Conformation of surface exposed N-terminus part of bacteriorhodopsin studied by transferred NOE technique

AbstractInteraction of the monoclonal antibody A5 raised against native bacteriorhodopsin (BR) with the synthetic peptide pGlu1-Ala-Gln-Ile-Thr-Gly-Arg7-NH2, corresponding to the amino acid sequence 1–7 was studied by transferred nuclear Overhauser effect (TRNOE) spectroscopy. The denaturing reagents and the specially designed pulse sequences which eliminate broad signals from the TRNOE spectra were used to favour evaluation of the TRNOE peaks. On the basis of the data obtained, the conformation of peptide bound with A5 was calculated. A model of the mutual arrangement of bacteriorhodopsin N-terminus and the first transmembrane α-helical segment 8–32 was proposed

Abstracts from the 20th International Symposium on Signal Transduction at the Blood-Brain Barriers

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138963/1/12987_2017_Article_71.pd

On the darbu problem for multidimensional hyperbolic systems

The work is aimed at studying into the character of correctness of the Darbu and Gurs problems for hyperbolic systems with two or many variables. New effects of solvability of the Darbu and Gurs problems for hyperbolic systems of equations of the second order are revealed and studiedAvailable from VNTIC / VNTIC - Scientific & Technical Information Centre of RussiaSIGLERURussian Federatio

The Elbrus (Caucasus, Russia) ice core record – Part 1: reconstruction of past anthropogenic sulfur emissions in south-eastern Europe

International audienceThis study reports on the glaciochemistry of a deep ice core (182 m long) drilled in 2009 at Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus, Russia. Radiocarbon dating of the particulate organic carbon fraction in the ice suggests that the basal ice dates to 280 ± 400 CE (Common Era). Based on chemical stratigraphy, the upper 168.6 m of the core was dated by counting annual layers. The seasonally resolved chemical records cover the years 1774-2009 CE, thus being useful to reconstruct many aspects of atmospheric pollution in southeastern Europe from pre-industrial times to the present day. After having examined the extent to which the arrival of large dust plumes originating from the Sahara and Middle East modifies the chemical composition of the Elbrus (ELB) snow and ice layers, we focus on the dust-free sulfur pollution. The ELB dust-free sulfate levels indicate a 6-and 7-fold increase from 1774-1900 to 1980-1995 in winter and summer, respectively. Remaining close to 55 ± 10 ppb during the 19th century, the annual dust-free sulfate levels started to rise at a mean rate of ∼ 3 ppb per year from 1920 to 1950. The annual increase accelerated between 1950 and 1975 (8 ppb per year), with levels reaching a maximum between 1980 and 1990 (376 ± 10 ppb) and subsequently decreasing to 270 ± 18 ppb at the beginning of the 21st century. Long-term dust-free sulfate trends observed in the ELB ice cores are compared with those previously obtained in Alpine and Altai (Siberia) ice, with the most important differences consisting in a much earlier onset and a more pronounced decrease in the sulfur pollution over the last 3 decades in western Europe than southeastern Europe and Siberia

Whispering-gallery modes in shielded hemispherical dielectric resonators

The results of the numerical and experimental investigations of whispering-gallery (WG) modes in shielded hemispherical dielectric resonators are presented in this paper. It is shown that the Q factor of WG modes in the shielded resonator can be ten times much higher than the Q factor of the similar open hemispherical dielectric-resonator modes. Shielding the resonator can decrease the dimensions of both the dielectric hemisphere and resonator as a whole, saving the high-Q factor of WG modes. The usage of a cylindrical shield and local flat reflectors in the experiment provides the investigation of the high-Q factor of WG modes in the resonator

Large-scale drivers of Caucasus climate variability in meteorological records and Mt El'brus ice cores

International audienceA 181.8 m ice core was recovered from a borehole drilled into bedrock on the western plateau of Mt El'brus (43 • 20 53.9 N, 42 • 25 36.0 E; 5115 m a.s.l.) in the Caucasus, Russia, in 2009 (Mikhalenko et al., 2015). Here, we report on the results of the water stable isotope composition from this ice core with additional data from the shallow cores. The distinct seasonal cycle of the isotopic composition allows dating by annual layer counting. Dating has been performed for the upper 126 m of the deep core combined with 20 m from the shallow cores. The whole record covers 100 years, from 2013 back to 1914. Due to the high accumulation rate (1380 mm w.e. year −1) and limited melting, we obtained isotopic composition and accumulation rate records with seasonal resolution. These values were compared with available meteorological data from 13 weather stations in the region and also with atmosphere circulation indices, backtrajectory calculations, and Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) data in order to decipher the drivers of accumulation and ice core isotopic composition in the Caucasus region. In the warm season (May-October) the isotopic composition depends on local temperatures, but the correlation is not persistent over time, while in the cold season (November-April), atmospheric circulation is the predominant driver of the ice core's isotopic composition. The snow accumulation rate correlates well with the precipitation rate in the region all year round, which made it possible to reconstruct and expand the precipitation record at the Caucasus highlands from 1914 until 1966, when reliable meteorological observations of precipitation at high elevation began

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14 mars 19301930/03/14 (A59).Appartient à l’ensemble documentaire : PoitouCh

The Elbrus (Caucasus, Russia) ice core record – Part 2: history of desert dust deposition

International audienceIce cores are one of the most valuable paleo-archives. Records from ice cores provide information not only about the amount of dust in the atmosphere, but also about dust sources and their changes in the past. In 2009, a 182 m long ice core was recovered from the western plateau of Mt Elbrus (5115 m a.s.l.). This record was further extended after a shallow ice core was drilled in 2013. Here we analyse Ca 2+ concentrations, a commonly used proxy of dust, recorded in these Elbrus ice records over the time period of 1774-2013 CE. The Ca 2+ record reveals quasi-decadal variability with a generally increasing trend. Using multiple regression analysis, we found a statistically significant spatial correlation of the Elbrus Ca 2+ summer concentrations with precipitation and soil moisture content in the Levant region (specifically Syria and Iraq). The Ca 2+ record also correlates with drought indices in North Africa (r = 0.67, p<0.001) and Middle East regions (r = 0.71, p<0.001). Dust concentrations prominently increase in the ice core over the past 200 years, confirming that the recent droughts in the Fertile Crescent (1998-2012 CE) present the most severe aridity experienced in at least the past two centuries. For the most recent 33 years recorded (1979-2012 CE), significant correlations exist between Ca 2+ and Pacific circulation indices (Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Southern Oscillation Index and Niño 4), which suggests that the increased frequency of extreme El Niño and La Niña events due to a warming climate has extended their influence to the Middle East. Evidence demonstrates that the increase in Ca 2+ concentration in the ice core cannot be attributed to human activities, such as coal combustion and cement production

Black carbon variability since preindustrial times in the eastern part of Europe reconstructed from Mt. Elbrus, Caucasus, ice cores

International audienceBlack carbon (BC), emitted by fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning, is the second largest man-made contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide (Bond et al., 2013). However, limited information exists on its past emissions and atmospheric variability. In this study, we present the first high-resolution record of refractory BC (rBC, including mass concentration and size) reconstructed from ice cores drilled at a high-altitude eastern European site in Mt. Elbrus (ELB), Caucasus (5115 m a.s.l.). The ELB ice core record, covering the period 1825–2013, reflects the atmospheric load of rBC particles at the ELB site transported from the European continent with a larger rBC input from sources located in the eastern part of Europe. In the first half of the 20th century, European anthropogenic emissions resulted in a 1.5-fold increase in the ice core rBC mass concentrations with respect to its level in the preindustrial era (before 1850). The summer (winter) rBC mass concentrations increased 5-fold (3.3-fold) in 1960–1980, followed by a decrease until  ∼  2000. Over the last decade, the rBC signal for summertime slightly increased. We have compared the signal with the atmospheric BC load simulated using past BC emissions (ACCMIP and MACCity inventories) and taken into account the contribution of different geographical regions to rBC distribution and deposition at the ELB site. Interestingly, the observed rBC variability in the ELB ice core record since the 1960s is not in perfect agreement with the simulated atmospheric BC load. Similar features between the ice core rBC record and the best scenarios for the atmospheric BC load support anthropogenic BC increase in the 20th century being reflected in the ELB ice core record. However, the peak in BC mass concentration observed in  ∼  1970 in the ice core is estimated to occur a decade later from past inventories. BC emission inventories for the period 1960s–1970s may be underestimating European anthropogenic emissions. Furthermore, for summertime snow layers of the 2000s, the slightly increasing trend of rBC deposition likely reflects recent changes in anthropogenic and biomass burning BC emissions in the eastern part of Europe. Our study highlights that the past changes in BC emissions of eastern Europe need to be considered in assessing ongoing air quality regulation