secCl is a cys-loop ion channel necessary for the chloride conductance that mediates hormone-induced fluid secretion in Drosophila

Organisms use circulating diuretic hormones to control water balance (osmolarity), thereby avoiding dehydration and managing excretion of waste products. The hormones act through G-protein-coupled receptors to activate second messenger systems that in turn control the permeability of secretory epithelia to ions like chloride. In insects, the chloride channel mediating the effects of diuretic hormones was unknown. Surprisingly, we find a pentameric, cys-loop chloride channel, a type of channel normally associated with neurotransmission, mediating hormone-induced transepithelial chloride conductance. This discovery is important because: 1) it describes an unexpected role for pentameric receptors in the membrane permeability of secretory epithelial cells, and 2) it suggests that neurotransmitter-gated ion channels may have evolved from channels involved in secretion

Minimum phosphorus needs for silage production.

End of Project ReportPhosphorus recovery in product at the low stocking rates was poor, but improved in the high stocking rates. It is deduced that when the new Teagasc recommendations are implemented, recovery of applied P in product should be very efficient. • Soil should be maintained at Index 2 (3.1 to 6.0 mg P l - 1 ) for optimum silage production • Slurry should be recycled to the silage land early in the year or after 1 st or 2 nd cut silage. • Maintenance fertilizer P should be used to supplement P in the slurry in order to replace removal in milk, meat and other losses • Where slurry is recycled, maintenance fertilizer P for silage land will be less than for grazing land as concentrates are an important source of P input to the farm. The fertilizer P maintenance requirement will normally be between 0 and 10kg P ha -1 yr -1 . • Where slurry is not recycled, maintenance P requirements for silage land are higher at 20 to 30 kg P ha -1 yr -1 • Do not apply insurance P dressings to silage land. It will not increase production and may lead to increased potential for P loss to water.European Union Structural Funding (EAGGF

Development of a cantilever beam generator employing vibration energy harvesting

This paper details the development of a generator based upon a cantilever beam inertial mass system which harvests energy from ambient environmental vibrations. The paper compares the predicted results from Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the mechanical behaviour and magnetic field simulations and experimental results from a generator. Several design changes were implemented to maximise the conversion of magnetic energy into generated power and a maximum power output of 17.8µW was achieved at a resonant frequency of 56.6Hz and an applied acceleration of 60mg (g = 9.81ms-2)

Phosphorus loss from soil to water.

End of Project ReportThe work described under this project covers field work on phosphorus(P) loss from soil to water under field conditions. In addition two International Workshops on P loss to water, held in Ireland in 1995 and 1998, are also covered under this project. The results indicate that P loss to water is a complex process and it is influenced by a number of factors, including hydrology of the soil, rates and timing of P application and soil P levels. Most work on this subject indicates that there is a positive relationship between soil test P levels and P loss to water. There is need for further work to establish the relative contribution of the different variables involved in P loss from soil to water for different soils and farming conditions. This should help provide answers to the most sustainable methods to minimise losses of P to water and ensure that agricultural production is compatible with good water quality.European Union Structural Funds (EAGGF

Regular expressions as violin bowing patterns

String players spend a significant amount of practice time creating and learning bowings. These may be indicated in the music using up-bow and down-bow symbols, but those traditional notations do not capture the complex bowing patterns that are latent within the music. Regular expressions, a mathematical notation for a simple class of formal languages, can describe precisely the bowing patterns that commonly arise in string music. A software tool based on regular expressions enables performers to search for passages that can be handled with similar bowings, and to edit them consistently. A computer-based music editor incorporating bowing patterns has been implemented, using Lilypond to typeset the music. Our approach has been evaluated by using the editor to study ten movements from six violin sonatas by W. A. Mozart. Our experience shows that the editor is successful at finding passages and inserting bowings; that relatively complex patterns occur a number of times; and that the bowings can be inserted automatically and consistently

Examination of the Resonance Contributions to Dileptonic Rare B-Decays

We analyse the long-distance contribution to $B\to X_s\ell^+\ell^-$ differential decay rate when the momentum dependence of $\psi$ and $\psi'$-$\gamma$ conversion strength is taken into account. The results indicate that the resonance to nonresonance interference in the dilepton invariant mass distribution is substantially reduced.Comment: 10 pages, Latex, one figure (included

Photoluminescence of near-lattice-matched GaN/AlInN quantum wells grown on free-standing GaN and on sapphire substrates

Near-lattice-matched GaN/Al1−xInxN single quantum wells, grown using both free-standing GaN and conventional GaN-on-sapphire substrates, are studied by photoluminescence (PL) and PL excitation spectroscopies. PL spectra distinguish luminescence originating in the wells, barriers, and underlying GaN buffer layers. The spectra also reveal significant differences between structures grown simultaneously on the different substrates. The quantum well transition energy decreases as the well width increases due to the intense in-built electric fields, estimated to be 3.0±0.5 MeV/cm, that persist in strain free GaN/Al1−xInxN. Screening of these fields is studied using the excitation power dependence of the P