scholarly journals Beetle luciferases with naturally red- and blue-shifted emission

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. e201800072 ◽  
Author(s):  
César Carrasco-López ◽  
Juliana C Ferreira ◽  
Nathan M Lui ◽  
Stefan Schramm ◽  
Romain Berraud-Pache ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Computational Studies ◽  
Reaction Sequence ◽  
Yellow Light ◽  
Conformational Landscape ◽  
The Common ◽  
Molecular Origin ◽  
Site Mutagenesis ◽  
Computational Analyses ◽  
Insight Into

The different colors of light emitted by bioluminescent beetles that use an identical substrate and chemiexcitation reaction sequence to generate light remain a challenging and controversial mechanistic conundrum. The crystal structures of two beetle luciferases with red- and blue-shifted light relative to the green yellow light of the common firefly species provide direct insight into the molecular origin of the bioluminescence color. The structure of a blue-shifted green-emitting luciferase from the firefly Amydetes vivianii is monomeric with a structural fold similar to the previously reported firefly luciferases. The only known naturally red-emitting luciferase from the glow-worm Phrixothrix hirtus exists as tetramers and octamers. Structural and computational analyses reveal varying aperture between the two domains enclosing the active site. Mutagenesis analysis identified two conserved loops that contribute to the color of the emitted light. These results are expected to advance comparative computational studies into the conformational landscape of the luciferase reaction sequence.

Microbial reduction of selenate and nitrate: common themes and variations

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Watts ◽  
H. Ridley ◽  
E.J. Dridge ◽  
J.T. Leaver ◽  
A.J. Reilly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Reductase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Microbial Reduction ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
The Other ◽  
Enzyme Systems ◽  
The Common ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Respiratory Nitrate Reductase

A number of biochemically distinct systems have been characterized for the microbial reduction of the oxyanions, selenate (SeO42−) and nitrate (NO3−). Two classes of molybdenum-dependent nitrate reductase catalyse the respiratory-linked reduction of nitrate (NO3−) to nitrite (NO2−). The main respiratory nitrate reductase (NAR) is membrane-anchored, with its active site facing the cytoplasmic compartment. The other enzyme (NAP) is water-soluble and located in the periplasm. In recent years, our understanding of each of these enzyme systems has increased significantly. The crystal structures of both NAR and NAP have now been solved and they provide new insight into the structure, function and evolution of these respiratory complexes. In contrast, our understanding of microbial selenate (SeO42−) reduction and respiration is at an early stage; however, similarities to the nitrate reductase systems are emerging. This review will consider some of the common themes and variations between the different classes of nitrate and selenate reductases.

What Can Economists Contribute to the Common Good Tradition?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Yuengert
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Common Pool Resources ◽  
Economic Approach ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Private Provision ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Insight Into

Although most economists are skeptical of or puzzled by the Catholic concept of the common good, a rejection of the economic approach as inimical to the common good would be hasty and counterproductive. Economic analysis can enrich the common good tradition in four ways. First, economics embodies a deep respect for economic agency and for the effects of policy and institutions on individual agents. Second, economics offers a rich literature on the nature of unplanned order and how it might be shaped by policy. Third, economics offers insight into the public and private provision of various kinds of goods (private, public, common pool resources). Fourth, recent work on the development and logic of institutions and norms emphasizes sustainability rooted in the good of the individual.

scholarly journals Reducing the metabolic energy of walking and running using an unpowered hip exoskeleton

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiancheng Zhou ◽  
Caihua Xiong ◽  
Juanjuan Zhang ◽  
Di Hu ◽  
Wenbin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Spring Stiffness ◽  
Spatiotemporal Parameters ◽  
The Common ◽  
Hip Flexion ◽  
Optimal Stiffness ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Background Walking and running are the most common means of locomotion in human daily life. People have made advances in developing separate exoskeletons to reduce the metabolic rate of walking or running. However, the combined requirements of overcoming the fundamental biomechanical differences between the two gaits and minimizing the metabolic penalty of the exoskeleton mass make it challenging to develop an exoskeleton that can reduce the metabolic energy during both gaits. Here we show that the metabolic energy of both walking and running can be reduced by regulating the metabolic energy of hip flexion during the common energy consumption period of the two gaits using an unpowered hip exoskeleton. Methods We analyzed the metabolic rates, muscle activities and spatiotemporal parameters of 9 healthy subjects (mean ± s.t.d; 24.9 ± 3.7 years, 66.9 ± 8.7 kg, 1.76 ± 0.05 m) walking on a treadmill at a speed of 1.5 m s−1 and running at a speed of 2.5 m s−1 with different spring stiffnesses. After obtaining the optimal spring stiffness, we recruited the participants to walk and run with the assistance from a spring with optimal stiffness at different speeds to demonstrate the generality of the proposed approach. Results We found that the common optimal exoskeleton spring stiffness for walking and running was 83 Nm Rad−1, corresponding to 7.2% ± 1.2% (mean ± s.e.m, paired t-test p < 0.01) and 6.8% ± 1.0% (p < 0.01) metabolic reductions compared to walking and running without exoskeleton. The metabolic energy within the tested speed range can be reduced with the assistance except for low-speed walking (1.0 m s−1). Participants showed different changes in muscle activities with the assistance of the proposed exoskeleton. Conclusions This paper first demonstrates that the metabolic cost of walking and running can be reduced using an unpowered hip exoskeleton to regulate the metabolic energy of hip flexion. The design method based on analyzing the common energy consumption characteristics between gaits may inspire future exoskeletons that assist multiple gaits. The results of different changes in muscle activities provide new insight into human response to the same assistive principle for different gaits (walking and running).

Studies on the Toxicity of Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Chorella Vulgaris by 3D-QSAR Using CoMFA and CoMSIA Methods

2012 ◽  
Vol 610-613 ◽  
pp. 3574-3579
Author(s):  
Cui Hua Wang ◽  
Sheng Long Yang ◽  
Chao Lu ◽  
Hong Xia Yu ◽  
Lian Shen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Benzene Ring ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
3D Qsar ◽  
The Other ◽  
Contour Maps ◽  
Substituent Group ◽  
Donor And Acceptor ◽  
The Common ◽  
Insight Into

By using CoMFA and CoMSIA methods, the new quantitative structures of 25 aromatic hydrocarbons and the 96 hr-EC50 data with C. vulgaris have been investigated to obtain more detailed insight into the relationships between molecular structure and bioactivity. Compared to CoMFA (the average Q2LOO option =0.610), CoMSIA (the average Q2LOO =0.736) has the better results with robustness and stability. CoMSIA analysis using steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic, and H-bond donor and acceptor descriptors show H-bond donor is the common factor for influencing the toxicity, the steric and electrostatic descriptors are next and the hydrophobic descriptor was last. From the contour maps, the number of benzene ring is more crucial for the compound toxicity and the compounds with more benzene ring make toxicity increased. Under the same number of benzene ring, the kind of substituent group and the formed ability of H-bond are the other parameters to influencing the aromatic hydrocarbons toxicity.

HuR-targeted agents: an insight into medicinal chemistry, biophysical, computational studies and pharmacological effects on cancer models

2021 ◽  
pp. 114088
Author(s):  
Giulia Assoni ◽  
Valeria La Pietra ◽  
Rosangela Digilio ◽  
Caterina Ciani ◽  
Nausicaa Valentina Licata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Chemistry ◽  
Computational Studies ◽  
Pharmacological Effects ◽  
Targeted Agents ◽  
Cancer Models ◽  
Insight Into
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