Investigation of the charge compensation mechanism on the electrochemically Li-ion deintercalated Li1-xCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 electrode system by combination of soft and hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

In situ hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at metal K-edges and soft XAS at O K-edge and metal L-edges have been carried out during the first charging process for the layered Li1-xCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode material. The metal K-edge XANES results show that the major charge compensation at the metal site during Li-ion deintercalation is achieved by the oxidation of Ni2+ ions, while the manganese ions and the cobalt ions remain mostly unchanged in the Mn4+ and Co3+ state. These conclusions are in good agreement with the results of the metal K-edge EXAFS data.

Antioxidant activity of Terminalia arjuna bark extract on N-nitrosodiethylamine induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats.

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant nature of ethanolic extract of Terminalia arjuna bark (EETA) on N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) induced liver cancer in male Wistar albino rats. Liver cancer was induced by single intraperitonial injection of DEN (200 mg/kg). After 2 weeks of DEN administration, Phenobarbital (PB) was given to promote the cancer for up to 14 successive weeks.

Angiodysplasia of cardia of stomach--a case report.

Angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract is still thought to be an entity of unknown aetiology. This lesion is most commonly observed in elderly patients presenting with severe and persistent iron deficiency anaemia, following occult blood loss or acute episodes of haematemesis. In the stomach antral vascular ectasia is the most common presentation.

Changes in oxygen consumption and respiratory enzymes as stress indicators in an estuarine edible crab Scylla serrata exposed to naphthalene.

The sublethal effect of naphthalene was studied on the physiology of a mud crab Scylla serrata. The 96 h acute toxicity of naphthalene was determined and found to be 28 mg 1(-1) (LC100), 18 mg 1(-1) (LC50), 10 mg 1(-1) (LC0) respectively. The 30 days sublethal effect (LC0) 9 mg 1(-1), 8 mg 1(-1), 10 mg 1(-1), of naphthalene was investigated in the crab S.

Influence of insecticidal derivative (cartap hydrochloride) from the marine polycheate on certain enzyme systems of the fresh water fish Oreochromis mossambicus.

The activities of phosphatases and transaminases were studied in muscle and liver of the fresh water fish, Oreochromis mossambicus on exposure to different sublethal concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 0.

Impact of distillery effluent on carbohydrate metabolism of freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio.

The impact of distillery effluent on carbohydrate metabolism of Cyprinus carpio was studied at different days during exposure (7, 14, and 21 days) in the ambient temperature of 28 +/- 1 degrees C. Oxygen consumption in fish decreased with increasing effluent concentrations as well as duration of exposure. Effluent concentrations and exposure durations (days) had a significant effect on oxygen consumption of tested fish (p < 0.

The 14-3-3 protein rad24p modulates function of the cdc14p family phosphatase clp1p/flp1p in fission yeast.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells divide through the use of an actomyosin-based contractile ring. In response to perturbation of the actomyosin ring, S. pombe cells delay in a "cytokinesis-competent" state characterized by continuous repair and maintenance of the actomyosin ring and a G2 delay.

Role of septins and the exocyst complex in the function of hydrolytic enzymes responsible for fission yeast cell separation.

Cell separation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe is achieved by the concerted action of the Eng1 endo-beta-1,3-glucanase and the Agn1 endo-alpha-1,3-glucanase, which are transported to the septum and localize to a ringlike structure that surrounds the septum. The requirements for the correct localization of both hydrolases as a ring were analyzed using green fluorescent protein fusion proteins. Targeting to the septum required a functional exocyst, because both proteins failed to localize correctly in sec8-1 or exo70delta mutants, suggesting that Agn1 and Eng1 might be two of the cargo proteins present in the vesicles that accumulate in exocyst mutants.

Naphthalene-induced hematological disturbances and oxidative stress in an estuarine edible crab, Scylla serrata.

The 30-day sublethal effect of naphthalene on Scylla serrata was studied using hematological parameters, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant status. The results revealed a decreasing trend in the hemolymph-related parameters of the crabs exposed to naphthalene. There was an increase in lipid peroxidation activity in the gonads of the crabs exposed to naphthalene.

The novel fission yeast protein Pal1p interacts with Hip1-related Sla2p/End4p and is involved in cellular morphogenesis.

The establishment and maintenance of characteristic cellular morphologies is a fundamental property of all cells. Here we describe Schizosaccharomyces pombe Pal1p, a protein important for maintenance of cylindrical cellular morphology. Pal1p is a novel membrane-associated protein that localizes to the growing tips of interphase cells and to the division site in cells undergoing cytokinesis in an F-actin- and microtubule-independent manner.

Roles of Pdk1p, a fission yeast protein related to phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase, in the regulation of mitosis and cytokinesis.

Proteins related to the phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase family have been identified in the majority of eukaryotes. Although much is known about upstream mechanisms that regulate the PDK1-family of kinases in metazoans, how these kinases regulate cell growth and division remains unclear. Here, we characterize a fission yeast protein related to members of this family, which we have termed Pdk1p.

Systematic deletion analysis of fission yeast protein kinases.

Eukaryotic protein kinases are key molecules mediating signal transduction that play a pivotal role in the regulation of various biological processes, including cell cycle progression, cellular morphogenesis, development, and cellular response to environmental changes. A total of 106 eukaryotic protein kinase catalytic-domain-containing proteins have been found in the entire fission yeast genome, 44% (or 64%) of which possess orthologues (or nearest homologues) in humans, based on sequence similarity within catalytic domains. Systematic deletion analysis of all putative protein kinase-encoding genes have revealed that 17 out of 106 were essential for viability, including three previously uncharacterized putative protein kinases.

Efficacy of Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.) on N-nitrosodiethylamine induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats.

The effect of ethanolic extract of Terminalia arjuna bark on carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes of N-nitrosodiethylamine induced hepatocellular carcinoma in Wistar albino rats were studied. The plasma and liver glycolytic enzymes such as hexokinase, phosphoglucoisomerase, aldolase were significantly increased in cancer induced animals while glyconeogenic enzyme, glucose-6-phosphatase was decreased. These enzymes were reverted significantly to near normal range in treated animals after oral administration of T.

Hsp90 protein in fission yeast Swo1p and UCS protein Rng3p facilitate myosin II assembly and function.

The F-actin-based molecular motor myosin II is involved in a variety of cellular processes such as muscle contraction, cell motility, and cytokinesis. In recent years, a family of myosin II-specific cochaperones of the UCS family has been identified from work with yeasts, fungi, worms, and humans. Biochemical analyses have shown that a complex of Hsp90 and the Caenorhabditis elegans UCS domain protein UNC-45 prevent myosin head aggregation, thereby allowing it to assume a proper structure.

Impact of fertilizer (urea) on oxygen consumption and feeding energetics in the fresh water fish Oreochromis mossambicus.

The effects of urea on survival, food utilization and oxygen consumption of the fresh water fish Oreochromis mossambicus were studied. The percentage survival of O. mossambicus when exposed to different concentrations of urea at 24, 48, 72 and 96h exposures was noted and it was found that 22,000 and 38,000mgL(-1) urea concentration were sublethal and lethal, respectively.

Identification of cell cycle-regulated genes in fission yeast.

Cell cycle progression is both regulated and accompanied by periodic changes in the expression levels of a large number of genes. To investigate cell cycle-regulated transcriptional programs in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we developed a whole-genome oligonucleotide-based DNA microarray. Microarray analysis of both wild-type and cdc25 mutant cell cultures was performed to identify transcripts whose levels oscillated during the cell cycle.

The nuclear kinase Lsk1p positively regulates the septation initiation network and promotes the successful completion of cytokinesis in response to perturbation of the actomyosin ring in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Cytokinesis in fission yeast requires the function of an actomyosin-based contractile ring whose constriction is dependent on a signaling module termed the septation initiation network (SIN). In response to minor perturbation of the ring, the duration of SIN signaling is extended concurrently with a delay in nuclear cycle progression. These mechanisms require the conserved phosphatase Clp1p/Flp1p and facilitate the successful completion of cytokinesis, thereby increasing cellular viability.

Surface chemistry and structure of purified, ozonized, multiwalled carbon nanotubes probed by NEXAFS and vibrational spectroscopies.

Understanding of oxidative processes such as solution-phase ozonolysis in multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) is of fundamental importance in devising applications of these tubes as components in composite materials, as well as for development of cutting and filling protocols. We present here an evaluation of various spectroscopic tools to study the structure and composition of functionalized nanotubes. We demonstrate near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy as a particularly useful and effective technique for studying the surface chemistry of carbon nanotubes.

Comparative analysis of cytokinesis in budding yeast, fission yeast and animal cells.

Cytokinesis is a temporally and spatially regulated process through which the cellular constituents of the mother cell are partitioned into two daughter cells, permitting an increase in cell number. When cytokinesis occurs in a polarized cell it can create daughters with distinct fates. In eukaryotes, cytokinesis is carried out by the coordinated action of a cortical actomyosin contractile ring and targeted membrane deposition.

Structure, crystal packing and molecular dynamics of the calponin-homology domain of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rng2.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rng2 is an IQGAP protein that is essential for the assembly of an actomyosin ring during cytokinesis. Rng2 contains an amino-terminal calponin-homology (CH) domain, 11 IQ repeats and a RasGAP-homology domain. CH domains are known mainly for their ability to bind F-actin, although they have other ligands in vivo and there are only few examples of actin-binding single CH domains.

The Clp1p/Flp1p phosphatase ensures completion of cytokinesis in response to minor perturbation of the cell division machinery in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Fission yeast mutants defective in actomyosin ring formation and function exhibit a prolonged G2 delay following cytokinesis failure. This G2 delay depends on the SIN, a signaling network essential for cytokinesis, and the non-essential Cdc14p family phosphatase, Clp1p/Flp1p and has been proposed to signify a cytokinesis checkpoint mechanism. However, the physiological relevance of this proposed Clp1p/Flp1p-dependent checkpoint is unclear because all previous studies were carried out using mutations in essential actomyosin ring components under fully restrictive conditions and thus these cells would have died regardless of the presence of the checkpoint.

Myosin-II reorganization during mitosis is controlled temporally by its dephosphorylation and spatially by Mid1 in fission yeast.

Cytokinesis in many eukaryotes requires an actomyosin contractile ring. Here, we show that in fission yeast the myosin-II heavy chain Myo2 initially accumulates at the division site via its COOH-terminal 134 amino acids independently of F-actin. The COOH-terminal region can access to the division site at early G2, whereas intact Myo2 does so at early mitosis.