336 research outputs found
Nanoscale Mechanical Characterisation of Amyloid Fibrils Discovered in a Natural Adhesive
Using the atomic force microscope, we have investigated the nanoscale mechanical response of the attachment adhesive of the terrestrial alga Prasiola linearis (Prasiolales, Chlorophyta). We were able to locate and extend highly ordered mechanical structures directly from the natural adhesive matrix of the living plant. The in vivo mechanical response of the structured biopolymer often displayed the repetitive sawtooth force-extension characteristics of a material exhibiting high mechanical strength at the molecular level. Mechanical and histological evidence leads us to propose a mechanism for mechanical strength in our sample based on amyloid fibrils. These proteinaceous, pleated β-sheet complexes are usually associated with neurodegenerative diseases. However, we now conclude that the amyloid protein quaternary structures detected in our material should be considered as a possible generic mechanism for mechanical strength in natural adhesives
Understanding decision quality through satisfaction
"PAAMS 2014 International Workshops, Salamanca, Spain, June 4-6, 2014. Proceedings"One of the most important factors to determine the success of an or-ganization is the quality of decisions made. In order to improve the decisions taken and to strengthen the competitiveness of organizations, systems such as Group Decision Support Systems (GDSSs) have been strongly developed and studied in recent decades. The amount of GDSSs incorporating automatic nego-tiation mechanisms, such as argumentation, is increasing nowadays. The evalu-ation of these mechanisms and the understanding of their real benefits for the organizations is still a hard challenge. In this article, we propose a model that allows a GDSS to measure the participant’s satisfaction with the decision, con-sidering aspects such as problem evaluation, personality, emotions and expecta-tions. This model is intended to enable the understanding of the decision’s qual-ity achieved with an argumentation system and to evaluate its capability to po-tentiate the decision’s quality. The proposed model validates all the assump-tions found in the literature regarding the participant’s satisfaction.This work is supported by FEDER Funds through the “Programa Operacional Fac-tores de Competitividade - COMPETE” program and by National Funds through FCT “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia” under the project: FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-PEst-OE/EEI/UI0760/2011 and SFRH/BD/89697/2012
Polarisation observations of VY Canis Majoris H2O 5(32)-4(41) 620.701 GHz maser emission with HIFI
The use of multimodal analgesia in the management of suspected extremity compartment syndrome in the pelvic limb of a horse
A novel 65 kDa RNA-binding protein in squid presynaptic terminals
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2009. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Neuroscience 166 (2010): 73-83, doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.12.005.A polyclonal antibody (C4), raised against the head domain of chicken myosin Va,
reacted strongly towards a 65 kDa polypeptide (p65) on western blots of extracts from squid optic
lobes but did not recognize the heavy chain of squid myosin V. This peptide was not recognized by
other myosin Va antibodies, nor by an antibody specific for squid myosin V. In an attempt to
identify it, p65 was purified from optic lobes of Loligo plei by cationic exchange and reverse phase
chromatography. Several peptide sequences were obtained by mass spectroscopy from p65 cut from
SDS-PAGE gels. BLAST analysis and partial matching with ESTs from a Loligo pealei data bank
indicated that p65 contains consensus signatures for the hnRNP A/B family of RNA-binding
proteins. Centrifugation of post mitochondrial extracts from optic lobes on sucrose gradients after
treatment with RNase gave biochemical evidence that p65 associates with cytoplasmic RNP
complexes in an RNA-dependent manner. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence studies
using the C4 antibody showed partial co-labeling with an antibody against squid synaptotagmin in
bands within the outer plexiform layer of the optic lobes and at the presynaptic zone of the stellate
ganglion. Also, punctate labeling by the C4 antibody was observed within isolated optic lobe
synaptosomes. The data indicate that p65 is a novel RNA-binding protein located to the presynaptic
terminal within squid neurons and may have a role in synaptic localization of RNA and its
translation or processing.REL, JCR and JEM received
financial support from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), the
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and the Fundação de
Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Assistência do Hospital das Clínicas da FMRP-USP (FAEPA). JAD
received financial support from the RI-INBRE Program Grant #P20RR016457 from the Nation
Center for Research Resources, NIH, Bethesda, MD. DTPL, LC, SBFT, EJRV and MMAB were
recipients of research fellowships from FAPESP and CNPq. REL and JEM received Productivityin-
Research fellowships from CNPq
The Origin, Early Evolution and Predictability of Solar Eruptions
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were discovered in the early 1970s when space-borne coronagraphs revealed that eruptions of plasma are ejected from the Sun. Today, it is known that the Sun produces eruptive flares, filament eruptions, coronal mass ejections and failed eruptions; all thought to be due to a release of energy stored in the coronal magnetic field during its drastic reconfiguration. This review discusses the observations and physical mechanisms behind this eruptive activity, with a view to making an assessment of the current capability of forecasting these events for space weather risk and impact mitigation. Whilst a wealth of observations exist, and detailed models have been developed, there still exists a need to draw these approaches together. In particular more realistic models are encouraged in order to asses the full range of complexity of the solar atmosphere and the criteria for which an eruption is formed. From the observational side, a more detailed understanding of the role of photospheric flows and reconnection is needed in order to identify the evolutionary path that ultimately means a magnetic structure will erupt
Effects of alginate and resistant starch on feeding patterns, behaviour and performance in ad libitum-fed growing pigs
Controle da leptospirose em bovinos de leite com vacina autógena em Santo Antônio do Monte, Minas Gerais
The feasibility of motion and structure from noisy time-varying image velocity information
- …