Mjerenje naboja čestice (1 ≤ Z ≤ 3) proizvedenih u sudarima 60 A GeV/c 16O u emulziji i traženje čestica s razlomljenim nabojem

Measurement of charges (1 ≤ Z ≤ 3) of the projectile fragments in ultra–relativistic heavy–ion collisions (16O–emulsion at 60A GeV/c) was carried out by the measurement of lacunarity (L) of the track structure in nuclear emulsion track detector. No fractionally charged projectile fragment has been found in the present investigation.Proučavani su ultrarelativistički sudari teških iona (60 GeV/c 16O) u nuklearnoj emulziji. Naboji čestica (1 ≤ Z ≤ 3) određeni su prema lacunarnosti (L) tragova čestica u emulziji. Nisu nađene čestice s razlomljenim nabojem

Motifs Enable Communication Efficiency and Fault-Tolerance in Transcriptional Networks

Analysis of the topology of transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs) is an effective way to study the regulatory interactions between the transcription factors (TFs) and the target genes. TRNs are characterized by the abundance of motifs such as feed forward loops (FFLs), which contribute to their structural and functional properties. In this paper, we focus on the role of motifs (specifically, FFLs) in signal propagation in TRNs and the organization of the TRN topology with FFLs as building blocks. To this end, we classify nodes participating in FFLs (termed motif central nodes) into three distinct roles (namely, roles A, B and C), and contrast them with TRN nodes having high connectivity on the basis of their potential for information dissemination, using metrics such as network efficiency, path enumeration, epidemic models and standard graph centrality measures. We also present the notion of a three tier architecture and how it can help study the structural properties of TRN based on connectivity and clustering tendency of motif central nodes. Finally, we motivate the potential implication of the structural properties of motif centrality in design of efficient protocols of information routing in communication networks as well as their functional properties in global regulation and stress response to study specific disease conditions and identification of drug targets

Identification of gonadotropin inducible, high density lipoprotein receptors in the solubilized membranes from rat ovary

Specific receptors for high density lipoproteins (HDL3) were solubilized from membranes of rat corpus luteum using different detergents. Among the detergents tested, octyl-[beta]-D-glucoside (40 mM) was most effective with respect to recovery of binding activity. The receptor activity released into 105,000 x g supernatant, can be assayed directly or with the precipitate obtained after dilution of the soluble supernatant. The 125I-HDL3 binding activity in the precipitated extract was linear with time, proportional to the amount of protein in the incubation mixture and saturable with increasing concentrations of 125I-HDL3. The solubilized receptor has an equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of 21.2 [mu]g/ml and the binding activity was insensitive to Ca+2, EDTA and NaCl. These properties are similar to the membrane associated receptor. Administration of gonadotropin induced the HDL3 receptor in the solubilized membranes, suggesting that this receptor represents the physiologic receptor in the ovary.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26289/1/0000374.pd

Profil ekspresije receptora hormona rasta (GHR), receptora čimbenika rasta sličnog inzulinu (IGFR) i gena leptina s biokemijskim i endokrinim profilom u jaradi crne bengalske koze (Capra hircus) tijekom različitih razdoblja pretpubertetskog rasta

The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression profile of growth hormone receptor (GHR), insulin like growth factor receptor (IGFR) and leptin genes, together with some blood biochemical (glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, AST; alanine aminotransferase, ALT) and endocrine (growth hormone and cortisol) parameters. For this purpose, blood samples were collected from 25 male and 25 female kids of the Black Bengal goat (Capra hircus), at days 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150. Male kids gained more body weight compared to females. The glucose and cortisol levels significantly (P≤0.01) decreased with the advancement of age. AST, ALT, and growth hormone increased significantly (P≤0.01). In both sexes, plasma glucose level was negatively (P≤0.01) correlated with AST. In males both cortisol and GH levels were positively (P≤0.05) correlated with plasma glucose levels. In female kids only GH showed a positive (P≤0.05) correlation with glucose levels. Female kids had greater expression of the GH receptor, IGFR mRNA and Leptin mRNA on day 30 (P≤0.05) and day 150 (P≤0.01). GHR was only positively (P≤0.05) correlated with IGFR and LEP in female kids. On the basis of the results obtained from our research, we are able to conclude that the lower growth rate in female kids expressed more leptin, which stimulated the somatotrophic axis for the expression of GHR and IGFR during the prepubertal growth stage.Cilj istraživanja bio je procijeniti profil ekspresije receptora hormona rasta (GHR), receptora čimbenika rasta sličnog inzulinu (IGFR) i gena leptina zajedno s krvnim biokemijskim pokazateljima (glukoza, aspartat-aminotransferaza AST, alanin-aminotransferaza ALT) i endokrinim pokazateljima (hormon rasta i kortizol). U tu su svrhu 15., 30., 60., 90., 120. i 150. dan života uzeti su uzorci krvi od 25 muške i 25 ženske jaradi crne bengalske koze (Capra hircus). Muška je jarad imala veći prirast tjelesne mase u usporedbi sa ženskom. Razine glukoze i kortizola s porastom dobi znakovito su se smanjivale (P ≤ 0,01). AST, ALT i hormon rasta znakovito su porasli (P ≤ 0,01). Kod oba je spola razina glukoze u plazmi bila u negativnoj korelaciji (P ≤ 0,01) s AST-om. Kod muške su jaradi kortizol i hormon rasta bili u pozitivnoj korelaciji (P ≤ 0,05) s razinama glukoze u plazmi. Samo je u ženske jaradi hormon rasta pokazao pozitivnu korelaciju (P ≤ 0,05) s razinama glukoze. Ženska je jarad imala veću ekspresiju receptora hormona rasta, mRNA IGFR i mRNA leptina 30. dan (P ≤ 0,05) i 150. dan (P ≤ 0,01). GHR je bio u pozitivnoj korelaciji (P ≤ 0,05) samo s IGFR-om i leptinom u ženske jaradi. Na temelju rezultata ovoga istraživanja možemo zaključiti da niža stopa rasta u ženske jaradi dovela do veće ekspresije leptina, što je stimuliralo somatotropnu os za ekspresiju hormona rasta i IGFR-a u pretpubertetskom razdoblju

Deletion of the autoregulatory insert modulates intraprotein electron transfer in rat neuronal nitric oxide synthase

AbstractComparative CO photolysis kinetics studies on wild-type and autoregulatory (AR) insert-deletion mutant of rat nNOS holoenzyme were conducted to directly investigate the role of the unique AR insert in the catalytically significant FMN–heme intraprotein electron transfer (IET). Although the amplitude of the IET kinetic traces was decreased two- to three-fold, the AR deletion did not change the rate constant for the calmodulin-controlled IET. This suggests that the rate-limiting conversion of the electron-accepting state to a new electron-donating (output) state does not involve interactions with the AR insert, but that AR may stabilize the output state once it is formed

Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase is Regulated by ERK Phosphorylation at Ser602

eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) contains a MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)-binding site associated with a major eNOS control element. Purified ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) phosphorylates eNOS with a stoichiometry of 2–3 phosphates per eNOS monomer. Phosphorylation decreases NO synthesis and cytochrome c reductase activity. Three sites of phosphorylation were detected by MS. All sites matched the SP and TP MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) phosphorylation motif. Ser602 lies at the N-terminal edge of the 42-residue eNOS AI (autoinhibitory) element. The pentabasic MAPK-binding site lies at the opposite end of the AI, and other critical regulatory features are between them. Thr46 and Ser58 are located in a flexible region associated with the N terminus of the oxygenase domain. In contrast with PKC (protein kinase C), phosphorylation by ERK did not significantly interfere with CaM (calmodulin) binding as analysed by optical biosensing. Instead, ERK phosphorylation favours a state in which FMN and FAD are in close association and prevents conformational changes that expose reduced FMN to acceptors. The close associations between control sites in a few regions of the molecule suggest that control of signal generation is modulated by multiple inputs interacting directly on the surface of eNOS via overlapping binding domains and tightly grouped targets

Growth and Nutritional Status of the Bharia – A Primitive Tribe of Madhya Pradesh

This study is an attempt to understand the physical growth and nutritional status of Bharia, a primitive tribe of Central India. A cross sectional study was conducted on 551 children (283 boys and 268 girls) aged 4 to 18 years. Body weight, height, sitting height, head circumference, upper arm circumference, chest circumference, biceps, triceps, sub scapular and calf skin fold thickness were measured. Body Mass Index was calculated as weight/ height2to calculate chronic energy deficiency. All anthropometric measurements except skin fold measurement exhibit uniform increase with age in both the sexes. Age-specific Body Mass Index (BMI) indicated substantial changes and falls during pre-school age and rise in adolescence. The BMI according to the Indian standard was normal, but when the data was compared with the International standard malnutrition in both sexes was noticed in childhood. Boys remained undernourished after adolescence, while girls reached the normal growth patterns

A semiparametric modeling framework for potential biomarker discovery and the development of metabonomic profiles

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The discovery of biomarkers is an important step towards the development of criteria for early diagnosis of disease status. Recently electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix assisted laser desorption (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry have been used to identify biomarkers both in proteomics and metabonomics studies. Data sets generated from such studies are generally very large in size and thus require the use of sophisticated statistical techniques to glean useful information. Most recent attempts to process these types of data model each compound's intensity either discretely by positional (mass to charge ratio) clustering or through each compounds' own intensity distribution. Traditionally data processing steps such as noise removal, background elimination and m/z alignment, are generally carried out separately resulting in unsatisfactory propagation of signals in the final model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present study a novel semi-parametric approach has been developed to distinguish urinary metabolic profiles in a group of traumatic patients from those of a control group consisting of normal individuals. Data sets obtained from the replicates of a single subject were used to develop a functional profile through Dirichlet mixture of beta distribution. This functional profile is flexible enough to accommodate variability of the instrument and the inherent variability of each individual, thus simultaneously addressing different sources of systematic error. To address instrument variability, all data sets were analyzed in replicate, an important issue ignored by most studies in the past. Different model comparisons were performed to select the best model for each subject. The m/z values in the window of the irregular pattern are then further recommended for possible biomarker discovery.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge this is the very first attempt to model the physical process behind the time-of flight mass spectrometry. Most of the state of the art techniques does not take these physical principles in consideration while modeling such data. The proposed modeling process will apply as long as the basic physical principle presented in this paper is valid. Notably we have confined our present work mostly within the modeling aspect. Nevertheless clinical validation of our recommended list of potential biomarkers will be required. Hence, we have termed our modeling approach as a "framework" for further work.</p