1,117 research outputs found
The importance of the hydrophilic region of PsbL for the plastoquinone electron acceptor complex of Photosystem II
AbstractThe PsbL protein is a 4.5kDa subunit at the monomerâmonomer interface of Photosystem II (PS II) consisting of a single membrane-spanning domain and a hydrophilic stretch of ~15 residues facing the cytosolic (or stromal) side of the photosystem. Deletion of conserved residues in the N-terminal region has been used to investigate the importance of this hydrophilic extension. Using Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, three deletion strains: â(N6âN8), â(P11âV12) and â(E13âN15), have been created. The â(N6âN8) and â(P11âV12) strains remained photoautotrophic but were more susceptible to photodamage than the wild type; however, the â(E13âN15) cells had the most severe phenotype. The Î(E13âN15) mutant showed decreased photoautotrophic growth, a reduced number of PS II centers, impaired oxygen evolution in the presence of PS II-specific electron acceptors, and was highly susceptible to photodamage. The decay kinetics of chlorophyll a variable fluorescence after a single turnover saturating flash and the sensitivity to low concentrations of PS II-directed herbicides in the Î(E13âN15) strain indicate that the binding of plastoquinone to the QB-binding site had been altered such that the affinity of QB is reduced. In addition, the PS II-specific electron acceptor 2,5-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone was found to inhibit electron transfer through the quinone-acceptor complex of the â(E13âN15) strain. The PsbL Y20A mutant was also investigated and it exhibited increased susceptibility to photodamage and increased herbicide sensitivity. Our data suggest that the N-terminal hydrophilic region of PsbL influences forward electron transfer from QA through indirect interactions with the DâE loop of the D1 reaction center protein. Our results further indicate that disruption of interactions between the N-terminal region of PsbL and other PS II subunits or lipids destabilizes PS II dimer formation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Photosynthesis Research for Sustainability: Keys to Produce Clean Energy
Differential electrophysiological response during rest, self-referential, and non-self-referential tasks in human posteromedial cortex
The electrophysiological basis for higher brain activity during rest and internally directed cognition within the human default mode network
(DMN) remains largely unknown. Here we use intracranial recordings in
the human posteromedial cortex (PMC), a core node within the DMN,
during conditions of cued rest, autobiographical judgments, and
arithmetic processing. We found a heterogeneous profile of PMC
responses in functional, spatial, and temporal domains. Although the
majority of PMC sites showed increased broad gamma band activity
(30-180 Hz) during rest, some PMC sites, proximal to the retrosplenial
cortex, responded selectively to autobiographical stimuli. However, no
site responded to both conditions, even though they were located within
the boundaries of the DMN identified with resting-state functional
imaging and similarly deactivated during arithmetic processing. These
findings, which provide electrophysiological evidence for heterogeneity
within the core of the DMN, will have important implications for
neuroimaging studies of the DMN
Simple Lattice-Models of Ion Conduction: Counter Ion Model vs. Random Energy Model
The role of Coulomb interaction between the mobile particles in ionic
conductors is still under debate. To clarify this aspect we perform Monte Carlo
simulations on two simple lattice models (Counter Ion Model and Random Energy
Model) which contain Coulomb interaction between the positively charged mobile
particles, moving on a static disordered energy landscape. We find that the
nature of static disorder plays an important role if one wishes to explore the
impact of Coulomb interaction on the microscopic dynamics. This Coulomb type
interaction impedes the dynamics in the Random Energy Model, but enhances
dynamics in the Counter Ion Model in the relevant parameter range.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev.
Ac hopping conduction at extreme disorder takes place on the percolating cluster
Simulations of the random barrier model show that ac currents at extreme
disorder are carried almost entirely by the percolating cluster slightly above
threshold; thus contradicting traditional theories contributions from isolated
low-activation-energy clusters are negligible. The effective medium
approximation in conjunction with the Alexander-Orbach conjecture leads to an
excellent analytical fit to the universal ac conductivity with no nontrivial
fitting parameters
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The UK WTC 9/11 evacuation study: methodologies used in the elicitation and storage of human factors data
This paper describes the methodologies employed in the collection and storage of first-hand accounts of evacuation experiences derived from face-to-face interviews with evacuees from the World Trade Center (WTC) Twin Towers complex on 11 September 2001. In particular the paper describes the development of the High-rise Evacuation Evaluation Database (HEED). This is a flexible qualitative research tool which contains the full transcribed interview accounts and coded evacuee experiences extracted from those transcripts. The data and information captured and stored in the HEED database is not only unique, but it provides a means to address current and emerging issues relating to human factors associated with the evacuation of high-rise buildings
Effective one-dimensionality of AC hopping conduction in the extreme disorder limit
It is argued that in the limit of extreme disorder AC hopping is dominated by
"percolation paths". Modelling a percolation path as a one-dimensional path
with a sharp jump rate cut-off leads to an expression for the universal AC
conductivity, that fits computer simulations in two and three dimensions better
than the effective medium approximation.Comment: 6 postscript figure
Symbols in Wittgenstein's Tractatus
This paper is concerned with the status of a symbol in Wittgensteinâs Tractatus. It is claimed in the first section that a Tractarian symbol, whilst essentially a syntactic entity to be distinguished from the mark or sound that is its sign, bears its semantic significance only inessentially. In the second and third sections I pursue this point of exegesis through the Tractarian discussions of nonsense and the context principle respectively. The final section of the paper places the forgoing work in a secondary context, addressing in particular a debate regarding the realism of the Tractatus
Transgressing the moral economy: Wheelerism and management of the nationalised coal industry in Scotland
This article illuminates the links between managerial style and political economy in post-1945 Britain, and explores the origins of the 1984â1985 miners' strike, by examining in longer historical context the abrasive attitudes and policies of Albert Wheeler, Scottish Area Director of the National Coal Board (NCB). Wheeler built on an earlier emphasis on production and economic criteria, and his micro-management reflected pre-existing centralising tendencies in the industries. But he was innovative in one crucial aspect, transgressing the moral economy of the Scottish coalfield, which emphasised the value of economic security and changes by joint industrial agreement
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