STIM1/Orai1-mediated store-operated Ca2+ entry: the tip of the iceberg

Highly efficient mechanisms regulate intracellular calcium (Ca2+) levels. The recent discovery of new components linking intracellular Ca2+ stores to plasma membrane Ca2+ entry channels has brought new insight into the understanding of Ca2+ homeostasis. Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) was identified as a Ca2+ sensor essential for Ca2+ store depletion-triggered Ca2+ influx. Orai1 was recognized as being an essential component for the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. Together, these proteins participate in store-operated Ca2+ channel function. Defective regulation of intracellular Ca2+ is a hallmark of several diseases. In this review, we focus on Ca2+ regulation by the STIM1/Orai1 pathway and review evidence that implicates STIM1/Orai1 in several pathological conditions including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, among others

Impact of dietary plant protein levels on the consumer acceptability of senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858)

The aim of the present work was to assess the impact of different vegetable diets in the sensory acceptability of Senegalese sole.This work was carried out by Project PROAMBIENTE for enhancing SMEs organizational and management structure to enter foreign markets. PROAMBIENTE has the financial support of Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional – QREN and Programa Operacional Regional do Norte – ON2, supported by the European fund for regional development FEDER

Fuchsian convex bodies: basics of Brunn--Minkowski theory

The hyperbolic space \H^d can be defined as a pseudo-sphere in the $(d+1)$ Minkowski space-time. In this paper, a Fuchsian group $\Gamma$ is a group of linear isometries of the Minkowski space such that \H^d/\Gamma is a compact manifold. We introduce Fuchsian convex bodies, which are closed convex sets in Minkowski space, globally invariant for the action of a Fuchsian group. A volume can be associated to each Fuchsian convex body, and, if the group is fixed, Minkowski addition behaves well. Then Fuchsian convex bodies can be studied in the same manner as convex bodies of Euclidean space in the classical Brunn--Minkowski theory. For example, support functions can be defined, as functions on a compact hyperbolic manifold instead of the sphere. The main result is the convexity of the associated volume (it is log concave in the classical setting). This implies analogs of Alexandrov--Fenchel and Brunn--Minkowski inequalities. Here the inequalities are reversed

Determination of superconducting anisotropy from magnetization data on random powders as applied to LuNi2_2B2_2C, YNi2_2B2_2C and MgB2_2

The recently discovered intermetallic superconductor MgB2 appears to have a highly anisotopic upper critical field with Hc2(max)/Hc2(min} = \gamma > 5. In order to determine the temperature dependence of both Hc2(max) and Hc2(min) we propose a method of extracting the superconducting anisotropy from the magnetization M(H,T) of randomly oriented powder samples. The method is based on two features in dM/dT the onset of diamagnetism at Tc(max), that is commonly associated with Hc2, and a kink in dM/dT at a lower temperature Tc(min). Results for LuNi2B2C and YNi2B2C powders are in agreement with anisotropic Hc2 obtained from magneto-transport measurements on single crystals. Using this method on four different types of MgB2 powder samples we are able to determine Hc2(max)(T) and Hc2(min)(T) with \gamma \approx 6

Einstein energy associated with the Friedmann -Robertson -Walker metric

Following Einstein's definition of Lagrangian density and gravitational field energy density (Einstein, A., Ann. Phys. Lpz., 49, 806 (1916); Einstein, A., Phys. Z., 19, 115 (1918); Pauli, W., {\it Theory of Relativity}, B.I. Publications, Mumbai, 1963, Trans. by G. Field), Tolman derived a general formula for the total matter plus gravitational field energy ($P_0$) of an arbitrary system (Tolman, R.C., Phys. Rev., 35(8), 875 (1930); Tolman, R.C., {\it Relativity, Thermodynamics & Cosmology}, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1962)); Xulu, S.S., arXiv:hep-th/0308070 (2003)). For a static isolated system, in quasi-Cartesian coordinates, this formula leads to the well known result $P_0 = \int \sqrt{-g} (T_0^0 - T_1^1 -T_2^2 -T_3^3) ~d^3 x$, where $g$ is the determinant of the metric tensor and $T^a_b$ is the energy momentum tensor of the {\em matter}. Though in the literature, this is known as "Tolman Mass", it must be realized that this is essentially "Einstein Mass" because the underlying pseudo-tensor here is due to Einstein. In fact, Landau -Lifshitz obtained the same expression for the "inertial mass" of a static isolated system without using any pseudo-tensor at all and which points to physical significance and correctness of Einstein Mass (Landau, L.D., and Lifshitz, E.M., {\it The Classical Theory of Fields}, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 2th ed., 1962)! For the first time we apply this general formula to find an expression for $P_0$ for the Friedmann- Robertson -Walker (FRW) metric by using the same quasi-Cartesian basis. As we analyze this new result, physically, a spatially flat model having no cosmological constant is suggested. Eventually, it is seen that conservation of $P_0$ is honoured only in the a static limit.Comment: By mistake a marginally different earlier version was loaded, now the journal version is uploade

Nonsingular FRW cosmology and nonlinear electrodynamics

The possibility to avoid the cosmic initial singularity as a consequence of nonlinear effects on the Maxwell eletromagnetic theory is discussed. For a flat FRW geometry we derive the general nonsingular solution supported by a magnetic field plus a cosmic fluid and a nonvanishing vacuum energy density. The nonsingular behavior of solutions with a time-dependent $\Lambda(t)$-term are also examined. As a general result, it is found that the functional dependence of $\Lambda(t)$ can uniquely be determined only if the magnetic field remains constant. All these models are examples of bouncing universes which may exhibit an inflationary dynamics driven by the nonlinear corrections of the magnetic field.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Indicadores de qualidade do solo em sistemas de cultivo orgânico e convencional no semi-árido Cearense.

A qualidade do solo pode mudar com o passar do tempo, em decorrência de eventos naturais ou ações antrópicas. A adoção de práticas de cultivo orgânico reduz o revolvimento do solo, favorecendo a recuperação de suas propriedades físicas e químicas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo comparar propriedades físicas,químicas e biológicas de solos cultivados com algodão em bases orgânicas e no sistema convencional, assim como identificar as que possam ser utilizadas como indicadores de qualidade do solo. Selecionaram-se seis áreas submetidas ao cultivo orgânico e três ao cultivo convencional para coleta de amostras de solo deformadas e indeformadas, nas camadas de 0–10, 10–20 e 20–30 cm. Técnicas de estatística univariada e multivariada foram utilizadas para análise dos dados. Os resultados mostraram que os indicadores físicos e químicos testados individualmente não foram sensíveis para diferenciar as áreas sob sistema de cultivo orgânico daquelas sob cultivo convencional. No entanto, a aplicação de técnicas de análise multivariada – no caso, componentes principais e a discriminante de Anderson – permitiu a distinção entre algumas áreas cultivadas sob cultivo orgânico comparativamente às convencionais, até mesmo as que estavam em transição.Dos indicadores biológicos, a fauna edáfica mostrou-se mais precisa na avaliação da qualidade do solo, distinguindo de forma satisfatória as áreas sob sistema de cultivo orgânico das que estavam sob sistema convencional

Adubos verdes e seus efeitos no rendimento da cana-de-açúcar em sistema de plantio direto.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar adubos verdes e seus efeitos no rendimento da cana-de-açúcar em sistema de plantio direto (SPD). O trabalho foi realizado em Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ), no período de dezembro de 2003 a julho de 2005. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram: feijão-de-porco (Canavalia ensiformis), mucuna-preta(Mucuna aterrimum), crotalária (Crotalária juncea) em plantio direto e vegetação espontânea em preparo convencional (testemunha). Com crotalária aos 35 dias após emergência (DAE) houve maior taxa de cobertura do solo – 87% – e, aos 92 DAE produziu 17.852 kg ha-1 de matéria seca, respectivamente, 41%, 78% e 407% superior ao feijão-de-porco, mucuna e vegetação espontânea, além de superá-las em acúmulos de K, Mg, S, Zn e Fe. O feijão-de-porco e a mucuna proporcionaram o maior teor de N na parte aérea. Com feijão-de-porco, os teores de P e Ca foram maiores que a crotalária e a mucuna. Com vegetação espontânea, o maior teor de K foi na parte aérea. As leguminosas acumularam maiores quantidades de N e Cu do que a vegetação espontânea. A crotalária e o feijão-de-porco acumularam 66% a mais de P na parte área que a mucuna. O SPD utilizando a adubação verde contribuiu significativamente para a maior produtividade de cana-de-açúcar, 135.863 kg ha-1, sendo 37% superior ao PC com a vegetação espontânea

Measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper reports a measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is based on a data sample recorded with the ATLAS detector with an integrated luminosity of 0.30 pb^-1 for jets with transverse momentum between 25 and 70 GeV in the pseudorapidity range |eta| < 2.5. D*+/- mesons found in jets are fully reconstructed in the decay chain: D*+ -> D0pi+, D0 -> K-pi+, and its charge conjugate. The production rate is found to be N(D*+/-)/N(jet) = 0.025 +/- 0.001(stat.) +/- 0.004(syst.) for D*+/- mesons that carry a fraction z of the jet momentum in the range 0.3 < z < 1. Monte Carlo predictions fail to describe the data at small values of z, and this is most marked at low jet transverse momentum.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (22 pages total), 5 figures, 1 table, matches published version in Physical Review