Association of a Novel Hsp70 Species with Brain Aging and Proteasome Dysfunction
Most neurological diseases are characterized by the presence of protein aggregates,\r suggesting that aberrations in protein homeostasis are associated with neuronal demise. In eukaryotic cells, protein homeostasis is maintained by the chaperone, ubiquitin proteasome (UPS) and autophagy systems. As age is a risk factor for several types of neurodegenerative diseases, the function of these various protein homeostatic systems could become compromised with age. To understand the events that occur during normal aging, we examined the expression of key markers associated with the aforementioned systems in mice aged 1, 3, and >18 months. We found that proteasome activity and the amount of proteasome-related structures remained unaffected with age. Interestingly though, an agerelated increase of a novel Hsp70 chaperone protein species (herein designated Hsp70*) was observed. The expression of Hsp70* is also increased markedly in cells treated with pharmacological agents that promote proteasome inhibition, suggesting a functional interaction between the chaperone system and the UPS. Taken together, our results suggest that there is some form of crosstalk between the chaperone system and the UPS involving the observed HSP70 species.
「世紀難題-考拉茲猜想」 考拉茲猜想中循環的探討
自1930年代以來，考拉茲猜想(Collatz conjecture)一直是個未解之謎，其敘述如下：選定一個自然數，如果是偶數，則用2來除；如果是奇數，則乘以3再加1，經過有限次迭代，最後一定得到1。也就是說會得到1,4,2,1,4,2,…的數列，稱之為1-2-4循環。即使此猜想敘述簡單，卻是個橫跨世紀的難題，至近幾年才有一些證明方法出現。 其中一種證明考拉茲猜想的想法為證明所有不符合考拉茲猜想的狀況為假，而其中一種狀況為除了1-2-4循環還有其他組循環，即有些正整數在經過數次考拉茲猜想的計算後，會進入一組非1-2-4循環的循環。 因此，在此篇報告中我們透過討論每一個奇數在經由乘3再加1的計算後，所得到的偶數的2的冪次，再經由反證法證明除了1-2-4循環不會有其他組循環。
ORGANIC AND NON ORGANIC CEREALS The experimental pattern that marks the difference
1. Purpose of the research The purpose of this research is to make a suitable experimental pattern to distinguish, by scientific method, organic cereals from non organic cereals. The reference ideas consider cereals (rice, barley and maize) as a complex system that possesses its own chemical–physical properties. These cereals are able to maintain traces of the cultivation process. In non organic cereal grains foreign molecules, from synthesis substances used during their cultivation and/or in their final processing, can be found. These kinds of molecules would be absent in organic cereals. The effect of these foreign molecules traces on the principal components (glucides, proteins, lipids) of cereals is investigated by Infrared Spectroscopy (IR). 2. Procedures The spectra of a small quantity of cereal meal are recorded by the ATR (Attenuated Total Reflectance) sampling method. The meal is obtained from selected grains of rice and barley, that are grated near the germ. On the contrary, the maize grains, are cut lengthwise and the two halves are grated on the interior surface. This procedure of preparing samples, withdraws that part of the non organic cereal grains where foreign molecules are more abundant. The meal mass amounts to only a few milligrams; so in this way the dilution effect caused by starchy and proteinic parts onto the lipid part, is reduced. The cereal packaging has to be intact, well preserved and the expiry date has to be far–off. The organic packaging has the European Certification symbol and that of the authorizing agency. The cereals used in this research, have been labelled with symbols. The experimental data are processed by the NMC (Nearest Means Classification: J.Chem. Educ. 2003, 80, 542) method, adapted to cereals. 3. Data The NMC method is based on the individuation of suitable absorption bands of the IR spectrum and, for each of them, the calculation of the following quantities: the average value of the wave number (); the (Σ) value; the |diff.|=|(ῡ–)| value and the Σ|diff.| value. At the end the sum of the Σ|diff.| for all selected bands is computed in order to obtain the Σ(Σ|diff.|). Then a graph is plotted using (Σ) and Σ(Σ|diff.|) variables. The graph has a gap between the organic cereals and the non organic ones; in other words the organic cereals are found in a particular area, whilst the non organic cereals are found in another area. The boundary between the two areas is a particular value of the Σ(Σ|diff.|). This is the pattern that distinguishes organic cereals from non organic ones. 4. Conclusions For some cereals, the gap is bigger than others; but in any case the position of the cereals on one side of the boundary line or on the other, is clear. An experimental scientific pattern that marks the difference between organic cereals and non organic ones, can be useful to organic farms, authorizing agencies and consumers. This research has planned a route to find such a pattern.
Hourglass 2011
Over the past year Conor has been developing an electronic time keeping device named Hourglass. Hourglass has a three-fold focus on functionality, intuitive design and simplicity. To simplify the device he has limited the hardware to a bare minimum. Just three buttons and an LCD screen comprise the user-interface. Although this interface is simple, the user can access many features. These include intuitive scrolling menus, countdown, lap and alarm functions, accessed through button combinations as well as multiple ways to use single buttons, such as holding or short pressing. Many functions have been integrated into the device, such as a stopwatch with lap times, a countdown, up to 99 Custom Alarms with an individual active/inactive state and a lock/unlock feature. The stopwatch is accurate to 1 second and can be started, stopped, reset and used to record lap times. When laps have been recorded, the user can then take the time value of a lap and turn it into a countdown. A countdown of up to 99 hours can be set, and will run until deactivated or until it reaches zero. Upon reaching zero the alarm is activated. The home screen displays the time, any active countdown and notifies the user if an alarm is active. It can be locked or unlocked by holding the blue button a set period of time, helping to reduce any inadvertent change in setting. All of the functions available can be operated easily with the intuitive 3 button interface method. The menu system is simple, but has been set up through clever coding. An arrow indicated which option is selected, by pressing the top button on the clock the option above the current selection is selected/the menu scrolls up. Pressing the bottom button selects the next option in the downward direction/scrolls down. The button in the centre positioned off to the left is used to activate an option. When a Yes or No prompt appears on the screen, the action corresponds with the button position. Therefore the triangle layout of the buttons is simple and intuitive. Thus Conor’s device relies on complicated, yet elegantly formulated and annotated code and simple hardware interfaces to interact with the user in a way which is intuitive and provides great functionality. It does this while being simple and easy to understand. Here these principles are applied to a clock project, but there are implications for good design that go way beyond this context.
Cable Stripper
PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH \r The purpose of this project is to provide a cost-effective and efficient way of \r stripping electrical conductors, with thicknesses of 16mm up to 70mm in diameter, \r of their isolation. The current methods that are available are unsafe and unpractical. \r Therefore this project determines a safe way of stripping cables and also provides a \r new product to improve the worker’s safety during the process of stripping cables. \r PROCEDURES \r The solution can be found by doing research on the types of cable isolations \r currently on the market. By talking to the workers who use these types of tools, and \r strip these types of cables on a daily basis, I can comprehend the problems posed by \r the present methods and provide a solution. \r DATA \r An electrical cable is commonly a conductive wire surrounded by a nonconductive, \r insulation sleeve. In order to splice two cables together or connect the \r cable to an electrical device, the conductive wire inside the sleeve needs to be \r exposed. \r Numerous tools have been developed for slitting and stripping the electrical \r cable in order to expose the said conductive wire. The simplest tool is a knife with \r which the user makes an annular cut in the sheathing. The end portion of the \r sheathing then is pulled away exposing the individually insulated wires and the bare \r ground wire. The knife may also be used to cut away a short portion of the \r insulation at the ends of the wires. During both operations the user has to be \r extremely careful, or else the knife blade may damage the insulation around the \r internal wires and even nick the conductor or he may injure himself. To do so the \r user must first cut away several inches of the plastic sheathing at the end of the \r cable. A short length of the insulation then is removed from around each end of the \r conductors. \r As an alternative to using a knife, various scissors-like wire strippers have been \r developed. Although such scissors-like wire strippers are effective for removing the \r insulation from individual wires within an electrical cable, they are not efficient for \r removing the sheathing from the end of the cable in order to expose the individually \r insulated wires. \r A disadvantage of using a conventional knife and with using the known wire \r stripper is that a cable having a relatively thick insulation sleeve is difficult to strip \r and thus prepare for connections, since conventional wire stripping tools and other \r conventional devices, such as knives or tools with enclosed blades are inefficient for \r stripping thicker cable jackets. \r A further disadvantage of the known wire strippers is that, its basic \r characteristic dictates that the degree of friction between the tool and the wire after \r the insulation has been ringed will be high. This occasions no particular difficulty \r when only a short length of insulation is to be removed from the end of the wire. \r However, when yards and yards of insulation are to be stripped, as may be the case \r when reel ends are to be prepared for scrapping, the conventional wire stripper \r generates so much friction that it cannot be efficiently utilised. \r CONCLUSION \r The developed product enables workers to effectively strip electrical \r conductors without any impeding danger to themselves or the risk of damaging said \r cable. It is cost-effective and saves a lot of time. After several tests of the product no \r problems have been encountered up to this point.