Domain movement in rabbit muscle adenylate kinase might involve proline isomerization

AbstractThe fluorescence probe, 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS), was used to monitor the induced-fit conformational movement in rabbit muscle adenylate kinase. In 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 8.1), the time course of ANS binding to rabbit muscle adenylate kinase is a biphasic process. The fast phase completes within the dead-time of the stopped-flow equipment used (about 15 ms), while the slow phase ends in about 10 minutes. In the presence of 2.0 μM peptidyl prolyl cis/trans-isomerase, the rate constant of the slow phase reaction is accelerated about 2.4-fold, suggesting that the domain movement during ANS binding to rabbit muscle adenylate kinase may involve proline isomerization. The activation energy of the slow phase was determined to be 74.6 kJ/mol, which is comparable to the activation energy of proline cis/trans-isomerization (about 80 kJ/mol)

Comparison of Structural Development and Biochemical Accumulation of Waxy and Non-waxy Wheat Caryopses

This study was conducted to compare structural development and biochemical accumulation of waxy and non-waxy wheat (NW) caryopses. The caryopses’ microstructure of the waxy wheat (WW) and NW cultivars at different developmental stages were observed under light, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscope. The results were as follows: Compared with NW,WWhad a shorter maturation duration, which was reflected in several following characteristics. Programmed cell death of the pericarp began earlier, and the chlorophyll-containing layer in the pericarp was smaller. Vacuoles in chalazal cells accumulated more tannins at different developmental stages. Starch granules and protein bodies in the endosperm showed a higher accumulation level in developing caryopses, and aleurone cells were larger in size with larger numbers of aleurone grains. An analysis of the element content indicated that the mineral elements Mg, P, K, and Ca exhibited a higher content, while the heavy elements Cr, Cd, and Pb exhibited a lower content in the aleurone layer

Collective Properties of Low-lying Octupole Excitations in 82208Pb126^{208}_{82}Pb_{126}, 2060Ca40^{60}_{20}Ca_{40} and 828O20^{28}_{8}O_{20}

The octupole strengths of $\beta$-stable nucleus $^{208}_{82}Pb_{126}$, a neutron skin nucleus $^{60}_{20}Ca_{40}$ and a neutron drip line nucleus $^{28}_{8}O_{20}$ are studied by using the self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculation plus the random phase approximation (RPA) with Skyrme interaction. The collective properties of low-lying excitations are analyzed by using particle-vibration coupling. The results show that the lowest isoscalar states above threshold in $^{60}_{20}Ca_{40}$ and $^{28}_{8}O_{20}$ are the superpositions of collective excitations and unperturbed transitions from bound state to nonresonance states. For these three nuclei, both the low-lying isoscalar states and giant isoscalar resonance carry isovector strength. The ratio B(IV)/B(IS) is checked. It is found that, for $^{208}_{82}Pb_{126}$, the ratios are equal to $(\frac{N-Z}{A})^2$ in good accuracy, while for $^{60}_{20}Ca_{40}$ and $^{28}_{8}O_{20}$, the ratios are much larger than $(\frac{N-Z}{A})^2$. This results from the excess neutrons with small binding energies in $^{60}_{20}Ca_{40}$ and $^{28}_{8}O_{20}$.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figure

Temperature dependence of current self-oscillations and electric field domains in sequential tunneling doped superlattices

We examine how the current--voltage characteristics of a doped weakly coupled superlattice depends on temperature. The drift velocity of a discrete drift model of sequential tunneling in a doped GaAs/AlAs superlattice is calculated as a function of temperature. Numerical simulations and theoretical arguments show that increasing temperature favors the appearance of current self-oscillations at the expense of static electric field domain formation. Our findings agree with available experimental evidence.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Public mental health problems during COVID-19 pandemic: a large-scale meta-analysis of the evidence

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed humans to the highest physical and mental risks. Thus, it is becoming a priority to probe the mental health problems experienced during the pandemic in different populations. We performed a meta-analysis to clarify the prevalence of postpandemic mental health problems. Seventy-one published papers (n = 146,139) from China, the United States, Japan, India, and Turkey were eligible to be included in the data pool. These papers reported results for Chinese, Japanese, Italian, American, Turkish, Indian, Spanish, Greek, and Singaporean populations. The results demonstrated a total prevalence of anxiety symptoms of 32.60% (95% confidence interval (CI): 29.10-36.30) during the COVID-19 pandemic. For depression, a prevalence of 27.60% (95% CI: 24.00-31.60) was found. Further, insomnia was found to have a prevalence of 30.30% (95% CI: 24.60-36.60). Of the total study population, 16.70% (95% CI: 8.90-29.20) experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subgroup analysis revealed the highest prevalence of anxiety (63.90%) and depression (55.40%) in confirmed and suspected patients compared with other cohorts. Notably, the prevalence of each symptom in other countries was higher than that in China. Finally, the prevalence of each mental problem differed depending on the measurement tools used. In conclusion, this study revealed the prevalence of mental problems during the COVID-19 pandemic by using a fairly large-scale sample and further clarified that the heterogeneous results for these mental health problems may be due to the nonstandardized use of psychometric tools.Action Contro

Hydraulic transient in residential buildings with a direct pump connection

This paper consists of an experimental and numerical study into transient behaviour in a residential building. The analysed effects occur by centrifugal pumps when they start with a direct supply (fixed-speed pumps are connected to the service pipe without an atmospheric tank). Direct supply increases the transient effect and places higher demands on the water main. The properties of such an installation were analysed using a hydraulic model in order to detect the most unfavourable scenario. The results were compared to experimental data. Basic hydraulics demonstrates that a pressure drop occurs during the startup. The magnitude mainly depends on the pump capacity. But, numerical and field results show that other variables related to service pipe design could also negatively affect the pressure surge. The study provides water utilities with information about the influence of the different variables on pressure surge magnitude and basic design criteria to minimize these effects.This work was supported by the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia of the Spanish Government under Grant No CGL2005-03666.Soriano Olivares, J.; Arregui De La Cruz, F.; Espert Alemany, VB.; García-Serra García, J. (2014). Hydraulic transient in residential buildings with a direct pump connection. Urban Water Journal. 2014:1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2014.989860S1132014Basupi, I., Kapelan, Z., & Butler, D. (2013). Reducing life-cycle carbon footprint in the (re)design of water distribution systems using water demand management interventions. Urban Water Journal, 11(2), 91-107. doi:10.1080/1573062x.2012.750374Bergant, A., Tijsseling, A. S., Vítkovský, J. P., Covas, D. I. C., Simpson, A. R., & Lambert, M. F. (2008). Parameters affecting water-hammer wave attenuation, shape and timing—Part 1: Mathematical tools. Journal of Hydraulic Research, 46(3), 373-381. doi:10.3826/jhr.2008.2848Cantor, K. P., Lynch, C. F., Hildesheim, M., Dosemeci, M., Lubin, J., Alavanja, M., & Craun, G. (1998). Drinking Water Source and Chlorination Byproducts I. Risk of Bladder Cancer. Epidemiology, 9(1), 21-28. doi:10.1097/00001648-199801000-00007Clark, R. M., Sivaganesan, M., Selvakumar, A., & Sethi, V. (2002). Cost Models for Water Supply Distribution Systems. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 128(5), 312-321. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9496(2002)128:5(312)Colombo, A. F., Lee, P., & Karney, B. W. (2009). A selective literature review of transient-based leak detection methods. Journal of Hydro-environment Research, 2(4), 212-227. doi:10.1016/j.jher.2009.02.003Courtis, B. J., West, J. R., & Bridgeman, J. (2009). Chlorine demand-based predictive modeling of THM formation in water distribution networks. Urban Water Journal, 6(6), 407-415. doi:10.1080/15730620903038461Covas, D., Stoianov, I., Ramos, H., Graham, N., Maksimović, Č., & Butler, D. (2004). Water hammer in pressurized polyethylene pipes: conceptual model and experimental analysis. Urban Water Journal, 1(2), 177-197. doi:10.1080/15730620412331289977Criminisi, A., Fontanazza, C. M., Freni, G., & Loggia, G. L. (2009). Evaluation of the apparent losses caused by water meter under-registration in intermittent water supply. Water Science and Technology, 60(9), 2373-2382. doi:10.2166/wst.2009.423Davis, A. (2004). Hydraulic transients in transmission and distribution systems. Urban Water Journal, 1(2), 157-166. doi:10.1080/15730620412331289968De Marchis, M., Fontanazza, C. M., Freni, G., La Loggia, G., Napoli, E., & Notaro, V. (2010). A model of the filling process of an intermittent distribution network. Urban Water Journal, 7(6), 321-333. doi:10.1080/1573062x.2010.519776Fontanazza, C. M., Notaro, V., Puleo, V., & Freni, G. (2014). The apparent losses due to metering errors: a proactive approach to predict losses and schedule maintenance. Urban Water Journal, 12(3), 229-239. doi:10.1080/1573062x.2014.882363Golfinopoulos, S. K. (2000). The occurrence of trihalomethanes in the drinking water in Greece. Chemosphere, 41(11), 1761-1767. doi:10.1016/s0045-6535(00)00062-xHua, F., West, J. ., Barker, R. ., & Forster, C. . (1999). Modelling of chlorine decay in municipal water supplies. Water Research, 33(12), 2735-2746. doi:10.1016/s0043-1354(98)00519-3Jung, B. S., & Karney, B. (2004). Fluid transients and pipeline optimization using GA and PSO: the diameter connection. Urban Water Journal, 1(2), 167-176. doi:10.1080/15730620412331289995Kanakoudis, V., & Muhammetoglu, H. (2013). Urban Water Pipe Networks Management Towards Non-Revenue Water Reduction: Two Case Studies from Greece and Turkey. CLEAN - Soil, Air, Water, 42(7), 880-892. doi:10.1002/clen.201300138Kanakoudis, V., & Papadopoulou, A. (2014). Allocating the cost of the carbon footprint produced along a supply chain, among the stakeholders involved. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 5(4), 556-568. doi:10.2166/wcc.2014.101Kanakoudis, V., & Tsitsifli, S. (2010). Results of an urban water distribution network performance evaluation attempt in Greece. Urban Water Journal, 7(5), 267-285. doi:10.1080/1573062x.2010.509436Kirmeyer, G.J., Richards, W., and Dery-Smith, C., 1994. An assessment of water distribution systems and associated needs.Report of the American Water Work. Denver, CO: Association Research Foundation.Kitis, M., Yigita, N. O., Harmana, B. I., Muhammetoglu, H., Muhammetoglu, A., Karadirek, I. E., … Palancic, I. (2010). Occurrence of Trihalomethanes in Chlorinated Groundwaters with Very Low Natural Organic Matter and Bromide Concentrations. Environmental Forensics, 11(3), 264-274. doi:10.1080/15275922.2010.495935Levesque, S., Rodriguez, M. J., Serodes, J., Beaulieu, C., & Proulx, F. (2006). Effects of indoor drinking water handling on trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. Water Research, 40(15), 2921-2930. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2006.06.004Mohamed, H. I., & Gad, A. A. M. (2011). Effect of Cold-Water Storage Cisterns on Drinking-Water Quality. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 137(5), 448-455. doi:10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0000132Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J. (2000). Chlorination disinfection byproducts in water and their association with adverse reproductive outcomes: a review. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 57(2), 73-85. doi:10.1136/oem.57.2.73Pezzinga, G. (2000). Evaluation of Unsteady Flow Resistances by Quasi-2D or 1D Models. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 126(10), 778-785. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9429(2000)126:10(778)Rodriguez, M. J., Sérodes, J.-B., & Levallois, P. (2004). Behavior of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids in a drinking water distribution system. Water Research, 38(20), 4367-4382. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2004.08.018Rossman, L. A., Clark, R. M., & Grayman, W. M. (1994). Modeling Chlorine Residuals in Drinking‐Water Distribution Systems. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 120(4), 803-820. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9372(1994)120:4(803)Schafer, C. A., & Mihelcic, J. R. (2012). Effect of storage tank material and maintenance on household water quality. Journal - American Water Works Association, 104(9), E521-E529. doi:10.5942/jawwa.2012.104.0125Soyupak, S., Kilic, H., Karadirek, I. E., & Muhammetoglu, H. (2011). On the usage of artificial neural networks in chlorine control applications for water distribution networks with high quality water. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua, 60(1), 51-60. doi:10.2166/aqua.2011.086Tamari, S., & Ploquet, J. (2012). Determination of leakage inside buildings with a roof tank. Urban Water Journal, 9(5), 287-303. doi:10.1080/1573062x.2012.660959Thorley, A.R.D., 2004. Fluid Transients in Pipeline Systems. London: Professional Engineering Publishing.Tsukamoto, H., & Ohashi, H. (1982). Transient Characteristics of a Centrifugal Pump During Starting Period. Journal of Fluids Engineering, 104(1), 6-13. doi:10.1115/1.3240859Villanueva, C. ., Kogevinas, M., & Grimalt, J. . (2003). Haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes in finished drinking waters from heterogeneous sources. Water Research, 37(4), 953-958. doi:10.1016/s0043-1354(02)00411-6Wilo, A. (2007). Intelligent pumps for building automation systems. World Pumps, 2007(490), 26-32. doi:10.1016/s0262-1762(07)70252-3Woolschlager, J., Rittmann, B., & Piriou, P. (2005). Water quality decay in distribution systems – problems, causes, and new modeling tools. Urban Water Journal, 2(2), 69-79. doi:10.1080/15730620500144027Wylie, E.B. and Streeter, V.L., 1993. Fluid Transients in Systems. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall

The energy spectrum of all-particle cosmic rays around the knee region observed with the Tibet-III air-shower array

We have already reported the first result on the all-particle spectrum around the knee region based on data from 2000 November to 2001 October observed by the Tibet-III air-shower array. In this paper, we present an updated result using data set collected in the period from 2000 November through 2004 October in a wide range over 3 decades between $10^{14}$ eV and $10^{17}$ eV, in which the position of the knee is clearly seen at around 4 PeV. The spectral index is -2.68 $\pm$ 0.02(stat.) below 1PeV, while it is -3.12 $\pm$ 0.01(stat.) above 4 PeV in the case of QGSJET+HD model, and various systematic errors are under study now.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Advances in space researc

Effects of plant polyphenols and mannan-oligosaccharides on growth performance, antioxidant defense system and inflammatory responses of ileal mucosa in Escherichia coli Challenged piglets

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the possible protective effects of nutritional supplements (plant polyphenols (PP) mixture containing anthocyanin, catechins, chlorgenic and oleuropein as active ingredients, mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) and PP+MOS) on growth performance, systemic antioxidant capacity and gut health in piglets under Escherichia coli challenged condition. Ninety six weanling piglets (Stambo HBI Dalland 40) (22-d-old) were homogenously allocated to 24 pens and fed a basal diet for one week. After the adaptation period, piglets were divided into 4 treatments (6 replicates with 4 piglets per treatment) and fed a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with 0.1% of PP, MOS or PP+MOS for 6 weeks. At 21 and 25 d, half of the piglets in each treatment were orally inoculated with 4 ml of E.coli (1 7109cfu/ml) or same amount of saline water. Plasma samples collected at 7, 21, 25, 27 and 34 d and ileac mucosa samples prepared at 25 and 27 d were determined for antioxidative property and intestinal inflammatory responsive parameters. Dietary PP+MOS worsened the feed efficiency throughout the experiment. Compared to PP+MOS treatment, control group had better feed conversion ratio (FCR) during first two weeks, dietary MOS improved feed efficiency during 7 - 14 d, 0 - 34 d and 0 - 42 d, and dietary PP decreased FCR throughout the trial. Supplementation of PP markedly enhanced the systemic antioxidant property with higher total antioxidant capacity and lower malondialchehyche content compared to control or PP+MOS treatment at 21 d. At 4 d post infection (DPI), challenge didn\u2019t affect antioxidant capacity, dietary PP or MOS increased plasma GSH-Px activity. Increased plasma Malondialdehyde content, decreased plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAOC) and catalase (CAT) activity were observed at 6 DPI. Reduced TAOC were seen in challenged piglets, dietary PP or MOS increased TAOC compared to PP+MOS diet, dietary PP or PP+MOS increased CAT activity than basal or MOS diet at 13 DPI. Challenged increased plasma ceruloplasmin at 4 and 6 DPI, dietary PP or PP+MOS decreased ceruloplasmin compared to basal diet at 6 DPI. Increased ileac activities of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) as well as nitric oxide (NO) production were observed in challenged piglets at 4 and 6 DPI. At 6 DPI, Dietary PP significantly inhibited the elevation of MPO activity and iNOS activity as well as NO production due to challenge. The overall results demonstrated that nutritional supplementation PP improved growth performance and dietary PP or MOS improved feed efficiency in presence of E.coli challenge. Dietary PP or MOS had the potential to improve the antioxidant property, and dietary PP favorably modulated gut mucosa inflammatory response induced by E.coli infection. Dietary combination of PP and MOS did not show effects and even was adverse to growth performance probably due to some unclear interactions between PP and MOS that warranted further research

An IRT Analysis of Motive Questionnaires: The Unified Motive Scales

Multiple inventories claiming to assess the same explicit motive (achievement, power, or affiliation) show only mediocre convergent validity. In three studies (N = 1685) the structure, nomological net, and content coverage of multiple existing motive scales was investigated with exploratory factor analyses. The analyses revealed four approach factors (achievement, power, affiliation, and intimacy) and a general avoidance factor with a facet structure. New scales (the Unified Motive Scales; UMS) were developed using IRT, reflecting these underlying dimensions. In comparison to existing questionnaires, the UMS have the highest measurement precision and provide short (6-item) and ultra-short (3-item) scales. In a fourth study (N = 96), the UMS demonstrated incremental validity over existing motive scales with respect to several outcome criteria