Binding of the molecular chaperone αB-crystallin to Aβ amyloid fibrils inhibits fibril elongation.

The molecular chaperone αB-crystallin is a small heat-shock protein that is upregulated in response to a multitude of stress stimuli, and is found colocalized with Aβ amyloid fibrils in the extracellular plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. We investigated whether this archetypical small heat-shock protein has the ability to interact with Aβ fibrils in vitro. We find that αB-crystallin binds to wild-type Aβ(42) fibrils with micromolar affinity, and also binds to fibrils formed from the E22G Arctic mutation of Aβ(42). Immunoelectron microscopy confirms that binding occurs along the entire length and ends of the fibrils. Investigations into the effect of αB-crystallin on the seeded growth of Aβ fibrils, both in solution and on the surface of a quartz crystal microbalance biosensor, reveal that the binding of αB-crystallin to seed fibrils strongly inhibits their elongation. Because the lag phase in sigmoidal fibril assembly kinetics is dominated by elongation and fragmentation rates, the chaperone mechanism identified here represents a highly effective means to inhibit fibril proliferation. Together with previous observations of αB-crystallin interaction with α-synuclein and insulin fibrils, the results suggest that this mechanism is a generic means of providing molecular chaperone protection against amyloid fibril formation.

On the effect of tickler chain on the catches landed by a 55 ft. trawl net

The communication deals with the results of comparative tests conducted from Cochin base to study the effect of a tickler chain on the catches landed by a 55' shrimp otter trawl. The net was operated with and without chain and 82 hauls of 61 hours and 28 minutes total duration were made. The following are the conclusions: (a) the catch of shrimp per hour of trawling is increased by about 71% due to attachment of the chain to the ground rope; (b) the attachment of the tickler chain also increased the catch of fish by 25%. The increase in the catch of shrimps and fish is probably due to the disturbance caused by moving chain attached to the foot-rope.

Market opportunity identification for minor crops for food security through value chain studies

The brochure is to contribute to the overall goal of stimulating the adaptation of pro-poor agri-food systems innovations to improve food security and sustainable natural resource management among rural poor farmers. The paper seeks to identify and exploit opportunities for expanding market access for minor crops and NRM products. The minor crops studied included cow pea, sorghum, groundnut, sweet potato and yam.

The incentives for supply chain collaboration to improve material efficiency in the use of steel: An analysis using input output techniques

In the face of increasing demand and limited emission reduction opportunities, the steel industry will have to look beyond its process emissions to bear its share of emission reduction targets. One option is to improve material efficiency - reducing the amount of metal required to meet services. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to explore why opportunities to improve material efficiency through upstream measures such as yield improvement and lightweighting might remain underexploited by industry. Established input-output techniques are applied to the GTAP 7 multi-regional input-output model to quantify the incentives for companies in key steel-using sectors (such as property developers and automotive companies) to seek opportunities to improve material efficiency in their upstream supply chains under different short-run carbon price scenarios. Because of the underlying assumptions, the incentives are interpreted as overestimates. The principal result of the paper is that these generous estimates of the incentives for material efficiency caused by a carbon price are offset by the disincentives to material efficiency caused by labour taxes. Reliance on a carbon price alone to deliver material efficiency would therefore be misguided and additional policy interventions to support material efficiency should be considered. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Making the deployment of pico-PV more sustainable along the value chain

Pico-PV is an excellent technology for bringing electric light to rural areas in the developing world and replacing kerosene lanterns and candles. However, as pico-PV is a comparatively new technology, relatively little is known about appropriate methods for sustainable product development and deployment. For this reason current dissemination methods are often ineffective and unsustainable. This research aims to help project developers deploy pico-PV technologies successfully and in a sustainable manner. To achieve this, a conceptual framework of key sustainability criteria along the value chain was developed and tested. The analysis revealed that the most important criteria for the sustainable deployment of pico-PV systems are: (a) easy and safe operation of the product; (b) that a system for product return is established; (c) the retailer understands the target market and (d) the end-user is aware of the product's existence and its benefits. This research reveals that criteria (b) and (c) are of greatest concern. In light of these findings, the authors propose to focus on the following five factors; namely: (a) raising awareness for certification and creating market reassurance; (b) introducing support mechanisms to facilitate local repair; (c) using existing supply channels and establishing in-country (dis)assembly; (d) introducing financial support mechanisms at product supply stages and; (e) undertaking marketing campaigns. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immunoglobulin joining (J) chain and its expression in the Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)

The immunoglobulin (Ig) joining (J) chain plays an important role in the formation of polymeric Igs and their transport into secretions. In the present study, the cDNA sequence of J chain has been cloned from the Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The cDNA sequence is 2347 bp in length and contains an open reading frame of 480 bp encoding 160 aa including the signal sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence has a high degree of homology with that of an already reported turtle J chain (80.7%), and of chicken (71.3%). By using real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis, a significant up-regulation of J-chain transcripts was observed in spleen, kidney and blood of turtles injected with inactivated Aeromonas hydrophila, indicating the immune role of J chain in response to bacterial infection. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecular cloning and characterization analysis of immunoglobulin M heavy chain gene in European eel (Anguilla anguilla)

In this study, the immunoglobulin M heavy chain gene of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) was cloned and analyzed. The full-length cDNA of the IgM heavy chain gene (GenBank accession no. EF062515) has 2089 nucleotides encoding a putative protein of 581 amino acids. The IgM heavy chain was composed of leader peptide (L), variable domain (VH), CH1, CH2. Hinge, CH3, CH4, and C-terminus and two novel continuous putative N-glycosylation sites were found close to the second cysteine of CH3 in A. anguilla-H1 and A. anguilla-H2. The deduced amino acid sequence of the European eel IgM heavy chain constant region shared similarities to that of the Ladyfish (Elops saurus). Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Grass carp (Ctenopharingodon idella), Common carp (Cyprinus carpio), Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), and the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) with the identity of 46.1%, 39.7%, 38.9%, 32.4%, 32.3%, 31.7%, and 30.7%, respectively. The highest level of IgM gene expression was observed in the kidney, followed by the spleen, gills, liver, muscle and heart in the apparently healthy European eels. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of cDNA encoding immunoglobulin light chain of the Mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi)

Immunoglobulin light chain cDNA sequences of a perciform fish, the mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi were amplified from head kidney mRNA by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and RACE methods using degenerated primer and gene specific ones. In cDNA sequences of the VL region, nucleotide exchanges were present mainly within CDRs, although a lesser degree of variability was also found in FRs. Moreover, the length of CDRI and CDR3 in the mandarin fish is shorter than in most other fish species. In the middle of S. chuatsi CL region, a microsatellite sequence (AGC)(6-8) was found, which is also present in another perciform species, the spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor). The comparison of amino acid sequence of the mandarin fish CL domain with those of other vertebrates showed the highest degree of similarity of 94.5% to the spotted wolffish, while the similarity with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Ig L1 (62.7%) and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) Ig LG (55.9%) isotypes is also higher. However, there is only 50% identity in the VL regions between the mandarin fish and the wolffish. The sequence similarity of the mandarin fish CL domain with those of higher vertebrate did not readily allow it to be classified as kappa or lambda isotype. The phylogenetic analyses also demonstrated that the CL genes of the mandarin fish and most other teleost fish cluster as a separate branch out of the mammal kappa and lambda branches. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Construction and characterization of a novel recombinant single-chain variable fragment antibody against White Spot Syndrome Virus from shrimp

An antibody phage display library against White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) was constructed. After four rounds of panning against WSSV, 192 out of 480 clones displayed WSSV binding activity. One of the positive clones, designated A1, had relatively higher activity specifically binding to WSSV A1-soluble, single-chain fragment variable (scFv) antibody has an affinity constant (K-aff) of 2.02 +/- 0.42 x 10(9) M-1. Dot blot assays showed that A1-soluble scFv could detect WSSV directly from shrimp hemolymph after 24-h feeding infection by WSSV. A1 scFv has potential for the development of a cheap, simple and sensitive diagnostic kit for WSSV in the field. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantum phase transitions in the S=1/2 distorted diamond chain

By means of the second derivative of the ground-state and first-excited energy, the quantum phase transitions (QPTs) for the distorted diamond chain (DDC) with ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic frustrated interactions and the trimerized case are investigated, respectively. Our results show the plentiful quantum phases owing to the spin interaction competitions in the model. Meanwhile, by using the transfer-matrix renormalization-group technique, we study the two-site thermal entanglement of the DDC model in the thermodynamic limit for a further understanding of the QPTs.

Entanglement evolution of a spin-chain bath coupled to a quantum spin

For an electron spin in coupling with an interacting spin chain via hyperfine-type interaction, we investigate the dynamical evolutions of the pairwise entanglement of the spin chain, and a correlation function joined the electron spin with a pair of chain spins in correspondence to the electron-spin coherence evolution. Both quantities manifest a periodic and a decaying evolution. The entanglement of the spin bath is significant in distinguishing the zero-coherence status exhibited in periodic and decoherence evolutions of the electron spin. The periodical concurrence evolution of the spin bath characterizes the whole system in a coherence-preserving phase, particularly for the case that the associated periodic coherence evolution is predominated by zero value in the infinite chain-length limit, which was often regarded as the realization of decoherence.

Thermal entanglement in a two-qubit Heisenberg XXZ spin chain under an inhomogeneous magnetic field

The thermal entanglement in a two-qubit Heisenberg XXZ spin chain is investigated under an inhomogeneous magnetic field b. We show that the ground-state entanglement is independent of the interaction of z-component J(z). The thermal entanglement at the fixed temperature can be enhanced when J(z) increases. We strictly show that for any temperature T and J(z), the entanglement is symmetric with respect to zero inhomogeneous magnetic field, and the critical inhomogeneous magnetic field b(c) is independent of J(z). The critical magnetic field B-c increases with the increasing parallel to b parallel to but the maximum entanglement value that the system can arrive at becomes smaller.

A strategy for synthesis of ion-bonded supramolecular star polymers by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization

We have developed a novel strategy for the preparation of ion-bonded supramolecular star polymers by RAFT polymerization. An ion-bonded star supramolecule with six functional groups was prepared from a triphenylene derivative containing tertiary amino groups and trithiocarbonate carboxylic acid, and used as the RAFT agent in polymerizations of tert-butyl acrylate (tBA) and styrene (St). Molecular weights and structures of the polymers were characterized by H-1 NMR and GPC. The results show that the polymerization possesses the character of living free-radical polymerization and the ion-bonded supramolecular star polymers PSt, PtBA, and PSt-b-PtBA, with six well-defined arms, were successfully synthesized.

The phase behavior of comblike block copolymer A(m+1)B(m)/homopolymer A mixtures

The phase behaviors of comblike block copolymer A(m+1)B(m)/homopolymer A mixtures are studied by using the random phase approximation method and real-space self-consistent field theory. From the spinodals of macrophase separation and microphase separation, we can find that the number of graft and the length of the homopolymer A have great effects on the phase behavior of the blend. For a given composition of comblike block copolymer, increasing the number of graft does not change the macrophase separation spinodal curve but decreases the microphase separation region. The addition of a small quantity of long-chain homopolymer A increases the microphase separation of comblike block copolymer/homopolymer A mixture.