Cadmium effects on valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) morphology and Cd uptake in relation to substrate acidity/alkalinity

Experiments were conducted on valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) grown under glasshouse conditions to evaluate the effect of Cadmium (Cd) on plant morphological characteristics and Cd uptake. Valerian plants were grown in pots containing a uniform mixture of either moderately acidic or slightly alkaline substrate consisting of peat and perlite (1:1 v/v) over two periods. Pots were arranged in a completely randomized block design within two groups (moderately acid substrate and slightly alkaline substrate) with four Cd treatments (0, 1, 2 and 5 mg Cd L-1) and six replications per treatment. Cadmium was applied as CdSO4*8/3H2O. No visual symptoms of toxicity or nutrient deficiency were attributed to Cd application irrespective of the growth stage or substrate in either experimental period. Cadmium did not affect the dry mass of shoots or roots. Cd concentration in both shoots and roots increased with increasing Cd application, indicating valerian to be a Cd accumulator with accumulation occurring mainly in the roots both in moderately acidic or slightly alkaline substrates. The amount of Cd extracted by Diethylene triamine penta acetic acid-triethanol amine (DTPA-TEA) increased with increasing Cd doses and significantly correlates with the Cd concentrations within the shoots and roots indicating that this extractant could be used to predict Cd concentrations within the plant parts

Dry-reagent disposable dipstick test for visual screening of seven leukemia-related chromosomal translocations

We report the first dry-reagent, disposable, dipstick test for molecular screening of seven chromosomal translocations associated with acute and chronic leukemia. The dipstick assay offers about 10 times higher detectability than agarose gel electrophoresis and, contrary to electrophoresis, allows confirmation of the sequence of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product by hybridization within a few minutes without the need of instrumentation. Biotinylated amplified DNA is hybridized with a dA-tailed probe and applied to the strip, which contains oligo(dT)-conjugated gold nanoparticles in dry form. Upon immersion of the strip in the appropriate buffer, the solution migrates and the hybrids are captured by immobilized streptavidin at the test zone generating a characteristic red line. The excess nanoparticles are captured by oligo(dA) strands immobilized at the control zone of the strip producing a second red line. We studied the: t(9;22)(q34;q11), t(15;17)(q22;q21), t(11;17)(q23;q21), t(5;17)(q32;q21), t(11;17)(q13;q21), t(8,21)(q22;q22) and inv(16)(p13;q22) that generate the BCR-ABL, PML-RARa, PLZF-RARa, NPM-RARa, NuMA-RARa, AML1-ETO and CBFβ-MYH11 fusion genes, respectively. A single K562 cell was detectable amidst 10(6) normal leukocytes. A dipstick test was developed for actin, as a reference gene. The dipstick assay with appropriate probes can be used for identification of the fusion transcripts involved in the translocation

Multicell Power Supplies for Improved Energy Efficiency in the Information and Communications Technology Infrastructures

The rapid growth of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector requires additional infrastructure, such as more micro-datacenters and telecom stations, to support the higher internet speeds and low latency requirements of 5G networks. The increased power requirements of the new ICT technologies necessitate the proposal of new power supplies, in an attempt to support the increase in energy demand and running costs. This work provides an in-depth theoretical analysis on the losses of the individual stages of commercially available PSU and proposes a new multicell PSU, the buck PFC converter, which offers a higher overall efficiency at varying load levels. The theoretical results are verified using simulation results, via a PSIM Thermal Module, and using experimental data. The results indicate that multicell structures can improve the overall PSU efficiency by 1.2% at 50% rated power and more than 2.1% at full power. Finally, taking into consideration the economic implications of this study, it is shown that the proposed multicell structure may increase the PSU costs by 10.78%, but the payback period is in the order of just 3.3 years

Impact of point-of-care pre-procedure creatinine and eGFR testing in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary PCI: The pilot STATCREAT study

Background: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a recognised complication during primary PCI that affects short and long term prognosis. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of point-of-care (POC) pre-PPCI creatinine and eGFR testing in STEMI patients. Methods 160 STEMI patients (STATCREAT group) with pre-procedure POC testing of Cr and eGFR were compared with 294 consecutive retrospective STEMI patients (control group). Patients were further divided into subjects with or without pre-existing CKD. Results: The incidence of CI-AKI in the whole population was 14.5% and not different between the two overall groups. For patients with pre-procedure CKD, contrast dose was significantly reduced in the STATCREAT group (124.6 ml vs. 152.3 ml, p = 0.015). The incidence of CI-AKI was 5.9% (n = 2) in the STATCREAT group compared with 17.9% (n = 10) in the control group (p = 0.12). There was no difference in the number of lesions treated (1.118 vs. 1.196, p = 0.643) or stents used (1.176 vs. 1.250, p = 0.78). For non-CKD patients, there was no significant difference in contrast dose (172.4 ml vs. 158.4 ml, p = 0.067), CI-AKI incidence (16.7% vs. 13.4%, p = 0.4), treated lesions (1.167 vs. 1.164, p = 1.0) or stents used (1.214 vs. 1.168, p = 0.611) between the two groups. Conclusions: Pre-PPCI point-of-care renal function testing did not reduce the incidence of CI-AKI in the overall group of STEMI patients. In patients with CKD, contrast dose was significantly reduced, but a numerical reduction in CI-AKI was not found to be statistically significant. No significant differences were found in the non-CKD group

A novel zinc-binding fold in the helicase interaction domain of the Bacillus subtilis Dnal helicase loader

The helicase loader protein DnaI (the Bacillus subtilis homologue of Escherichia coli DnaC) is required to load the hexameric helicase DnaC (the B. subtilis homologue of E. coli DnaB) onto DNA at the start of replication. While the C-terminal domain of DnaI belongs to the structurally well-characterized AAA+ family of ATPases, the structure of the N-terminal domain, DnaI-N, has no homology to a known structure. Three-dimensional structure determination by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy shows that DnaI presents a novel fold containing a structurally important zinc ion. Surface plasmon resonance experiments indicate that DnaI-N is largely responsible for binding of DnaI to the hexameric helicase from B. stearothermophilus, which is a close homologue of the corresponding much less stable B. subtilis helicase

Reconstruction of primary vertices at the ATLAS experiment in Run 1 proton–proton collisions at the LHC

This paper presents the method and performance of primary vertex reconstruction in proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 1 of the LHC. The studies presented focus on data taken during 2012 at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=8 TeV. The performance has been measured as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing over a wide range, from one to seventy. The measurement of the position and size of the luminous region and its use as a constraint to improve the primary vertex resolution are discussed. A longitudinal vertex position resolution of about 30μm is achieved for events with high multiplicity of reconstructed tracks. The transverse position resolution is better than 20μm and is dominated by the precision on the size of the luminous region. An analytical model is proposed to describe the primary vertex reconstruction efficiency as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing and of the longitudinal size of the luminous region. Agreement between the data and the predictions of this model is better than 3% up to seventy interactions per bunch crossing

Basic science232. Certolizumab pegol prevents pro-inflammatory alterations in endothelial cell function

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major comorbidity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a leading cause of death. Chronic systemic inflammation involving tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) could contribute to endothelial activation and atherogenesis. A number of anti-TNF therapies are in current use for the treatment of RA, including certolizumab pegol (CZP), (Cimzia ®; UCB, Belgium). Anti-TNF therapy has been associated with reduced clinical cardiovascular disease risk and ameliorated vascular function in RA patients. However, the specific effects of TNF inhibitors on endothelial cell function are largely unknown. Our aim was to investigate the mechanisms underpinning CZP effects on TNF-activated human endothelial cells. Methods: Human aortic endothelial cells (HAoECs) were cultured in vitro and exposed to a) TNF alone, b) TNF plus CZP, or c) neither agent. Microarray analysis was used to examine the transcriptional profile of cells treated for 6 hrs and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysed gene expression at 1, 3, 6 and 24 hrs. NF-κB localization and IκB degradation were investigated using immunocytochemistry, high content analysis and western blotting. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect microparticle release from HAoECs. Results: Transcriptional profiling revealed that while TNF alone had strong effects on endothelial gene expression, TNF and CZP in combination produced a global gene expression pattern similar to untreated control. The two most highly up-regulated genes in response to TNF treatment were adhesion molecules E-selectin and VCAM-1 (q 0.2 compared to control; p > 0.05 compared to TNF alone). The NF-κB pathway was confirmed as a downstream target of TNF-induced HAoEC activation, via nuclear translocation of NF-κB and degradation of IκB, effects which were abolished by treatment with CZP. In addition, flow cytometry detected an increased production of endothelial microparticles in TNF-activated HAoECs, which was prevented by treatment with CZP. Conclusions: We have found at a cellular level that a clinically available TNF inhibitor, CZP reduces the expression of adhesion molecule expression, and prevents TNF-induced activation of the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, CZP prevents the production of microparticles by activated endothelial cells. This could be central to the prevention of inflammatory environments underlying these conditions and measurement of microparticles has potential as a novel prognostic marker for future cardiovascular events in this patient group. Disclosure statement: Y.A. received a research grant from UCB. I.B. received a research grant from UCB. S.H. received a research grant from UCB. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Heavily fluorinated carbohydrates as enzyme substrates: oxidation of tetrafluorinated galactose by galactose oxidase

Galactose oxidase (GOase) was shown to oxidise several C2/C3 fluorinated galactose analogues. Interestingly, the enzyme was able to distinguish between the 2,3-tetrafluorinated galactose and its epimeric glucose analogue, and this represents the first reported biotransformation of a heavily fluorinated suga

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

When simple sequence comparison fails: the cryptic case of the shared domains of the bacterial replication initiation proteins DnaB and DnaD

DnaD and DnaB are essential DNA-replication-initiation proteins in low-G+C content Gram-positive bacteria. Here we use sensitive Hidden Markov Model-based techniques to show that the DnaB and DnaD proteins share a common structure that is evident across all their structural domains, termed DDBH1 and DDBH2 (DnaD DnaB Homology 1 and 2). Despite strong sequence divergence, many of the DNA-binding and oligomerization properties of these domains have been conserved. Although eluding simple sequence comparisons, the DDBH2 domains share the only strong sequence motif; an extremely highly conserved YxxxIxxxW sequence that contributes to DNA binding. Sequence alignments of DnaD alone fail to identify another key part of the DNA-binding module, since it includes a poorly conserved sequence, a solvent-exposed and somewhat unstable helix and a mobile segment. We show by NMR, in vitro mutagenesis and in vivo complementation experiments that the DNA-binding module of Bacillus subtilis DnaD comprises the YxxxIxxxW motif, the unstable helix and a portion of the mobile region, the latter two being essential for viability. These structural insights lead us to a re-evaluation of the oligomerization and DNA-binding properties of the DnaD and DnaB proteins