Multimode time-dependent gyrotron equations for different time scales

The work of H.K. was supported by the European Regional Development Funding of the Project No. 1.1.1.1/ 16/A/004.Development of gyrotrons requires careful understanding of different regimes of gyrotron oscillations. For a long time, the gyrotron theory was developed assuming that the transit time of electrons through the interaction space is much shorter than the cavity fill time. Correspondingly, it was assumed that during this transit time, the amplitude of microwave oscillations remains constant. However, there are situations when this assumption is not fulfilled, or is marginally fulfilled. In such cases, a different mathematical formalism has to be used. The present paper generalizes the new formalism to the multi mode case. The particular example considered indicates that in some cases the results obtained by means of the old and the new formalism differ significantly.ERDF 1.1.1.1/ 16/A/004; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Annexin A2 mediates apical trafficking of renal Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-)-cotransporter

The furosemide-sensitive Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-)-cotransporter (NKCC2) is responsible for urine concentration, and helps maintain systemic salt homeostasis. Its activity depends on trafficking to, and insertion into, the apical membrane, as well as on phosphorylation of conserved N-terminal serine and threonine residues. Vasopressin (AVP), signaling via PKA and other kinases, activates NKCC2. Association of NKCC2 with lipid rafts facilitates its AVP-induced apical translocation and activation at the surface. Lipid raft microdomains typically serve as platforms for membrane proteins to facilitate their interactions with other proteins, but little is known about partners that interact with NKCC2. Yeast two-hybrid screening identified an interaction between NKCC2 and the cytosolic protein, annexin A2 (AnxA2). Annexins mediate lipid raft-dependent trafficking of transmembrane proteins, including the AVP-regulated water channel, aquaporin 2. Here, we demonstrate that AnxA2, which binds to phospholipids in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner and may organize microdomains, is co-distributed with NKCC2 to promote its apical translocation in response to AVP stimulation and low chloride hypotonic stress. NKCC2 and AnxA2 interact in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Phosphomimetic AnxA2 carrying a mutant, Src-dependent phosphoacceptor (AnxA2-Y24D-GFP), enhanced surface expression and raft association of NKCC2 by 5-fold upon AVP stimulation, whereas PKC-dependent AnxA2-S26D-GFP did not. As the AnxA2 effect involved only non-phosphorylated NKCC2, it appears to affect NKCC2 trafficking. Overexpression or knockdown experiments further supported the role of AnxA2 in the apical translocation and surface expression of NKCC2. In summary, this study identifies AnxA2 as a lipid raft-associated trafficking factor for NKCC2 and provides mechanistic insight into the regulation of this essential cotransporter

Prokaryotic expression, purification and immunogenicity in rabbits of the small antigen of hepatitis delta virus

Funding Information: Expression and purification of HDV antigen was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant 16-04-01490a). Evaluation of serum by Western blot and confocal microscopy was supported by Russian Science Foundation (grant 14-14-01021). Experiments in rabbits were supported by the Swedish Institute grants 09272_2013 and 19806_2016. Cross-border collaboration of the partners, exchange of the materials and standard operation procedures used in the study, and dissemination of the data were supported by the EU Twinning project VACTRAIN, contract nr 692293. Publisher Copyright: © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a viroid-like blood-borne human pathogen that accompanies hepatitis B virus infection in 5% patients. HDV has been studied for four decades; however, the knowledge on its life-cycle and pathogenesis is still sparse. The studies are hampered by the absence of the commercially-available HDV-specific antibodies. Here, we describe a set of reproducible methods for the expression in E. coli of His-tagged small antigen of HDV (S-HDAg), its purification, and production of polyclonal anti-S-HDAg antibodies in rabbits. S-HDAg was cloned into a commercial vector guiding expression of the recombinant proteins with the C-terminal His-tag. We optimized S-HDAg protein purification procedure circumventing a low affinity of the His-tagged S-HDAg to the Ni-nitrilotriacetyl agarose (Ni-NTA-agarose) resin. Optimization allowed us to obtain S-HDAg with >90% purity. S-HDAg was used to immunize Shinchilla grey rabbits which received 80 µg of S-HDAg in two subcutaneous primes in the complete, followed by four 40 µg boosts in incomplete Freunds adjuvant. Rabbits were bled two weeks post each boost. Antibody titers determined by indirect ELISA exceeded 107. Anti-S-HDAg antibodies detected the antigen on Western blots in the amounts of up-to 100 pg. They were also successfully used to characterize the expression of S-HDAg in the eukaryotic cells by immunofluorescent staining/confocal microscopy.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Bioavailability in soils

The consumption of locally-produced vegetables by humans may be an important exposure pathway for soil contaminants in many urban settings and for agricultural land use. Hence, prediction of metal and metalloid uptake by vegetables from contaminated soils is an important part of the Human Health Risk Assessment procedure. The behaviour of metals (cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, lead and zinc) and metalloids (arsenic, boron and selenium) in contaminated soils depends to a large extent on the intrinsic charge, valence and speciation of the contaminant ion, and soil properties such as pH, redox status and contents of clay and/or organic matter. However, chemistry and behaviour of the contaminant in soil alone cannot predict soil-to-plant transfer. Root uptake, root selectivity, ion interactions, rhizosphere processes, leaf uptake from the atmosphere, and plant partitioning are important processes that ultimately govern the accumulation ofmetals and metalloids in edible vegetable tissues. Mechanistic models to accurately describe all these processes have not yet been developed, let alone validated under field conditions. Hence, to estimate risks by vegetable consumption, empirical models have been used to correlate concentrations of metals and metalloids in contaminated soils, soil physico-chemical characteristics, and concentrations of elements in vegetable tissues. These models should only be used within the bounds of their calibration, and often need to be re-calibrated or validated using local soil and environmental conditions on a regional or site-specific basis.Mike J. McLaughlin, Erik Smolders, Fien Degryse, and Rene Rietr

Comparative transcriptome sequencing of germline and somatic tissues of the Ascaris suum gonad

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Ascaris suum </it>(large roundworm of pigs) is a parasitic nematode that causes substantial losses to the meat industry. This nematode is suitable for biochemical studies because, unlike <it>C. elegans</it>, homogeneous tissue samples can be obtained by dissection. It has large sperm, produced in great numbers that permit biochemical studies of sperm motility. Widespread study of <it>A. suum </it>would be facilitated by more comprehensive genome resources and, to this end, we have produced a gonad transcriptome of <it>A. suum</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two 454 pyrosequencing runs generated 572,982 and 588,651 reads for germline (TES) and somatic (VAS) tissues of the <it>A. suum </it>gonad, respectively. 86% of the high-quality (HQ) reads were assembled into 9,955 contigs and 69,791 HQ reads remained as singletons. 2.4 million bp of unique sequences were obtained with a coverage that reached 16.1-fold. 4,877 contigs and 14,339 singletons were annotated according to the <it>C. elegans </it>protein and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) protein databases. Comparison of TES and VAS transcriptomes demonstrated that genes participating in DNA replication, RNA transcription and ubiquitin-proteasome pathways are expressed at significantly higher levels in TES tissues than in VAS tissues. Comparison of the <it>A. suum </it>TES transcriptome with the <it>C. elegans </it>microarray dataset identified 165 <it>A. suum </it>germline-enriched genes (83% are spermatogenesis-enriched). Many of these genes encode serine/threonine kinases and phosphatases (KPs) as well as tyrosine KPs. Immunoblot analysis further suggested a critical role of phosphorylation in both testis development and spermatogenesis. A total of 2,681 <it>A. suum </it>genes were identified to have associated RNAi phenotypes in <it>C. elegans</it>, the majority of which display embryonic lethality, slow growth, larval arrest or sterility.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Using deep sequencing technology, this study has produced a gonad transcriptome of <it>A. suum</it>. By comparison with <it>C. elegans </it>datasets, we identified sets of genes associated with spermatogenesis and gonad development in <it>A. suum</it>. The newly identified genes encoding KPs may help determine signaling pathways that operate during spermatogenesis. A large portion of <it>A. suum </it>gonadal genes have related RNAi phenotypes in <it>C. elegans </it>and, thus, might be RNAi targets for parasite control.</p

A case for increased private sector involvement in Ireland's national animal health services

Non-regulatory animal health issues, such as Johne's disease, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and mastitis will become increasing important, with ongoing globalisation of markets in animals and animal products. In response, Ireland may need to broaden the scope of its national animal health services. However, there have been concerns about the respective roles and responsibilities (both financial and otherwise) of government and industry in any such moves. This paper argues the case for increased private sector involvement in Ireland's national animal health services, based both on theoretical considerations and country case studies (the Netherlands and Australia). The Dutch and Australian case studies present examples of successful partnerships between government and industry, including systems and processes to address non-regulatory animal health issues. In each case, the roles and responsibilities of government are clear, as are the principles underpinning government involvement. Furthermore, the roles and responsibilities (financial and otherwise) of the Dutch and Australian industry are determined through enabling legislation, providing both legitimacy and accountability. There are constraints on the use of EU and national government funds to support non-regulatory animal health services in EU member states (such as Ireland and the Netherlands)

Adjuvant Effect of Killed Propionibacterium acnes on Mouse Peritoneal B-1 Lymphocytes and Their Early Phagocyte Differentiation

B-1 lymphocytes are the predominant cells in mouse peritoneal cavity. They express macrophage and lymphocyte markers and are divided into B-1a, B-1b and B-1c subtypes. The role of B-1 cells is not completely clear, but they are responsible for natural IgM production and seem to play a regulatory role. An enriched B-1b cell population can be obtained from non-adherent peritoneal cell cultures, and we have previously demonstrated that these cells undergo differentiation to acquire a mononuclear phagocyte phenotype upon attachment to the substrate in vitro. Nevertheless, the B-1 cell response to antigens or adjuvants has been poorly investigated. Because killed Propionibacterium acnes exhibits immunomodulatory effects on both macrophages and B-2 lymphocytes, we analyzed whether a killed bacterial suspension or its soluble polysaccharide (PS) could modulate the absolute number of peritoneal B-1 cells in BALB/c mice, the activation status of these cells and their ability to differentiate into phagocytes in vitro. In vivo, P. acnes treatment elevated the absolute number of all B-1 subsets, whereas PS only increased B-1c. Moreover, the bacterium increased the number of B-1b cells that were positive for MHC II, TLR2, TLR4, TLR9, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-12, in addition to up-regulating TLR9, CD80 and CD86 expression. PS increased B-1b cell expression of TLR4, TLR9, CD40 and CD86, as well as IL-10 and IL-12 synthesis. Both of the treatments decreased the absolute number of B-1b cells in vitro, suggesting their early differentiation into B-1 cell-derived phagocytes (B-1CDP). We also observed a higher phagocytic activity from the phagocytes that were derived from B-1b cells after P. acnes and PS treatment. The adjuvant effect that P. acnes has on B-1 cells, mainly the B-1b subtype, reinforces the importance of B-1 cells in the innate and adaptive immune responses

PREDICTORS OF HYPERTENSION

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74570/1/j.1749-6632.1978.tb25565.x.pd