N-myristoylated proteins,key components in intracellular signal transduction systems enabling rapid and flexible cell responses

N-myristoylation, one of the co- or post-translational modifications of proteins, has so far been regarded as necessary for anchoring of proteins to membranes. Recently, we have revealed that N^α-myristoylation of several brain proteins unambiguously regulates certain protein–protein interactions that may affect signaling pathways in brain. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of myristoylated proteins including those in other organs suggests that this regulation is involved in signaling pathways not only in brain but also in other organs. Thus, it has been shown that myristoylated proteins in cells regulate the signal transduction between membranes and cytoplasmic fractions. An algorithm we have developed to identify myristoylated proteins in cells predicts the presence of hundreds of myristoylated proteins. Interestingly, a large portion of the myristoylated proteins thought to take part in signal transduction between membranes and cytoplasmic fractions are included in the predicted myristoylated proteins. If the proteins functionally regulated by myristoylation, a posttranslational protein modification, were understood as cross-talk points within the intracellular signal transduction system, known signaling pathways could thus be linked to each other, and a novel map of this intracellular network could be constructed. On the basis of our recent results, this review will highlight the multifunctional aspects of protein N-myristoylation in brain.     

Importance of the flexural and membrane stiffnesses in large deflection analysis of floating roofs

Applying integrated variational principles on fluid and deck plate to the large deflection analysis of floating roofs, this paper investigates the significance of the flexural and membrane components in the formulations of the deck plate. Integrated variational principles facilitate the treatment of the compatibility of deformation between floating roof and supporting liquid. Analysis results show that different assumptions about deck plate formulation commonly used in the literature, results in considerably different deflection and stress patterns on the floating roof. The results show that modeling of the deck plate as a flexural element rather than the membrane, by eliminating the need for nonlinear analysis, gives reasonable results for deflections and stresses in the deck plate. Finally, to check the results of the variational formulation, employing Bessel functions and ignoring membrane stiffness an approximate solution is derived and its results compared with those of the variational formulation. This comparison shows that the approximate solution closely follows the variational formulation.     

Recent advancement and development of chitin and chitosan-based nanocomposite for drug delivery: Critical approach to clinical research

This review depicts the exposure of chitin and chitosan base multifunctional nanomaterial composites for promising applications in field of biomedical science structure, synthesis as well as potential application from a colossal angle. We elaborated critically each of the chitin and chitosan base nanomaterial with its potential application toward biomedical science. For different biomedical applications it use in form of hydrogels, microsphere, nanoparticles, aerogels, microsphere and in form of scaffold. Due to this it had been blended with different polymer such as starch, cellulose, alginate, lipid, hyaluronic acid, polyvinyl alcohol and caboxymethyl cellulose. In this review article, a comprehensive overview of combination of chitin and chitosan base nanomaterial with natural as well as synthetic polymers and their biomedical applications in biomedical field involving drug delivery system all the technical scientific issues have been addressed; highlighting the recent advancements.     

Pseudopotential calculations using the FSGO Method: Application to first-row hydrides

Various pseudopotential schemes are examined in floating spherical Gaussian orbital (FSGO) calculations on the first row hydrides to help determine which pseudopotential scheme, if any, would be most useful in the FSGO method.     

Growth of multicrystalline Si with controlled grain boundary configuration by the floating zone technique

The floating zone technique was employed to grow multicrystalline Si with controlled grain boundary configuration. Purposely designed bi-crystals were utilized as seed crystals to investigate the effect of the tilt angle from the perfect twin boundary on the growth behavior. When the growth was initiated from a bi-crystal with a Σ3 twin boundary, no particular change took place on the grain boundary configuration during growth. On the other hand, the decrease of the tilt angle during growth was observed when the growth was initiated from a bi-crystal with a tilted boundary from Σ3. This was accompanied by the appearance of new crystal grains. The reduction of the total interface energy would be a possible driving mechanism for this phenomenon.     

Vertical optical floating zone furnace: Principles of irradiation profile formation

The light distribution within the vertical double-ellipsoid mirror furnace applied for floating zone crystal growth with optical heating is studied. During the last few years, this setup was intensively applied for crystal growth of intermetallic and oxide materials due to its advantages for radiation focussing, which is superior in some key features compared to other commercial horizontal and vertical optical floating zone facilities. A point source model was used as a light source to reveal basic principles of the irradiation profile formation, which can strongly affect the melt flows, as well as the curvature and stability of crystallization front. Effects of the lamp displacement along the vertical optical axis with respect to the focal point of the lower elliptical mirror and the effect of mirror apertures were studied as the prime factors, which determine the light profile on the crystal. The efficiency of the light focusing in the presented optical configuration is discussed.     

New electron states that float on semiconductor and metal surfaces

We report first-principle electronic-structure calculations using the local density approximation in the density functional theory for Si(1 0 0) and Al(1 0 0) surfaces. We find a novel class of surface electron states that are distributed not near atomic arrays but float around with the maximum amplitudes being substantially separated from matters. We also find that the origin of the unusual character is quantum spill of electron density from matters and exchange-correlation effects among electrons.     

Modeling and simulation of transient responses of a flexible beam floating in finite depth water under moving loads

The dynamic response of a free–free flexible beam floating in an unbounded water domain under the effect of moving loads is numerically analyzed. The water is assumed compressible and inviscid. The surface disturbance satisfies a linear free surface wave condition and an undisturbed condition at infinity. In the present work, a finite element procedure was developed directly in time domain and implemented to solve the two-dimensional problem of the transient behavior of an elastic beam floating on the surface of finite deep water under the passage of a moving force with uniform speed. The presented data demonstrates the applicability of the proposed mathematical model and numerical approach. The influences on the dynamic responses of floating beam of some factors were studied.     

Attenuation of flexural vibration for floating floor and floating box induced by ground vibration

This paper investigates the vibration isolation performance of floating floor and floating box structures to control rail vibration transmission. Simple theoretical and experimental methods are developed to analyze the effects of stiffener beam, mass and arrangement of isolator on the fundamental natural frequency of the flexural vibration of floating floor and box structure.The vibration reduction performances of floating floor and box structure are found to be degraded by flexural vibration of the floor or supporting stiffener beam. From the results of vibration measurements; stiffener beams increase the fundamental natural frequency of flexural vibration of floating floor and enhance vibration isolation. Also they can further alleviate the effect of flexural vibration using optimum isolator arrangement effectively. The proposed floating box design achieved a vibration reduction of 15-30 dB in frequency region of critical rail vibration (30-200 Hz).     

Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotubes on carbon microfibers by floating catalyst method

In this paper, carbon nanotubes were synthesized on carbon microfibers by floating catalyst method with the pretreatment of carbon microfibers at the temperature of 1023 K, using C₂H₂ as carbon source and N₂ as carrier gas. The morphology and microstructure of carbon nanotubes were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The composition of carbon nanotubes was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results showed that the surface of treated carbon microfibers was thickly covered by carbon nanotubes with diameters of about 50 nm. EDX image indicated that the composition of carbon nanotubes was carbon. In comparison with the sample grown on untreated carbon microfibers surface, it was found that after carbon microfibers were boiled in the solution of sulfur acid and nitric acid (VH₂SO₄:VHNO₃ = 1:3) and immersed in the solution of iron nitrate and xylene, carbon nanotubes with uniform density can be grown on carbon microfibers surface. Based on the results, we concluded that the pretreatment of carbon microfibers had great effect on the growth of carbon nanotubes by floating catalyst method.