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Junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum motility in adult mouse ventricular myocytes.
Excitation-contraction (EC) coupling is the coordinated process by which an action potential triggers cardiac myocyte contraction. EC coupling is initiated in dyads where the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (jSR) is in tight proximity to the sarcolemma of cardiac myocytes. Existing models of EC coupling critically depend on dyad stability to ensure the fidelity and strength of EC coupling, where even small variations in ryanodine receptor channel and voltage-gated calcium channel-α 1.2 subunit separation dramatically alter EC coupling. However, dyadic motility has never been studied. Here, we developed a novel strategy to track specific jSR units in dissociated adult ventricular myocytes using photoactivatable fluorescent proteins. We found that the jSR is not static. Instead, we observed dynamic formation and dissolution of multiple dyadic junctions regulated by the microtubule-associated molecular motors kinesin-1 and dynein. Our data support a model where reproducibility of EC coupling results from the activation of a temporally averaged number of SR Ca2+ release units forming and dissolving SR-sarcolemmal junctions. These findings challenge the long-held view that the jSR is an immobile structure and provide insights into the mechanisms underlying its motility
THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF A VAPOR-COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION CYCLE WITH A HEAT EXCHANGER BETWEEN THE SUCTION AND LIQUID LINES
Vapor-compression refrigeration systems require a significant amount of electrical energy. Therefore, there is a need for finding efficient ways of operating this equipment, reducing their energy consumption. The use of heat exchangers between the suction line and the liquid line can produce a better performance of the thermodynamic cycle, as well as reduce it. The present work aims at an experimental analysis of the suction/liquid heat exchanger present in a freezer running with refrigerant fluid R-134a. Three different scenarios were used in order to evaluate the thermal performance of the refrigeration cycle. The first scenario was the conventional freezer set up to collect the required data for further comparison. Moreover, the second and third scenarios were introduced with a 20 cm and 40 cm suction/liquid heat exchanger, respectively, into the system. From the experiments, it was observed that the heat exchange does not significantly affect the coefficient of performance (COP) of the freezer. It was concluded from this work that the best scenario analyzed was the 20 cm suction/liquid heat exchanger where most of the thermodynamic properties were improved, one of them being the isentropic efficiency
Crescimento de mandioca, maniçoba e pornunça conduzidas sob poda em épocas distintas na região semi-árida.
O presente ensaio teve o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho em termos de produção e omportamento da mandioca, da maniçoba e da pornunça sob diferentes tipos de manejo, quanto às podas da parte aérea das plantas, em área de produtor no município de Petrolina, PE
The distribution and nature of soils with low phosphorus in the Brazilian savannas.
Editado por Robert E. Schaffert
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Distance constraints on activation of TRPV4 channels by AKAP150-bound PKCα in arterial myocytes.
TRPV4 (transient receptor potential vanilloid 4) channels are Ca2+-permeable channels that play a key role in regulating vascular tone. In arterial myocytes, opening of TRPV4 channels creates local increases in Ca2+ influx, detectable optically as "TRPV4 sparklets." TRPV4 sparklet activity can be enhanced by the action of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II (AngII). This modulation depends on the activation of subcellular signaling domains that comprise protein kinase C α (PKCα) bound to the anchoring protein AKAP150. Here, we used super-resolution nanoscopy, patch-clamp electrophysiology, Ca2+ imaging, and mathematical modeling approaches to test the hypothesis that AKAP150-dependent modulation of TRPV4 channels is critically dependent on the distance between these two proteins in the sarcolemma of arterial myocytes. Our data show that the distance between AKAP150 and TRPV4 channel clusters varies with sex and arterial bed. Consistent with our hypothesis, we further find that basal and AngII-induced TRPV4 channel activity decays exponentially as the distance between TRPV4 and AKAP150 increases. Our data suggest a maximum radius of action of ∼200 nm for local modulation of TRPV4 channels by AKAP150-associated PKCα
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