914 research outputs found
Shedding light on the expansion and diversification of the Cdc48 protein family during the rise of the eukaryotic cell.
A defining feature of eukaryotic cells is the presence of various distinct membrane-bound compartments with different metabolic roles. Material exchange between most compartments occurs via a sophisticated vesicle trafficking system. This intricate cellular architecture of eukaryotes appears to have emerged suddenly, about 2 billion years ago, from much less complex ancestors. How the eukaryotic cell acquired its internal complexity is poorly understood, partly because no prokaryotic precursors have been found for many key factors involved in compartmentalization. One exception is the Cdc48 protein family, which consists of several distinct classical ATPases associated with various cellular activities (AAA+) proteins with two consecutive AAA domains.
Here, we have classified the Cdc48 family through iterative use of hidden Markov models and tree building. We found only one type, Cdc48, in prokaryotes, although a set of eight diverged members that function at distinct subcellular compartments were retrieved from eukaryotes and were probably present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA). Pronounced changes in sequence and domain structure during the radiation into the LECA set are delineated. Moreover, our analysis brings to light lineage-specific losses and duplications that often reflect important biological changes. Remarkably, we also found evidence for internal duplications within the LECA set that probably occurred during the rise of the eukaryotic cell.
Our analysis corroborates the idea that the diversification of the Cdc48 family is closely intertwined with the development of the compartments of the eukaryotic cell
On the influence of the magnetic field of the GSI experimental storage ring on the time-modulation of the EC-decay rates of the H-like mother ions
We investigate the influence of the magnetic field of the
Experimental storage ring (ESR) at GSI on the periodic time-dependence of the
orbital K-shell electron capture decay ) rates of the H--like heavy ions.
We approximate the magnetic field of the ESR by a uniform magnetic field.
Unlike the assertion by Lambiase et al., arXiv: 0811.2302 [nucl-th], we show
that a motion of the H-like heavy ion in a uniform magnetic field cannot be the
origin of the periodic time-dependence of the EC-decay rates of the H-like
heavy ions.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figur
Mass elevation effect and continentality have a stronger impact on global treelines than spatial isolation
Time-Resolved Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy for selected photon paths beyond 300 transport mean free paths
This paper is devoted to the theoretical and experimental demonstration of
the possibility to perform time-resolved diffusing wave spectroscopy: we
successfully registered field fluctuations for selected photon path lengths
that can overpass 300 transport mean free paths. Such a performance opens new
possibilities for biomedical optics applications.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
First-principles modelling of molecular single-electron transistors
We present a first-principles method for calculating the charging energy of a
molecular single-electron transistor operating in the Coulomb blockade regime.
The properties of the molecule are modeled using density-functional theory, the
environment is described by a continuum model, and the interaction between the
molecule and the environment are included through the Poisson equation. The
model is used to calculate the charge stability diagrams of a benzene and
C molecular single-electron transistor
Process behavior and product quality in fertilizer manufacturing using continuous hopper transfer pan granulation—Experimental investigations
Fertilizers are commonly used to improve the soil quality in both conventional and organic agriculture. One such fertilizer is dolomite for which soil application in granulated form is advantageous. These granules are commonly produced from ground dolomite powder in continuous pan transfer granulators. During production, the granulator’s operation parameters affect the granules’ properties and thereby also the overall performance of the fertilizer. To ensure product granules of certain specifications and an efficient overall production, process control and intensification approaches based on mathematical models can be applied. However, the latter require high-quality quantitative experimental data describing the effects of process operation parameters on the granule properties. Therefore, in this article, such data is presented for a lab-scale experimental setup. Investigations were carried out into how variations in binder spray rate, binder composition, feed powder flow rate, pan inclination angle, and angular velocity affect particle size distribution, mechanical stability, and humidity. Furthermore, in contrast to existing work samples from both, pan granules and product granules are analyzed. The influence of operation parameter variations on the differences between both, also known as trajectory separation, is described quantitatively. The results obtained indicate an increase in the average particle size with increasing binder flow rate to feed rate and increasing binder concentration and the inclination angle of the pan. Compressive strength varied significantly depending on the operating parameters. Significant differences in properties were observed for the product and the intermediate (pan) samples. In fact, for some operation parameters, e.g., binder feed rate, the magnitude of the separation effect strongly depends on the specific value of the operation parameter. The presented concise data will enable future mathematical modeling of the pan granulation process, e.g., using the framework of population balance equations
Dependence of DC characteristics of CNT MOSFETs on bandstructure models
http://www.gianlucafiori.org/articles/CNTieeenano.pd
An Extended Huckel Theory based Atomistic Model for Graphene Nanoelectronics
An atomistic model based on the spin-restricted extended Huckel theory (EHT)
is presented for simulating electronic structure and I-V characteristics of
graphene devices. The model is applied to zigzag and armchair graphene
nano-ribbons (GNR) with and without hydrogen passivation, as well as for
bilayer graphene. Further calculations are presented for electric fields in the
nano-ribbon width direction and in the bilayer direction to show electronic
structure modification. Finally, the EHT Hamiltonian and NEGF (Nonequilibrium
Green's function) formalism are used for a paramagnetic zigzag GNR to show
2e2/h quantum conductance.Comment: 5 pages, 8 figure
Examining Sodium and Potassium Channel Conductances Involved in Hyperexcitability of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Mathematical and Cell Culture-Based Study
Extended Huckel theory for bandstructure, chemistry, and transport. II. Silicon
In this second paper, we develop transferable semi-empirical parameters for
the technologically important material, silicon, using Extended Huckel Theory
(EHT) to calculate its electronic structure. The EHT-parameters areoptimized to
experimental target values of the band dispersion of bulk-silicon. We obtain a
very good quantitative match to the bandstructure characteristics such as
bandedges and effective masses, which are competitive with the values obtained
within an orthogonal-tight binding model for silicon. The
transferability of the parameters is investigated applying them to different
physical and chemical environments by calculating the bandstructure of two
reconstructed surfaces with different orientations: Si(100) (2x1) and Si(111)
(2x1). The reproduced - and -surface bands agree in part
quantitatively with DFT-GW calculations and PES/IPES experiments demonstrating
their robustness to environmental changes. We further apply the silicon
parameters to describe the 1D band dispersion of a unrelaxed rectangular
silicon nanowire (SiNW) and demonstrate the EHT-approach of surface passivation
using hydrogen. Our EHT-parameters thus provide a quantitative model of
bulk-silicon and silicon-based materials such as contacts and surfaces, which
are essential ingredients towards a quantitative quantum transport simulation
through silicon-based heterostructures.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure
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