An inexpensive photosynthetic irradiance sensor for ecological field studies

The design and characteristics of inexpensive and simply constructed equal-energy response photosynthetic irradiance sensors is described for use particularly where several cells are required in comparative ecological studies either above or below water. The dimensions of the sensors can be changed proportionally to suit different applications or components. The response of the sensor to irradiance at varying angles corresponds very closely to that required by the cosine law. The sensor is comparatively insensitive to other environmental variables in field use and gave a stable output; the long term drift was proportional to electrical output but in continuous use, drift is regular and could reach -0.08 year^-1 of the total. The spectral range and cosine response is discussed in comparison to other more expensive (x 5–10) commercially available, sensors and to local standards.     

Effect of dolichyl monophosphate on the permeability properties of lipid membranes

The effect of dolichyl monophosphate on the permeability properties of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers to alkaline cations, Ca²⁺ and glucose has been determined by stop-flow spectrophotometry. The results show that, in con trast to free dolichol effects, the monophosphate derivative increased the permeability following a decreasing order of the permeating particle size. Phase diagrams indicate that dolichyl monophosphate is fully incorporated into the phosphatidylcholine bilayer around 0.75% weight/weight ratio. For these ratios, the permeation of ions is higher in the gel than in the liquid crystalline state.     

Nanomolar detection of hydrogen peroxide at a new polynuclear cluster of tin pentacyanonitrosylferrate nanoparticle-modified carbon ceramic electrode

This work describes a new electrochemical sensor for hydrogen peroxide based on tin pentacyanonitrosylferrate (SnPCNF)-modified carbon ceramic electrode (CCE). The modified electrode was constructed by using a sol-gel technique involving two steps: construction of CCE containing metallic tin (Sn) powder and then electrochemical creation of SnPCNF film on the surface of CCE. The modified electrode was characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray, Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. The charge transfer coefficient (α) and charge transfer rate constant (k_s) for the modifying film were calculated. The electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrode toward the reduction of hydrogen peroxide was studied by CV and chronoamperometry. A linear calibration curve was obtained over the hydrogen peroxide concentration range of 0.5 to 69.4 μM using a hydrodynamic amperometric technique. The limit of detection (for a signal-to-noise ratio of 3) and sensitivity were found to be 92 nM and 0.89 μA/μM, respectively. Furthermore, the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen peroxide (D) and catalytic rate constant (k_cat) were calculated.     

Sequence Determinants of GLUT1 Oligomerization: ANALYSIS BY HOMOLOGY-SCANNING MUTAGENESIS*

The human blood-brain barrier glucose transport protein (GLUT1) forms homodimers and homotetramers in detergent micelles and in cell membranes, where the GLUT1 oligomeric state determines GLUT1 transport behavior. GLUT1 and the neuronal glucose transporter GLUT3 do not form heterocomplexes in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells as judged by co-immunoprecipitation assays. Using homology-scanning mutagenesis in which GLUT1 domains are substituted with equivalent GLUT3 domains and vice versa, we show that GLUT1 transmembrane helix 9 (TM9) is necessary for optimal association of GLUT1-GLUT3 chimeras with parental GLUT1 in HEK cells. GLUT1 TMs 2, 5, 8, and 11 also contribute to a less abundant heterocomplex. Cell surface GLUT1 and GLUT3 containing GLUT1 TM9 are 4-fold more catalytically active than GLUT3 and GLUT1 containing GLUT3 TM9. GLUT1 and GLUT3 display allosteric transport behavior. Size exclusion chromatography of detergent solubilized, purified GLUT1 resolves GLUT1/lipid/detergent micelles as 6- and 10-nm Stokes radius particles, which correspond to GLUT1 dimers and tetramers, respectively. Studies with GLUTs expressed in and solubilized from HEK cells show that HEK cell GLUT1 resolves as 6- and 10-nm Stokes radius particles, whereas GLUT3 resolves as a 6-nm particle. Substitution of GLUT3 TM9 with GLUT1 TM9 causes chimeric GLUT3 to resolve as 6- and 10-nm Stokes radius particles. Substitution of GLUT1 TM9 with GLUT3 TM9 causes chimeric GLUT1 to resolve as a mixture of 6- and 4-nm particles. We discuss these findings in the context of determinants of GLUT oligomeric structure and transport function.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of glucose conjugated phthalocyanine as a second-generation photosensitizer

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment method using light and photosensitizers (PSs), which is categorized as a non-invasive surgery treatment for cancers. When the tumor is exposed to a specific light, the PSs become active and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), mainly singlet oxygen which kills nearby cancer cells. PDT is becoming more widely recognized as a valuable treatment option for localized cancers and pre-cancers of skin as it has no long-term effects on the patient. But, due to the limited penetration rate of light into the skin and other organs, PDT can’t be used to treat large cancer cells or cancer cells that have grown deeply into the skin or other organs. Hence, in this study, our focus centers on synthesizing glucose-conjugated phthalocyanine (Pc) compatible with near-infrared (NIR) irradiation as second-generation photosensitizer, so that PDT can be used in a wider range to treat cancers without obstacles.     

Using Echo Ultrasound from Schooling Fish to Detect and Classify Fish Types

Fish finders have already been widely available in the fishing market for a number of years.However,the sizes of these fishfinders are too big and their prices are expensive to suit for the research of robotic fish or mini-submarine.The goal of thisresearch is to propose a low-cost fish detector and classifier which suits for underwater robot or submarine as a proximity sensor.With some pre-condition in hardware and algorithms,the experimental results show that the proposed design has good per-formance,with a detection rate of 100 % and a classification rate of 94 %.Both the existing type of fish and the group behaviorcan be revealed by statistical interpretations such as hovering passion and sparse swimming mode.     

Circadian clock adjustment to plant iron status depends on chloroplast and phytochrome function

Plant chloroplasts are not only the main cellular location for storage of elemental iron (Fe), but also the main site for Fe, which is incorporated into chlorophyll, haem and the photosynthetic machinery. How plants measure internal Fe levels is unknown. We describe here a new Fe‐dependent response, a change in the period of the circadian clock. In Arabidopsis, the period lengthens when Fe becomes limiting, and gradually shortens as external Fe levels increase. Etiolated seedlings or light‐grown plants treated with plastid translation inhibitors do not respond to changes in Fe supply, pointing to developed chloroplasts as central hubs for circadian Fe sensing. Phytochrome‐deficient mutants maintain a short period even under Fe deficiency, stressing the role of early light signalling in coupling the clock to Fe responses. Further mutant and pharmacological analyses suggest that known players in plastid‐to‐nucleus signalling do not directly participate in Fe sensing. We propose that the sensor governing circadian Fe responses defines a new retrograde pathway that involves a plastid‐encoded protein that depends on phytochromes and the functional state of chloroplasts.     

Effects of glucose, tetrapyrroles and protein kinase C activators on cell proliferation in cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract Saccharomyces cerevisiae was inoculated into a yeast nitrogen base with either glycerol or glucose as carbon source. Cell proliferation was followed by colony counts on agar medium. Cells in the glycerol-supplemented medium divided less than once in 10 days. When glucose, 6-deoxy-glucose or protoporphyrin IX was added, the cells had doubling times of about 24 h and increased in number to about 0.5 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹ Addition of either of the protein kinase C activators oleoyl-acetylglycerol or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate did not activate cell proliferation in the glycerol medium. However, when (i) glucose was combined with either protoporphyrin IX or chlorophyllin, or (ii) either protoporphyrin IX or chlorophyllin was combined with either of the protein kinase C activators, the cells had doubling times of about 12 h. Hence, (i) glucose can act as both a carbon source and a signalling molecule for proliferation, and (ii) two systems are involved in activating cell proliferation in S. cerevisiae : one operating through a protein kinase C system and another through a guanylate cyclase system.     

Zoning eco-environmental vulnerability for environmental management and protection

Eco-environmental vulnerability assessment is crucial for environmental and resource management. However, evaluation of eco-environmental vulnerability over large areas is a difficult and complex process because it is affected by many variables including hydro-meteorology, topography, land resources, and human activities. The Thua Thien – Hue Province and its largest river system, the Perfume River, are vital to the social-economic development of the north central coastal region of Vietnam, but there is no zoning system for environmental protection in this region. An assessment framework is proposed to evaluate the vulnerable eco-environment in association with 16 variables with 6 of them constructed from Landsat 8 satellite image products. The remaining variables were extracted from digital maps. Each variable was evaluated and spatially mapped with the aid of an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geographical information system (GIS). An eco-environmental vulnerability map is assorted into six vulnerability levels consisting of potential, slight, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy vulnerabilities, representing 14%, 27%, 17%, 26%, 13%, 3% of the study area, respectively. It is found that heavy and very heavy vulnerable areas appear mainly in the low and medium lands where social-economic activities have been developing rapidly. Tiny percentages of medium and heavy vulnerable levels occur in high land areas probably caused by agricultural practices in highlands, slash and burn cultivation and removal of natural forests with new plantation forests. Based on our results, three ecological zones requiring different development and protection solutions are proposed to restore local eco-environment toward sustainable development. The proposed integrated method of remote sensing (RS), GIS, and AHP to evaluate the eco-environmental vulnerability is useful for environmental protection and proper planning for land use and construction in the future.     

Discovery of 3-aryl-3-ethoxypropanoic acids as orally active GPR40 agonists

The G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) mediates enhancement of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic β cells. The GPR40 agonist has been attracting attention as a novel insulin secretagogue with glucose dependency for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The optimization study of compound 1 led to a potent and bioavailable GPR40 agonist 24, which showed insulin secretion and glucose lowering effects in rat OGTT. Compound 24 is a potential lead compound for a novel insulin secretagogue with a low risk of hypoglycemia.