312 research outputs found
The temperature dependence of the isothermal bulk modulus at 1 bar pressure
It is well established that the product of the volume coefficient of thermal
expansion and the bulk modulus is nearly constant at temperatures higher than
the Debye temperature. Using this approximation allows predicting the values of
the bulk modulus. The derived analytical solution for the temperature
dependence of the isothermal bulk modulus has been applied to ten substances.
The good correlations to the experiments indicate that the expression may be
useful for substances for which bulk modulus data are lacking
New limit for the half-life of double beta decay of Zr to the first excited state of Mo
Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay is a phenomenon of fundamental interest in
particle physics. The decay rates of double beta decay transitions to the
excited states can provide input for Nuclear Transition Matrix Element
calculations for the relevant two neutrino double beta decay process. It can be
useful as supplementary information for the calculation of Nuclear Transition
Matrix Element for the neutrinoless double beta decay process. In the present
work, double beta decay of Zr to the excited state of
Mo at 871.1 keV is studied using a low background 230 cm HPGe
detector. No evidence of this decay was found with a 232 g.y exposure of
natural Zirconium. The lower half-life limit obtained for the double beta decay
of to the excited state of is y at 90% C.L., an improvement by a factor of
4 over the existing experimental limit at 90\% C.L. The sensitivity is
estimated to be y at 90% C.L. using
the Feldman-Cousins method.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, Accepted in Eur. Phys. J.
Distribution of dwell times of a ribosome: effects of infidelity, kinetic proofreading and ribosome crowding
Ribosome is a molecular machine that polymerizes a protein where the sequence
of the amino acid residues, the monomers of the protein, is dictated by the
sequence of codons (triplets of nucleotides) on a messenger RNA (mRNA) that
serves as the template. The ribosome is a molecular motor that utilizes the
template mRNA strand also as the track. Thus, in each step the ribosome moves
forward by one codon and, simultaneously, elongates the protein by one amino
acid. We present a theoretical model that captures most of the main steps in
the mechano-chemical cycle of a ribosome. The stochastic movement of the
ribosome consists of an alternating sequence of pause and translocation; the
sum of the durations of a pause and the following translocation is the time of
dwell of the ribosome at the corresponding codon. We derive the analytical
expression for the distribution of the dwell times of a ribosome in our model.
Whereever experimental data are available, our theoretical predictions are
consistent with those results. We suggest appropriate experiments to test the
new predictions of our model, particularly, the effects of the quality control
mechanism of the ribosome and that of their crowding on the mRNA track.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article
accepted for publication in Physical Biology. IOP Publishing Ltd is not
responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or
any version derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version
is available online at DOI:10.1088/1478-3975/8/2/02600
Sports, morality and body: the voices of sportswomen under Franco's dictatorship
The aim of this research is to study sportswomen’s perceptions and experiences of women’s
sport in Francoist Spain (1939–1975). The main objective is to analyse the social, moral and
aesthetic elements that are present in the experience of these athletes. This study was carried
out with an intentional sample of 24 women from Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Basque Country,
Catalonia and Valencia. They were interviewed by a network of researchers from six universities.
Outstanding results show the existence of social limitations to start sports practice (particularly in
the post-war period); the importance of sport as a character-building aspect; sport’s remarkable
influence on their body self-concept; and the incidence on sports of the mainstream moral discourse, which created a female model that even affected sports clothing. The main conclusion
is that sportswomen in that period were pioneers and had to fight against most of society in order
to develop their facet as athletes, as they would not follow the established model
Identification of a new cholesterol-binding site within the IFN-γ receptor that is required for signal transduction.
The cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is a master regulator of innate and adaptive immunity involved in a broad array of human diseases that range from atherosclerosis to cancer. IFN-γ exerts it signaling action by binding to a specific cell surface receptor, the IFN-γ receptor (IFN-γR), whose activation critically depends on its partition into lipid nanodomains. However, little is known about the impact of specific lipids on IFN-γR signal transduction activity. Here, a new conserved cholesterol (chol) binding motif localized within its single transmembrane domain is identified. Through direct binding, chol drives the partition of IFN-γR2 chains into plasma membrane lipid nanodomains, orchestrating IFN-γR oligomerization and transmembrane signaling. Bioinformatics studies show that the signature sequence stands for a conserved chol-binding motif presented in many mammalian membrane proteins. The discovery of chol as the molecular switch governing IFN-γR transmembrane signaling represents a significant advance for understanding the mechanism of lipid selectivity by membrane proteins, but also for figuring out the role of lipids in modulating cell surface receptor function. Finally, this study suggests that inhibition of the chol-IFNγR2 interaction may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for various IFN-γ-dependent diseases
Infrared Absorption Investigations Confirm the Extraterrestrial Origin of Carbonado-Diamonds
The first complete infrared FTIR absorption spectra for carbonado-diamond
confirm the interstellar origin for the most enigmatic diamonds known as
carbonado. All previous attempts failed to measure the absorption of
carbonado-diamond in the most important IR-range of 1000-1300 cm-1 (10.00-7.69
micro-m.) because of silica inclusions. In our investigation, KBr pellets were
made from crushed silica-free carbonado-diamond and thin sections were also
prepared. The 100 to 1000 times brighter synchrotron infrared radiation permits
a greater spatial resolution. Inclusions and pore spaces were avoided and/or
sources of chemical contamination were removed. The FTIR spectra of
carbonado-diamond mostly depict the presence of single nitrogen impurities, and
hydrogen. The lack of identifiable nitrogen aggregates in the infrared spectra,
the presence of features related to hydrocarbon stretch bonds, and the
resemblance of the spectra to CVD and presolar diamonds indicate that
carbonado-diamonds formed in a hydrogen-rich interstellar environment. This is
consistent with carbonado-diamond being sintered and porous, with extremely
reduced metals, metal alloys, carbides and nitrides, light carbon isotopes,
surfaces with glassy melt-like patinas, deformation lamellae, and a complete
absence of primary, terrestrial mineral inclusions. The 2.6-3.8 billion year
old fragmented body was of asteroidal proportions
Biodegradation of ochratoxin A by Pediococcus parvulus isolated from Douro wines
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a promising solution to reduce exposure to dietary mycotoxins because of the unique mycotoxin decontaminating characteristic of some LAB. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most prominent mycotoxins found in agricultural commodities. The present work reports on the ability of Pediococcus parvulus strains that were isolated from Douro wines that spontaneously underwent malolactic fermentation to detoxify OTA. These strains were identified and characterised using a polyphasic approach that employed both phenotypic and genotypic methods. When cultivated on OTA-supplemented MRS media, OTA was biodegraded into OTα by certain P. parvulus strains. The presence of OTα was confirmed using LC-MS/MS. The conversion of OTA into OTα indicates that the OTA amide bond was hydrolysed by a putative peptidase. The rate of OTA biodegradation was found to be dependent on the inoculum size and on the incubation temperature. Adsorption assays with dead P. parvulus cells showed that approximately 1.3% ± 1.0 of the OTA was adsorbed onto cells wall, which excludes this mechanism in the elimination of OTA by strains that degrades OTA. Under optimum conditions, 50% and 90% of OTA was degraded in 6 and 19 h, respectively. Other LAB strains that belonged to different species were tested but did not degrade OTA. OTA biodegradation by P. parvulus UTAD 473 was observed in grape must. Because some P. parvulus strains have relevant probiotic properties, the strains that were identified could be particularly relevant to food and feed applications to counteract the toxic effects of OTA.This work was funded by FEDER funds through the "Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade - COMPETE" and by national funds through "Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia - FCT", Ref. FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028029 and PTDC/AGR-TEC/3900/2012, respectively. The authors also thank the FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and the Project "BioInd - Biotechnology and Bioengineering for improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes, REF. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000028" co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER. Luis Abrunhosa was supported by the grant SFRH/BPD/43922/2008 from FCT
The small molecule GAT1508 activates brain-specific GIRK1/2 channel heteromers and facilitates conditioned fear extinction in rodents
G-protein-gated inwardly-rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels are targets of Gi/o-protein-signaling systems that inhibit cell excitability. GIRK channels exist as homotetramers (GIRK2 and GIRK4) or heterotetramers with nonfunctional homomeric subunits (GIRK1 and GIRK3). Although they have been implicated in multiple conditions, the lack of selective GIRK drugs that discriminate among the different GIRK channel subtypes has hampered investigations into their precise physiological relevance and therapeutic potential. Here, we report on a highly-specific, potent, and efficacious activator of brain GIRK1/2 channels. Using a chemical screen and electrophysiological assays, we found that this activator, the bromothiophene-substituted small molecule GAT1508, is specific for brain-expressed GIRK1/2 channels rather than for cardiac GIRK1/4 channels. Computational models predicted a GAT1508-binding site validated by experimental mutagenesis experiments, providing insights into how urea-based compounds engage distant GIRK1 residues required for channel activation. Furthermore, we provide computational and experimental evidence that GAT1508 is an allosteric modulator of channel-phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate interactions. Through brain-slice electrophysiology, we show that subthreshold GAT1508 concentrations directly stimulate GIRK currents in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and potentiate baclofen-induced currents. Of note, GAT1508 effectively extinguished conditioned fear in rodents and lacked cardiac and behavioral side effects, suggesting its potential for use in pharmacotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. In summary, our findings indicate that the small molecule GAT1508 has high specificity for brain GIRK1/2 channel subunits, directly or allosterically activates GIRK1/2 channels in the BLA, and facilitates fear extinction in a rodent model
Particle discrimination in a NaI crystal using the COSINUS remote TES design
The COSINUS direct dark matter experiment situated at Laboratori Nazionali
del Gran Sasso in Italy is set to investigate the nature of the annually
modulating signal detected by the DAMA/LIBRA experiment. COSINUS has already
demonstrated that sodium iodide crystals can be operated at mK temperature as
cryogenic scintillating calorimeters using transition edge sensors, despite the
complication of handling a hygroscopic and low melting point material. With
results from a new COSINUS prototype, we show that particle discrimination on
an event-by-event basis in NaI is feasible using the dual-channel readout of
both phonons and scintillation light. The detector was mounted in the novel
remoTES design and operated in an above-ground facility for 9.06 gd of
exposure. With a 3.7 g NaI crystal, e/ events could be clearly
distinguished from nuclear recoils down to the nuclear recoil energy threshold
of 15 keV.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figure
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