278 research outputs found
Cell-Free Synthesis of the Mitochondrial ADP/ATP Carrier Protein of Neurospora crassa
ADP/ATP carrier protein was synthesized in heterologous cell-free systems programmed with Neurospora poly(A)-containing RNA and homologous cell-free systems from Neurospora. The apparent molecular weight of the product obtained in vitro was the same as that of the authentic mitochondrial protein. The primary translation product obtained in reticulocyte lysates starts with formylmethionine when formylated initiator methionyl-tRNA (fMet-tRNAfMet) was present. The product synthesized in vitro was released from the ribosomes into the postribosomal supernatant.
The evidence presented indicates that the ADP/ATP carrier is synthesized as a polypeptide with the same molecular weight as the mature monomeric protein and does not carry an additional sequence
Integrated multidimensional sustainability assessment of energy system transformation pathways
Sustainable development embraces a broad spectrum of social, economic and ecological aspects. Thus, a sustainable transformation process of energy systems is inevitably multidimensional and needs to go beyond climate impact and cost considerations. An approach for an integrated and interdisciplinary sustainability assessment of energy system transformation pathways is presented here. It first integrates energy system modeling with a multidimensional impact assessment that focuses on life cycle-based environmental and macroeconomic impacts. Then, stakeholders’ preferences with respect to defined sustainability indicators are inquired, which are finally integrated into a comparative scenario evaluation through a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), all in one consistent assessment framework. As an illustrative example, this holistic approach is applied to the sustainability assessment of ten different transformation strategies for Germany. Applying multi-criteria decision analysis reveals that both ambitious (80%) and highly ambitious (95%) carbon reduction scenarios can achieve top sustainability ranks, depending on the underlying energy transformation pathways and respective scores in other sustainability dimensions. Furthermore, this research highlights an increasingly dominant contribution of energy systems’ upstream chains on total environmental impacts, reveals rather small differences in macroeconomic effects between different scenarios and identifies the transition among societal segments and climate impact minimization as the most important stakeholder preferences
First detection of NH3 (1,0 - 0,0) from a low mass cloud core: On the low ammonia abundance of the rho Oph A core
Odin has successfully observed the molecular core rho Oph A in the 572.5 GHz
rotational ground state line of ammonia, NH3 (J,K = 1,0 - 0,0). The
interpretation of this result makes use of complementary molecular line data
obtained from the ground (C17O and CH3OH) as part of the Odin preparatory work.
Comparison of these observations with theoretical model calculations of line
excitation and transfer yields a quite ordinary abundance of methanol, X(CH3OH)
= 3e-9. Unless NH3 is not entirely segregated from C17O and CH3OH, ammonia is
found to be significantly underabundant with respect to typical dense core
values, viz. X(NH3) = 8e-10.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, to appear in Astron. Astrophys. Letter
Submillimeter Emission from Water in the W3 Region
We have mapped the submillimeter emission from the 1(10)-1(01) transition of
ortho-water in the W3 star-forming region. A 5'x5' map of the W3 IRS4 and W3
IRS5 region reveals strong water lines at half the positions in the map. The
relative strength of the Odin lines compared to previous observations by SWAS
suggests that we are seeing water emission from an extended region. Across much
of the map the lines are double-peaked, with an absorption feature at -39 km/s;
however, some positions in the map show a single strong line at -43 km/s. We
interpret the double-peaked lines as arising from optically thick,
self-absorbed water emission near the W3 IRS5, while the narrower blue-shifted
lines originate in emission near W3 IRS4. In this model, the unusual appearance
of the spectral lines across the map results from a coincidental agreement in
velocity between the emission near W3 IRS4 and the blue peak of the more
complex lines near W3 IRS5. The strength of the water lines near W3 IRS4
suggests we may be seeing water emission enhanced in a photon-dominated region.Comment: Accepted to A&A Letters as part of the special Odin issue; 4 page
The effect of teriparatide [human parathyroid hormone (1-34)] therapy on bone density in men with osteoporosis,”
ABSTRACT Teriparatide [rhPTH(1-34)] increases bone mineral density and reduces the risk of vertebral fracture in women. We randomized 437 men with spine or hip bone mineral density more than 2 SD below the young adult male mean to daily injections of placebo, teriparatide 20 g, or teriparatide 40 g. All subjects also received supplemental calcium and vitamin D. The study was stopped after a median duration of 11 months because of a finding of osteosarcomas in rats in routine toxicology studies. Biochemical markers of bone formation increased early in the course of therapy and were followed by increases in indices of osteoclastic activity. Spine bone mineral density was greater than in placebo subjects after 3 months of teriparatide therapy, and by the end of therapy it was increased by 5.9% (20 g) and 9.0% (40 g) above baseline (p < 0.001 vs. placebo for both comparisons). Femoral neck bone mineral density increased 1.5% (20 g; p ؍ 0.029) and 2.9% (40 g; p < 0.001), and whole body bone mineral content increased 0.6% (20 g; p ؍ 0.021) and 0.9% (40 g; p ؍ 0.005) above baseline in the teriparatide subjects. There was no change in radial bone mineral density in the teriparatide groups. Bone mineral density responses to teriparatide were similar regardless of gonadal status, age, baseline bone mineral density, body mass index, smoking, or alcohol intake. Subjects experienced expected changes in mineral metabolism. Adverse events were similar in the placebo and 20-g groups, but more frequent in the 40-g group. This study shows that teriparatide treatment results in an increase in bone mineral density and is a potentially useful therapy for osteoporosis in men
Evidence for strong, widespread chlorine radical chemistry associated with pollution outflow from continental Asia
The chlorine radical is a potent atmospheric oxidant, capable of perturbing tropospheric oxidative cycles normally controlled by the hydroxyl radical. Significantly faster reaction rates allow chlorine radicals to expedite oxidation of hydrocarbons, including methane, and in polluted environments, to enhance ozone production. Here we present evidence, from the CARIBIC airborne dataset, for extensive chlorine radical chemistry associated with Asian pollution outflow, from airborne observations made over the Malaysian Peninsula in winter. This region is known for persistent convection that regularly delivers surface air to higher altitudes and serves as a major transport pathway into the stratosphere. Oxidant ratios inferred from hydrocarbon relationships show that chlorine radicals were regionally more important than hydroxyl radicals for alkane oxidation and were also important for methane and alkene oxidation (>10%). Our observations reveal pollution-related chlorine chemistry that is both widespread and recurrent, and has implications for tropospheric oxidizing capacity, stratospheric composition and ozone chemistry
The Effects of Different Eggshell Temperatures Between Embryonic Day 10 and 18 on Broiler Performance and Susceptibility to Ascites
Structural Disorder Provides Increased Adaptability for Vesicle Trafficking Pathways
Vesicle trafficking systems play essential roles in the communication between the organelles of eukaryotic cells and also
between cells and their environment. Endocytosis and the late secretory route are mediated by clathrin-coated vesicles,
while the COat Protein I and II (COPI and COPII) routes stand for the bidirectional traffic between the ER and the Golgi
apparatus. Despite similar fundamental organizations, the molecular machinery, functions, and evolutionary characteristics
of the three systems are very different. In this work, we compiled the basic functional protein groups of the three main
routes for human and yeast and analyzed them from the structural disorder perspective. We found similar overall disorder
content in yeast and human proteins, confirming the well-conserved nature of these systems. Most functional groups
contain highly disordered proteins, supporting the general importance of structural disorder in these routes, although some
of them seem to heavily rely on disorder, while others do not. Interestingly, the clathrin system is significantly more
disordered (,23%) than the other two, COPI (,9%) and COPII (,8%). We show that this structural phenomenon enhances
the inherent plasticity and increased evolutionary adaptability of the clathrin system, which distinguishes it from the other
two routes. Since multi-functionality (moonlighting) is indicative of both plasticity and adaptability, we studied its
prevalence in vesicle trafficking proteins and correlated it with structural disorder. Clathrin adaptors have the highest
capability for moonlighting while also comprising the most highly disordered members. The ability to acquire tissue specific
functions was also used to approach adaptability: clathrin route genes have the most tissue specific exons encoding for
protein segments enriched in structural disorder and interaction sites. Overall, our results confirm the general importance of
structural disorder in vesicle trafficking and suggest major roles for this structural property in shaping the differences of
evolutionary adaptability in the three routes
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