MINOS is a new apparatus dedicated to in-beam nuclear structure experiments with low-intensity exotic beams in inverse kinematics at intermediate energies above 150MeV/nucleon. The device is composed ...of a thick liquid-hydrogen target coupled to a compact time projection chamber (TPC) serving as a vertex tracker. Either used for in-beam gamma spectroscopy of bound excited states or invariant-mass spectroscopy of unbound states, MINOS aims at improving the luminosity by a very significant factor compared to standard solid-target material experiments while improving experimental resolutions.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) is a progressive ophthalmologic disorder caused in two-thirds of the cases by a mutation in the optic atrophhy 1 (IPA1) gene, a nuclear gene encoding a ...mitochondrial protein. We report a patient in whom an OPA1 mutation was responsible for a bilateral optic atrophy associated with multiple sclerosis-like (MSL) features. In addition, biochemical studies performed on fibroblasts from this patient showed a significant mitochondrial coupling defect associated with reduced ATP production and respiratory function in comparison to controls.
The R3B-Glad superconducting Magnet provides the field required for a large acceptance spectrometer, dedicated to the analysis of Reactions with Relativistic Radioactive ions Beams. In the framework ...of the FAIR Project to GSI and within NUSTAR physics program, the technical study started in 2006, and the engineering design is undertaken. One main feature of this butterfly-like magnet with graded, tilted and trapezoidal racetrack coils is the active shielding. It makes it possible to decreasing the field by two orders of magnitude within a 1.2 m length, despite the large opening on the outlet side of the magnet (around 0.8 square meters). The fringe field is lower than 20 mT in the target area beside the entry, while the main field is larger than 2 teslas, out of 2 m length. The other principal characteristics are as follows: first, a high level of magnetic forces (300 to 400 tons per meter), with little place to block the coils, requiring a very specific mechanical structure; then, the magnet protection system that is based on an external dump resistor, coupled to a strong quenchback effect, to prevent any damage of the coils which could be caused by the 24 MJ of stored energy; lastly, the indirect cooling of the cold mass with a two-phase helium thermosiphon. The overall size of the conical cryostat will be around 3.5 m long, 3.8 m high and 7 m broad.
Reef fishes are closely connected to many human populations, yet their contributions to society are mostly considered through their economic and ecological values. Cultural and intrinsic values of ...reef fishes to the public can be critical drivers of conservation investment and success, but remain challenging to quantify. Aesthetic value represents one of the most immediate and direct means by which human societies engage with biodiversity, and can be evaluated from species to ecosystems. Here, we provide the aesthetic value of 2,417 ray-finned reef fish species by combining intensive evaluation of photographs of fishes by humans with predicted values from machine learning. We identified important biases in species' aesthetic value relating to evolutionary history, ecological traits, and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat status. The most beautiful fishes are tightly packed into small parts of both the phylogenetic tree and the ecological trait space. In contrast, the less attractive fishes are the most ecologically and evolutionary distinct species and those recognized as threatened. Our study highlights likely important mismatches between potential public support for conservation and the species most in need of this support. It also provides a pathway for scaling-up our understanding of what are both an important nonmaterial facet of biodiversity and a key component of nature's contribution to people, which could help better anticipate consequences of species loss and assist in developing appropriate communication strategies.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is caused by mutations in the complex I subunits of the respiratory chain. Although patients have been treated with idebenone since 1992, the efficacy of ...the drug is still a matter of debate.
We evaluated the effect of idebenone in fibroblasts from LHON patients using enzymatic and polarographic measurements.
Complex I activity was 42% greater in treated fibroblasts compared to controls (p = 0.002). Despite this complex I activity improvement, the effects on mitochondrial respiration were contradictory, leading to impairment in some cases and stimulation in others.
These results indicate that idebenone is able to compensate the complex I deficiency in LHON patient cells with variable effects on respiration, indicating that the patients might not be equally likely to benefit from the treatment.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
ANT2 isoform required for cancer cell glycolysis Chevrollier, Arnaud; Loiseau, Dominique; Chabi, Béatrice ...
Journal of bioenergetics and biomembranes,
10/2005, Volume:
37, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The three adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT1 to ANT3) isoforms, differentially expressed in human cells, play a crucial role in cell bioenergetics by catalyzing ADP and ATP exchange across the ...mitochondrial inner membrane. In contrast to differentiated tissue cells, transformed cells, and their rho(0) derivatives, i.e. cells deprived of mitochondrial DNA, sustain a high rate of glycolysis. We compared the expression pattern of ANT isoforms in several transformed human cell lines at different stages of the cell cycle. The level of ANT2 expression and glycolytic ATP production in these cell lines were in keeping with their metabolic background and their state of differentiation. The sensitivity of the mitochondrial inner membrane potential (Deltapsi) to several inhibitors of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation confirmed this relationship. We propose a new model for ATP uptake in cancer cells implicating the ANT2 isoform, in conjunction with hexokinase II and the beta subunit of mitochondrial ATP synthase, in the Deltapsi maintenance and in the aggressiveness of cancer cells.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Here, we show that 3 days of mitochondrial uncoupling, induced by low concentrations of dinitrophenol (10 and 50 μM) in cultured human HepG2 cells, triggers cellular metabolic adaptation towards ...oxidative metabolism. Chronic respiratory uncoupling of HepG2 cells induced an increase in cellular oxygen consumption, oxidative capacity and cytochrome
c oxidase activity. This was associated with an upregulation of COXIV and ANT3 gene expression, two nuclear genes that encode mitochondrial proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Glucose consumption, lactate and pyruvate production and growth rate were unaffected, indicating that metabolic adaptation of HepG2 cells undergoing chronic respiratory uncoupling allows continuous and efficient mitochondrial ATP production without the need to increase glycolytic activity. In contrast, 3 days of dinitrophenol treatment did not change the oxidative capacity of human 143B.TK
− cells, but it increased glucose consumption, lactate and pyruvate production. Despite a large increase in glycolytic metabolism, the growth rate of 143B.TK
− cells was significantly reduced by dinitrophenol-induced mitochondrial uncoupling. We propose that chronic respiratory uncoupling may constitute an internal bioenergetic signal, which would initiate a coordinated increase in nuclear respiratory gene expression, which ultimately drives mitochondrial metabolic adaptation within cells.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
This study examines the relationship between high density lipoprotein‐3 (HDL‐3) glycation and cholesteryl ester transfer mediated by cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). HDL‐3 were glycated ...with various glucose concentrations (0–200 mM) for 3 d at 37°C with sodium cyanoborohydride as reducing agent and antioxidants. About 47% of the lysine residues were glycated in the presence of 200 mM glucose, resulting in an increase in the cholesterol ester (CE) transfer of about 30%. Apparent kinetic parameters expressed as maximal transfer (appTmax) and CE concentration at half of Tmax (appKH) of CETP activity with glycated HDL‐3 showed conflicting and paradoxical data: an increase in CETP activity associated with a decrease of CETP affinity. These alterations were not due to a change in HDL‐3 lipid and protein composition nor to a peroxidative process but were associated with an increase in HDL‐3 electronegativity and a decrease of HDL‐3 fluidity. This study suggests that glycation modifies the apolipoprotein's conformation and solvation which are major determinants of interfacial properties of HDL‐3. These modifications in turn affect CETP reactivity.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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