Functional properties of a newly cloned fish ortholog of the neutral amino acid transporter B0AT1 (SLC6A19)

The functional properties of an ortholog of the B0AT1 (SLC6A19) amino acid transporter, cloned from the intestine of the sea bass Dicentrachus labrax, were investigated. The two-electrode voltage-clamp technique was applied to Xenopus laevis oocytes heterologously expressing the transporter in order to measure the currents associated with the transport process in different conditions. In particular the substrate specificity, the ionic requirements, and possible effects of pH were examined. Among the organic substrates, leucine, glycine, serine and valine generated the largest transport currents with apparent affinities in the lower millimolar range. The importance of Na+ as the driver ion in the transport process is confirmed, although Li+ is also capable to sustain transport, while K+ is not. No evidence of a relevant role of Cl- in the transport activity was found. Concerning the other two kinds of currents commonly found in electrogenic transporters, very fast presteady-state currents were detected in the absence of organic substrate, while lithium-specific leak currents were not observed. The comparison of these properties with those of the mammalian and insect orthologs may give interesting indication for future structure-function studies in this transporter subfamily

Characterization of the transport of lysine-containing dipeptides by PepT1orthologs expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

During digestion, dietary proteins cleaved in di and tri-peptides are translocated from the intestinal lumen into the enterocytes via PepT1 (SLC15A1) using an inwardly directed proton electrochemical gradient. The kinetic properties in various PepT1 orthologs (Dicentrarchus labrax, Oryctolagus cuniculus, Danio rerio) have been explored to determine the transport efficiency of different combinations of lysine, methionine, and glycine. Species-specific differences were observed. Lys-Met resulted the best substrate at all tested potentials in sea bass and rabbit PepT1, whereas in the zebrafish transporter all tested dipeptides (except Gly-Lys) elicited similar currents independently on the charge position or amino acid composition. For the sea bass and rabbit PepT1, kinetic parameters, K0.5 and Imax and their ratio, show the importance of the position of the charged lysine in the peptide. The PepT1 transporter of these species has very low affinity for Lys-Lys and Gly-Lys; this reduces the transport efficiency which is instead higher for Lys-Met and Lys-Gly. PepT1 from zebrafish showed relatively high affinity and excellent transport efficiency for Met-Lys and Lys-Met. These data led us to speculate about the structural determinants involved in substrate interaction according to the model proposed for this transporter

The effect of different solvents on electrospinning of high performance fibers for electrodes in PEM fuel cell application

Analisi dettagliata sull'influenza dei singoli o insieme di solventi sulle prestazioni degli elettrodi. Lo studio ha condotto all'identificazione di parametri chiave per la produzione di fibre ad alte reseopenEmbargo temporaneo per motivi di segretezza e/o di proprietà dei risultati e/o informazioni sensibil

Rogatio e privilegium in Fest. de verb. sign. (p. 326.17L)

AbstractThe paper analyzes the long-standing problem concerning the relationship between rogatio and privilegium, extending the investigation to particular aspects of the legislative procedure, relevant to this topic. The research originates from the analysis of the headword rogatio in Festus’ vocabulary, highlighting its criticalities both in relation to legal thought and, more generally, in relation to literary and epigraphic evidence

Lenape Yesterday & Today: A traveling artifact box for the National Museum of the American Indian

An artifact box project designed for the National Museum of the American Indian to educate students in the New York City area about the Lenape or Delaware Native Americans. Addresses the need to offer handling objects with interpretive activities for the teacher and students in the classroom

Estudios preliminares del cultivo de tejidos in-vitro de <i>Brachychiton populneus</i> (Schott & Endl.) R. Br.

En este trabajo se logró desarrollar un protocolo para el establecimiento in vitro de braquiquito. Se ajustó un protocolo de desinfección de semillas y se obtuvieron plántulas germinadas in vitro que se utilizaron como fuente de explantes para la fase de multiplicación. Se evaluó el cultivo de diferentes explantes (tallo, cotiledones, hojas, raíces) en medios de cultivo con sales y vitaminas de M & S (Murashige & Skoog,1962) al 50%, suplementados con los siguientes reguladores de crecimiento: IBA (Ácido indol butírico) y BAP (Bencil amino purina) en diferentes concentraciones. Los mejores resultados en la inducción de brotes fueron obtenidos en el tallo con 2/3 brotes promedio por explante en el medio con las sales y vitaminas M&S reducidas al 50% de su concentración y con reguladores de crecimiento.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Application of close-range aerial infrared thermography to detect landfill gas emissions: a case study

Monitoring waste disposal sites is important to check that the produced biogas, potentially explosive, is properly collected by the biogas extraction system of the landfill site and to evaluate the residual biogas flow escaping from upper surface of the landfill. As the biogas migrates to the surface, the soil through which it flows is expected to reach a higher temperature than the surrounding environment; thus, measuring the thermal footprint of the landfill soil surface could allow the detection of biogas leakages and spots suitable for the gas extraction. Close-range aerial infrared thermography is an innovative approach able to identify thermal anomalies with a good resolution over a large region of the landfill surface. A simple procedure to deduce the biogas flow rate emerging from the soil into the atmosphere, based on infrared thermography measurements, is presented. The approach has been applied to a case study concerning a large landfill located in Genoa (Italy). Aerial infrared photographs taken during different days and seasons showed the presence of thermal anomalies over regions along the peripheral boundary of the landfill still not interested in biogas extraction