534 research outputs found
A slowly activating voltage-dependent K+ current in rat pituitary nerve terminals.
A novel slowly activating voltage-dependent K+ current was observed in isolated nerve terminals from rat neurohypophysis using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. 2. The activation kinetics of the slow current could be fitted assuming Hodgkin--Huxley-type kinetics, an exponential, n, of 1.3 and activation time constants decreasing from 4 s at -50 mV to 0.7s at +40 mV. 3. A positive shift of reversal potential was observed when [K+] was increased in the bath solution. The current is carried mainly but not exclusively by K+ ions. 4. When intracellular free [Mg2+] was low (approximately 60 microM), average current density was 74 pA pF-1 at membrane potentials around 0 mV. In 83% of nerve terminals current amplitude was > 10 pA pF-1. 5. The slow current was never observed when the pipette contained 4.6 mM free Mg2+. At a physiological level of free Mg2+ (0.5 mM) the average current density was 16 pA pF-1. 6. When nerve terminals were analysed after patch-clamp experiments for vasopressin content by immunodetection, no difference in current amplitude was found between the terminals containing vasopressin and all analysed terminals. 7. The voltage dependence of activation was fitted by a Boltzmann equation giving a half-activation potential of -37 mV and a slope factor of about 9 mV. 8. Tail current deactivation kinetics was biexponential with time constants of 0.12 and 1.5s. Kinetics was dependent on the duration of the activating pulse. 9. Noise analysis of the slow current indicated a single-channel current of 0.33 pA at +6 mV, corresponding to a single-channel conductance of 4.3 pS. 10. This is the first demonstration of a current similar to the slow K+ current, IKs, in a neurone, suggesting that a protein similar to the IKs-inducing channel protein IsK (minK) may be present in peptidergic nerve terminals. 11. The activation properties are consistent with a role of the slow current in inhibition of excitability, at least at the level of the nerve terminal
Fractionation of iron species and iron isotopes in the Baltic Sea euphotic zone
To indentify sources and transport mechanisms of iron in a coastal marine environment, we conducted measurements of the physiochemical speciation of Fe in the euphotic zone at three different locations in the Baltic Sea. In addition to sampling across a salinity gradient, we conducted this study over the spring and summer season. Moving from the riverine input characterized low salinity Bothnian Sea, via the Landsort Deep near Stockholm, towards the Gotland Deep in the Baltic Proper, total Fe concentrations averaged 114, 44, and 15 nM, respectively. At all three locations, a decrease in total Fe of 80–90% from early spring to summer was observed. Particulate Fe (PFe) was the dominating phase at all stations and accounted for 75–85% of the total Fe pool on average. The Fe isotope composition (δ 56Fe) of the PFe showed constant positive values in the Bothnian Sea surface waters (+0.08 to +0.20‰). Enrichment of heavy Fe in the Bothnian Sea PFe is possibly associated to input of aggregated land derived Fe-oxyhydroxides and oxidation of dissolved Fe(II). At the Landsort Deep the isotopic fractionation of PFe changed between −0.08‰ to +0.28‰ over the sampling period. The negative values in early spring indicate transport of PFe from the oxic-anoxic boundary at ∼80 m depth. The average colloidal iron fraction (CFe) showed decreasing concentrations along the salinity gradient; Bothnian Sea 15 nM; Landsort Deep 1 nM, and Gotland Deep 0.5 nM. Field Flow Fractionation data indicate that the main colloidal carrier phase for Fe in the Baltic Sea is a carbon-rich fulvic acid associated compound, likely of riverine origin. A strong positive correlation between PFe and chl-a indicates that cycling of suspended Fe is at least partially controlled by primary production. However, this relationship may not be dominated by active uptake of Fe into phytoplankton, but instead may reflect scavenging and removal of PFe during phytoplankton sedimentation
Extended polarized semiclassical model for quantum-dot cavity QED and its application to single-photon sources
We present a simple extension of the semi-classical model for a two-level
system in a cavity, in order to incorporate multiple polarized transitions,
such as those appearing in neutral and charged quantum dots (QDs), and two
nondegenerate linearly polarized cavity modes. We verify the model by exact
quantum master equation calculations, and experimentally using a neutral QD in
a polarization non-degenerate micro-cavity, in both cases we observe excellent
agreement. Finally, the usefulness of this approach is demonstrated by
optimizing a single-photon source based on polarization postselection, where we
find an increase in the brightness for optimal polarization conditions as
predicted by the model.Comment: 8 pages, for simple code see https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.347666
Past warming trend constrains future warming in CMIP6 models
Future global warming estimates have been similar across past assessments, but several climate models of the latest Sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) simulate much stronger warming, apparently inconsistent with past assessments. Here, we show that projected future warming is correlated with the simulated warming trend during recent decades across CMIP5 and CMIP6 models, enabling us to constrain future warming based on consistency with the observed warming. These findings carry important policy-relevant implications: The observationally constrained CMIP6 median warming in high emissions and ambitious mitigation scenarios is over 16 and 14% lower by 2050 compared to the raw CMIP6 median, respectively, and over 14 and 8% lower by 2090, relative to 1995–2014. Observationally constrained CMIP6 warming is consistent with previous assessments based on CMIP5 models, and in an ambitious mitigation scenario, the likely range is consistent with reaching the Paris Agreement target
Genomic selection and sequencing using encoded microcarriers
The present invention relates to a method for determining the sequence of a nucleic molecule. Herein a capture oligonucleotide probe is attached to an encoded microcarrier, wherein the code of said microcarrier identifies the sequence of said oligonucleotide probe. The capture oligonucleotide probe is hybridized with a sample comprising nucleic acids molecules, wherein said DNA fragment comprises a sequence which is complementary to the sequence of the capture oligonucleotide probe. The sequence of the DNA molecule is determined, wherein the capture oligonucleotide probe serves as a primer for a DNA polymerase, in the case of single molecule sequencing this is a sequencing primer. After the sequence determination, the nucleotide sequence of the capture oligonucleotide probe is identified by determining the code on the microcarrier, which corresponds with the capture oligonucleotide probe. This sequence information directly identifies the location of the sequenced DNA fragment on the genome, allowing direct comparison
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