Albumin stimulates lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase activity in T-lymphocyte membranes

Phosphatidic acid (PtdOH) and lysophosphatidic acid (lysoPtdOH) have been shown to enhance T-lymphocyte function. However, the FA preference and influence of acyl-CoA binding proteins on lysoPtdOH and PtdOH biosynthesis are not known. Therefore, we determined glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) and lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LAT) activity in rat T-lymphocyte and liver membrane preparations in the presence of palmitoyl-CoA and oleoyl-CoA with or without BSA. We found two different properties of GPAT and LAT in whole T-lymphocyte membrane preparations relative to liver. First, T-lymphocyte basal GPAT and LAT activities were similar, whereas in liver membranes LAT activity was 10-fold higher than GPAT. Second, T-lymphocyte LAT, but not GPAT, activity was inducible (fivefold) by the addition of albumin in the presence of palmitoyl-CoA but not oleoyl-CoA. In contrast, albumin stimulated GPAT, but not LAT, activity in liver membranes in the presence of palmitoyl-CoA. These results show, for the first time, that T-lymphocyte LAT activity can be increased by the presence of an acyl-CoA binding protein, which may indicate a new important control mechanism for regulating intracellular lysoPtdOH and PtdOH levels in T-lymphocytes.     

Tool materials influence on surface roughness and oversize in machining glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GFR-PP) composites

Glass fiber reinforced Polypropylene (GFR-PP) is used in manufacturing industries like bicycles, auto bodies, aircraft, and civil applications due to superior properties. Machining of fiber-reinforced plastics is problematic especially when drilling due to their inherent in-homogeneity, anisotropy and limited plastic deformation. Drilling is often required to facilitate the assembly of the parts to get the final products. Surface quality in drilled composites is an essential design characteristic in many situations, such as accurate fits, aesthetic requirements, etc. The present work deals with detailed investigation on the influence of tool materials and machining parameters during drilling of GFR-PP composite material. The study mainly focused on machined surface quality such as surface roughness of the drilled hole and dimensional inaccuracies such as oversize of the hole. The better dimensional and surface quality of drilled hole is observed from solid carbide drill with a spindle speed of 2500?rpm and a feed rate of 0.05?mm/rev. Regression model is developed using experimental data for estimating the surface roughness and oversize. The developed model has high R-sq value which shows the strong relationship between the model and the response variables. The effect of drilling process parameters and associated interactions are discussed in detail.     

MADE3D: Enabling the next generation of high-torque density wind generators by additive design and 3D printing

Forschung im Ingenieurwesen - Direct-drive wind turbine generators are increasing in popularity, thanks to recent project developments—especially offshore, where reliability and efficiency...     

Use of Sb spray for improved performance of InAs/GaAs quantum dots for novel photovoltaic structures

Photoluminescence output from InAs/GaAs quantum dots has been improved by a Sb treatment immediately prior to capping with GaAs. Spectra taken at 300 and 80 K show a significant increase in output intensity when the quantum dots are exposed for 15 s under a Sb flux of approximately 0.1 monolayers per second, but this improvement is lost when the Sb exposure is extended to 30 s. There is no significant shift in the emission energies between samples indicating strain relief due to the cap layer is not responsible for the improvement. Analysis of temperature dependent photoluminescence taken between 80 and 300 K show increased activation energies at lower temperatures when an Sb spray is used, suggesting passivation of deep defect levels. For the higher temperature activation energy, corresponding to carrier escape from the QD to the barrier, whilst a 15 s Sb spray gives a substantial increase, the longer 30 s Sb spray sees the activation energy decrease, a result deduced to be due to Sb segregation providing shallow defect levels. A band structure including a very thin GaAsSb layer adjacent to the quantum dots is used to explain these results, with the 30 s Sb spray leading to shallow Sb segregation related defects and a lower activation energy. Depth dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data support the band structure proposed to explain the photoluminescence results and also reveals the highest concentration of Sb at the sample surface suggesting a ‘floating layer’ of Sb during growth of the GaAs cap. Some of the implications of these results, for growth of quantum dot samples and for two novel solar cell proposals, the intermediate band and hot carrier solar cells, are discussed.     

Effect of microencapsulation and spray drying on oxidative stability of flaxseed oil and its release behavior under simulated gastrointestinal conditions

Flaxseed oil is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acid (α-linolenic acid, ALA). It contains high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, making it extremely susceptible to oxidation. In the present study, flaxseed oil was stabilized using microencapsulation followed by spray drying and studied for its oxidative stability in terms of peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid, and p-anisidine value at room temperature (35 ± 1°C) and low temperature (4–7°C) storage for 6 months. Results revealed that the developed flaxseed oil powder was stable throughout the storage period and PV remained below to the maximum permissible limit (≤5 mEq/kg oil) prescribed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The fatty acids profile measured by gas–liquid chromatography indicated a 14.28–15.13% decrease in ALA content in flaxseed oil as a result of microencapsulation and storage at room temperature. In vitro digestion behavior of microcapsules showed 4.39 ± 0.53 to 19.87 ± 0.47% release of flaxseed oil under simulated gastric continued, whereas under gastrointestinal conditions it was 20.00 ± 3.66 to 59.99 ± 9.29%.     

Shear velocity-based uncertainty quantification for rock joint shear strength

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - The shear strength of rock joints is an important property required in order to analyze the stability of rock slopes and tunnels. However,...     

Experimental Investigation on the Performance of a Solar Still Using SiO2 Nanoparticles /Jatropha curcas L

Silicon - Now, enticing systematic civic since everywhere the world is used in green synthesis and benefit of the simple is eco-friendly with an emergent method of producing nanoparticles (NPs)....     

Synthesis,microstructure and optical characterization of zirconium oxide nanostructures

Zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) nanostructures were synthesized by hydrothermal route. Surface morphology analysis depicts the formation of the nanobars and hexagonal-shaped nanodiscs at different synthesis conditions. The structural analysis confirms that the as-synthesized ZrO₂ product is of pure monoclinic phase (m-ZrO₂) with crystallite size of about 25 nm. The product consists of monodispersed nanoparticles of uniform composition, high purity, and crystallinity. The Raman spectra are quantitatively analyzed and the observed peaks are attributed to various vibration modes of the m-ZrO₂. The UV–vis absorption spectrum showed a strong absorption peak at about 292 nm and the estimated optical band gap was around 3.57 eV. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of ZrO₂ nanostructure showed a strong and broad emission peak at around 410 nm at room temperature, which can be attributed to the ionized oxygen vacancy in the material.