432 research outputs found
Enzymatic synthesis of γ-glutamyl derivatives catalyzed by a new mutant γ-glutamyltransferase with improved transpeptidase activity
Despite their potential applicative interest as biologically active compounds and as flavor enhancers, \u3b3-glutamyl derivatives are commercially underexploited compounds. This is mainly due to the difficulties connected with their supply at a reasonable cost. As a consequence, enzymatic approaches to their preparation, based on the use of \u3b3-glutamyltransferases (GGTs), have been proposed1 to circumvent both the low-yielding extractive procedures from natural sources and the troublesome chemical synthesis, rendered uneconomical by the need of protection and deprotection steps.
GGTs catalyze the transfer of a \u3b3-glutamyl moiety from a donor substrate (e.g. glutathione) to the primary amino group of an acceptor compound in a so-called transpeptidation reaction, through the formation of a \u3b3-glutamyl-enzyme intermediate. However, also the use of GGTs as biocatalysts is not free from drawbacks. In addition to the transpeptidase activity, GGTs show a non-negligible hydrolase activity towards both the donor substrate and the newly formed transpeptidation product, affording irreversibly glutamic acid.2
In our ongoing studies on bacterial GGTs, we found that the presence of the lid loop \u2013 a short amino acids sequence covering the active site in most of the known GGTs \u2013 not only affects substrate selection, but also modulates hydrolase/transpeptidase activities.3 Within the TailGluTran Project,4 aimed at the development of mutant GGTs with improved transpeptidase activity, is currently under investigation a mutant enzyme obtained by inserting the sequence of the lid loop on the structure of a GGT naturally lacking it. The mutant enzyme shows promising high transpeptidase activity with respect to wild type counterparts and represents a starting point for further modifications in the search of a suitable biocatalyst intended for preparative purposes
concordance and time estimation of store and forward mobile teledermatology compared to classical face to face consultation
Smartphones have overcome the limitations of image quality seen in older devices and opened a new field of telemedicine called "mobile teledermatology". Technological advances and the need to reduce health service costs will strongly promote the development of telemedicine. For this reason, we evaluated the concordance be tween store-and-forward mobile teledermatology and the classical face-to-face dermatological visit. We also measured the time taken to submit a teleconsultation using a smartphone. Before conventional face-to-face visit, a final-year resident of the 3-year course for general practitioners collected medical history, took digital images of skin diseases with a smartphone and, measuring the time required to complete this operation, transmitted them to an expert teledermatologist. In 391 patients we obtained a concordance between face-to-face and store-and-forward diagnosis of 91.05% (Cohen Îș coefficient = 0.906). On average only few minutes needs to be added to a no
The sub-arcsecond hard X-ray structure of loop footpoints in a solar flare
The newly developed X-ray visibility forward fitting technique is applied to
Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) data of a limb
flare to investigate the energy and height dependence on sizes, shapes, and
position of hard X-ray chromospheric footpoint sources. This provides
information about the electron transport and chromospheric density structure.
The spatial distribution of two footpoint X-ray sources is analyzed using
PIXON, Maximum Entropy Method, CLEAN and visibility forward fit algorithms at
nonthermal energies from to keV. We report, for the first
time, the vertical extents and widths of hard X-ray chromospheric sources
measured as a function of energy for a limb event. Our observations suggest
that both the vertical and horizontal sizes of footpoints are decreasing with
energy. Higher energy emission originates progressively deeper in the
chromosphere consistent with downward flare accelerated streaming electrons.
The ellipticity of the footpoints grows with energy from at keV to at keV. The positions of X-ray emission are in
agreement with an exponential density profile of scale height ~km.
The characteristic size of the hard X-ray footpoint source along the limb is
decreasing with energy suggesting a converging magnetic field in the footpoint.
The vertical sizes of X-ray sources are inconsistent with simple collisional
transport in a single density scale height but can be explained using a
multi-threaded density structure in the chromosphere.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Ap
Melanoma Screening with Cellular Phones
Background. Mobile teledermatology has recently been shown to be suitable for teledermatology despite limitations in image definition in preliminary studies. The unique aspect of mobile teledermatology is that this system represents a filtering or triage system, allowing a sensitive approach for the management of patients with emergent skin diseases. Methodology/Principal Findings. In this study we investigated the feasibility of teleconsultation using a new generation of cellular phones in pigmented skin lesions. 18 patients were selected consecutively in the Pigmented Skin Lesions Clinic of the Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Graz (Austria). Clinical and dermoscopic images were acquired using a Sony Ericsson with a built-in two-megapixel camera. Two teleconsultants reviewed the images on a specific web application (http://www.dermahandy.net/default.asp) where images had been uploaded in JPEG format. Compared to the face-to-face diagnoses, the two teleconsultants obtained a score of correct telediagnoses of 89% and of 91.5% reporting the clinical and dermoscopic images, respectively. Conclusions/Significance. The present work is the first study performing mobile teledermoscopy using cellular phones. Mobile teledermatology has the potential to become an easy applicable tool for everyone and a new approach for enhanced self-monitoring for skin cancer screening in the spirit of the eHealth program of the European Commission Information for Society and Media
AntarctiCor: Solar Coronagraph in Antarctica for the ESCAPE Project
The Antarctica solar coronagraph âAntarctiCorâ for the âExtreme Solar Coronagraphy Antarctic Program Experimentâ âESCAPEâ comprises an internally-occulted coronagraph based on the externally-occulted ASPIICS coronagraph for the ESA formation-ïŹying PROBA-3 mission. This paper describes the AntarctiCor design for ground-based observations from the DomeC Antarctica plateau of the polarized broad-band (591 nm ± 5 nm) K-corona and of the narrowband (FWHM = 0.5 nm), polarized emission of the coronal green-line at 530.3 nm. The science goal of these observations is to map the topology and dynamics of the coronal magnetic ïŹeld, addressing coronal heating and space weather questions
Compton Scattering by the Proton using a Large-Acceptance Arrangement
Compton scattering by the proton has been measured using the tagged-photon
facility at MAMI (Mainz) and the large-acceptance arrangement LARA. The new
data are interpreted in terms of dispersion theory based on the SAID-SM99K
parameterization of photo-meson amplitudes. It is found that two-pion exchange
in the t-channel is needed for a description of the data in the second
resonance region. The data are well represented if this channel is modeled by a
single pole with mass parameter m(sigma)=600 MeV. The asymptotic part of the
spin dependent amplitude is found to be well represented by pi-0-exchange in
the t-channel. A backward spin-polarizability of
gamma(pi)=(-37.1+-0.6(stat+syst)+-3.0(model))x10^{-4}fm^4 has been determined
from data of the first resonance region below 455 MeV. This value is in a good
agreement with predictions of dispersion relations and chiral pertubation
theory. From a subset of data between 280 and 360 MeV the resonance
pion-photoproduction amplitudes were evaluated leading to a E2/M1 multipole
ratio of the p-to-Delta radiative transition of EMR(340
MeV)=(-1.7+-0.4(stat+syst)+-0.2(model))%. It was found that this number is
dependent on the parameterization of photo-meson amplitudes. With the MAID2K
parameterization an E2/M1 multipole ratio of EMR(340
MeV)=(-2.0+-0.4(stat+syst)+-0.2(model))% is obtained
HERSCHEL/SCORE, imaging the solar corona in visible and EUV light: CCD camera characterization
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