Calcium-evoked dendritic exocytosis in cultured hippocampal neurons. Part II: mediation by calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II.

Calcium-evoked dendritic exocytosis (CEDE), demonstrated in cultured hippocampal neurons, is a novel mechanism that could play a role in synaptic plasticity. A number of forms of neuronal plasticity are thought to be mediated by calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). Here, we investigate the role of CaMKII in CEDE. We find that the developmental time course of CEDE parallels the expression of alphaCaMKII, a dominant subunit of CaMKII. An inhibitor of this enzyme, KN-62, blocks CEDE. Furthermore, 7 d in vitro neurons (which normally do not express alphaCaMKII nor show CEDE) can undergo CEDE when infected with a recombinant virus producing alphaCaMKII. Expression of a constitutively active CaMKII produces dendritic exocytosis in the absence of calcium stimulus, and this exocytosis is blocked by nocodazole, an inhibitor of microtubule polymerization that also blocks CEDE. These results indicate that CEDE is mediated by the activation of CaMKII, consistent with the view that CEDE plays a role in synaptic plasticity

Factorial analysis of slaughter characteristics of fattening pigs fed different additives – Enzyme and probiotic in mixtures

To successfully investigate slaughter characteristics of fattening pigs fed in different ways, this experiment was carried out on Experimental Farm of the Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade- Zemun. Investigation of correlation between slaughter traits of pigs fed with different additives in their nutrition was done by factorial analysis. Slaughter characteristics in three groups of fattening pigs fed in different ways were observed. The first group (variant 1) consisted of fatteners fed diets without any special additives. The second group (variant 2) consisted of pigs fed diets containing enzyme Rovabio, and the third group (variant 3) probiotic Lacture + Microbond. This study was aimed at coming to conclusion based on the results of factorial analysis of the observed traits to the greatest extent which determined slaughter traits of pigs fed diets containing different additives. The results obtained in general, that is, the structure of separated factors showed that different slaughter characteristics are realized with different nutrition.Key words: Fattening pigs, slaughter characteristics, enzyme Rovabio, probiotic Lacture + Microbond, factorial analysis

Effect of temperature on the physical changes and drying kinetics in plum (Prunus domestica L.) Požegača variety

In this study, drying kinetics of autochthonous variety Požegača plum was examined in a laboratory dryer at three temperatures. The whole plum fruits, together with the kernels were subjected to the drying process. The effect of drying has been examined at temperatures of 55, 60 and 75 °C, with a constant air velocity of 1.1 m s-1. The corresponding experimental results were tested using six nonlinear regression models. Coefficient of determination (R2), standard regression error (SSE), model correlation coeficient (Vy), as well as the maximum absolute error (ΔY) showed that the logaritmic model was in good agreement with the experimental data obtained. During drying of plums, the effective diffusivity was found to be between 5.6×10-9 for 55 °C and 8.9×10-9 m2 s-1 at 75 °C, respectively. The physical characteristics of fresh (length 39.64 mm and width 29.15 mm) and dried (length 37.52 mm and width 22.85 mm) plum fruit were determined. Finally, by chemical analysis, the contents of micro- and macro-elements (Fe, Mn, Cu, B and N, F, K, Ca, Mg and S) in the skin and flesh of the dried product, prunes, has been established

Molecular characterization of old local grapevine varieties from South East European countries

South East European (SEE) viticulture partially relies on native grapevine varieties, previously scarcely described. In order to characterize old local grapevine varieties and assess the level of synonymy and genetic diversity from SEE countries, we described and genotyped 122 accessions from Albania, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Romania on nine most commonly used microsatellite loci. As a result of the study a total of 86 different genotypes were identified. All loci were very polymorphic and a total of 96 alleles were detected, ranging from 8 to 14 alleles per locus, with an average allele number of 10.67. Overall observed heterozygosity was 0.759 and slightly lower than expected (0.789) while gene diversity per locus varied between 0.600 (VVMD27) and 0.906 (VVMD28). Eleven cases of synonymy and three of homonymy have been recorded for samples harvested from different countries. Cultivars with identical genotypes were mostly detected between neighboring countries. No clear differentiation between countries was detected although several specific alleles were detected. The integration of the obtained genetic data with ampelographic ones is very important for accurate identification of the SEE cultivars and provides a significant tool in cultivar preservation and utilization.

Pion emission from the T2K replica target: method, results and application

The T2K long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment in Japan needs precise predictions of the initial neutrino flux. The highest precision can be reached based on detailed measurements of hadron emission from the same target as used by T2K exposed to a proton beam of the same kinetic energy of 30 GeV. The corresponding data were recorded in 2007-2010 by the NA61/SHINE experiment at the CERN SPS using a replica of the T2K graphite target. In this paper details of the experiment, data taking, data analysis method and results from the 2007 pilot run are presented. Furthermore, the application of the NA61/SHINE measurements to the predictions of the T2K initial neutrino flux is described and discussed.Comment: updated version as published by NIM

NA61/SHINE facility at the CERN SPS: beams and detector system

NA61/SHINE (SPS Heavy Ion and Neutrino Experiment) is a multi-purpose experimental facility to study hadron production in hadron-proton, hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. It recorded the first physics data with hadron beams in 2009 and with ion beams (secondary 7Be beams) in 2011. NA61/SHINE has greatly profited from the long development of the CERN proton and ion sources and the accelerator chain as well as the H2 beamline of the CERN North Area. The latter has recently been modified to also serve as a fragment separator as needed to produce the Be beams for NA61/SHINE. Numerous components of the NA61/SHINE set-up were inherited from its predecessors, in particular, the last one, the NA49 experiment. Important new detectors and upgrades of the legacy equipment were introduced by the NA61/SHINE Collaboration. This paper describes the state of the NA61/SHINE facility - the beams and the detector system - before the CERN Long Shutdown I, which started in March 2013

Radiation hardness qualification of PbWO4 scintillation crystals for the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter

This is the Pre-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 IOPEnsuring the radiation hardness of PbWO4 crystals was one of the main priorities during the construction of the electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment at CERN. The production on an industrial scale of radiation hard crystals and their certification over a period of several years represented a difficult challenge both for CMS and for the crystal suppliers. The present article reviews the related scientific and technological problems encountered

Intercalibration of the barrel electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment at start-up

Calibration of the relative response of the individual channels of the barrel electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS detector was accomplished, before installation, with cosmic ray muons and test beams. One fourth of the calorimeter was exposed to a beam of high energy electrons and the relative calibration of the channels, the intercalibration, was found to be reproducible to a precision of about 0.3%. Additionally, data were collected with cosmic rays for the entire ECAL barrel during the commissioning phase. By comparing the intercalibration constants obtained with the electron beam data with those from the cosmic ray data, it is demonstrated that the latter provide an intercalibration precision of 1.5% over most of the barrel ECAL. The best intercalibration precision is expected to come from the analysis of events collected in situ during the LHC operation. Using data collected with both electrons and pion beams, several aspects of the intercalibration procedures based on electrons or neutral pions were investigated