An improved crystal structure of C-phycoerythrin from the marine cyanobacterium Phormidium sp. A09DM

C-Phycoerythrin (PE) from Phormidium sp. A09DM has been crystallized using different conditions and its structure determined to atomic resolution (1.14 Å). In order for the pigment present, phycoerythrobilin (PEB), to function as an efficient light-harvesting molecule it must be held rigidly (Kupka and Scheer in Biochim Biophys Acta 1777:94–103, 2008) and, moreover, the different PEB molecules in PE must be arranged, relative to each other, so as to promote efficient energy transfer between them. This improved structure has allowed us to define in great detail the structure of the PEBs and their binding sites. These precise structural details will facilitate theoretical calculations of each PEB’s spectroscopic properties. It was possible, however, to suggest a model for which chromophores contribute to the different regions of absorption spectrum and propose a tentative scheme for energy transfer. We show that some subtle differences in one of these PEB binding sites in two of the 12 subunits are caused by crystal contacts between neighboring hexamers in the crystal lattice. This explains some of the differences seen in previous lower resolution structures determined at two different pH values (Kumar et al. in Photosyn Res 129:17–28, 2016)

Characterisation of a pucBA deletion mutant from Rhodopseudomonas palustris lacking all but the pucBAd genes

Rhodopseudomonas palustris is a species of purple photosynthetic bacteria that has a multigene family of puc genes that encode the alpha and beta apoproteins, which form the LH2 complexes. A genetic dissection strategy has been adopted in order to try and understand which spectroscopic form of LH2 these different genes produce. This paper presents a characterisation of one of the deletion mutants generated in this program, the pucBAd only mutant. This mutant produces an unusual spectroscopic form of LH2 that only has a single large NIR absorption band at 800 nm. Spectroscopic and pigment analyses on this complex suggest that it has basically a similar overall structure as that of the wild-type HL LH2 complex. The mutant has the unique phenotype where the mutant LH2 complex is only produced when cells are grown at LL. At HL the mutant only produces the LH1-RC core complex

Micromachined two-dimensional array piezoelectrically actuated transducers

Cataloged from PDF version of article.This letter presents micromachined two-dimensional array flextensional transducers that can be used to generate sound in air or water. Individual array elements consist of a thin piezoelectric ring and a thin, fully supported, circular membrane. We report on an optimum design for an individual array element based on finite element modeling. We manufacture the transducer in two-dimensional arrays using planar silicon micromachining and demonstrate ultrasound transmission in air at 2.85 MHz. Such an array could be combined with on-board driving and an addressing circuitry for different applications. © 1998 American Institute of Physic

Trace elements in the kidney tissue of Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus L. 1758) in Turkish seas

Trace elements, namely lead (Pb), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe), found in kidney tissues were analyzed and compared between wild/fattened and female/male bluefin tuna (BFT) in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. One hundred (that is, 50 female and 50 male) individual specimens of wild and fattened tuna were investigated. The mean trace elements of the wild fish were determined to include Pb, 0.166; Cu, 1.683; Mn, 0.252; Ni, 0.322; Zn, 8.974; and Fe, 14.017 (ìg g-1 wt wt). The values for the fattened fish were determined to be Pb, 0.116; Cu, 1.279; Mn, 0.208; Ni, 0.231; Zn, 8.507; and Fe, 10.364 (ìg g-1 wt wt). The comparison of trace elements between wild and fattened fish was significant (p < 0.05). In terms of gender, the mean trace elements in the kidney tissue of wild and fattened female BFT were determined, respectively, to be Pb, 0.183, 0.124; Cu, 1.947, 1.250; Mn, 0.281, 0.217; Ni, 0.357, 0.229; Zn, 9.641, 9.205; and Fe, 14.351, 11.314. Similar values for wild and fattened male BFT were found, respectively, Pb, 0.149, 0.107; Cu, 1.418, 1.307; Mn, 0.223, 0.198; Ni, 0.286, 0.232; Zn, 8.307, 7.808; and Fe, 13.683, 9.413.Key words: Bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, trace elements, lead, copper, manganese, nickel, zinc, iron,kidney

Analysis of the chemical diffusion master equation for creation and mutual annihilation reactions

We propose an infinite dimensional generating function method for finding the analytical solution of the so-called chemical diffusion master equation (CDME) for creation and mutual annihilation chemical reactions. CDMEs model by means of an infinite system of coupled Fokker-Planck equations the probabilistic evolution of chemical reaction kinetics associated with spatial diffusion of individual particles; here, we focus an creation and mutual annihilation chemical reactions combined with Brownian diffusion of the single particles. Using our method we are able to link certain finite dimensional projections of the solution of the CDME to the solution of a single linear fourth order partial differential equation containing as many variables as the dimension of the aforementioned projection space. Our technique extends the one presented in Lanconelli [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 526, 127352 (2023)] and Lanconelli et al. [arXiv:2302.10700 [math.PR] (2023)] which allowed for an explicit representation for the solution of birth-death type CDMEs

Physiological responses of reared sea bream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758) to an Amyloodinium ocellatum outbreak

Amyloodiniosis represents a major bottleneck for semi-intensive aquaculture production in Southern Europe, causing extremely high mortalities. Amyloodinium ocellatum is a parasitic dinoflagellate that can infest almost all fish, crustacean and bivalves that live within its ecological range. Fish mortalities are usually attributed to anoxia, associated with serious gill hyperplasia, inflammation, haemorrhage and necrosis in heavy infestations; or with osmoregulatory impairment and secondary microbial infections due to severe epithelial damage in mild infestation. However, physiological information about the host responses to A.ocellatum infestation is scarce. In this work, we analysed the proteome of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) plasma and relate it with haematological and immunological indicators, in order to enlighten the different physiological responses when exposed to an A.ocellatum outbreak. Using 2D-DIGE, immunological and haematological analysis and in response to the A.ocellatum contamination we have identified several proteins associated with acute-phase response, inflammation, lipid transport, homoeostasis, and osmoregulation, wound healing, neoplasia and iron transport. Overall, this preliminary study revealed that amyloodiniosis affects some fish functional pathways as revealed by the changes in the plasma proteome of S. aurata, and that the innate immunological system is not activated in the presence of the parasite.DIVERSIAQUA, Portugal [MAR2020]Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia [SFRH/BD/118601/2016]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Major Mineral (P, K, Ca ) Contents and Proximate Compositions of the Male and Female Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus segnis Forskal, 1775) from Northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mersin Bay, Turkey

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the nutritive value of blue swimming crab (Portunus segnis Forskal, 1775). Selected major mineral (P, K, Ca) contents, proximate compositions and fatty acids contents in female and male specimens of blue swimming were investigated. Crab samples used in this research were obtained from Northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mersin Bay, Turkey. There were no significant differences in the nutritive value between the sexes (p>0.05).  The protein was identified as 20.16% and 19.03% for female and male crab respevtively.  This species was found to be rich in minerals and low in fat (0.66% for male, 0.91% for female) when compared with other economical crab species from Mediterranean Sea/Turkey. In fatty acid composition, the saturated fatty acid fraction was dominant, followed by monounsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid for both sexes. In conclusion, from a nutritional point of view, both male and female blue swimming crab are demonstrated acceptable quality. Keywords: Minerals, Proximate analysis, Blue swimming crab; Portunus segnis; Mediterranean se

An integrated pipeline for building performance analysis:Daylighting, energy, natural ventilation, and airborne contaminant dispersion

Early design decisions influence the performance of a building significantly. Yet, computational support for performance assessment during early design is very limited. This research proposes an analysis pipeline for the accurate and comprehensive assessment of building performance by integrating simulation-based analysis tools that perform daylighting, computational fluid dynamics, energy, and contaminant transport simulations, as well as wind tunnel testing that performs velocity and pressure measurements to generate wind pressure coefficients. The pipeline is implemented in three different ways: hybrid, model-based, and empirical workflows. The hybrid workflow combines computational fluid dynamics simulations and wind tunnel testing, while the model-based and empirical workflows utilize computational fluid dynamics simulations and wind tunnel testing, respectively. In the pipeline, computational fluid dynamics is used early on to evaluate a high number of alternatives, leading to the selection of a limited number of good-performing options. Following this, wind tunnel testing is used to “correct” the initial wind pressure coefficient results for increased accuracy. Therefore, a hybrid approach operating with high accuracy that can effectively explore the design search space is needed. The pipeline is tested on a hypothetical office building with different shading device configurations. The coupling of computational and physical testing methods in a hybrid workflow significantly enhanced the accuracy of airflow-related data, which is underestimated by 15.4% using the model-based workflow. Moreover, the hybrid workflow managed the complexity of the design search space by the assessment and elimination of different design alternatives by the stepwise simulation workflow. The inclusion of shading devices also improved the accuracy of airflow-related data. If the shading devices had not been modeled for the simulations and had not been tested, the results would have overestimated the ventilation rate by 85% and underestimated the ventilation rate by 1.4%, respectively. The study's contribution is significant as it proposes a pipeline for a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of building performance, which can inform design decisions and improve the overall building's performance.</p

A Tubular Electrochemical Reactor for Slurry Electrodes

The research on electrochemical reactors is mostly limited to planarly designed modules. In this study, we compare a tubular and a planar electrochemical reactor for the utilization of the slurry electrodes. Cylindrical formed geometries demonstrate a higher surface-to-volume ratio, which may be favorable in terms of current density and volumetric power density. A tubular shaped electrochemical reactor is designed with conductive static mixers to promote the slurry particle mixing, and the vanadium redox flow battery is selected as a showcase application. The new tubular design presents similar cell resistances to the previously designed planar battery and shows increased discharge polarization behavior up to 100 mA cm−2. The volumetric power density reaches up to 30 mW cm−3, which is two times higher than that of the planar one. The battery performance is further investigated and 85 % coulombic, 70 % voltage and 60 % energy efficiency is found at 15 mA cm−2 with 15 wt.% slurry content. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA

Metadata Provenance: Dublin Core on the Next Level

With this poster, we want to present the current state of the DCMI Metadata Provenance Task Group, which will wrap up its work at the time of DC-2011. The motivation for a Dublin Core extension for metadata provenance is twofold: Firstly, we want to represent existing metadata provenance information in a simple and unified way that is well suited as an application of Dublin Core. Secondly, we want to enable the provision of provenance information for Dublin Core metadata in a Dublin Core compatible way