The Inherent Structure Landscape Connection Between Liquids, Granular materials and the Jamming Phase Diagram

We provide a comprehensive picture of the jamming phase diagram by connecting the athermal, granular ensemble of jammed states and the equilibrium fluid through the inherent structure paradigm for a system hard discs confined to a narrow channel. The J-line is shown to be divided into packings that are thermodynamically accessible from the equilibrium fluid and inaccessible packings. The J-point is found to occur at the transition between these two sets of packings and is located at the maximum the inherent structure distribution. A general thermodynamic argument suggests that the density of the states at the configurational entropy maximum represents a lower bound on the J-point density in hard sphere systems. Finally, we find that the granular and fluid systems only occupy the same set of inherent structures, under the same thermodynamic conditions, at two points, corresponding to zero and infinite pressures, where they sample the J-point states and the most dense packing respectively.Comment: 5 pages, 3 Figure

Molecular cloning and expression of novel fibroblast growth factor-2 conjugated with immunodominant domains of pseudomonas exotoxin

Angiogenesis is very important in cancer growth and metastasis. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) as one of the most important angiogenesis factors is an attractive target for cancer vaccine. Due to low immunogenicity, it cannot stimulate an effective immune response. Theoretically, pseudomonas exotoxin (PE) as a potent immunogenic carrier protein when fused to low immunogenic antigens such as bFGF significantly increased immunogenicity of it. In this study, we tried to molecular cloning and expression of bFGF conjugated with immunodominant domains of pseudomonas exotoxin. The coding sequence of fusion protein composed of bFGF linked to PE domains 1b and 2 using EAAAK poly linker. The KDEL sequence was also used in C-terminal coding sequence. It was synthesized and expressed using recombinant DNA technology in the bacterial expression system. Expression of recombinant protein verified using SDS-PAGE and western blot analyses. Finally, it purified using Ni-affinity chromatography. The band close to 37 kDa in SDS-PAGE and western blot analyses was aligned completely to designed sequence. Purified recombinant protein also showed as a clear single band near to 37 kDa

Growth assessments of Nicotianatabaccumcv.Xanthitransformed with Arabidopsis thalianaP5CS under salt stress

Proline plays important role in osmo-adjusment and prevention of osmotic stress in plants. In order to analyze osmotic stress resistance, germination and growth pattern in vitro and in vivo, the Arabidopsis thalianaδ-1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS) which is the regulatory enzyme of proline biosynthesis, was reverse transcribed, amplified into double stranded cDNA, cloned and transformed into tobacco using Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation. Seeds of chimeric T0transgenic plants were grown; T1 and the succeeding T2 transgenic plants were obtained. Subsequently, wild type and binary vector transformed control plants along with T2 transgenic lines were exposed to salt concentrations from 0 to 250 mM during germination and growth stages. Results showed a significant difference (P < 0.0001) between T2 and control plants, while the control plants germinated in the presence of salt concentrations up to 50 mM and tolerated 100 mM salt during growth phase. Transgenic T2 lines were able to germinate in 200 mM NaCl and tolerated up to 250 mM salt during growth phase. Assessing proline contents, we observed 7.5 times more proline in T2 transgenic plantsthan control plants in normal condition which increased up to 3.3 folds in stress condition. This osmotic stress resistance was further assessed for T3 generation against drought and salt stresses in vivo. Results indicated osmotic stress resistance of T3 generation as well as stable expression of P5CS along with achievement of homozygous transgenic lines.Key words: δ-1-Pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS), osmotic stress, transgenic plants, germination, growth phase

Effect of Vegetable Oil Types on Energy Expenditure, Abdominal Fat Deposition and Fatty Acid Profile of Breast and Thigh Muscles in Broilers

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different vegetable oil types on broiler energy expenditure, abdominal fat deposition and fatty acid profile of breast and thigh. A total number of 300 un-sexed day-old cobb 500 broiler chickens were used in a completely randomized design, consisted of five treatments (five different vegetable oil sources including soy, flaxseed, canola, corn, and sunflower oil), with five replicates and 10 chicks in each. Different vegetable oil sources had no significant effect on energy efficiency ratio and abdominal fat deposition. Flaxseed oil increased C18:3 and C20:5 in breast and C18:3, C20:3, C20:4 and C20:5 in thigh muscle (P< 0.05). The highest content of n-3 fatty acids was observed in breast of broilers fed diets treated with flaxseed oil (P< 0.05). The C18:3 content of thigh of broilers fed flaxseed was significantly higher than those chicken received other oil sources (P< 0.05). A significant increase in C20:5 was seen in the thigh of chicken received flaxseed oil, too (P< 0.05). The highest content of C18:2 was observed in the breast of the chickens fed corn oil and the lowest was seen in broilers received canola oil (P< 0.05). The results showed that dietary oil type could affect fatty acid profile of broiler breast and thigh despite lack of significant difference in broiler energy expenditure or abdominal fat deposition

Transparent vs Translucent Multi-Band Optical Networking: Capacity and Energy Analyses

Multi-band optical fiber transmission is generally proposed for capacity upgrades in optical transport networks. To comprehensively assess the potential of multi-band transmission, key metrics such as the potential capacity increase, energy consumption, and the number of required interfaces must be evaluated for different transmission scenarios. We consider progressive spectral exploitation, starting from the C-band only and up to C+L+S+U-band transmission, for both transparent and translucent solutions that exploit optical signal regeneration. By considering accurate state-of-the-art physical layer models, we derive a networking performance metric that enables the comparison of different solutions in terms of capacity allocation and energy consumption. For a translucent network design, different regenerator placement algorithms are compared, with the aim of minimizing energy consumption. The proposed network-wide numerical analysis shows that, for spectral occupations exceeding the C+L-band, translucent solutions can significantly increase network capacity, while leading to a similar energy consumption per transmitted bit as in the transparent design case, but they require the deployment of additional line interfaces. Significantly, these results provide evidence that the transparent exploitation of an additional transmission band produces a capacity increment that is at least comparable to that of a translucent solution based on already-in-use bands. Since this is attained at the expense of fewer line interfaces, it is a key finding suggesting that extending the number of bands supported is a cost-effective approach to scaling the capacity of existing fiber infrastructures

RNA-Seq analysis revealed genes associated with drought stress response in kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Drought is the most important constraint that effects chickpea production globally. RNA-Seq has great potential to dissect the molecular mechanisms of tolerance to environmental stresses. Transcriptome profiles in roots and shoots of two contrasting Iranian kabuli chickpea genotypes (Bivanij and Hashem) were investigated under water-limited conditions at early flowering stage using RNA-Seq approach. A total of 4,572 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Of these, 261 and 169 drought stress responsive genes were identified in the shoots and the roots, respectively, and 17 genes were common in the shoots and the roots. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed several sub-categories related to the stress, including response to stress, defense response and response to stimulus in the tolerant genotype Bivanij as compared to the sensitive genotype Hashem under drought stress. In addition, several Transcription factors (TFs) were identified in major metabolic pathways such as, ABA, proline and flavonoid biosynthesis. Furthermore, a number of the DEGs were observed in "QTL-hotspot" regions which were reported earlier in chickpea. Drought tolerance dissection in the genotypes revealed that the genes and the pathways involved in shoots of Bivanij were the most important factor to make a difference between the genotypes for drought tolerance. The identified TFs in the experiment, particularly those which were up-regulated in shoots of Bivanij during drought stress, were potential candidates for enhancing tolerance to drought

Connection between Telomerase Activity in PBMC and Markers of Inflammation and Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a constellation of metabolic derangements associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress and is widely regarded as an inflammatory condition, accompanied by an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. The present study tried to investigate the implications of telomerase activity with inflammation and impaired endothelial function in patients with metabolic syndrome. Telomerase activity in circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), TNF-α, IL-6 and ADMA were monitored in 39 patients with MS and 20 age and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Telomerase activity in PBMC, TNF-α, IL-6 and ADMA were all significantly elevated in patients with MS compared to healthy volunteers. PBMC telomerase was negatively correlated with HDL and positively correlated with ADMA, while no association between TNF-α and IL-6 was observed. IL-6 was increasing with increasing systolic pressure both in the patients with MS and in the healthy volunteers, while smoking and diabetes were positively correlated with IL-6 only in the patients' group. In conclusion, in patients with MS characterised by a strong dyslipidemic profile and low diabetes prevalence, significant telomerase activity was detected in circulating PBMC, along with elevated markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. These findings suggest a prolonged activity of inflammatory cells in the studied state of this metabolic disorder that could represent a contributory pathway in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis

Increased serum levels of S100A1, ZAG, and adiponectin in cachectic patients with COPD

Amin Mokari-Yamchi,1 Akbar Sharifi,2 Sorayya Kheirouri1 1Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Tuberculosis and Lung Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran Background: COPD is a common irreversible obstructive airway disease. S100A1, ZAG, and adiponectin are important regulators of energy metabolism and body weight. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess resting metabolic rate (RMR) and its association with serum levels of S100A1, ZAG, and adiponectin in cachectic and noncachectic COPD patients. Patients and methods: Ninety men with COPD, aged 40&ndash;70 years, were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into the following two groups based on the unintentional weight loss of .7.5% in previous 6 months: noncachectic (n=45) and cachectic (n=45). The groups were matched based on age and body mass index (BMI). RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry method. Anthropometric indices and body composition were also measured. Serum levels of S100A1, ZAG, and adiponectin were measured by ELISA. Results: Cachectic patients had significantly higher RMR than controls (P&lt;0.001). Serum levels of ZAG, S100A1, and adiponectin were significantly higher in the cachexia group (P&lt;0.0001). RMR was not significantly associated with S100A1, ZAG, and adiponectin levels. However, weight loss of patients was significantly associated with serum levels of ZAG and adiponectin (both, &beta;=0.22, P=0.03). Strong and positive association were found between the serum levels of S100A1 and ZAG (&beta;=0.88, P&lt;0.0001), S100A1 and adiponectin (&beta;=0.86, P&lt;0.0001), and also ZAG and adiponectin (&beta;=0.83, P&lt;0.0001). Conclusion: The potential role of these factors in the wasting process is considerable. Also, the association between serum levels of S100A1, ZAG, and adiponectin represents that these three proteins are probably related to specific functions. Keywords: COPD, cachexia, RMR, S100A1, ZAG, adiponecti

Heterologous expression of Salmon Calcitonin in Escherichia coli

Background and Objective: Calcitonin is a small peptide hormone including 32 amino acids and 3.4 KD molecular weight which is produced by the parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland in respond to increasing calcium ions in serum. This peptide is used for adjuvant therapy of osteoporosis, Paget's disease and hypercalcemic shock. In this study, the heterologuse expression of calcitonin was done in Escherichia coli. Methods: In this experimental study, the thioredoxin fusion partner was added to n-terminal of the Salmon calciton in order to increase its stability by the synthetic biology. The recombinant construct was transformed and over expressed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) host cell. Results: SDS-PAGE analysis showed the over expression of recombinant protein after IPTG induction. Conclusion: In this study, the construct including fused Salmon calcitonin gene with thioredoxin was cloned. The SDS-PAGE result showed the stable expression of fused calcitonin