237 research outputs found
Good Transport Practices in University of West Attica
University of West Attica operates in three Campuses, all within the metropolitan region of Attica, indicating that the mobility characteristics of these campuses are similar to urban models and in most cases, could be used as a test area for mobility policies related to public transport, multimodality or transport restrictions. Within the Cοvid-19 period, University of West Attica made important progress in transport related issues that are very critical for the smooth operation of the campuses and the University as a whole. The key transport related good practices refer to several thematic areas including parking management, soft modes infrastructure, public transport, car related issues, road infrastructure, environment, and energy. All these key interventions have a positive impact not only for the members of the academic society of University of West Attica but also to the mobility characteristics of West and Central Attica where university campuses are located and interact with Attica residents and tourists.Keyword: University of West Attica, Campus, Urban Mobility, Transport, Parkin
Identification of transcriptional and metabolic programs related to mammalian cell size
SummaryBackgroundRegulation of cell size requires coordination of growth and proliferation. Conditional loss of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 in mice permits hepatocyte growth without cell division, allowing us to study cell size in vivo using transcriptomics and metabolomics.ResultsLarger cells displayed increased expression of cytoskeletal genes but unexpectedly repressed expression of many genes involved in mitochondrial functions. This effect appears to be cell autonomous because cultured Drosophila cells induced to increase cell size displayed a similar gene-expression pattern. Larger hepatocytes also displayed a reduction in the expression of lipogenic transcription factors, especially sterol-regulatory element binding proteins. Inhibition of mitochondrial functions and lipid biosynthesis, which is dependent on mitochondrial metabolism, increased the cell size with reciprocal effects on cell proliferation in several cell lines.ConclusionsWe uncover that large cell-size increase is accompanied by downregulation of mitochondrial gene expression, similar to that observed in diabetic individuals. Mitochondrial metabolism and lipid synthesis are used to couple cell size and cell proliferation. This regulatory mechanism may provide a possible mechanism for sensing metazoan cell size
Strain induced half-metal to semiconductor transition in GdN
We have investigated the electronic structure and magnetic properties of GdN
as a function of unit cell volume. Based on the first-principles calculations
of GdN, we observe that there is a transformation in conduction properties
associated with the volume increase: first from halfmetallic to semi-metallic,
then ultimately to semiconducting. We show that applying stress can alter the
carrier concentration as well as mobility of the holes and electrons in the
majority spin channel. In addition, we found that the exchange parameters
depend strongly on lattice constant, thus the Curie temperature of this system
can be enhanced by applying stress or doping impurities.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Cell size control - a mechanism for maintaining fitness and function
The maintenance of cell size homeostasis has been studied for years in different cellular systems. With the focus on ‘what regulates cell size’, the question ‘why cell size needs to be maintained’ has been largely overlooked. Recent evidence indicates that animal cells exhibit nonlinear cell size dependent growth rates and mitochondrial metabolism, which are maximal in intermediate sized cells within each cell population. Increases in intracellular distances and changes in the relative cell surface area impose biophysical limitations on cells, which can explain why growth and metabolic rates are maximal in a specific cell size range. Consistently, aberrant increases in cell size, for example through polyploidy, are typically disadvantageous to cellular metabolism, fitness and functionality. Accordingly, cellular hypertrophy can potentially predispose to or worsen metabolic diseases. We propose that cell size control may have emerged as a guardian of cellular fitness and metabolic activity
Phonon dispersion and electron-phonon interaction for YBa_2Cu_3O_7 from first-principles calculations
We present a first principles investigation of the lattice dynamics and
electron-phonon coupling of the high-T_c superconductor YBa_2Cu_3O_7 within the
framework of density functional perturbation theory using a mixed-basis
pseudopotential method. The calculated phonon dispersion curves are in
excellent agreement with Raman, infrared and neutron data. Calculation of the
Eliashberg function alpha^2F leads to a small electron-phonon coupling
lambda=0.27 in disagreement with earlier approximate treatments. Our
calculations strongly support the view that conventional electron-phonon
coupling is not an important contribution to superconductivity in high-T_c
materials.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Cu Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance Study of Site-Disorder and Chemical Pressure Effects on Y(Ba1-xSrx)2Cu4O8
We report a zero-field Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) study on the
effects of nonmagnetic Sr substitution for high-Tc superconductors,
Y(Ba1-xSrx)2Cu4O8 (Tc=82-80 K for x=0-0.4), using a spin-echo technique. The
site-disordering and chemical pressure effects associated with doping Sr were
observed in the broadened, shifted Cu NQR spectra. Nevertheless, the site
disorder did not significantly affect the homogeneity of Cu electron spin
dynamics, in contrast to the in-plane impurity. The peak shift of Cu NQR
spectrum due to Sr was different between the chain- and the plane-Cu sites,
more remarkably than those under a hydrostatic physical pressure, suggesting
anisotropic or nonuniform local structural strains. The small decrease of Tc
due to Sr can be traced back to either a cancellation effect on Tc between the
disorder and the pressure, or an anisotropic or nonuniform chemical pressure
effect on Tc.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Physical origin of the buckling in CuO: Electron-phonon coupling and Raman spectra
It is shown theoretically that the buckling of the CuO planes in
certain cuprate systems can be explained in terms of an electric field across
the planes which originates from different valences of atoms above and below
the plane. This field results also in a strong coupling of the Raman-active
out-of-phase vibration of the oxygen atoms ( mode) to the electronic
charge transfer between the two oxygens in the CuO plane. Consequently,
the electric field can be deduced from the Fano-type line shape of the
phonon. Using the electric field estimated from the electron-phonon coupling
the amplitude of the buckling is calculated and found to be in good agreement
with the structural data. Direct experimental support for the idea proposed is
obtained in studies of YBaCuO and
BiSr(CaY)CuO with different oxygen and
yttrium doping, respectively, including antiferromagnetic samples. In the
latter compound, symmetry breaking by replacing Ca partially by Y leads to an
enhancement of the electron-phonon coupling by an order of magnitude.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, and 1 tabl
The CDK-Activating Kinase (CAK) Csk1 Is Required for Normal Levels of Homologous Recombination and Resistance to DNA Damage in Fission Yeast
BACKGROUND: Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) perform essential roles in cell division and gene expression in all eukaryotes. The requirement for an upstream CDK-activating kinase (CAK) is also universally conserved, but the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe appears to be unique in having two CAKs with both overlapping and specialized functions that can be dissected genetically. The Mcs6 complex--orthologous to metazoan Cdk7/cyclin H/Mat1--activates the cell-cycle CDK, Cdk1, but its non-redundant essential function appears to be in regulation of gene expression, as part of transcription factor TFIIH. The other CAK is Csk1, an ortholog of budding yeast Cak1, which activates all three essential CDKs in S. pombe--Cdk1, Mcs6 and Cdk9, the catalytic subunit of positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb)--but is not itself essential. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Cells lacking csk1(+) are viable but hypersensitive to agents that damage DNA or block replication. Csk1 is required for normal levels of homologous recombination (HR), and interacts genetically with components of the HR pathway. Tests of damage sensitivity in csk1, mcs6 and cdk9 mutants indicate that Csk1 acts pleiotropically, through Cdk9 and at least one other target (but not through Mcs6) to preserve genomic integrity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The two CAKs in fission yeast, which differ with respect to their substrate range and preferences for monomeric CDKs versus CDK/cyclin complexes as substrates, also support different functions of the CDK network in vivo. Csk1 plays a non-redundant role in safeguarding genomic integrity. We propose that specialized activation pathways dependent on different CAKs might insulate CDK functions important in DNA damage responses from those capable of triggering mitosis
- …