Intracellular localization and effects of the trace-amine associated receptor 1

The trace amine–associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) is an intracellular G–protein coupled receptor whose activation by trace amines, catecholamines and amphetamines leads to elevation of cyclic–AMP and activation of protein kinase A (PKA). Recently, the Amara lab discovered that TAAR1 also mediates the activation of the small GTPase, RhoA. TAAR1 is expressed in midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons, including those in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area, and thus is positioned to modulate both motor activity and addiction–related plasticity. Due to antibody limitations, however, neither the intracellular membrane localization of TAAR1 nor the site of signaling by this receptor has been clearly demonstrated in neurons. Dopaminergic neurotransmission is a coordinated process which requires synthesis, packaging, exocytosis, and reuptake of DA. Amphetamine (AMPH) can stimulate TAAR1, which has been shown to downregulate the surface expression of the dopamine transporter, thus decreasing DA reuptake and increasing extracellular DA concentrations. In addition, AMPH and elevation of cAMP decreases the activity of the vesicular monoamine transporter, VMAT2 in neurosecretory pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, although the mechanism of this regulation remains undefined. The co–expression of TAAR1 and VMAT2 in the DA neuron and PC12 cells suggests that TAAR1 activation may mediate the effects of AMPH/cAMP on VMAT2. Towards understanding the role of TAAR1 in transporter trafficking and function in the DA neuron, this thesis seeks to define the mechanism of AMPH action on TAAR1 signaling and examine the intracellular membrane localization and pathways downstream of TAAR1 activation. In Chapter I, we used compartment–specific FRET–based sensors to determine the functional subcellular localization of TAAR1. Novel endomembrane targeting constructs were designed and targeting, and functionality was confirmed using standard biochemical techniques and confocal microscopy. Targeted FRET–based sensors for PKA and RhoA activation enabled us to assess TAAR1–mediated responses to AMPH treatment in discrete subcellular compartments. AMPH increased PKA activation in the synaptic vesicle compartment. However, TAAR1–mediated effects of AMPH on RhoA signaling was differentially localized to the Golgi and ER membrane compartments. In Chapter II, it was hypothesized that PKA activation of TAAR1 may negatively regulate VMAT2. We used midbrain DA neuron cultures and SK–N–SH neuroblastoma cells that express TAAR1 and VMAT2 and release catecholamines as model systems. With CRISPR–Cas9 technology the Amara lab generated TAAR1 knockout SK–N–SH cells that were used to examine the role of TAAR1 in VMAT2 regulation. VMAT2–mediated uptake of radiolabeled DA and serotonin was measured in the presence or absence of drugs that modulate VMAT2 activity. Inhibition of the Gα stimulatory (GαS) G–proteins upstream of PKA activation increased VMAT2 uptake; conversely, stimulation of cAMP decreased VMAT2 activity. Compared to wildtype cells, we found no difference in VMAT2 uptake in TAAR1 knockout cells treated with PKA agonists like dibutryl cAMP and forskolin. These data suggest that VMAT2 uptake is modulated by GαS signaling, cAMP and PKA activation, but does not require TAAR1. Taken together our results show that the cAMP–dependent inhibition of VMAT2 uptake by PKA is not mediated by the TAAR1 receptor

Expression Forms of the Present Tense in the Qur'ani-Karim

It is known that, in Arabic, a word is divided into three parts: noun, verb and particle (harf). A noun refers to a thing and is not related to time. A verb expresses an event, which is why it relates to time. A particle is a word that has no meaning but is used with a noun or a verb.Verbs express events that happen at a particular time. At the same time, it should be noted that although medieval Arabic linguists paid great attention to the subject of the verb and its inflexion (i'rab), they did not deeply investigate the tenses and time limits of the verb. If we compare the tense forms in Arabic with those in other languages, we will face particular difficulties finding the exact equivalent. The lack of Arab research on this topic is reflected in the verbs madhi (past tense) and mudhare (present tense).Since our topic is related to the present tense, we will try to examine the forms of expression, or more precisely, how the present tense is expressed either in the Arabic literary language or in the Holy Quran.In general, verb tenses indicate their grammatical characteristics. We know that in terms of time, verbs are divided into past, present and future tenses.The present tense has a broad meaning. The present tense of the verb expresses the events that are happening at the moment of speaking. In the literary Arabic language, the present tense is expressed mainly through the mudhare verb فعل المضارع from a morphological point of view. In addition, in the holy book Qur'ani-Karim, the present tense is expressed differently. If we pay attention to the verses in the Qur'an, we will see that the tense meanings of verbs are determined not only by their morphological structure but also by the context in which they are included.It should also be noted that the expression of any time in the Holy Qur'an in different ways is mainly intended to convince humanity of the authenticity of this message sent by God. It primarily refers to evangelising Heaven, Hell, Judgment Day and other issues

Halal sauekjøtt i Norge: Muslimske festivaler – et nytt nisjemarked

Halal lamb/sheep meat is popular among Muslims due to religious and cultural influence. Currently, 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, projected to be 2.2 billion in 2030, are practising religious dietary laws. Norway is the largest sheep/lamb meat producer among the Nordic countries, and for Norway, there should be an increasing demand for halal meat. A research work was conducted to examine this more in details. The primary objective was to understand Muslim consumers’ preferences in Norway, especially at the eve of the Muslim Meat Festival (Eid-al-Adha). Interviews were conducted among Norwegian Pakistani Muslim families based in Oslo and among Imams in the same city. The interview questions were asked in a semi-structured way. In addition, a literature review was made to overview the theoretical fundament but also to better understand religious and cultural factors involved in consumers’ decision-making. The results showed that religious beliefs, faith, psychological, and culture factors were important among Pakistani Muslim consumers in Norway. Most of the respondents prefer to eat halal lamb/sheep meat and there is a willingness to pay additional, and we could link this to religious belief. The country of birth and education level seemed not to affect the attitudes. The respondents preferred to buy meat from local butchers because of trust. When buying from supermarkets, certified/halal logos were especially checked. Special meat cuts/portions were preferred due to better taste, tenderness, quality and as a requirement to cook certain specific traditional dishes. Lamb/sheep was preferred over other or mixed meat types. Most consumers preferred Norwegian meat due to taste and quality, but also a strict quality control by food authority. The Imams strongly supported a halal meat value chain. At the Muslim meat festival, slaughtering of yearling sheep is preferred, which could improve yearling sheep prices in Norway, due to this specific demand by the Muslims. The results are discussed on background of an increase in the Muslim population in Norway and what this implies for an increased production of Norwegian halal lamb/sheep meat.Halal-kjøtt fra sau og lam er populært blant muslimer, noe som har koblinger til religion og kultur. 1.6 milliarder muslimer rundt om i verden praktiserer religiøse måltidsregler og denne er forventet å øke til 2.2 milliarder innen 2030. Norge har den høyeste produksjonen av sau og lam i Norden og for Norge skulle det innebære en økende etterspørsel for halal-kjøtt. Det ble derfor gjennomført et forsøksarbeid for å undersøke dette nærmere. Formålet har vært å bedre forstå muslimske forbrukere i Norge og særlig knytta til feiringen under den muslimske kjøttfestivalen Eid-al-Adha. Det ble gjennomført intervjuer blant norsk-pakistanske muslimske familier i Oslo og blant imamer fra samme sted. Intervjuspørsmålene ble stilt på en semistrukturert måte. I tillegg ble det gjennomført et litteraturstudie, dette for å få oversikt over det teoretiske fundamentet bak forbrukernes valg og for å bedre forstå religiøse og kulturelle faktorer involvert. Resultatene viste at religiøs tro, samt psykologiske og kulturelle faktorer var viktige blant pakistanske muslimer bosatt i Norge. De fleste foretrakk å spise halal-kjøtt fra sau og lam og de var villige til å betale mer for slikt kjøtt, og dette kunne vi koble til religiøs tro. Fødselsland og utdanningsnivå så ikke ut til å påvirke holdningene. De foretrakk de å handle fra lokale slaktereog dette på grunn av tillit. Ved handling på supermarkeder sjekkes særlig halal-logoer som kan vise at kjøttet er sertifisert. De foretrekker å kjøpe kjøtt som er kuttet i spesielle deler/posjoner, dette på grunn av smak, mørhet eller annen kvalitet viktig i forhold til tradisjonell matlaging. De fleste foretrakk norskprodusert kjøtt, dette på grunn av smak og kvalitet men også en streng kvalitetskontroll i Norge. Imamene var veldig positive til en verdikjede for halal-kjøtt. Under den muslimske kjøttfestivalen er slakting av årsgamle sauer å foretrekke, et behov som skulle kunne gi økt pris på årsgamle sauer i Norge. Resultatene diskuteres med bakgrunn i en forventet økning av den muslimske populasjonen i Norge og hva dette kan innebære for økt produksjon av halal-kjøtt fra sau og lam

Effect of different levels and sizes of walnut seed residues on phosphorus availability and alkaline phosphatase activity in calcareous soil

تمَّت إجراء تجربة مختبرية في كلية العلوم-جامعة صلاح الدين لدراسة تاثير المستويات المختلفة (0 ، 5 ، 10 و 15 ٪) والاحجام (250 و 1000 μm) من بقايا بذور الجوز و (160mg.kg) من سماد الفوسفاتي على تركيز الفوسفورالميسر ونشاط الفوسفاتيز القلوي في التربة الكلسية خلال فتره( 15 إلى 30) يوماً من الحضانة ، والتجربة المصمَّمة في CRD بثلاثة مكررات. وأشارت النتائج إلى ان تطبيق المستويات المختلفة من بقايا بذور الجوز يسبِّبُ من تركيز الفوسفورالميسر والنشاط الفوسفاتيز القلوية. ومع ذلك ، كشفت النتائج ان الجمع بين المستويات والأحجام من بقايا بذور الجوز والسمادالفوسفاتي بشكل ملحوظ (p ≤ 0.05) أثرت على النشاط الفوسفاتيز القلوي وتركيز الفوسفور الميسر ، وأعلى القيم (29.633 µgPNPg-1.hr-1و 6.442mg.kg )، سجلت في المعاملة العاملية 1000mµو15% من بقايا بذورالجوزمع سماد فوسفاتي على توالي.A laboratory experiment has been carried out in the College of Science-University of Salahaddin to study the effect of different levels (0,5,10 and 15%) and sizes(250 and 1000µm) of walnut seeds residues and (160mg.kg-1) phosphorus fertilization on the concentration of phosphorus availability and alkaline phosphatase activity in calcareous soil during 15 and 30 days period of incubation, the experimental design in factorial complet randomize design (C.R.D) with three replications. The results indicated that the application of different levels of walnut seed residues decreases the concentration of phosphorus availability and alkaline phosphatase activity, however the results revealed that combination between levels and sizes of sieved walnut seed residues and phosphorus fertilizer significantly (p≤0.05) affected the alkaline phosphatase activity and the concentration of available phosphorus, the highest values (29.633 µgPNPg-1.hr-1and 6.442mg.kg-1) have been recorded in treatments combination received 1000µm, 15% walnut seed residues and phosphorus fertilizer, respectively

Bosetting av flyktninger i Oslo : En analyse av statens rolle, diskursen og strukturen rundt bosetting av flyktninger etter statens forespørsel i Oslo kommune

Undersøkelsen tar for seg bosetting av flyktninger i Oslo kommune. Hvert år anmoder staten en rekke av landets kommuner om å bosette flyktninger. Kommunene står imidlertid fritt til å selv å bestemme om de vil møte denne anmodningen eller ikke. Staten har ingen sanksjonsmuligheter overfor kommunene, og prosessen er i det hele tatt preget av stor lokal autonomi. Denne undersøkelsen tar utgangspunkt i Oslo kommunes varierende vilje til å motta og bosette flyktninger etter statens anmodning, de senere år i restriktiv retning. Et teoretisk fundament basert på iverktsettingsteori og en revidert modell av Van Meter & Van Horn (1975) blir benyttet for å belyse hvilke variabler som kunne være involvert og samspillet mellom disse. Undersøkelsen har et tre-delt fokus. Først effekten av statlig styring på kommunens vedtak. Deretter ble den partipolitiske diskursen kartlagt og analysert for å undersøke om integreringsideologiske overbevisninger kunne forklare handlingsviljen. Videre ble fokus rettet mot strukturelle årsaker som økonomi, boligtilgang og organiseringen av arbeidet. Denne delen av undersøkelsen omfattet også en sub-undersøkelse av bydelene Stovner, Nordre Aker og Gamle Oslo

Biomass Torrefaction Process Review and Moving Bed Torrefaction System Model Development

Torrefaction is currently developing as an important preprocessing step to improve the quality of biomass in terms of physical properties, and proximate and ultimate composition. Torrefaction is a slow heating of biomass in an inert or reduced environment to a maximum temperature of 300°C. Torrefaction can also be defined as a group of products resulting from the partially controlled and isothermal pyrolysis of biomass occurring in a temperature range of 200–230ºC and 270–280ºC. Thus, the process can also be called a mild pyrolysis as it occurs at the lower temperature range of the pyrolysis process. At the end of the torrefaction process, a solid uniform product with lower moisture content and higher energy content than raw biomass is produced. Most of the smoke-producing compounds and other volatiles are removed during torrefaction, producing a final product that will have a lower mass but a higher heating value. An important aspect of research is to establish a degree of torrefaction where gains in heating value offset the loss of mass. There is a lack of literature on torrefaction reactor designs and a design sheet for estimating the dimensions of the torrefier based on capacity. This study includes a) conducting a detailed review on the torrefaction of biomass in terms of understanding the process, product properties, off-gas compositions, and methods used, and b) to design a moving bed torrefier, taking into account the basic fundamental heat and mass transfer calculations. Specific objectives include calculating the dimensions like diameter and height of the moving packed bed for different capacities, designing the heat loads and gas flow rates, and developing an interactive excel sheet where the user can define design specifications. In this report, 25–1000 kg/hr are used in equations for the design of the torrefier, examples of calculations, and specifications for the torrefier

The Prevalence and Clinical Implications of Rectal SARS-CoV-2 Shedding in Danish COVID-19 Patients and the General Population

Background: SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a global pandemic since its outbreak in Wuhan, 2019. Virus transmission primarily occurs through close contact, respiratory droplets, and aerosol particles. However, since SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in fecal and rectal samples from infected individuals, the fecal-oral route has been suggested as another potential route of transmission. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and clinical implications of rectal SARS-CoV-2 shedding in Danish COVID-19 patients. Methods: Hospitalized and non-hospitalized adults and children who were recently tested with a pharyngeal COVID-19 test, were included in the study. A rectal swab was collected from all participants. Hospitalized adults and COVID-19 positive children were followed with both pharyngeal and rectal swabs until two consecutive negative results were obtained. RT-qPCR targeting the envelope gene was used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in the samples. Demographic, medical, and biochemical information was obtained through questionnaires and medical records. Results: Twenty-eight of 52 (53.8%) COVID-19 positive adults and children were positive for SARS-CoV-2 in rectal swabs. Seven of the rectal positive participants were followed for more than 6 days. Two of these (28.6%) continued to test positive in their rectal swabs for up to 29 days after the pharyngeal swabs had turned negative. Hospitalized rectal positive and rectal negative adults were comparable regarding demographic, medical, and biochemical information. Furthermore, no difference was observed in the severity of the disease among the two groups. Conclusions: We provided evidence of rectal SARS-CoV-2 shedding in Danish COVID-19 patients. The clinical importance of rectal SARS-CoV-2 shedding appears to be minimal

Delineation of nutrient management zones in Chunian using soil attributes database developed by soil fertility research institute, Punjab, Pakistan

A significant increase in food production, approximately 70%, is needed to feed the estimated 9.1 billion world population by 2050. Site-specific nutrient management through adoption of Precision Agriculture (PA) technologies can potentially increase crop productivity while keeping the use of chemical fertilizers at its minimum required level. In this study, agricultural land of tehsil Chunian was delineated into management zones using georeferenced soil attributes database developed by Soil Fertility Research Institute (SFRI), Punjab. Appropriate number of zones was determined after conducting fuzzy c -means unsupervised clustering analysis by using Management Zone Analyst (MZA) software and finally Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) was used to differentiate study area into five zones. Analysis of variance was performed to verify whether these defined zones reflect soil attributes. We concluded that tehsil Chunian could be categorized into five statistically different management zones based on soil electrical conductivity (EC), pH, soil organic matter (SOM), available potassium and available phosphorus levels. The highest crop yield was predicted in southeastern parts of tehsil Chunian represented by management zone-2 (4.4 t ha-1) followed by zone-1 (4.3 t ha-1). Whereas, northern and northwest areas were predicted with decreasing trend of wheat yield (zone-5, 3.7 t ha-1; zone-4, 4.0 t ha-1), respectively. We found that MZA and QGIS software could be used as supportive tools for making informed-decisions and the database of soil attributes developed by SFRI would serve as primary source of information for adoption of PA technology in coming years

What is treatment success in cardiac resynchronization therapy?

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an established treatment for symptomatic patients with heart failure, a prolonged QRS duration, and impaired left ventricular (LV) function. Identification of ‘responders’ and ‘non-responders’ to CRT has attracted considerable attention. The response to CRT can be measured in terms of symptomatic response or clinical outcome, or both. Alternatively, the response to CRT can be measured in terms of changes in surrogate measures of outcome, such as LV volumes, LV ejection fraction, invasive measures of cardiac performance, peak oxygen uptake, and neurohormones. This review explores whether these measures can be used in assessing the symptomatic and prognostic response to CRT. The role of these parameters to the management of individual patients is also discussed