155 research outputs found
Thermodynamic properties of binary HCP solution phases from special quasirandom structures
Three different special quasirandom structures (SQS) of the substitutional
hcp binary random solutions (, 0.5, and 0.75) are
presented. These structures are able to mimic the most important pair and
multi-site correlation functions corresponding to perfectly random hcp
solutions at those compositions. Due to the relatively small size of the
generated structures, they can be used to calculate the properties of random
hcp alloys via first-principles methods. The structures are relaxed in order to
find their lowest energy configurations at each composition. In some cases, it
was found that full relaxation resulted in complete loss of their parental
symmetry as hcp so geometry optimizations in which no local relaxations are
allowed were also performed. In general, the first-principles results for the
seven binary systems (Cd-Mg, Mg-Zr, Al-Mg, Mo-Ru, Hf-Ti, Hf-Zr, and Ti-Zr) show
good agreement with both formation enthalpy and lattice parameters measurements
from experiments. It is concluded that the SQS's presented in this work can be
widely used to study the behavior of random hcp solutions.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure
First-principles study of ternary fcc solution phases from special quasirandom structures
In the present work, ternary Special Quasirandom Structures (SQSs) for a fcc
solid solution phase are generated at different compositions,
and , ,
whose correlation functions are satisfactorily close to those of a random fcc
solution. The generated SQSs are used to calculate the mixing enthalpy of the
fcc phase in the Ca-Sr-Yb system. It is observed that first-principles
calculations of all the binary and ternary SQSs in the Ca-Sr-Yb system exhibit
very small local relaxation. It is concluded that the fcc ternary SQSs can
provide valuable information about the mixing behavior of the fcc ternary solid
solution phase. The SQSs presented in this work can be widely used to study the
behavior of ternary fcc solid solutions.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure
Ceruloplasmin Protects Against Rotenone-Induced Oxidative Stress and Neurotoxicity
To clarify the neuroprotective property of ceruloplasmin and the pathogenesis of aceruloplasminemia, we generated ceruloplasmin-deficient (CP−/−) mice on the C57BL/10 genetic background and further treated them with a mitochondrial complex I inhibitor, rotenone. There was no iron accumulation in the brains of CP−/− mice at least up to 60 weeks of age. Without rotenone treatment, CP−/− mice showed slight motor dysfunction compared with CP+/+ mice, but there were no detectable differences in the levels of oxidative stress markers between these two groups. A low dose of rotenone did not affect the mitochondrial complex I activity in our mice, however, it caused a significant change in motor behavior, neuropathology, or the levels of oxidative stress markers in CP−/− mice, but not in CP+/+ mice. Our data support that ceruloplasmin protects against rotenone-induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity, probably through its antioxidant properties independently of its function of iron metabolism
Transcriptional Activation of Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor Gene by DJ-1 and Effect of DJ-1 on Cholesterol Homeostasis
DJ-1 is a novel oncogene and also causative gene for familial Parkinson’s disease park7. DJ-1 has multiple functions that include transcriptional regulation, anti-oxidative reaction and chaperone and mitochondrial regulation. For transcriptional regulation, DJ-1 acts as a coactivator that binds to various transcription factors, resulting in stimulation or repression of the expression of their target genes. In this study, we found the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene is a transcriptional target gene for DJ-1. Reduced expression of LDLR mRNA and protein was observed in DJ-1-knockdown cells and DJ-1-knockout mice and this occurred at the transcription level. Reporter gene assays using various deletion and point mutations of the LDLR promoter showed that DJ-1 stimulated promoter activity by binding to the sterol regulatory element (SRE) with sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) and that stimulating activity of DJ-1 toward LDLR promoter activity was enhanced by oxidation of DJ-1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation, gel-mobility shift and co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that DJ-1 made a complex with SREBP on the SRE. Furthermore, it was found that serum LDL cholesterol level was increased in DJ-1-knockout male, but not female, mice and that the increased serum LDL cholesterol level in DJ-1-knockout male mice was cancelled by administration with estrogen, suggesting that estrogen compensates the increased level of serum LDL cholesterol in DJ-1-knockout female mice. This is the first report that DJ-1 participates in metabolism of fatty acid synthesis through transcriptional regulation of the LDLR gene
Parkinson’s disease mouse models in translational research
Animal models with high predictive power are a prerequisite for translational research. The closer the similarity of a model to Parkinson’s disease (PD), the higher is the predictive value for clinical trials. An ideal PD model should present behavioral signs and pathology that resemble the human disease. The increasing understanding of PD stratification and etiology, however, complicates the choice of adequate animal models for preclinical studies. An ultimate mouse model, relevant to address all PD-related questions, is yet to be developed. However, many of the existing models are useful in answering specific questions. An appropriate model should be chosen after considering both the context of the research and the model properties. This review addresses the validity, strengths, and limitations of current PD mouse models for translational research
Mineral nutrition of vegetable crops: XXV - Mineral nutrition of new zealand spinach plant (Tetragonia expansa Murr.)
The present work was carried out in order to study: a - the effect of omission and presence of the macronutrients and boron on the growth of the plants; b - deficiency symptoms of macronutrients, as well of boron; c - the effect of the deficiency of each nutrient on the chemical composition of the plants. Young spinach plants were grown in pots containing pure quartz sand. Several times a day the plants were irrigated by percolation with nutrient solutions. The treatments were: complete solution and deficient solution, in which each one of the macronutrients was omitted as well boron. Soon as the malnutrition symptoms appered, the plants were harvested and analysed chemically. - symptoms of malnutrition are easily observed for N, K, Ca and B. - symptoms of malnutrition for P, S and Mg are not easily identified. - the nutrient content, in dry matter, in deficient leaves and healthy leaves is:O trabalho teve como objetivo estudar alguns aspectos da nutrição mineral do espinafre (Tetragonia expansa Murr.) no que concerne: 1 - Efeitos da omissão dos macronutrientes e do boro, na obtenção de um quadro sintomatológico; 2 - Efeitos das carências na produção de matéria seca e composição química da planta. Mudas com trinta dias de idade foram transplantadas para soluções nutritivas carentes nos macronutrientes e/ou em boro. A coleta das plantas foi realizada quando os sintomas de deficiência se tornaram evidentes. No material seco procedeu-se a análise química. Os dados mostram que: 1 - os sintomas visuais de deficiência de N, K, Ca e B apresentam-se bem definidos; sendo que os de P, Mg e S são de difícil caracterização ; 2 - os teores dos nutrientes em plantas sadias e deficientes são
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