Novel mechanism of Col10a1 nonsense-mediated mRNA decay

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a conserved surveillance mechanism that selectively targets mRNA transcripts carrying premature termination codons (PTCs) for rapid degradation in all studied eukaryotes. Mutations that introduce PTCs account for approximately one-third of all inherited genetic disorders, highlighting the importance of NMD in the molecular pathology of many diseases.
The experimental findings presented in this thesis demonstrate that the mechanism of Col10a1 NMD is different to previously described NMD pathways and could represent a failsafe NMD mechanism used by genes that have similar gene structures to COL10A1, which would escape the canonical NMD pathway.

Characterization of decamethylferrocene and ferrocene in ionic liquids : Argon and vacuum effect on their electrochemical propertiesce

The electrochemistry of decamethylferrocene (DmFc) has been studied in organic solvent systems and proven to be a superior internal reference redox standard to ferrocene (Fc). However, the electrochemical information on this redox couple in ionic liquids is still limited. Therefore, the voltammetric and amperometric behaviour of DmFc was investigated under argon and vacuum conditions in six different ionic liquids and compared to that of Fc under the same experimental conditions. Consequently, the concentration, the heterogeneous electron-transfer rate constant (k0), volatility, and diffusion coefficients (D) of Fc and Fc+, as well as the solubility, k 0, and D values for DmFc and DmFc+ were determined under argon and vacuum conditions by fitting the experimental chronoamperometric and voltammetric data with numerical and digital simulations. The rate of mass transport of ferrocene and decamethylferrocene was observed to decreases between 6-37% by changing the working atmosphere from argon to vacuum. The D Fc/DFc+ ratios are in the range 1.31-2.01 in the different ILs. Importantly, the DDmFc/DDmFc+ ratio is ≈ 1 in 1-methyl-3-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide, 1-methyl-1-butylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, and 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate. The experimental mid-point potential and half-wave potential of Fc0/+ vs. DmFc0/+, as well as the formal potential obtained after correction for inequality in the respective diffusion coefficients of both redox processes are presented. Even though DmFc is not freely soluble in the different ILs, the results presented in this work suggest that the DmFc0/+ redox process is less dependent than Fc on the IL nature. This is a very relevant finding for the application of this transition-metal sandwich complex as an internal reference redox system in IL solutions. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Removal of natural organic matter though membrane filtration and subsequent effect on disinfectant decay

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of membrane filtration in removing natural organic matters (NOMs) from four different source waters and the subsequent effect that it has on total chlorine (TC) demand of these waters. Source water samples were filtered sequentially through membranes with molecular weight cut-off of 3,500, 1,000 and 200 Da as well as RO membrane. The source waters and sequentially filtered samples were dosed with chlorine and the residual chlorine data were used to estimate the TC demand of these waters. A robust chlorine decay model constructed in AQUASIM software was used to do so. More than 80% of the chlorine demand in untreated surface water sources was found to be contributed mainly by NOMs that were larger than 3,500 Da. However, for water treated by granular filtration, the chlorine demand was found to be contributed by NOMs which were down to 200 Da. Sequential filtration through all four membranes reduced chlorine demand by more than 94% in surface waters and 84% in waters treated by granular filtration. Significant reduction in the formation of trihalomethane can be achieved if water is treated by appropriate membranes after granular media filtration. © 2014 © 2014 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Analytical model to locate the fluidisation interface in a solid-gas vacuum fluidised bed

Vacuum fluidised beds have a distinct advantage of being operated with reduced mass consumption of the fluidising media. However, a low quality of fluidisation reduces the opportunity to utilise the bubbling regime in vacuum fluidised beds. Fluidisation maps are often used to depict the interface between the quiescent, bubbling and slugging regimes inside a fluidised bed. Such maps have been obtained by visual observations of the fluidisation interface in transparent fluidised beds. For beds which are visually inaccessible fluidisation maps are difficult to obtain. The present work therefore attempts to model the interface travel in a vacuum fluidised bed. The pressure gradient due to the bed weight has been determined to be a main contributor for fluidisation/defluidisation under vacuum. A simple analytical model based on the pressure gradient (PG model) is developed to predict the interface location in a vacuum fluidised bed. For a segregated bed, the Gibilaro-Rowe (GR) model is modified and used to predict the jetsam layer growth along with the fluidisation interface. The predictions are compared with the experimental data for minimally and highly segregated particles and it is seen that for non-segregated powders the predictions are quite accurate. Lack of sufficient knowledge of bubble characteristics, however, impeded accurate prediction of the jetsam growth especially at high flow rates. However, an approximate complete fluidisation interface is successfully predicted using the GR-PG model. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Deficient cognitive control fuels children's exuberant false allegations.

In eyewitness studies as in actual investigations, a minority of children generate numerous false (and sometimes incredulous) allegations. To explore the characteristics of these children, we reinterviewed and administered a battery of tasks to 61 children (ages 4-9 years) who had previously participated in an eyewitness study where a man broke a "germ rule" twice when he tried to touch them. Performance on utilization, response conflict (Luria tapping), and theory of mind tasks predicted the number of false reports of touching (with age and time since the event controlled) and correctly classified 90.16% of the children as typical witnesses or exuberant (more than 3) false reporters. Results of a factor analysis pointed to a common process underlying performance on these tasks that accounted for 49% of the variability in false reports. Relations between task performance and testimony confirmed that the mechanisms underlying occasional intrusions are different from those that drive persistent confabulation and that deficient cognitive control fuels young children's exuberant false reports.

Investigations into hydrodynamics and heat transfer in vacuum fluidised beds.

Investigations into vacuum fluidised beds has improved understanding of heat transfer and hydrodynamics which will enable optimization of various industrial processes. Significant contributions were made in theoretical and experimental analysis.