769 research outputs found
Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV is phosphorylated by an endogenous kinase
AbstractThis study was undertaken to identify novel mitochondrial membrane proteins that are potential targets for phosphorylation. Mitochondrial membranes were incubated in the presence of [γ-32P]ATP and the Triton X-114 extractable protein was subjected to ion-exchange and polyacrylamide gel chromatography to purify a major phosphorylated protein of approximately 17 000 Da. The determined peptide sequence of the purified phosphoprotein corresponded to a segment of cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV, an inner membrane protein of 17 160 Da. The identity of the phosphoprotein was confirmed by two-dimensional electrophoresis and Western blotting. The results identify mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV as a protein which is phosphorylated by an endogenous kinase
Remarks on the Central Limit Theorem for Non-Convex Bodies
In this note, we study possible extensions of the Central Limit Theorem for
non-convex bodies. First, we prove a Berry-Esseen type theorem for a certain
class of unconditional bodies that are not necessarily convex. Then, we
consider a widely-known class of non-convex bodies, the so-called p-convex
bodies, and construct a counter-example for this class
Public Perceptions of Values Associated with Wildfire Protection at the Wildland-Urban Interface: A Synthesis of National Findings
The wildland-urban interface (WUI) continues to transform rural landscapes as previously undeveloped areas are populated with residential and commercial structures which, in turn, impact ecosystems and create landscapes of risk. Within this context, the science of wildfire risk mitigation has experienced renewed and enhanced support among scientists and managers. However, risk mitigation measures have not found purchase in either the public’s acceptance or involvement in this new role of and for fire. This may partially result from little regard for the effects of wildfire prevention efforts on values other than protecting homes and other structures. We report findings from qualitative interviews conducted across the United States to identify and define various values at risk from wildfire. Values influencing risk mitigation emerged from the biophysical, sociodemographic, and sociocultural contexts of wildfire. Findings demonstrate how wildfire is intertwined with diverse sets of risks experienced in daily life. We provide a discussion of how this research impacts the transformation of landscapes and risk management strategies. Identifying and better understanding the effects of values associated with wildfire—and landscape change in the WUI—will allow natural resource managers and decision makers to develop more effective fuel treatment programs and land use policies
Evaluation of pre-workout and recovery formulations on body composition and performance after a 6-week high-intensity training program
Introduction: Activities such as high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be more time-efficient modes to stimulate rapid changes in performance and body composition. There is little research evaluating the combined effects of HIRT and HIIT on body composition and strength, particularly when paired with nutritional supplementation. Purpose: To evaluate the chronic effects of pre- and post-workout supplementation on body composition and strength, and to understand sex-specific responses. Materials and methods: 64 untrained males (n = 23) and females (n = 41) (mean ± standard deviation; age: 33.2 ± 10.0 years; %fat: 31.6 ± 7.4%) were randomized to either (1) pre-post supplementation [SUP (n = 25); pre = multi-ingredient caffeine/HMB/vit D; post = whey protein/carbohydrates/glucosamine/vitamins], (2) placebo [PL (n = 24); non-caloric], or (3) control [CON (n = 15)]. All participants completed one repetition max (1RM) strength testing for leg press and bench press at baseline and week 6. Estimates of fat mass (FM) and lean mass (LM) were measured via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Participants in the SUP or PL group completed a 6-week supervised exercise intervention consisting of a full-body HIRT workout (3 × 6–8 reps) followed by a HIIT treadmill run (6 × 1 min run: 1 min rest) twice per week. Outcomes were evaluated by separate repeated measure ANOVAs (2 × 3). Results: There were no differences in FM between groups or sex (p = 0.133–0.851). LM increased from baseline to post-testing for all groups [Mean difference [MD(Post-Pre) ± Standard Error (SE) = 0.78 ± 0.12 kg; p < 0.001]. While not significant (p = 0.081), SUP gained more LM compared to PL [MD(SUP-PL) ± SE = 3.5 ± 3.3 kg] and CON [MD(SUP-CON) ± SE = 5.2 ± 3.8 kg]. LM increased over time for both males (0.84 ± 0.24 kg; p = 0.003) and females (0.73 ± 0.14 kg; p < 0.001). The SUP group resulted in a significant increase in 1RM leg press compared to the CON group (89.9 ± 30.8 kg; p = 0.015), with no significant differences compared to PL (p = 0.409). The SUP group had greater increases in 1RM bench press compared to the CON group (9.8 ± 1.8 kg; p < 0.001), with no significant differences compared to PL (p = 0.99). Both sexes increased upper- (5.5 ± 0.7 kg; p < 0.001) and lower-body strength (69.8 ± 4.5 kg p < 0.001) with training. Conclusion: Nutrient supplementation timing appears to augment body composition changes and strength compared to control. Pre-/post-nutrient timing may support greater increases in LM and lower- and upper-body strength in both men and women. Clinical trial registration: [https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04230824?cond=NCT04230824&draw=2&rank=1], identifier [NCT04230824]
Summary for policymakers of the regional assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Africa of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Onsager coefficients of a Brownian Carnot cycle
We study a Brownian Carnot cycle introduced by T. Schmiedl and U. Seifert
[Europhys. Lett. \textbf{81}, 20003 (2008)] from a viewpoint of the linear
irreversible thermodynamics. By considering the entropy production rate of this
cycle, we can determine thermodynamic forces and fluxes of the cycle and
calculate the Onsager coefficients for general protocols, that is, arbitrary
schedules to change the potential confining the Brownian particle. We show that
these Onsager coefficients contain the information of the protocol shape and
they satisfy the tight-coupling condition irrespective of whatever protocol
shape we choose. These properties may give an explanation why the
Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency often appears in the finite-time heat engines
Effective metrics in the non-minimal Einstein-Yang-Mills-Higgs theory
We formulate a self-consistent non-minimal five-parameter
Einstein-Yang-Mills-Higgs (EYMH) model and analyse it in terms of effective
(associated, color and color-acoustic) metrics. We use a formalism of
constitutive tensors in order to reformulate master equations for the gauge,
scalar and gravitational fields and reconstruct in the algebraic manner the
so-called associated metrics for the Yang-Mills field. Using WKB-approximation
we find color metrics for the Yang-Mills field and color-acoustic metric for
the Higgs field in the framework of five-parameter EYMH model. Based on
explicit representation of these effective metrics for the EYMH system with
uniaxial symmetry, we consider cosmological applications for Bianchi-I, FLRW
and de Sitter models. We focus on the analysis of the obtained expressions for
velocities of propagation of longitudinal and transversal color and
color-acoustic waves in a (quasi)vacuum interacting with curvature; we show
that curvature coupling results in time variations of these velocities. We
show, that the effective metrics can be regular or can possess singularities
depending on the choice of the parameters of non-minimal coupling in the
cosmological models under discussion. We consider a physical interpretation of
such singularities in terms of phase velocities of color and color-acoustic
waves, using the terms ``wave stopping'' and ``trapped surface''.Comment: 25 pages, no figures, accepted to Annals of Physic
Limited Lifespan of Fragile Regions in Mammalian Evolution
An important question in genome evolution is whether there exist fragile
regions (rearrangement hotspots) where chromosomal rearrangements are happening
over and over again. Although nearly all recent studies supported the existence
of fragile regions in mammalian genomes, the most comprehensive phylogenomic
study of mammals (Ma et al. (2006) Genome Research 16, 1557-1565) raised some
doubts about their existence. We demonstrate that fragile regions are subject
to a "birth and death" process, implying that fragility has limited
evolutionary lifespan. This finding implies that fragile regions migrate to
different locations in different mammals, explaining why there exist only a few
chromosomal breakpoints shared between different lineages. The birth and death
of fragile regions phenomenon reinforces the hypothesis that rearrangements are
promoted by matching segmental duplications and suggests putative locations of
the currently active fragile regions in the human genome
Work function changes in the double layered manganite La1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7
We have investigated the behaviour of the work function of La1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7 as
a function of temperature by means of photoemission. We found a decrease of 55
+/- 10 meV in going from 60 K to just above the Curie temperature (125 K) of
the sample. Above T_C the work function appears to be roughly constant. Our
results are exactly opposite to the work function changes calculated from the
double-exchange model by Furukawa, but are consistent with other measurements.
The disagreement with double-exchange can be explained using a general
thermodynamic relation valid for second order transitions and including the
extra processes involved in the manganites besides double-exchange interaction.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures included in tex
Observing Direct CP Violation in Untagged B-Meson Decays
Direct CP violation can exist in untagged B-meson decays to self-conjugate,
three-particle final states; it would be realized as a population asymmetry in
the untagged decay rate across the mirror line of the Dalitz plot of the
three-body decay. We explore the numerical size of this direct CP-violating
effect in a variety of B-meson decays to three pseudoscalar mesons; we show
that the resulting asymmetry is comparable to the partial rate asymmetry in the
analogous tagged decays, making the search for direct CP violation in the
untagged decay rate, for which greater statistics accrue, advantageous.Comment: 31 pages, REVTeX4, 1 eps figure, references added, typos corrected,
version to appear in PR
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