AN IMPROVED NANOSCALE TRANSMISSION LINE MODEL OF MICROTUBULE: THE EFFECT OF NONLINEARITY ON THE PROPAGATION OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALS

In what manner the microtubules, cytoskeletal nanotubes, handle and process electrical signals is still uncompleted puzzle. These bio–macromolecules have highly charged surfaces that enable them to conduct electric signals. In the context of electrodynamic properties of microtubule, the paper proposes an improved electrical model based on its cylindrical structure with nano–pores in its wall. Relying on our earlier ideas, we represent this protein–based nanotube with the surrounding ions as biomolecular nonlinear transmission line with corresponding nanoscale electric elements in it. One of the key aspects is the nonlinearity of associated capacitance due to the effect of shrinking/stretching and oscillation of C–terminal tails. Accordingly, a characteristic voltage equation of electrical model of microtubule and influence of capacitance nonlinearity on the propagation of electrical pulses are numerically analyzed here

Određivanje fenmedifama i desmedifama u komercijalnom herbicidu tečnom hromatografijom pod visokim pritiskom

Betanal AM-11 is the herbicide that is using to control one-year old weeds with wide leafs in sugar beet fields. Active ingredients of the herbicide are phenmedipham and desmedipham. Commercial emulsifiable concentrate (EC) contains 80 g/L ( 10% of each active compound. We applied high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detector (DAD) at 254 nm for the determination of phenmedipham and desmedipham in commercial samples of Betanal AM-11. This method involves reversed-phase separation of the components on C-18 bonded silica with methanol-water (51+49, v/v) as the eluent. The procedure was highly selective and reproducible and can be successfully used in determining contents of phenmedipham and desmedipham on micro and macro levels.Betanal AM-11 je herbicid koji se koristi za suzbijanje jednogodišnjih širokolisnih korova na poljima sa šećernom repom. Aktivni sastojci herbicida su fenmedifam i desmedifam. Komercijalni koncentrat za emulziju (ES) sadrži 80 g/l ( 10% svake aktivne komponente. Za određivanje fenmedifama i desmedifama u komercijalnim uzorcima Betanala AM-11 je primenjena tečna hromatografija pod visokim pritiskom, DAD detektor i talasna dužina od 254 nm. Metod je obuhvatio razdvajanje komponenata na obrnutim fazama sa kolonom C-18 i eluentom metanol-voda (51+49, v/v). Postupak je veoma selektivan i reproduktivan i može se koristiti za određivanje makro- i mikro količina fenmedifama i desmedifama

Influence of maternal dexamethasone treatment on morphometric characteristics of pituitary GH cells and body weight in near-term rat fetuses.

Growth hormone (GH) and glucocorticoids have a powerful influence on controlling fetal growth, differentiation and maturation of numerous tissues. In the present study, the effect of maternal dexamethasone (Dx) treatment on GH cells and body weight in 19- and 21-day-old rat fetuses was investigated using immunocytochemical and morphometric methods. Pregnant female rats received daily injections of 1.0-0.5-0.5 mg Dx/kg b.w. on days 16-18 of pregnancy (experimental group), while the control group received an equal volume of saline. Dx treatment of pregnant rats enhanced immunostaining intensity and significantly increased (

A20/TNFAIP3 heterozygosity predisposes to behavioral symptoms in a mouse model for neuropsychiatric lupus

Background: Neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE) refers to the neurological and psychiatric manifestations that are commonly observed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). An important question regarding the pathogenesis of NPSLE is whether the symptoms are caused primarily by CNS-intrinsic mechanisms or develop as a consequence of systemic autoimmunity. Currently used spontaneous mouse models for SLE have already contributed significantly to unraveling how systemic immunity affects the CNS. However, they are less suited when interested in CNS primary mechanisms. In addition, none of these models are based on genes that are associated with SLE. In this study, we evaluate the influence of A20, a well-known susceptibility locus for SLE, on behavior and CNS-associated changes in inflammatory markers. Furthermore, given the importance of environmental triggers for disease onset and progression, the influence of an acute immunological challenge was evaluated. Methods: Female and male A20 heterozygous mice (A20+/−) and wildtype littermates were tested in an extensive behavioral battery. This was done at the age of 10±2weeks and 24 ​± ​2 weeks to evaluate the impact of aging. To investigate the contribution of an acute immunological challenge, LPS was injected intracerebroventricularly at the age of 10±2weeks followed by behavioral analysis. Underlying molecular mechanisms were evaluated in gene expression assays on hippocampus and cortex. White blood cell count and blood-brain barrier permeability were analyzed to determine whether peripheral inflammation is a relevant factor. Results: A20 heterozygosity predisposes to cognitive symptoms that were observed at the age of 10 ​± ​2 weeks and 24 ​± ​2 weeks. Young A20+/− males and females showed a subtle cognitive phenotype (10±2weeks) with distinct neuroinflammatory phenotypes. Aging was associated with clear neuroinflammation in female A20+/− mice only. The genetic predisposition in combination with an environmental stimulus exacerbates the behavioral impairments related to anxiety, cognitive dysfunction and sensorimotor gating. This was predominantly observed in females. Furthermore, signs of neuroinflammation were solely observed in female A20+/− mice. All above observations were made in the absence of peripheral inflammation and of changes in blood-brain barrier permeability, thus consistent with the CNS-primary hypothesis. Conclusions: We show that A20 heterozygosity is a predisposing factor for NPSLE. Further mechanistic insight and possible therapeutic interventions can be studied in this mouse model that recapitulates several key hallmarks of the disease

The effect of edge interlaminar stresses on the strength of carbon/epoxy laminates of different stacking geometry

The effect of edge interlaminar stresses on strength of carbon/epoxy laminates of different stacking geometry: cross-ply, quasi-isotropic and angle-ply laminates with additional 0 degrees and 90 degrees ply was studied. Coupons with two widths of laminates with an inverse stacking sequence were tested in static tensile tests. The effect of edge interlaminar stresses on strength was Studied, by comparing the values of the tensile strength of laminate coupons of the same width with an inverse stacking sequence, as well as, by comparing the values of the tensile strength of the same lay-up laminate coupons but of different widths. The edge effects were analysed by observing failure, identifying the interlayer where axial cracks at the free edge were initiated or inhibited and by computing interlaminar stresses and strains in the interlayer near the free edge of the coupon. The established edge effect was first correlated to the sign of the normal edge interlaminar stress. The extent of the edge effect was then successfully correlated to the edge interlaminar normal stress normalized to the size of the edge boundary region in which the stress appeared

Factors of estimating flatness error as a surface requirement of exploitation

This study considers the impact of surface quality (surface roughness) on estimating flatness error when measurements are performed using coordinate measuring machine (CMM). Flatness error is estimated using various association methods and various sample sizes, while the distribution of sample points is done randomly on a flatness feature using the random number generator in Matlab. ANOVA is used for determining the significance of differences between the observed groups. It has been determined that the estimate of flatness error is affected by the processing method, the number of sample points and associative method used, but not by surface roughness

The effect of gamma radiation on the properties of activated carbon cloth

Activated carbon cloth dressing is an appropriate wound healing material due to its biocompatibility and adsorption characteristics. The influence of gamma radiation as a sterilization process on the adsorption and mechanical properties of activated carbon cloth was investigated. The specific surface area, micropore volume, pore size distribution, surface chemistry as well as the breaking load of activated carbon cloth before and after gamma radiation were examined. Characterization by nitrogen adsorption showed that the activated carbon cloth was a microporous material with a high specific surface area and micropores smaller than 1 nm. Gamma radiation decreased the specific surface area and micropore volume but increased the pore width. The sterilization process changed the surface chemistry quantitatively, but not qualitatively. In addition, the breaking load decreased but without any influence considering the further application of this material

Fabrication of silver-decorated zinc oxide microrods by hydrothermal method

We report on hydrothermal synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) hexagonal microrods and microtubes. Zinc oxide seeds were deposited onto glass slides by dip coating and used as templates for hydrothermal growth of ZnO microcrystals. The process was carried out in an alkaline reaction medium with acetate and nitrate zinc precursors, using hexamethylene tetramine (HMT) as surfactant. The obtained ZnO microrods were successfully decorated with silver particles via dipping ZnO-containing glass slides in silver nitrate solution and subsequent UV irradiation (5 min). Zinc oxide and Ag/ZnO microparticles were characterized by SEM, EDS and XRD. The presented results are part of the larger concept of developing of anisotropic Ag/ZnO microrods for conversion of chemical to mechanical energy.X Serbian Ceramic Society Conference - Advanced Ceramics and Application : new frontiers in multifunctional material science and processing : program and the book of abstracts; September 26-27, 2022; Belgrad

25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016

Abstracts of the 25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016 Seogwipo City, Jeju-do, South Korea. 2–7 July 201