma}-valerolactone. In comparison with the commercial 5 wt% Pd/C and the 5 wt% Pd/CNT catalyst prepared by Pd nitrate precursor, much higher activities were achieved, whereas the biofuel {gamma}-valerolactone was highly produced with 56.3 % yield at 57.6 % conversion of levulinic acid on the 5 wt% Pd/CNT catalyst under mild conditions. The catalyst developed in this work may be a good candidate for the wide applications in the hydrogenation.

Secondary cell wall formation in Cryptococcus neoformans as a rescue mechanism against acid-induced autolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Farkas, Vladimír; Takeo, Kanji; Maceková, Danka; Ohkusu, Misako; Yoshida, Soichi; Sipiczki, Matthias

2009-03-01

Growth of the opportunistic yeast pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans in a synthetic medium containing yeast nitrogen base and 1.0-3.0% glucose is accompanied by spontaneous acidification of the medium, with its pH decreasing from the initial 5.5 to around 2.5 in the stationary phase. During the transition from the late exponential to the stationary phase of growth, many cells died as a consequence of autolytic erosion of their cell walls. Simultaneously, there was an increase in an ecto-glucanase active towards beta-1,3-glucan and having a pH optimum between pH 3.0 and 3.5. As a response to cell wall degradation, some cells developed an unusual survival strategy by forming 'secondary' cell walls underneath the original ones. Electron microscopy revealed that the secondary cell walls were thicker than the primary ones, exposing bundles of polysaccharide microfibrils only partially masked by an amorphous cell wall matrix on their surfaces. The cells bearing secondary cell walls had a three to five times higher content of the alkali-insoluble cell wall polysaccharides glucan and chitin, and their chitin/glucan ratio was about twofold higher than in cells from the logarithmic phase of growth. The cell lysis and the formation of the secondary cell walls could be suppressed by buffering the growth medium between pH 4.5 and 6.5.

Mitigation of membrane biofouling by d-amino acids: Effect of bacterial cell-wall property and d-amino acid type.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Si-Yu; Sun, Xue-Fei; Gao, Wen-Jing; Wang, Yi-Fu; Jiang, Bei-Bei; Afzal, Muhammad Zaheer; Song, Chao; Wang, Shu-Guang

2018-04-01

Development of novel approaches for biofouling mitigation is of crucial importance for membrane-based technologies. d-amino acids (d-AAs) have been proposed as a potential strategy to mitigate biofouling. However, the effect of bacterial cell-wall properties and d-AAs type on biofouling mitigation remains unclear. This study assesses the effect of d-AAs type on membrane biofouling control, towards Gram positive (G+) and Gram negative (G-) bacteria. Three kinds of d-AAs were found to inhibit both G+ and G- bacterial attachment in short-term attachment and dead-end filtration experiments. The existence of d-AAs reduces extracellular polysaccharides and proteins on the membrane, which may decrease membrane biofouling. Cross-flow filtration tests further indicated that d-AAs could effectively reduce membrane biofouling. The permeate flux recovery post chemical cleaning, improved for both P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis treated with d-AAs. The results obtained from this study enable better understanding of the role of d-AAs species on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. This may provide a new way to regulate biofilm formation by manipulating the species of d-AAs membrane systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in Cell Wall Polysaccharides Associated With Growth 1

Science.gov (United States)

Nevins, Donald J.; English, Patricia D.; Albersheim, Peter

1968-01-01

Changes in the polysaccharide composition of Phaseolus vulgaris, P. aureus, and Zea mays cell walls were studied during the first 28 days of seedling development using a gas chromatographic method for the analysis of neutral sugars. Acid hydrolysis of cell wall material from young tissues liberates rhamnose, fucose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, galactose, and glucose which collectively can account for as much as 70% of the dry weight of the wall. Mature walls in fully expanded tissues of these same plants contain less of these constituents (10%-20% of dry wt). Gross differences are observed between developmental patterns of the cell wall in the various parts of a seedling, such as root, stem, and leaf. The general patterns of wall polysaccharide composition change, however, are similar for analogous organs among the varieties of a species. Small but significant differences in the rates of change in sugar composition were detected between varieties of the same species which exhibited different growth patterns. The cell walls of species which are further removed phylogenetically exhibit even more dissimilar developmental patterns. The results demonstrate the dynamic nature of the cell wall during growth as well as the quantitative and qualitative exactness with which the biosynthesis of plant cell walls is regulated. PMID:16656862

The Specific Nature of Plant Cell Wall Polysaccharides 1

Science.gov (United States)

Nevins, Donald J.; English, Patricia D.; Albersheim, Peter

1967-01-01

Polysaccharide compositions of cell walls were assessed by quantitative analyses of the component sugars. Cell walls were hydrolyzed in 2 n trifluoroacetic acid and the liberated sugars reduced to their respective alditols. The alditols were acetylated and the resulting alditol acetates separated by gas chromatography. Quantitative assay of the alditol acetates was accomplished by electronically integrating the detector output of the gas chromatograph. Myo-inositol, introduced into the sample prior to hydrolysis, served as an internal standard. The cell wall polysaccharide compositions of plant varieties within a given species are essentially identical. However, differences in the sugar composition were observed in cell walls prepared from different species of the same as well as of different genera. The fact that the wall compositions of different varieties of the same species are the same indicates that the biosynthesis of cell wall polysaccharides is genetically regulated. The cell walls of various morphological parts (roots, hypocotyls, first internodes and primary leaves) of bean plants were each found to have a characteristic sugar composition. It was found that the cell wall sugar composition of suspension-cultured sycamore cells could be altered by growing the cells on different carbon sources. This demonstrates that the biosynthesis of cell wall polysaccharides can be manipulated without fatal consequences. PMID:16656594

Effects of SPORL and dilute acid pretreatment on substrate morphology, cell physical and chemical wall structures, and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of lodgepole pine.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xinping; Luo, Xiaolin; Li, Kecheng; Zhu, J Y; Fougere, J Dennis; Clarke, Kimberley

2012-11-01

The effects of pretreatment by dilute acid and sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance of lignocellulose (SPORL) on substrate morphology, cell wall physical and chemical structures, along with the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of lodgepole pine substrate were investigated. FE-SEM and TEM images of substrate structural morphological changes showed that SPORL pretreatment resulted in fiber separation, where SPORL high pH (4.2) pretreatment exhibited better fiber separation than SPORL low pH (1.9) pretreatment. Dilute acid pretreatment produced very poor fiber separation, consisting mostly of fiber bundles. The removal of almost all hemicelluloses in the dilute acid pretreated substrate did not overcome recalcitrance to achieve a high cellulose conversion when lignin removal was limited. SPORL high pH pretreatment removed more lignin but less hemicellulose, while SPORL low pH pretreatment removed about the same amount of lignin and hemicelluloses in lodgepole pine substrates when compared with dilute acid pretreatment. Substrates pretreated with either SPORL process had a much higher cellulose conversion than those produced with dilute acid pretreatment. Lignin removal in addition to removal of hemicellulose in SPORL pretreatment plays an important role in improving the cellulose hydrolysis of the substrate.

Activity and stability studies of platinized multi-walled carbon nanotubes as fuel cell electrocatalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stamatin, Serban Nicolae; Borghei, Maryam; Dhiman, Rajnish

2015-01-01

A non-covalent functionalization for multi-walled carbon nanotubes has been used as an alternative to the damaging acid treatment. Platinum nanoparticles with similar particle size distribution have been deposited on the surface modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The interaction between...

Pectin Biosynthesis Is Critical for Cell Wall Integrity and Immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Bethke, Gerit; Thao, Amanda; Xiong, Guangyan; Li, Baohua; Soltis, Nicole E; Hatsugai, Noriyuki; Hillmer, Rachel A; Katagiri, Fumiaki; Kliebenstein, Daniel J; Pauly, Markus; Glazebrook, Jane

2016-02-01

Plant cell walls are important barriers against microbial pathogens. Cell walls of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves contain three major types of polysaccharides: cellulose, various hemicelluloses, and pectins. UDP-D-galacturonic acid, the key building block of pectins, is produced from the precursor UDP-D-glucuronic acid by the action of glucuronate 4-epimerases (GAEs). Pseudomonas syringae pv maculicola ES4326 (Pma ES4326) repressed expression of GAE1 and GAE6 in Arabidopsis, and immunity to Pma ES4326 was compromised in gae6 and gae1 gae6 mutant plants. These plants had brittle leaves and cell walls of leaves had less galacturonic acid. Resistance to specific Botrytis cinerea isolates was also compromised in gae1 gae6 double mutant plants. Although oligogalacturonide (OG)-induced immune signaling was unaltered in gae1 gae6 mutant plants, immune signaling induced by a commercial pectinase, macerozyme, was reduced. Macerozyme treatment or infection with B. cinerea released less soluble uronic acid, likely reflecting fewer OGs, from gae1 gae6 cell walls than from wild-type Col-0. Although both OGs and macerozyme-induced immunity to B. cinerea in Col-0, only OGs also induced immunity in gae1 gae6. Pectin is thus an important contributor to plant immunity, and this is due at least in part to the induction of immune responses by soluble pectin, likely OGs, that are released during plant-pathogen interactions. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

γ-Aminobutyric acid transaminase deficiency impairs central carbon metabolism and leads to cell wall defects during salt stress in Arabidopsis roots.

Science.gov (United States)

Renault, Hugues; El Amrani, Abdelhak; Berger, Adeline; Mouille, Grégory; Soubigou-Taconnat, Ludivine; Bouchereau, Alain; Deleu, Carole

2013-05-01

Environmental constraints challenge cell homeostasis and thus require a tight regulation of metabolic activity. We have previously reported that the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) metabolism is crucial for Arabidopsis salt tolerance as revealed by the NaCl hypersensitivity of the GABA transaminase (GABA-T, At3g22200) gaba-t/pop2-1 mutant. In this study, we demonstrate that GABA-T deficiency during salt stress causes root and hypocotyl developmental defects and alterations of cell wall composition. A comparative genome-wide transcriptional analysis revealed that expression levels of genes involved in carbon metabolism, particularly sucrose and starch catabolism, were found to increase upon the loss of GABA-T function under salt stress conditions. Consistent with the altered mutant cell wall composition, a number of cell wall-related genes were also found differentially expressed. A targeted quantitative analysis of primary metabolites revealed that glutamate (GABA precursor) accumulated while succinate (the final product of GABA metabolism) significantly decreased in mutant roots after 1 d of NaCl treatment. Furthermore, sugar concentration was twofold reduced in gaba-t/pop2-1 mutant roots compared with wild type. Together, our results provide strong evidence that GABA metabolism is a major route for succinate production in roots and identify GABA as a major player of central carbon adjustment during salt stress. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Effects of yeast cell wall on growth performance, immune responses and intestinal short chain fatty acid concentrations of broilers in an experimental necrotic enteritis model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guang-Da Xue

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Subclinical necrotic enteritis (NE causes devastating economic losses in the broiler chicken industry, especially in birds raised free of in-feed antibiotics. Prebiotics are potential alternatives to in-feed antibiotics. Yeast cell wall extract (YCW derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a prebiotic with known immune modulating effects. This study examined the effects of YCW and antibiotics (AB during subclinical NE on broiler growth performance, intestinal lesions, humoral immune response and gut microflora metabolites. The study employed a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factors were: NE challenge (yes or no and feed additive (control, AB, or YCW. Each treatment was replicated in 8 floor pens with 15 birds per pen. Challenged birds had higher feed conversion ratio (FCR than unchallenged birds on d 35 (P < 0.05. Dietary inclusion of AB decreased FCR regardless of challenge (P < 0.05 on d 24 and 35. Inclusion of YCW reduced serum interleukin-1 (IL-1 concentration in NE challenged birds (P < 0.01 and increased immunoglobulin (Ig G (P < 0.05 and Ig M (P < 0.05 levels compared to other dietary treatments regardless of challenge. Yeast cell wall extract increased formic acid concentration in cecal contents during challenge and increased butyric acid concentration in unchallenged birds on d 16. This study indicates YCW suppressed inflammatory response, promoted generation of immunoglobulin and increased short chain fatty acid production suggesting potential benefits to bird health.

Phosphorylated and nucleotide sugar metabolism in relation to cell wall production in Avena coleoptiles treated with fluoride and peroxyacetyl nitrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordon, W.C.; Ordin, L.

1972-01-01

Coleoptile sections of Avena sativa L. were pretreated with sodium fluoride or peroxyacetyl nitrate at levels which inhibit auxin-induced growth but did not affect glucose-uptake or CO production when postincubated for 30 minutes in a 14 C-glucose medium without auxin. Labeling of metabolites involved in cell wall synthesis was measured. Peroxyacetyl nitrate decreased labeling, and it was concluded that the pool size of uridine diphosphoglucose, sucrose, and cell wall polysaccharides decreased compared to control. The changes suggest that peroxyacetyl nitrate inactivated sucrose and cell wall synthesizing enzymes including cellulose synthetase and decreased cell growth by inhibiting production of cell wall constituents. Fluoride treatment had no effect on production of cell wall polysaccharides, with or without indoleacetic acid stimulation of growth. The only change after fluoride treatment was a decrease in uridine diphosphoglucose during incubation without indoleacetic acid, a decrease that disappeared when indoleacetic acid was present. It was concluded that some other aspect of cell wall metabolism, not determined here, was involved in fluoride-induced inhibition of growth. 16 references, 3 figures, 2 tables

The surface modifications of multi-walled carbon nanotubes for multi-walled carbon nanotube/poly(ether ether ketone) composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Zongshuang; Qiu, Li; Yang, Yongzhen; Chen, Yongkang; Liu, Xuguang

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: Multi-walled carbon nanotube/poly(ether ether ketone) (MWCNT/PEEK) composites incorporating surface modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as fillers were fabricated in a solution blending method in order to explore the dynamic mechanical and tribological properties of MWCNT/PEEK composites systematically. It is evident that surface modifications of MWCNTs have a significant impact on dispersibility of MWCNTs in PEEK, dynamic mechanical and tribological properties of MWCNT/PEEK composites. Typically, a clear effect of surface modifications of MWCNTs on tribological properties of MWCNT/PEEK composites was observed. A significant reduction in frictional coefficient of MWCNT/PEEK composites with the MWCNTs modified with ethanolamine has been achieved and the self-lubricating film on their worn surfaces was also observed. - Highlights: • The dispersibility of surface modified MWCNTs in PEEK has been studied. • MWCNTs modified with ethanolamine have showed a good dispersion in PEEK. • Surface modifications of MWCNTs have a significant impact on both dynamic mechanical and tribological properties of MWCNT/PEEK composites. - Abstract: The effects of surface modifications of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the morphology, dynamic mechanical and tribological properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube/poly(ether ether ketone) (MWCNT/PEEK) composites have been investigated. MWCNTs were treated with mixed acids to obtain acid-functionalized MWCNTs. Then the acid-functionalized MWCNTs were modified with ethanolamine (named e-MWCNTs). The MWCNT/PEEK composites were prepared by a solution-blending method. A more homogeneous distribution of e-MWCNTs within the composites was found with scanning electron microscopy. Dynamic mechanical analysis demonstrated a clear increase in the storage modulus of e-MWCNT/PEEK composites because of the improved interfacial adhesion strength between e-MWCNTs and PEEK. Furthermore, the presence of e

The surface modifications of multi-walled carbon nanotubes for multi-walled carbon nanotube/poly(ether ether ketone) composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cao, Zongshuang [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Research Center of Advanced Material Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Qiu, Li [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Yang, Yongzhen, E-mail: yyztyut@126.com [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Research Center of Advanced Material Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Chen, Yongkang, E-mail: y.k.chen@herts.ac.uk [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); University of Hertfordshire, School of Engineering and Technology, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9AB (United Kingdom); Liu, Xuguang [Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China)

2015-10-30

Graphical abstract: Multi-walled carbon nanotube/poly(ether ether ketone) (MWCNT/PEEK) composites incorporating surface modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as fillers were fabricated in a solution blending method in order to explore the dynamic mechanical and tribological properties of MWCNT/PEEK composites systematically. It is evident that surface modifications of MWCNTs have a significant impact on dispersibility of MWCNTs in PEEK, dynamic mechanical and tribological properties of MWCNT/PEEK composites. Typically, a clear effect of surface modifications of MWCNTs on tribological properties of MWCNT/PEEK composites was observed. A significant reduction in frictional coefficient of MWCNT/PEEK composites with the MWCNTs modified with ethanolamine has been achieved and the self-lubricating film on their worn surfaces was also observed. - Highlights: • The dispersibility of surface modified MWCNTs in PEEK has been studied. • MWCNTs modified with ethanolamine have showed a good dispersion in PEEK. • Surface modifications of MWCNTs have a significant impact on both dynamic mechanical and tribological properties of MWCNT/PEEK composites. - Abstract: The effects of surface modifications of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the morphology, dynamic mechanical and tribological properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube/poly(ether ether ketone) (MWCNT/PEEK) composites have been investigated. MWCNTs were treated with mixed acids to obtain acid-functionalized MWCNTs. Then the acid-functionalized MWCNTs were modified with ethanolamine (named e-MWCNTs). The MWCNT/PEEK composites were prepared by a solution-blending method. A more homogeneous distribution of e-MWCNTs within the composites was found with scanning electron microscopy. Dynamic mechanical analysis demonstrated a clear increase in the storage modulus of e-MWCNT/PEEK composites because of the improved interfacial adhesion strength between e-MWCNTs and PEEK. Furthermore, the presence of e

Micrococcus luteus mediated dual mode synthesis of gold nanoparticles: involvement of extracellular α-amylase and cell wall teichuronic acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Arunkumar, Pichaimani; Thanalakshmi, Muthukrishnan; Kumar, Priyadarsini; Premkumar, Kumpati

2013-03-01

In the present study we have utilized the bioreductive potential of Micrococcus luteus for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles. Biochemical and physiological analysis indicate that the biosynthesized GNPs were achieved by dual mode, involving extracellular α-amylase and cell wall teichuronic acid (TUA) of M. luteus. The biosynthetic potential of both α-amylase and TUA, after isolation from bacterium, was examined. Under optimum conditions, these biomolecules reduces Au(3+) into Au(0) and the resulting GNPs were found to be stable for 1 month. The synthesized GNPs were characterized by UV-VIS spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Results demonstrated that the synthesized GNPs were found to be monodispersive and spherical in shape with an average size of ∼6 nm and ∼50 nm for α-amylase and teichuronic acid, respectively. These findings suggest that M. luteus can be exploited as a potential biosource for the eco-friendly synthesis of gold nanoparticles. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Suppression of CCR impacts metabolite profile and cell wall composition in Pinus radiata tracheary elements.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Armin; Tobimatsu, Yuki; Goeminne, Geert; Phillips, Lorelle; Flint, Heather; Steward, Diane; Torr, Kirk; Donaldson, Lloyd; Boerjan, Wout; Ralph, John

2013-01-01

Suppression of the lignin-related gene cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR) in the Pinus radiata tracheary element (TE) system impacted both the metabolite profile and the cell wall matrix in CCR-RNAi lines. UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolite profiling identified elevated levels of p-coumaroyl hexose, caffeic acid hexoside and ferulic acid hexoside in CCR-RNAi lines, indicating a redirection of metabolite flow within phenylpropanoid metabolism. Dilignols derived from coniferyl alcohol such as G(8-5)G, G(8-O-4)G and isodihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (IDDDC) were substantially depleted, providing evidence for CCR's involvement in coniferyl alcohol biosynthesis. Severe CCR suppression almost halved lignin content in TEs based on a depletion of both H-type and G-type lignin, providing evidence for CCR's involvement in the biosynthesis of both lignin types. 2D-NMR studies revealed minor changes in the H:G-ratio and consequently a largely unchanged interunit linkage distribution in the lignin polymer. However, unusual cell wall components including ferulate and unsaturated fatty acids were identified in TEs by thioacidolysis, pyrolysis-GC/MS and/or 2D-NMR in CCR-RNAi lines, providing new insights into the consequences of CCR suppression in pine. Interestingly, CCR suppression substantially promoted pyrolytic breakdown of cell wall polysaccharides, a phenotype most likely caused by the incorporation of acidic compounds into the cell wall matrix in CCR-RNAi lines.

The changes of oil palm roots cell wall lipids during pathogenesis of Ganoderma boninense

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, A.; Dayou, J.; Abdullah, S.; Chong, K. P.

2017-07-01

One of the first physical defences of plants against fungal infection is their cell wall. Interaction between combinations of metabolism enzymes known as the “weapons” of pathogen and the host cell wall probably determines the fate of possible invasion of the pathogen in the host. The present work aims to study the biochemical changes of cell wall lipids of oil palm roots and to determine novel information on root cell wall composition during pathogenesis of Ganoderma boninense by using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Based on Total Ion Chromatogram analysis, 67 compounds were found more abundant in the roots infected with G. boninense compared to the healthy roots (60 compounds). Interestingly, nine new compounds were identified from the cell wall lipids of roots infected with G. boninense. These includes Cyclohexane, 1,2-dimethyl-, Methyl 2-hydroxy 16-methyl-heptadecanoate, 2-Propenoic acid, methyl ester, Methyl 9-oxohexacosanoate, 5-[(3,7,11,15-Tetramethylhexadecyl)oxy]thiophene-2carboxylic acid, Ergosta-5,7,22,24(28)-tetraen-3beta-ol, 7-Hydroxy-3',4'-methylenedioxyflavan, Glycine and (S)-4'-Hydroxy-4-methoxydalbergione, this may involve as response to pathogen invasion. This paper provides an original comparative lipidomic analysis of oil palm roots cell wall lipids in plant defence during pathogenesis of G. boninense.

Experimental study on thermal storage performance of binary mixtures of fatty acids

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Quanying; Zhang, Jing; Liu, Chao; Liu, Sha; Sun, Xiangyu

2018-02-01

We selected five kinds of fatty acids including the capric acid, stearic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid and myristic acid and mixed them to prepare10 kinds of binary mixtures of fatty acids according to the predetermined proportion,tested the phase change temperature and latent heat of mixtures by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). In order to find the fatty acid mixture which has suitable phase change temperature, the larger phase change latent heat and can be used for phase change wall. The results showed that the phase change temperature and latent heats of the binary mixtures of fatty acids decreased compared with the single component;The phase change temperature of the binary mixtures of fatty acids containing capric acid were lower, the range was roughly 20∼30°C,and latent heat is large,which are ideal phase change materials for phase change wall energy storage;The phase change temperature of the binary mixtures consisting of other fatty acids were still high,didn’t meet the temperature requirements of the wall energy storage.

Histochemical effects of γ radiation on soft fruit cell walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foa, E.; Jona, R.; Vallania, R.

1980-01-01

Irradiation effects in peaches, tomatoes, cherries and grapes on the composition of cell wall polysaccharides were investigated by histochemical techniques. Cell wall polysaccharides, separated by a modified Jensen's method were pectins, hemicellulose, non-cellulosic polysaccharides and cellulose. The extinction values of Periodic Acid Schiff stained tissues was measured by microscopical photometry. Irradiation induced highly significant changes in polysaccharide composition of mesocarp cell walls; these changes were found to be a function of time of irradiation after harvest and of the species tested. A general influence on polysaccharide molecules was not found. Variations produced by irradiation are postulated to be an interference with a regulatory system rather than a breakdown of a functional molecule (metabolic enzyme or polysaccharide. (author)

Direct electrodeposition of gold nanotube arrays of rough and porous wall by cyclic voltammetry and its applications of simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid and uric acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Guangming; Li Ling; Jiang Jinhe; Yang Yunhui

2012-01-01

Gold nanotube arrays of rough and porous wall has been synthesized by direct electrodeposition with cyclic voltammetry utilizing anodic aluminum oxide template (AAO) and polycarbonate membrane (PC) during short time (only 3 min and 2 min, respectively). The mechanism of the direct electrodeposition of gold nanotube arrays by cyclic voltammetry (CV) has been discussed. The morphological characterizations of the gold nanotube arrays have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was constructed by attaching gold nanotube arrays (using AAO) onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The electrochemical behavior of AA and UA at this modified electrode has been studied by CV and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The sensor offers an excellent response for AA and UA and the linear response range for AA and UA were 1.02 × 10 −7 –5.23 × 10 −4 mol L −1 and 1.43 × 10 −7 –4.64 × 10 −4 mol L −1 , the detection limits were 1.12 × 10 −8 mol L −1 and 2.24 × 10 −8 mol L −1 , respectively. This sensor shows good regeneration, stability and selectivity and has been used for the determination of AA and UA in real human urine and serum samples with satisfied results. - Graphical abstract: The schematic diagram of formation of Au nanotube arrays (a) and the stepwise procedure of the sensor (b). Highlights: ► Gold nanotubes array has been synthesized by cyclic voltammetry. ► The mechanism of deposition of gold nanotube has been discussed. ► A determination of ascorbic acid and uric acid was constructed by gold array. ► A satisfied determination of samples can be obtained by this sensor.

A visual review of the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Science.gov (United States)

Engholm, Ditte Høyer; Kilian, Mogens; Goodsell, David S; Andersen, Ebbe Sloth; Kjærgaard, Rikke Schmidt

2017-11-01

Being the principal causative agent of bacterial pneumonia, otitis media, meningitis and septicemia, the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major global health problem. To highlight the molecular basis of this problem, we have portrayed essential biological processes of the pneumococcal life cycle in eight watercolor paintings. The paintings are done to a consistent nanometer scale based on currently available data from structural biology and proteomics. In this review article, the paintings are used to provide a visual review of protein synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, cell wall synthesis, cell division, teichoic acid synthesis, virulence, transformation and pilus synthesis based on the available scientific literature within the field of pneumococcal biology. Visualization of the molecular details of these processes reveals several scientific questions about how molecular components of the pneumococcal cell are organized to allow biological function to take place. By the presentation of this visual review, we intend to stimulate scientific discussion, aid in the generation of scientific hypotheses and increase public awareness. A narrated video describing the biological processes in the context of a whole-cell illustration accompany this article. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Rapid detection of food pathogens using RNA aptamers-immobilized slide.

Science.gov (United States)

Maeng, Jin-Soo; Kim, Namsoo; Kim, Chong-Tai; Han, Seung Ryul; Lee, Young Ju; Lee, Seong-Wook; Lee, Myung-Hyun; Cho, Yong-Jin

2012-07-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a simple and rapid detection system for foodborne bacteria, which consisted of an optical microscope and its slide chip with artificial antibodies, or RNA aptamers. From an RNA pool, three each RNA aptamers were built by the method of SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) for components of cell wall, LPS (lipopolysaccharide) from E. coli O157:H7, teichoic acid from Staphylococcus aureus and a cell membrane protein of OmpC from Salmonella typhimurium, respectively. These aptamers were hybridized with thiol-conjugated 16 dT-linker molecules in order to be immobilized on silver surface which was, in advance, fabricated on glass slide, using a spin-coating method. To confirm that each aptamers retained its specific binding activities to their antigenic live bacteria, microscopic view of bound cells immobilized on silver film were observed. Furthermore, we observed the fluorescence-emitting bacteria-aptamer complex immobilized on silver film after adding RNA aptamers hybridized with fluorophore, FAM-conjugated 16 dT-linker molecules. As a result, the RNA aptamers-immobilized slide system developed in this study was a useful new tool to rapidly monitor individual food pathogens.

The Acid Growth Theory of auxin-induced cell elongation is alive and well

Science.gov (United States)

Rayle, D. L.; Cleland, R. E.

1992-01-01

Plant cells elongate irreversibly only when load-bearing bonds in the walls are cleaved. Auxin causes the elongation of stem and coleoptile cells by promoting wall loosening via cleavage of these bonds. This process may be coupled with the intercalation of new cell wall polymers. Because the primary site of auxin action appears to be the plasma membrane or some intracellular site, and wall loosening is extracellular, there must be communication between the protoplast and the wall. Some "wall-loosening factor" must be exported from auxin-impacted cells, which sets into motion the wall loosening events. About 20 years ago, it was suggested that the wall-loosening factor is hydrogen ions. This idea and subsequent supporting data gave rise to the Acid Growth Theory, which states that when exposed to auxin, susceptible cells excrete protons into the wall (apoplast) at an enhanced rate, resulting in a decrease in apoplastic pH. The lowered wall pH then activates wall-loosening processes, the precise nature of which is unknown. Because exogenous acid causes a transient (1-4 h) increase in growth rate, auxin must also mediate events in addition to wall acidification for growth to continue for an extended period of time. These events may include osmoregulation, cell wall synthesis, and maintenance of the capacity of walls to undergo acid-induced wall loosening. At present, we do not know if these phenomena are tightly coupled to wall acidification or if they are the products of multiple independent signal transduction pathways.

In vivo hypertensive arterial wall uptake of radiolabeled liposomes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodis, H.N.; Amartey, J.K.; Crawford, D.W.; Wickham, E.; Blankenhorn, D.H.

1990-01-01

Using five sham-operated and seven aortic coarctation-induced hypertensive New Zealand White rabbits intravenously injected with neutral small unilamellar vesicles loaded with [111In]nitrilotriacetic acid, we demonstrated in vivo that the normal aortic arterial wall participates in liposome uptake and that this uptake is increased in the hypertensive aortic wall by approximately threefold (p less than or equal to 0.0001). Among the three regions examined, aortic arch, thoracic aorta, and lower abdominal aorta, the difference in uptake between the normotensive and hypertensive arterial walls was significantly different, p less than or equal to 0.05, p less than or equal to 0.0001, and p less than 0.05, respectively. The uptake by the different regions of the hypertensive arterial wall is consistent with the pathological changes present in these areas. Furthermore, the extent of liposome uptake by the aortic wall is strongly correlated with the height of the blood pressure (r = 0.85, p = 0.001, n = 11). We conclude that neutral small unilamellar liposomes can be used to carry agents into the arterial wall in vivo in the study of hypertensive vascular disease and could be especially useful for the delivery of pharmacologically or biologically active agents that would otherwise be inactivated within the circulation or are impermeable to the arterial wall

Cell wall pectin methyl-esterification and organic acids of root tips involve in aluminum tolerance in Camellia sinensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dongqin; Shu, Zaifa; Ye, Xiaoli; Zhu, Jiaojiao; Pan, Junting; Wang, Weidong; Chang, Pinpin; Cui, Chuanlei; Shen, Jiazhi; Fang, Wanping; Zhu, Xujun; Wang, Yuhua

2017-10-01

Tea plant (Camellia sinensis (O.) Kuntze) can survive from high levels of aluminum (Al) in strongly acidic soils. However, the mechanism driving its tolerance to Al, the predominant factor limiting plant growth in acid condition, is still not fully understood. Here, two-year-old rooted cuttings of C. sinensis cultivar 'Longjingchangye' were used for Al resistance experiments. We found that the tea plants grew better in the presence of 0.4 mM Al than those grew under lower concentration of Al treatments (0 and 0.1 mM) as well as higher levels treatment (2 and 4 mM), confirming that appropriate Al increased tea plant growth. Hematoxylin staining assay showed that the apical region was the main accumulator in tea plant root. Subsequently, immunolocalization of pectins in the root tip cell wall showed a rise in low-methyl-ester pectin levels and a reduction of high-methyl-ester pectin content with the increasing Al concentration of treatments. Furthermore, we observed the increased expressions of C. sinensis pectin methylesterase (CsPME) genes along with the increasing de-esterified pectin levels during response to Al treatments. Additionally, the levels of organic acids increased steadily after treatment with 0.1, 0.4 or 2 mM Al, while they dropped after treatment with 4 mM Al. The organic acids secretion from root followed a similar trend. Similarly, a gradual increase in malate dehydrogenase (MDH), citrate synthase (CS) and glycolate oxidase (GO) enzyme activities and relevant metabolic genes expression were detected after the treatment of 0.1, 0.4 or 2 mM Al, while a sharp decrease was resulted from treatment with 4 mM Al. These results confirm that both pectin methylesterases and organic acids contribute to Al tolerance in C. sinensis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Contributions of the σ(W) , σ(M) and σ(X) regulons to the lantibiotic resistome of Bacillus subtilis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kingston, Anthony W; Liao, Xiaojie; Helmann, John D

2013-11-01

In Bacillus subtilis, the extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors σ(M) , σ(W) and σ(X) all contribute to resistance against lantibiotics. Nisin, a model lantibiotic, has a dual mode of action: it inhibits cell wall synthesis by binding lipid II, and this complex also forms pores in the cytoplasmic membrane. These activities can be separated in a nisin hinge-region variant (N20P M21P) that binds lipid II, but no longer permeabilizes membranes. The major contribution of σ(M) to nisin resistance is expression of ltaSa, encoding a stress-activated lipoteichoic acid synthase, and σ(X) functions primarily by activation of the dlt operon controlling d-alanylation of teichoic acids. Together, σ(M) and σ(X) regulate cell envelope structure to decrease access of nisin to its lipid II target. In contrast, σ(W) is principally involved in protection against membrane permeabilization as it provides little protection against the nisin hinge region variant. σ(W) contributes to nisin resistance by regulation of a signal peptide peptidase (SppA), phage shock proteins (PspA and YvlC, a PspC homologue) and tellurite resistance related proteins (YceGHI). These defensive mechanisms are also effective against other lantibiotics such as mersacidin, gallidermin and subtilin and comprise an important subset of the intrinsic antibiotic resistome of B. subtilis. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Contributions of the σW, σM, and σX Regulons to the Lantibiotic Resistome of Bacillus subtilis

Science.gov (United States)

Kingston, Anthony W.; Liao, Xiaojie; Helmann, John D.

2014-01-01

Summary In Bacillus subtilis, the extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors σM, σW, and σX all contribute to resistance against lantibiotics. Nisin, a model lantibiotic, has a dual mode of action: it inhibits cell wall synthesis by binding lipid II, and this complex also forms pores in the cytoplasmic membrane. These activities can be separated in a nisin hinge-region variant (N20P M21P) that binds lipid II, but no longer permeabilizes membranes. The major contribution of σM to nisin resistance is expression of ltaSa, encoding a stress-activated lipoteichoic acid synthase, and σX functions primarily by activation of the dlt operon controlling D-alanylation of teichoic acids. Together, σM and σX regulate cell envelope structure to decrease access of nisin to its lipid II target. In contrast, σW is principally involved in protection against membrane permeabilization as it provides little protection against the nisin hinge region variant. σW contributes to nisin resistance by regulation of a signal peptide peptidase (SppA), phage shock proteins (PspA and YvlC, a PspC homolog), and tellurite resistance related proteins (YceGHI). These defensive mechanisms are also effective against other lantibiotics such as mersacidin, gallidermin, and subtilin and comprise an important subset of the intrinsic antibiotic resistome of B. subtilis. PMID:23980836

Investigation of nanocomposites made with poly(methacrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate)/poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guoqin, Liu; Wei, Miao [College of Material Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology (China); Lin-Jian, Shangguan, E-mail: mikepolymer@126.com [School of Mechanical Engineering, North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power (China)

2014-06-01

Poly(methacrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate) (P(MAA-co-MMA)) was prepared in the presence of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) via ultrasonic assisted solution free radical polymerization, i.e., P(MAA-co-MMA)/PVP/MWNTs nanocomposites. The morphology, glassy-state storage modulus, thermal behavior and swelling characteristics of P(MAA-co-MMA)/PVP/MWNTs nanocomposites were investigated. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) revealed that MWNTs at low concentration could be uniformly dispersed into P(MAA-co-MMA)/PVP blends. With increasing MWNTs weight fraction, the average glassy-state modulus, glass transition temperatures and decomposition temperature of the nanocomposites increased, but their swelling characteristics decreased. (author)

A new method of preparing single-walled carbon nanotubes

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A novel method of purification for single-walled carbon nanotubes, prepared by an arc-discharge method, is described. The method involves a combination of acid washing followed by high temperature hydrogen treatment to remove the metal nanoparticles and amorphous carbon present in the as-synthesized singlewalled ...

A sulfuric-lactic acid process for efficient purification of fungal chitosan with intact molecular weight.

Science.gov (United States)

Naghdi, Mitra; Zamani, Akram; Karimi, Keikhosro

2014-02-01

The most recent method of fungal chitosan purification, i.e., two steps of dilute sulfuric acid treatment, pretreatment of cell wall at room temperature for phosphate removal and extraction of chitosan from the phosphate free cell wall at high temperature, significantly reduces the chitosan molecular weight. This study was aimed at improvement of this method. In the pretreatment step, to choose the best conditions, cell wall of Rhizopus oryzae, containing 9% phosphate, 10% glucosamine, and 21% N-acetyl glucosamine, was treated with sulfuric, lactic, acetic, nitric, or hydrochloric acid, at room temperature. Sulfuric acid showed the best performance in phosphate removal (90%) and cell wall recovery (89%). To avoid depolymerisation of chitosan, hot sulfuric acid extraction was replaced with lactic acid treatment at room temperature, and a pure fungal chitosan was obtained (0.12 g/g cell wall). Similar pretreatment and extraction processes were conducted on pure shrimp chitosan and resulted in a chitosan recovery of higher than 87% while the reduction of chitosan viscosity was less than 15%. Therefore, the sulfuric-lactic acid method purified the fungal chitosan without significant molecular weight manipulation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of xylan in the early stages of secondary cell wall formation in tobacco bright yellow-2 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishii, Tadashi; Matsuoka, Keita; Ono, Hiroshi; Ohnishi-Kameyama, Mayumi; Yaoi, Katsuro; Nakano, Yoshimi; Ohtani, Misato; Demura, Taku; Iwai, Hiroaki; Satoh, Shinobu

2017-11-15

The major polysaccharides present in the primary and secondary walls surrounding plant cells have been well characterized. However, our knowledge of the early stages of secondary wall formation is limited. To address this, cell walls were isolated from differentiating xylem vessel elements of tobacco bright yellow-2 (BY-2) cells induced by VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN7 (VND7). The walls of induced VND7-VP16-GR BY-2 cells consisted of cellulose, pectic polysaccharides, hemicelluloses, and lignin, and contained more xylan and cellulose compared with non-transformed BY-2 and uninduced VND7-VP16-GR BY-2 cells. A reducing end sequence of xylan containing rhamnose and galaturonic acid- residues is present in the walls of induced, uninduced, and non-transformed BY-2 cells. Glucuronic acid residues in xylan from walls of induced cells are O-methylated, while those of xylan in non-transformed BY-2 and uninduced cells are not. Our results show that xylan changes in chemical structure and amounts during the early stages of xylem differentiation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decoration of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes by Metal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The powder patterns of the as-prepared and acid treated MWCNTs are shown by the XRD spectra. The TEM results show the microstructure of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes well decorated with metal nanoparticles (Cu, Fe, Ni) and metal oxides (CuO, Fe2O3, NiO), while the SEM show the surface morphology.

Selective response of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Selective response of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid and uric acid at gold nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes grafted with ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid modified electrode.

Adaptation of Candida albicans to environmental pH induces cell wall remodelling and enhances innate immune recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Sorsby, Eleanor; Mahtey, Nabeel; Brown, Ian

2017-01-01

Candida albicans is able to proliferate in environments that vary dramatically in ambient pH, a trait required for colonising niches such as the stomach, vaginal mucosal and the GI tract. Here we show that growth in acidic environments involves cell wall remodelling which results in enhanced chitin and β-glucan exposure at the cell wall periphery. Unmasking of the underlying immuno-stimulatory β-glucan in acidic environments enhanced innate immune recognition of C. albicans by macrophages and neutrophils, and induced a stronger proinflammatory cytokine response, driven through the C-type lectin-like receptor, Dectin-1. This enhanced inflammatory response resulted in significant recruitment of neutrophils in an intraperitoneal model of infection, a hallmark of symptomatic vaginal colonisation. Enhanced chitin exposure resulted from reduced expression of the cell wall chitinase Cht2, via a Bcr1-Rim101 dependent signalling cascade, while increased β-glucan exposure was regulated via a non-canonical signalling pathway. We propose that this “unmasking” of the cell wall may induce non-protective hyper activation of the immune system during growth in acidic niches, and may attribute to symptomatic vaginal infection. PMID:28542528

Adaptation of Candida albicans to environmental pH induces cell wall remodelling and enhances innate immune recognition.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah L Sherrington

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Candida albicans is able to proliferate in environments that vary dramatically in ambient pH, a trait required for colonising niches such as the stomach, vaginal mucosal and the GI tract. Here we show that growth in acidic environments involves cell wall remodelling which results in enhanced chitin and β-glucan exposure at the cell wall periphery. Unmasking of the underlying immuno-stimulatory β-glucan in acidic environments enhanced innate immune recognition of C. albicans by macrophages and neutrophils, and induced a stronger proinflammatory cytokine response, driven through the C-type lectin-like receptor, Dectin-1. This enhanced inflammatory response resulted in significant recruitment of neutrophils in an intraperitoneal model of infection, a hallmark of symptomatic vaginal colonisation. Enhanced chitin exposure resulted from reduced expression of the cell wall chitinase Cht2, via a Bcr1-Rim101 dependent signalling cascade, while increased β-glucan exposure was regulated via a non-canonical signalling pathway. We propose that this "unmasking" of the cell wall may induce non-protective hyper activation of the immune system during growth in acidic niches, and may attribute to symptomatic vaginal infection.

Physcomitrella patens activates reinforcement of the cell wall, programmed cell death and accumulation of evolutionary conserved defence signals, such as salicylic acid and 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid, but not jasmonic acid, upon Botrytis cinerea infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponce De León, Inés; Schmelz, Eric A; Gaggero, Carina; Castro, Alexandra; Álvarez, Alfonso; Montesano, Marcos

2012-10-01

The moss Physcomitrella patens is an evolutionarily basal model system suitable for the analysis of plant defence responses activated after pathogen assault. Upon infection with the necrotroph Botrytis cinerea, several defence mechanisms are induced in P. patens, including the fortification of the plant cell wall by the incorporation of phenolic compounds and the induced expression of related genes. Botrytis cinerea infection also activates the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and cell death with hallmarks of programmed cell death in moss tissues. Salicylic acid (SA) levels also increase after fungal infection, and treatment with SA enhances transcript accumulation of the defence gene phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) in P. patens colonies. The expression levels of the genes involved in 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) synthesis, including lipoxygenase (LOX) and allene oxide synthase (AOS), increase in P. patens gametophytes after pathogen assault, together with a rise in free linolenic acid and OPDA concentrations. However, jasmonic acid (JA) could not be detected in healthy or infected tissues of this plant. Our results suggest that, although conserved defence signals, such as SA and OPDA, are synthesized and are probably involved in the defence response of P. patens against B. cinerea infection, JA production appears to be missing. Interestingly, P. patens responds to OPDA and methyl jasmonate by reducing moss colony growth and rhizoid length, suggesting that jasmonate perception is present in mosses. Thus, P. patens can provide clues with regard to the evolution of different defence pathways in plants, including signalling and perception of OPDA and jasmonates in nonflowering and flowering plants. © 2012 THE AUTHORS. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY © 2012 BSPP AND BLACKWELL PUBLISHING LTD.

A mineral quantification method for wall rocks at open pit mines, and application to the Martha Au-Ag mine, Waihi, New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castendyk, Devin N.; Mauk, Jeffrey L.; Webster, Jenny G.

2005-01-01

Pit lakes that result from open pit mining are potential water resources or potential environmental problems, depending on lake water quality. Wall rock mineralogy can affect lake chemistry if surface water inputs and/or groundwater inputs and/or lake water in contact with submerged wall rocks react with the wall rock minerals. This study presents a mineral quantification method to measure the distribution and concentration of wall rock minerals in open pit mines, and applies the method to the Martha epithermal Au-Ag mine, Waihi, New Zealand. Heterogeneous ore deposits, like Martha, require a large number of wall rock samples to accurately define mineral distributions. X-ray diffraction analyses of 125 wall rock samples identified the most abundant minerals in the wall rocks as quartz, adularia, albite, illite, chlorite, kaolinite, pyrite and calcite. Distribution maps of these minerals defined 8 relatively homogenous areas of wall rock referred to as 'mineral associations': weakly-altered, propylitic, fresh-argillic, weathered-argillic, oxidized, potassic, quartz veins, and post-mineralization deposits. X-ray fluorescence, Leco furnace, and neutron activation analyses of 46 representative samples produced the geochemical dataset used to assign quantities of elements to observed minerals, and to calculate average mineral concentrations in each association. Thin-section petrography and calcite concentrations from Sobek acid-digestions confirm the calculated mineralogy, providing validation for the method. Calcite and pyrite concentrations allowed advanced acid-base accounting for each mineral association, identifying 3 potential acid-producing associations and one potential acid-neutralizing association. The results target areas, where detailed hydrologic and kinetic tests would be valuable in the next stage of pit lake evaluation. Detailed understanding of wall rock mineralogy will help strengthen predictions of pit lake water quality

A mineral quantification method for wall rocks at open pit mines, and application to the Martha Au-Ag mine, Waihi, New Zealand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castendyk, Devin N. [Environmental Science, SGES, University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus, Private Bag 92019, Auckland (New Zealand)]. E-mail: d.castendyk@auckland.ac.nz; Mauk, Jeffrey L. [Geology Department, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland (New Zealand); Webster, Jenny G. [Environmental Science, SGES, University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus, Private Bag 92019, Auckland (New Zealand)

2005-01-01

Pit lakes that result from open pit mining are potential water resources or potential environmental problems, depending on lake water quality. Wall rock mineralogy can affect lake chemistry if surface water inputs and/or groundwater inputs and/or lake water in contact with submerged wall rocks react with the wall rock minerals. This study presents a mineral quantification method to measure the distribution and concentration of wall rock minerals in open pit mines, and applies the method to the Martha epithermal Au-Ag mine, Waihi, New Zealand. Heterogeneous ore deposits, like Martha, require a large number of wall rock samples to accurately define mineral distributions. X-ray diffraction analyses of 125 wall rock samples identified the most abundant minerals in the wall rocks as quartz, adularia, albite, illite, chlorite, kaolinite, pyrite and calcite. Distribution maps of these minerals defined 8 relatively homogenous areas of wall rock referred to as 'mineral associations': weakly-altered, propylitic, fresh-argillic, weathered-argillic, oxidized, potassic, quartz veins, and post-mineralization deposits. X-ray fluorescence, Leco furnace, and neutron activation analyses of 46 representative samples produced the geochemical dataset used to assign quantities of elements to observed minerals, and to calculate average mineral concentrations in each association. Thin-section petrography and calcite concentrations from Sobek acid-digestions confirm the calculated mineralogy, providing validation for the method. Calcite and pyrite concentrations allowed advanced acid-base accounting for each mineral association, identifying 3 potential acid-producing associations and one potential acid-neutralizing association. The results target areas, where detailed hydrologic and kinetic tests would be valuable in the next stage of pit lake evaluation. Detailed understanding of wall rock mineralogy will help strengthen predictions of pit lake water quality.

Removal of oxidative fragments from chemically functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Hamzah Harun; Whitby, Raymond; Khairul Zaman Dahlan; Nik Ghazali Nik Salleh; Mohd Sofian Alias; Mahathir Mohamed; Mohd Yusof Hamzah; Mohd Faizal Abdul Rahman

2010-01-01

Acid oxidized multi-walled carbon nano tubes (MWCNTs) were prepared by refluxing MWCNTs with nitric acid (70 %). To remove the oxidative fragment/ debris, in which partially attached onto the carbon nano tubes lattice, the functionalized MWCNTs (f-MWCNTs) then were refluxed with NaOH (1M) and followed with HCl (1M) wash. The presence of carboxylic group that covalently attached onto the MWCNTs lattice are confirmed with acid-base titration. The TEM image shows the comparison of pure MWCNTs, f-MWCNTs and base-acid wash of f-MWCNTs. (author)

A synthetic auxin (NAA) suppresses secondary wall cellulose synthesis and enhances elongation in cultured cotton fiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Bir; Cheek, Hannah D; Haigler, Candace H

2009-07-01

Use of a synthetic auxin (naphthalene-1-acetic acid, NAA) to start (Gossypium hirsutum) ovule/fiber cultures hindered fiber secondary wall cellulose synthesis compared with natural auxin (indole-3-acetic acid, IAA). In contrast, NAA promoted fiber elongation and ovule weight gain, which resulted in larger ovule/fiber units. To reach these conclusions, fiber and ovule growth parameters were measured and cell wall characteristics were examined microscopically. The differences in fiber from NAA and IAA culture were underpinned by changes in the expression patterns of marker genes for three fiber developmental stages (elongation, the transition stage, and secondary wall deposition), and these gene expression patterns were also analyzed quantitatively in plant-grown fiber. The results demonstrate that secondary wall cellulose synthesis: (1) is under strong transcriptional control that is influenced by auxin; and (2) must be specifically characterized in the cotton ovule/fiber culture system given the many protocol variables employed in different laboratories.

The role of beneficial bacteria wall elasticity in regulating innate immune response

OpenAIRE

?okrozub, Viktoria V.; Lazarenko, Liudmyla M.; Sichel, Liubov M.; Babenko, Lidia P.; Lytvyn, Petro M.; Demchenko, Olga M.; Melnichenko, Yulia O.; Boyko, Nadiya V.; Biavati, Bruno; DiGioia, Diana; Bubnov, Rostyslav V.; Spivak, Mykola Ya

2015-01-01

Background Probiotics have great potential to contribute to development of healthy dietary regimes, preventive care, and an integrated approach to immunity-related disease management. The bacterial wall is a dynamic entity, depending on many components and playing an essential role in modulating immune response. The impact of cell wall elasticity on the beneficial effects of probiotic strains has not been sufficiently studied. The aim was to investigate the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB...

Water-Dispersible Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Novel Hybrid Nanostructures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pham, Tuan Anh; Son, Se Mo; Jeong, Yeon Tae

2010-01-01

Water-dispersible multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were successfully prepared by the chemical grafting of acylated MWNTs with adenosine. The MWNTs were first purified and oxidized in order to obtain carboxylic acid funcionalized MWNTs, which was further acylated with thionyl chloride to give

The Arabidopsis GASA10 gene encodes a cell wall protein strongly expressed in developing anthers and seeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Trapalis, Menelaos; Li, Song Feng; Parish, Roger W

2017-07-01

The Arabidopsis GASA10 gene encodes a GAST1-like (Gibberellic Acid-Stimulated) protein. Reporter gene analysis identified consistent expression in anthers and seeds. In anthers expression was developmentally regulated, first appearing at stage 7 of anther development and reaching a maximum at stage 11. Strongest expression was in the tapetum and developing microspores. GASA10 expression also occurred throughout the seed and in root vasculature. GASA10 was shown to be transported to the cell wall. Using GASA1 and GASA6 as positive controls, gibberellic acid was found not to induce GASA10 expression in Arabidopsis suspension cells. Overexpression of GASA10 (35S promoter-driven) resulted in a reduction in silique elongation. GASA10 shares structural similarities to the antimicrobial peptide snakin1, however, purified GASA10 failed to influence the growth of a variety of bacterial and fungal species tested. We propose cell wall associated GASA proteins are involved in regulating the hydroxyl radical levels at specific sites in the cell wall to facilitate wall growth (regulating cell wall elongation). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surfaceome and Proteosurfaceome in Parietal Monoderm Bacteria: Focus on Protein Cell-Surface Display

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mickaël Desvaux

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The cell envelope of parietal monoderm bacteria (archetypal Gram-positive bacteria is formed of a cytoplasmic membrane (CM and a cell wall (CW. While the CM is composed of phospholipids, the CW is composed at least of peptidoglycan (PG covalently linked to other biopolymers, such as teichoic acids, polysaccharides, and/or polyglutamate. Considering the CW is a porous structure with low selective permeability contrary to the CM, the bacterial cell surface hugs the molecular figure of the CW components as a well of the external side of the CM. While the surfaceome corresponds to the totality of the molecules found at the bacterial cell surface, the proteinaceous complement of the surfaceome is the proteosurfaceome. Once translocated across the CM, secreted proteins can either be released in the extracellular milieu or exposed at the cell surface by associating to the CM or the CW. Following the gene ontology (GO for cellular components, cell-surface proteins at the CM can either be integral (GO: 0031226, i.e., the integral membrane proteins, or anchored to the membrane (GO: 0046658, i.e., the lipoproteins. At the CW (GO: 0009275, cell-surface proteins can be covalently bound, i.e., the LPXTG-proteins, or bound through weak interactions to the PG or wall polysaccharides, i.e., the cell wall binding proteins. Besides monopolypeptides, some proteins can associate to each other to form supramolecular protein structures of high molecular weight, namely the S-layer, pili, flagella, and cellulosomes. After reviewing the cell envelope components and the different molecular mechanisms involved in protein attachment to the cell envelope, perspectives in investigating the proteosurfaceome in parietal monoderm bacteria are further discussed.

Aortic wall damage in mice unable to synthesize ascorbic acid

OpenAIRE

Maeda, Nobuyo; Hagihara, Hiroyuki; Nakata, Yukiko; Hiller, Sylvia; Wilder, Jennifer; Reddick, Robert

2000-01-01

By inactivating the gene for l-gulono-γ-lactone oxidase, a key enzyme in ascorbic acid synthesis, we have generated mice that, like humans, depend on dietary vitamin C. Regular chow, containing about 110 mg/kg of vitamin C, is unable to support the growth of the mutant mice, which require l-ascorbic acid supplemented in their drinking water (330 mg/liter). Upon withdrawal of supplementation, plasma and tissue ascorbic acid levels decreased to 10–15% of normal within 2 weeks, and after 5 weeks...

Characteristics of wall pressure over wall with permeable coating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Woo Seog; Shin, Seungyeol; Lee, Seungbae [Inha Univ., Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

2012-11-15

Fluctuating wall pressures were measured using an array of 16 piezoelectric transducers beneath a turbulent boundary layer. The coating used in this experiment was an open cell, urethane type foam with a porosity of approximately 50 ppi. The ultimate objective of the coating is to provide a mechanical filter to reduce the wall pressure fluctuations. The ultimate objective of the coating is to provide a mechanical filter to reduce the wall pressure fluctuations. The boundary layer on the flat plate was measured by using a hot wire probe, and the CPM method was used to determine the skin friction coefficient. The wall pressure autospectra and streamwise wavenumber frequency spectra were compared to assess the attenuation of the wall pressure field by the coating. The coating is shown to attenuate the convective wall pressure energy. However, the relatively rough surface of the coating in this investigation resulted in a higher mean wall shear stress, thicker boundary layer, and higher low frequency wall pressure spectral levels compared to a smooth wall.

Molecular imprinting at walls of silica nanotubes for TNT recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Chenggen; Liu, Bianhua; Wang, Zhenyang; Gao, Daming; Guan, Guijian; Zhang, Zhongping

2008-01-15

This paper reports the molecular imprinting at the walls of highly uniform silica nanotubes for the recognition of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). It has been demonstrated that TNT templates were efficiently imprinted into the matrix of silica through the strong acid-base pairing interaction between TNT and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS). TNT-imprinted silica nanotubes were synthesized by the gelation reaction between APTS and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), selectively occurring at the porous walls of APTS-modified alumina membranes. The removal of the original TNT templates leaves the imprinted cavities with covalently anchored amine groups at the cavity walls. A high density of recognition sites with molecular selectivity to the TNT analyte was created at the wall of silica nanotubes. Furthermore, most of these recognition sites are situated at the inside and outside surfaces of tubular walls and in the proximity of the two surfaces due to the ultrathin wall thickness of only 15 nm, providing a better site accessibility and lower mass-transfer resistance. Therefore, greater capacity and faster kinetics of uptaking target species were achieved. The silica nanotube reported herein is an ideal form of material for imprinting various organic or biological molecules toward applications in chemical/biological sensors and bioassay.

Direct electrodeposition of gold nanotube arrays of rough and porous wall by cyclic voltammetry and its applications of simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid and uric acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang Guangming, E-mail: yangguangmingbs@126.com [Department of Resources and Environment, Baoshan University, Baoshan 678000 (China); Ling, Li [Department of Resources and Environment, Baoshan University, Baoshan 678000 (China); Jinhe, Jiang; Yunhui, Yang [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650092 (China)

2012-08-01

Gold nanotube arrays of rough and porous wall has been synthesized by direct electrodeposition with cyclic voltammetry utilizing anodic aluminum oxide template (AAO) and polycarbonate membrane (PC) during short time (only 3 min and 2 min, respectively). The mechanism of the direct electrodeposition of gold nanotube arrays by cyclic voltammetry (CV) has been discussed. The morphological characterizations of the gold nanotube arrays have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was constructed by attaching gold nanotube arrays (using AAO) onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The electrochemical behavior of AA and UA at this modified electrode has been studied by CV and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The sensor offers an excellent response for AA and UA and the linear response range for AA and UA were 1.02 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -7}-5.23 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} mol L{sup -1} and 1.43 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -7}-4.64 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} mol L{sup -1}, the detection limits were 1.12 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -8} mol L{sup -1} and 2.24 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -8} mol L{sup -1}, respectively. This sensor shows good regeneration, stability and selectivity and has been used for the determination of AA and UA in real human urine and serum samples with satisfied results. - Graphical abstract: The schematic diagram of formation of Au nanotube arrays (a) and the stepwise procedure of the sensor (b). Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Gold nanotubes array has been synthesized by cyclic voltammetry. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The mechanism of deposition of gold nanotube has been discussed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A determination of ascorbic acid and uric acid was constructed by gold array. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A satisfied determination of samples can be obtained by this sensor.

Hot-wall corrosion testing of simulated high level nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandler, G.T.; Zapp, P.E.; Mickalonis, J.I.

1995-01-01

Three materials of construction for steam tubes used in the evaporation of high level radioactive waste were tested under heat flux conditions, referred to as hot-wall tests. The materials were type 304L stainless steel alloy C276, and alloy G3. Non-radioactive acidic and alkaline salt solutions containing halides and mercury simulated different high level waste solutions stored or processed at the United States Department of Energy's Savannah River Site. Alloy C276 was also tested for corrosion susceptibility under steady-state conditions. The nickel-based alloys C276 and G3 exhibited excellent corrosion resistance under the conditions studied. Alloy C276 was not susceptible to localized corrosion and had a corrosion rate of 0.01 mpy (0.25 μm/y) when exposed to acidic waste sludge and precipitate slurry at a hot-wall temperature of 150 degrees C. Type 304L was susceptible to localized corrosion under the same conditions. Alloy G3 had a corrosion rate of 0.1 mpy (2.5 μm/y) when exposed to caustic high level waste evaporator solution at a hot-wall temperature of 220 degrees C compared to 1.1 mpy (28.0 μ/y) for type 304L. Under extreme caustic conditions (45 weight percent sodium hydroxide) G3 had a corrosion rate of 0.1 mpy (2.5 μm/y) at a hot-wall temperature of 180 degrees C while type 304L had a high corrosion rate of 69.4 mpy (1.8 mm/y)

Size Control of Porous Silicon-Based Nanoparticles via Pore-Wall Thinning.

Science.gov (United States)

Secret, Emilie; Leonard, Camille; Kelly, Stefan J; Uhl, Amanda; Cozzan, Clayton; Andrew, Jennifer S

2016-02-02

Photoluminescent silicon nanocrystals are very attractive for biomedical and electronic applications. Here a new process is presented to synthesize photoluminescent silicon nanocrystals with diameters smaller than 6 nm from a porous silicon template. These nanoparticles are formed using a pore-wall thinning approach, where the as-etched porous silicon layer is partially oxidized to silica, which is dissolved by a hydrofluoric acid solution, decreasing the pore-wall thickness. This decrease in pore-wall thickness leads to a corresponding decrease in the size of the nanocrystals that make up the pore walls, resulting in the formation of smaller nanoparticles during sonication of the porous silicon. Particle diameters were measured using dynamic light scattering, and these values were compared with the nanocrystallite size within the pore wall as determined from X-ray diffraction. Additionally, an increase in the quantum confinement effect is observed for these particles through an increase in the photoluminescence intensity of the nanoparticles compared with the as-etched nanoparticles, without the need for a further activation step by oxidation after synthesis.

Soya beans and maize : the effect of chemical and physical structure of cell wall polysaccharides on fermentation kinetics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laar, van H.

2000-01-01

The analysis of the relationship between cell wall composition and fermentation of endosperm cell walls of soya beans and maize was approached from three different angles. Firstly, the fermentation (rate and extent of fermentation, the sugar degradation pattern, and volatile fatty acid

Arginine- and Polyamine-Induced Lactic Acid Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng Gong

Full Text Available Microbe-derived lactic acid protects women from pathogens in their genital tract. The purpose of this study was to determine lactic acid susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and identify potential acid resistance mechanisms present in this pathogen. Tested in vitro, lactic acid killed all 10 gonococcal strains analyzed in a low pH-dependent manner. Full inactivation occurred at pH 4.5. At low pH, lactic acid treatment resulted in the entry of the DNA-binding fluorochrome propidium iodide into the microbial cells, suggesting that hydrogen ions from lactic acid compromise the integrity of the bacterial cell wall/membrane. Most likely, hydrogen ions also inactivate intracellular proteins since arginine rendered significant protection against lactic acid presumably through action of the gonococcal arginine decarboxylase, an enzyme located in the bacterial cytoplasm. Surprisingly, arginine also lessened lactic acid-mediated cell wall/membrane disruption. This effect is probably mediated by agmatine, a triamine product of arginine decarboxylase, since agmatine demonstrated a stronger protective effect on GC than arginine at equal molar concentration. In addition to agmatine, diamines cadaverine and putrescine, which are generated by bacterial vaginosis-associated microbes, also induced significant resistance to lactic acid-mediated GC killing and cell wall/membrane disruption. These findings suggest that the arginine-rich semen protects gonococci through both neutralization-dependent and independent mechanisms, whereas polyamine-induced acid resistance contributes to the increased risk of gonorrhea in women with bacterial vaginosis.

Cell wall and DNA cosegregation in Bacillus subtilis studied by electron microscope autoradiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlaeppi, J.M.; Schaefer, O.; Karamata, D.

1985-01-01

Cells of a Bacillus subtilis mutant deficient in both major autolytic enzyme activities were continuously labeled in either cell wall or DNA or both cell wall and DNA. After appropriate periods of chase in minimal as well as in rich medium, thin sections of cells were autoradiographed and examined by electron microscopy. The resolution of the method was adequate to distinguish labeled DNA units from cell wall units. The latter, which could be easily identified, were shown to segregate symmetrically, suggesting a zonal mode of new wall insertion. DNA units could also be clearly recognized despite a limited fragmentation; they segregated asymmetrically with respect to the nearest septum. Analysis of cells simultaneously labeled in cell wall and DNA provided clear visual evidence of their regular but asymmetrical cosegregation, confirming a previous report obtained by light microscope autoradiography. In addition to labeled wall units, electron microscopy of thin sections of aligned cells has revealed fibrillar networks of wall material which are frequently associated with the cell surface. Most likely, these structures correspond to wall sloughed off by the turnover mechanism but not yet degraded to filterable or acid-soluble components

Combined electron microscopy and spectroscopy characterization of as-received, acid purified, and oxidized HiPCO single-wall carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosario-Castro, Belinda I.; Contes, Enid J.; Lebron-Colon, Marisabel; Meador, Michael A.; Sanchez-Pomales, Germarie; Cabrera, Carlos R.

2009-01-01

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are very important materials due to their combination of unique structure, dimension, strength, chemical stability, and electronic properties. Nevertheless, SWCNTs from commercial sources usually contain several impurities, which are usually removed by a purification process that includes reflux in acids and strong oxidation. This strong chemical procedure may alter the nanotube properties and it is thus important to control the extent of functionalization and oxidation during the purification procedure. In this report, we provide a comprehensive study of the structure and physical composition of SWCNTs during each step of the purification process. Techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Infrared spectroscopy were used to track the SWCNTs structure, in terms of length and diameter distribution, and surface chemical modifications during each purification stage.

Reinforcement mechanism of multi-anchor wall with double wall facing

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Kouta; Kobayashi, Makoto; Miura, Kinya; Konami, Takeharu; Hayashi, Taketo

2017-10-01

The reinforced soil wall has high seismic performance as generally known. However, the seismic behavior has not been clarified accurately yet, especially on multi-anchor wall with double wall facing. Indefinite behavior of reinforced soil wall during earthquake make us complicated in case with adopting to the abutment, because of arrangement of anchor plate as reinforcement often different according to the width of roads. In this study, a series of centrifuge model tests were carried out to investigate the reinforcement mechanism of multi anchor wall with double wall facing from the perspective of the vertical earth pressure. Several types of reinforce arrangement and rigid wall were applied in order to verify the arch function in the reinforced regions. The test results show unique behavior of vertical earth pressure, which was affected by arch action. All the vertical earth pressure placed behind facing panel, are larger than that of middle part between facing panel despite of friction between backfill and facing panel. Similar results were obtained in case using rigid wall. On the other hands, the vertical earth pressure, which were measured at the 3cm high from bottom of model container, shows larger than that of bottom. This results show the existence of arch action between double walls. In addition, it implies that the wall facing of such soil structure confined the backfill as pseudo wall, which is very reason that the multi anchor wall with double wall facing has high seismic performance.

Isolation of beta-glucan from the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Shokri, Hojjatollah; Asadi, Farzad; Khosravi, Ali Reza

2008-03-20

Beta-glucan, one of the major cell wall components of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae), has been found to enhance immune functions. At present study, we developed an optimal procedure to extract and purify beta-glucan. At first, yeast cells were grown in sabouraud dextrose agar and then cultured in yeast extract-peptone-glucose (YPG) broth. After incubation, cells were harvested, washed and disrupted by means of sonication method. The obtained cell walls were used to prepare alkali-soluble beta-glucan (glucan-S1). In this regard, 2% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and 3% acetic acid were used in alkaline-acid extraction, respectively. This preparation contained 2.4% protein. In the next step, DEAE sephacel chromatography was used to remove remaining proteins (glucan-S2). Subsequently this preparation was applied into concanavalin-A sepharose column to remove manann. Finally, beta-glucan free of mannoprotein complexes was prepared (glucan-S3).

Intestinal release and uptake of phenolic antioxidant diferulic acids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreasen, Mette Findal; Kroon, P A; Williamson, G

2001-01-01

Diferulic acids are potent antioxidants and are abundant structural components of plant cell walls, especially in cereal brans. As such, they are part of many human and animal diets and may contribute to the beneficial effect of cereal brans on health. However, these phenolics are ester-linked to......Diferulic acids are potent antioxidants and are abundant structural components of plant cell walls, especially in cereal brans. As such, they are part of many human and animal diets and may contribute to the beneficial effect of cereal brans on health. However, these phenolics are ester...... system. Our results suggest that the phenolic antioxidant diferulic acids are bioavailable. Udgivelsesdato: 2001-Aug-1...

Defective Pollen Wall 2 ( DPW2 ) Encodes an Acyl Transferase Required for Rice Pollen Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Dawei [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Joint International Research Lab. of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences; Shi, Jianxin [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Joint International Research Lab. of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences; Rautengarten, Carsten [Univ. of Melbourne (Australia). ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Joint BioEnergy Inst. and Biological Systems and Engineering Division; Yang, Li [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Joint International Research Lab. of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences; Qian, Xiaoling [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Joint International Research Lab. of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences; Uzair, Muhammad [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Joint International Research Lab. of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences; Zhu, Lu [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Joint International Research Lab. of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences; Luo, Qian [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Joint International Research Lab. of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences; An, Gynheung [Kyung Hee Univ., Yongin (Korea). Crop Biotech Inst.; Waßmann, Fritz [Univ. of Bonn (Germany). Inst. of Cellular and Molecular Botany; Schreiber, Lukas [Univ. of Bonn (Germany). Inst. of Cellular and Molecular Botany; Heazlewood, Joshua L. [Univ. of Melbourne (Australia). ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Joint BioEnergy Inst. and Biological Systems and Engineering Division; Scheller, Henrik Vibe [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Joint BioEnergy Inst. and Biological Systems and Engineering Division; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Plant and Microbial Biology; Hu, Jianping [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). Dept. of Energy Plant Research Lab.; Zhang, Dabing [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Joint International Research Lab. of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences; Univ. of Adelaide, SA (Australia). School of Agriculture, Food and Wine; Liang, Wanqi [Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Joint International Research Lab. of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences

2016-05-31

Aliphatic and aromatic lipids are both essential structural components of the plant cuticle, an important interface between the plant and environment. Although cross links between aromatic and aliphatic or other moieties are known to be associated with the formation of leaf cutin and root and seed suberin, the contribution of aromatic lipids to the biosynthesis of anther cuticles and pollen walls remains elusive. In this study, we characterized the rice (Oryza sativa) male sterile mutant, defective pollen wall 2 (dpw2), which showed an abnormal anther cuticle, a defective pollen wall, and complete male sterility. Compared with the wild type, dpw2 anthers have increased amounts of cutin and waxes and decreased levels of lipidic and phenolic compounds. DPW2 encodes a cytoplasmically localized BAHD acyltransferase. In vitro assays demonstrated that recombinant DPW2 specifically transfers hydroxycinnamic acid moieties, using v-hydroxy fatty acids as acyl acceptors and hydroxycinnamoyl-CoAs as acyl donors. Thus, The cytoplasmic hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:v-hydroxy fatty acid transferase DPW2 plays a fundamental role in male reproduction via the biosynthesis of key components of the anther cuticle and pollen wall.

Oxalic acid has an additional, detoxifying function in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum pathogenesis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annerose Heller

Full Text Available The mechanism of the diseases caused by the necrotroph plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is not well understood. To investigate the role of oxalic acid during infection high resolution, light-, scanning-, transmission electron microscopy and various histochemical staining methods were used. Our inoculation method allowed us to follow degradation of host plant tissue around single hyphae and to observe the reaction of host cells in direct contact with single invading hyphae. After penetration the outer epidermal cell wall matrix appeared degraded around subcuticular hyphae (12-24 hpi. Calcium oxalate crystals were detected in advanced (36-48 hpi and late (72 hpi infection stages, but not in early stages. In early infection stages, surprisingly, no toxic effect of oxalic acid eventually secreted by S. sclerotiorum was observed. As oxalic acid is a common metabolite in plants, we propose that attacked host cells are able to metabolize oxalic acid in the early infection stage and translocate it to their vacuoles where it is stored as calcium oxalate. The effects, observed on healthy tissue upon external application of oxalic acid to non-infected, living tissue and cell wall degradation of dead host cells starting at the inner side of the walls support this idea. The results indicate that oxalic acid concentrations in the early stage of infection stay below the toxic level. In plant and fungi oxalic acid/calcium oxalate plays an important role in calcium regulation. Oxalic acid likely could quench calcium ions released during cell wall breakdown to protect growing hyphae from toxic calcium concentrations in the infection area. As calcium antimonate-precipitates were found in vesicles of young hyphae, we propose that calcium is translocated to the older parts of hyphae and detoxified by building non-toxic, stable oxalate crystals. We propose an infection model where oxalic acid plays a detoxifying role in late infection stages.

Wind tunnels with adapted walls for reducing wall interference

Science.gov (United States)

Ganzer, U.

1979-01-01

The basic principle of adaptable wind tunnel walls is explained. First results of an investigation carried out at the Aero-Space Institute of Berlin Technical University are presented for two dimensional flexible walls and a NACA 0012 airfoil. With five examples exhibiting very different flow conditions it is demonstrated that it is possible to reduce wall interference and to avoid blockage at transonic speeds by wall adaptation.

Inverse measurement of wall pressure field in flexible-wall wind tunnels using global wall deformation data

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Kenneth; Brown, Julian; Patil, Mayuresh; Devenport, William

2018-02-01

The Kevlar-wall anechoic wind tunnel offers great value to the aeroacoustics research community, affording the capability to make simultaneous aeroacoustic and aerodynamic measurements. While the aeroacoustic potential of the Kevlar-wall test section is already being leveraged, the aerodynamic capability of these test sections is still to be fully realized. The flexibility of the Kevlar walls suggests the possibility that the internal test section flow may be characterized by precisely measuring small deflections of the flexible walls. Treating the Kevlar fabric walls as tensioned membranes with known pre-tension and material properties, an inverse stress problem arises where the pressure distribution over the wall is sought as a function of the measured wall deflection. Experimental wall deformations produced by the wind loading of an airfoil model are measured using digital image correlation and subsequently projected onto polynomial basis functions which have been formulated to mitigate the impact of measurement noise based on a finite-element study. Inserting analytic derivatives of the basis functions into the equilibrium relations for a membrane, full-field pressure distributions across the Kevlar walls are computed. These inversely calculated pressures, after being validated against an independent measurement technique, can then be integrated along the length of the test section to give the sectional lift of the airfoil. Notably, these first-time results are achieved with a non-contact technique and in an anechoic environment.

Mechanical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube/epoxy polysulfide nanocomposite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirkavand Hadavand, Behzad; Mahdavi Javid, Kimya; Gharagozlou, Mehrnaz

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Preparation of epoxy polysulfide nanocomposite. ► Multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been modified and dispersed in epoxy polysulfide matrix. ► Mechanical properties of MWNT/epoxy polysulfide have been studied. - Abstract: In this research, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified by acid functionalization (H 2 SO 4 :HNO 3 = 1:3 by volume) and then mechanical properties of reinforced epoxy polysulfide resin by the both pure and treated MWNTs have been evaluated. For achieving this goal, different weight percentages of pure and treated MWCNT (0.1–0.3 wt%) were dispersed in the epoxy polysulfide resin separately and then mixed with curing agent. Experimental results have shown significant difference between acid treated and untreated MWCNTs in mechanical properties of epoxy polysulfide nanocomposites. In nanocomposite with 0.1–0.3% acid treated MWCNTs we observed increase of Young’s modulus from 458 to 723 MPa, tensile strength from 5.29 to 8.83 MPa and fracture strain from 0.16% to 0.25%. For understanding the structure and morphology of nanocomposite, the dispersion states were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and field emission electron microscopy (FESEM). The results showed better dispersion of modified carbon nanotube than unmodified in polymeric matrix

Characterization of selectively etched halloysite nanotubes by acid treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Garcia, Daniel; Ferri, Jose M.; Ripoll, Laura; Hidalgo, Montserrat; Lopez-Martinez, Juan; Balart, Rafael

2017-11-01

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are a type of naturally occurring inorganic nanotubes that are characterized by a different composition between their external and internal walls. The internal walls are mainly composed of alumina whilst external walls are composed of silica. This particular structure offers a dual surface chemistry that allows different selective surface treatments which can be focused on increasing the lumen, increasing porosity, etc. In this work, HNTs were chemically treated with different acids (sulphuric, acetic and acrylic acid), for 72 h at a constant temperature of 50 °C. As per the obtained results, the treatment with sulphuric acid is highly aggressive and the particular shape of HNTs is almost lost, with a remarkable increase in porosity. The BET surface area increases from 52.9 (untreated HNTs) up to 132.4 m2 g-1 with sulphuric acid treatment, thus showing an interesting potential in the field of catalysis. On the other hand, the treatment with acetic acid led to milder effects with a noticeable increase in the lumen diameter that changed from 13.8 nm (untreated HNTs) up to 18.4 nm which the subsequent increase in the loading capacity by 77.8%. The aluminium content was measured by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The final results using two systems, suggest a good correlation between the acid strength and the aluminium reduction. Consequently, is possible to conclude that new applications for HNTs can be derived from selective etching with acids. Sulphuric acid widens the potential of HNTs in the field of catalysis while weak acids such as acetic and acrylic acids give a controlled and homogeneous lumen increase with the corresponding increase in the loading capacity.

Anatomy and cell wall polysaccharides of almond (Prunus dulcis D. A. Webb) seeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Dourado, Fernando; Barros, António; Mota, Manuel; Coimbra, Manuel A; Gama, Francisco M

2004-03-10

The anatomy of Prunus dulcis was analyzed by applying several differential staining techniques and light microscopy. Prunus dulcis seed has a thin and structurally complex seed coat, with lignified cellulosic tissue. The embryo has two voluminous cotyledons. Cotyledon cells have a high number of protein and lipid bodies, some of which have phytin. The provascular tissue, located in the cotyledons, is oriented in small bundles perpendicular to the transverse embryonic axis. Prunus dulcis cell wall material is very rich in arabinose (45 mol %). Glucose (23%), uronic acids (12%), and xylose (12%) are also major sugar components. The polymers obtained from the imidazole and Na(2)CO(3) extracts contain mainly pectic substances rich in arabinose, but the sugar content of these extracts was very low. The majority of the pectic substances (also rich in arabinose) was recovered with the KOH extracts. These extracts, with high sugar content, yielded also xyloglucans and acidic xylans. The 4 M KOH + H(3)BO(3) extracts yielded polysaccharides rich in uronic acids and xylose and very rich in arabinose, accounting for 27% of the cell wall material.

Wall-based identification of coherent structures in wall-bounded turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Sanmiguel Vila, C.; Flores, O.

2018-04-01

During the last decades, a number of reduced order models based on coherent structures have been proposed to describe wall-bounded turbulence. Many of these models emphasize the importance of coherent wall-normal velocity eddies (ν-eddies), which drive the generation of the very long streamwise velocity structures observed in the logarithmic and outer region. In order to use these models to improve our ability to control wall-bounded turbulence in realistic applications, these ν-eddies need to be identified from the wall in a non-intrusive way. In this paper, the possibility of using the pressure signal at the wall to identify these ν-eddies is explored, analyzing the cross-correlation between the wall-normal velocity component and the pressure fluctuations at the wall in a DNS of a turbulent channel flow at Reτ = 939. The results show that the cross-correlation has a region of negative correlation upstream, and a region of positive correlation backwards. In the spanwise direction the correlation decays monotonously, except very close to the wall where a change of sign of the correlation coefficient is observed. Moreover, filtering the pressure fluctuations at the wall in space results in an increase of the region where the cross-correlation is strong, both for the positively and the negatively correlated regions. The use of a time filter for the pressure fluctuations at the wall yields different results, displacing the regions of strong correlation without changing much their sizes. The results suggest that space-filtering the pressure at the wall is a feasible way to identify ν-eddies of different sizes, which could be used to trigger turbulent control strategies.

Corynebacterium jeikeium jk0268 constitutes for the 40 amino acid long PorACj, which forms a homooligomeric and anion-selective cell wall channel.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narges Abdali

Full Text Available Corynebacterium jeikeium, a resident of human skin, is often associated with multidrug resistant nosocomial infections in immunodepressed patients. C. jeikeium K411 belongs to mycolic acid-containing actinomycetes, the mycolata and contains a channel-forming protein as judged from reconstitution experiments with artificial lipid bilayer experiments. The channel-forming protein was present in detergent treated cell walls and in extracts of whole cells using organic solvents. A gene coding for a 40 amino acid long polypeptide possibly responsible for the pore-forming activity was identified in the known genome of C. jeikeium by its similar chromosomal localization to known porH and porA genes of other Corynebacterium strains. The gene jk0268 was expressed in a porin deficient Corynebacterium glutamicum strain. For purification temporarily histidine-tailed or with a GST-tag at the N-terminus, the homogeneous protein caused channel-forming activity with an average conductance of 1.25 nS in 1M KCl identical to the channels formed by the detergent extracts. Zero-current membrane potential measurements of the voltage dependent channel implied selectivity for anions. This preference is according to single-channel analysis caused by some excess of cationic charges located in the channel lumen formed by oligomeric alpha-helical wheels. The channel has a suggested diameter of 1.4 nm as judged from the permeability of different sized hydrated anions using the Renkin correction factor. Surprisingly, the genome of C. jeikeium contained only one gene coding for a cell wall channel of the PorA/PorH type found in other Corynebacterium species. The possible evolutionary relationship between the heterooligomeric channels formed by certain Corynebacterium strains and the homooligomeric pore of C. jeikeium is discussed.

Post-storage cell wall metabolism in two sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars displaying different postharvest performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Belge, Burcu; Comabella, Eva; Graell, Jordi; Lara, Isabel

2015-09-01

The biochemical processes underlying firmness loss of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit are poorly understood. Studies on cell wall metabolism of sweet cherry have been generally undertaken during on-tree development or at harvest maturity, while published reports on postharvest changes are scarce and fragmentary. In this work, cell wall modifications after storage at 0 ℃ were studied in two cherry cultivars ('Celeste' and 'Somerset') displaying different postharvest potential. Firmness was largely determined by the yields of the Na2CO3- and KOH-soluble fractions, enriched in covalently-bound pectins and in matrix glycans, respectively, and correlated well with ascorbic acid contents. The yields of these two cell wall fractions were correlated inversely with pectinmethylesterase and endo-1,4-β-d-glucanase activities, indicating a relevant role of these two enzymes in postharvest firmness changes in sweet cherry. The amount of solubilised cell wall materials was closely associated to the contents of dehydroascorbic acid, suggesting the possible involvement of oxidative mechanisms in cell wall disassembly. These data may help understanding the evolution of fruit quality during the marketing period, and give hints for the design of suitable management strategies to preserve key attributes. © The Author(s) 2014.

Fluorescence Imaging of Streptococcus pneumoniae with the Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA As a Potential, Rapid Diagnostic Tool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirian Domenech

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common human pathogen and a major causal agent of life-threatening infections that can either be respiratory or non-respiratory. It is well known that the Helix pomatia (edible snail agglutinin (HPA lectin shows specificity for terminal αGalNAc residues present, among other locations, in the Forssman pentasaccharide (αGalNAc1→3βGalNAc1→3αGal1→4βGal1→4βGlc. Based on experiments involving choline-independent mutants and different growth conditions, we propose here that HPA recognizes the αGalNAc terminal residues of the cell wall teichoic and lipoteichoic acids of S. pneumoniae. In addition, experimental evidence showing that pneumococci can be specifically labeled with HPA when growing as planktonic cultures as well as in mixed biofilms of S. pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae has been obtained. It should be underlined that pneumococci were HPA-labeled despite of the presence of a capsule. Although some non-pneumococcal species also bind the agglutinin, HPA-binding combined with fluorescence microscopy constitutes a suitable tool for identifying S. pneumoniae and, if used in conjunction with Gram staining and/or other suitable technique like antigen detection, it may potentially facilitate a fast and accurate diagnosis of pneumococcal infections.

Recognition, survival and persistence of Staphylococcus aureus in the model host Tenebrio molitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Dorling, Jack; Moraes, Caroline; Rolff, Jens

2015-02-01

The degree of specificity of any given immune response to a parasite is governed by the complexity and variation of interactions between host and pathogen derived molecules. Here, we assess the extent to which recognition and immuno-resistance of cell wall mutants of the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus may contribute to establishment and maintenance of persistent infection in the model insect host, Tenebrio molitor. The cell surface of S. aureus is decorated with various molecules, including glycopolymers such as wall teichoic acid (WTA). WTA is covalently bound to peptidoglycan (PGN) and its absence has been associated with increased recognition of PGN by host receptors (PGRPs). WTA is also further modified by other molecules such as D-alanine (D-alanylation). Both the level of WTA expression and its D-alanylation were found to be important in the mediation of the host-parasite interaction in this model system. Specifically, WTA itself was seen to influence immune recognition, while D-alanylation of WTA was found to increase immuno-resistance and was associated with prolonged persistence of S. aureus in T. molitor. These results implicate WTA and its D-alanylation as important factors in the establishment and maintenance of persistent infection, affecting different critical junctions in the immune response; through potential evasion of recognition by PGRPs and resistance to humoral immune effectors during prolonged exposure to the immune system. This highlights a mechanism by which specificity in this host-parasite interaction may arise. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ferulic Acid Dehydrodimer and –Dehydrotrimer Profiles of Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles from Different Cereal Species

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Mads Brøgger; Bunzel, Mirko; Schäfer, Judith

2015-01-01

Ferulic acid dehydrodimers- (DFA) and trimers (TriFA) ester-linked to plant cell wall polymers may not only cross-link cell wall polysaccharides, but also other cell wall components including proteins and lignin, thus, enhancing the rigidity and potentially affect the enzymatic degradation...... of the plant cell wall. Corn-, wheat-, and mixed cereal distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) were investigated for composition of DFAs and TriFAs by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography with ultra violet detection. Corn DDGS contained 5.3 and 5.9 times higher contents of total DFAs...... acid cross-links in the corn cell wall are presumably not modified during fermentation and DDGS processing....

Improvements of electrocatalytic activity of PtRu nanoparticles on multi-walled carbon nanotubes by a H2 plasma treatment in methanol and formic acid oxidation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Zhongqing; Jiang Zhongjie

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: A H 2 plasma, that aims at reducing the fraction of the oxidized species at the outermost perimeter of metal particles, has been used to treat the PtRu nanoparticles supported on the plasma functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PtRu/PS-MWCNTs). The plasma treated PtRu/PS-MWCNTs exhibit increased electrochemically active surface area, reduced charge transfer resistance, improved electrocatalytic activity and long term stability toward methanol and formic acid oxidation, and enhanced tolerance to carbonaceous species relative to the sample untreated with the H 2 plasma. Highlights: → A H 2 plasma technique is used to treat the PtRu nanoparticles. → The H 2 plasma treated PtRu/PS-MWCNTs exhibit improved electrocatalytic activity. → The H 2 plasma treated PtRu/PS-MWCNTs have significantly reduced charge transfer resistance. → The H 2 plasma treated PtRu/PS-MWCNTs show the increased stability. → The Pt:Ru atomic ratio of PtRu nanoparticles has a significant effect on the electrochemical activity. - Abstract: A H 2 plasma has been used to treat the PtRu nanoparticles supported on the plasma functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PtRu/PS-MWCNTs). The plasma treatment does not change the size and crystalline structure of PtRu nanoparticles, but reduces the fraction of the oxidized species at the outermost perimeter of particles. The electrochemical results show that these plasma treated PtRu/PS-MWCNTs exhibit increased electrochemically active surface area, improved electrocatalytic activity and long term stability toward methanol and formic acid oxidation, and enhanced tolerance to carbonaceous species relative to the sample untreated with the H 2 plasma. The electrocatalytic activities of the plasma treated PtRu/PS-MWCNTs are found to be dependent upon the Pt:Ru atomic ratios of PtRu nanoparticles. The catalysts with a Pt:Ru atomic ratio close to 1:1 show superior properties in the electrooxidation of methanol and formic acid

Cholesteroid nature of free mycolic acids from m. tuberculosis

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Benadie, Y

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Mycolic acids (MAs) are a major component of the cell walls of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and related organisms. These alpha-alkyl beta-hydroxy long fatty acids have been the subject of numerous studies for their immunological properties...

Phenolic biotransformations during conversion of ferulic acid to vanillin by lactic acid bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Baljinder; Chakraborty, Debkumar; Kumar, Balvir

2013-01-01

Vanillin is widely used as food additive and as a masking agent in various pharmaceutical formulations. Ferulic acid is an important precursor of vanillin that is available in abundance in cell walls of cereals like wheat, corn, and rice. Phenolic biotransformations can occur during growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and their production can be made feasible using specialized LAB strains that have been reported to produce ferulic acid esterases. The present study aimed at screening a panel of LAB isolates for their ability to release phenolics from agrowaste materials like rice bran and their biotransformation to industrially important compounds such as ferulic acid, 4-ethyl phenol, vanillic acid, vanillin, and vanillyl alcohol. Bacterial isolates were evaluated using ferulic acid esterase, ferulic acid decarboxylase, and vanillin dehydrogenase assays. This work highlights the importance of lactic acid bacteria in phenolic biotransformations for the development of food grade flavours and additives.

Phenolic Biotransformations during Conversion of Ferulic Acid to Vanillin by Lactic Acid Bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Baljinder; Kumar, Balvir

2013-01-01

Vanillin is widely used as food additive and as a masking agent in various pharmaceutical formulations. Ferulic acid is an important precursor of vanillin that is available in abundance in cell walls of cereals like wheat, corn, and rice. Phenolic biotransformations can occur during growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and their production can be made feasible using specialized LAB strains that have been reported to produce ferulic acid esterases. The present study aimed at screening a panel of LAB isolates for their ability to release phenolics from agrowaste materials like rice bran and their biotransformation to industrially important compounds such as ferulic acid, 4-ethyl phenol, vanillic acid, vanillin, and vanillyl alcohol. Bacterial isolates were evaluated using ferulic acid esterase, ferulic acid decarboxylase, and vanillin dehydrogenase assays. This work highlights the importance of lactic acid bacteria in phenolic biotransformations for the development of food grade flavours and additives. PMID:24066293

Wall Shear Stress, Wall Pressure and Near Wall Velocity Field Relationships in a Whirling Annular Seal

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Gerald L.; Winslow, Robert B.; Thames, H. Davis, III

1996-01-01

The mean and phase averaged pressure and wall shear stress distributions were measured on the stator wall of a 50% eccentric annular seal which was whirling in a circular orbit at the same speed as the shaft rotation. The shear stresses were measured using flush mounted hot-film probes. Four different operating conditions were considered consisting of Reynolds numbers of 12,000 and 24,000 and Taylor numbers of 3,300 and 6,600. At each of the operating conditions the axial distribution (from Z/L = -0.2 to 1.2) of the mean pressure, shear stress magnitude, and shear stress direction on the stator wall were measured. Also measured were the phase averaged pressure and shear stress. These data were combined to calculate the force distributions along the seal length. Integration of the force distributions result in the net forces and moments generated by the pressure and shear stresses. The flow field inside the seal operating at a Reynolds number of 24,000 and a Taylor number of 6,600 has been measured using a 3-D laser Doppler anemometer system. Phase averaged wall pressure and wall shear stress are presented along with phase averaged mean velocity and turbulence kinetic energy distributions located 0.16c from the stator wall where c is the seal clearance. The relationships between the velocity, turbulence, wall pressure and wall shear stress are very complex and do not follow simple bulk flow predictions.

Ambiguous walls

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mody, Astrid

2012-01-01

The introduction of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in the built environment has encouraged myriad applications, often embedded in surfaces as an integrated part of the architecture. Thus the wall as responsive luminous skin is becoming, if not common, at least familiar. Taking into account how walls...... have encouraged architectural thinking of enclosure, materiality, construction and inhabitation in architectural history, the paper’s aim is to define new directions for the integration of LEDs in walls, challenging the thinking of inhabitation and program. This paper introduces the notion...... of “ambiguous walls” as a more “critical” approach to design [1]. The concept of ambiguous walls refers to the diffuse status a lumious and possibly responsive wall will have. Instead of confining it can open up. Instead of having a static appearance, it becomes a context over time. Instead of being hard...

High-R Walls for Remodeling: Wall Cavity Moisture Monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiehagen, J.; Kochkin, V.

2012-12-01

The focus of the study is on the performance of wall systems, and in particular, the moisture characteristics inside the wall cavity and in the wood sheathing. Furthermore, while this research will initially address new home construction, the goal is to address potential moisture issues in wall cavities of existing homes when insulation and air sealing improvements are made.

High-R Walls for Remodeling. Wall Cavity Moisture Monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiehagen, J. [NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Kochkin, V. [NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States)

2012-12-01

The focus of the study is on the performance of wall systems, and in particular, the moisture characteristics inside the wall cavity and in the wood sheathing. Furthermore, while this research will initially address new home construction, the goal is to address potential moisture issues in wall cavities of existing homes when insulation and air sealing improvements are made.

Liquid Wall Chambers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meier, W R

2011-02-24

The key feature of liquid wall chambers is the use of a renewable liquid layer to protect chamber structures from target emissions. Two primary options have been proposed and studied: wetted wall chambers and thick liquid wall (TLW) chambers. With wetted wall designs, a thin layer of liquid shields the structural first wall from short ranged target emissions (x-rays, ions and debris) but not neutrons. Various schemes have been proposed to establish and renew the liquid layer between shots including flow-guiding porous fabrics (e.g., Osiris, HIBALL), porous rigid structures (Prometheus) and thin film flows (KOYO). The thin liquid layer can be the tritium breeding material (e.g., flibe, PbLi, or Li) or another liquid metal such as Pb. TLWs use liquid jets injected by stationary or oscillating nozzles to form a neutronically thick layer (typically with an effective thickness of {approx}50 cm) of liquid between the target and first structural wall. In addition to absorbing short ranged emissions, the thick liquid layer degrades the neutron flux and energy reaching the first wall, typically by {approx}10 x x, so that steel walls can survive for the life of the plant ({approx}30-60 yrs). The thick liquid serves as the primary coolant and tritium breeding material (most recent designs use flibe, but the earliest concepts used Li). In essence, the TLW places the fusion blanket inside the first wall instead of behind the first wall.

Rising damp in building walls: the wall base ventilation system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guimaraes, A.S.; Delgado, J.M.P.Q.; Freitas, V.P. de [Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Laboratorio de Fisica das Construcoes (LFC), Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Porto (Portugal)

2012-12-15

This work intends to validate a new system for treating rising damp in historic buildings walls. The results of laboratory experiments show that an efficient way of treating rising damp is by ventilating the wall base, using the HUMIVENT technique. The analytical model presented describes very well the observed features of rising damp in walls, verified by laboratory tests, who contributed for a simple sizing of the wall base ventilation system that will be implemented in historic buildings. (orig.)

Primary Metabolism during Biosynthesis of Secondary Wall Polymers of Protoxylem Vessel Elements1[OPEN

Science.gov (United States)

Morisaki, Keiko; Sawada, Yuji; Sano, Ryosuke; Yamamoto, Atsushi; Kurata, Tetsuya; Suzuki, Shiro; Matsuda, Mami; Hasunuma, Tomohisa; Hirai, Masami Yokota

2016-01-01

Xylem vessels, the water-conducting cells in vascular plants, undergo characteristic secondary wall deposition and programmed cell death. These processes are regulated by the VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN (VND) transcription factors. Here, to identify changes in metabolism that occur during protoxylem vessel element differentiation, we subjected tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) BY-2 suspension culture cells carrying an inducible VND7 system to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based wide-target metabolome analysis and transcriptome analysis. Time-course data for 128 metabolites showed dynamic changes in metabolites related to amino acid biosynthesis. The concentration of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, an important intermediate of the glycolysis pathway, immediately decreased in the initial stages of cell differentiation. As cell differentiation progressed, specific amino acids accumulated, including the shikimate-related amino acids and the translocatable nitrogen-rich amino acid arginine. Transcriptome data indicated that cell differentiation involved the active up-regulation of genes encoding the enzymes catalyzing fructose 6-phosphate biosynthesis from glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, phosphoenolpyruvate biosynthesis from oxaloacetate, and phenylalanine biosynthesis, which includes shikimate pathway enzymes. Concomitantly, active changes in the amount of fructose 6-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate were detected during cell differentiation. Taken together, our results show that protoxylem vessel element differentiation is associated with changes in primary metabolism, which could facilitate the production of polysaccharides and lignin monomers and, thus, promote the formation of the secondary cell wall. Also, these metabolic shifts correlate with the active transcriptional regulation of specific enzyme genes. Therefore, our observations indicate that primary metabolism is actively regulated during protoxylem vessel element differentiation to alter the cell’s metabolic

Hydrogen embrittlement corrosion failure of water wall tubes in large power station boilers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathur, P.K.

1981-01-01

In the present paper, causes and mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement failure of water wall tubes in high pressure boilers have been discussed. A low pH boiler water environment, produced as a result of condenser leakage or some other type of system contamination and presence of internal metal oxide deposits, which permit boiler water solids to concentrate during the process of steam generation, have been ascribed to accelerate the formation of local corrosion cells conducive for acid attack resulting in hydrogen damage failure of water wall tubes. (author)

Effect of different carbon fillers and dopant acids on electrical ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The nature of both the carbon filler and the dopant acid can significantly influence the conductivity of these nanocomposites. This paper describes the effects of carbon fillers like carbon black (CB), graphite (GR) and muti-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and of dopant acids like methane sulfonic acid (MSA), camphor ...

Cognitive deficits and decreased locomotor activity induced by single-walled carbon nanotubes and neuroprotective effects of ascorbic acid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu X

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Xudong Liu,1,* Yuchao Zhang,1,* Jinquan Li,1 Dong Wang,1 Yang Wu,1 Yan Li,2 Zhisong Lu,3 Samuel CT Yu,4 Rui Li,1 Xu Yang1 1Laboratory of Environmental Biomedicine, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China; 2Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; 3Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China; 4Division of Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs have shown increasing promise in the field of biomedicine, especially in applications related to the nervous system. However, there are limited studies available on the neurotoxicity of SWCNTs used in vivo. In this study, neurobehavioral changes caused by SWCNTs in mice and oxidative stress were investigated. The results of ethological analysis (Morris water maze and open-field test, brain histopathological examination, and assessments of oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species [ROS], malondialdehyde [MDA], and glutathione [GSH], inflammation (nuclear factor κB, tumor necrosis factor a, interleukin-1β, and apoptosis (cysteine-aspartic acid protease 3 in brains showed that 6.25 and 12.50 mg/kg/day SWCNTs in mice could induce cognitive deficits and decreased locomotor activity, brain histopathological alterations, and increased levels of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in mouse brains; however, 3.125 mg/kg/day SWCNTs had zero or minor adverse effects in mice, and these effects were blocked by concurrent administration of ascorbic acid. Down-regulation of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis were proposed to explain the neuroprotective effects of

Phenolic Biotransformations during Conversion of Ferulic Acid to Vanillin by Lactic Acid Bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baljinder Kaur

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Vanillin is widely used as food additive and as a masking agent in various pharmaceutical formulations. Ferulic acid is an important precursor of vanillin that is available in abundance in cell walls of cereals like wheat, corn, and rice. Phenolic biotransformations can occur during growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB, and their production can be made feasible using specialized LAB strains that have been reported to produce ferulic acid esterases. The present study aimed at screening a panel of LAB isolates for their ability to release phenolics from agrowaste materials like rice bran and their biotransformation to industrially important compounds such as ferulic acid, 4-ethyl phenol, vanillic acid, vanillin, and vanillyl alcohol. Bacterial isolates were evaluated using ferulic acid esterase, ferulic acid decarboxylase, and vanillin dehydrogenase assays. This work highlights the importance of lactic acid bacteria in phenolic biotransformations for the development of food grade flavours and additives.

Identifying new lignin bioengineering targets: 1. Monolignol-substitute impacts on lignin formation and cell wall fermentability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Fachuang

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent discoveries highlighting the metabolic malleability of plant lignification indicate that lignin can be engineered to dramatically alter its composition and properties. Current plant biotechnology efforts are primarily aimed at manipulating the biosynthesis of normal monolignols, but in the future apoplastic targeting of phenolics from other metabolic pathways may provide new approaches for designing lignins that are less inhibitory toward the enzymatic hydrolysis of structural polysaccharides, both with and without biomass pretreatment. To identify promising new avenues for lignin bioengineering, we artificially lignified cell walls from maize cell suspensions with various combinations of normal monolignols (coniferyl and sinapyl alcohols plus a variety of phenolic monolignol substitutes. Cell walls were then incubated in vitro with anaerobic rumen microflora to assess the potential impact of lignin modifications on the enzymatic degradability of fibrous crops used for ruminant livestock or biofuel production. Results In the absence of anatomical constraints to digestion, lignification with normal monolignols hindered both the rate and extent of cell wall hydrolysis by rumen microflora. Inclusion of methyl caffeate, caffeoylquinic acid, or feruloylquinic acid with monolignols considerably depressed lignin formation and strikingly improved the degradability of cell walls. In contrast, dihydroconiferyl alcohol, guaiacyl glycerol, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, and epigallocatechin gallate readily formed copolymer-lignins with normal monolignols; cell wall degradability was moderately enhanced by greater hydroxylation or 1,2,3-triol functionality. Mono- or diferuloyl esters with various aliphatic or polyol groups readily copolymerized with monolignols, but in some cases they accelerated inactivation of wall-bound peroxidase and reduced lignification; cell wall degradability was influenced by lignin content and the degree

Cell wall pH and auxin transport velocity

Science.gov (United States)

Hasenstein, K. H.; Rayle, D.

1984-01-01

According to the chemiosmotic polar diffusion hypothesis, auxin pulse velocity and basal secretion should increase with decreasing cell wall pH. Experiments were designed to test this prediction. Avena coleoptile sections were preincubated in either fusicoccin (FC), cycloheximide, pH 4.0, or pH 8.0 buffer and subsequently their polar transport capacities were determined. Relative to controls, FC enhanced auxin (IAA) uptake while CHI and pH 8.0 buffer reduced IAA uptake. Nevertheless, FC reduced IAA pulse velocity while cycloheximide increased velocity. Additional experiments showed that delivery of auxin to receivers is enhanced by increased receiver pH. This phenomenon was overcome by a pretreatment of the tissue with IAA. Our data suggest that while acidic wall pH values facilitate cellular IAA uptake, they do not enhance pulse velocity or basal secretion. These findings are inconsistent with the chemiosmotic hypothesis for auxin transport.

Revealing organization of cellulose in wood cell walls by Raman imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Umesh P. Agarwal; Sally A. Ralph

2007-01-01

Anisotropy of cellulose organization in mature black spruce wood cell wall was investigated by Raman imaging using a 1 [mu]m lateral-resolution capable confocal Raman microscope. In these studies, wood cross sections (CS) and radial longitudinal sections (LS) that were partially delignified by acid chlorite treatment were used. In the case of CS where latewood cells...

Insights into Substrate Specificity of NlpC/P60 Cell Wall Hydrolases Containing Bacterial SH3 Domains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Qingping; Mengin-Lecreulx, Dominique; Liu, Xueqian W.; Patin, Delphine; Farr, Carol L.; Grant, Joanna C.; Chiu, Hsiu-Ju; Jaroszewski, Lukasz; Knuth, Mark W.; Godzik, Adam; Lesley, Scott A.; Elsliger, Marc-André; Deacon, Ashley M.; Wilson, Ian A.

2015-09-15

Bacterial SH3 (SH3b) domains are commonly fused with papain-like Nlp/P60 cell wall hydrolase domains. To understand how the modular architecture of SH3b and NlpC/P60 affects the activity of the catalytic domain, three putative NlpC/P60 cell wall hydrolases were biochemically and structurally characterized. These enzymes all have γ-d-Glu-A₂pm (A₂pm is diaminopimelic acid) cysteine amidase (ordl-endopeptidase) activities but with different substrate specificities. One enzyme is a cell wall lysin that cleaves peptidoglycan (PG), while the other two are cell wall recycling enzymes that only cleave stem peptides with an N-terminall-Ala. Their crystal structures revealed a highly conserved structure consisting of two SH3b domains and a C-terminal NlpC/P60 catalytic domain, despite very low sequence identity. Interestingly, loops from the first SH3b domain dock into the ends of the active site groove of the catalytic domain, remodel the substrate binding site, and modulate substrate specificity. Two amino acid differences at the domain interface alter the substrate binding specificity in favor of stem peptides in recycling enzymes, whereas the SH3b domain may extend the peptidoglycan binding surface in the cell wall lysins. Remarkably, the cell wall lysin can be converted into a recycling enzyme with a single mutation.

IMPORTANCEPeptidoglycan is a meshlike polymer that envelops the bacterial plasma membrane and bestows structural integrity. Cell wall lysins and recycling enzymes are part of a set of lytic enzymes that target covalent bonds connecting the amino acid and amino sugar building blocks of the PG network. These hydrolases are involved in processes such as cell growth and division, autolysis, invasion, and PG turnover and recycling. To avoid cleavage of unintended substrates, these enzymes have very selective substrate specificities. Our biochemical and structural

Immobilization of platinum nanoparticles on 3,4-diaminobenzoyl-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube and its electrocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hyun-Jung; Kang, Ji-Ye; Jeon, In-Yup; Eo, Soo-Mi; Tan, Loon-Seng; Baek, Jong-Beom

2012-01-01

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are functionalized at the sp 2 C–H defect sites with 3,4-diaminobenzoic acid by a “direct” Friedel–Crafts acylation reaction in a mild polyphosphoric acid/phosphorous pentoxide medium. Owing to enhanced surface polarity, the resulting 3,4-diaminobenzoyl-functionalized MWCNTs (DAB-MWCNT) are highly dispersible in polar solvents, such as ethanol, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and methanesulfonic acid. The absorption and emission properties of DAB-MWCNT in solution state are qualitatively shown to be sensitive to the pH in the environment. The DAB-MWCNT is used as a stable platform on which to deposit platinum nanoparticles (PNP). The PNP/DAB-MWCNT hybrid displays high electrocatalytic activity with good electrochemical stability for an oxygen reduction reaction under an alkaline condition.Graphical AbstractMulti-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized with 3,4-diaminobenzoic acid to produce 3,4-diaminobenzoyl-functionalized MWCNT (DAB-MWCNT). Platinum nanoparticles (PNP) were deposited to DAB-MWCNT. The resulting PNP/DAB-MWCNT hybrid displayed high electrocatalytic activity.

The functionalization and characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdullah, Mohd Pauzi [School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Center of Water Analysis and Research (ALIR), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Zulkepli, Siti Aminah [School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

2015-09-25

Functionalization is the process of introducing chemical functional groups on the surface of the material. In this study, a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) was functionalized by oxidation treatment using concentrated nitric acid. The functionalized and pristine MWCNTs were analyzed by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The XRD patterns exhibit the graphitic properties for all samples. Besides, the XRD results also demonstrate that the percent of crystallinity of MWCNTs increases as the duration of acid treatment increases. The percent of crystallinity increases from 66% to 80% when the pristine MWCNT treated for 12 hours with additional 12 hours reflux process with nitric acid. The IR spectrum for the 12 hours-treated MWCNTs shows the formation of carboxyl functional group. Additional 12 hours reflux process with nitric acid on the 12 hours-treated MWCNTs have shown the loss of existing carboxyl group and only hydroxyl group formed.

Cell Wall Remodeling Enzymes Modulate Fungal Cell Wall Elasticity and Osmotic Stress Resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ene, Iuliana V; Walker, Louise A; Schiavone, Marion; Lee, Keunsook K; Martin-Yken, Hélène; Dague, Etienne; Gow, Neil A R; Munro, Carol A; Brown, Alistair J P

2015-07-28

The fungal cell wall confers cell morphology and protection against environmental insults. For fungal pathogens, the cell wall is a key immunological modulator and an ideal therapeutic target. Yeast cell walls possess an inner matrix of interlinked β-glucan and chitin that is thought to provide tensile strength and rigidity. Yeast cells remodel their walls over time in response to environmental change, a process controlled by evolutionarily conserved stress (Hog1) and cell integrity (Mkc1, Cek1) signaling pathways. These mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways modulate cell wall gene expression, leading to the construction of a new, modified cell wall. We show that the cell wall is not rigid but elastic, displaying rapid structural realignments that impact survival following osmotic shock. Lactate-grown Candida albicans cells are more resistant to hyperosmotic shock than glucose-grown cells. We show that this elevated resistance is not dependent on Hog1 or Mkc1 signaling and that most cell death occurs within 10 min of osmotic shock. Sudden decreases in cell volume drive rapid increases in cell wall thickness. The elevated stress resistance of lactate-grown cells correlates with reduced cell wall elasticity, reflected in slower changes in cell volume following hyperosmotic shock. The cell wall elasticity of lactate-grown cells is increased by a triple mutation that inactivates the Crh family of cell wall cross-linking enzymes, leading to increased sensitivity to hyperosmotic shock. Overexpressing Crh family members in glucose-grown cells reduces cell wall elasticity, providing partial protection against hyperosmotic shock. These changes correlate with structural realignment of the cell wall and with the ability of cells to withstand osmotic shock. The C. albicans cell wall is the first line of defense against external insults, the site of immune recognition by the host, and an attractive target for antifungal therapy. Its tensile strength is conferred by

Solar Walls in tsbi3

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wittchen, Kim Bjarne

tsbi3 is a user-friendly and flexible computer program, which provides support to the design team in the analysis of the indoor climate and the energy performance of buildings. The solar wall module gives tsbi3 the capability of simulating solar walls and their interaction with the building....... This version, C, of tsbi3 is capable of simulating five types of solar walls say: mass-walls, Trombe-walls, double Trombe-walls, internally ventilated walls and solar walls for preheating ventilation air. The user's guide gives a description of the capabilities and how to simulate solar walls in tsbi3....

Unexpected features of exponentially growing Tobacco Bright Yellow-2 cell suspension culture in relation to excreted extracellular polysaccharides and cell wall composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Issawi, Mohammad; Muhieddine, Mohammad; Girard, Celine; Sol, Vincent; Riou, Catherine

2017-10-01

This article presents a new insight about TBY-2 cells; from extracellular polysaccharides secretion to cell wall composition during cell suspension culture. In the medium of cells taken 2 days after dilution (end of lag phase), a two unit pH decrease from 5.38 to 3.45 was observed and linked to a high uronic acid (UA) amount secretion (47.8%) while, in 4 and 7 day-old spent media, pH increased and UA amounts decreased 35.6 and 42.3% UA, respectively. To attain deeper knowledge of the putative link between extracellular polysaccharide excretion and cell wall composition, we determined cell wall UA and neutral sugar composition of cells from D2 to D12 cultures. While cell walls from D2 and D3 cells contained a large amount of uronic acid (twice as much as the other analysed cell walls), similar amounts of neutral sugar were detected in cells from lag to end of exponential phase cells suggesting an enriched pectin network in young cultures. Indeed, monosaccharide composition analysis leads to an estimated percentage of pectins of 56% for D3 cell wall against 45% D7 cell walls indicating that the cells at the mid-exponential growth phase re-organized their cell wall linked to a decrease in secreted UA that finally led to a stabilization of the spent medium pH to 5.4. In conclusion, TBY-2 cell suspension from lag to stationary phase showed cell wall remodeling that could be of interest in drug interaction and internalization study.

Quantifying folic acid-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes bound to colorectal cancer cells for improved photothermal ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graham, Elizabeth G.; MacNeill, Christopher M.; Levi-Polyachenko, Nicole H.

2013-01-01

Peritoneal metastases of colorectal cancer are a significant challenge in the field of medicine today due to poor results of systemic chemotherapy caused by the poor diffusion of drugs across the blood–peritoneal barrier. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are a biocompatible nanomaterial that strongly absorb near-infrared light to locally heat the surrounding area. Colorectal cancer is known to overexpress folate receptor; therefore, folic acid (FA) was covalently attached to MWNTs to target colorectal cancer cells. Results from real-time polymerase chain reaction found differing expression of folate receptor-α in two colorectal cancer cell lines, RKO and HCT116, as well as a healthy epithelial cell line, HEPM. A spectrophotometric method was developed to quantify the mass of MWNTs bound to cells, and it was determined that FA-targeted MWNTs resulted in a 400–500 % greater affinity for colorectal cancer cells than untargeted MWNTs. The non-cancerous cell line, HEPM, had higher non-specific MWNT interaction and similar MWNT–FA affinity. Stimulated by 1,064 nm light, FA-functionalized MWNTs caused a 50–60 % decrease in colorectal cancer cell viability compared to a 4–10 % decrease caused by untargeted MWNTs. Our results indicate that FA-targeted MWNTs may increase the therapeutic index of MWNT-induced photothermal therapy.

Quantifying folic acid-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes bound to colorectal cancer cells for improved photothermal ablation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graham, Elizabeth G.; MacNeill, Christopher M.; Levi-Polyachenko, Nicole H., E-mail: nlevi@wakehealth.edu [Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (United States)

2013-05-15

Peritoneal metastases of colorectal cancer are a significant challenge in the field of medicine today due to poor results of systemic chemotherapy caused by the poor diffusion of drugs across the blood-peritoneal barrier. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are a biocompatible nanomaterial that strongly absorb near-infrared light to locally heat the surrounding area. Colorectal cancer is known to overexpress folate receptor; therefore, folic acid (FA) was covalently attached to MWNTs to target colorectal cancer cells. Results from real-time polymerase chain reaction found differing expression of folate receptor-{alpha} in two colorectal cancer cell lines, RKO and HCT116, as well as a healthy epithelial cell line, HEPM. A spectrophotometric method was developed to quantify the mass of MWNTs bound to cells, and it was determined that FA-targeted MWNTs resulted in a 400-500 % greater affinity for colorectal cancer cells than untargeted MWNTs. The non-cancerous cell line, HEPM, had higher non-specific MWNT interaction and similar MWNT-FA affinity. Stimulated by 1,064 nm light, FA-functionalized MWNTs caused a 50-60 % decrease in colorectal cancer cell viability compared to a 4-10 % decrease caused by untargeted MWNTs. Our results indicate that FA-targeted MWNTs may increase the therapeutic index of MWNT-induced photothermal therapy.

PEGylated single-walled carbon nanotubes activate neutrophils to increase production of hypochlorous acid, the oxidant capable of degrading nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vlasova, Irina I., E-mail: irina.vlasova@yahoo.com [Research Institute for Physico-Chemical Medicine, Federal Medico-Biological Agency, Moscow (Russian Federation); Vakhrusheva, Tatyana V. [Research Institute for Physico-Chemical Medicine, Federal Medico-Biological Agency, Moscow (Russian Federation); Sokolov, Alexey V.; Kostevich, Valeria A. [Research Institute for Physico-Chemical Medicine, Federal Medico-Biological Agency, Moscow (Russian Federation); Research Institute for Experimental Medicine, Russian Academy of Medical Science, Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation); Gusev, Alexandr A.; Gusev, Sergey A. [Research Institute for Physico-Chemical Medicine, Federal Medico-Biological Agency, Moscow (Russian Federation); Melnikova, Viktoriya I. [Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow (Russian Federation); Lobach, Anatolii S. [Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Science, Chernogolovka (Russian Federation)

2012-10-01

Perspectives for the use of carbon nanotubes in biomedical applications depend largely on their ability to degrade in the body into products that can be easily cleared out. Carboxylated single-walled carbon nanotubes (c-SWCNTs) were shown to be degraded by oxidants generated by peroxidases in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. In the present study we demonstrated that conjugation of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to c-SWCNTs does not interfere with their degradation by peroxidase/H{sub 2}O{sub 2} system or by hypochlorite. Comparison of different heme-containing proteins for their ability to degrade PEG-SWCNTs has led us to conclude that the myeloperoxidase (MPO) product hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is the major oxidant that may be responsible for biodegradation of PEG-SWCNTs in vivo. MPO is secreted mainly by neutrophils upon activation. We hypothesize that SWCNTs may enhance neutrophil activation and therefore stimulate their own biodegradation due to MPO-generated HOCl. PEG-SWCNTs at concentrations similar to those commonly used in in vivo studies were found to activate isolated human neutrophils to produce HOCl. Both PEG-SWCNTs and c-SWCNTs enhanced HOCl generation from isolated neutrophils upon serum-opsonized zymosan stimulation. Both types of nanotubes were also found to activate neutrophils in whole blood samples. Intraperitoneal injection of a low dose of PEG-SWCNTs into mice induced an increase in percentage of circulating neutrophils and activation of neutrophils and macrophages in the peritoneal cavity, suggesting the evolution of an inflammatory response. Activated neutrophils can produce high local concentrations of HOCl, thereby creating the conditions favorable for degradation of the nanotubes. -- Highlights: ► Myeloperoxidase (MPO) product hypochlorous acid is able to degrade CNTs. ► PEGylated SWCNTs stimulate isolated neutrophils to produce hypochlorous acid. ► SWCNTs are capable of activating neutrophils in blood samples. ► Activation of

Differential staining of bacteria: acid fast stain.

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, Jackie; Moyes, Rita B; Breakwell, Donald P

2009-11-01

Acid-fastness is an uncommon characteristic shared by the genera Mycobacterium (Section 10A) and Nocardia. Because of this feature, this stain is extremely helpful in identification of these bacteria. Although Gram positive, acid-fast bacteria do not take the crystal violet into the wall well, appearing very light purple rather than the deep purple of normal Gram-positive bacteria. (c) 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Finite element limit loads for non-idealized through-wall cracks in thick-walled pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shim, Do-Jun; Han, Tae-Song; Huh, Nam-Su

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The lower bound bulging factor of thin-walled pipe can be used for thick-walled pipe. • The limit loads are proposed for thick-walled, transition through-wall cracked pipe. • The correction factors are proposed for estimating limit loads of transition cracks. • The limit loads of short transition cracks are similar to those of idealized cracks. - Abstract: The present paper provides plastic limit loads for non-idealized through-wall cracks in thick-walled pipe. These solutions are based on detailed 3-dimensional finite element (FE) analyses which can be used for structural integrity assessment of nuclear piping. To cover a practical range of interest, the geometric variables and loading conditions affecting the plastic limit loads of thick-walled pipe with non-idealized through-wall cracks were systematically varied. In terms of crack orientation, both circumferential and axial through-wall cracks were considered. As for loading conditions, axial tension, global bending, and internal pressure were considered for circumferential cracks, whereas only internal pressure was considered for axial cracks. Furthermore, the values of geometric factor representing shape characteristics of non-idealized through-wall cracks were also systematically varied. In order to provide confidence in the present FE analyses results, plastic limit loads of un-cracked, thick-walled pipe resulting from the present FE analyses were compared with the theoretical solutions. Finally, correction factors to the idealized through-wall crack solutions were developed to determine the plastic limit loads of non-idealized through-wall cracks in thick-walled pipe

Effects of reactive oxygen species on cellular wall disassembly of banana fruit during ripening.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Guiping; Duan, Xuewu; Shi, John; Lu, Wangjin; Luo, Yunbo; Jiang, Weibo; Jiang, Yueming

2008-07-15

Fruit softening is generally attributed to cell wall disassembly. Experiments were conducted to investigate effects of various reactive oxygen species (ROS) on in vitro cellular wall disassembly of harvested banana fruit. The alcohol-extracted insoluble residue (AEIR) was obtained from the pulp tissues of banana fruit at various ripening stages and then used to examine the disassembly of cellular wall polysaccharides in the presence of superoxide anion (O2(-)), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or hydroxyl radical (OH) and their scavengers. The presence of OH accelerated significantly disassembly of cellular wall polysaccharides in terms of the increase in contents of total sugars released and uronic acid, and the decrease in molecular mass of soluble polysaccharides, using gel permeation chromatography. However, the treatment with H2O2 or O2(-) showed no significant effect on the disassembly of cellular wall polysaccharides. Furthermore, the degradation of the de-esterified AEIR was more susceptible to OH attack than the esterified AEIR. In addition, the effect of OH could be inhibited in the presence of OH scavenger. This study suggests that disassembly of cellular wall polysaccharides could be initiated by OH as the solublisation of the polysaccharides increased, which, in turn, accelerated fruit softening. Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impairment of Cellulose Synthases Required for Arabidopsis Secondary Cell Wall Formation Enhances Disease Resistance[W

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Blanco, Camilo; Feng, Dong Xin; Hu, Jian; Sánchez-Vallet, Andrea; Deslandes, Laurent; Llorente, Francisco; Berrocal-Lobo, Marta; Keller, Harald; Barlet, Xavier; Sánchez-Rodríguez, Clara; Anderson, Lisa K.; Somerville, Shauna; Marco, Yves; Molina, Antonio

2007-01-01

Cellulose is synthesized by cellulose synthases (CESAs) contained in plasma membrane–localized complexes. In Arabidopsis thaliana, three types of CESA subunits (CESA4/IRREGULAR XYLEM5 [IRX5], CESA7/IRX3, and CESA8/IRX1) are required for secondary cell wall formation. We report that mutations in these proteins conferred enhanced resistance to the soil-borne bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum and the necrotrophic fungus Plectosphaerella cucumerina. By contrast, susceptibility to these pathogens was not altered in cell wall mutants of primary wall CESA subunits (CESA1, CESA3/ISOXABEN RESISTANT1 [IXR1], and CESA6/IXR2) or POWDERY MILDEW–RESISTANT5 (PMR5) and PMR6 genes. Double mutants indicated that irx-mediated resistance was independent of salicylic acid, ethylene, and jasmonate signaling. Comparative transcriptomic analyses identified a set of common irx upregulated genes, including a number of abscisic acid (ABA)–responsive, defense-related genes encoding antibiotic peptides and enzymes involved in the synthesis and activation of antimicrobial secondary metabolites. These data as well as the increased susceptibility of ABA mutants (abi1-1, abi2-1, and aba1-6) to R. solanacearum support a direct role of ABA in resistance to this pathogen. Our results also indicate that alteration of secondary cell wall integrity by inhibiting cellulose synthesis leads to specific activation of novel defense pathways that contribute to the generation of an antimicrobial-enriched environment hostile to pathogens. PMID:17351116

Ambiguous walls

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mody, Astrid

2012-01-01

The introduction of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in the built environment has encouraged myriad applications, often embedded in surfaces as an integrated part of the architecture. Thus the wall as responsive luminous skin is becoming, if not common, at least familiar. Taking into account how wall...

Intestinal release and uptake of phenolic antioxidant diferulic acids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreasen, Mette Findal; Kroon, P A; Williamson, G

2001-01-01

Diferulic acids are potent antioxidants and are abundant structural components of plant cell walls, especially in cereal brans. As such, they are part of many human and animal diets and may contribute to the beneficial effect of cereal brans on health. However, these phenolics are ester-linked to......Diferulic acids are potent antioxidants and are abundant structural components of plant cell walls, especially in cereal brans. As such, they are part of many human and animal diets and may contribute to the beneficial effect of cereal brans on health. However, these phenolics are ester...... in oil. Our study also reveals that human and rat colonic microflora contain esterase activity able to release 5-5-, 8-O-4-, and 8-5-diferulic acids from model compounds and dietary cereal brans, hence providing a mechanism for release of dietary diferulates prior to absorption of the free acids....... In addition, cell-free extracts from human and rat small intestine mucosa exhibited esterase activity towards diferulate esters. Hence, we have shown that esterified diferulates can be released from cereal brans by intestinal enzymes, and that free diferulic acids can be absorbed and enter the circulatory...

Saturation and desaturation of fatty acids in digestion channel and its wall in ruminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martyushov, V.M.; Aliev, A.A.

1987-01-01

It is stated that ration physical structure has considerable effect on hydrogenation of unsaturated acids in ruminants rumens. Saturation of unsaturated acids decreases with the ration of crushed granulated feeds. The gastrointestinal stenosis possessing desaturation activity dehydrogenizes octadecanoic acid formed by microorganisms in pregasters and provides sheep (ruminants) organism with unsaturated acids

Compositional analysis of Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) cell-wall material from parenchyma, epidermis, and subepidermal tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Grassby, Terri; Jay, Andrew J; Merali, Zara; Parker, Mary L; Parr, Adrian J; Faulds, Craig B; Waldron, Keith W

2013-10-09

Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis (Burman f.) Trin ex Henschel) is a corm consumed globally in Oriental-style cuisine. The corm consists of three main tissues, the epidermis, subepidermis, and parenchyma; the cell walls of which were analyzed for sugar, phenolic, and lignin content. Sugar content, measured by gas chromatography, was higher in the parenchyma cell walls (931 μg/mg) than in the subepidermis (775 μg/mg) or epidermis (685 μg/mg). The alkali-extractable phenolic content, measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, was greater in the epidermal (32.4 μg/mg) and subepidermal cell walls (21.7 μg/mg) than in the cell walls of the parenchyma (12.3 μg/mg). The proportion of diferulic acids was higher in the parenchyma. The Klason lignin content of epidermal and subepidermal cell walls was ~15%. Methylation analysis of Chinese water chestnut cell-wall polysaccharides identified xyloglucan as the predominant hemicellulose in the parenchyma for the first time, and also a significant pectin component, similar to other nongraminaceous monocots.

Reciprocal Interactions between Cadmium-Induced Cell Wall Responses and Oxidative Stress in Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christophe Loix

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Cadmium (Cd pollution renders many soils across the world unsuited or unsafe for food- or feed-orientated agriculture. The main mechanism of Cd phytotoxicity is the induction of oxidative stress, amongst others through the depletion of glutathione. Oxidative stress can damage lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, leading to growth inhibition or even cell death. The plant cell has a variety of tools to defend itself against Cd stress. First and foremost, cell walls might prevent Cd from entering and damaging the protoplast. Both the primary and secondary cell wall have an array of defensive mechanisms that can be adapted to cope with Cd. Pectin, which contains most of the negative charges within the primary cell wall, can sequester Cd very effectively. In the secondary cell wall, lignification can serve to immobilize Cd and create a tougher barrier for entry. Changes in cell wall composition are, however, dependent on nutrients and conversely might affect their uptake. Additionally, the role of ascorbate (AsA as most important apoplastic antioxidant is of considerable interest, due to the fact that oxidative stress is a major mechanism underlying Cd toxicity, and that AsA biosynthesis shares several links with cell wall construction. In this review, modifications of the plant cell wall in response to Cd exposure are discussed. Focus lies on pectin in the primary cell wall, lignification in the secondary cell wall and the importance of AsA in the apoplast. Regarding lignification, we attempt to answer the question whether increased lignification is merely a consequence of Cd toxicity, or rather an elicited defense response. We propose a model for lignification as defense response, with a central role for hydrogen peroxide as substrate and signaling molecule.

MECHANISM OF ACTION OF ANTIBIOTICS WHICH INHIBIT SYNTHESIS OF BACTERIAL CELL WALL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indira Mujezinović

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Bacterial cell possess a cell wall, which is a main difference from mammalian cells. Its basic function is to provide the strength of bacteria, keeps its shape and provides an unusually high internal osmotic pressure. Synthesis of (construction of bacterial cell wall occurs in at least three phases. All of these three phases can be influence by a variety of antibiotics in way to inhibit its synthesis. The most important drugs that act in this manner are ß-lactam antibiotics (penicillins, cephalosporins, cephamycins and other ß-lactams. They interfere with the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan. After attachment to penicillin binding proteins (PBP on bacteria, they inhibit the transpeptidation enzyme that cross-links the peptide chain attached to the backbone of the peptidoglycan. The final bactericidal event is the inactivation of an inhibitor of autolytic enzymes in the cell wall, wich leads to lysis of the bacteria. Vancomycin inhibits the release of the building block unit from the carrier, thus preventing its addition to the growing end of the peptidoglycan. Cycloserine, which is a structural analogue of D-alanine, prevents the addition of the two terminal alanine residue to the initial tripeptide side-chain on N-acetylmuramic acid by competitive inhibition. Bacitracin interferes with the regeneration of the lipid carrier by blocking its dephosphorylation. Key words: bacterial cell wall, paptidoglycan, antibiotics, ß-lactams

Operational Windows for Dry-Wall and Wetted-Wall IFE Chambers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Najmabadi, F.; Raffray, A.R.; Bromberg, L.

2004-01-01

The ARIES-IFE study was an integrated study of inertial fusion energy (IFE) chambers and chamber interfaces with the driver and target systems. Detailed analysis of various subsystems was performed parametrically to uncover key physics/technology uncertainties and to identify constraints imposed by each subsystem. In this paper, these constraints (e.g., target injection and tracking, thermal response of the first wall, and driver propagation and focusing) were combined to understand the trade-offs, to develop operational windows for chamber concepts, and to identify high-leverage research and development directions for IFE research. Some conclusions drawn in this paper are (a) the detailed characterization of the target yield and spectrum has a major impact on the chamber; (b) it is prudent to use a thin armor instead of a monolithic first wall for dry-wall concepts; (c) for dry-wall concepts with direct-drive targets, the most stringent constraint is imposed by target survival during the injection process; (d) for relatively low yield targets (<250 MJ), an operational window with no buffer gas may exist; (e) for dry-wall concepts with indirect-drive targets, a high buffer gas pressure would be necessary that may preclude propagation of the laser driver and require assisted pinch transport for the heavy-ion driver; and (f) generation and transport of aerosols in the chamber is the key feasibility issue for wetted-wall concepts

Abscisic Acid Regulation of Root Hydraulic Conductivity and Aquaporin Gene Expression Is Crucial to the Plant Shoot Growth Enhancement Caused by Rhizosphere Humic Acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Olaetxea, Maite; Mora, Verónica; Bacaicoa, Eva; Garnica, María; Fuentes, Marta; Casanova, Esther; Zamarreño, Angel M; Iriarte, Juan C; Etayo, David; Ederra, Iñigo; Gonzalo, Ramón; Baigorri, Roberto; García-Mina, Jose M

2015-12-01

The physiological and metabolic mechanisms behind the humic acid-mediated plant growth enhancement are discussed in detail. Experiments using cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plants show that the shoot growth enhancement caused by a structurally well-characterized humic acid with sedimentary origin is functionally associated with significant increases in abscisic acid (ABA) root concentration and root hydraulic conductivity. Complementary experiments involving a blocking agent of cell wall pores and water root transport (polyethylenglycol) show that increases in root hydraulic conductivity are essential in the shoot growth-promoting action of the model humic acid. Further experiments involving an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis in root and shoot (fluridone) show that the humic acid-mediated enhancement of both root hydraulic conductivity and shoot growth depended on ABA signaling pathways. These experiments also show that a significant increase in the gene expression of the main root plasma membrane aquaporins is associated with the increase of root hydraulic conductivity caused by the model humic acid. Finally, experimental data suggest that all of these actions of model humic acid on root functionality, which are linked to its beneficial action on plant shoot growth, are likely related to the conformational structure of humic acid in solution and its interaction with the cell wall at the root surface. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Hard wall - soft wall - vorticity scattering in shear flow

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rienstra, S.W.; Singh, D.K.

2014-01-01

An analytically exact solution, for the problem of lowMach number incident vorticity scattering at a hard-soft wall transition, is obtained in the form of Fourier integrals by using theWiener-Hopf method. Harmonic vortical perturbations of inviscid linear shear flow are scattered at the wall

Hard wall - soft wall - vorticity scattering in shear flow

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rienstra, S.W.; Singh, D.K.

2014-01-01

An analytically exact solution, for the problem of low Mach number incident vorticity scattering at a hard-soft wall transition, is obtained in the form of Fourier integrals by using the Wiener-Hopf method. Harmonic vortical perturbations of inviscid linear shear flow are scattered at the wall

Regulation of cell wall biosynthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Ruiqin; Ye, Zheng-Hua

2007-12-01

Plant cell walls differ in their amount and composition among various cell types and even in different microdomains of the wall of a given cell. Plants must have evolved regulatory mechanisms controlling biosynthesis, targeted secretion, and assembly of wall components to achieve the heterogeneity in cell walls. A number of factors, including hormones, the cytoskeleton, glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, phosphoinositides, and sugar nucleotide supply, have been implicated in the regulation of cell wall biosynthesis or deposition. In the past two years, there have been important discoveries in transcriptional regulation of secondary wall biosynthesis. Several transcription factors in the NAC and MYB families have been shown to be the key switches for activation of secondary wall biosynthesis. These studies suggest a transcriptional network comprised of a hierarchy of transcription factors is involved in regulating secondary wall biosynthesis. Further investigation and integration of the regulatory players participating in the making of cell walls will certainly lead to our understanding of how wall amounts and composition are controlled in a given cell type. This may eventually allow custom design of plant cell walls on the basis of our needs.

Plant cell wall extensibility: connecting plant cell growth with cell wall structure, mechanics, and the action of wall-modifying enzymes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cosgrove, Daniel J.

2015-11-25

The advent of user-friendly instruments for measuring force/deflection curves of plant surfaces at high spatial resolution has resulted in a recent outpouring of reports of the ‘Young's modulus’ of plant cell walls. The stimulus for these mechanical measurements comes from biomechanical models of morphogenesis of meristems and other tissues, as well as single cells, in which cell wall stress feeds back to regulate microtubule organization, auxin transport, cellulose deposition, and future growth directionality. In this article I review the differences between elastic modulus and wall extensibility in the context of cell growth. Some of the inherent complexities, assumptions, and potential pitfalls in the interpretation of indentation force/deflection curves are discussed. Reported values of elastic moduli from surface indentation measurements appear to be 10- to >1000-fold smaller than realistic tensile elastic moduli in the plane of plant cell walls. Potential reasons for this disparity are discussed, but further work is needed to make sense of the huge range in reported values. The significance of wall stress relaxation for growth is reviewed and connected to recent advances and remaining enigmas in our concepts of how cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectins are assembled to make an extensible cell wall. A comparison of the loosening action of α-expansin and Cel12A endoglucanase is used to illustrate two different ways in which cell walls may be made more extensible and the divergent effects on wall mechanics.

Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes/Graphite Nanosheets Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode for the Simultaneous Determination of Acetaminophen and Dopamine.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Susu; He, Ping; Zhang, Guangli; Lei, Wen; He, Huichao

2015-01-01

Graphite nanosheets prepared by thermal expansion and successive sonication were utilized for the construction of a multi-walled carbon nanotubes/graphite nanosheets based amperometric sensing platform to simultaneously determine acetaminophen and dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid in physiological conditions. The synergistic effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphite nanosheets catalyzed the electrooxidation of acetaminophen and dopamine, leading to a remarkable potential difference up to 200 mV. The as-prepared modified electrode exhibited linear responses to acetaminophen and dopamine in the concentration ranges of 2.0 × 10(-6) - 2.4 × 10(-4) M (R = 0.999) and 2.0 × 10(-6) - 2.0 × 10(-4) M (R = 0.998), respectively. The detection limits were down to 2.3 × 10(-7) M for acetaminophen and 3.5 × 10(-7) M for dopamine (S/N = 3). Based on the simple preparation and prominent electrochemical properties, the obtained multi-walled carbon nanotubes/graphite nanosheets modified electrode would be a good candidate for the determination of acetaminophen and dopamine without the interference of ascorbic acid.

[Myocardial imaging in acute myocardial infarction using beta-methyl-p-(123I)-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid: comparison with 201Tl imaging and wall motion].

Science.gov (United States)

Naruse, H; Itano, M; Kondo, T; Kogame, T; Yamamoto, J; Morita, M; Kawamoto, H; Fukutake, N; Ohyanagi, M; Iwasaki, T

1992-01-01

Myocardial imaging using beta-methyl-p-(123I)-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) was performed in 11 patients with acute myocardial infarction. The left ventricular images were divided into 12 segments, and myocardial imagings with BMIPP were compared with coronary angiography (CAG), thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy (TL) and wall motion obtained by two-dimensional echocardiography (WM). When the culprit lesion was at the proximal point of the left anterior descending artery (LAD), all segments showed depressed uptake. In 3 cases with single vessel disease of the LAD, inferior wall of the basis showed reduced uptake of BMIPP despite the location of the culprit lesion. In cases with discordant uptake between the two tracers, BMIPP frequently showed more severely depressed uptake than TL in the subacute phase, although the uptake of BMIPP correlated with that of TL (tau = 0.82, p less than 0.001). In such cases, the discordance was related to the improvement in WM from the acute phase to the convalescent phase. BMIPP uptake correlated with WM in the subacute phase (tau = 0.50, p less than 0.001). BMIPP showed more severely depressed uptake while WM showed mild asynergy in most cases in which discordance was found between the BMIPP and WM findings. However, there was no correlation between the change in WM from the acute to subacute phases, or the uptakes of BMIPP and TL alone. We concluded that the myocardial condition can be evaluated in detail in acute myocardial infarction by comparing the findings of BMIPP with those of TL and WM.

Abdominal wall fat pad biopsy

Science.gov (United States)

Amyloidosis - abdominal wall fat pad biopsy; Abdominal wall biopsy; Biopsy - abdominal wall fat pad ... is the most common method of taking an abdominal wall fat pad biopsy . The health care provider cleans the ...

Spontaneous and controlled-diameter synthesis of single-walled and few-walled carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Shuhei; Lojindarat, Supanat; Kawamoto, Takahiro; Matsumura, Yukihiko; Charinpanitkul, Tawatchai

2018-05-01

In this study, we explored the spontaneous and controlled-diameter growth of carbon nanotubes. We evaluated the effects of catalyst density, reduction time, and a number of catalyst coating on the substrate (for multi-walled carbon nanotubes) on the diameter of single-walled carbon nanotubes and the number of layers in few-walled carbon nanotubes. Increasing the catalyst density and reduction time increased the diameters of the carbon nanotubes, with the average diameter increasing from 1.05 nm to 1.86 nm for single-walled carbon nanotubes. Finally, we succeeded in synthesizing a significant double-walled carbon nanotube population of 24%.

Regulation of Cell Wall Biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: The Cell Wall Integrity Signaling Pathway

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, David E.

2011-01-01

The yeast cell wall is a strong, but elastic, structure that is essential not only for the maintenance of cell shape and integrity, but also for progression through the cell cycle. During growth and morphogenesis, and in response to environmental challenges, the cell wall is remodeled in a highly regulated and polarized manner, a process that is principally under the control of the cell wall integrity (CWI) signaling pathway. This pathway transmits wall stress signals from the cell surface to the Rho1 GTPase, which mobilizes a physiologic response through a variety of effectors. Activation of CWI signaling regulates the production of various carbohydrate polymers of the cell wall, as well as their polarized delivery to the site of cell wall remodeling. This review article centers on CWI signaling in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through the cell cycle and in response to cell wall stress. The interface of this signaling pathway with other pathways that contribute to the maintenance of cell wall integrity is also discussed. PMID:22174182

Orbital wall fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iinuma, Toshitaka; Ishio, Ken-ichirou; Yoshinami, Hiroyoshi; Kuriyama, Jun-ichi; Hirota, Yoshiharu.

1993-01-01

A total of 59 cases of mild facial fractures (simple orbital wall fractures, 34 cases, other facial fractures, 25 cases) with the clinical suspects of orbital wall fractures were evaluated both by conventional views (Waters' and Caldwell views) and coronal CT scans. Conventional views were obtained, as an average, after 4 days and CT after 7 days of injuries. Both the medial wall and the floor were evaluated at two sites, i.e., anterior and posterior. The ethmoid-maxillary plate was also included in the study. The degree of fractures was classified as, no fractures, fractures of discontinuity, dislocation and fragmentation. The coronal CT images in bone window condition was used as reference and the findings were compared between conventional views and CT. The correct diagnosis was obtained as follows: orbital floor (anterior, 78%, posterior, 73%), medial orbital wall (anterior, 72%, posterior, 72%) and ethmoid-maxillary plate (64%). The false positive diagnosis was as follows: orbital floor (anterior only, 13%), medial orbital wall (anterior only, 7%) and ethmoid-maxillary plate (11%). The false negative diagnosis was as follows: orbital floor (anterior, 9%, posterior, 10%), medial orbital wall (anterior, 21%, posterior, 28%) and ethmoid-maxillary plate (21%). The results were compared with those of others in the past. (author)

The role of cell walls and pectins in cation exchange and surface area of plant roots.

Science.gov (United States)

Szatanik-Kloc, A; Szerement, J; Józefaciuk, G

2017-08-01

We aimed to assess role of cell walls in formation of cation exchange capacity, surface charge, surface acidity, specific surface, water adsorption energy and surface charge density of plant roots, and to find the input of the cell wall pectins to the above properties. Whole roots, isolated cell walls and the residue after the extraction of pectins from the cell walls of two Apiaceae L. species (celeriac and parsnip) were studied using potentiometric titration curves and water vapor adsorption - desorption isotherms. Total amount of surface charge, as well as the cation exchange capacity were markedly higher in roots than in their cell walls, suggesting large contribution of other cell organelles to the binding of cations by the whole root cells. Significantly lower charge of the residues after removal of pectins was noted indicating that pectins play the most important role in surface charge formation of cell walls. The specific surface was similar for all of the studied materials. For the separated cell walls it was around 10% smaller than of the whole roots, and it increased slightly after the removal of pectins. The surface charge density and water vapor adsorption energy were the highest for the whole roots and the lowest for the cell walls residues after removal of pectins. The results indicate that the cell walls and plasma membranes are jointly involved in root ion exchange and surface characteristics and their contribution depends upon the plant species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

PREFACE: Domain wall dynamics in nanostructures Domain wall dynamics in nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Marrows, C. H.; Meier, G.

2012-01-01

Domain structures in magnetic materials are ubiquitous and have been studied for decades. The walls that separate them are topological defects in the magnetic order parameter and have a wide variety of complex forms. In general, their investigation is difficult in bulk materials since only the domain structure on the surface of a specimen is visible. Cutting the sample to reveal the interior causes a rearrangement of the domains into a new form. As with many other areas of magnetism, the study of domain wall physics has been revitalised by the advent of nanotechnology. The ability to fabricate nanoscale structures has permitted the formation of simplified and controlled domain patterns; the development of advanced microscopy methods has permitted them to be imaged and then modelled; subjecting them to ultrashort field and current pulses has permitted their dynamics to be explored. The latest results from all of these advances are described in this special issue. Not only has this led to results of great scientific beauty, but also to concepts of great applicability to future information technologies. In this issue the reader will find the latest results for these domain wall dynamics and the high-speed processes of topological structures such as domain walls and magnetic vortices. These dynamics can be driven by the application of magnetic fields, or by flowing currents through spintronic devices using the novel physics of spin-transfer torque. This complexity has been studied using a wide variety of experimental techniques at the edge of the spatial and temporal resolution currently available, and can be described using sophisticated analytical theory and computational modelling. As a result, the dynamics can be engineered to give rise to finely controlled memory and logic devices with new functionality. Moreover, the field is moving to study not only the conventional transition metal ferromagnets, but also complex heterostructures, novel magnets and even other

Preparation, electrochemical behavior and electrocatalytic activity of chlorogenic acid multi-wall carbon nanotubes as a hydroxylamine sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zare, Hamid R., E-mail: hrzare@yazduni.ac.ir; Nasirizadeh, Navid; Ajamain, Hamideh; Sahragard, Ali

2011-07-20

Electrochemical characteristics of an electrodeposited chlorogenic acid film on multi-wall carbon nanotubes glassy carbon electrode (CGA-MWCNT-GCE) and its role as a sensor for electrocatalytic oxidation of hydroxylamine are described. Cyclic voltammograms of the CGA-MWCNT-GCE indicate a pair of well-defined and nearly reversible redox couple with the surface confined characteristics at a wide pH range of 2.0-12.0. The charge transfer coefficient, {alpha}, and the charge transfer rate constant, k{sub s}, of CGA adsorbed on MWCNT were calculated 0.48 and 44 {+-} 2 s{sup -1} respectively. The CGA-MWCNT-GCE shows a dramatic increase in the peak current and/or a decrease in the overvoltage of hydroxylamine electrooxidation in comparison with that seen at a CGA modified GCE, MWCNT modified GCE and activated GCE. The kinetic parameters of electron transfer coefficient, {alpha}, the heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant, k', and exchange current, i{sub 0}, for oxidation of hydroxylamine at the modified electrode surface were determined using cyclic voltammetry. Four linear calibration ranges and high repeatability with relative standard deviation of 4.6%, for a series of four successive measurements in 17.7 {mu}M hydroxylamine, are obtained at the CGA-MWCNT-GCE using an amperometric method. Finally, the modified electrode was successfully used for determination of spiked hydroxylamine in two water samples.

Preparation, electrochemical behavior and electrocatalytic activity of chlorogenic acid multi-wall carbon nanotubes as a hydroxylamine sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zare, Hamid R.; Nasirizadeh, Navid; Ajamain, Hamideh; Sahragard, Ali

2011-01-01

Electrochemical characteristics of an electrodeposited chlorogenic acid film on multi-wall carbon nanotubes glassy carbon electrode (CGA-MWCNT-GCE) and its role as a sensor for electrocatalytic oxidation of hydroxylamine are described. Cyclic voltammograms of the CGA-MWCNT-GCE indicate a pair of well-defined and nearly reversible redox couple with the surface confined characteristics at a wide pH range of 2.0-12.0. The charge transfer coefficient, α, and the charge transfer rate constant, k s , of CGA adsorbed on MWCNT were calculated 0.48 and 44 ± 2 s -1 respectively. The CGA-MWCNT-GCE shows a dramatic increase in the peak current and/or a decrease in the overvoltage of hydroxylamine electrooxidation in comparison with that seen at a CGA modified GCE, MWCNT modified GCE and activated GCE. The kinetic parameters of electron transfer coefficient, α, the heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant, k', and exchange current, i 0 , for oxidation of hydroxylamine at the modified electrode surface were determined using cyclic voltammetry. Four linear calibration ranges and high repeatability with relative standard deviation of 4.6%, for a series of four successive measurements in 17.7 μM hydroxylamine, are obtained at the CGA-MWCNT-GCE using an amperometric method. Finally, the modified electrode was successfully used for determination of spiked hydroxylamine in two water samples.

Differences in wound-induced changes in cell-wall peroxidase activities and isoform patterns between seedlings of Prosopis tamarugo and Prosopis chilensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehner, Gabriele; Cardemil, Liliana

2003-05-01

We determined changes in cell-wall peroxidase activities and isoform patterns in response to wounding in seedlings of Prosopis tamarugo Phil. (an endemic species of the Atacama Desert) and Prosopis chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz (a native species of central Chile), to assess tolerance to predation. In seedlings of both species, the maximal increase in peroxidase activity occurred 48 h after wounding, reaching three times the control value in P. tamarugo and twice the control value in P. chilensis. The activity of ionically bound cell-wall peroxidases increased only locally in wounded embryonic axes, whereas the activity of soluble peroxidases increased systemically in unwounded cotyledons. Analysis of ionic peroxidases by isoelectrofocusing revealed two groups of peroxidases in the cell walls of both species: four distinct acidic isoforms and a group of basic isoforms. In response to wounding, there was a large increase in activity of the acidic isoforms in P. tamarugo, whereas there was an increase in the activity of the basic isoforms in P. chilensis. In P. chilensis, the wound-induced increase in activity of the basic isoforms corresponded with one of the two isoforms detected in P. tamarugo prior to wounding. Experiments with protein and RNA synthesis inhibitors indicated that a preexisting basic peroxidase is activated in P. chilensis after wounding. Assays of ionically bound peroxidase activity with four different substrates corroborated the differences found in isoform patterns between species. In P. tamarugo, the largest increases in activity were found with ortho-phenylenediamine and ferulic acid as substrates, whereas in P. chilensis the largest increase in activity was found with guaiacol as substrate. Because the same basic cell-wall peroxidase that accumulated after wounding in P. chilensis was present in P. tamarugo prior to wounding, and the activity of acidic cell-wall peroxidases increased after wounding in P. tamarugo but not in P. chilensis, we conclude

Structural changes in cell wall pectins during strawberry fruit development.

Science.gov (United States)

Paniagua, Candelas; Santiago-Doménech, Nieves; Kirby, Andrew R; Gunning, A Patrick; Morris, Victor J; Quesada, Miguel A; Matas, Antonio J; Mercado, José A

2017-09-01

Strawberry (Fragaria × anannasa Duch.) is one of the most important soft fruit. Rapid loss of firmness occurs during the ripening process, resulting in a short shelf life and high economic losses. To get insight into the role of pectin matrix in the softening process, cell walls from strawberry fruit at two developmental stages, unripe-green and ripe-red, were extracted and sequentially fractionated with different solvents to obtain fractions enriched in a specific component. The yield of cell wall material as well as the per fresh weight contents of the different fractions decreased in ripe fruit. The largest reduction was observed in the pectic fractions extracted with a chelating agent (trans-1,2- diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N'N'-tetraacetic acid, CDTA fraction) and those covalently bound to the wall (extracted with Na 2 CO 3 ). Uronic acid content of these two fractions also decreased significantly during ripening, but the amount of soluble pectins extracted with phenol:acetic acid:water (PAW) and water increased in ripe fruit. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the different fractions showed that the degree of esterification decreased in CDTA pectins but increased in soluble fractions at ripen stage. The chromatographic analysis of pectin fractions by gel filtration revealed that CDTA, water and, mainly PAW polyuronides were depolymerised in ripe fruit. By contrast, the size of Na 2 CO 3 pectins was not modified. The nanostructural characteristics of CDTA and Na 2 CO 3 pectins were analysed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Isolated pectic chains present in the CDTA fractions were significantly longer and more branched in samples from green fruit than those from red fruit. No differences in contour length were observed in Na 2 CO 3 strands between samples of both stages. However, the percentage of branched chains decreased from 19.7% in unripe samples to 3.4% in ripe fruit. The number of pectin aggregates was higher in green fruit samples of both

Wall-associated kinase-like polypeptide mediates nutritional status perception and response

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zhenbiao; Karr, Stephen

2014-02-11

The disclosure relates to methods for modulating plant growth and organogenesis using dominant-negative receptor-like kinases. The disclosure further provides a method for increasing plant yield relative to corresponding wild type plants comprising modulating the expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding a Wall-Associated Kinase-like 14 polypeptide or a homolog thereof, and selecting for plants having increased yield or growth on a nutrient deficient substrate.

Método para a Determinação de Ácidos Fenólicos na Parede Celular de Forragens Method for Phenolic Acid Determination in Forage Cell Wall

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Carlos Deschamps

2002-07-01

Full Text Available Há fatores que limitam a digestão das forragens tropicais e estão associados à dinâmica dos ácidos fenólicos da parede celular. Os estudos destes compostos em forragens podem ser facilitados pela disponibilidade de métodos sensíveis que permitam o processamento de grande número de amostras. No presente trabalho, descreve-se um método para a determinação de ácidos fenólicos na parede celular de forragens, utilizando cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (CLAE. Bagaço de cana, capim-elefante e folhas de mandioca foram utilizados como amostras experimentais. Para remover substâncias solúveis de baixa massa molecular, foram testados etanol 80% e o detergente neutro, determinando seus efeitos sobre a recuperação das moléculas e benefícios no perfil cromatográfico. Para a obtenção dos ácidos fenólicos livres, as amostras foram solubilizadas em NaOH 1 mol/L, 20ºC por 24 horas. O método proposto foi adequado para a determinação de ácidos fenólicos, apresentando grande sensibilidade e produtividade no laboratório. Para minimizar os efeitos negativos da formação de sal resultante da neutralização ácida do extrato alcalino, sugere-se a diluição da amostra ou a injeção de pequeno volume (5 uL no aparelho. O efeito da utilização de solventes como etanol 80% ou detergente neutro é distinto sobre as amostras das gramíneas e leguminosas. A quantidade de extrativos nas folhas de mandioca foi superior a do bagaço de cana e capim-elefante. A concentração de ácidos fenólicos foi pouco alterada pela ação dos solventes, sendo maior nas amostras de bagaço de cana e capim-elefante, em relação às folhas de mandioca. O método apresentado constitui-se em uma importante ferramenta para o estudo dos ácidos fenólicos na parede celular de forragens tropicais.Factors that limit the digestion of tropical forages are associated to the dynamic of cell wall phenolic acids. The study of these compounds in forages may

Electroweak bubble wall speed limit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bödeker, Dietrich [Fakultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld, 33501 Bielefeld (Germany); Moore, Guy D., E-mail: bodeker@physik.uni-bielefeld.de, E-mail: guymoore@ikp.physik.tu-darmstadt.de [Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstraße 2, 64289 Darmstadt (Germany)

2017-05-01

In extensions of the Standard Model with extra scalars, the electroweak phase transition can be very strong, and the bubble walls can be highly relativistic. We revisit our previous argument that electroweak bubble walls can 'run away,' that is, achieve extreme ultrarelativistic velocities γ ∼ 10{sup 14}. We show that, when particles cross the bubble wall, they can emit transition radiation. Wall-frame soft processes, though suppressed by a power of the coupling α, have a significance enhanced by the γ-factor of the wall, limiting wall velocities to γ ∼ 1/α. Though the bubble walls can move at almost the speed of light, they carry an infinitesimal share of the plasma's energy.

Ascorbic acid reduces noise-induced nitric oxide production in the guinea pig ear.

Science.gov (United States)

Heinrich, Ulf-Rüdiger; Fischer, Ilka; Brieger, Jürgen; Rümelin, Andreas; Schmidtmann, Irene; Li, Huige; Mann, Wolf J; Helling, Kai

2008-05-01

Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused, among other causes, by increased nitric oxide (NO) production in the inner ear leading to nitroactive stress and cell destruction. Some studies in the literature suggest that the degree of hearing loss (HL) could be reduced in an animal model through ascorbic acid supplementation. To identify the effect of ascorbic acid on tissue-dependent NO content in the inner ear of the guinea pig, we determined the local NO production in the organ of Corti and the lateral wall separately 6 hours after noise exposure. Prospective animal study in guinea pigs. Over a period of 7 days, male guinea pigs were supplied with minimum (25 mg/kg body weight/day) and maximum (525 mg/kg body weight/day) ascorbic acid doses, and afterwards exposed to noise (90 dB sound pressure level for 1 hour). The acoustic-evoked potentials were recorded before and after noise exposure. The organ of Corti and the lateral wall were incubated differently for 6 hours in culture medium, and the degree of NO production was determined by chemiluminescence. Ascorbic acid treatment reduced the hearing threshold shift after noise exposure depending on concentration. When the maximum ascorbic acid dose was substituted, NO production was significantly reduced in the lateral wall after noise exposure and slightly reduced in the organ of Corti. Oral supplementation of the natural radical scavenger ascorbic acid reduces the NO-production rate in the inner ear in noisy conditions. This finding supports the concept of inner ear protection by ascorbic acid supplementation.

Preparation of graphene oxide/polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube composite and its application in supercapacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Bin; Qiu, Jianhui; Feng, Huixia; Sakai, Eiichi

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A novel method for synthesizing graphene oxide/polypyrrole/multi-walled nanotube composites. • Investigation of the effects of the mass ratio of GO, CM and Py on the capacitance of prepared composites. • Excellent electrochemical performance of PCMG composites. - Abstract: We report a novel method for preparing graphene oxide/polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composites (PCMG). The MWCNTs are treated by sulfuric acid, nitric acid and thionyl chloride, and then composite with graphene oxide and PPy by in suit polymerization. Transition electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that in 3-D structure of PCMG composites, PPy chains act as the “bridge” between graphene oxide and chlorinated-MWCNTs. Electrochemical tests reveal that the PCMG1-1 composite has high capacitance of 406.7 F g −1 at current density of 0.5 A g −1 , and the capacitance retention of PCMG1-1 composite is 92% after 1000 cycles

The effect of partial poloidal wall sections on the wall stabilization of external kink modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ward, D.J.

1996-02-01

An analysis of the effect on the wall stabilization of external kink modes due to toroidally continuous gaps in the resistive wall is performed. The effects with and without toroidal rotation are studied. For a high-β equilibrium, the mode structure is localized on the outboard side. Therefore, outboard gaps greatly increase the growth rate when there is no rotation. For resistive wall stabilization by toroidal rotation, the presence of gaps has the same effect as moving the wall farther away, i.e. destabilizing for the ideal plasma mode, and stabilizing for the resistive wall mode. The region of stability, in terms of wall position, is reduced in size and moved closer to the plasma. However, complete stabilization becomes possible at considerably reduced rotation frequencies. For a high-β, reverse-shear equilibrium both the resistive wall mode and the ideal plasma mode can be stabilized by close fitting discrete passive plates on the outboard side. The necessary toroidal rotation frequency to stabilize the resistive wall mode using these plates is reduced by a factor of three compared to that for a poloidally continuous and complete wall at the same plasma-wall separation. (author) 15 figs., 24 refs

Iterative Otsu's method for OCT improved delineation in the aorta wall

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, Daniel; Real, Eusebio; Val-Bernal, José F.; Revuelta, José M.; Pontón, Alejandro; Calvo Díez, Marta; Mayorga, Marta; López-Higuera, José M.; Conde, Olga M.

2015-07-01

Degradation of human ascending thoracic aorta has been visualized with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). OCT images of the vessel wall exhibit structural degradation in the media layer of the artery, being this disorder the final trigger of the pathology. The degeneration in the vessel wall appears as low-reflectivity areas due to different optical properties of acidic polysaccharides and mucopolysaccharides in contrast with typical ordered structure of smooth muscle cells, elastin and collagen fibers. An OCT dimension indicator of wall degradation can be generated upon the spatial quantification of the extension of degraded areas in a similar way as conventional histopathology. This proposed OCT marker can offer in the future a real-time clinical perception of the vessel status to help cardiovascular surgeons in vessel repair interventions. However, the delineation of degraded areas on the B-scan image from OCT is sometimes difficult due to presence of speckle noise, variable signal to noise ratio (SNR) conditions on the measurement process, etc. Degraded areas can be delimited by basic thresholding techniques taking advantage of disorders evidences in B-scan images, but this delineation is not optimum in the aorta samples and requires complex additional processing stages. This work proposes an optimized delineation of degraded areas within the aorta wall, robust to noisy environments, based on the iterative application of Otsu's thresholding method. Results improve the delineation of wall anomalies compared with the simple application of the algorithm. Achievements could be also transferred to other clinical scenarios: carotid arteries, aorto-iliac or ilio-femoral sections, intracranial, etc.

A Structurally Specialized Uniform Wall Layer is Essential for Constructing Wall Ingrowth Papillae in Transfer Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Xue; Zhang, Hui-Ming; Offler, Christina E.; Patrick, John W.

2017-01-01

Transfer cells are characterized by wall labyrinths with either a flange or reticulate architecture. A literature survey established that reticulate wall ingrowth papillae ubiquitously arise from a modified component of their wall labyrinth, termed the uniform wall layer; a structure absent from flange transfer cells. This finding sparked an investigation of the deposition characteristics and role of the uniform wall layer using a Vicia faba cotyledon culture system. On transfer of cotyledons to culture, their adaxial epidermal cells spontaneously trans-differentiate to a reticulate architecture comparable to their abaxial epidermal transfer cell counterparts formed in planta. Uniform wall layer construction commenced once adaxial epidermal cell expansion had ceased to overlay the original outer periclinal wall on its inner surface. In contrast to the dense ring-like lattice of cellulose microfibrils in the original primary wall, the uniform wall layer was characterized by a sparsely dispersed array of linear cellulose microfibrils. A re-modeled cortical microtubule array exerted no influence on uniform wall layer formation or on its cellulose microfibril organization. Surprisingly, formation of the uniform wall layer was not dependent upon depositing a cellulose scaffold. In contrast, uniform wall cellulose microfibrils were essential precursors for constructing wall ingrowth papillae. On converging to form wall ingrowth papillae, the cellulose microfibril diameters increased 3-fold. This event correlated with up-regulated differential, and transfer-cell specific, expression of VfCesA3B while transcript levels of other cellulose biosynthetic-related genes linked with primary wall construction were substantially down-regulated. PMID:29259611

Shear localization and effective wall friction in a wall bounded granular flow

Science.gov (United States)

Artoni, Riccardo; Richard, Patrick

2017-06-01

In this work, granular flow rheology is investigated by means of discrete numerical simulations of a torsional, cylindrical shear cell. Firstly, we focus on azimuthal velocity profiles and study the effect of (i) the confining pressure, (ii) the particle-wall friction coefficient, (iii) the rotating velocity of the bottom wall and (iv) the cell diameter. For small cell diameters, azimuthal velocity profiles are nearly auto-similar, i.e. they are almost linear with the radial coordinate. Different strain localization regimes are observed : shear can be localized at the bottom, at the top of the shear cell, or it can be even quite distributed. This behavior originates from the competition between dissipation at the sidewalls and dissipation in the bulk of the system. Then we study the effective friction at the cylindrical wall, and point out the strong link between wall friction, slip and fluctuations of forces and velocities. Even if the system is globally below the sliding threshold, force fluctuations trigger slip events, leading to a nonzero wall slip velocity and an effective wall friction coefficient different from the particle-wall one. A scaling law was found linking slip velocity, granular temperature in the main flow direction and effective friction. Our results suggest that fluctuations are an important ingredient for theories aiming to capture the interface rheology of granular materials.

Cell wall alterations in the leaves of fusariosis-resistant and susceptible pineapple cultivars.

Science.gov (United States)

de Farias Viégas Aquije, Glória Maria; Zorzal, Poliana Belisário; Buss, David Shaun; Ventura, José Aires; Fernandes, Patricia Machado Bueno; Fernandes, Antonio Alberto Ribeiro

2010-10-01

Fusariosis, caused by the fungus Fusarium subglutinans f. sp. ananas (Syn. F. guttiforme), is one of the main phytosanitary threats to pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus). Identification of plant cell responses to pathogens is important in understanding the plant-pathogen relationship and establishing strategies to improve and select resistant cultivars. Studies of the structural properties and phenolic content of cell walls in resistant (Vitoria) and susceptible (Perola) pineapple cultivars, related to resistance to the fungus, were performed. The non-chlorophyll base of physiologically mature leaves was inoculated with a conidia suspension. Analyses were performed post-inoculation by light, atomic force, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and measurement of cell wall-bound phenolic compounds. Non-inoculated leaves were used as controls to define the constitutive tissue characteristics. Analyses indicated that morphological differences, such as cell wall thickness, cicatrization process and lignification, were related to resistance to the pathogen. Atomic force microscopy indicated a considerable difference in the mechanical properties of the resistant and susceptible cultivars, with more structural integrity, associated with higher levels of cell wall-bound phenolics, found in the resistant cultivar. p-Coumaric and ferulic acids were shown to be the major phenolics bound to the cell walls and were found in higher amounts in the resistant cultivar. Leaves of the resistant cultivar had reduced fungal penetration and a faster and more effective cicatrization response compared to the susceptible cultivar.

Teichuronic acid reducing terminal N-acetylglucosamine residue linked by phosphodiester to peptidoglycan of Micrococcus luteus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gassner, G.T.; Dickie, J.P.; Hamerski, D.A.; Magnuson, J.K.; Anderson, J.S.

1990-01-01

Teichuronic acid-peptidoglycan complex isolated from Micrococcus luteus cells by lysozyme digestion in osmotically stabilized medium was treated with mild acid to cleave the linkage joining teichuronic acid to peptidoglycan. This labile linkage was shown to be the phosphodiester which joins N-acetylglucosamine, the residue located at the reducing end of the teichuronic acid, through its anomeric hydroxyl group to a 6-phosphomuramic acid, a residue of the glycan strand of peptidoglycan. 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the lysozyme digest of cell walls demonstrated the presence of a phosphodiester which was converted to a phosphomonoester by the conditions which released teichuronic acid from cell walls. Reduction of acid-liberated reducing end groups by NaB 3 H 4 followed by complete acid hydrolysis yielded [ 3 H] glucosaminitol from the true reducing end residue of teichuronic acid and [ 3 H]glucitol from the sites of fragmentation of teichuronic acid. The amount of N-acetylglucosamine detected was approximately stoichiometric with the amount of phosphate in the complex. Partial fragmentation of teichuronic acid provides an explanation of the previous erroneous identification of the reducing end residue

Thidiazuron: A potent cytokinin for efficient plant regeneration in Himalayan poplar (Populus ciliata Wall. using leaf explants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaurav Aggarwal

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Populus species are important resource for certain branches of industry and have special roles for scientific study on biological and agricultural systems. The present investigation was undertaken with an objective of enhancing the frequency of plant regeneration in Himalayan poplar (Populus ciliata Wall.. The effect of Thiadizuron (TDZ alone and in combination with adenine and α-Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA were studied on the regeneration potential of leaf explants. A high efficiency of shoot regeneration was observed in leaf (80.00% explants on MS basal medium supplemented with 0.024 mg/l TDZ and 79.7 mg/l adenine. Elongation and multiplication of shoots were obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS basal medium, containing 0.5 mg/l 6. Benzyl aminopurine (BAP + 0.2mg/l Indole 3-acetic acid (IAA + 0.3 mg/l Gibberellic acid (GA3. High frequency root regeneration from in vitro developed shoots was observed on MS basal medium supplemented with 0.10 mg/l Indole 3-butyric acid(IBA. Maximum of the in vitro rooted plantlets were well accomplished to the mixture of sand: soil (1:1 and exhibited similar morphology with the field plants. A high efficiency plant regeneration protocol has been developedfrom leaf explants in Himalayan poplar (Populus ciliata Wall..

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POROUS WALLED HOLLOW GLASS MICROSPHERES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raszewski, F; Erich Hansen, E; Ray Schumacher, R; David Peeler, D

2008-04-21

Porous-walled hollow glass microspheres (PWHGMs) of a modified alkali borosilicate composition have been successfully fabricated by combining the technology of producing hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) with the knowledge associated with porous glasses. HGMs are first formed by a powder glass--flame process, which are then transformed to PWHGMs by heat treatment and subsequent treatment in acid. Pore diameter and pore volume are most influenced by heat treatment temperature. Pore diameter is increased by a factor of 10 when samples are heat treated prior to acid leaching; 100 {angstrom} in non-heat treated samples to 1000 {angstrom} in samples heat treated at 600 C for 8 hours. As heat treatment time is increased from 8 hours to 24 hours there is a slight shift increase in pore diameter and little or no change in pore volume.

Cloning and expression of cell wall acid invertase gene fragment ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A fragment of invertase gene containing catalytic sites of cysteine was cloned from poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima wild.) by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The length of the fragment was 521 bp, encoding 173 amino acids and containing a part of open reading frames, but no intron. It had a high ...

Granular packings with moving side walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landry, James W.; Grest, Gary Stephen

2004-01-01

The effects of movement of the side walls of a confined granular packing are studied by discrete element, molecular dynamics simulations. The dynamical evolution of the stress is studied as a function of wall movement both in the direction of gravity as well as opposite to it. For all wall velocities explored, the stress in the final state of the system after wall movement is fundamentally different from the original state obtained by pouring particles into the container and letting them settle under the influence of gravity. The original packing possesses a hydrostaticlike region at the top of the container which crosses over to a depth-independent stress. As the walls are moved in the direction opposite to gravity, the saturation stress first reaches a minimum value independent of the wall velocity, then increases to a steady-state value dependent on the wall velocity. After wall movement ceases and the packing reaches equilibrium, the stress profile fits the classic Janssen form for high wall velocities, while some deviations remain for low wall velocities. The wall movement greatly increases the number of particle-wall and particle-particle forces at the Coulomb criterion. Varying the wall velocity has only small effects on the particle structure of the final packing so long as the walls travel a similar distance.

Protein synthesis in body wall and midgut during the larval moulting cycle of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagata, Masao

1976-01-01

14 C-leucine was injected into larvae at various points of time during the fourth moulting cycle, and four hours after the injection, dissection was carried out. The intake of radioactivity into the proteins of body wall and midgut was investigated. The specific activity of the proteins changed with the moulting of larvae, but the specific activity of the amino acid pool in tissues also changed. Accordingly, the change of specific activity in proteins was not able to be regarded as the variation of synthetic capability. The ratio of the specific activity of proteins to that of amino acid pool was determined, and it was revealed that the capability of protein synthesis of body wall and midgut was high in feeding period and lowered in moulting period, and it was different according to various stages of moulting period. As the result of investigation on the time course of the specific activity of proteins of body wall and midgut after the injection of 14 C-leucine, it was shown that the specific activity reached the maximum earlier in feeding period than in moulting period. The intake of 14 C-leucine into body wall and midgut was examined with 20 min. labeling, consequently the specific activity of proteins was high in feeding period and low in moulting period. The capability of protein synthesis was active in feeding period and dwindled in moulting period in case of the whole body of larvae. (Kako, I.)

Plasma-wall interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behrisch, Rainer

1978-01-01

The plasma wall interactions for two extreme cases, the 'vacuum model' and the 'cold gas blanket' are outlined. As a first step for understanding the plasma wall interactions the elementary interaction processes at the first wall are identified. These are energetic ion and neutral particle trapping and release, ion and neutral backscattering, ion sputtering, desorption by ions, photons and electrons and evaporation. These processes have only recently been started to be investigated in the parameter range of interest for fusion research. The few measured data and their extrapolation into regions not yet investigated are reviewed

Selective degradation of the recalcitrant cell wall of Scenedesmus quadricauda CASA CC202.

Science.gov (United States)

Reshma, Ragini; Arumugam, Muthu

2017-10-01

An eco-friendly cell wall digestion strategy was developed to enhance the availability of nutritionally important bio molecules of edible microalgae and exploit them for cloning, transformation, and expression of therapeutic proteins. Microalgae are the source for many nutritionally important bioactive compounds and potential drugs. Even though edible microalgae are rich in nutraceutical, bioavailability of all these molecules is very less due to their rigid recalcitrant cell wall. For example, the cell wall of Scenedesmus quadricauda CASA CC202 is made up of three layers comprising of rigid outer pectin and inner cellulosic layer separated by a thin middle layer. In the present investigation, a comprehensive method has been developed for the selective degradation of S. quadricauda CASA CC202 cell wall, by employing both mechanical and enzymatic treatments. The efficiency of cell wall removal was evaluated by measuring total reducing sugar (TRS), tannic acid-ferric chloride staining, calcoflour white staining, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. It was confirmed that the yield of TRS increased from 129.82 mg/g in 14 h from pectinase treatment alone to 352.44 mg/g by combined sonication and enzymatic treatment within 12 h. As a result, the combination method was found to be effective for the selective degradation of S. quadricauda CASA CC202 cell wall. This study will form a base for our future works, where this will help to enhance the digestibility and availability of nutraceutically important proteins.

Dynamic wall demonstration project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakatsui, L.; Mayhew, W.

1990-12-01

The dynamic wall concept is a ventilation strategy that can be applied to a single family dwelling. With suitable construction, outside air can be admitted through the exterior walls of the house to the interior space to function as ventilation air. The construction and performance monitoring of a demonstration house built to test the dynamic wall concept in Sherwood Park, Alberta, is described. The project had the objectives of demonstrating and assessing the construction methods; determining the cost-effectiveness of the concept in Alberta; analyzing the operation of the dynamic wall system; and determining how other components and systems in the house interact with the dynamic wall. The exterior wall construction consisted of vinyl siding, spun-bonded polyolefin-backed (SBPO) rigid fiberglass sheathing, 38 mm by 89 mm framing, fiberglass batt insulation and 12.7 mm drywall. The mechanical system was designed to operate in the dynamic (negative pressure) mode, however flexibility was provided to allow operation in the static (balanced pressure) mode to permit monitoring of the walls as if they were in a conventional house. The house was monitored by an extensive computerized monitoring system. Dynamic wall operation was dependent on pressure and temperature differentials between indoor and outdoor as well as wind speed and direction. The degree of heat gain was found to be ca 74% of the indoor-outdoor temperature differential. Temperature of incoming dynamic air was significantly affected by solar radiation and measurement of indoor air pollutants found no significant levels. 4 refs., 34 figs., 11 tabs.

Osmotic relations of the coelomic fluid and body wall tissues in Arenicola marina subjected to salinity change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weber, Roy E.; Spaargaren, D.H.

1979-01-01

nitrogenous organic molecules (ninhydrin-positive substances, NPS) in the body wall tissues and in the coelomic fluid of specimens of Arenicola in response to sudden changes in salinity. The coelomic solutes consist almost entirely of electrolytes and the osmotic contribution of NPS is essentially negligible....... In the body wall extracts, however, NPS accounts for at least one third of the osmotic concentration and for most of the substantial non-electrolyte fraction. There is no evidence from coelomic NPS measurements for extrusion of cellular amino acids during adaptation to lowered salinity. In diluted sea water...

Spectroscopic investigations on oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anandhi, C. M. S.; Premkumar, S.; Asath, R. Mohamed; Mathavan, T.; Benial, A. Milton Franklin, E-mail: miltonfranklin@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, N.M.S.S.V.N. College, Madurai-625 019, Tamil Nadu (India)

2016-05-06

The pristine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were oxidized by the ultrasonication process. The oxidized MWCNTs were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) and Fourier transform -Raman (FT-Raman) spectroscopic techniques. The XRD analysis confirms that the oxidized MWCNTs exist in a hexagonal structure and the sharp XRD peak corresponds to the (002) Bragg’s reflection plane, which indicates that the MWCNTs have higher crystalline nature. The UV-Vis analysis confirms that the MWCNTs functionalized with the carboxylic acid. The red shift was observed corresponds to the D band in the Raman spectrum, which reveals that the reduced disordered graphitic structure of oxidized MWCNTs. The strong Raman peak was observed at 2563 cm{sup -1} corresponds to the overtone of the D band, which is the characteristic vibrational mode of oxidized MWCNTs. The carboxylic acid functionalization of MWCNTs enhances the dispersibility, which paves the way for potential applications in the field of biosensors and targeted drug delivery.

Enhanced wall pumping in JET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehrenberg, J.; Harbour, P.J.

1991-01-01

The enhanced wall pumping phenomenon in JET is observed for hydrogen or deuterium plasmas which are moved from the outer (larger major radius) limiter position either to the inner wall or to the top/bottom wall of the vacuum vessel. This phenomenon is analysed by employing a particle recycling model which combines plasma particle transport with particle re-emission from and retention within material surfaces. The model calculates the important experimentally observable quantities, such as particle fluxes, global particle confinement time, plasma density and density profile. Good qualitative agreement is found and, within the uncertainties, the agreement is quantitative if the wall pumping is assumed to be caused by two simultaneously occurring effects: (1) Neutral particle screening at the inner wall and the top/bottom wall is larger than that at the outer limiter because of different magnetic topologies at different poloidal positions; and (2) although most of the particles (≥ 90%) impacting on the wall can be promptly re-emitted, a small fraction (≤ 10%) of them must be retained in the wall for a period of time which is similar to or larger than the global plasma particle confinement time. However, the wall particle retention time need not be different from that of the outer limiter, i.e. pumping can occur when there is no difference between the material properties of the limiter and those of the wall. (author). 45 refs, 18 figs

Fuel retention under elevated wall temperature in KSTAR with a carbon wall

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, B.; Hong, S. H.

2018-03-01

The fuel retention during KSTAR discharges with elevated wall temperature (150 °C) has been studied by using the method of global particle balance. The results show that the elevated wall temperature could reduce the dynamic retention via implantation and absorption, especially for the short pulse shots with large injected fuel particles. There is no signature changing of long-term retention, which related to co-deposition, under elevated wall temperature. For soft-landing shots (normal shots), the exhausted fuel particles during discharges is larger with elevated wall temperature than without, but the exhausted particles after discharges within 90 s looks similar. The outgassing particles because of disruption could be exhausted within 15 s.

Accumulation of cell wall-bound phenolic metabolites and their upliftment in hairy root cultures of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.).

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Sudhamoy; Mitra, Adinpunya

2008-07-01

Alkaline hydrolysis of cell wall material of tomato hairy roots yielded ferulic acid as the major phenolic compound. Other phenolics were 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillin and 4-coumaric acid. The content of phenolics was much higher at the early stage of hairy root growth. The ferulic acid content decreased up to 30 days and then sharply increased to 360 microg/g at 60 days of growth. Elicitation of hairy root cultures with Fusarium mat extract (FME) increased ferulic acid content 4-fold after 24 h. As the pathogen-derived elicitors have specific receptors in plants, FME may thus be used for inducing resistance against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici.

The role of beneficial bacteria wall elasticity in regulating innate immune response.

Science.gov (United States)

Мokrozub, Viktoria V; Lazarenko, Liudmyla M; Sichel, Liubov M; Babenko, Lidia P; Lytvyn, Petro M; Demchenko, Olga M; Melnichenko, Yulia O; Boyko, Nadiya V; Biavati, Bruno; DiGioia, Diana; Bubnov, Rostyslav V; Spivak, Mykola Ya

2015-01-01

Probiotics have great potential to contribute to development of healthy dietary regimes, preventive care, and an integrated approach to immunity-related disease management. The bacterial wall is a dynamic entity, depending on many components and playing an essential role in modulating immune response. The impact of cell wall elasticity on the beneficial effects of probiotic strains has not been sufficiently studied. The aim was to investigate the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria strains on phagocytic system cells (macrophages) as related to bacterial wall elasticity, estimated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). We conducted studies on Balb/c line mice 18-20 g in weight using lyophilized strains of LAB-Lactobacillus acidophilus IMV B-7279, Lactobacillus casei IMV B-7280, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus IMV B-7281, and bifidobacteria-Bifidobacterium animalis VKL and Bifidobacterium animalis VKB. We cultivated the macrophages obtained from the peritoneal cavity of mice individually with the strains of LAB and bifidobacteria and evaluated their effect on macrophages, oxygen-dependent bactericidal activity, nitric oxide production, and immunoregulatory cytokines. We used AFM scanning to estimate bacterial cell wall elasticity. All strains had a stimulating effect on the functional activity of macrophages and ability to produce NO/NO2 in vitro. Lactobacilli strains increased the production of IL-12 and IFN-γ in vitro. The AFM demonstrated different cell wall elasticity levels in various strains of LAB and bifidobacteria. The rigidity of the cell walls among lactobacilli was distributed as follows: Lactobacillus acidophilus IMV B-7279 > Lactobacillus casei IMV B-7280 > Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus IMV B-7281; among the strains of bifidobacteria: B. animalis VKB > B. animalis VKL. Probiotic strain survival in the macrophages depended on the bacterial cell wall elasticity and on the time of their joint cultivation. LAB

Endocytic pathways involved in PLGA nanoparticle uptake by grapevine cells and role of cell wall and membrane in size selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Palocci, Cleofe; Valletta, Alessio; Chronopoulou, Laura; Donati, Livia; Bramosanti, Marco; Brasili, Elisa; Baldan, Barbara; Pasqua, Gabriella

2017-12-01

PLGA NPs' cell uptake involves different endocytic pathways. Clathrin-independent endocytosis is the main internalization route. The cell wall plays a more prominent role than the plasma membrane in NPs' size selection. In the last years, many studies on absorption and cell uptake of nanoparticles by plants have been conducted, but the understanding of the internalization mechanisms is still largely unknown. In this study, polydispersed and monodispersed poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) were synthesized, and a strategy combining the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confocal analysis, fluorescently labeled PLGA NPs, a probe for endocytic vesicles (FM4-64), and endocytosis inhibitors (i.e., wortmannin, ikarugamycin, and salicylic acid) was employed to shed light on PLGA NP cell uptake in grapevine cultured cells and to assess the role of the cell wall and plasma membrane in size selection of PLGA NPs. The ability of PLGA NPs to cross the cell wall and membrane was confirmed by TEM and fluorescence microscopy. A strong adhesion of PLGA NPs to the outer side of the cell wall was observed, presumably due to electrostatic interactions. Confocal microscopy and treatment with endocytosis inhibitors suggested the involvement of both clathrin-dependent and clathrin-independent endocytosis in cell uptake of PLGA NPs and the latter appeared to be the main internalization pathway. Experiments on grapevine protoplasts revealed that the cell wall plays a more prominent role than the plasma membrane in size selection of PLGA NPs. While the cell wall prevents the uptake of PLGA NPs with diameters over 50 nm, the plasma membrane can be crossed by PLGA NPs with a diameter of 500-600 nm.

International Divider Walls

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kruis, A.; Sneller, Lineke

2013-01-01

The subject of this teaching case is the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation at International Divider Walls, the world market leader in design, production, and sales of divider walls. The implementation in one of the divisions of this multinational company had been successful,

Wall Street som kreationistisk forkynder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ekman, Susanne

2016-01-01

Artiklen gennemgår Karen Hos etnografi om Wall Street: "Liquidated: An ethnography of Wall Street" set i lyset af den offentlige debat vedrørende Goldman Sachs opkøb af Dong......Artiklen gennemgår Karen Hos etnografi om Wall Street: "Liquidated: An ethnography of Wall Street" set i lyset af den offentlige debat vedrørende Goldman Sachs opkøb af Dong...

Concrete as secondary containment for interior wall embedded waste lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porter, C.L.

1993-01-01

Throughout the Department of Energy (DOE) complex are numerous facilities that handle hazardous waste solutions. Secondary containment of tank systems and their ancillary piping is a major concern for existing facilities. The Idaho Division of Environmental Quality was petitioned in 1990 for an Equivalent Device determination regarding secondary containment of waste lines embedded in interior concrete walls. The petition was granted, however it expires in 1996. To address the secondary containment issue, additional studies were undertaken. One study verified the hypothesis that an interior wall pipe leak would follow the path of least resistance through the naturally occurring void found below a rigidly supported pipe and pass into an adjacent room where detection could occur, before any significant deterioration of the concrete takes place. Other tests demonstrated that with acidic waste solutions rebar and cold joints are not an accelerated path to the environment. The results from these latest studies confirm that the subject configuration meets all the requirements of secondary containment

Observations on resistive wall modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerwin, R.A.; Finn, J.M.

1996-01-01

Several results on resistive wall modes and their application to tokamaks are presented. First, it is observed that in the presence of collisional parallel dynamics there is an exact cancellation to lowest order of the dissipative and sound wave effects for an ideal Ohm's law. This is easily traced to the fact that the parallel dynamics occurs along the perturbed magnetic field lines for such electromagnetic modes. Such a cancellation does not occur in the resistive layer of a tearing-like mode. The relevance to models for resistive wall modes using an electrostatic Hammett-Perkins type operator to model Landau damping will be discussed. Second, we observe that with an ideal Ohm's law, resistive wall modes can be destabilized by rotation in that part of parameter space in which the ideal MHD modes are stable with the wall at infinity. This effect can easily be explained by interpreting the resistive wall instability in terms of mode coupling between the backward stable MHD mode and a stable mode locked into the wall. Such an effect can occur for very small rotation for tearing-resistive wall modes in which inertia dominates viscosity in the layer, but the mode is stabilized by further rotation. For modes for which viscosity dominates in the layer, rotation is purely stabilizing. For both tearing models, a somewhat higher rotation frequency gives stability essentially whenever the tearing mode is stable with a perfectly conducting wall. These tearing/resistive wall results axe also simply explained in terms of mode coupling. It has been shown that resonant external ideal modes can be stabilized in the presence of resistive wall and resistive plasma with rotation of order the nominal tearing mode growth rate. We show that these modes behave as resistive wall tearing modes in the sense above. This strengthens the suggestion that rotational stabilization of the external kink with a resistive wall is due to the presence of resistive layers, even for ideal modes

Supersymmetric domain walls

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bergshoeff, Eric A.; Kleinschmidt, Axel; Riccioni, Fabio

2012-01-01

We classify the half-supersymmetric "domain walls," i.e., branes of codimension one, in toroidally compactified IIA/IIB string theory and show to which gauged supergravity theory each of these domain walls belong. We use as input the requirement of supersymmetric Wess-Zumino terms, the properties of

Abdominal wall blocks in adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Børglum, Jens; Gögenür, Ismail; Bendtsen, Thomas F

2016-01-01

been introduced with success. Future research should also investigate the effect of specific abdominal wall blocks on neuroendocrine and inflammatory stress response after surgery.  Summary USG abdominal wall blocks in adults are commonplace techniques today. Most abdominal wall blocks are assigned......Purpose of review Abdominal wall blocks in adults have evolved much during the last decade; that is, particularly with the introduction of ultrasound-guided (USG) blocks. This review highlights recent advances of block techniques within this field and proposes directions for future research.......  Recent findings Ultrasound guidance is now considered the golden standard for abdominal wall blocks in adults, even though some landmark-based blocks are still being investigated. The efficiency of USG transversus abdominis plane blocks in relation to many surgical procedures involving the abdominal wall...

Log-layer mismatch and modeling of the fluctuating wall stress in wall-modeled large-eddy simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiang I. A.; Park, George Ilhwan; Moin, Parviz

2017-10-01

Log-layer mismatch refers to a chronic problem found in wall-modeled large-eddy simulation (WMLES) or detached-eddy simulation, where the modeled wall-shear stress deviates from the true one by approximately 15 % . Many efforts have been made to resolve this mismatch. The often-used fixes, which are generally ad hoc, include modifying subgrid-scale stress models, adding a stochastic forcing, and moving the LES-wall-model matching location away from the wall. An analysis motivated by the integral wall-model formalism suggests that log-layer mismatch is resolved by the built-in physics-based temporal filtering. In this work we investigate in detail the effects of local filtering on log-layer mismatch. We show that both local temporal filtering and local wall-parallel filtering resolve log-layer mismatch without moving the LES-wall-model matching location away from the wall. Additionally, we look into the momentum balance in the near-wall region to provide an alternative explanation of how LLM occurs, which does not necessarily rely on the numerical-error argument. While filtering resolves log-layer mismatch, the quality of the wall-shear stress fluctuations predicted by WMLES does not improve with our remedy. The wall-shear stress fluctuations are highly underpredicted due to the implied use of LES filtering. However, good agreement can be found when the WMLES data are compared to the direct numerical simulation data filtered at the corresponding WMLES resolutions.

Role of proline in cell wall synthesis and plant development and its implications in plant ontogeny

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

POLAVARAPU BILHAN KAVI KISHOR

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Proline is a proteogenic amino acid and accumulates both under stress and non-stress conditions as a beneficial solute in plants. Recent discoveries point out that proline plays an important role in plant growth and differentiation across life cycle. It is a key determinant of many cell wall proteins that plays important roles in plant development. The role of extensins (EXTs, arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs and hydroxyproline- and proline-rich proteins (H/PRPs as important components of cell wall proteins that play pivotal roles in cell wall signal transduction cascades, plant development and stress tolerance is discussed in this review. Molecular insights are also provided here into the plausible roles of proline transporters modulating key events in plant development. In addition, the roles of proline during seed developmental transitions including storage protein synthesis are discussed.

The Craterostigma plantagineum glycine-rich protein CpGRP1 interacts with a cell wall-associated protein kinase 1 (CpWAK1) and accumulates in leaf cell walls during dehydration.

Science.gov (United States)

Giarola, Valentino; Krey, Stephanie; von den Driesch, Barbara; Bartels, Dorothea

2016-04-01

Craterostigma plantagineum tolerates extreme desiccation. Leaves of this plant shrink and extensively fold during dehydration and expand again during rehydration, preserving their structural integrity. Genes were analysed that may participate in the reversible folding mechanism. Analysis of transcripts abundantly expressed in desiccated leaves identified a gene putatively coding for an apoplastic glycine-rich protein (CpGRP1). We studied the expression, regulation and subcellular localization of CpGRP1 and its ability to interact with a cell wall-associated protein kinase (CpWAK1) to understand the role of CpGRP1 in the cell wall during dehydration. The CpGRP1 protein accumulates in the apoplast of desiccated leaves. Analysis of the promoter revealed that the gene expression is mainly regulated at the transcriptional level, is independent of abscisic acid (ABA) and involves a drought-responsive cis-element (DRE). CpGRP1 interacts with CpWAK1 which is down-regulated in response to dehydration. Our data suggest a role of the CpGRP1-CpWAK1 complex in dehydration-induced morphological changes in the cell wall during dehydration in C. plantagineum. Cell wall pectins and dehydration-induced pectin modifications are predicted to be involved in the activity of the CpGRP1-CpWAK1 complex. © 2015 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

Topological domain walls in helimagnets

Science.gov (United States)

Schoenherr, P.; Müller, J.; Köhler, L.; Rosch, A.; Kanazawa, N.; Tokura, Y.; Garst, M.; Meier, D.

2018-05-01

Domain walls naturally arise whenever a symmetry is spontaneously broken. They interconnect regions with different realizations of the broken symmetry, promoting structure formation from cosmological length scales to the atomic level1,2. In ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials, domain walls with unique functionalities emerge, holding great promise for nanoelectronics and spintronics applications3-5. These walls are usually of Ising, Bloch or Néel type and separate homogeneously ordered domains. Here we demonstrate that a wide variety of new domain walls occurs in the presence of spatially modulated domain states. Using magnetic force microscopy and micromagnetic simulations, we show three fundamental classes of domain walls to arise in the near-room-temperature helimagnet iron germanium. In contrast to conventional ferroics, the domain walls exhibit a well-defined inner structure, which—analogous to cholesteric liquid crystals—consists of topological disclination and dislocation defects. Similar to the magnetic skyrmions that form in the same material6,7, the domain walls can carry a finite topological charge, permitting an efficient coupling to spin currents and contributions to a topological Hall effect. Our study establishes a new family of magnetic nano-objects with non-trivial topology, opening the door to innovative device concepts based on helimagnetic domain walls.

Characterization of Cell Wall Components and Their Modifications during Postharvest Storage of Asparagus officinalis L.: Storage-Related Changes in Dietary Fiber Composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Schäfer, Judith; Wagner, Steffen; Trierweiler, Bernhard; Bunzel, Mirko

2016-01-20

Changes in cell wall composition during storage of plant foods potentially alter the physiological effects of dietary fiber components. To investigate postharvest cell wall modifications of asparagus and their consequences in terms of insoluble dietary fiber structures, asparagus was stored at 20 and 1 °C for different periods of time. Structural analyses demonstrated postharvest changes in the polysaccharide profile, dominated by decreased portions of galactans. Increasing lignin contents correlated with compositional changes (monolignol ratios and linkage types) of the lignin polymer as demonstrated by chemical and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D-NMR) methods. Depending on the storage time and temperature, syringyl units were preferentially incorporated into the lignin polymer. Furthermore, a drastic increase in the level of ester-linked phenolic monomers (i.e., p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid) and polymer cross-links (di- and triferulic acids) was detected. The attachment of p-coumaric acid to lignin was demonstrated by 2D-NMR experiments. Potential consequences of postharvest modifications on physiological effects of asparagus dietary fiber are discussed.

Lung and chest wall impedances in the dog in normal range of breathing: effects of pulmonary edema.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnas, G M; Stamenović, D; Lutchen, K R

1992-09-01

We evaluated the effect of pulmonary edema on the frequency (f) and tidal volume (VT) dependences of respiratory system mechanical properties in the normal ranges of breathing. We measured resistance and elastance of the lungs (RL and EL) and chest wall of four anesthetized-paralyzed dogs during sinusoidal volume oscillations at the trachea (50-300 ml, 0.2-2 Hz), delivered at a constant mean airway pressure. Measurements were made before and after severe pulmonary edema was produced by injection of 0.06 ml/kg oleic acid into the right atrium. Chest wall properties were not changed by the injection. Before oleic acid, EL increased slightly with increasing f in each dog but was independent of VT. RL decreased slightly and was independent of VT from 0.2 to 0.4 Hz, but above 0.4 Hz it tended to increase with increasing flow, presumably due to the airway contribution. After oleic acid injection, EL and RL increased greatly. Large negative dependences of EL on VT and of RL on f were also evident, so that EL and RL after oleic acid changed two- and fivefold, respectively, within the ranges of f and VT studied. We conclude that severe pulmonary edema changes lung properties so as to make behavior VT dependent (i.e., nonlinear) and very frequency dependent in the normal range of breathing.

Myocardial imaging in acute myocardial infarction using. beta. -methyl-p-( sup 123 I)-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid; Comparison with sup 201 Tl imaging and wall motion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naruse, Hitoshi; Itano, Midoriko; Kondo, Tomohiro (Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya (Japan)) (and others)

1992-01-01

Myocardial imaging using {beta}-methyl-p-({sup 123}I)-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) was performed in 11 patients with acute myocardial infarction. The left ventricular images were divided into 12 segments, and myocardial images with BMIPP were compared with coronary angiography (CAG), thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy (Tl) and wall motion obtained by two-dimensional echocardiography (WM). When the culprit lesion was at the proximal point of the left anterior descending artery (LAD), all segments showed depressed uptake. In 3 cases with single vessel disease of the LAD, inferior wall of the basis showed reduced uptake of BMIPP despite the location of the culprit lesion. In cases with discordant uptake between the two tracers, BMIPP frequently showed more severely depressed uptake than Tl in the subacute phase, although the uptake of BMIPP correlated with that of Tl ({tau}=0.82, p<0.001). In such cases, the discordance was related to the improvement in WM from the acute phase to the convalescent phase. BMIPP uptake correlated with WM in the subacute phase ({tau}=0.50, p<0.001). BMIPP showed more severely depressed uptake while WM showed mild asynergy in most cases in which discordance was found between the BMIPP and WM findings. However, there was no correlation between the change in WM from the acute to subacute phases, or the uptakes of BMIPP and Tl alone. We concluded that the myocardial condition can be evaluated in detail in acute myocardial infarction by comparing the findings of BMIPP with those of Tl and WM. (author).

Prediction of wall shear stresses in transitional boundary layers using near-wall mean velocity profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Woo Pyung; Shin, Sung Ho; Kang, Shin Hyoung

2000-01-01

The local wall shear stress in transitional boundary layer was estimated from the near-wall mean velocity data using the principle of Computational Preston tube Method(CPM). The previous DNS and experimental databases of transitional boundary layers were used to demonstrate the accuracy of the method and to provide the applicable range of wall unit y + . The skin friction coefficients predicted by the CPM agreed well with those from previous studies. To reexamine the applicability of the CPM, near-wall hot-wire measurements were conducted in developing transitional boundary layers on a flat plate with different freestream turbulence intensities. The intermittency profiles across the transitional boundary layers were reasonably obtained from the conditional sampling technique. An empirical correlation between the representative intermittency near the wall and the free parameter K 1 of the extended wall function of CPM has been newly proposed using the present and other experimental data. The CPM has been verified as a useful tool to measure the wall shear stress in transitional boundary layer with reasonable accuracy

Influence of essential oil of Hyssopus officinalis on the chemical composition of the walls of Aspergillus fumigatus (Fresenius).

Science.gov (United States)

Ghfir, B; Fonvieille, J L; Dargent, R

1997-07-01

The cell walls of the growing hyphae of Aspergillus fumigatus (Fresenius) cultured in the presence or absence of the essential oil of Hyssopus officinalis were isolated and their chemical composition analysed. The presence of the essential oil led to a reduction in levels of neutral sugars, uronic acid and proteins, whereas amino sugars, lipids and phosphorus levels were increased. HPLC analysis of the neutral sugars showed that they consisted mainly of glucose, mannose and galactose, while the amino sugars consisted of glucosamine and galactosamine. The presence of the essential oil in the culture medium induced marked changes in the content of galactose and galactosamine. Cell walls were fractionated by treatment with alkali and acid. The essential oil induced similar alterations in the various fractions with a more marked effect on the major constituents. The alterations were related to changes in the structure of the cells.

Hot wire production of single-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Dillon, Anne C.; Mahan, Archie H.; Alleman, Jeffrey L.

2010-10-26

Apparatus (210) for producing a multi-wall carbon nanotube (213) may comprise a process chamber (216), a furnace (217) operatively associated with the process chamber (216), and at least one filament (218) positioned within the process chamber (216). At least one power supply (220) operatively associated with the at least one filament (218) heats the at least one filament (218) to a process temperature. A gaseous carbon precursor material (214) operatively associated with the process chamber (216) provides carbon for forming the multi-wall carbon nanotube (213). A metal catalyst material (224) operatively associated with the process (216) catalyzes the formation of the multi-wall carbon nanotube (213).

Implementing Green Walls in Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

McCullough, Michael B; Martin, Michael D; Sajady, Mollika A

2018-01-01

Numerous studies in applied pedagogical design have shown that, at all educational levels, direct exposure to the natural environment can enhance learning by improving student attention and behaviors. Implementing green walls-a "vertical garden," or "living wall" interior wall that typically includes greenery, a growing medium (soil or substrate) and a water delivery system-provides environmental health benefits, but also provides a practical application within classrooms for minimizing directed attention fatigue in students by connecting them to "outdoor nature" within the indoor environment. Hands-on "project-based" learning is another pedagogical strategy that has proved to be effective across the spectrum of educational levels and across subject areas. Green walls have the potential to inspire critical thinking through a combination of project-based learning strategies and environmental education. The authors have outlined a curriculum involving the implementation of an indoor living wall system within a classroom-learning environment, incorporating project-based learning modules that interact with the wall. In conjunction with the passive health benefits of a green wall, project-based curriculum models can connect students interactively with indoor nature and have the potential to inspire real-world thinking related to science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics fields within the indoor learning environment. Through a combination of these passive and interactive modes, students are connected to nature in the indoor environment regardless of weather conditions outdoors. Future research direction could include post-construction studies of the effectiveness of project-based curricula related to living walls, and the long-term impacts of implementing green walls in classrooms on school achievement and student behaviors.

Anisotropy of domain wall resistance

Science.gov (United States)

Viret; Samson; Warin; Marty; Ott; Sondergard; Klein; Fermon

2000-10-30

The resistive effect of domain walls in FePd films with perpendicular anisotropy was studied experimentally as a function of field and temperature. The films were grown directly on MgO substrates, which induces an unusual virgin magnetic configuration composed of 60 nm wide parallel stripe domains. This allowed us to carry out the first measurements of the anisotropy of domain wall resistivity in the two configurations of current perpendicular and parallel to the walls. At 18 K, we find 8.2% and 1.3% for the domain wall magnetoresistance normalized to the wall width (8 nm) in these two respective configurations. These values are consistent with the predictions of Levy and Zhang.

Shielding wall for thermonuclear device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uchida, Takaho.

1989-01-01

This invention concerns shielding walls opposing to plasmas of a thermonuclear device and it is an object thereof to conduct reactor operation with no troubles even if a portion of shielding wall tiles should be damaged. That is, the shielding wall tiles are constituted as a dual layer structure in which the lower base tiles are connected by means of bolts to first walls. Further, the upper surface tiles are bolt-connected to the layer base tiles. In this structure, the plasma thermal loads are directly received by the surface layer tiles and heat is conducted by means of conduction and radiation to the underlying base tiles and the first walls. Even upon occurrence of destruction accidents to the surface layer tiles caused by incident heat or electromagnetic force upon elimination of plasmas, since the underlying base tiles remain as they are, the first walls constituted with stainless steels, etc. are not directly exposed to the plasmas. Accordingly, the integrity of the first walls having cooling channels can be maintained and sputtering intrusion of atoms of high atom number into the plasmas can be prevented. (I.S.)

KETERASINGAN DALAM FILM WALL-E

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahmadya Putra Nugraha

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Modern society nowadays technological advances at first create efficiency in human life. Further development of the technology thus drown human in a routine and automation of work created. The State is to be one of the causes of man separated from fellow or the outside world and eventually experiencing alienation. The movie as a mass media function to obtain the movie and entertainment can be informative or educative function is contained, even persuasive. The purpose of this research was conducted to find out the alienation in the movie Wall E. The concepts used to analyze the movie Wall E this is communication, movie, and alienation. The concept of alienation of human alienation from covering its own products of human alienation from its activities, the human alienation from nature of his humanity and human alienation from each other. Paradigm used is a critical paradigm with type a descriptive research with qualitative approach. The method used is the analysis of semiotics Roland Barthes to interpretation the scope of social alienation and fellow humans in the movie.This writing research results found that alienation of humans with other humans influenced the development of the technology and how the human it self represented of technology, not from our fellow human beings. Masyarakat modern saat ini kemajuan teknologi pada awalnya membuat efisiensi dalam kehidupan manusia. Perkembangan selanjutnya teknologi justru menenggelamkan manusia dalam suatu rutinitas dan otomatisasi kerja yang diciptakan. Keadaan itulah yang menjadi salah satu penyebab manusia terpisah dari sesama atau dunia luar dan akhirnya mengalami keterasingan. Film sebagai media massa berfungsi untuk memperoleh hiburan dan dalam film dapat terkandung fungsi informatif maupun edukatif, bahkan persuasif. Tujuan Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui Keterasingan dalam film Wall E. Konsep-konsep yang digunakan untuk menganalisis film Wall E ini adalah komunikasi, film, dan

Dressed Domain Walls and holography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grisa, Luca; Pujolas, Oriol

2008-01-01

The cutoff version of the AdS/CFT correspondence states that the Randall Sundrum scenario is dual to a Conformal Field Theory (CFT) coupled to gravity in four dimensions. The gravitational field produced by relativistic Domain Walls can be exactly solved in both sides of the correspondence, and thus provides one further check of it. We show in the two sides that for the most symmetric case, the wall motion does not lead to particle production of the CFT fields. Still, there are nontrivial effects. Due to the trace anomaly, the CFT effectively renormalizes the Domain Wall tension. On the five dimensional side, the wall is a codimension 2 brane localized on the Randall-Sundrum brane, which pulls the wall in a uniform acceleration. This is perceived from the brane as a Domain Wall with a tension slightly larger than its bare value. In both cases, the deviation from General Relativity appears at nonlinear level in the source, and the leading corrections match to the numerical factors.

Brown algae overproduce cell wall polysaccharides as a protection mechanism against the heavy metal toxicity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrade, Leonardo R.; Leal, Raquel N.; Noseda, Miguel; Duarte, Maria Eugenia R.; Pereira, Mariana S.; Mourao, Paulo A.S.; Farina, Marcos; Amado Filho, Gilberto M.

2010-01-01

Brown algae are often used as heavy metal biomonitors and biosorbents because they can accumulate high concentrations of metals. Cation-exchange performed by cell wall polysaccharides is pointed out as the main chemical mechanism for the metal sequestration. Here, we biochemically investigated if the brown alga Padina gymnospora living in a heavy metal contaminated area would modify their polysaccharidic content. We exposed non-living biomass to Cd and Pb and studied the metals adsorption and localization. We found that raw dried polysaccharides, sulfate groups, uronic acids, fucose, mannose, and galactose were significantly higher in contaminated algae compared with the control ones. Metal concentrations adsorbed by non-living biomass were rising comparatively to the tested concentrations. Electron microscopy showed numerous granules in the cell walls and X-ray microanalysis revealed Cd as the main element. We concluded that P. gymnospora overproduces cell wall polysaccharides when exposed to high metal concentrations as a defense mechanism.

Comprehensive transcriptome analyses correlated with untargeted metabolome reveal differentially expressed pathways in response to cell wall alterations.

Science.gov (United States)

Reem, Nathan T; Chen, Han-Yi; Hur, Manhoi; Zhao, Xuefeng; Wurtele, Eve Syrkin; Li, Xu; Li, Ling; Zabotina, Olga

2018-03-01

This research provides new insights into plant response to cell wall perturbations through correlation of transcriptome and metabolome datasets obtained from transgenic plants expressing cell wall-modifying enzymes. Plants respond to changes in their cell walls in order to protect themselves from pathogens and other stresses. Cell wall modifications in Arabidopsis thaliana have profound effects on gene expression and defense response, but the cell signaling mechanisms underlying these responses are not well understood. Three transgenic Arabidopsis lines, two with reduced cell wall acetylation (AnAXE and AnRAE) and one with reduced feruloylation (AnFAE), were used in this study to investigate the plant responses to cell wall modifications. RNA-Seq in combination with untargeted metabolome was employed to assess differential gene expression and metabolite abundance. RNA-Seq results were correlated with metabolite abundances to determine the pathways involved in response to cell wall modifications introduced in each line. The resulting pathway enrichments revealed the deacetylation events in AnAXE and AnRAE plants induced similar responses, notably, upregulation of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis and changes in regulation of primary metabolic pathways that supply substrates to specialized metabolism, particularly those related to defense responses. In contrast, genes and metabolites of lipid biosynthetic pathways and peroxidases involved in lignin polymerization were downregulated in AnFAE plants. These results elucidate how primary metabolism responds to extracellular stimuli. Combining the transcriptomics and metabolomics datasets increased the power of pathway prediction, and demonstrated the complexity of pathways involved in cell wall-mediated signaling.

Association Mapping of Cell Wall Synthesis Regulatory Genes and Cell Wall Quality in Switchgrass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartley, Laura [Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States). Dept. of Microbiology and Plant Biology; Wu, Y. [Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK (United States); Zhu, L. [Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK (United States); Brummer, E. C. [Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OK (United States); Saha, M. [Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OK (United States)

2016-05-31

Inefficient conversion of biomass to biofuels is one of the main barriers for biofuel production from such materials. Approximately half of polysaccharides in biomass remain unused by typical biochemical conversion methods. Conversion efficiency is influenced by the composition and structure of cell walls of biomass. Grasses such as wheat, maize, and rice, as well as dedicated perennial bioenergy crops, like switchgrass, make up ~55% of biomass that can be produced in the United States. Grass cell walls have a different composition and patterning compared with dicotyledonous plants, including the well-studied model plant, Arabidopsis. This project identified genetic determinants of cell wall composition in grasses using both naturally occurring genetic variation of switchgrass and gene network reconstruction and functional assays in rice. In addition, the project linked functional data in rice and other species to switchgrass improvement efforts through curation of the most abundant class of regulators in the switchgrass genome. Characterizing natural diversity of switchgrass for variation in cell wall composition and properties, also known as quality, provides an unbiased avenue for identifying biologically viable diversity in switchgrass cell walls. To characterizing natural diversity, this project generated cell wall composition and enzymatic deconstruction data for ~450 genotypes of the Switchgrass Southern Association Collection (SSAC), a diverse collection composed of 36 switchgrass accessions from the southern U.S. distribution of switchgrass. Comparing these data with other measures of cell wall quality for the same samples demonstrated the complementary nature of the diverse characterization platforms now being used for biomass characterization. Association of the composition data with ~3.2K single nucleotide variant markers identified six significant single nucleotide variant markers co-associated with digestibility and another compositional trait. These

Build an Interactive Word Wall

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Julie

2018-01-01

Word walls visually display important vocabulary covered during class. Although teachers have often been encouraged to post word walls in their classrooms, little information is available to guide them. This article describes steps science teachers can follow to transform traditional word walls into interactive teaching tools. It also describes a…

Near wall combustion modeling in spark ignition engines. Part A: Flame–wall interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demesoukas, Sokratis; Caillol, Christian; Higelin, Pascal; Boiarciuc, Andrei; Floch, Alain

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A model for flame–wall interaction in addition to flame wrinkling by turbulence is proposed. • Two sparkplug positions and two lengths are used in a test engine for model validation. • Flame–wall interaction decreases the maximum values of cylinder pressure and heat release rates. • The impact of combustion chamber geometry is taken into account by the flame–wall interaction model. - Abstract: Research and design in the field of spark ignition engines seek to achieve high performance while conserving fuel economy and low pollutant emissions. For the evaluation of various engine configurations, numerical simulations are favored, since they are quick and less expensive than experiments. Various zero-dimensional combustion models are currently used. Both flame front reactions and post-flame processes contribute to the heat release rate. The first part of this study focuses on the role of the flame front on the heat release rate, by modeling the interaction of the flame front with the chamber wall. Post-flame reactions are dealt with in Part B of the study. The basic configurations of flame quenching in laminar flames are also applicable in turbulent flames, which is the case in spark ignition engines. A simplified geometric model of the combustion chamber was used to calculate the mean flame surface, the flame volume and the distribution of flame surface as a function of the distance from the wall. The flame–wall interaction took into account the geometry of the combustion chamber and of the flame, aerodynamic turbulence and the in-cylinder pressure and temperature conditions, through a phenomenological attenuation function of the wrinkling factor. A modified global wrinkling factor as a function of the mean surface distance distribution from the wall was calculated. The impact of flame–wall interaction was simulated for four configurations of the sparkplug position and length: centered and lateral position, and standard and projected

Single-walled carbon nanotube and graphene: Nano-delivery of Gambogic acid increases its cytotoxicty in various cancer cells

Science.gov (United States)

Saeed, Lamya M.

Nanomedicine is a new branch of medicine that has been developed due to the critical need to treat challenging diseases, especially cancer since it remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and the second most common cause of death after heart disease in the USA. One of the most important health care applications of nanomedicine concerns the development of drug delivery systems. Graphene (Gn), an atom-thick carbon monolayer of sp2- bonded carbon atoms arranged in a two dimensional (2D) honeycomb crystal lattice, and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) (1D, tubular) are among the most promising nanomaterials with the capability of delivering drugs or small therapeutic molecules to cancerous cells. For example, they have been used as vehicles for the anti-cancer, low-toxicity drug Gambogic acid (GA). Here, the cytotoxicity of GA in breast (MCF-7), pancreatic (PANC-1), cervical (HELA), ovarian (NCI/ADR), and prostate (PC3) cancer cells was assessed to determine what effect nanodelivery by either Gn or SWCNTs had on the efficacy of this promising drug. The nanomaterials showed no toxicity at the concentrations used. The inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis of the cells was due to the effects of GA which was significantly enhanced by nanodelivery. Such delivery of GA by either Gn or SWCNTs represents a first step toward assessing their effectiveness in more complex, targeted nano-delivery in vivo settings and signals their potential application in the treatment of cancer.

First wall of thermonuclear device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kizawa, Makoto; Koizumi, Makoto; Nishihara, Yoshihiro.

1990-01-01

The first wall of a thermonuclear device is constituted with inner wall tiles, e.g. made of graphite and metal substrates for fixing them. However, since the heat expansion coefficient is different between the metal substrates and intermediate metal members, thermal stresses are caused to deteriorate the endurance of the inner wall tiles. In view of the above, low melting metals are disposed at the portion of contact between the inner wall tiles and the metal substrates and, further, a heat pipe structure is incorporated into the metal substrates. Under the thermal load, for example, during operation of the thermonuclear device, the low melting metals at the portion of contact are melted into liquid metals to enhance the state of contact between the inner wall tiles and the metal substrate to reduce the heat resistance and improve the heat conductivity. Even if there is a difference in the heat expansion coefficient between the inner wall tiles and the metal substrates, neither sharing stresses not thermal stresses are caused. Further, since the heat pipe structure is incorporated into the metal substrates, the lateral unevenness of the temperature in the metal substrates can be eliminated. Thus, the durability of the inner wall tiles can be improved. (N.H.)

A film-based wall shear stress sensor for wall-bounded turbulent flows

Science.gov (United States)

Amili, Omid; Soria, Julio

2011-07-01

In wall-bounded turbulent flows, determination of wall shear stress is an important task. The main objective of the present work is to develop a sensor which is capable of measuring surface shear stress over an extended region applicable to wall-bounded turbulent flows. This sensor, as a direct method for measuring wall shear stress, consists of mounting a thin flexible film on the solid surface. The sensor is made of a homogeneous, isotropic, and incompressible material. The geometry and mechanical properties of the film are measured, and particles with the nominal size of 11 μm in diameter are embedded on the film's surface to act as markers. An optical technique is used to measure the film deformation caused by the flow. The film has typically deflection of less than 2% of the material thickness under maximum loading. The sensor sensitivity can be adjusted by changing the thickness of the layer or the shear modulus of the film's material. The paper reports the sensor fabrication, static and dynamic calibration procedure, and its application to a fully developed turbulent channel flow at Reynolds numbers in the range of 90,000-130,000 based on the bulk velocity and channel full height. The results are compared to alternative wall shear stress measurement methods.

Domain wall engineering through exchange bias

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albisetti, E.; Petti, D.

2016-01-01

The control of the structure and position of magnetic domain walls is at the basis of the development of different magnetic devices and architectures. Several nanofabrication techniques have been proposed to geometrically confine and shape domain wall structures; however, a fine tuning of the position and micromagnetic configuration is hardly achieved, especially in continuous films. This work shows that, by controlling the unidirectional anisotropy of a continuous ferromagnetic film through exchange bias, domain walls whose spin arrangement is generally not favored by dipolar and exchange interactions can be created. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that the domain wall width, position and profile can be tuned by establishing an abrupt change in the direction and magnitude of the exchange bias field set in the system. - Highlights: • Micromagnetic simulations study domain walls in exchange biased thin films. • Novel domain wall configurations can be stabilized via exchange bias. • Domain walls nucleate at the boundary of regions with different exchange bias. • Domain wall width and spin profile are controlled by tuning the exchange bias.

Plant cell wall proteomics: mass spectrometry data, a trove for research on protein structure/function relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Albenne, Cécile; Canut, Hervé; Boudart, Georges; Zhang, Yu; San Clemente, Hélène; Pont-Lezica, Rafael; Jamet, Elisabeth

2009-09-01

Proteomics allows the large-scale study of protein expression either in whole organisms or in purified organelles. In particular, mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of gel-separated proteins produces data not only for protein identification, but for protein structure, location, and processing as well. An in-depth analysis was performed on MS data from etiolated hypocotyl cell wall proteomics of Arabidopsis thaliana. These analyses show that highly homologous members of multigene families can be differentiated. Two lectins presenting 93% amino acid identity were identified using peptide mass fingerprinting. Although the identification of structural proteins such as extensins or hydroxyproline/proline-rich proteins (H/PRPs) is arduous, different types of MS spectra were exploited to identify and characterize an H/PRP. Maturation events in a couple of cell wall proteins (CWPs) were analyzed using site mapping. N-glycosylation of CWPs as well as the hydroxylation or oxidation of amino acids were also explored, adding information to improve our understanding of CWP structure/function relationships. A bioinformatic tool was developed to locate by means of MS the N-terminus of mature secreted proteins and N-glycosylation.

Hyphal walls of isolated lichen fungi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galun, M.; Braun, A.; Frensdorff, A.; Galun, E.

1976-01-01

The hyphal walls of three mycobionts, isolated from the lichens Xanthoria parietina, Tornabenia intricata and Sarcogyne sp. were investigated by two techniques: microaudiography of fungal colonies exposed to radioactive carbohydrate precursors; and binding, in vivo, of fluorescein conjugated lectins to hyphal walls of such colonies. N-( 3 H) acetylglucosamine was readily incorporated into tips, young hyphal walls and septa of the three mycobionts and the free-living fungus Trichoderma viride, but not into Phytophthora citrophthora, indicating that chitin is a major component of the mycobionts' hyphal walls. All three mycobionts, but neither of the free-living fungi, incorporated ( 3 H) mannose and ( 3 H) mannitol into their hyphal walls. Fluorescein-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin was bound to the hyphal walls of the three mycobionts and T. viride, but not to the walls of P. citrophthora; the binding pattern was similar to the grain pattern obtained in audiographs after short N-( 3 H) acetylglucosamine labelling. As wheat germ agglutinin binds specifically to chitin oligomers, the lectin binding tests further confirmed that chitin is a mycobiont hyphal wall component. Binding characteristics of several fluorescein-conjugated lectins to the three mycobionts indicated that this technique can yield useful information concerning the chemical composition of hyphal wall surfaces. (orig./AJ) [de

Ficusonic acid: a new cytotoxic triterpene isolated from Maytenus royleanus (Wall. ex M. A. Lawson) cufodontis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Din, Ala Ud; Uddin, Ghias [Center for Phytomedicine and Medicinal Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, University of Peshawar(Pakistan); Hussain, Nusrat; Choudary, Mohammad Iqbal, E-mail: allauddin77@yahoo.com [International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi (Pakistan)

2013-04-15

Phytochemical investigation of the roots of Maytenus royleanus resulted into the isolation of a new cytotoxic triterpene ficusonic acid, 3{beta},21{beta}-dihydroxyolean-12-en-29-oic acid, together with three known compounds, 3{alpha},22{beta}-dihydroxyolean-12-en-29-oic acid, salaspermic acid and orthosphenic acid, reported for the first time from this source. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic techniques. The cytotoxic activity of compound 3{beta},21{beta}-dihydroxyolean-12-en-29-oic acid was evaluated against two cancer cell lines, PC-3 prostate and HeLa cervical cancer lines. 3{beta},21{beta}-dihydroxyolean-12-en-29-oic acid showed weak activity against PC-3 (IC{sub 50} = 35.42 Greek-Small-Letter-Mu mol L{sup -1}) however against HeLa (IC{sub 50} = 20.47 Greek-Small-Letter-Mu mol L{sup -1}), its activity was moderate. (author)

Thin walls in regions with vacuum energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garfinkle, D [Florida Univ., Gainesville, FL (USA). Dept. of Physics; Vuille, C [Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Prescott, AZ (USA). Dept. of Math/Physical Science

1989-12-01

The motion of a thin wall is treated in the case where the regions on either side of the wall have vacuum energy. This treatment generalises previous results involving domain walls in vacuum and also previous results involving the properties of false vacuum bubbles. The equation of state for a domain wall is{tau} = {sigma} where {tau} is the tension in the wall and {sigma} is the energy density. We consider the motion of a more general class of walls having equation of state {tau}{Gamma}{sigma} with 0{le}{Gamma}{le}1. Spherically symmetric and planar symmetric walls are examined. We also find the global structure of the wall spacetime. (author).

Role of Melatonin in Cell-Wall Disassembly and Chilling Tolerance in Cold-Stored Peach Fruit.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Shifeng; Bian, Kun; Shi, Liyu; Chung, Hsiao-Hang; Chen, Wei; Yang, Zhenfeng

2018-06-06

Melatonin reportedly increases chilling tolerance in postharvest peach fruit during cold storage, but information on its effects on cell-wall disassembly in chilling-injured peaches is limited. In this study, we investigated the role of cell-wall depolymerization in chilling-tolerance induction in melatonin-treated peaches. Treatment with 100 μM melatonin alleviated chilling symptoms (mealiness) characterized by a decrease in fruit firmness and increase in juice extractability in treated peaches during storage. The loss of neutral sugars, such as arabinose and galactose, in both the 1,2-cyclohexylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid (CDTA)- and Na 2 CO 3 -soluble fractions was observed at 7 days in treated peaches, but the contents increased after 28 days of storage. Atomic-force-microscopy (AFM) analysis revealed that the polysaccharide widths in the CDTA- and Na 2 CO 3 -soluble fractions in the treated fruit were mainly distributed in a shorter range, as compared with those in the control fruit. In addition, the expression profiles of a series of cell-wall-related genes showed that melatonin treatment maintained the balance between transcripts of PpPME and PpPG, which accompany the up-regulation of several other genes involved in cell-wall disassembly. Taken together, our results suggested that the reduced mealiness by melatonin was probably associated with its positive regulation of numerous cell-wall-modifying enzymes and proteins; thus, the depolymerization of the cell-wall polysaccharides in the peaches treated with melatonin was maintained, and the treated fruit could soften gradually during cold storage.

Edge-carboxylated graphene nanoflakes from nitric acid oxidised arc-discharge material

OpenAIRE

NICOLOSI, VALERIA

2010-01-01

PUBLISHED Graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) with average diameters of 30 nm have been prepared by a single-step oxidation procedure using single-wall carbon nanotube arc-discharge material and nitric acid. The GNFs are predominately single sheets containing a small number of internal defects. The edges are decorated with primarily carboxylic acid groups which allow facile chemical functionalisation and cross-linking of the fragments using multivalent cations

Plasma-wall interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reichle, R.

2004-01-01

This document gathers the 43 slides presented in the framework of the week long lecture 'hot plasmas 2004' and dedicated to plasma-wall interaction in a tokamak. This document is divided into 4 parts: 1) thermal load on the wall, power extraction and particle recovery, 2) basic edge plasma physics, 3) processes that drive the plasma-solid interaction, and 4) material conditioning (surface treatment...) for ITER

Reconstitution of a secondary cell wall in a secondary cell wall-deficient Arabidopsis mutant.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakamoto, Shingo; Mitsuda, Nobutaka

2015-02-01

The secondary cell wall constitutes a rigid frame of cells in plant tissues where rigidity is required. Deposition of the secondary cell wall in fiber cells contributes to the production of wood in woody plants. The secondary cell wall is assembled through co-operative activities of many enzymes, and their gene expression is precisely regulated by a pyramidal cascade of transcription factors. Deposition of a transmuted secondary cell wall in empty fiber cells by expressing selected gene(s) in this cascade has not been attempted previously. In this proof-of-concept study, we expressed chimeric activators of 24 transcription factors that are preferentially expressed in the stem, in empty fiber cells of the Arabidopsis nst1-1 nst3-1 double mutant, which lacks a secondary cell wall in fiber cells, under the control of the NST3 promoter. The chimeric activators of MYB46, SND2 and ANAC075, as well as NST3, reconstituted a secondary cell wall with different characteristics from those of the wild type in terms of its composition. The transgenic lines expressing the SND2 or ANAC075 chimeric activator showed increased glucose and xylose, and lower lignin content, whereas the transgenic line expressing the MYB46 chimeric activator showed increased mannose content. The expression profile of downstream genes in each transgenic line was also different from that of the wild type. This study proposed a new screening strategy to identify factors of secondary wall formation and also suggested the potential of the artificially reconstituted secondary cell walls as a novel raw material for production of bioethanol and other chemicals. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists.

Electrical transport through single-wall carbon nanotube-anodic aluminum oxide-aluminum heterostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukkola, Jarmo; Rautio, Aatto; Sala, Giovanni; Pino, Flavio; Toth, Geza; Leino, Anne-Riikka; Maeklin, Jani; Jantunen, Heli; Uusimaeki, Antti; Kordas, Krisztian; Gracia, Eduardo; Terrones, Mauricio; Shchukarev, Andrey; Mikkola, Jyri-Pekka

2010-01-01

Aluminum foils were anodized in sulfuric acid solution to form thick porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) films of thickness ∼6 μm. Electrodes of carboxyl-functionalized single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin films were inkjet printed on the anodic oxide layer and the electrical characteristics of the as-obtained SWCNT-AAO-Al structures were studied. Nonlinear current-voltage transport and strong temperature dependence of conduction through the structure was measured. The microstructure and chemical composition of the anodic oxide layer was analyzed using transmission and scanning electron microscopy as well as x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Schottky emission at the SWCNT-AAO and AAO-Al interfaces allowed by impurity states in the anodic aluminum oxide film together with ionic surface conduction on the pore walls of AAO gives a reasonable explanation for the measured electrical conduction. Calcined AAO is proposed as a dielectric material for SWCNT-field effect transistors.

Optimization of multiplane ?PIV for wall shear stress and wall topography characterization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rossi, M.; Lindken, R.; Westerweel, J.

2009-01-01

Multiplane ?PIV can be utilized to determine the wall shear stress and wall topology from the measured flow over a structured surface. A theoretical model was developed to predict the measurement error for the surface topography and shear stress, based on a theoretical analysis of the precision in

Polyaniline–multi-wall-carbon nanotube nanocomposites as a dopamine sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

REZA EMAMALI SABZI

2010-04-01

Full Text Available A composite of polyaniline with multi-wall-carbon nanotubes (PANi/ /MWCNTs was synthesized by an in situ chemical oxidative polymerization method. The PANi nanoparticles were synthesized chemically using aniline as the monomer and ammonium peroxydisulfate as the oxidant. The nanocomposites were prepared as a carbon paste using functionalized MWCNTs and PANi nanoparticles. The PANi–MWCNTs were characterized physically using scanning electron microscopy (SEM and the electrochemical behavior of the composites in acidic solution (HCl was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The PANi/MWCNT composite electrode was used for studying dopamine (DA as an electroactive material. The cyclic voltammetric results indicated that multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs significantly enhanced the electrocatalytic activity in favor of the oxidation of DA. The kinetics of the catalytic reaction was investigated using the chronoamperometry technique whereby the average va¬lue of the diffusion coefficient (D and the catalytic rate constant (k for DA were determined to be (7.98±0.8×10-7 cm2 s-1 and (8.33±0.072×104 dm3 mol-1 s-1, respectively.

Wall roughness induces asymptotic ultimate turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Xiaojue; Verschoof, Ruben A.; Bakhuis, Dennis; Huisman, Sander G.; Verzicco, Roberto; Sun, Chao; Lohse, Detlef

2018-04-01

Turbulence governs the transport of heat, mass and momentum on multiple scales. In real-world applications, wall-bounded turbulence typically involves surfaces that are rough; however, characterizing and understanding the effects of wall roughness on turbulence remains a challenge. Here, by combining extensive experiments and numerical simulations, we examine the paradigmatic Taylor-Couette system, which describes the closed flow between two independently rotating coaxial cylinders. We show how wall roughness greatly enhances the overall transport properties and the corresponding scaling exponents associated with wall-bounded turbulence. We reveal that if only one of the walls is rough, the bulk velocity is slaved to the rough side, due to the much stronger coupling to that wall by the detaching flow structures. If both walls are rough, the viscosity dependence is eliminated, giving rise to asymptotic ultimate turbulence—the upper limit of transport—the existence of which was predicted more than 50 years ago. In this limit, the scaling laws can be extrapolated to arbitrarily large Reynolds numbers.

Near-wall serpentine cooled turbine airfoil

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ching-Pang

2013-09-17

A serpentine coolant flow path (54A-54G) formed by inner walls (50, 52) in a cavity (49) between pressure and suction side walls (22, 24) of a turbine airfoil (20A). A coolant flow (58) enters (56) an end of the airfoil, flows into a span-wise channel (54A), then flows forward (54B) over the inner surface of the pressure side wall, then turns behind the leading edge (26), and flows back along a forward part of the suction side wall, then follows a loop (54E) forward and back around an inner wall (52), then flows along an intermediate part of the suction side wall, then flows into an aft channel (54G) between the pressure and suction side walls, then exits the trailing edge (28). This provides cooling matched to the heating topography of the airfoil, minimizes differential thermal expansion, revives the coolant, and minimizes the flow volume needed.

Thinner regions of intracranial aneurysm wall correlate with regions of higher wall shear stress: a 7.0 tesla MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Blankena, Roos; Kleinloog, Rachel; Verweij, Bon H.; van Ooij, Pim; ten Haken, Bennie; Luijten, Peter R.; Rinkel, Gabriel J.E.; Zwanenburg, Jaco J.M.

2016-01-01

Purpose To develop a method for semi-quantitative wall thickness assessment on in vivo 7.0 tesla (7T) MRI images of intracranial aneurysms for studying the relation between apparent aneurysm wall thickness and wall shear stress. Materials and Methods Wall thickness was analyzed in 11 unruptured aneurysms in 9 patients, who underwent 7T MRI with a TSE based vessel wall sequence (0.8 mm isotropic resolution). A custom analysis program determined the in vivo aneurysm wall intensities, which were normalized to signal of nearby brain tissue and were used as measure for apparent wall thickness (AWT). Spatial wall thickness variation was determined as the interquartile range in AWT (the middle 50% of the AWT range). Wall shear stress was determined using phase contrast MRI (0.5 mm isotropic resolution). We performed visual and statistical comparisons (Pearson’s correlation) to study the relation between wall thickness and wall shear stress. Results 3D colored AWT maps of the aneurysms showed spatial AWT variation, which ranged from 0.07 to 0.53, with a mean variation of 0.22 (a variation of 1.0 roughly means a wall thickness variation of one voxel (0.8mm)). In all aneurysms, AWT was inversely related to WSS (mean correlation coefficient −0.35, P<0.05). Conclusions A method was developed to measure the wall thickness semi-quantitatively, using 7T MRI. An inverse correlation between wall shear stress and AWT was determined. In future studies, this non-invasive method can be used to assess spatial wall thickness variation in relation to pathophysiologic processes such as aneurysm growth and –rupture. PMID:26892986

Development of P4140 video data wall projector; Video data wall projector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watanabe, H.; Inoue, H. [Toshiba Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1998-12-01

The P4140 is a 3 cathode-ray tube (CRT) video data wall projector for super video graphics array (SVGA) signals. It is used as an image display unit, providing a large screen when several sets are put together. A high-quality picture has been realized by higher resolution and improved color uniformity technology. A new convergence adjustment system has also been developed through the optimal combination of digital and analog technologies. This video data wall installation has been greatly enhanced by the automation of cubes and cube performance settings. The P4140 video data wall projector can be used for displaying not only data but video as well. (author)

Engineering temporal accumulation of a low recalcitrance polysaccharide leads to increased C6 sugar content in plant cell walls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vega-Sánchez, Miguel E. [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Loqué, Dominique [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Lao, Jeemeng [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Catena, Michela [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Verhertbruggen, Yves [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Herter, Thomas [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Yang, Fan [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Harholt, Jesper [Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C Denmark; Ebert, Berit [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C Denmark; Baidoo, Edward E. K. [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Keasling, Jay D. [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley CA USA; Scheller, Henrik V. [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley CA USA; Heazlewood, Joshua L. [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Ronald, Pamela C. [Joint BioEnergy Institute and Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA USA; Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center, University of California, Davis CA USA

2015-01-14

Reduced cell wall recalcitrance and increased C6 monosaccharide content are desirable traits for future biofuel crops, as long as these biomass modifications do not significantly alter normal growth and development. Mixed-linkage glucan (MLG), a cell wall polysaccharide only present in grasses and related species among flowering plants, is comprised of glucose monomers linked by both β-1,3 and β-1,4 bonds. Previous data have shown that constitutive production of MLG in barley (Hordeum vulgare) severely compromises growth and development. Here, we used spatio-temporal strategies to engineer Arabidopsis thaliana plants to accumulate significant amounts of MLG in the cell wall by expressing the rice CslF6 MLG synthase using secondary cell wall and senescence-associated promoters. Results using secondary wall promoters were suboptimal. When the rice MLG synthase was expressed under the control of a senescence-associated promoter, we obtained up to four times more glucose in the matrix cell wall fraction and up to a 42% increase in saccharification compared to control lines. Importantly, these plants grew and developed normally. The induction of MLG deposition at senescence correlated with an increase of gluconic acid in cell wall extracts of transgenic plants in contrast to the other approaches presented in this study. MLG produced in Arabidopsis has an altered structure compared to the grass glucan, which likely affects its solubility, while its molecular size is unaffected. The induction of cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis in senescing tissues offers a novel engineering alternative to enhance cell wall properties of lignocellulosic biofuel crops.

Three-dimensional imaging of the aortic vessel wall using an elastin-specific magnetic resonance contrast agent.

Science.gov (United States)

Makowski, Marcus R; Preissel, Anne; von Bary, Christian; Warley, Alice; Schachoff, Sylvia; Keithan, Alexandra; Cesati, Richard R; Onthank, David C; Schwaiger, Markus; Robinson, Simon P; Botnar, René M

2012-07-01

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of high-resolution 3-dimensional aortic vessel wall imaging using a novel elastin-specific magnetic resonance contrast agent (ESMA) in a large animal model. The thoracic aortic vessel wall of 6 Landrace pigs was imaged using a novel ESMA and a nonspecific control agent. On day 1, imaging was performed before and after the administration of a nonspecific control agent, gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA; Bayer Schering AG, Berlin, Germany). On day 3, identical scans were repeated before and after the administration of a novel ESMA (Lantheus Medical Imaging, North Billerica, Massachusetts). Three-dimensional inversion recovery gradient echo delayed-enhancement imaging and magnetic resonance (MR) angiography of the thoracic aortic vessel wall were performed on a 1.5-T MR scanner (Achieva; Philips Medical Systems, the Netherlands). The signal-to-noise ratio and the contrast-to-noise ratio of arterial wall enhancement, including the time course of enhancement, were assessed for ESMA and Gd-DTPA. After the completion of imaging sessions, histology, electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy were performed to localize and quantify the gadolinium bound to the arterial vessel wall. Administration of ESMA resulted in a strong enhancement of the aortic vessel wall on delayed-enhancement imaging, whereas no significant enhancement could be measured with Gd-DTPA. Ninety to 100 minutes after the administration of ESMA, significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio could be measured compared with the administration of Gd-DTPA (45.7 ± 9.6 vs 13.2 ± 3.5, P wall imaging using a novel ESMA in a large animal model under conditions resembling a clinical setting. Such an approach could be useful for the fast 3-dimensional assessment of the arterial vessel wall in the context of atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysms, and hypertension.

Combining FT-IR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the cell wall composition changes during apples development.

Science.gov (United States)

Szymanska-Chargot, M; Chylinska, M; Kruk, B; Zdunek, A

2015-01-22

The aim of this work was to quantitatively and qualitatively determine the composition of the cell wall material from apples during development by means of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The FT-IR region of 1500-800 cm(-1), containing characteristic bands for galacturonic acid, hemicellulose and cellulose, was examined using principal component analysis (PCA), k-means clustering and partial least squares (PLS). The samples were differentiated by development stage and cultivar using PCA and k-means clustering. PLS calibration models for galacturonic acid, hemicellulose and cellulose content from FT-IR spectra were developed and validated with the reference data. PLS models were tested using the root-mean-square errors of cross-validation for contents of galacturonic acid, hemicellulose and cellulose which was 8.30 mg/g, 4.08% and 1.74%, respectively. It was proven that FT-IR spectroscopy combined with chemometric methods has potential for fast and reliable determination of the main constituents of fruit cell walls. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

COMPARISON OF SENSORS FOR RESISTIVE WALL MODE FEEDBACK CONTROL. MILESTONE No.145 ''CONTAINING PLASMA INSTABILITIES WITH METAL WALLS''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

STRAIT, E.J.; CHU, M.S.; GAROFALO, A.M.; LAHAYE, R.J.; OKABAYASHI, M.; REIMERDES, H.; SCOVILLE, J.T.; TURNBULL, A.D.

2002-01-01

OAK A271 COMPARISON OF SENSORS FOR RESISTIVE WALL MODE FEEDBACK CONTROL MILESTONE No.145 CONTAINING PLASMA INSTABILITIES WITH METAL WALLS. The most serious instabilities in the tokamak are those described by ideal magneto-hydrodynamic theory. These modes limit the stable operating space of the tokamak. The ideal MHD calculations predict the stable operating space of the tokamak may be approximately doubled when a perfectly conducting metal wall is placed near the plasma boundary, compared to the case with no wall (free boundary). The unstable mode distortions of the plasma column cannot bulge out through a perfectly conducting wall. However, real walls have finite conductivity and when plasmas are operated in the regime between the free boundary stability limit and the perfectly conducting wall limit, the unstable mode encountered in that case the resistive wall mode, can leak out through the metal wall, allowing the mode to keep slowly growing. The slow growth affords the possibility of feedback stabilizing this mode with external coils. DIII-D is making good progress in such feedback stabilization research and in 2002 will use an improved set of mode sensors inside the vacuum vessel and closer to the plasma surface which are expected theoretically to improve the ability to stabilize the resistive wall mode

Diurnal Periodicity in the Supply of Cell Wall Components during Wood Cell Wall Formation

OpenAIRE

細尾, 佳宏

2012-01-01

This review summarizes recent studies on the diurnal periodicity in wood cell wall formation, with a major focus on those that we have conducted. Differences in the innermost surface of developing secondary walls of differentiating conifer tracheids can be seen from day to night Cellulose microfibrils are clearly evident during the day, and amorphous material containing abundant hemicelluloses is prevalent at night. These findings suggest a diurnal periodicity in the supply of cell wall compo...

Pd nanoparticles supported on functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and electrooxidation for formic acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Sudong; Mi, Hongyu; Ye, Xiangguo [Institute of Applied Chemistry, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046 (China); Zhang, Xiaogang [College of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China)

2008-01-03

To improve the utilization and activity of anodic catalysts for formic acid electrooxidation, palladium (Pd) particles were loaded on the MWCNTs, which were functionalized in a mixture of 96% sulfuric acid and 4-aminobenzenesulfonic acid, using sodium nitrite to produce intermediate diazonium salts from substituted anilines. The composition, particle size, and crystallinity of the Pd/f-MWCNTs catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) measurements. The electrocatalytic properties of the Pd/f-MWCNTs catalysts for formic acid oxidation were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) in 0.5 mol L{sup -1} H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} solution. The results demonstrated that the catalytic activity was greatly enhanced due to the improved water-solubility and dispersion of the f-MWCNTs, which were facile to make the small particle size (3.8 nm) and uniform dispersion of Pd particles loading on the surface of the MWCNTs. In addition, the functionalized MWCNTs with benzenesulfonic group can provide benzenesulfonic anions in aqueous solution, which may combine with hydrogen cation and then promote the oxidation of formic acid reactive intermediates. So the Pd/f-MWCNTs composites showed excellent electrocatalytic activity for formic acid oxidation. (author)

Mid-infrared pulsed laser ablation of the arterial wall. Mechanical origin of "acoustic" wall damage and its effect on wall healing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Erven, L.; van Leeuwen, T. G.; Post, M. J.; van der Veen, M. J.; Velema, E.; Borst, C.

1992-01-01

Pulsed mid-infrared lasers are an alternative to excimer lasers for transluminal angioplasty. The mid-infrared lasers, however, were reported to produce "acoustic" wall damage that might impair the immediate and long-term results. To study the immediate and long-term effects on the arterial wall,

Turbine airfoil with outer wall thickness indicators

Science.gov (United States)

Marra, John J; James, Allister W; Merrill, Gary B

2013-08-06

A turbine airfoil usable in a turbine engine and including a depth indicator for determining outer wall blade thickness. The airfoil may include an outer wall having a plurality of grooves in the outer surface of the outer wall. The grooves may have a depth that represents a desired outer surface and wall thickness of the outer wall. The material forming an outer surface of the outer wall may be removed to be flush with an innermost point in each groove, thereby reducing the wall thickness and increasing efficiency. The plurality of grooves may be positioned in a radially outer region of the airfoil proximate to the tip.

Finite element modeling of single-walled carbon nanotubes with introducing a new wall thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jalalahmadi, B; Naghdabadi, R

2007-01-01

A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model for armchair, zigzag and chiral single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is proposed. By considering the covalent bonds as connecting elements between carbon atoms, a nanotube is simulated as a space frame-like structure. Here, the carbon atoms act as joints of the connecting elements. To create the FE models, nodes are placed at the locations of carbon atoms and the bonds between them are modeled using three-dimensional elastic beam elements. Using Morse atomic potential, the elastic moduli of beam elements are obtained via considering a linkage between molecular and continuum mechanics. Also, a new wall thickness ( bond diameter) equal to 0.1296 nm is introduced. In order to demonstrate the applicability of FE model and new wall thickness, the influence of tube wall thickness, diameter and chirality on the Young's modulus of SWCNTs is investigated. It is found that the choice of wall thickness significantly affects the calculation of Young's modulus. For the values of wall thickness used in the literature, the Young's moduli are estimated which agree very well with the corresponding theoretical results and experimental measurements. We also investigate the dependence of elastic moduli on diameter and chirality of the nanotube. The larger tube diameter, the higher Young's modulus of SWCNT. The Young's modulus of chiral SWCNTs is found to be generally larger than that of armchair and zigzag SWCNTs. The presented results demonstrate that the proposed FE model and wall thickness may provide a valuable tool for studying the mechanical behavior of carbon nanotubes and their application in nano-composites

Fusion: first wall problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behrisch, R.

1976-01-01

Some of the relevant elementary atomic processes which are expected to be of significance to the first wall of a fusion reactor are reviewed. Up to the present, most investigations have been performed at relatively high ion energies, typically E greater than 5 keV, and even in this range the available data are very poor. If the plasma wall interaction takes place at energies of E greater than 1 keV the impurity introduction and first wall erosion which will take place predominantly by sputtering, will be large and may severely limit the burning time of the plasma. The wall bombardment and surface erosion will presumably not decrease substantially by introducing a divertor. The erosion can only be kept low if the energy of the bombarding ions and neutrals can be kept below the threshold for sputtering of 1 to 10 eV. 93 refs

Dynamic Behavior of Nanocomposites Reinforced with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Yu Lai

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The influence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT on the structural dynamic behavior of MWCNT/epoxy nanocomposites was investigated. Two different types of MWCNTs, pristine MWCNT and functionalized MWCNT, were used in this study. Carboxylic acid-functionalized MWCNTs (MWCNT-COOH were obtained by oxidation pristine MWCNTs via sonication in sulfuric-nitric acid and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR. Dynamic behaviors of the MWCNT reinforced nanocomposite including the natural frequency and damping ratio were determined using free vibration test. Experimental results showed that the damping ratio of the nanocomposite decreases with the increase of the MWCNT addition, while the natural frequency is increasing with the increase of the MWCNT addition. Functionalized MWCNTs improved the interfacial bonding between the nanotubes and epoxy resin resulting in the reduction of the interfacial energy dissipation ability and enhancement of the stiffness.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of the pneumococcal teichoic acid phosphorylcholine esterase Pce

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lagartera, Laura; González, Ana; Stelter, Meike; García, Pedro; Kahn, Richard; Menéndez, Margarita; Hermoso, Juan A., E-mail: xjuan@iqfr.csic.es

2005-02-01

The modular choline-binding protein Pce, the phosphorylcholine esterase from S. pneumoniae, has been crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. A SAD data set from a derivative with a gadolinium complex has been collected to 2.7 Å resolution.

The impact of alterations in lignin deposition on cellulose organization of the plant cell wall

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Jiliang; Kim, Jeong Im; Cusumano, Joanne C.; Chapple, Clint; Venugopalan, Nagarajan; Fischetti, Robert F.; Makowski, Lee

2016-06-17

Background: Coordination of synthesis and assembly of the polymeric components of cell walls is essential for plant growth and development. Given the degree of co-mingling and cross-linking among cell wall components, cellulose organization must be dependent on the organization of other polymers such as lignin. Here we seek to identify aspects of that codependency by studying the structural organization of cellulose fibrils in stems from Arabidopsis plants harboring mutations in genes encoding enzymes involved in lignin biosynthesis. Plants containing high levels of G-lignin, S-lignin, H-lignin, aldehyde-rich lignin, and ferulic acid-containing lignin, along with plants with very low lignin content were grown and harvested and longitudinal sections of stem were prepared and dried. Scanning X-ray microdiffraction was carried out using a 5-micron beam that moved across the sections in 5-micron steps and complete diffraction patterns were collected at each raster point. Approximately, 16,000 diffraction patterns were analyzed to determine cellulose fibril orientation and order within the tissues making up the stems. Results: Several mutations-most notably those exhibiting (1) down-regulation of cinnamoyl CoA reductase which leads to cell walls deficient in lignin and (2) defect of cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase which greatly reduces lignin content-exhibited significant decrease in the proportion of oriented cellulose fibrils in the cell wall. Distinctions between tissues were maintained in all variants and even in plants exhibiting dramatic changes in cellulosic order the trends between tissues (where apparent) were generally maintained. The resilience of cellulose to degradative processes was investigated by carrying out the same analysis on samples stored in water for 30 days prior to data collection. This treatment led to significant loss of cellulosic order in plants rich in aldehyde or H-lignin, less change in wild type, and essentially no change in samples with

Ultrasonography of chest wall lesion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Cheol Min; Kim, C. H.; Cha, I. H.; Chung, K. B.; Ser, W. H.; Choi, Y. H. [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1989-12-15

Thirty-one patients with chest wall diseases were studied with ultrasound to evaluate its role in chest wall lesions. There were eight infectious conditions, 9 benign tumors, 11 malignant lesions and 3 miscellaneous cases. Diffuse chest wall thickening with heterogeneous echogenicity and obliteration of subcutaneous fat layer are findings of acute infection. In cases of tuberculous smpyema necessitates, pleural abnormality extended to the chest wall through intercostal space. Benign tumors were well demarcated, except in 4 cases of lipoma/lipomatosis. Malignant lesions showed irregular soft tissue masses, bone destruction, pleural effusion and subcutaneous invasion. Multiple enlarged lymph nodes were also shown. Ultrasound can demonstrate te internal structure, extent, depth and associated findings such as pleural effusion, bone destruction and peripheral lung involvement. Ultrasound is not only safe, non-invasive and an effective diagnostic imaging modality for chest wall disease, but can also guide aspiration or biopsy for pathologic diagnosis

Ultrasonography of chest wall lesion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Cheol Min; Kim, C. H.; Cha, I. H.; Chung, K. B.; Ser, W. H.; Choi, Y. H.

1989-01-01

Thirty-one patients with chest wall diseases were studied with ultrasound to evaluate its role in chest wall lesions. There were eight infectious conditions, 9 benign tumors, 11 malignant lesions and 3 miscellaneous cases. Diffuse chest wall thickening with heterogeneous echogenicity and obliteration of subcutaneous fat layer are findings of acute infection. In cases of tuberculous smpyema necessitates, pleural abnormality extended to the chest wall through intercostal space. Benign tumors were well demarcated, except in 4 cases of lipoma/lipomatosis. Malignant lesions showed irregular soft tissue masses, bone destruction, pleural effusion and subcutaneous invasion. Multiple enlarged lymph nodes were also shown. Ultrasound can demonstrate te internal structure, extent, depth and associated findings such as pleural effusion, bone destruction and peripheral lung involvement. Ultrasound is not only safe, non-invasive and an effective diagnostic imaging modality for chest wall disease, but can also guide aspiration or biopsy for pathologic diagnosis

Novel star-like surfactant as dispersant for multi-walled carbon nanotubes in aqueous suspensions at high concentration

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Min; Ran, Qianping; Wu, Shishan

2018-03-01

A kind of novel surfactant with star-like molecular structure and terminated sulfonate was synthesized, and it was used as the dispersant for multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in aqueous suspensions compared with a traditional single-chained surfactant. The star-like surfactant showed good dispersing ability for multi-walled CNTs in aqueous suspensions. Surface tension analysis, total organic carbon analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, zeta potential, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy were performed to research the effect of star-like surfactant on the dispersion of multi-walled CNTs in aqueous suspensions. With the assistance of star-like surfactant, the CNTs could disperse well in aqueous suspension at high concentration of 50 g/L for more than 30 days, while the CNTs precipitated completely in aqueous suspension after 1 day without any dispersant or after 10 days with sodium 4-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid as dispersant.

Application and comparison of four selected procedures for the isolation of cell-wall material from the skin of grapes cv. Monastrell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Apolinar-Valiente, R., E-mail: tokay04@hotmail.com [Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain); Romero-Cascales, I., E-mail: miromero@um.es [Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain); Lopez-Roca, J.M., E-mail: jmlroca@um.es [Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain); Gomez-Plaza, E., E-mail: encarnag@um.es [Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain); Ros-Garcia, J.M., E-mail: jmros@um.es [Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain)

2010-02-15

In order to choose an appropriate cell-wall material (CWM) isolation procedure in grapes cv. Monastrell, four different standard procedures have been tested, and a comparison made of the amount of cell-wall material obtained, its composition and morphology. The CWM was isolated as the 70% ethanol insoluble residue (de Vries method), as the absolute ethanol insoluble residue filtered sequentially through nylon mesh (Nunan method), as the insoluble residue in sodium deoxycholate-phenol-acetic acid-water (Selvendran method) and as the N-[2-hydroxyethyl]-piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) insoluble residue (Vidal method). All extractions were done in triplicate and the efficiency of the extractive procedure established. Carbohydrates, proteins, and phenolic compounds were analysed, as the main constituents of CWM. The morphology of the isolated CWM was visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Selvendran method had the highest efficiency, while the Nunan method had the lower one. Regarding the carbohydrates composition, the four different CWM were rich in uronic acids and glucose, together with varying amounts of arabinose, xylose, mannose and galactose. The Selvendran method had the lower value of total carbohydrates and the CWM shows more plasmatic membrane impurities in SEM images. The chemical results of the Vidal and de Vries methods were quite similar, but the Vidal method was more time consuming than the de Vries method. According to the results, the de Vries method was chosen to produce a representative cell-wall material fraction from Monastrell grapes skin.

Application and comparison of four selected procedures for the isolation of cell-wall material from the skin of grapes cv. Monastrell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apolinar-Valiente, R.; Romero-Cascales, I.; Lopez-Roca, J.M.; Gomez-Plaza, E.; Ros-Garcia, J.M.

2010-01-01

In order to choose an appropriate cell-wall material (CWM) isolation procedure in grapes cv. Monastrell, four different standard procedures have been tested, and a comparison made of the amount of cell-wall material obtained, its composition and morphology. The CWM was isolated as the 70% ethanol insoluble residue (de Vries method), as the absolute ethanol insoluble residue filtered sequentially through nylon mesh (Nunan method), as the insoluble residue in sodium deoxycholate-phenol-acetic acid-water (Selvendran method) and as the N-[2-hydroxyethyl]-piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) insoluble residue (Vidal method). All extractions were done in triplicate and the efficiency of the extractive procedure established. Carbohydrates, proteins, and phenolic compounds were analysed, as the main constituents of CWM. The morphology of the isolated CWM was visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Selvendran method had the highest efficiency, while the Nunan method had the lower one. Regarding the carbohydrates composition, the four different CWM were rich in uronic acids and glucose, together with varying amounts of arabinose, xylose, mannose and galactose. The Selvendran method had the lower value of total carbohydrates and the CWM shows more plasmatic membrane impurities in SEM images. The chemical results of the Vidal and de Vries methods were quite similar, but the Vidal method was more time consuming than the de Vries method. According to the results, the de Vries method was chosen to produce a representative cell-wall material fraction from Monastrell grapes skin.

Domain wall networks on solitons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutcliffe, Paul

2003-01-01

Domain wall networks on the surface of a soliton are studied in a simple theory. It consists of two complex scalar fields, in 3+1 dimensions, with a global U(1)xZ n symmetry, where n>2. Solutions are computed numerically in which one of the fields forms a Q ball and the other field forms a network of domain walls localized on the surface of the Q ball. Examples are presented in which the domain walls lie along the edges of a spherical polyhedron, forming junctions at its vertices. It is explained why only a small restricted class of polyhedra can arise as domain wall networks

Effect of Thiamine, Ascorbic acid and Gibberellic acid (GA3 on Growth Characteristics, Pigment Content and Reduced Sugars of Petunia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

moslem salehi

2017-02-01

analyzed using statistical package SAS and means were compared using LSD test at the level of statistical significance of P˂0.05. Results and Discussion: The results indicated that GA3 affected all the measured characteristics except carotenoids in comparison with thiamine and ascorbic acid. Meanwhile, the combined application of GA3 and ascorbic acid affected stem growth, root growth and flower diameter. Simultaneous use of GA3 and thiamine was effective on pigments, reducing sugar, carotenoids and flower number. The simultaneous application of three chemicals resulted in a considerable increase in growth and development traits, such as stem and root growth, flower number and diameter, pigments and reducing sugar compared to control. Generally, gibberellic acid will increase vegetative growth with impress cellular processes, including stimulation cell division and cell elongation. It was reported that the uses of ascorbic acid and gibberellic acid in Thyme (Thymus vulgaris increased plant height and root length. Ascorbic acid makes a set of functions such as cell division and enlargements, cell wall development and other developmental processes in plants. Ascorbic acid affects plasma membrane proton pump and according to the acidic theory stimulates weaking cell wall and consequently will increase cell wall development and cell enlargement. It was found that thiamine significantly increased flower number in chrysanthemum . Conclusion: The results indicated that the synergistic effects of this material can be used to enhance the growth and development of petunia. On the other hand, in arid and semiarid areas of the country, that drought and salinity stresses somewhat inevitable, these materials, especially vitamins are effective in reducing stress and increase flowering period.

Application of flexi-wall in noise barriers renewal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Daee

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an experimental study on structural performance of an innovative noise barrier consisting of poly-block, light polyurethane foam (LPF and polyurea. This wall system (flexi-wall is intended to be employed as a vertical extension to existing noise barriers (sound walls in an accelerated construction method. To aid in the wall design, several mechanical tests were conducted on LPF specimens and two full-scale walls were then fabricated employing the same LPF material. The full-scale walls were subjected to lateral loading in order to establish their lateral resistance. A cyclic fatigue test was also performed on a full-scale flexi-wall in order to evaluate the performance of the wall under a repetitive loading condition. The results of the experiments indicated the suitability of flexi-wall in accelerated construction and confirmed that the structural performance of the wall system under lateral loading is satisfactory for the sound wall application. The experimental results were discussed and a preliminary design procedure for application of flexi-wall in sound wall applications was also developed.

A unified wall function for compressible turbulence modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Ong, K. C.; Chan, A.

2018-05-01

Turbulence modelling near the wall often requires a high mesh density clustered around the wall and the first cells adjacent to the wall to be placed in the viscous sublayer. As a result, the numerical stability is constrained by the smallest cell size and hence requires high computational overhead. In the present study, a unified wall function is developed which is valid for viscous sublayer, buffer sublayer and inertial sublayer, as well as including effects of compressibility, heat transfer and pressure gradient. The resulting wall function applies to compressible turbulence modelling for both isothermal and adiabatic wall boundary conditions with the non-zero pressure gradient. Two simple wall function algorithms are implemented for practical computation of isothermal and adiabatic wall boundary conditions. The numerical results show that the wall function evaluates the wall shear stress and turbulent quantities of wall adjacent cells at wide range of non-dimensional wall distance and alleviate the number and size of cells required.

Impact of noncovalent interactions between apple condensed tannins and cell walls on their transfer from fruit to juice: studies in model suspensions and application.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Bourvellec, Carine; Le Quere, Jean-Michel; Renard, Catherine M G C

2007-09-19

The adsorption of procyanidins (condensed tannins) on cell-wall material was quantified by bringing into contact solutions of procyanidins and suspensions of cell-wall material. A model was developed on the basis of the Langmuir isotherm formulation and a factorial experimental design. The parameters that influenced the adsorption were the concentration and molecular weight of the procyanidins, the ionic strength of the solution, the temperature, and the apple cell-wall concentration. The model was applied to partitioning of procyanidins from apple between juice and mash. The parameters to be taken into account are the composition of the apples and, specifically, (i) the concentration and molecular weight of the procyanidins, (ii) their acidity and pH as a determinant of the ionic strength, and (iii) their cell-wall content and the temperature at pressing. To estimate the ability of the model to relate procyanidin concentrations in the juice to their concentration in the apple, apples of three varieties of widely different procyanidin compositions were pressed in conditions that prevent oxidation. In these conditions, yields in the juice were >80% for phenolic acids or catechin monomers but <50% for procyanidins, with the lowest rates obtained for the higher polymers in accordance with the model.

Engineering the Oryza sativa cell wall with rice NAC transcription factors regulating secondary wall formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kouki eYoshida

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Plant tissues that require structural rigidity synthesize a thick, strong secondary cell wall of lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses in a complicated bridged structure. Master regulators of secondary wall synthesis were identified in dicots, and orthologs of these regulators have been identified in monocots, but regulation of secondary cell wall formation in monocots has not been extensively studied. Here we demonstrate that the rice transcription factors SECONDARY WALL NAC DOMAIN PROTEINs (SWNs can regulate secondary wall formation in rice (Oryza sativa and are potentially useful for engineering the monocot cell wall. The OsSWN1 promoter is highly active in sclerenchymatous cells of the leaf blade and less active in xylem cells. By contrast, the OsSWN2 promoter is highly active in xylem cells and less active in sclerenchymatous cells. OsSWN2 splicing variants encode two proteins; the shorter protein (OsSWN2S has very low transcriptional activation ability, but the longer protein (OsSWN2L and OsSWN1 have strong transcriptional activation ability. In rice, expression of an OsSWN2S chimeric repressor, driven by the OsSWN2 promoter, resulted in stunted growth and para-wilting (leaf rolling and browning under normal water conditions due to impaired vascular vessels. The same OsSWN2S chimeric repressor, driven by the OsSWN1 promoter, caused a reduction of cell wall thickening in sclerenchymatous cells, a drooping leaf phenotype, reduced lignin and xylose contents and increased digestibility as forage. These data suggest that OsSWNs regulate secondary wall formation in rice and manipulation of OsSWNs may enable improvements in monocotyledonous crops for forage or biofuel applications.

Hydrodynamics of ultra-relativistic bubble walls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leitao, Leonardo, E-mail: lleitao@mdp.edu.ar; Mégevand, Ariel, E-mail: megevand@mdp.edu.ar

2016-04-15

In cosmological first-order phase transitions, gravitational waves are generated by the collisions of bubble walls and by the bulk motions caused in the fluid. A sizeable signal may result from fast-moving walls. In this work we study the hydrodynamics associated to the fastest propagation modes, namely, ultra-relativistic detonations and runaway solutions. We compute the energy injected by the phase transition into the fluid and the energy which accumulates in the bubble walls. We provide analytic approximations and fits as functions of the net force acting on the wall, which can be readily evaluated for specific models. We also study the back-reaction of hydrodynamics on the wall motion, and we discuss the extrapolation of the friction force away from the ultra-relativistic limit. We use these results to estimate the gravitational wave signal from detonations and runaway walls.

Physiological and Transcriptional Responses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to d-Limonene Show Changes to the Cell Wall but Not to the Plasma Membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Brennan, Timothy C. R.; Nielsen, Lars K.

2013-01-01

Monoterpenes can, upon hydrogenation, be used as light-fraction components of sustainable aviation fuels. Fermentative production of monoterpenes in engineered microorganisms, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has gained attention as a potential route to deliver these next-generation fuels from renewable biomass. However, end product toxicity presents a formidable problem for microbial synthesis. Due to their hydrophobicity, monoterpene inhibition has long been attributed to membrane interference, but the molecular mechanism remains largely unsolved. In order to gain a better understanding of the mode of action, we analyzed the composition and structural integrity of the cell envelope as well as the transcriptional response of yeast cells treated with an inhibitory amount of d-limonene (107 mg/liter). We found no alterations in membrane fluidity, structural membrane integrity, or fatty acid composition after the solvent challenge. A 4-fold increase in the mean fluorescence intensity per cell (using calcofluor white stain) and increased sensitivity to cell wall-degrading enzymes demonstrated that limonene disrupts cell wall properties. Global transcript measurements confirmed the membrane integrity observations by showing no upregulation of ergosterol or fatty acid biosynthesis pathways, which are commonly overexpressed in yeast to reinforce membrane rigidity during ethanol exposure. Limonene shock did cause a compensatory response to cell wall damage through overexpression of several genes (ROM1, RLM1, PIR3, CTT1, YGP1, MLP1, PST1, and CWP1) involved with the cell wall integrity signaling pathway. This is the first report demonstrating that cell wall, rather than plasma membrane, deterioration is the main source of monoterpene inhibition. We show that limonene can alter the structure and function of the cell wall, which has a clear effect on cytokinesis. PMID:23542628

Two novel, putatively cell wall-associated and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored alpha-glucanotransferase enzymes of Aspergillus niger.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Kaaij, R M; Yuan, X-L; Franken, A; Ram, A F J; Punt, P J; van der Maarel, M J E C; Dijkhuizen, L

2007-07-01

In the genome sequence of Aspergillus niger CBS 513.88, three genes were identified with high similarity to fungal alpha-amylases. The protein sequences derived from these genes were different in two ways from all described fungal alpha-amylases: they were predicted to be glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchored, and some highly conserved amino acids of enzymes in the alpha-amylase family were absent. We expressed two of these enzymes in a suitable A. niger strain and characterized the purified proteins. Both enzymes showed transglycosylation activity on donor substrates with alpha-(1,4)-glycosidic bonds and at least five anhydroglucose units. The enzymes, designated AgtA and AgtB, produced new alpha-(1,4)-glycosidic bonds and therefore belong to the group of the 4-alpha-glucanotransferases (EC 2.4.1.25). Their reaction products reached a degree of polymerization of at least 30. Maltose and larger maltooligosaccharides were the most efficient acceptor substrates, although AgtA also used small nigerooligosaccharides containing alpha-(1,3)-glycosidic bonds as acceptor substrate. An agtA knockout of A. niger showed an increased susceptibility towards the cell wall-disrupting compound calcofluor white, indicating a cell wall integrity defect in this strain. Homologues of AgtA and AgtB are present in other fungal species with alpha-glucans in their cell walls, but not in yeast species lacking cell wall alpha-glucan. Possible roles for these enzymes in the synthesis and/or maintenance of the fungal cell wall are discussed.

A Review of Double-Walled and Triple-Walled Carbon Nanotube Synthesis and Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazunori Fujisawa

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Double- and triple-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs and TWNTs consist of coaxially-nested two and three single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs. They act as the geometrical bridge between SWNTs and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs, providing an ideal model for studying the coupling interactions between different shells in MWNTs. Within this context, this article comprehensively reviews various synthetic routes of DWNTs’ and TWNTs’ production, such as arc discharge, catalytic chemical vapor deposition and thermal annealing of pea pods (i.e., SWNTs encapsulating fullerenes. Their structural features, as well as promising applications and future perspectives are also discussed.

Recovery of BMIPP uptake and regional wall motion in insulin resistant patients following angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujino, Takayuki; Ishii, Yoshinao; Hirasawa, Kunihiko; Tateda, Kunihiko [Asahikawa City Hospital, Hokkaido (Japan); Takeuchi, Toshiharu; Kikuchi, Kenjiro; Hasebe, Naoyuki [Asahikawa Medical Coll., Hokkaido (Japan)

2003-09-01

The effect of insulin resistance (IR) on the fatty acid metabolism of myocardium, and therefore on the recovery of left ventricular (LV) wall motion, has not been established in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A total of consecutive 58 non-diabetic AMI patients who had successfully undergone emergency coronary angioplasty were analyzed retrospectively. They were categorized into 2 groups, normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), based on a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The parameters of OGTT, myocardial scintigraphy (n=58) (thallium-201 (Tl) and iodine-123-{beta}-methyl-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP)) and left ventriculography (n=24) were compared in the 2 groups after reperfusion (acute phase) and 3-4 weeks after the AMI (chronic phase). The IR, estimated by the serum concentration of insulin at 120 min (IRI 120') of the OGTT and by the HOMA (the homeostasis model assessment) index, was higher in the IGT group than in NGT group. An inverse correlation was found between the recovery of regional LV wall motion in the ischemic lesion and the IRI 120' and HOMA index. Although the recovery of BMIPP uptake from the acute to the chronic phase was higher in the IGT group, it was only correlated with the degree of IRI 120', not with the HOMA. IR accompanied by IGT can negatively influence the recovery of regional LV wall motion. (author)

Recovery of BMIPP uptake and regional wall motion in insulin resistant patients following angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujino, Takayuki; Ishii, Yoshinao; Hirasawa, Kunihiko; Tateda, Kunihiko; Takeuchi, Toshiharu; Kikuchi, Kenjiro; Hasebe, Naoyuki

2003-01-01

The effect of insulin resistance (IR) on the fatty acid metabolism of myocardium, and therefore on the recovery of left ventricular (LV) wall motion, has not been established in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A total of consecutive 58 non-diabetic AMI patients who had successfully undergone emergency coronary angioplasty were analyzed retrospectively. They were categorized into 2 groups, normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), based on a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The parameters of OGTT, myocardial scintigraphy (n=58) (thallium-201 (Tl) and iodine-123-β-methyl-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP)) and left ventriculography (n=24) were compared in the 2 groups after reperfusion (acute phase) and 3-4 weeks after the AMI (chronic phase). The IR, estimated by the serum concentration of insulin at 120 min (IRI 120') of the OGTT and by the HOMA (the homeostasis model assessment) index, was higher in the IGT group than in NGT group. An inverse correlation was found between the recovery of regional LV wall motion in the ischemic lesion and the IRI 120' and HOMA index. Although the recovery of BMIPP uptake from the acute to the chronic phase was higher in the IGT group, it was only correlated with the degree of IRI 120', not with the HOMA. IR accompanied by IGT can negatively influence the recovery of regional LV wall motion. (author)

Recovery of BMIPP uptake and regional wall motion in insulin resistant patients following angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujino, Takayuki; Ishii, Yoshinao; Takeuchi, Toshiharu; Hirasawa, Kunihiko; Tateda, Kunihiko; Kikuchi, Kenjiro; Hasebe, Naoyuki

2003-09-01

The effect of insulin resistance (IR) on the fatty acid metabolism of myocardium, and therefore on the recovery of left ventricular (LV) wall motion, has not been established in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A total of consecutive 58 non-diabetic AMI patients who had successfully undergone emergency coronary angioplasty were analyzed retrospectively. They were categorized into 2 groups, normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), based on a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The parameters of OGTT, myocardial scintigraphy (n=58) (thallium-201 (Tl) and iodine-123-beta-methyl-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP)) and left ventriculography (n=24) were compared in the 2 groups after reperfusion (acute phase) and 3-4 weeks after the AMI (chronic phase). The insulin resistance (IR), estimated by the serum concentration of insulin at 120 min (IRI 120') of the OGTT and by the HOMA (the homeostasis model assessment) index, was higher in the IGT group than in NGT group. An inverse correlation was found between the recovery of regional LV wall motion in the ischemic lesion and the IRI 120' and HOMA index. Although the recovery of BMIPP uptake from the acute to the chronic phase was higher in the IGT group, it was only correlated with the degree of IRI 120', not with the HOMA. IR accompanied by IGT can negatively influence the recovery of regional LV wall motion.

Surface tailored single walled carbon nanotubes as catalyst support for direct methanol fuel cell

Science.gov (United States)

Kireeti, Kota V. M. K.; Jha, Neetu

2017-10-01

A strategy for tuning the surface property of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) for enhanced methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) along with methanol tolerance is presented. The surface functionality is tailored using controlled acid and base treatment. Acid treatment leads to the attachment of carboxylic carbon (CC) fragments to SWNT making it hydrophilic (P3-SWNT). Base treatment of P3-SWNT with 0.05 M NaOH reduces the CCs and makes it hydrophobic (P33-SWNT). Pt catalyst supported on the P3-SWNT possesses enhanced MOR whereas that supported on P33-SWNT not only enhances ORR kinetics but also possess good tolerance towards methanol oxidation as verified by the electrochemical technique.

Absence of fks1p in lager brewing yeast results in aberrant cell wall composition and improved beer flavor stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jin-jing; Xu, Wei-na; Li, Xin'er; Li, Jia; Li, Qi

2014-06-01

The flavor stability during storage is very important to the freshness and shelf life of beer. However, beer fermented with a yeast strain which is prone to autolyze will significantly affect the flavor of product. In this study, the gene encoding β-1,3-glucan synthetase catalytic subunit (fks1) of the lager yeast was destroyed via self-clone strategy. β-1,3-glucan is the principle cell wall component, so fks1 disruption caused a decrease in β-1,3-glucan level and increase in chitin level in cell wall, resulting in the increased cell wall thickness. Comparing with wild-type strain, the mutant strain had 39.9 and 63.41 % less leakage of octanoic acid and decanoic acid which would significantly affect the flavor of beer during storage. Moreover, the results of European Brewery Convention tube fermentation test showed that the genetic manipulation to the industrial brewing yeast helped with the anti-staling ability, rather than affecting the fermentation ability. The thiobarbituric acid value reduced by 65.59 %, and the resistant staling value increased by 26.56 %. Moreover, the anti-staling index of the beer fermented with mutant strain increased by 2.64-fold than that from wild-type strain respectively. China has the most production and consumption of beer around the world, so the quality of beer has a significant impact on Chinese beer industry. The result of this study could help with the improvement of the quality of beer in China as well as around the world.

The practicality of defensive ice walls: How would the great ice wall in Game of Thrones hold up?

Science.gov (United States)

Truffer, M.

2017-12-01

The Game of Thrones great ice wall is a colossal feature stretching several hundred miles and over 200 m high. Its purpose is to defend the realm from the wildlings. It is generally pictured as a near vertical wall. An ice wall of these proportions poses interesting challenges, mainly because ice acts as a non-linear shear-thinning fluid. A 200 m high vertical wall would create a large effective stress near its base of almost 1.8 MPa. Typical stresses responsible for ice flow in glaciers and ice sheets are more than a magnitude lower (0.1 MPa). Extrapolating a commonly used flow law for temperate ice to such high stresses would lead to strain rates at the bottom of the wall in excess of 1/day, meaning the wall would rapidly collapse and spread laterally under its own weight. To keep the wall stable, it would help to cool it significantly, as the flow of ice is also very temperature dependent. Cooling to a chilly -40 C would reduce strain rates by two orders of magnitude, but this still leads to significant slumping of the wall within just a few weeks. A time-dependent similarity solution for simplified ice flow equations that describe the evolving shape of the ice wall was provided by Halfar (1981), and demonstrates the rapid decay of the wall. A simple estimate can be derived by assuming that ice is a perfectly plastic fluid, able to maintain a basal shear stress of about 0.1 MPa. A stable ice wall would then spread laterally to about 4 km width. The resulting slope would only be steep at the very margin and the ice wall would loose much of its defensive capabilities. I conclude that the ice wall as proposed would not be a practicable defense under typical Earth conditions, and special magical powers would be necessary to maintain its shape, even for just a few days.

Hydrodynamics of ultra-relativistic bubble walls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Leitao

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In cosmological first-order phase transitions, gravitational waves are generated by the collisions of bubble walls and by the bulk motions caused in the fluid. A sizeable signal may result from fast-moving walls. In this work we study the hydrodynamics associated to the fastest propagation modes, namely, ultra-relativistic detonations and runaway solutions. We compute the energy injected by the phase transition into the fluid and the energy which accumulates in the bubble walls. We provide analytic approximations and fits as functions of the net force acting on the wall, which can be readily evaluated for specific models. We also study the back-reaction of hydrodynamics on the wall motion, and we discuss the extrapolation of the friction force away from the ultra-relativistic limit. We use these results to estimate the gravitational wave signal from detonations and runaway walls.

Nonsingular walls in plane cholesteric layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belyakov, V A; Osipov, M A; Stewart, I W

2006-01-01

The structure of a straight interface (wall) between regions with differing values of the pitch in planar cholesteric layers with finite strength of the surface anchoring is investigated theoretically. It is found that the shape and strength of the anchoring potential influences essentially the structure of the wall and a motionless wall between thermodynamically stable regions without a singularity in the director distribution in the layer can exist for sufficiently weak anchoring only. More specifically, for the existence of such a wall the dimensionless parameter S d = K 22 /Wd (where W is the depth of the anchoring potential, K 22 is the elastic twist modulus and d is the layer thickness) should exceed its critical value, which is dependent on the shape of the anchoring potential. General equations describing the director distribution in the wall are presented. Detailed analysis of these equations is carried out for the case of infinitely strong anchoring at one surface and finite anchoring strength at the second layer surface. It is shown that the wall width L is directly dependent upon the shape and strength of the anchoring potential and that its estimate ranges from d to (dL p ) 1/2 (where L p = K 22 /W is the penetration length), corresponding to different anchoring strengths and shape potentials. The dependence of the director distribution in the wall upon all three Frank elastic moduli is analytically found for some specific limiting cases of the model anchoring potentials. Motion of the wall is briefly investigated and the corresponding calculations performed under the assumption that the shape of a moving wall is the same as a motionless one. It is noted that experimental investigation of the walls in planar cholesteric layers can be used for the determination of the actual shape of surface anchoring potentials

Wall motion abnormality of myocardial infarction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Senji; Tsuda, Takashi; Ojima, Kenji

1984-01-01

By use of the gated blood pool scan, we divided the left ventricular LAO 45 image into 8 sections with the center of the volume as the basal point, and devised a method of quantitative evaluation of the regional wall motion from 2 aspects: 1) wall movement and 2) phase abnormality. To evaluate the wall movement, we obtained the following indeces from count curves of each section: 1) EF1=(end-diastolic count-end-systolic count)/ end-diastolic count, 2) EF2=(maximum count-minimum count)/maximum count, and 3) the difference of the two (EF2-EF1). As indeces of the phase abnormality, the mean value of phases of the pixels (phase characteristics) and the standard deviation (variation) of each section were calculated. Furthermore, the phase delay of each section was calculated as the difference from the earliest phase value of the 8 sections. Control values and standard deviation were obtained from 8 healthy controls. By this method, we analyzed 20 patients with old myocardial infarction. And following results were obtained: 1. Applying this method, we could evaluate the regional wall motion of the left ventricle more precisely, and we considered it would be useful clinically. 2. The abnormal regional wall motion of old myocardial infarction were classified into 4 typical forms as follows: 1) the wall movement decreased extremely. 2) the wall movement decreased, but no phase delay recognized. 3) the wall movement did not decrease, but phase delay was recognized. 4) the wall movement decreased, and phase delay was recognized. (author)

2003 Plant Cell Walls Gordon Conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniel J. Cosgrove

2004-09-21

This conference will address recent progress in many aspects of cell wall biology. Molecular, genetic, and genomic approaches are yielding major advances in our understanding of the composition, synthesis, and architecture of plant cell walls and their dynamics during growth, and are identifying the genes that encode the machinery needed to make their biogenesis possible. This meeting will bring together international scientists from academia, industry and government labs to share the latest breakthroughs and perspectives on polysaccharide biosynthesis, wood formation, wall modification, expansion and interaction with other organisms, and genomic & evolutionary analyses of wall-related genes, as well as to discuss recent ''nanotechnological'' advances that take wall analysis to the level of a single cell.

Wall Finishes; Carpentry: 901895.

Science.gov (United States)

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

The course outline is designed to provide instruction in selecting, preparing, and installing wall finishing materials. Prerequisites for the course include mastery of building construction plans, foundations and walls, and basic mathematics. Intended for use in grades 11 and 12, the course contains five blocks of study totaling 135 hours of…

Effect of chemical treatments on hydrogen storage behaviors of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seul-Yi; Park, Soo-Jin

2010-01-01

In this work, the hydrogen storage behaviors of chemically treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were investigated. The surface properties of the functionalized MWNTs were confirmed by Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, the Boehm titration method, and zeta-potential measurements. The hydrogen storage capacity of the MWNTs was evaluated at 298 K and 100 bar. In the experimental results, it was found that the chemical treatments introduced functional groups onto the MWNT surfaces. The amount of hydrogen storage was enhanced, by acidic surface treatment, to 0.42 wt.% in the acidic-treated MWNTs compared with 0.26 wt.% in the as-received MWNTs. Meanwhile, the basic surface treatment actually reduced the hydrogen storage capacity, to 0.24 wt.% in the basic-treated MWNTs sample. Consequently, it could be concluded that hydrogen storage is greatly influenced by the acidic characteristics of MWNT surfaces, resulting in enhanced electron acceptor-donor interaction at interfaces.

To detect anomalies in diaphragm walls

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spruit, R.

2015-01-01

Diaphragm walls are potentially ideal retaining walls for deep excavations in densely built-up areas, as they cause no vibrations during their construction and provide structural elements with high strength and stiffness. In the recent past, however, several projects using diaphragm walls as soil

Regeneration of near-wall turbulence structures

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, James M.; Kim, John J.; Waleffe, Fabian A.

1993-01-01

An examination of the regeneration mechanisms of near-wall turbulence and an attempt to investigate the critical Reynolds number conjecture of Waleffe & Kim is presented. The basis is an extension of the 'minimal channel' approach of Jimenez and Moin which emphasizes the near-wall region and further reduces the complexity of the turbulent flow. Reduction of the flow Reynolds number to the minimum value which will allow turbulence to be sustained has the effect of reducing the ratio of the largest scales to the smallest scales or, equivalently, of causing the near-wall region to fill more of the area between the channel walls. In addition, since each wall may have an active near-wall region, half of the channel is always somewhat redundant. If a plane Couette flow is instead chosen as the base flow, this redundancy is eliminated: the mean shear of a plane Couette flow has a single sign, and at low Reynolds numbers, the two wall regions share a single set of structures. A minimal flow with these modifications possesses, by construction, the strongest constraints which allow sustained turbulence, producing a greatly simplified flow in which the regeneration process can be examined.

Fast microextraction of phthalate acid esters from beverage, environmental water and perfume samples by magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Yan-Bo; Yu, Qiong-Wei; Yuan, Bi-Feng; Feng, Yu-Qi

2012-02-15

In this work, magnetic carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared by mixing the magnetic particles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed solutions. Due to their excellent adsorption capability towards hydrophobic compounds, the magnetic CNTs were used as adsorbent of magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) to extract phthalate acid esters (PAEs), which are widely used in many consumable products with potential carcinogenic properties. By coupling MSPE with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective method for the analysis of PAEs was established. Our results showed that the limits of detection (LODs) of 16 PAEs ranged from 4.9 to 38 ng L(-1), which are much lower compared to the previously reported methods. And good linearities of the detection method were obtained with correlation coefficients (R(2)) between 0.9821 and 0.9993. In addition, a satisfying reproducibility was achieved by evaluating the intra- and inter-day precisions with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 11.7% and 14.6%, respectively. Finally, the established MSPE-GC/MS method was successfully applied to the determination of PAEs from bottled beverages, tap water and perfume samples. The recoveries of the 16 PAEs from the real samples ranged from 64.6% to 125.6% with the RSDs less than 16.5%. Taken together, the MSPE-GC/MS method developed in current study provides a new option for the detection of PAEs from real samples with complex matrices. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication, electrochemical and catalytic properties of the nanocomposites composed of phosphomolybdic acid and viologen-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiang; Wang, Jing; Chen, Meng; Qian, Dong-Jin

2017-08-01

Electroactive nanocomposites composed of phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) and viologen-functionalized carbon nanotubes were synthesized and used as heterogeneous catalysts for the electrocatalytic reduction of bromate. Viologen (V) was first covalently anchored on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) to produce positively charged MWNT-V polyelectrolyte, which was then combined with PMA through electrostatic interaction to form MWNT-V@PMA nanocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the organic species in the MWNT-V polyelectrolyte was about 30% in weight. Composition, structure, and morphology of the nanocomposites were investigated by using UV-vis, infrared, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as field emission transition electron microscope. The thickness of organic substituents, viologen, and PMA in the nanocomposites was approximately 10 nm covered on the surface of MWNTs. Cyclic voltammogram measurements for the casting films of MWNT-V@PMA nanocomposites revealed four couples of redox waves with cathodic potentials at about -0.56, -0.19, 0.02, 0.21 V, and anodic ones at about -0.46, -0.11, 0.12, 0.31 V (vs Ag/AgCl), respectively, among which the first one corresponded to the electron transfer process of viologens and others to that of the PMA adsorbed. Finally, the MWNT-V@PMA modified electrodes were used as heterogeneous catalysts for the electrocatalytic bromate reduction, which revealed an almost linear correction between the current density and the bromate concentrations in the concentration range from 1 to 15 mmol/l. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Arabidopsis GUX Proteins Are Glucuronyltransferases Responsible for the Addition of Glucuronic Acid Side Chains onto Xylan

Science.gov (United States)

Xylan, the second most abundant cell wall polysaccharide, is composed of a linear backbone of β-(1,4)-linked xylosyl residues that are often substituted with sugar side chains, such as glucuronic acid (GlcA) and methylglucuronic acid (MeGlcA). It has recently been shown that muta...

Reduced Wall Acetylation Proteins Play Vital and Distinct Roles in Cell Wall O-Acetylation in Arabidopsis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manabe, Yuzuki; Verhertbruggen, Yves; Gille, Sascha

2013-01-01

The Reduced Wall Acetylation (RWA) proteins are involved in cell wall acetylation in plants. Previously, we described a single mutant, rwa2, which has about 20% lower level of O-acetylation in leaf cell walls and no obvious growth or developmental phenotype. In this study, we generated double....... The quadruple rwa mutant can be completely complemented with the RWA2 protein expressed under 35S promoter, indicating the functional redundancy of the RWA proteins. Nevertheless, the degree of acetylation of xylan, (gluco) mannan, and xyloglucan as well as overall cell wall acetylation is affected differently...... in different combinations of triple mutants, suggesting their diversity in substrate preference. The overall degree of wall acetylation in the rwa quadruple mutant was reduced by 63% compared with the wild type, and histochemical analysis of the rwa quadruple mutant stem indicates defects in cell...

Gas Enrichment at Liquid-Wall Interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dammer, S.M.; Lohse, Detlef

2006-01-01

Molecular dynamics simulations of Lennard-Jones systems are performed to study the effects of dissolved gas on liquid-wall and liquid-gas interfaces. Gas enrichment at walls, which for hydrophobic walls can exceed more than 2 orders of magnitude when compared to the gas density in the bulk liquid,

Functionalized single walled carbon nanotubes as template for water storage device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paul, Sanjib; Taraphder, Srabani, E-mail: srabani@chem.iitkgp.ernet.in

2016-11-10

Single walled carbon nanotubes, endohedrally functionalized with a protonated/unprotonated carboxylic acid group, are examined as potential templates for water storage using classical molecular dynamics simulation studies. Following a spontaneous entry of water molecules into the core of model functionalized carbon nanotubes (FCNTs), a large fraction of water molecules are found to be trapped inside FCNTs of lengths 50 and 100 Å. Only water molecules near the two open ends of the nanotube are exchanged with the bulk solvent. The residence times of water molecules inside FCNTs are investigated by varying the length of the tube, the length of suspended functional group and the protonation state of the carboxylic acid group. Favorable energetic interactions between the functional group and water, assisted by a substantial gain in rotational entropy, are found to compensate for the entropy loss resulting from restricted translational diffusion of trapped water molecules.

Statistical analysis of silo wall pressures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ditlevsen, Ove Dalager; Berntsen, Kasper Nikolaj

1998-01-01

Previously published silo wall pressure measurements during plug flow of barley in alarge concrete silo are re-analysed under the hypothesis that the wall pressures are gamma-distributed.The fits of the gamma distribution type to the local pressure data from each measuring cell are satisfactory.......However, the estimated parameters of the gamma distributions turn out to be significantly inhomogeneous overthe silo wall surface. This inhomogeneity is attributed to the geometrical imperfections of the silo wall.Motivated by the engineering importance of the problem a mathematical model for constructing astochastic...... gamma-type continuous pressure field is given. The model obeys the necessary equilibrium conditionsof the wall pressure field and reflects the spatial correlation properties as estimated from simultaneouslymeasured pressures at different locations along a horizontal perimeter....

Studies on first wall and plasma wall interaction in JT-60

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Hiroo

1988-12-01

This paper describes studies on first wall and plasma wall interaction in JT-60. Main results are as follows; (1) To select JT-60 first wall material, various RandD were done in FY1975 ∼ 1976. Mo was selected as first wall materials of limiters and divertor plates because of its reliability under a high heat flux condition. (2) Development of low-Z material has been done to reduce impurity problem of Mo first wall. As a result, titanium carbide (TiC) was selected as a coating material on the Mo. High heat load testing has been done for TiC coated Mo limiter same as JT-60. This material can survive under the condition of 1 kW/cm 2 x 10 s, expected in JT-60 limiter design. (3) To reduce high heat load on the divertor plate, separatrix swing is proposed. Optimum frequency of the sweeping is evaluated to be 2 Hz in JT-60. For a discharge with heating power of 30 MW and duration time of 10 s, in addition to the separatrix swing, remote radiative cooling in the divertor region is necessary. Moreover, calculations of erosion thickness have been done for stainless steel, Mo, graphite, TiC and silicon caibide under high heat flux during plasma disruption. (4) In divertor experiments in JT-60, divertor functions on particle, heat load and impurity controls have been demonstrated. In elctron density of 6 x 10 19 m -3 , particle fueling rate of 20 MW NB heating (3 Pa m 3 /s) can be exhausted by divertor pumping system. Effectiveness of remote radiative cooling is demonstrated under the condition of 20 MW NB heating power. Also, separatrix swing is demonstrated to reduce heat load on the divertor plate. Total radiation in main plasma is 5 ∼ 10% of total absorbed power. (author) 120 refs

Dynamics of strings between walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eto, Minoru; Fujimori, Toshiaki; Nagashima, Takayuki; Nitta, Muneto; Ohashi, Keisuke; Sakai, Norisuke

2009-01-01

Configurations of vortex strings stretched between or ending on domain walls were previously found to be 1/4 Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) states in N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories in 3+1 dimensions. Among zero modes of string positions, the center of mass of strings in each region between two adjacent domain walls is shown to be non-normalizable whereas the rests are normalizable. We study dynamics of vortex strings stretched between separated domain walls by using two methods, the moduli space (geodesic) approximation of full 1/4 BPS states and the charged particle approximation for string end points in the wall effective action. In the first method we explicitly obtain the effective Lagrangian in the strong coupling limit, which is written in terms of hypergeometric functions, and find the 90 deg. scattering for head-on collision. In the second method the domain wall effective action is assumed to be U(1) N gauge theory, and we find a good agreement between two methods for well-separated strings.

Isolation of the Cell Wall.

Science.gov (United States)

Canut, Hervé; Albenne, Cécile; Jamet, Elisabeth

2017-01-01

This chapter describes a method allowing the purification of the cell wall for studying both polysaccharides and proteins. The plant primary cell wall is mainly composed of polysaccharides (90-95 % in mass) and of proteins (5-10 %). At the end of growth, specialized cells may synthesize a lignified secondary wall composed of polysaccharides (about 65 %) and lignin (about 35 %). Due to its composition, the cell wall is the cellular compartment having the highest density and this property is used for its purification. It plays critical roles during plant development and in response to environmental constraints. It is largely used in the food and textile industries as well as for the production of bioenergy. All these characteristics and uses explain why its study as a true cell compartment is of high interest. The proposed method of purification can be used for large amount of material but can also be downscaled to 500 mg of fresh material. Tools for checking the quality of the cell wall preparation, such as protein analysis and microscopy observation, are also provided.

Wall Construction; Carpentry: 901892.

Science.gov (United States)

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

The curriculum guide outlines a course designed to provide instruction in floor and wall layout, and in the diverse methods and construction of walls. Upon completion of this course the students should have acquired a knowledge of construction plans and structural foundations in addition to a basic knowledge of mathematics. The course consists of…

Antioxidant properties of cell wall polysaccharides of Stevia rebaudiana leaves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mediesse Kengne Francine

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: To examine the total phenolic and protein contents, and the antioxidant activities of cell wall polysaccharide fractions of Stevia rebaudiana leaves. Methods: Three different polysaccharide-enriched fractions, namely FPE (extract with 50 mmol/ L ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid, FPK (extract with 0.05 mol/L KOH and FH (extract with 4 mol/L KOH were extracted from Stevia rebaudiana leaves. The antioxidant activity of these fractions was evaluated based on their ability to scavenge DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl free radical, to reduce ferric power, to chelate ferrous ion and to protect human DNA. Results: The results indicated that protein content was found to be higher in FPK polysaccharide enriched fraction (47.48 µg per mg of FPK. Furthermore, the phenolic compound analysis according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method was higher in FPK (17.71 µg ferulic acid. The DPPH maximal inhibition percentage of the three polysaccharide-enriched fractions at 400 µg/mL was 27.66%, 59.90% and 23.21% respectively for FPE, FPK and FH. All the polysaccharide fractions exhibited a ferric reducing power except the FH one. The three fractions also exhibited lipid peroxidation inhibition, and they completely reverted the DNA damage induced by H2O2/FeCl2. FPK showed the strongest scavenging activity against the DPPH radical, the best chelating ability and lipid peroxidation inhibition. Conclusions: Stevia cell wall polysaccharide fractions are potent protective agents against oxidative stress. The analysis revealed major differences in the antioxidant activity in the three polysaccharides fractions. However, the 0.05 mol/L KOH pectin fraction (FPK showed better antioxidant activity.

Changes During Growth in Cell Wall Components of Berseem Clover Under Different Cutting Treatments in a Mediterranean Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuditta De Santis

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Forage digestibility of berseem clover (Trifolium Alexandrinum L. is influenced by plant cell wall composition. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different cutting treatments on cell-wall components of the herbage and plant fractions in two Mediterranean berseem genotypes during growth and to examine the relationship between digestibility and cell wall components in these plant fractions. Cutting treatments were initiated at sixth internode elongation (A and early flowering (B and there was an uncut control treatment (C. Spring growth of genotypes of Egyptian (cv. Giza 10 and Italian (cv. Sacromonte origins was harvested in each of two years beginning 196 days after sowing and thereafter every 6 days (twelve harvests in total to measure cell wall components. Neutral detergent fibre (NDF, acid detergent fibre (ADF and acid detergent lignin (ADL concentrations were determined for leaf, stem, and total forage of each cultivar at each harvest. Without defoliation, NDF, ADF and ADL concentrations of herbage increased linearly to a maximum of 528, 375 and 84 g kg-1 DM, respectively, by 220 days after planting, when plant height reached maximum values, then plateaued until 257 days after planting. Plant parts differed in cell-wall concentration, with stems being of higher fibre components than leaves, in the two cutting treatments. Herbage and plant fraction fibre concentrations were negatively correlated with digestibility for all cutting treatments. Defoliation induced a reduction in fibre concentrations and plant height, although a rapid regrowth was observed after cutting, in both treatments A and B. However, delaying defoliation to the early flowering stage (B increased fibre components concentrations both at cutting time and during the growing season and significantly reduced the regrowth height. Conversely, plants cut at the sixth internode elongation (treatment A showed lower concentrations of fibre fractions than initiating

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Detection Using Au-Decorated Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keum-Ju Lee

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate that Au-cluster-decorated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs may be used to discriminate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP. Nanoscale Au clusters were formed on the side walls of carbon nanotubes in a transistor geometry using electrochemical deposition. The effect of Au cluster decoration appeared as hole doping when electrical transport characteristics were examined. Thiolated single-stranded probe peptide nucleic acid (PNA was successfully immobilized on Au clusters decorating single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (SWNT-FETs, resulting in a conductance decrease that could be explained by a decrease in Au work function upon adsorption of thiolated PNA. Although a target single-stranded DNA (ssDNA with a single mismatch did not cause any change in electrical conductance, a clear decrease in conductance was observed with matched ssDNA, thereby showing the possibility of SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism detection using Au-cluster-decorated SWNT-FETs. However, a power to discriminate SNP target is lost in high ionic environment. We can conclude that observed SNP discrimination in low ionic environment is due to the hampered binding of SNP target on nanoscale surfaces in low ionic conditions.

Implementing Green Walls in Schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael B. McCullough

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Numerous studies in applied pedagogical design have shown that, at all educational levels, direct exposure to the natural environment can enhance learning by improving student attention and behaviors. Implementing green walls—a “vertical garden,” or “living wall” interior wall that typically includes greenery, a growing medium (soil or substrate and a water delivery system—provides environmental health benefits, but also provides a practical application within classrooms for minimizing directed attention fatigue in students by connecting them to “outdoor nature” within the indoor environment. Hands-on “project-based” learning is another pedagogical strategy that has proved to be effective across the spectrum of educational levels and across subject areas. Green walls have the potential to inspire critical thinking through a combination of project-based learning strategies and environmental education. The authors have outlined a curriculum involving the implementation of an indoor living wall system within a classroom-learning environment, incorporating project-based learning modules that interact with the wall. In conjunction with the passive health benefits of a green wall, project-based curriculum models can connect students interactively with indoor nature and have the potential to inspire real-world thinking related to science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics fields within the indoor learning environment. Through a combination of these passive and interactive modes, students are connected to nature in the indoor environment regardless of weather conditions outdoors. Future research direction could include post-construction studies of the effectiveness of project-based curricula related to living walls, and the long-term impacts of implementing green walls in classrooms on school achievement and student behaviors.

Results obtained during wall breaching research

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Hattingh, S

2008-11-01

Full Text Available To understand the physics of what is happening inside the wall directly after the detonation and the application of this knowledge in the improvement of the charge Measure the shock/stress waves in the masonry material and then in the wall as a whole... to maximise the effect of the charges on the walls and to broaden the knowledge of the physics of shock and stress waves. The thickness and characteristics of walls are not usually known in an operation. The effect of the charges on real buildings is still...

Glycoprotein component of plant cell walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, J.B.; Chen, J.A.; Varner, J.E.

1984-01-01

The primary wall surrounding most dicotyledonous plant cells contains a hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein (HRGP) component named extensin. A small group of glycopeptides solubilized from isolated cell walls by proteolysis contained a repeated pentapeptide glycosylated by tri- and tetraarabinosides linked to hydroxyproline and, by galactose, linked to serine. Recently, two complementary approaches to this problem have provided results which greatly increase the understanding of wall extensin. In this paper the authors describe what is known about the structure of soluble extensin secreted into the walls of the carrot root cells

Generation of transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) accumulating heterologous endo-xylanase or ferulic acid esterase in the endosperm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harholt, Jesper; Bach, Inga Christensen; Lind Bouquin, Solveig

2010-01-01

Endo-xylanase (from Bacillus subtilis) or ferulic acid esterase (from Aspergillus niger) were expressed in wheat under the control of the endosperm-specific 1DX5 glutenin promoter. Constructs both with and without the endoplasmic reticulum retention signal (Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu) KDEL were used....... Extensive analysis of the cell walls showed a 10%-15% increase in arabinose to xylose ratio, a 50% increase in the proportion of water-extractable arabinoxylan, and a shift in the MW of the water-extractable arabinoxylan from being mainly larger than 85 kD to being between 2 and 85 kD. Ferulic acid esterase......-expressing grains were also shrivelled, and the seed weight was decreased by 20%-50%. No ferulic acid esterase activity could be detected in wild-type grains whereas ferulic acid esterase activity was detected in transgenic lines. The grain cell walls had 15%-40% increase in water-unextractable arabinoxylan...

Influence of cultivar, cooking, and storage on cell-wall polysaccharide composition of winter squash (Cucurbita maxima).

Science.gov (United States)

Ratnayake, R M Sunil; Melton, Laurence D; Hurst, Paul L

2003-03-26

Changes in the cell-wall polysaccharides (CWP) of the edible tissues of four winter squash cultivars during storage and after cooking were investigated. A procedure for isolating cell walls of tissues containing high levels of starch was used. The starch-free CWP were sequentially fractionated using CDTA, dilute Na(2)CO(3), and 4 M KOH. Cellulose made up 40-42% of the total CWP for three cultivars (Delica, CF 2, and CF 4) at harvest but was 35% in the softer Red Warren. The pectic polysaccharides of Delica, CF 2, and CF 4 cell walls are more branched than those from Red Warren squash. The higher proportion of uronic acid in the pectic polysaccharides of Red Warren squash correlates with its lower firmness. Cooking resulted in an increase in the water-soluble pectins and a decrease in the pectins associated with cellulose. The total CWP content of the squash cultivars remained unchanged for up to 2 months of storage and then markedly decreased between 2 and 3 months of storage. The galactose content of Delica and Red Warren cell walls remained relatively constant from harvest to 2 months of storage and then decreased markedly during 2-3 months of storage.

Bacterial cell wall composition and the influence of antibiotics by cell-wall and whole-cell NMR

Science.gov (United States)

Romaniuk, Joseph A. H.; Cegelski, Lynette

2015-01-01

The ability to characterize bacterial cell-wall composition and structure is crucial to understanding the function of the bacterial cell wall, determining drug modes of action and developing new-generation therapeutics. Solid-state NMR has emerged as a powerful tool to quantify chemical composition and to map cell-wall architecture in bacteria and plants, even in the context of unperturbed intact whole cells. In this review, we discuss solid-state NMR approaches to define peptidoglycan composition and to characterize the modes of action of old and new antibiotics, focusing on examples in Staphylococcus aureus. We provide perspectives regarding the selected NMR strategies as we describe the exciting and still-developing cell-wall and whole-cell NMR toolkit. We also discuss specific discoveries regarding the modes of action of vancomycin analogues, including oritavancin, and briefly address the reconsideration of the killing action of β-lactam antibiotics. In such chemical genetics approaches, there is still much to be learned from perturbations enacted by cell-wall assembly inhibitors, and solid-state NMR approaches are poised to address questions of cell-wall composition and assembly in S. aureus and other organisms. PMID:26370936

Changes in digestibility and cell - wall constituents of some agricultural by-products due to gamma irradiation and urea treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Masri, M.R.; Guenther, K.D.

2000-01-01

The effects of different doses of gamma irradiation (0. 100, 150, 200 KGy) or different concentrations of urea (0, 2, 3, and 5 g urea/100 g DM) on in-vitro organic matter digestibility (JVOMD), digestible energy (IVDE), gross energy (GE) nd cell-wall constituents: neutral-detergent fibre, acid-detergent fibre and acid=detergent lignin, have been evaluated in wheat straw, cotton seed shell, peanut shell, soybean shell, extracted olive cake and extracted unpeeled sunflower seeds. The results indicated that gamma irradiation or urea treatments increased the digestible energy values significantly. (p<0.05) and these were attributed to the increases IVOMD and decreases cell-wall constituents of treated samples. The experimental agricultural by-products do not respond to the treatments in the same amount in increasing the IVOMD. There was no significant effect of irradiation and urea treatments on GE. Combined treatments had slightly less effect in increasing IVDE as the addition of both effects. The treatment of 200 KGy and 5% urea resulted in a larger increase in the digestible energy and a better effect by reducing the concentration of the cell-wall constituents even more than what occurred using a single treatment. However, the combination of irradiation with urea treatments could reduce the applied irradiation doses for increasing the IVDE in some studied agricultural by-products. (author)

Mechanism of bubble detachment from vibrating walls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Dongjun; Park, Jun Kwon, E-mail: junkeun@postech.ac.kr; Kang, Kwan Hyoung [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), San 31, Hyoja-dong, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, In Seok [Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), San 31, Hyoja-dong, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-11-15

We discovered a previously unobserved mechanism by which air bubbles detach from vibrating walls in glasses containing water. Chaotic oscillation and subsequent water jets appeared when a wall vibrated at greater than a critical level. Wave forms were developed at water-air interface of the bubble by the wall vibration, and water jets were formed when sufficiently grown wave-curvatures were collapsing. Droplets were pinched off from the tip of jets and fell to the surface of the glass. When the solid-air interface at the bubble-wall attachment point was completely covered with water, the bubble detached from the wall. The water jets were mainly generated by subharmonic waves and were generated most vigorously when the wall vibrated at the volume resonant frequency of the bubble. Bubbles of specific size can be removed by adjusting the frequency of the wall's vibration.

Turbine airfoil having near-wall cooling insert

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Jr., Nicholas F.; Wiebe, David J.

2017-09-12

A turbine airfoil is provided with at least one insert positioned in a cavity in an airfoil interior. The insert extends along a span-wise extent of the turbine airfoil and includes first and second opposite faces. A first near-wall cooling channel is defined between the first face and a pressure sidewall of an airfoil outer wall. A second near-wall cooling channel is defined between the second face and a suction sidewall of the airfoil outer wall. The insert is configured to occupy an inactive volume in the airfoil interior so as to displace a coolant flow in the cavity toward the first and second near-wall cooling channels. A locating feature engages the insert with the outer wall for supporting the insert in position. The locating feature is configured to control flow of the coolant through the first or second near-wall cooling channel.

Rare Moss-Built Microterraces in a High-Altitude, Acid Mine Drainage-Polluted Stream (Cordillera Negra, Peru)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sevink, J.; Verstraten, J.M.; Kooijman, A.M.; Loayza-Muro, R.A.; Hoitinga, L.; Palomino, E.J.; Jansen, B.

2015-01-01

The Rio Santiago in the Cordillera Negra of Peru is severely contaminated by acid mine drainage in its headwaters. In a strongly acid stream, at about 3800 m above sea level (masl), microterraces were found with terrace walls built up of dead moss, with encrustations and interstitial fine, creamy

Cell wall ingrowths in nematode induced syncytia require UGD2 and UGD3.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahid Siddique

Full Text Available The cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii infects roots of Arabidopsis plants and establishes feeding sites called syncytia, which are the only nutrient source for nematodes. Development of syncytia is accompanied by changes in cell wall structures including the development of cell wall ingrowths. UDP-glucuronic acid is a precursor of several cell wall polysaccharides and can be produced by UDP-glucose dehydrogenase through oxidation of UDP-glucose. Four genes in Arabidopsis encode this enzyme. Promoter::GUS analysis revealed that UGD2 and UGD3 were expressed in syncytia as early as 1 dpi while expression of UGD1 and UGD4 could only be detected starting at 2 dpi. Infection assays showed no differences between Δugd1 and Δugd4 single mutants and wild type plants concerning numbers of males and females and the size of syncytia and cysts. On single mutants of Δugd2 and Δugd3, however, less and smaller females, and smaller syncytia formed compared to wild type plants. The double mutant ΔΔugd23 had a stronger effect than the single mutants. These data indicate that UGD2 and UGD3 but not UGD1 and UGD4 are important for syncytium development. We therefore studied the ultrastructure of syncytia in the ΔΔugd23 double mutant. Syncytia contained an electron translucent cytoplasm with degenerated cellular organelles and numerous small vacuoles instead of the dense cytoplasm as in syncytia developing in wild type roots. Typical cell wall ingrowths were missing in the ΔΔugd23 double mutant. Therefore we conclude that UGD2 and UGD3 are needed for the production of cell wall ingrowths in syncytia and that their lack leads to a reduced host suitability for H. schachtii resulting in smaller syncytia, lower number of developing nematodes, and smaller females.

Expanding the product portfolio of fungal type I fatty acid synthases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Zhiwei; Zhou, Yongjin J.; Krivoruchko, Anastasia

2017-01-01

Fungal type I fatty acid synthases (FASs) are mega-enzymes with two separated, identical compartments, in which the acyl carrier protein (ACP) domains shuttle substrates to catalytically active sites embedded in the chamber wall. We devised synthetic FASs by integrating heterologous enzymes into ...

Acidity of sphagnum and its relation to chalk and mineral salts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skene, M

1915-01-01

In addition to the criticism and elucidation of various other points, the chief conclusions which may be drawn from the preceding pages are: (1) There is a variation in acidity and in sensitiveness to chalk between the different species of sphagnum. (2) There is a correlation between degree of acidity and degree of sensitiveness. (3) The connection between the two is indirect, not direct. (4) The sphagna thrive in acid solutions: the injurious effect of chalk, and of alkalies in general, is due to the substitution of an alkaline for an acid reaction. (5) Mineral solutions are generally physiologically harmless, but may be ecologically harmful. (6) The sphagna do actually utilize in growth bases held absorbed by the acid compounds of the cell-walls.

Microwave-induced electrophilic addition of single-walled carbon nanotubes with alkylhalides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu Yang [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China); Wang Xianbao [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China); Ministry-of-Education, Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China)], E-mail: wxb@hubu.edu.cn; Tian Rong; Li Shaoqing; Wan Li; Li Mingjian; You Haijun; Li Qin [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China); Wang Shimin [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China); Ministry-of-Education, Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China)

2008-02-15

We report the microwave-induced electrophilic addition of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with alkylhalides using Lewis acid as a catalyst followed by hydrolysis. The reaction results in the attachment of alkyl and hydroxyl groups to the surface of the nanotubes. This rapid and high-energy microwave radiation is found to be highly efficient for this reaction, which only needs as low as several minutes. The resulting nanotubes were characterized with FTIR, UV-vis-NIR, Raman, TGA, TEM and AFM. It demonstrates that iodo-alkanes show higher reaction activity with SWNTs than chloro- and bromo-alkanes.

Fluorescently labeled bionanotransporters of nucleic acid based on carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novopashina, D.S.; Apartsin, E.K.; Venyaminova, A.G.

2012-01-01

We propose an approach to the design of a new type of hybrids of oligonucleotides with fluorescein-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes. The approach is based on stacking interactions of functionalized nanotubes with pyrene residues in conjugates of oligonucleotides. The amino- and fluorescein-modified single walled carbon nanotubes are obtained, and their physico-chemical properties are investigated. The effect of the functionalization type of carbon nanotubes on the efficacy of the sorption of pyrene conjugates of oligonucleotides was examined. The proposed noncovalent hybrids of fluorescein-labeled carbon nanotubes with oligonucleotides may be used for the intracellular transport of functional nucleic acids.

Microencapsulation of a fatty acid with Poly(melamine–urea–formaldehyde)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konuklu, Yeliz; Paksoy, Halime O.; Unal, Murat; Konuklu, Suleyman

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Decanoic(capric) acid microcapsules were prepared with different capsule wall materials. • The one-step in situ polymerization technique was used. • Leakage-free, thermally stable microPCMs was prepared with Poly(MUF). • Influence of different surfactants on encapsulation and thermal properties reported. - Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to obtain leakage-free, thermally stable decanoic acid microcapsules (microPCMs) for thermal energy storage applications. Decanoic acid (capric acid) is an environmentally friendly fatty acid since it is obtained from vegetable and animal oils. MicroPCMs were prepared with different capsule wall materials via a one-step in situ polymerization technique. The properties of microencapsulated PCMs have been analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra analysis and particle size analyzer. The microPCMs prepared using Poly(urea–formaldehyde) (PUF) exhibit higher heat capacities and the microPCMs prepared using Poly(melamine–formaldehyde) (PMF) exhibit higher thermal stabilities. In order to obtain microPCMs with better properties such as suitable latent heat and better heat resistance at high temperatures, we microencapsulated decanoic acid with Poly (melamine–urea–formaldehyde) (PMUF). Furthermore, the effects of surfactants on microPCMs with PMUF were investigated by SEM, a particle size analyzer, DSC, and TGA. The results show that the binary surfactant system was a suitable emulsifier for this process. We determined that the melting temperature was close to 33 °C, the latent heat storage capacity was about 88 J/g, and the mean particle diameter was 0.28 μm for microPCMs with PMUF. We recommend decanoic acid microencapsulated with PMUF for thermally stable and leakage-free applications above 95 °C

2-Fluoro-L-Fucose Is a Metabolically Incorporated Inhibitor of Plant Cell Wall Polysaccharide Fucosylation

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Ian S.

2015-01-01

The monosaccharide L-fucose (L-Fuc) is a common component of plant cell wall polysaccharides and other plant glycans, including the hemicellulose xyloglucan, pectic rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) and rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II), arabinogalactan proteins, and N-linked glycans. Mutations compromising the biosynthesis of many plant cell wall polysaccharides are lethal, and as a result, small molecule inhibitors of plant cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis have been developed because these molecules can be applied at defined concentrations and developmental stages. In this study, we characterize novel small molecule inhibitors of plant fucosylation. 2-fluoro-L-fucose (2F-Fuc) analogs caused severe growth phenotypes when applied to Arabidopsis seedlings, including reduced root growth and altered root morphology. These phenotypic defects were dependent upon the L-Fuc salvage pathway enzyme L-Fucose Kinase/ GDP-L-Fucose Pyrophosphorylase (FKGP), suggesting that 2F-Fuc is metabolically converted to the sugar nucleotide GDP-2F-Fuc, which serves as the active inhibitory molecule. The L-Fuc content of cell wall matrix polysaccharides was reduced in plants treated with 2F-Fuc, suggesting that this molecule inhibits the incorporation of L-Fuc into these polysaccharides. Additionally, phenotypic defects induced by 2F-Fuc treatment could be partially relieved by the exogenous application of boric acid, suggesting that 2F-Fuc inhibits RG-II biosynthesis. Overall, the results presented here suggest that 2F-Fuc is a metabolically incorporated inhibitor of plant cellular fucosylation events, and potentially suggest that other 2-fluorinated monosaccharides could serve as useful chemical probes for the inhibition of cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis. PMID:26414071

L-arginine and glycine supplementation in the repair of the irradiated colonic wall of rats.

Science.gov (United States)

de Aguiar Picanço, Etiene; Lopes-Paulo, Francisco; Marques, Ruy G; Diestel, Cristina F; Caetano, Carlos Eduardo R; de Souza, Mônica Vieira Mano; Moscoso, Gabriela Mendes; Pazos, Helena Maria F

2011-05-01

Radiotherapy is widely used for cancer treatment but has harmful effects. This study aimed to assess the effects of L-arginine and glycine supplementation on the colon wall of rats submitted to abdominal irradiation. Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: I-healthy, II-irradiated with no amino acid supplementation, III-irradiated and supplemented with L-arginine, and IV-irradiated and supplemented with glycine. The animals received supplementation for 14 days, with irradiation being applied on the eighth day of the experiment. All animals underwent laparotomy on the 15th day for resection of a colonic segment for stereologic analysis. Parametric and nonparametric tests were used for statistical analysis, with the level of significance set at p ≤0.05. Stereologic analysis showed that irradiation induced a reduction of the total volume of the colon wall of group II and III animals compared to healthy controls, but not of group IV animals supplemented with glycine. The mucosal layer of the irradiated animals of all groups was reduced compared to healthy group I animals, but supplementation with L-arginine and glycine was effective in maintaining the epithelial surface of the mucosal layer. The present results suggest that glycine supplementation had a superior effect on the irradiated colon wall compared to L-arginine supplementation since it was able to maintain the thickness of the wall and the epithelial surface of the mucosa, whereas L-arginine maintained the partial volume of the epithelium and the epithelial surface, but not the total volume of the intestinal wall.

A radioimmunoassay for lignin in plant cell walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dawley, R.M.

1989-01-01

Lignin detection and determination in herbaceous tissue requires selective, specific assays which are not currently available. A radioimmunoassay (RIA) was developed to study lignin metabolism in these tissues. A β-aryl ether lignin model compound was synthesized, linked to keyhole limpet hemocyanin using a water-soluble carbodiimide, and injected into rabbits. The highest titer of the antiserum obtained was 34 ηg/mL of model derivatized BSA. An in vitro system was developed to characterize the RIA. The model compound was linked to amino activated polyacrylamide beads to mimic lignin in the cell walls. 125 I Radiolabelled protein A was used to detect IgG antibody binding. The RIA was shown in the in vitro system to exhibit saturable binding. The amount of antibody bound decreased when the serum was diluted. Immunoelectrophoresis and competitive binding experiments confirmed that both aromatic rings of the lignin model compound had been antigenic. Chlorogenic acid, a phenolic known to be present in plant cells, did not compete for antibody binding. The RIA was used to measure lignin in milled plant samples and barley seedlings. Antiserum binding to wheat cell walls and stressed barley segments was higher than preimmune serum binding. Antibody binding to stressed barley tissue decreased following NaClO 2 delignification. The RIA was found to be less sensitive than expected, so several avenues for improving the method are discussed

Evolution of the Stability Work from Classic Retaining Walls to Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anghel Stanciu

2008-01-01

Full Text Available For the consolidation of soil mass and the construction of the stability works for roads infrastructure it was studied the evolution of these kinds of works from classical retaining walls - common concrete retaining walls, to the utilization in our days of the modern and competitive methods - mechanically stabilized earth walls. Like type of execution the variety of the reinforced soil is given by the utilization of different types of reinforcing inclusions (steel strips, geosynthetics, geogrids or facing (precast concrete panels, dry cast modular blocks, metal sheets and plates, gabions, and wrapped sheets of geosynthetics.

Estimation of bladder wall location in ultrasound images.

Science.gov (United States)

Topper, A K; Jernigan, M E

1991-05-01

A method of automatically estimating the location of the bladder wall in ultrasound images is proposed. Obtaining this estimate is intended to be the first stage in the development of an automatic bladder volume calculation system. The first step in the bladder wall estimation scheme involves globally processing the images using standard image processing techniques to highlight the bladder wall. Separate processing sequences are required to highlight the anterior bladder wall and the posterior bladder wall. The sequence to highlight the anterior bladder wall involves Gaussian smoothing and second differencing followed by zero-crossing detection. Median filtering followed by thresholding and gradient detection is used to highlight as much of the rest of the bladder wall as was visible in the original images. Then a 'bladder wall follower'--a line follower with rules based on the characteristics of ultrasound imaging and the anatomy involved--is applied to the processed images to estimate the bladder wall location by following the portions of the bladder wall which are highlighted and filling in the missing segments. The results achieved using this scheme are presented.

Arabidopsis Regenerating Protoplast: A Powerful Model System for Combining the Proteomics of Cell Wall Proteins and the Visualization of Cell Wall Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoyama, Ryusuke; Kuki, Hiroaki; Kuroha, Takeshi; Nishitani, Kazuhiko

2016-01-01

The development of a range of sub-proteomic approaches to the plant cell wall has identified many of the cell wall proteins. However, it remains difficult to elucidate the precise biological role of each protein and the cell wall dynamics driven by their actions. The plant protoplast provides an excellent means not only for characterizing cell wall proteins, but also for visualizing the dynamics of cell wall regeneration, during which cell wall proteins are secreted. It therefore offers a unique opportunity to investigate the de novo construction process of the cell wall. This review deals with sub-proteomic approaches to the plant cell wall through the use of protoplasts, a methodology that will provide the basis for further exploration of cell wall proteins and cell wall dynamics. PMID:28248244

In vitro and in vivo comparative study of the phototherapy anticancer activity of hyaluronic acid-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide, and fullerene

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Lin; Yuan, Yujie; Ren, Junxiao; Zhang, Yinling; Wang, Yongchao; Shan, Xiaoning; Liu, Qi; Zhang, Zhenzhong

2017-08-01

In this work, carbon nanomaterials, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT), graphene oxide (GO), and fullerene (C60) were modified by hyaluronic acid (HA) to obtain water-soluble and biocompatible nanomaterials with high tumor-targeting capacity and then the comparative study of these hyaluronic acid-modified carbon nanomaterials was made in vitro and in vivo. The conjugates of hyaluronic acid and carbon nanomaterials, namely, HA-SWNT, HA-GO, HA-C60, were confirmed by UV/Vis spectrum, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). After HA modification, the sizes of HA-SWNT, HA-GO, and HA-C60 were in a range of 70 to 300 nm, and all the three HA-modified materials were at negative potential, demonstrating that HA modification was in favor of extravasation of carbon materials into a tumor site due to enhanced permeability and retention effect of tumor. Photothermal conversion in vitro test demonstrated excellent photothermal sensitivity of HA-SWNT and HA-GO. But the reactive oxygen yield of HA-C60 was the highest compared with the others under visible light irradiation, which proved the good photodynamic therapy effect of HA-C60. In addition, cytotoxicity experiments exhibited that the inhibitory efficacy of HA-SWNT was the lowest, the second was HA-C60, and the highest was HA-GO, which was consistent with the uptake degree of them. While under the laser irradiation, the cell inhibition of the HA-SWNT was the highest, the second was HA-GO, and the last was HA-C60. In vivo evaluation of the three targeting carbon nanomaterials was consistent with the cytotoxicity assay results. Taken together, the results demonstrated that HA-SWNT and HA-GO were suited for photothermal therapy (PTT) agents for their good photothermal property, while HA-C60 was used as a kind of photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent for its photodynamic effect.

Decontamination efficiency of a sheet of vinyl wall paper as a surface material in radioisotope laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furukawa, Kazuhiko; Funadera, Kanako

1989-01-01

It has long been desired to prevent surface materials from cracking in a radioisotope laboratory. We applied a sheet of nonflammable wall paper, vinyl cloth, as a surface material to cover concrete wall. It was sufficiently resistant to the reinforced concrete wall cracking. The efficiency of the decontamination of the vinyl cloth was compared with those of stainless steel, iron and painted plates. The contamination and decontamination indices were determined in these surface materials after contamination with [ 32 P]orthophosphate (pH 3, 7 and 11) for 0 to 48 h. Both of the indices of the vinyl cloth were higher than those of the other materials. Further, it was confirmed that the vinyl cloth was resistant to acid and alkaline conditions and radioisotopes could not be permeable. The wipe off efficiency was also investigated in these materials by use of several decontamination detergents. In any reagents tested, the wipe of efficiency of the vinyl cloth was more than 80%. Thus, the vinyl cloth could be used for the surface material and is one of good surface materials in a radioisotope laboratory. (author)

Low-rise shear wall failure modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farrar, C.R.; Hashimoto, P.S.; Reed, J.W.

1991-01-01

A summary of the data that are available concerning the structural response of low-rise shear walls is presented. This data will be used to address two failure modes associated with the shear wall structures. First, data concerning the seismic capacity of the shear walls with emphasis on excessive deformations that can cause equipment failure are examined. Second, data concerning the dynamic properties of shear walls (stiffness and damping) that are necessary to compute the seismic inputs to attached equipment are summarized. This case addresses the failure of equipment when the structure remains functional. 23 refs

Enhanced biocompatibility of multi-walled carbon nanotubes by surface modification: Future perspectives for drug delivery system

Science.gov (United States)

Anandhi, C. M. S.; Asath, R. Mohamed; Mathavan, T.; Benial, A. Milton Franklin

2017-05-01

Surface modification of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was carried out by introducing mixture of concentrated sulphuric acid and nitric acid by ultrasonication process. The pristine and surface modified MWCNTs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. FT-IR spectra revealed that the presence of carboxylic acid functional groups on the surface of MWCNTs. The integrated intensity ratio of pristine and surface modified MWCNTs was calculated by Raman spectroscopic analysis. XRD patterns examines the crystallinity of the surface modified MWCNTs. SEM analysis investigates the change in morphology of the surface modified MWCNTs compared with that of pristine, which is due to the attachment of the carboxylic acid functional groups. Surface modified MWCNTs acts as precursors for further functionalization with various biomolecules, which improves the biocompatibility and initiates the implementation of MWCNTs in the field of nanomedicine and targeted drug delivery.

Sunspot Light Walls Suppressed by Nearby Brightenings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Shuhong; Zhang, Jun; Hou, Yijun; Li, Xiaohong [CAS Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Erdélyi, Robertus [Solar Physics and Space Plasma Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH (United Kingdom); Yan, Limei, E-mail: shuhongyang@nao.cas.cn [Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029 (China)

2017-07-01

Light walls, as ensembles of oscillating bright structures rooted in sunspot light bridges, have not been well studied, although they are important for understanding sunspot properties. Using the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph and Solar Dynamics Observatory observations, here we study the evolution of two oscillating light walls each within its own active region (AR). The emission of each light wall decays greatly after the appearance of adjacent brightenings. For the first light wall, rooted within AR 12565, the average height, amplitude, and oscillation period significantly decrease from 3.5 Mm, 1.7 Mm, and 8.5 minutes to 1.6 Mm, 0.4 Mm, and 3.0 minutes, respectively. For the second light wall, rooted within AR 12597, the mean height, amplitude, and oscillation period of the light wall decrease from 2.1 Mm, 0.5 Mm, and 3.0 minutes to 1.5 Mm, 0.2 Mm, and 2.1 minutes, respectively. Particularly, a part of the second light wall even becomes invisible after the influence of a nearby brightening. These results reveal that the light walls are suppressed by nearby brightenings. Considering the complex magnetic topology in light bridges, we conjecture that the fading of light walls may be caused by a drop in the magnetic pressure, where the flux is canceled by magnetic reconnection at the site of the nearby brightening. Another hypothesis is that the wall fading is due to the suppression of driver source ( p -mode oscillation), resulting from the nearby avalanche of downward particles along reconnected brightening loops.

Differential actions of chlorhexidine on the cell wall of Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hon-Yeung Cheung

Full Text Available Chlorhexidine is a chlorinated phenolic disinfectant used commonly in mouthwash for its action against bacteria. However, a comparative study of the action of chlorhexidine on the cell morphology of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria is lacking. In this study, the actions of chlorhexidine on the cell morphology were identified with the aids of electron microscopy. After exposure to chlorhexidine, numerous spots of indentation on the cell wall were found in both Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. The number of indentation spots increased with time of incubation and increasing chlorhexidine concentration. Interestingly, the dented spots found in B. subtilis appeared mainly at the hemispherical caps of the cells, while in E. coli the dented spots were found all over the cells. After being exposed to chlorhexidine for a prolonged period, leakage of cellular contents and subsequent ghost cells were observed, especially from B subtilis. By using 2-D gel/MS-MS analysis, five proteins related to purine nucleoside interconversion and metabolism were preferentially induced in the cell wall of E. coli, while three proteins related to stress response and four others in amino acid biosynthesis were up-regulated in the cell wall materials of B. subtilis. The localized morphological damages together with the biochemical and protein analysis of the chlorhexidine-treated cells suggest that chlorhexidine may act on the differentially distributed lipids in the cell membranes/wall of B. subtilis and E. coli.

Semiautomatic vessel wall detection and quantification of wall thickness in computed tomography images of human abdominal aortic aneurysms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shum, Judy; DiMartino, Elena S.; Goldhammer, Adam; Goldman, Daniel H.; Acker, Leah C.; Patel, Gopal; Ng, Julie H.; Martufi, Giampaolo; Finol, Ender A.

2010-01-01

Purpose: Quantitative measurements of wall thickness in human abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) may lead to more accurate methods for the evaluation of their biomechanical environment. Methods: The authors describe an algorithm for estimating wall thickness in AAAs based on intensity histograms and neural networks involving segmentation of contrast enhanced abdominal computed tomography images. The algorithm was applied to ten ruptured and ten unruptured AAA image data sets. Two vascular surgeons manually segmented the lumen, inner wall, and outer wall of each data set and a reference standard was defined as the average of their segmentations. Reproducibility was determined by comparing the reference standard to lumen contours generated automatically by the algorithm and a commercially available software package. Repeatability was assessed by comparing the lumen, outer wall, and inner wall contours, as well as wall thickness, made by the two surgeons using the algorithm. Results: There was high correspondence between automatic and manual measurements for the lumen area (r=0.978 and r=0.996 for ruptured and unruptured aneurysms, respectively) and between vascular surgeons (r=0.987 and r=0.992 for ruptured and unruptured aneurysms, respectively). The authors' automatic algorithm showed better results when compared to the reference with an average lumen error of 3.69%, which is less than half the error between the commercially available application Simpleware and the reference (7.53%). Wall thickness measurements also showed good agreement between vascular surgeons with average coefficients of variation of 10.59% (ruptured aneurysms) and 13.02% (unruptured aneurysms). Ruptured aneurysms exhibit significantly thicker walls (1.78±0.39 mm) than unruptured ones (1.48±0.22 mm), p=0.044. Conclusions: While further refinement is needed to fully automate the outer wall segmentation algorithm, these preliminary results demonstrate the method's adequate reproducibility and

Double wall steam generator tubing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padden, T.R.; Uber, C.F.

1983-01-01

Double-walled steam generator tubing for the steam generators of a liquid metal cooled fast breeder reactor prevents sliding between the surfaces due to a mechanical interlock. Forces resulting from differential thermal expansion between the outer tube and the inner tube are insufficient in magnitude to cause shearing of base metal. The interlock is formed by jointly drawing the tubing, with the inside wall of the outer tube being already formed with grooves. The drawing causes the outer wall of the inner tube to form corrugations locking with the grooves. (author)

Connection of thin-walled casings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Druyan, V.M.; Grinev, A.F.; Gruzdev, V.D.; Perchanik, V.V.; Syplenko, V.T.

1981-08-28

A connection is suggested for castings which contains a nipple and coupling part with conical triangular threading. in order to improve the strength of the connection of thin-walled casings with ratio D/S>22, where D is the outer diameter of the casing, S is the thickness of the wall of the casing, the end of the pipe on the length from the end to the main plane of the thread is conical with constant thickness of the wall and conicity eqal to the conicity of the thread.

Making Your Music Word Wall Work

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, Angela

2011-01-01

This article looks at what a word wall is and its use in the music classroom. The author outlines steps for creation of a word wall within the music classroom as well as the importance of such a resource. The author encourages the creation and consistent use of the word wall as leading to the development of stronger musicians and also independent,…

HVI Ballistic Performance Characterization of Non-Parallel Walls

Science.gov (United States)

Bohl, William; Miller, Joshua; Christiansen, Eric

2012-01-01

The Double-Wall, "Whipple" Shield [1] has been the subject of many hypervelocity impact studies and has proven to be an effective shield system for Micro-Meteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) impacts for spacecraft. The US modules of the International Space Station (ISS), with their "bumper shields" offset from their pressure holding rear walls provide good examples of effective on-orbit use of the double wall shield. The concentric cylinder shield configuration with its large radius of curvature relative to separation distance is easily and effectively represented for testing and analysis as a system of two parallel plates. The parallel plate double wall configuration has been heavily tested and characterized for shield performance for normal and oblique impacts for the ISS and other programs. The double wall shield and principally similar Stuffed Whipple Shield are very common shield types for MMOD protection. However, in some locations with many spacecraft designs, the rear wall cannot be modeled as being parallel or concentric with the outer bumper wall. As represented in Figure 1, there is an included angle between the two walls. And, with a cylindrical outer wall, the effective included angle constantly changes. This complicates assessment of critical spacecraft components located within outer spacecraft walls when using software tools such as NASA's BumperII. In addition, the validity of the risk assessment comes into question when using the standard double wall shield equations, especially since verification testing of every set of double wall included angles is impossible.

Wall shear stress measurement of near-wall flow over inclined and curved boundaries by stereo interfacial particle image velocimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Thien Duy; Wells, John Craig; Nguyen, Chuong Vinh

2010-01-01

In investigations of laminar or turbulent flows, wall shear is often important. Nevertheless, conventional particle image velocimetry (PIV) is difficult in near-wall regions. A near-wall measurement technique, named interfacial PIV (IPIV) [Nguyen, C., Nguyen, T., Wells, J., Nakayama, A., 2008. Proposals for PIV of near-wall flow over curved boundaries. In: Proceedings of 14th International Symposium on Applications of Laser Technique to Fluid Mechanics], handles curved boundaries by means of conformal transformation, directly measures the wall gradient, and yields the near-wall tangential velocity profile at one-pixel resolution. In this paper, we show the feasibility of extending IPIV to measure wall gradients by stereo reconstruction. First, we perform a test on synthetic images generated from a direct numerical simulation (DNS) snapshot of turbulent flow over sinusoidal bed. Comparative assessment of wall gradients derived by IPIV, stereo-IPIV and particle image distortion (PID) [Huang, H.T., Fiedler, H.E., Wang, J.J., 1993. Limitation and improvement of PIV. Experiments in Fluids 15(4), 263-273] is evaluated with DNS data. Also, the sensitivity of IPIV and stereo-IPIV results to the uncertainty of identified wall position is examined. As a practical application of IPIV and stereo-IPIV to experimental images, results from turbulent open channel flow over a backward-facing step are discussed in detail.

Don't Forget the Abdominal Wall: Imaging Spectrum of Abdominal Wall Injuries after Nonpenetrating Trauma.

Science.gov (United States)

Matalon, Shanna A; Askari, Reza; Gates, Jonathan D; Patel, Ketan; Sodickson, Aaron D; Khurana, Bharti

2017-01-01

Abdominal wall injuries occur in nearly one of 10 patients coming to the emergency department after nonpenetrating trauma. Injuries range from minor, such as abdominal wall contusion, to severe, such as abdominal wall rupture with evisceration of abdominal contents. Examples of specific injuries that can be detected at cross-sectional imaging include abdominal muscle strain, tear, or hematoma, including rectus sheath hematoma (RSH); traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH); and Morel-Lavallée lesion (MLL) (closed degloving injury). These injuries are often overlooked clinically because of (a) a lack of findings at physical examination or (b) distraction by more-severe associated injuries. However, these injuries are important to detect because they are highly associated with potentially grave visceral and vascular injuries, such as aortic injury, and because their detection can lead to the diagnosis of these more clinically important grave traumatic injuries. Failure to make a timely diagnosis can result in delayed complications, such as bowel hernia with potential for obstruction or strangulation, or misdiagnosis of an abdominal wall neoplasm. Groin injuries, such as athletic pubalgia, and inferior costochondral injuries should also be considered in patients with abdominal pain after nonpenetrating trauma, because these conditions may manifest with referred abdominal pain and are often included within the field of view at cross-sectional abdominal imaging. Radiologists must recognize and report acute abdominal wall injuries and their associated intra-abdominal pathologic conditions to allow appropriate and timely treatment. © RSNA, 2017.

The Arabidopsis thaliana REDUCED EPIDERMAL FLUORESCENCE1 gene encodes an aldehyde dehydrogenase involved in ferulic acid and sinapic acid biosynthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Ramesh B; Bastress, Kristen L; Ruegger, Max O; Denault, Jeff W; Chapple, Clint

2004-02-01

Recent research has significantly advanced our understanding of the phenylpropanoid pathway but has left in doubt the pathway by which sinapic acid is synthesized in plants. The reduced epidermal fluorescence1 (ref1) mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana accumulates only 10 to 30% of the sinapate esters found in wild-type plants. Positional cloning of the REF1 gene revealed that it encodes an aldehyde dehydrogenase, a member of a large class of NADP(+)-dependent enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of aldehydes to their corresponding carboxylic acids. Consistent with this finding, extracts of ref1 leaves exhibit low sinapaldehyde dehydrogenase activity. These data indicate that REF1 encodes a sinapaldehyde dehydrogenase required for sinapic acid and sinapate ester biosynthesis. When expressed in Escherichia coli, REF1 was found to exhibit both sinapaldehyde and coniferaldehyde dehydrogenase activity, and further phenotypic analysis of ref1 mutant plants showed that they contain less cell wall-esterified ferulic acid. These findings suggest that both ferulic acid and sinapic acid are derived, at least in part, through oxidation of coniferaldehyde and sinapaldehyde. This route is directly opposite to the traditional representation of phenylpropanoid metabolism in which hydroxycinnamic acids are instead precursors of their corresponding aldehydes.

ENHANCEMENT OF A SUNSPOT LIGHT WALL WITH EXTERNAL DISTURBANCES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Shuhong; Zhang, Jun [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Erdélyi, Robert, E-mail: shuhongyang@nao.cas.cn [Solar Physics and Space Plasma Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH (United Kingdom)

2016-12-20

Based on the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph observations, we study the response of a solar sunspot light wall to external disturbances. A flare occurrence near the light wall caused material to erupt from the lower solar atmosphere into the corona. Some material falls back to the solar surface and hits the light bridge (i.e., the base of the light wall), then sudden brightenings appear at the wall base followed by the rise of wall top, leading to an increase of the wall height. Once the brightness of the wall base fades, the height of the light wall begins to decrease. Five hours later, another nearby flare takes place, and a bright channel is formed that extends from the flare toward the light bridge. Although no obvious material flow along the bright channel is found, some ejected material is conjectured to reach the light bridge. Subsequently, the wall base brightens and the wall height begins to increase again. Once more, when the brightness of the wall base decays, the wall top fluctuates to lower heights. We suggest, based on the observed cases, that the interaction of falling material and ejected flare material with the light wall results in the brightenings of wall base and causes the height of the light wall to increase. Our results reveal that the light wall can be not only powered by the linkage of p -mode from below the photosphere, but may also be enhanced by external disturbances, such as falling material.

Construction Guide to Next-Generation High-Performance Walls in Climate Zones 3-5 - Part 2: 2x4 Walls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kochkin, V. [Home Innovation Research Labs, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Wiehagen, J. [Home Innovation Research Labs, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States)

2017-06-01

Part 2 of this Construction Guide to High-Performance Walls in Climate Zones 3-5 provides straightforward and cost-effective strategies to construct durable, energy-efficient walls. It addresses walls constructed with 2x4 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as wall bracing and added backing for foam sheathing, a layer of rigid foam sheathing insulation up to 1.5 inches thick over the WSP, and a cladding system installed over the foam sheathing in low-rise residential buildings up to three stories high. Walls with 2x6 framing are addressed in Part 1 of the Guide.

Construction Guide to Next-Generation High-Performance Walls in Climate Zones 3-5 - Part 2: 2x4 Walls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kochkin, V. [Home Innovation Research Labs, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Wiehagen, J. [Home Innovation Research Labs, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States)

2017-08-31

Part 2 of this Construction Guide to High-Performance Walls in Climate Zones 3-5 provides straightforward and cost-effective strategies to construct durable, energy-efficient walls. It addresses walls constructed with 2x4 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as wall bracing and added backing for foam sheathing, a layer of rigid foam sheathing insulation up to 1.5 inches thick over the WSP, and a cladding system installed over the foam sheathing in low-rise residential buildings up to three stories high. Walls with 2x6 framing are addressed in Part 1 of the Guide.

Parvalbumin-expressing ependymal cells in rostral lateral ventricle wall adhesions contribute to aging-related ventricle stenosis in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Filice, Federica; Celio, Marco R; Babalian, Alexandre; Blum, Walter; Szabolcsi, Viktoria

2017-10-15

Aging-associated ependymal-cell pathologies can manifest as ventricular gliosis, ventricle enlargement, or ventricle stenosis. Ventricle stenosis and fusion of the lateral ventricle (LV) walls is associated with a massive decline of the proliferative capacities of the stem cell niche in the affected subventricular zone (SVZ) in aging mice. We examined the brains of adult C57BL/6 mice and found that ependymal cells located in the adhesions of the medial and lateral walls of the rostral LVs upregulated parvalbumin (PV) and displayed reactive phenotype, similarly to injury-reactive ependymal cells. However, PV+ ependymal cells in the LV-wall adhesions, unlike injury-reactive ones, did not express glial fibrillary acidic protein. S100B+/PV+ ependymal cells found in younger mice diminished in the LV-wall adhesions throughout aging. We found that periventricular PV-immunofluorescence showed positive correlation to the grade of LV stenosis in nonaged mice (wall adhesions and LV stenosis was significantly lower in mid-aged (>10-month-old) PV-knock out (PV-KO) mice. This suggests an involvement of PV+ ependymal cells in aging-associated ventricle stenosis. Additionally, we observed a time-shift in microglial activation in the LV-wall adhesions between age-grouped PV-KO and wild-type mice, suggesting a delay in microglial activation when PV is absent from ependymal cells. Our findings implicate that compromised ependymal cells of the adhering ependymal layers upregulate PV and display phenotype shift to "reactive" ependymal cells in aging-related ventricle stenosis; moreover, they also contribute to the progression of LV-wall fusion associated with a decline of the affected SVZ-stem cell niche in aged mice. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Seismic Performance of Precast Polystyrene RC Walls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wibowo Ari

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Precast concrete structure such as precast wall is a concept that is growing rapidly these days. However, the earthquake resistance is believed to be one of its drawbacks. Additionally, the large weight of solid elements also increase the building weight significantly which consequently increase the earthquake base shear force as well. Therefore, investigation on the seismic performance of precast concrete wall has been carried out. Three RC wall specimens using wire mesh reinforcement and EPS (Extended Polystyrene System panel have been tested. This wall was designed as a structural wall that was capable in sustaining lateral loads (in-plane yet were lightweight to reduce the total weight of the building. Parameter observed was the ratio of height to width (aspect ratio of wall of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 respectively with the aim to study the behaviour of brittle to ductile transition of the wall. Incremental static load tests were conducted until reaching peak load and then followed by displacement control until failure. Several data were measured at every stage of loading comprising lateral load-displacement behaviour, ultimate strength and collapse mechanism. The outcomes showed that precast concrete walls with a steel wire and EPS panel filler provided considerably good resistance against lateral load.

Kinetic wall from Israel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Godolphin, D.

1985-05-01

An unusual solar mass wall is described. At the turn of a handle it can change from a solar energy collector to a heat-blocker. An appropriate name for it might be the rotating prism wall. An example of the moving wall is at work in an adobe test home in Sede Boqer. Behind a large south-facing window stand four large adobe columns that are triangular in plan. One face of each of them is painted black to absorb sunlight, a second is covered with panels of polystyrene insulation, and a third is painted to match the room decor. These columns can rotate. On winter nights, the insulated side faces the glass, keeping heat losses down. The same scheme works in summer to keep heat out of the house. Small windows provide ventilation.

Extraction of nucleic acids from yeast cells and plant tissues using ethanol as medium for sample preservation and cell disruption.

Science.gov (United States)

Linke, Bettina; Schröder, Kersten; Arter, Juliane; Gasperazzo, Tatiana; Woehlecke, Holger; Ehwald, Rudolf

2010-09-01

Here we report that dehydrated ethanol is an excellent medium for both in situ preservation of nucleic acids and cell disruption of plant and yeast cells. Cell disruption was strongly facilitated by prior dehydration of the ethanol using dehydrated zeolite. Following removal of ethanol, nucleic acids were extracted from the homogenate pellet using denaturing buffers. The method provided DNA and RNA of high yield and integrity. Whereas cell wall disruption was essential for extraction of DNA and large RNA molecules, smaller molecules such as tRNAs could be selectively extracted from undisrupted, ethanol-treated yeast cells. Our results demonstrate the utility of absolute ethanol for sample fixation, cell membrane and cell wall disruption, as well as preservation of nucleic acids during sample storage.

Measurements of wall shear stress in a planar turbulent Couette flow with porous walls

Science.gov (United States)

Beuther, Paul

2013-11-01

Measurements of drag on a moving web in a multi-span festoon show a stronger than expected dependency on the porosity of the web. The experiments suggest a wall shear stress 3-4 times larger than non-porous webs or historical Couette flow data for solid walls. Previous DNS studies by Jimenez et al. (JFM Vol 442) of boundary layers with passive porous surfaces predict a much smaller increase in wall shear stress for a porous wall of only 40%. Other DNS studies by Quadrio et al. (JFM Vol 576) of porous walls with periodic transpiration do show a large increase in drag under certain periodic conditions of modest amplitude. Although those results are aligned in magnitude with this study, the exact reason for the observed high drag for porous webs in this present study is not understood because there was no external disturbance applied to the web. It can be hypothesized that natural flutter of the web results in a similar mechanism shown in the periodic DNS study, but when the natural flutter was reduced by increasing web tension, there was only a small decrease of the drag. A key difference in this study is that because of the multiple parallel spans in a festoon, any transpiration in one layer must act in the opposite manner on the adjacent span.

The Aspergillus fumigatus Sialidase (Kdnase Contributes to Cell Wall Integrity and Virulence in Amphotericin B-Treated Mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason R. Nesbitt

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Aspergillus fumigatus is a filamentous fungus that can cause a life-threatening invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA in immunocompromised individuals. We previously characterized an exo-sialidase from A. fumigatus that prefers the sialic acid substrate, 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nononic acid (Kdn; hence it is a Kdnase. Sialidases are known virulence factors in other pathogens; therefore, the goal of our study was to evaluate the importance of Kdnase in A. fumigatus. A kdnase knockout strain (Δkdnase was unable to grow on medium containing Kdn and displayed reduced growth and abnormal morphology. Δkdnase was more sensitive than wild type to hyperosmotic conditions and the antifungal agent, amphotericin B. In contrast, Δkdnase had increased resistance to nikkomycin, Congo Red and Calcofluor White indicating activation of compensatory cell wall chitin deposition. Increased cell wall thickness and chitin content in Δkdnase were confirmed by electron and immunofluorescence microscopy. In a neutropenic mouse model of invasive aspergillosis, the Δkdnase strain had attenuated virulence and a significantly lower lung fungal burden but only in animals that received liposomal amphotericin B after spore exposure. Macrophage numbers were almost twofold higher in lung sections from mice that received the Δkdnase strain, possibly related to higher survival of macrophages that internalized the Δkdnase conidia. Thus, A. fumigatus Kdnase is important for fungal cell wall integrity and virulence, and because Kdnase is not present in the host, it may represent a potential target for the development of novel antifungal agents.

High Performance Walls in Hot-Dry Climates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoeschele, Marc [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Springer, David [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Dakin, Bill [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); German, Alea [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-01-01

High performance walls represent a high priority measure for moving the next generation of new homes to the Zero Net Energy performance level. The primary goal in improving wall thermal performance revolves around increasing the wall framing from 2x4 to 2x6, adding more cavity and exterior rigid insulation, achieving insulation installation criteria meeting ENERGY STAR's thermal bypass checklist, and reducing the amount of wood penetrating the wall cavity.

Post wall fixation by lag screw only in associated both column fractures with posterior wall involvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hu; Utku, Kandemir; Zhuang, Yan; Zhang, Kun; Fu, Ya-Hui; Wei, Xing; Wang, Peng-Fei; Cong, Yu-Xuan; Lei, Jin-Lai; Zhang, Bin-Fei

2017-07-01

To evaluate the quality of reduction, clinical outcomes and complications of associated both column acetabular fractures with posterior wall involvement that are treated through single ilioinguinal approach and fixation of posterior wall by lag screws only. We conducted a retrospective review involving ninety-nine consecutive patients with associated both column fractures of acetabulum treated through single ilioinguinal approach. Patients were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of 35 patients presented with both column fractures with posterior wall involvement that fixation performed with lag screws. This group was compared to a second group of 64 patients with both column fractures without posterior wall involvement. The quality of reduction was assessed using criteria described by Matta. The size of posterior wall fragment was measured. Functional outcome was evaluated using Modified Postel Merle D'Aubigne score. Radiographs at the latest follow up were analyzed for arthritis (Kellgren-Lawrence classification), and femoral head avascular necrosis (Ficat/Arlet classification). The study showed no significant differences in all preoperative variables (P>0.05). While intraoperative blood loss and operative time in group 1 were increased compared to group 2, the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The height, relative depth and peripheral length of posterior wall respectively were 27.8±2.5mm (range: 24-35mm), 71.5±5.4% (range: 65-88%), 23.0±2.3mm (range: 17-28mm). The mean posterior wall fracture displacement is 5.0±3.2mm (range: 0-11mm). There was no difference regarding the quality of reduction between the two groups (P>0.05). The excellent to good clinical outcome was around 71.4% in the group 1 versus 73.4% in the group 2 at the final follow-up, this difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). There was no difference in rate of complications between the two groups (P>0.05). Lag screws fixation of posterior wall

Dynamics of plane-symmetric thin walls in general relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, A.

1992-01-01

Plane walls (including plane domain walls) without reflection symmetry are studied in the framework of Einstein's general relativity. Using the distribution theory, all the Einstein field equations and Bianchi identities are split into two groups: one holding in the regions outside of the wall and the other holding at the wall. The Einstein field equations at the wall are found to take a very simple form, and given explicitly in terms of the discontinuities of the metric coefficients and their derivatives. The Bianchi identities at the wall are also given explicitly. Using the latter, the interaction of a plane wall with gravitational waves and some specific matter fields is studied. In particular, it is found that, when a gravitational plane wave passes through a wall, if the wall has no reflection symmetry, the phenomena, such as reflection, stimulation, or absorption, in general, occur. It is also found that, unlike for gravitational waves, a massless scalar wave or an electromagnetic wave continuously passes through a wall without any reflection. The repulsion and attraction of a plane wall are also studied. It is found that the acceleration of an observer who is at rest relative to the wall usually consists of three parts: one is due to the force produced by the wall, the second is due to the force produced by the space-time curvature, which is zero if the wall has reflection symmetry, and the last is due to the accelerated motion of the wall. As a result, a repulsive (attractive) plane wall may not be repulsive (attractive) at all. Finally, the collision and interaction among the walls are studied

OSCILLATING LIGHT WALL ABOVE A SUNSPOT LIGHT BRIDGE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Shuhong; Zhang, Jun; Jiang, Fayu [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Xiang, Yongyuan, E-mail: shuhongyang@nao.cas.cn [Fuxian Solar Observatory, Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011 (China)

2015-05-10

With the high tempo-spatial Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph 1330 Å images, we find that many bright structures are rooted in the light bridge of NOAA 12192, forming a light wall. The light wall is brighter than the surrounding areas, and the wall top is much brighter than the wall body. The New Vacuum Solar Telescope Hα and the Solar Dynamics Observatory 171 and 131 Å images are also used to study the light-wall properties. In 1330, 171, and 131 Å, the top of the wall has a higher emission, while in the Hα line, the wall-top emission is very low. The wall body corresponds to bright areas in 1330 Å and dark areas in the other lines. The top of the light wall moves upward and downward successively, performing oscillations in height. The deprojected mean height, amplitude, oscillation velocity, and the dominant period are determined to be 3.6 Mm, 0.9 Mm, 15.4 km s{sup −1}, and 3.9 minutes, respectively. We interpret the oscillations of the light wall as the leakage of p-modes from below the photosphere. The constant brightness enhancement of the wall top implies the existence of some kind of atmospheric heating, e.g., via the persistent small-scale reconnection or the magneto-acoustic waves. In another series of 1330 Å images, we find that the wall top in the upward motion phase is significantly brighter than in the downward phase. This kind of oscillation may be powered by the energy released due to intermittent impulsive magnetic reconnection.

Control of Wall Mounting Robot

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sloth, Christoffer; Pedersen, Rasmus

2017-01-01

This paper presents a method for designing controllers for trajectory tracking with actuator constraints. In particular, we consider a joystick-controlled wall mounting robot called WallMo. In contrast to previous works, a model-free approach is taken to the control problem, where the path...

Moisture Research - Optimizing Wall Assemblies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arena, L.; Mantha, P.

2013-05-01

The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) evaluated several different configurations of wall assemblies to determine the accuracy of moisture modeling and make recommendations to ensure durable, efficient assemblies. WUFI and THERM were used to model the hygrothermal and heat transfer characteristics of these walls.

Synthesis of highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes and their excellent catalytic performance for oxidation of benzyl alcohol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shinde, V.M.; Skupien, E.; Makkee, M.

2015-01-01

Narrow sized and highly homogeneous dispersed Pd nanoparticles have been synthesized on nitric acid-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) without a capping agent. The TEM images show that the extremely small Pd nanoparticles with an average size of about 1.5 nm were homogeneously

Modeling of shear wall buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, A K [North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh (USA). Dept. of Civil Engineering

1984-05-01

Many nuclear power plant buildings, for example, the auxiliary building, have reinforced concrete shear walls as the primary lateral load resisting system. Typically, these walls have low height to length ratio, often less than unity. Such walls exhibit marked shear lag phenomenon which would affect their bending stiffness and the overall stress distribution in the building. The deformation and the stress distribution in walls have been studied which is applicable to both the short and the tall buildings. The behavior of the wall is divided into two parts: the symmetric flange action and the antisymmetry web action. The latter has two parts: the web shear and the web bending. Appropriate stiffness equations have been derived for all the three actions. These actions can be synthesized to solve any nonlinear cross-section. Two specific problems, that of lateral and torsional loadings of a rectangular box, have been studied. It is found that in short buildings shear lag plays a very important role. Any beam type formulation which either ignores shear lag or includes it in an idealized form is likely to lead to erroneous results. On the other hand a rigidity type approach with some modifications to the standard procedures would yield nearly accurate answers.

Timber frame walls

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan de Place; Brandt, Erik

2010-01-01

A ventilated cavity is usually considered good practice for removing moisture behind the cladding of timber framed walls. Timber frame walls with no cavity are a logical alternative as they are slimmer and less expensive to produce and besides the risk of a two-sided fire behind the cladding....... It was found that the specific damages made to the vapour barrier as part of the test did not have any provable effect on the moisture content. In general elements with an intact vapour barrier did not show a critical moisture content at the wind barrier after four years of exposure....

From Soft Walls to Infrared Branes

CERN Document Server

von Gersdorff, Gero

2010-01-01

Five dimensional warped spaces with soft walls are generalizations of the standard Randall-Sundrum compactifications, where instead of an infrared brane one has a curvature singularity (with vanishing warp factor) at finite proper distance in the bulk. We project the physics near the singularity onto a hypersurface located a small distance away from it in the bulk. This results in a completely equivalent description of the soft wall in terms of an effective infrared brane, hiding any singular point. We perform explicitly this calculation for two classes of soft wall backgrounds used in the literature. The procedure has several advantages. It separates in a clean way the physics of the soft wall from the physics of the five dimensional bulk, facilitating a more direct comparison with standard two-brane warped compactifications. Moreover, consistent soft walls show a sort of universal behavior near the singularity which is reflected in the effective brane Lagrangian. Thirdly, for many purposes, a good approxima...

Experimental investigation on particle-wall interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeisel, H.; Dorfner, V.

1988-01-01

There is still a lack in the knowledge about many physical processes in two-phase flows and therefore their mathematical description for the modelling of two-phase flows by computer simulations still needs some improvement. One required information is the physical procedure of the momentum transfer between the phases themselves, such as particle-particle or particle-fluid interactions, and between the phases and the flow boundaries, such as particle-wall or fluid-wall interactions. The interaction between the two phases can be either a 'long-range' interference or a direct contact between both. For the particle-fluid two-phase flow system the interaction can be devided in particle-fluid, particle-particle and particle-boundary interactions. In this investigation the attention is drawn to the special case of a particle-wall interaction and its 'long-range' interference effect between the wall and a small particle which approaches the wall in normal direction. (orig./GL)

Surfactive stabilization of multi-walled carbon nanotube dispersions with dissolved humic substances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chappell, Mark A. [Environmental Laboratory, Engineering Research and Development Center, US Army Corps of Engineers, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180 (United States)], E-mail: mark.a.chappell@usace.army.mil; George, Aaron J.; Dontsova, Katerina M.; Porter, Beth E. [SpecPro, Inc., 4815 Bradford Drive, Suite 201, Huntsville, AL 35805 (United States); Price, Cynthia L. [Environmental Laboratory, Engineering Research and Development Center, US Army Corps of Engineers, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180 (United States); Zhou Pingheng; Morikawa, Eizi [J. Bennett Johnston Sr. Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices, Louisiana State University, 6980 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge, LA 70806 (United States); Kennedy, Alan J.; Steevens, Jeffery A. [Environmental Laboratory, Engineering Research and Development Center, US Army Corps of Engineers, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180 (United States)

2009-04-15

Soil humic substances (HS) stabilize carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersions, a mechanism we hypothesized arose from the surfactive nature of HS. Experiments dispersing multi-walled CNT in solutions of dissolved Aldrich humic acid (HA) or water-extractable Catlin soil HS demonstrated enhanced stability at 150 and 300 mg L{sup -1} added Aldrich HA and Catlin HS, respectively, corresponding with decreased CNT mean particle diameter (MPD) and polydispersivity (PD) of 250 nm and 0.3 for Aldrich HA and 450 nm and 0.35 for Catlin HS. Analogous trends in MPD and PD were observed with addition of the surfactants Brij 35, Triton X-405, and SDS, corresponding to surfactant sorption maximum. NEXAFS characterization showed that Aldrich HA contained highly surfactive domains while Catlin soil possessed a mostly carbohydrate-based structure. This work demonstrates that the chemical structure of humic materials in natural waters is directly linked to their surfactive ability to disperse CNT released into the environment. - Suspensions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes are stabilized by relatively low concentrations of dissolved humic substances in solution through surfactive mechanisms.

Surfactive stabilization of multi-walled carbon nanotube dispersions with dissolved humic substances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chappell, Mark A.; George, Aaron J.; Dontsova, Katerina M.; Porter, Beth E.; Price, Cynthia L.; Zhou Pingheng; Morikawa, Eizi; Kennedy, Alan J.; Steevens, Jeffery A.

2009-01-01

Soil humic substances (HS) stabilize carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersions, a mechanism we hypothesized arose from the surfactive nature of HS. Experiments dispersing multi-walled CNT in solutions of dissolved Aldrich humic acid (HA) or water-extractable Catlin soil HS demonstrated enhanced stability at 150 and 300 mg L -1 added Aldrich HA and Catlin HS, respectively, corresponding with decreased CNT mean particle diameter (MPD) and polydispersivity (PD) of 250 nm and 0.3 for Aldrich HA and 450 nm and 0.35 for Catlin HS. Analogous trends in MPD and PD were observed with addition of the surfactants Brij 35, Triton X-405, and SDS, corresponding to surfactant sorption maximum. NEXAFS characterization showed that Aldrich HA contained highly surfactive domains while Catlin soil possessed a mostly carbohydrate-based structure. This work demonstrates that the chemical structure of humic materials in natural waters is directly linked to their surfactive ability to disperse CNT released into the environment. - Suspensions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes are stabilized by relatively low concentrations of dissolved humic substances in solution through surfactive mechanisms

Moisture Management for High R-Value Walls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lepage, R.; Schumacher, C.; Lukachko, A.

2013-11-01

The following report explains the moisture-related concerns for High R-value wall assemblies and discusses past Building America research work that informs this study. Hygrothermal simulations were prepared for several common approaches to High R-value wall construction in six cities (Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, St. Louis, Chicago, and International Falls) representing a range of climate zones (2, 3, 4C, 4, 5A, and 7, respectively). The simulations are informed by experience gained from past research in this area and validated by field measurement and forensic experience. The modeling program was developed to assess the moisture durability of the wall assemblies based on three primary sources of moisture: construction moisture, air leakage condensation, and bulk water leakage. The peak annual moisture content of the wood based exterior sheathing was used to comparatively analyze the response to the moisture loads for each of the walls in each given city. Walls which experienced sheathing moisture contents between 20% and 28% were identified as risky, whereas those exceeding 28% were identified as very high risk. All of the wall assemblies perform well under idealized conditions. However, only the walls with exterior insulation, or cavity insulation which provides a hygrothermal function similar to exterior insulation, perform adequately when exposed to moisture loads. Walls with only cavity insulation are particularly susceptible to air leakage condensation. None of the walls performed well when a precipitation based bulk water leak was introduced to the backside of the sheathing, emphasizing the importance of proper flashing details.

Hygrothermal behavior for a clay brick wall

Science.gov (United States)

Allam, R.; Issaadi, N.; Belarbi, R.; El-Meligy, M.; Altahrany, A.

2018-06-01

In Egypt, the clay brick is the common building materials which are used. By studying clay brick walls behavior for the heat and moisture transfer, the efficient use of the clay brick can be reached. So, this research studies the hygrothermal transfer in this material by measuring the hygrothermal properties and performing experimental tests for a constructed clay brick wall. We present the model for the hygrothermal transfer in the clay brick which takes the temperature and the vapor pressure as driving potentials. In addition, this research compares the presented model with previous models. By constructing the clay brick wall between two climates chambers with different boundary conditions, we can validate the numerical model and analyze the hygrothermal transfer in the wall. The temperature and relative humidity profiles within the material are measured experimentally and determined numerically. The numerical and experimental results have a good convergence with 3.5% difference. The surface boundary conditions, the ground effect, the infiltration from the closed chambers and the material heterogeneity affects the results. Thermal transfer of the clay brick walls reaches the steady state very rapidly than the moisture transfer. That means the effect of using only the external brick wall in the building in hot climate without increase the thermal resistance for the wall, will add more energy losses in the clay brick walls buildings. Also, the behavior of the wall at the heat and mass transfer calls the three-dimensional analysis for the whole building to reach the real behavior.

Hygrothermal behavior for a clay brick wall

Science.gov (United States)

Allam, R.; Issaadi, N.; Belarbi, R.; El-Meligy, M.; Altahrany, A.

2018-01-01

In Egypt, the clay brick is the common building materials which are used. By studying clay brick walls behavior for the heat and moisture transfer, the efficient use of the clay brick can be reached. So, this research studies the hygrothermal transfer in this material by measuring the hygrothermal properties and performing experimental tests for a constructed clay brick wall. We present the model for the hygrothermal transfer in the clay brick which takes the temperature and the vapor pressure as driving potentials. In addition, this research compares the presented model with previous models. By constructing the clay brick wall between two climates chambers with different boundary conditions, we can validate the numerical model and analyze the hygrothermal transfer in the wall. The temperature and relative humidity profiles within the material are measured experimentally and determined numerically. The numerical and experimental results have a good convergence with 3.5% difference. The surface boundary conditions, the ground effect, the infiltration from the closed chambers and the material heterogeneity affects the results. Thermal transfer of the clay brick walls reaches the steady state very rapidly than the moisture transfer. That means the effect of using only the external brick wall in the building in hot climate without increase the thermal resistance for the wall, will add more energy losses in the clay brick walls buildings. Also, the behavior of the wall at the heat and mass transfer calls the three-dimensional analysis for the whole building to reach the real behavior.

Functional duality of the cell wall.

Science.gov (United States)

Latgé, Jean-Paul; Beauvais, Anne

2014-08-01

The polysaccharide cell wall is the extracellular armour of the fungal cell. Although essential in the protection of the fungal cell against aggressive external stresses, the biosynthesis of the polysaccharide core is poorly understood. For a long time it was considered that this cell wall skeleton was a fixed structure whose role was only to be sensed as non-self by the host and consequently trigger the defence response. It is now known that the cell wall polysaccharide composition and localization continuously change to adapt to their environment and that these modifications help the fungus to escape from the immune system. Moreover, cell wall polysaccharides could function as true virulence factors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chronic Abdominal Wall Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Koop, Herbert; Koprdova, Simona; Schürmann, Christine

2016-01-29

Chronic abdominal wall pain is a poorly recognized clinical problem despite being an important element in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain. This review is based on pertinent articles that were retrieved by a selective search in PubMed and EMBASE employing the terms "abdominal wall pain" and "cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome," as well as on the authors' clinical experience. In 2% to 3% of patients with chronic abdominal pain, the pain arises from the abdominal wall; in patients with previously diagnosed chronic abdominal pain who have no demonstrable pathological abnormality, this likelihood can rise as high as 30% . There have only been a small number of clinical trials of treatment for this condition. The diagnosis is made on clinical grounds, with the aid of Carnett's test. The characteristic clinical feature is strictly localized pain in the anterior abdominal wall, which is often mischaracterized as a "functional" complaint. In one study, injection of local anesthesia combined with steroids into the painful area was found to relieve pain for 4 weeks in 95% of patients. The injection of lidocaine alone brought about improvement in 83-91% of patients. Long-term pain relief ensued after a single lidocaine injection in 20-30% of patients, after repeated injections in 40-50% , and after combined lidocaine and steroid injections in up to 80% . Pain that persists despite these treatments can be treated with surgery (neurectomy). Chronic abdominal wall pain is easily diagnosed on physical examination and can often be rapidly treated. Any physician treating patients with abdominal pain should be aware of this condition. Further comparative treatment trials will be needed before a validated treatment algorithm can be established.

Soft impact testing of a wall-floor-wall reinforced concrete structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vepsä, Ari, E-mail: ari.vepsa@vtt.fi; Calonius, Kim; Saarenheimo, Arja; Aatola, Seppo; Halonen, Matti

2017-01-15

Highlights: • A wall-floor-wall reinforced concrete structure was built. • The structure was subjected to three almost identical soft impact tests. • Response was measured with accelerometers, displacement sensors and strain gauges. • Modal tests was also carried out with the same structure in different conditions. • The results are meant to be used for validation of computational methods and models. - Abstract: Assessing the safety of the reactor building of a nuclear power plant against the crash of an airplane calls for valid computational tools such as finite element models and material constitutive models. Validation of such tools and models in turn calls for reliable and relevant experimental data. The problem is that such data is scarcely available. One of the aspects of such a crash is vibrations that are generated by the impact. These vibrations tend to propagate from the impact point to the internal parts of the building. If strong enough, these vibrations may cause malfunction of the safety-critical equipment inside the building. To enable validation of computational models for this type of behaviour, we have conducted a series of three tests with a wall-floor-wall reinforced concrete structure under soft impact loading. The response of the structure was measured with accelerometers, displacement sensors and strain gauges. In addition to impact tests, the structure was subjected to modal tests under different conditions. The tests yielded a wealth of useful data for validation of computational models and better understanding about shock induced vibration physics especially in reinforced concrete structures.

Ballistic Limit Equation for Single Wall Titanium

Science.gov (United States)

Ratliff, J. M.; Christiansen, Eric L.; Bryant, C.

2009-01-01

Hypervelocity impact tests and hydrocode simulations were used to determine the ballistic limit equation (BLE) for perforation of a titanium wall, as a function of wall thickness. Two titanium alloys were considered, and separate BLEs were derived for each. Tested wall thicknesses ranged from 0.5mm to 2.0mm. The single-wall damage equation of Cour-Palais [ref. 1] was used to analyze the Ti wall's shielding effectiveness. It was concluded that the Cour-Palais single-wall equation produced a non-conservative prediction of the ballistic limit for the Ti shield. The inaccurate prediction was not a particularly surprising result; the Cour-Palais single-wall BLE contains shield material properties as parameters, but it was formulated only from tests of different aluminum alloys. Single-wall Ti shield tests were run (thicknesses of 2.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.0 mm, and 0.5 mm) on Ti 15-3-3-3 material custom cut from rod stock. Hypervelocity impact (HVI) tests were used to establish the failure threshold empirically, using the additional constraint that the damage scales with impact energy, as was indicated by hydrocode simulations. The criterion for shield failure was defined as no detached spall from the shield back surface during HVI. Based on the test results, which confirmed an approximately energy-dependent shield effectiveness, the Cour-Palais equation was modified.

Intermittency and scaling laws for wall bounded turbulence

OpenAIRE

Benzi, R.; Amati, G.; Casciola, C. M.; Toschi, F.; Piva, R.

1998-01-01

Well defined scaling laws clearly appear in wall bounded turbulence, even very close to the wall, where a distinct violation of the refined Kolmogorov similarity hypothesis (RKSH) occurs together with the simultaneous persistence of scaling laws. A new form of RKSH for the wall region is here proposed in terms of the structure functions of order two which, in physical terms, confirms the prevailing role of the momentum transfer towards the wall in the near wall dynamics.