Identification of amino acid residues of the NR2A subunit that control glutamate potency in recombinant NR1/NR2A NMDA receptors

The NMDA type of ligand-gated glutamate receptor requires the presence of both glutamate and glycine for gating. These receptors are hetero-oligomers of NR1 and NR2 subunits. Previously it was thought that the binding sites for glycine and glutamate were formed by residues on the NR1 subunit. Indeed, it has been shown that the effects of glycine are controlled by residues on the NR1 subunit, and a “Venus flytrap” model for the glycine binding site has been suggested by analogy with bacterial periplasmic amino acid binding proteins. By analysis of 10 mutant NMDA receptors, we now show that residues on the NR2A subunit control glutamate potency in recombinant NR1/NR2A receptors, without affecting glycine potency. Furthermore, we provide evidence that, at least for some mutated residues, the reduced potency of glutamate cannot be explained by alteration of gating but has to be caused primarily by impairing the binding of the agonist to the resting state of the receptor. One NR2A mutant, NR2A(T671A), had anEC50for glutamate 1000-fold greater than wild type and a 255-fold reduced affinity for APV, yet it had single-channel openings very similar to those of wild type. Therefore we propose that the glutamate binding site is located on NR2 subunits and (taking our data together with previous work) is not on the NR1 subunit. Our data further imply that each NMDA receptor subunit possesses a binding site for an agonist (glutamate or glycine).</jats:p

Maintenance Task Classification: Towards Automated Robotic Maintenance for Industry

AbstractThe business model of high-value capital assets is shifting from purchasing a physical product to acquiring a result or a function supported by the product combined with a number of related services. One such service, maintenance, is perhaps the most efficient way to keep the function available during the product lifecycle. Automation has played a vital role in industry throughout history, particularly within the production line. With the movement towards providing product service systems the need for services such as maintenance are increasingly important for a manufactured product, and the pull towards automation may drive down costs and improve performance time. Although currently robotic applications to maintenance beyond monitoring and inspection tasks are not common, this research aims at exploring the feasibility of future maintenance robots that can perform a variety of maintenance tasks. As its first step, this work looks first at investigation, cataloging and classification of a number of maintenance tasks using standard industrial engineering techniques such as time motion, method or workflow analysis. This involves decomposing the maintenance work into a number of ‘unit tasks’ required to be performed in order to accomplish the specified maintenance

System Size and Energy Dependence of Near-Side Dihadron Correlations

Two-particle azimuthal (Δφ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) correlations using a trigger particle with large transverse momentum (PT)in d+Au, Cu+Cu, and Au+Au collisions at √ sNN = 62.4 GeV and 200 GeV from the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider are presented. The near-side correlation is separated into a jet-like component, narrow in both Δφ and Δη, and the ridge, narrow in Δφ but broad in Δη. Both components are studied as a function of collision centrality, and the jet-like correlation is studied as a function of the trigger and associated PT. The behavior of the jet-like component is remarkably consistent for different collision systems, suggesting it is produced by fragmentation. The width of the jet-like correlation is found to increase with the system size. The ridge, previously observed in Au+Au collisions at √ sNN = 200 GeV, is also found in Cu+Cu collisions and in collisions at √ sNN = 62.4 GeV, but is found to be substantially smaller at √ sNN = 62.4 GeV than at √ sNN = 200 GeV for the same average number of participants (Npart ). Measurements of the ridge are compared to models

ρ0 Photoproduction in AuAu Collisions at √ sNN = 62.4 GeV Measured With the STAR Detector

Vector mesons may be photoproduced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions when a virtual photon emitted by one nucleus scatters from the other nucleus, emerging as a vector meson. The STAR Collaboration has previously presented measurements of coherent ρ0 photoproduction at center of mass energies of 130 GeV and 200 GeV in AuAu collisions. Here, we present a measurement of the cross section at 62.4 GeV; we find that the cross section for coherent ρ0 photoproduction with nuclear breakup is 10.5 ± 1.5 ± 1.6mb at 62.4 GeV. The cross-section ratio between 200 GeV and 62.4 GeV is 4.4 ± 0.6, less than is predicted by most theoretical models. It is, however, proportionally much larger than the previously observed 15% ± 55% increase between 130 GeV and 200 GeV

Measurement of the Parity-Violating Longitudinal Single-Spin Asymmetry for W± Boson Production in Polarized Proton-Proton Collisions at √s=500 GeV

We report the first measurement of the parity-violating single-spin asymmetries for midrapidity decay positrons and electrons from W+ and W- boson production in longitudinally polarized proton-proton collisions at √s = 500 GeV by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The measured asymmetries, A(L)(W+) = -0.27± 0.10(stat.) ± 0.02(syst.) ± 0.03(norm.) and A(L)(W-) = 0.14 ± 0.19(stat.) ± 0.02(syst.) ± 0.01(norm.), are consistent with theory predictions, which are large and of opposite sign. These predictions are based on polarized quark and antiquark distribution functions constrained by polarized deep-inelastic scattering measurements

Evolution of the Differential Transverse Momentum Correlation Function with Centrality in Au + Au Collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV

We present first measurements of the evolution of the differential transverse momentum correlation function, C, with collision centrality in Au + Au interactions at √sNN = 200 GeV. This observable exhibits a strong dependence on collision centrality that is qualitatively similar to that of number correlations previously reported. We use the observed longitudinal broadening of the near-side peak of C with increasing centrality to estimate the ratio of the shear viscosity to entropy density, η / s , of the matter formed in central Au + Au interactions. We obtain an upper limit estimate of η / s that suggests that the produced medium has a small viscosity per unit entropy

J/Ѱ polarization in p+p collisions at √s = 200 GeV in STAR

We report on a polarization measurement of inclusive J/Ѱ mesons in the di-electron decay channel at mid-rapidity at 2 \u3c pT \u3c 6 GeV/c in p + p collisions at √s = 200 GeV. Data were taken with the STAR detector at RHIC. The J/Ѱ polarization measurement should help to distinguish between different models of the J/Ѱ production mechanism since they predict different pT dependences of the J/Ѱ polarization. In this analysis, J/Ѱ is studied in the helicity frame. The polarization parameter λθ measured at RHIC becomes smaller towards high pT, indicating more longitudinal J/Ѱ polarization as pT increases. The result is compared with predictions of presently available models

ΛΛ Correlation Function in Au+Au Collisions at √\u3cem\u3e\u3csup\u3eS\u3c/sup\u3e\u3csub\u3eNN\u3c/sub\u3e\u3c/em\u3e=200 GeV

We present ΛΛ correlation measurements in heavy-ion collisions for Au+Au collisions at √SNN=200  GeV using the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. The Lednický-Lyuboshitz analytical model has been used to fit the data to obtain a source size, a scattering length and an effective range. Implications of the measurement of the ΛΛ correlation function and interaction parameters for dihyperon searches are discussed

Single Spin Asymmetry AN in Polarized Proton–Proton Elastic Scattering at √s = 200 GeV

We report a high precision measurement of the transverse single spin asymmetry AN at the center of mass energy √s = 200 GeV in elastic proton–proton scattering by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The AN was measured in the four-momentum transfer squared t range 0.003 ⩽ | t | ⩽ 0.035 ( GeV / c ) 2 , the region of a significant interference between the electromagnetic and hadronic scattering amplitudes. The measured values of AN and its t-dependence are consistent with a vanishing hadronic spin-flip amplitude, thus providing strong constraints on the ratio of the single spin-flip to the non-flip amplitudes. Since the hadronic amplitude is dominated by the Pomeron amplitude at this √s, we conclude that this measurement addresses the question about the presence of a hadronic spin flip due to the Pomeron exchange in polarized proton–proton elastic scattering

Precision Measurement of the Longitudinal Double-Spin Asymmetry for Inclusive Jet Production in Polarized Proton Collisions at √\u3cem\u3es\u3c/em\u3e=200 GeV

We report a new measurement of the midrapidity inclusive jet longitudinal double-spin asymmetry, ALL, in polarized pp collisions at center-of-mass energy √s=200  GeV. The STAR data place stringent constraints on polarized parton distribution functions extracted at next-to-leading order from global analyses of inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (DIS), semi-inclusive DIS, and RHIC pp data. The measured asymmetries provide evidence at the 3σ level for positive gluon polarization in the Bjorken-x region x\u3e0.05