Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) catalyses the key reaction by which inorganic carbon may be assimilated into organic carbon. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that there ...are three classes of bona fide RubisCO proteins, forms I, II and III, which all catalyse the same reactions. In addition, there exists another form of RubisCO, form IV, which does not catalyse RuBP carboxylation or oxygenation. Form IV is actually a homologue of RubisCO and is called the RubisCO-like protein (RLP). Both RubisCO and RLP appear to have evolved from an ancestor protein in a methanogenic archaeon, and comprehensive analyses indicate that the different forms (I, II, III and IV) contain various subgroups, with individual sequences derived from representatives of all three kingdoms of life. The diversity of RubisCO molecules, many of which function in distinct milieus, has provided convenient model systems to study the ways in which the active site of this protein has evolved to accommodate necessary molecular adaptations. Such studies have proven useful to help provide a framework for understanding the molecular basis for many important aspects of RubisCO catalysis, including the elucidation of factors or functional groups that impinge on RubisCO carbon dioxide/oxygen substrate discrimination.
The investigation presented in this article was aimed at demonstrating the technical and economical feasibility of using ground source heat pump systems in mixed climate applications, where cooling ...requirements are dominant. We show an experimental comparison between a ground coupled heat pump system and a conventional air to water heat pump system, focussing at the heating and cooling energy performance. A direct comparison could be made as both systems are linked, in parallel, to the same building with exactly the same loads and climatic conditions. For a whole climatic season the results obtained show that the geothermal system saves, in terms of primary energy consumption, a
43
±
17
%
of the energy consumed by the conventional one when the system is working in heating mode, and a
37
±
18
%
when the system is working in cooling mode.
Stride duration, stance duration and protraction duration are key variables when describing the gaits of terrestrial animals. Together, they determine the duty factor (the fraction of the stride for ...which the limb maintains contact with the ground surface), from which the peak vertical force can be estimated. When an animal changes speed, these variables change at different proportions. Limited measurements of these variables and predictions of peak limb force have been undertaken for large mammals performing high-speed over-ground exercise. This study set out to make such measurements, employing a previously validated system consisting of limb-mounted accelerometers and a Global Positioning System data logger. Measurements were made on nine elite Thoroughbred racehorses during gallop locomotion over a range of speeds from 9 to 17 m s(-1). No statistically significant differences were seen in any variables between the lead and non-lead limbs for either the fore or hind pairs of limbs. Mean stance durations of 131 and 77 ms in the forelimbs and 143 and 94 ms in the hindlimbs were recorded at speeds of 9 and 17 ms(-1), respectively. Equivalent values for protraction duration were 364 and 342 (fore) and 355 and 326 ms (hind). Peak limb forces (from duty factor) at 17 ms(-1) were 24.7 N kg(-1) body weight (range 22.6 to 26.0 N kg(-1) body weight) for the forelimbs and 15.3 N kg(-1) (range 13.7-16.2 N kg(-1) body weight) for the hindlimbs. The duration of the aerial phase of the stride (when no limbs are in contact with the ground) was independent of speed. Overlap time (when more than one leg is on the ground) dropped with speed and approached zero at maximum speed.
The immunomodulatory capacity of mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSC) makes them a promising tool for treatment of immune disease and organ transplantation. The effects of MSC on B cells are ...characterized by an abrogation of plasmablast formation and induction of regulatory B cells (Bregs). It is, however, unknown how MSC interact with B cells under inflammatory conditions. In this study, adipose tissue-derived MSC were pretreated with 50 ng/ml IFN-γ for 96 h (MSC-IFN-γ) to simulate inflammatory conditions. Mature B cells were obtained from spleens by CD43
selection. B cells were co-cultured with MSC and stimulated with anti-IgM, anti-CD40, and IL-2; and after 7 days, B cell proliferation, phenotype, Immunoglobulin-G (IgG), and IL-10 production were analyzed. MSC did not inhibit B cell proliferation but increased the percentage of CD38
CD24
B cells (Bregs) and IL-10 production, while MSC-IFN-γ significantly reduced B cell proliferation and inhibited IgG production by B cells in a more potent fashion but did not induce Bregs or IL-10 production. Both MSC and MSC-IFN-γ required proximity to target cells and being metabolically active to exert their effects. Indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase expression was highly induced in MSC-IFN-γ and was responsible of the anti-proliferative and Breg reduction since addition of tryptophan (TRP) restored MSC properties. Immunological conditions dictate the effect of MSC on B cell function. Under immunological quiescent conditions, MSC stimulate Breg induction; whereas, under inflammatory conditions, MSC inhibit B cell proliferation and maturation through depletion of TRP. This knowledge is useful for customizing MSC therapy for specific purposes by appropriate pretreatment of MSC.
The forward hadron magnets of the planned electron-ion collider (EIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) present a set of unique challenges. In addition to the typical magnet requirements in ...terms of aperture, gradient, and field quality, the field leakage from the hadron magnets to the electron apertures must be negligible. Due to the close proximity of the two apertures the shielding solution for the electron beam can affect the field quality of the hadron magnets.
In this paper, a design for the Q1ApF/Q1BpF low beta quadrupoles based on NbTi Rutherford cable operating at 2K is presented. In this design the electron beam shielding and the required field quality in the hadron magnets are achieved using a set of cutouts in the iron yoke solely without resorting to active shielding. The chosen layout along with the key parameters are presented and their effect on hadron magnets in term of field quality and operational margins are also discussed.
To determine the historical use and utility of various lymphatic imaging modalities in Noonan syndrome (NS) patients, we performed a comprehensive literature review by collecting the published ...medical imaging of NS lymphatic dysplasias. We correlated imaging findings with clinical phenotypes and treatment. Our analysis of lymphatic imaging modalities provides an algorithmic approach to imaging and patient care across the spectrum of NS developmental defects. A total of 54 NS cases have been published since 1975. Using the observations reported in 15 reviewed publications, an association was made between disruptions in central lymphatic flow and poor clinical presentations/outcomes in NS patients.
Dealing with contaminants in Coulomb excitation of radioactive beams Morrison, L; Hadyńska-Klęk, K; Podolyák, Zs ...
27th International Nuclear Physics Conference, INPC 2019,Glasgow, United Kingdom,2019-07-29 - 2019-08-02,
12/2020, Letnik:
1643, Številka:
1
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Data analysis of the Coulomb excitation experiment of the exotic 206Hg nucleus, recently performed at CERN's HIE-ISOLDE facility, needs to account for the contribution to target excitation due to the ...strongly-present beam contaminant 130Xe. In this paper, the contamination subtraction procedure is presented.
We present a simple and easy-to-implement method for the numerical solution of a rather general class of Hamilton—Jacobi—Bellman (HJB) equations. In many cases, classical finite difference ...discretizations can be shown to converge to the unique viscosity solutions of the considered problems. However, especially when using fully implicit time stepping schemes with their desirable stability properties, one is still faced with the considerable task of solving the resulting nonlinear discrete system. In this paper, we introduce a penalty method which approximates the nonlinear discrete system to an order of O(1/ρ), where ρ > 0 is the penalty parameter, and we show that an iterative scheme can be used to solve the penalized discrete problem in finitely many steps. We include a number of examples from mathematical finance for which the described approach yields a rigorous numerical scheme and present numerical results.
The aim of this study was to identify developmental patterns of job insecurity, taking into account quantitative as well as qualitative job insecurity, and to examine if these groups vary with regard ...to different work-related learning aspects, that is, occupational self-efficacy, learning from supervisor and colleagues, and acquired knowledge and skills (KSAOs). We conducted latent class growth analysis using three-wave data of 1366 Dutch employees. Five job insecurity patterns were identified: (1) high stable (n = 132), (2) moderate-low stable (n = 555), (3) low stable (n = 217), (4) decreasing (n = 357) and (5) increasing (n = 105). In every class, the change pattern was similar for quantitative and qualitative job insecurity. Those in trajectories with high initial levels of job insecurity had lower initial levels of occupational self-efficacy, learning from others, and KSAOs than those with low initial levels of job insecurity. Additionally, job insecurity trajectories differed in the development of occupational self-efficacy over time. The findings indicate that there are distinct trajectories of the combination of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity, and that these demonstrate a substantial amount of heterogeneity concerning work-related learning.
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