5,262 research outputs found
CydDC-mediated reductant export in Escherichia coli controls the transcriptional wiring of energy metabolism and combats nitrosative stress
The glutathione/cysteine exporter CydDC maintains redox balance in Escherichia coli. A cydD mutant strain was used to probe the influence of CydDC upon reduced thiol export, gene expression, metabolic perturbations, intracellular pH homeostasis, and tolerance to nitric oxide (NO). Loss of CydDC was found to decrease extracytoplasmic thiol levels, whereas overexpression diminished the cytoplasmic thiol content. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a dramatic up-regulation of protein chaperones, protein degradation (via phenylpropionate/phenylacetate catabolism), ?-oxidation of fatty acids, and genes involved in nitrate/nitrite reduction. 1H NMR metabolomics revealed elevated methionine and betaine and diminished acetate and NAD+ in cydD cells, which was consistent with the transcriptomics-based metabolic model. The growth rate and ?pH, however, were unaffected, although the cydD strain did exhibit sensitivity to the NO-releasing compound NOC-12. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the loss of CydDC-mediated reductant export promotes protein misfolding, adaptations to energy metabolism, and sensitivity to NO. The addition of both glutathione and cysteine to the medium was found to complement the loss of bd -type cytochrome synthesis in a cydD strain (a key component of the pleiotropic cydDC phenotype), providing the first direct evidence that CydDC substrates are able to restore the correct assembly of this respiratory oxidase. These data provide an insight into the metabolic flexibility of E. coli , highlight the importance of bacterial redox homeostasis during nitrosative stress, and report for the first time the ability of periplasmic low molecular weight thiols to restore haem incorporation into a cytochrome complex
Quadrupole collective variables in the natural Cartan-Weyl basis
The matrix elements of the quadrupole collective variables, emerging from
collective nuclear models, are calculated in the natural Cartan-Weyl basis of
O(5) which is a subgroup of a covering structure. Making
use of an intermediate set method, explicit expressions of the matrix elements
are obtained in a pure algebraic way, fixing the -rotational structure
of collective quadrupole models.Comment: submitted to Journal of Physics
The quadrupole collective model from a Cartan-Weyl perspective
The matrix elements of the quadrupole variables and canonic conjugate
momenta, emerging from collective nuclear models are calculated within a
basis. Using a harmonic oscillator implementation of the
SU(1,1) degree of freedom, it can be shown that the matrix elements of the
quadrupole phonon creation and annihilation operators can be calculated in a
pure algebraic way, making use of an intermediate state method.Comment: Special issue of journal of physics for the QTS5 conferenc
Configuration mixing in Pb : band structure and electromagnetic properties
In the present paper, we carry out a detailed analysis of the presence and
mixing of various families of collective bands in Pb. Making use of the
interacting boson model, we construct a particular intermediate basis that can
be associated with the unperturbed bands used in more phenomenological studies.
We use the E2 decay to construct a set of collective bands and discuss in
detail the B(E2)-values. We also perform an analysis of these theoretical
results (Q, B(E2)) to deduce an intrinsic quadrupole moment and the associated
quadrupole deformation parameter, using an axially deformed rotor model.Comment: submitted to pr
Single- and double-beta decay Fermi-transitions in an exactly solvable model
An exactly solvable model suitable for the description of single and
double-beta decay processes of the Fermi-type is introduced. The model is
equivalent to the exact shell-model treatment of protons and neutrons in a
single j-shell. Exact eigenvalues and eigenvectors are compared to those
corresponding to the hamiltonian in the quasiparticle basis (qp) and with the
results of both the standard quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA)
and the renormalized one (RQRPA). The role of the scattering term of the
quasiparticle hamiltonian is analyzed. The presence of an exact eigenstate with
zero energy is shown to be related to the collapse of the QRPA. The RQRPA and
the qp solutions do not include this zero-energy eigenvalue in their spectra,
probably due to spurious correlations. The meaning of this result in terms of
symmetries is presented.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures included in a Postsript file. Submitted to
Physcal Review
An algebraic approach to problems with polynomial Hamiltonians on Euclidean spaces
Explicit expressions are given for the actions and radial matrix elements of
basic radial observables on multi-dimensional spaces in a continuous sequence
of orthonormal bases for unitary SU(1,1) irreps. Explicit expressions are also
given for SO(N)-reduced matrix elements of basic orbital observables. These
developments make it possible to determine the matrix elements of polynomial
and a other Hamiltonians analytically, to within SO(N) Clebsch-Gordan
coefficients, and to select an optimal basis for a particular problem such that
the expansion of eigenfunctions is most rapidly convergent.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure
Intense physical activity is associated with cognitive performance in the elderly
Numerous studies have reported positive impacts of physical activity on cognitive function. However, the majority of these studies have utilised physical activity questionnaires or surveys, thus results may have been influenced by reporting biases. Through the objective measurement of routine levels of physical activity via actigraphy, we report a significant association between intensity, but not volume, of physical activity and cognitive functioning. A cohort of 217 participants (aged 60–89 years) wore an actigraphy unit for 7 consecutive days and underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. The cohort was stratified into tertiles based on physical activity intensity. Compared with individuals in the lowest tertile of physical activity intensity, those in the highest tertile scored 9%, 9%, 6% and 21% higher on the digit span, digit symbol, Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) copy and Rey Figure Test 30-min recall test, respectively. Statistically, participants in the highest tertile of physical activity intensity performed significantly better on the following cognitive tasks: digit symbol, RCFT copy and verbal fluency test (all P<0.05). The results indicate that intensity rather than quantity of physical activity may be more important in the association between physical activity and cognitive function
Skeletal muscle transcriptional coactivator PGC-1alpha mediates mitochondrial, but not metabolic, changes during calorie restriction
Calorie restriction (CR) is a dietary intervention that extends lifespan and healthspan in a variety of organisms. CR improves mitochondrial energy production, fuel oxidation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging in skeletal muscle and other tissues, and these processes are thought to be critical to the benefits of CR. PGC-1alpha is a transcriptional coactivator that regulates mitochondrial function and is induced by CR. Consequently, many of the mitochondrial and metabolic benefits of CR are attributed to increased PGC-1alpha activity. To test this model, we examined the metabolic and mitochondrial response to CR in mice lacking skeletal muscle PGC-1alpha (MKO). Surprisingly, MKO mice demonstrated a normal improvement in glucose homeostasis in response to CR, indicating that skeletal muscle PGC-1alpha is dispensable for the whole-body benefits of CR. In contrast, gene expression profiling and electron microscopy (EM) demonstrated that PGC-1alpha is required for the full CR-induced increases in mitochondrial gene expression and mitochondrial density in skeletal muscle. These results demonstrate that PGC-1alpha is a major regulator of the mitochondrial response to CR in skeletal muscle, but surprisingly show that neither PGC-1alpha nor mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle are required for the whole-body metabolic benefits of CR
Improving sheep feedlot management
This paper summarise six studies undertaken by the Sheep CRC to elucidate certain aspects of confinement feeding of sheep. A review of confinement feeding highlighted the variability of growth rate and feed conversion of sheep and revealed that little is known about the use of sorghum for feeding sheep. The review indicated that the main factors responsible for variation of growth rate and feed conversion were adaptation to grain and feeding system, including the preparation and presentation of feed. The importance of social and physiological adaptation to grain feeding was confirmed. Factors identified as responsible for safe induction and uniform growth rates included prior exposure to grain as lambs, gradual introduction of grain and, when concentrate was provided ad libitum from the first day, the use of either virginiamycin, a pelleted feed, a total mixed ration or a step-wise increase of high-starch grain components. Separate feeding of hay and grain resulted in performance comparable with that of a pelleted diet and that of a total mixed ration. Sorghum-based concentrate diets resulted in growth rates and carcase weights similar to that for winter cereal grains or pellets. Steam flaking or expanding of sorghum had no significant effect on growth rates or carcase weights. These results can be used to determine the profitability of various feedlotting options
Spectral properties of a tractable collective Hamiltonian
The spectral properties of a tractable collective model Hamiltonian are
studied. The potential energy is truncated up to quartic terms in the
quadrupole deformation variables, incorporating vibrational,
-independent rotational and axially deformed rotational structures.
These physically significant limits are analysed in detail and confronted with
well-established approximation schemes. Furthermore, transitional Hamiltonians
in between the limits are presented and discussed. All results are obtained
within a recently presented Cartan-Weyl based framework to calculate
embedded quadrupole collective observables.Comment: submitted to PR
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