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In the HADES underground research laboratory in Belgium, a large-scale PRACLAY Heater test and a small-scale ATLAS Heater test are performed to examine the thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) responses of Boom Clay to heating in configurations mimicking disposal galleries for heat-emitting waste, and to confirm and/or refine the THM property values previously obtained from the laboratory characterization programme. The determination of cross-anisotropic thermal conductivity of Boom Clay is the focus of the present work. Because of the small heater borehole diameter and moderate thermal loading, the ATLAS Heater test produces thermal responses depending essentially on the undisturbed Boom Clay thermal properties. A dedicated gallery with a diameter of 2.5 m was excavated to host the PRACLAY Heater test, and the thermal responses are measured within the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) and beyond as well. A 3D anisotropic thermal conduction model excellently reproduces all measured temperatures of ATLAS, using a pair of thermal conductivity values (λpar, λper) = (1.9, 1.2) W/(m K). The PRACLAY model upscaled from ATLAS model with the same thermal parameter values is found to provide results in close agreement with measured temperatures within the EDZ and in the far field as well. Hence, the observed temperatures in both tests can be well reproduced and interpreted using a single set of cross-anisotropic thermal conductivity values for the Boom Clay, which indicates the impacts of excavation and THM perturbations on the Boom Clay thermal conductivity are not significant. The presented conductivity values could be used for the thermal design of disposal galleries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone heat shock 70 kDa protein 5 (HSPA5/GRP78) is known to be involved in the metabolism of amyloid precursor protein and neuronal death in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) could arise from dysfunction of the ER. Through a case–control study and an expression assay, we investigated the association of HSPA5 −415 G/A (rs391957), −370 C/T (rs17840761) and −180 del/G (rs3216733) polymorphisms with Taiwanese AD. The overall genotype and allele frequency distribution at the completely linked −415 G/A and −180 del/G sites showed significant difference between AD cases and controls ( P = 0.020 and 0.009, respectively). A decrease in risk of developing AD was demonstrated for −415 AA/−180 GG genotype [OR = 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.18–0.75, P = 0.007] and −415 A/−180 G allele (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.51–0.91, P = 0.009). The HSPA5 transcriptional activity of the −415 A/−180 G allele was significantly lower than that of the −415 G/−180 del alleles, whereas induction of HSPA5 expression after ER stress was markedly increased in the cells with the −415 A/−180 G allele. Therefore, our preliminary results may suggest a protective role of the HSPA5 −415 A/−180 G allele in Taiwanese AD susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory events may contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and interleukin 1 (IL-1) may exert both neurotoxic and neuroprotective effects. We conducted a case-control study in a cohort of 493 PD cases and 388 ethnically matched controls to investigate the association of IL-1α C-889T and IL-1β C-511T polymorphisms with the risk of PD. No significant difference in the genotype distribution of the analyzed polymorphisms was found between PD and controls. However, after stratification by age, individuals over 70 years of age carrying IL-1α-889 C/T genotype demonstrated a significant decrease in risk of developing PD (OR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.22–0.88, p = 0.021) and the decrease is strengthened by IL-1β-511 T-carrying genotype (OR = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.11–0.71, p = 0.008). Our data suggest that IL-1α, acting synergistically with IL-1β, plays role in PD susceptibility among Taiwanese people older than 70 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical role of mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The association of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms 9055G/A, 10398G/A and 13708G/A with PD has been controversial. In this study we analyzed whether these three genetic polymorphisms are associated with PD in a cohort of 416 PD cases and 372 ethnically matched controls. The allele frequency distribution of any of these three analyzed polymorphisms was not significantly different between the cases and the controls. None of the six haplotypes derived influences risk of PD. Notably, after stratification by age, individuals over 70 years of age carrying the haplotype 9055G-10398A-13708G demonstrated a significant decrease in risk of developing PD (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.24–0.80, p = 0.008). These results suggest that the mtDNA haplotype 9055G-10398A-13708G plays a role in PD susceptibility among Taiwanese people older than 70 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipoproteins and vascular factors may play roles in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and/or vascular dementia (VaD). In this study, odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for apolipoprotein E ( APOE), angiotensin-converting enzyme ( ACE), and kallikrein ( KLK1) polymorphisms were computed to test their association with the disease by a case-control study. The risk of AD was significantly increased for individuals with APOE ɛ4 allele (OR = 3.73, 95% CI = 2.38–5.98). The risk of AD was also significant for people with ACE DD genotype, D allele, or T-D haplotype [OR (95% CI) = 4.29 (1.96–10.23), 1.90 (1.35–2.70), or 2.91 (1.71–5.10), respectively]. The above association between ACE-VaD was also strong ( p = 0.0012, 0.0050, 0.0007, respectively). Reporter constructs containing the −240 A or T allele displayed similar transcriptional activity in both HEK-293 and IMR-32 cells. Thus, another putative pathogenic marker that is linked with the Alu D allele might affect the risk of AD and VaD in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased α-synuclein expression may be involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). We investigated the association of Rep1 microsatellite and RsaI T-to-C substitution in the α-synuclein promoter region with the risk of PD by a case-control study. The RsaI C/C genotype and C allele were found less frequently in PD patients than in controls. A reduced risk of the Rep1- RsaI 0-C haplotype (OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.36–0.90) with PD was evident. The quantitative real-time PCR study showed that the α-synuclein mRNA expression was increased (although not significantly) in PD patients with RsaI T/T genotype or Rep1- RsaI 0-T haplotype as compared to T/C genotype or 0-C haplotype. Reporter constructs containing the RsaI C allele drove significantly lower transcriptional activity compared with the RsaI T allele in both IMR32 and 293 cells. The findings suggest that the RsaI T-to-C substitution may have a functional relevance to the susceptibility to PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expansion in the gene for TATA binding protein (TBP) has recently been described as causal for spinocerebellar ataxia type 17. The normal number of repeats has been considered to be 42 or less. An intermediate range with reduced penetrance has been assumed to be 43-47 CAA/CAG repeats. We examined this gene in 30 patients with autosomal-dominant cerebellar ataxia (ADCA), 35 patients with sporadic ataxia, 11 patients with Huntington’s disease (HD), 351 patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD), 105 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and 291 controls with no history of neurodegenerative disease. Three patients (one with sporadic PD and two with AD) carrying more than 42 TNRs in theTBPgene were identified. This reveals that the phenotype associated with CAG/CAA expansion in theTBPgene may be heterogeneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), neuronal thread protein (NTP) accumulates in cortical neurons and colocalizes with phospho-tau-immunoreactive cytoskeletal lesions that correlate with dementia. To generate additional information about the potential role of NTP in AD, we characterized its expression and regulation in human SH-Sy5y neuronal cells. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactin and Western blot analysis demonstrated prominent insulin, moderate insulin-like growth factor, type 1 (IGF-1) and minimal nerve growth factor stimulation of NTP expression. In addition, NTP protein was more stable and it progressively accumulated in cells that were stimulated with insulin for 24 or 48 h. Metabolic labeling and phospho-amino acid analysis demonstrated phosphorylation of NTP on Serine residues, 30–60 min after insulin or IGF-1 stimulation, when glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) activity would no longer have been suppressed. Kinase inhibitor and in vitro phosphorylation studies demonstrated a role for GSK-3β in the positive regulation of NTP expression and phosphorylation. Coimmunoprecipitation studies demonstrated physical interactions between NTP and tau or microtubule-associated protein 1b (MAP-1b), and ubiquitin immunoreactivity in NTP immunoprecipitates. In summary, these studies showed that (i) NTP expression is regulated at the level of transcription by insulin and IGF-1 stimulation; (ii) NTP is phosphorylated by GSK-3β; (iii) NTP can physically interact with tau and MAP-1b and (iv) NTP-MAP complexes are ubiquitinated. The results suggest a functional role for NTP in relation to the turnover or processing of neuronal cytoskeletal proteins, attributes that may be modulated by insulin/IGF-1-mediated signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shiyang River basin is located in Hexi Corridor, central-west Gansu province, northwest China. It is an area of typical arid to semiarid features. During the last century, especially the last half century, mankind's production activities have caused a series of detrimental environmental effects, which are summarized: water environment change, land desertification and salinization, and vegetation degeneracy. Changes in the water environment include the surface water system, water quantities, continuous lowering of the groundwater table and degradation of groundwater quality. Vegetation cover in the lower reaches is seriously degenerated, resulting in land desertification, salinization and dust storms. Analysis indicates that the rate of the groundwater table lowering in Shiyang River basin generally exceeds 0.3 m/year, and the mean annual rate of groundwater decrease in Wuwei and Minqing sub-basins reaches 1.11–3.98%. Until 1998, the shortage of groundwater volume was 4.526×108 m3. If no effective measures are taken, this figure will be 6.728×108 m3 in 2010. Remedial actions include: (1) recovery and protection of the water conservancy function of the mountain forests to ensure the sustainable development of this recharge area; (2) establishment of an authoritative agency to reasonably allocate the total water resources in Shiyang River basin; and (3) enactment of legislation and economic control to build up a water-saving society in Shiyang River basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shiyang River basin, located in the eastern part of Hexi Corridor in the middle Gansu province, NW China, is a typical arid to semiarid area. Within its drainage distance of merely 300 km, the groundwater system shows a gradual hydrochemical zonation from the upper reach to the lower reach, which is composed of hydrocarbonate, sulfate to chloride zones respectively. Variation in the saturation index (SI) of calcite and dolomite shows that, under arid to semiarid conditions, the drastic evaporation causes the groundwater quality to deteriorate in the lower reach. Isotopic compositions of H, O and He in the groundwater show that the groundwater recharge sources are mainly from meteoric water. δ3He–3He/20Ne coordinates could clearly distinguish the water sources and mixing among them. In the Caiqi region, there is apparent mixing of the crevice water containing excess 4He with the overlying groundwater, which also implies a much lower circulation rate of the groundwater. Fairly high 3He/4He ratios of the groundwaters collected from the adjacent area of hidden faults along Qilian Mountains show the eminent input of mantle-derived helium, indicating that these faults not only cut the crust deeply, but are currently active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental method to study the photochemical reaction in solid-state dichromated gelatin during exposure is proposed, in which two laser sources with different wavelengths are used to induce photoreaction and to excite photoacoustic signal, respectively. This method is to obtain the real-time characteristics during the formation of the photoreaction product. The curve is fitted using the Rosencwaig-Gersho (R-G) theory and chemical kinetics. The reaction order and the rate of reaction may be obtained by fitting the parameters. The results show that photochemical reaction in dichromated gelatin conforms to the mechanism suggested by Watanable-Westheimer, and the photosensitivity of the samples, prepared under different conditions, is dependent on the initial concentration of photoactive ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]