Receptor Activity Modifying Proteins (RAMPs) interact with the VPAC2 Receptor and CRF1 receptors and modulate their function

Background and Purpose Although it is established that the receptor activity modifying proteins (RAMPs) can interact with a number of GPCRs, little is known about the consequences of these interactions. Here the interaction of RAMPs with the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1 receptor), the human vasoactive intestinal polypeptide/pituitary AC-Activating peptide 2 receptor (VPAC) and the type 1 corticotrophin releasing factor receptor (CRF) has been examined. Experimental Approach GPCRs were co-transfected with RAMPs in HEK 293S and CHO-K1 cells. Cell surface expression of RAMPs and GPCRs was examined by elisa. Where there was evidence for interactions, agonist-stimulated cAMP production, Ca mobilization and GTPγS binding to G, G, G and G were examined. The ability of CRF to stimulate adrenal corticotrophic hormone release in Ramp2 mice was assessed. Key Results The GLP-1 receptor failed to enhance the cell surface expression of any RAMP. VPAC enhanced the cell surface expression of all three RAMPs. CRF enhanced the cell surface expression of RAMP2; the cell surface expression of CRF was also increased. There was no effect on agonist-stimulated cAMP production. However, there was enhanced G-protein coupling in a receptor and agonist-dependent manner. The CRF: RAMP2 complex resulted in enhanced elevation of intracellular calcium to CRF and urocortin 1 but not sauvagine. In Ramp2 mice, there was a loss of responsiveness to CRF. Conclusions and Implications The VPAC and CRF receptors interact with RAMPs. This modulates G-protein coupling in an agonist-specific manner. For CRF, coupling to RAMP2 may be of physiological significance. © 2012 The Authors. British Journal of Pharmacology © 2012 The British Pharmacological Society.

The impact of privatisation and regulation on the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales:a translog cost function approach

After the ten Regional Water Authorities (RWAs) of England and Wales were privatized in November 1989, the successor Water and Sewerage Companies (WASCs) faced a new regulatory regime that was designed to promote economic efficiency while simultaneously improving drinking water and environmental quality. As legally mandated quality improvements necessitated a costly capital investment programme, the industry's economic regulator, the Office of Water Services (Ofwat), implemented a retail price index (RPI)+K pricing system, which was designed to compensate the WASCs for their capital investment programme while also encouraging gains in economic efficiency. In order to analyse jointly the impact of privatization, as well as the impact of increasingly stringent economic and environmental regulation on the WASCs' economic performance, this paper estimates a translog multiple output cost function model for the period 1985–1999. Given the significant costs associated with water quality improvements, the model is augmented to include the impact of drinking water quality and environmental quality on total costs. The model is then employed to determine the extent of scale and scope economies in the water and sewerage industry, as well as the impact of privatization and economic regulation on economic efficiency.

Tuneable compensator of dispersion and slope using non-uniformly strained chirped fibre grating

Summary form only given. A novel method for tuning the second and the third order dispersion using a simple multi-point bending device has been demonstrated. A simple model has been developed that allows to calculate the exact bending profile required for compensation for the given values of dispersion and dispersion slope.

An almond-enriched diet increases plasma α-tocopherol and improves vascular function but does not affect oxidative stress markers or lipid levels

Vascular dysfunction is one of the major causes of cardiovascular (CV) mortality and increases with age. Epidemiological studies suggest that Mediterranean diets and high nut consumption reduce CV disease risk and mortality while increasing plasma α-tocopherol. Therefore, we have investigated whether almond supplementation can improve oxidative stress markers and CV risk factors over 4 weeks in young and middle-aged men. Healthy middle-aged men (56 ± 5.8 years), healthy young men (22.1 ± 2.9 years) and young men with two or more CV risk factors (27.3 ± 5 years) consumed 50 g almond/day for 4 weeks. A control group maintained habitual diets over the same period. Plasma α-tocopherol/cholesterol ratios were not different between groups at baseline and were significantly elevated by almond intervention with 50 g almond/day for 4 weeks (p < 0.05). Plasma protein oxidation and nitrite levels were not different between groups whereas, total-, HDL- and LDL-cholesterols and triglycerides were significantly higher in healthy middle-aged and young men with CV risk factors but were not affected by intake. In the almond-consuming groups, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) improved and systolic blood pressure reduced significantly after 50 g almonds/day for 4 weeks, but diastolic blood pressure reduced only in healthy men. In conclusion, a short-term almond-enriched diet can increase plasma α-tocopherol and improve vascular function in asymptomatic healthy men aged between 20 and 70 years without any effect on plasma lipids or markers of oxidative stress. © 2014 Informa UK, Ltd.

Asplund Functions and Projectional Resolutions of the Identity

*Supported by the Grants AV ˇCR 101-97-02, 101-90-03, GA ˇCR 201-98-1449, and by the Grant of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University No. 2003.

Isomorphism Problems for the Baire Function Spaces of Topological Spaces

Let a compact Hausdorff space X contain a non-empty perfect subset. If α < β and β is a countable ordinal, then the Banach space Bα (X) of all bounded real-valued functions of Baire class α on X is a proper subspace of the Banach space Bβ (X). In this paper it is shown that: 1. Bα (X) has a representation as C(bα X), where bα X is a compactification of the space P X – the underlying set of X in the Baire topology generated by the Gδ -sets in X. 2. If 1 ≤ α < β ≤ Ω, where Ω is the first uncountable ordinal number, then Bα (X) is uncomplemented as a closed subspace of Bβ (X). These assertions for X = [0, 1] were proved by W. G. Bade [4] and in the case when X contains an uncountable compact metrizable space – by F.K.Dashiell [9]. Our argumentation is one non-metrizable modification of both Bade’s and Dashiell’s methods.

Abstract Subdifferential Calculus and Semi-Convex Functions

∗ The work is partially supported by NSFR Grant No MM 409/94.

Uniform Eberlein Compacta and Uniformly Gâteaux Smooth Norms

* Supported by grants: AV ĈR 101-95-02, GAĈR 201-94-0069 (Czech Republic) and NSERC 7926 (Canada).

Representable Banach Spaces and Uniformly Gateaux-Smooth Norms

It is proved that a representable non-separable Banach space does not admit uniformly Gâteaux-smooth norms. This is true in particular for C(K) spaces where K is a separable non-metrizable Rosenthal compact space.

Certain Properties of Fractional Calculus Operators Associated with Generalized Mittag-Leffler Function

Mathematics Subject Classification: 26A33, 33E12, 33C20.

Krätzel Function as a Function of Hypergeometric Type

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 33C60, 33C20, 44A15

On Two Saigo’s Fractional Integral Operators in the Class of Univalent Functions

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 26A33, 30C45; Secondary 33A35

On Maximal Function on the Laguerre Hypergroup

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 42B20, 42B25, 42B35

Arthur Lindo Patterson, his function and element preferences in early crystal structures

In 1934, Arthur Lindo Patterson showed that a map of interatomic vectors is obtainable from measured X-ray diffraction data without phase information. Such maps were interpretable for simple crystal structures, but proliferation and overlapping of peaks caused confusion as the number of atoms increased. Since the peak height of a vector between two particular atoms is related to the product of their atomic numbers, a complicated structure could effectively be reduced to a simple one by including just a few heavy atoms (of high atomic number) since their interatomic vectors would stand out from the general clutter. Once located, these atoms provide approximate phases for Fourier syntheses that reveal the locations of additional atoms. Surveys of small-molecule structures in the Cambridge Structural Database during the periods 1936-1969, when Patterson methods were commonly used, and 1980-2013, dominated by direct methods, demonstrate large differences in the abundance of certain elements. The moderately heavy elements K, Rb, As and Br are the heaviest elements in the structure more than 3 times as often in the early period than in the recent period. Examples are given of three triumphs of the heavy atom method and two initial failures that had to be overcome. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis.