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The present article describes and analyzes different calibration methods for a screw type process rheometer, Searle type, having a die hole at the downstream of a barrel. The work also quantifies the effect of time dependent flows due to the screw on the measurement performance. Time variations in torque and pressure become more notorious at increased resistances to flow (higher fluid viscosities and smaller die diameters). Screw speeds seem to do not affect these variations. Shear stress in the system is related to pressure and torque, and by using any of them, is possible to predict an average viscosity. Similar prediction errors were found when using torque or pressure. A section of practical applications is added to understand the use of a screw type process rheometer better.

1. The hypothesis that air-classified faba bean protein fraction (FBP) can replace soybean meal (SBM) in pelleted or extruded broiler diets without adverse effect on performance or nutrient digestibility was tested. 2. At 17 d of age, male broilers were randomly distriibuted among four dietary treatments consisting of either SBM or FBP (main dietary protein source) and pelleting or extrusion as processing methods. Treatments had 10 replicate pens containing five birds each. 3. Compared to SBM, birds fed FBP had significantly lower feed intake, less weight gain and had poorer feed conversion. 4. Pellet durability was high (above 92%) for all diets. In pelleted diets, FBP was harder than SBM whereas extruded diets had similar hardness. Pelleting increased water stability compared to extrusion. FBP diets were more water stable than the SBM diets. 5. Gizzard content weight was 2.2-fold higher (P = 0.002) for birds given FBP compared to those fed SBM. The weight of the jejunum and ileum with contents was 1.4-fold lower for the FBP diets, and this effect was larger (P < 0.05) for the extruded FBP diet. 6. Birds fed FBP diets had significantly higher nitrogen digestibility in the lower jejunum and ileum compared to those given SBM diets, while the starch digestibility coefficient was above 0.980 in all treatments. 7. The high nutrient digestibility of FBP diets indicates that the poor performance of the FBP group was due to lower feed intake which was not explained by the differences in pellet durability or hardness. The reduced palatability of the FBP and the longer retention of the FBP diets in the upper gut are more likely to have depressed feed intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contact methods are commonly used to determine temperature during food and feed manufacturing processes. This may, however, result in incorrect temperature measurements, because many food and feed materials easily agglomerate around the thermowell tip of the sensors, decreasing their time response; also, it is difficult to measure temperature from moving objects using contact methods. This article assesses the use of thermography to measure temperature throughout the manufacture of poultry feed. The experiment showed that precaution should be used when the temperature difference, between the meal at the outlet of the conditioner and pellets at the outlet of the pellet press, is associated with the temperature rise across the die. Precaution should also be used when the temperature of the pellets at the outlet of the pellet press is used as the peak temperature during the process. Temperature measurements through infrared emissions require improved instrument design to operate in a dusty, damp, steamy and oily environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large database on critical and subcritical flow through orifice-and cage-type chokes have been obtained in the Multiphase Flow Loop (MPFL) of Norsk Hydro Oil and Gas R&D Center in Porsgrunn, Norway. This work is an extension of the studies performed in 1999 (367 data points) by Schüller et al. (2003), making a total data set of 509 data points. The downstream separator pressure and temperature were kept at 8 bara and 50°C, respectively. The maximum upstream pressures were approximately 40 bara, giving a maximum pressure ratio of approximately 4. The Hydro models (Schüller et al. 2003) show a very good agreement for prediction of mass flow rate, both for critical and subcritical flow conditions, with an average error of absolute values of 6.2% and a standard deviation of 8.9%. Comparisons with the models of Sachdeva et al. (1986) and Perkins (1993) show that the performances of these models are not as good as the Hydro model. The Sachdeva model and the Perkins model both have average errors greater than 22%, with standard deviations greater than 25%. The Hydro models also seem to predict reasonably correctly the transition between subcritical and critical flow conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breeding for variation in photoperiod response is crucial to adapt crop plants to various environments. Plants measure changes in day length by the circadian clock, an endogenous timekeeper that allows plants to anticipate changes in diurnal and seasonal light-dark cycles. Here, we describe the early maturity 7 (eam7) locus in barley (Hordeum vulgare), which interacts with PHOTOPERIOD 1 (Ppd-H1) to cause early flowering under non-inductive short days. We identify LIGHT-REGULATED WD 1 (LWD1) as a putative candidate to underlie the eam7 locus in barley as supported by genetic mapping and CRISPR-Cas9-generated lwd1 mutants. Mutations in eam7 cause a significant phase advance and a misregulation of core clock and clock output genes under diurnal conditions. Early flowering was linked to an upregulation of Ppd-H1 during the night and consequent induction of the florigen FLOWERING LOCUS T1 under short days. We propose that EAM7 controls photoperiodic flowering in barley by controlling the light input into the clock and diurnal expression patterns of the major photoperiod response gene Ppd-H1., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement. None declared., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists.)

The post-translational modification of key residues at the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II (RNAP2-CTD) coordinates transcription, splicing, and RNA processing by modulating its capacity to act as a landing platform for a variety of protein complexes. Here, we identify a new modification at the CTD, the deimination of arginine and its conversion to citrulline by peptidyl arginine deiminase 2 (PADI2), an enzyme that has been associated with several diseases, including cancer. We show that, among PADI family members, only PADI2 citrullinates R1810 (Cit1810) at repeat 31 of the CTD. Depletion of PADI2 or loss of R1810 results in accumulation of RNAP2 at transcription start sites, reduced gene expression, and inhibition of cell proliferation. Cit1810 is needed for interaction with the P-TEFb (positive transcription elongation factor b) kinase complex and for its recruitment to chromatin. In this way, CTD-Cit1810 favors RNAP2 pause release and efficient transcription in breast cancer cells., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase (Pol) II is composed of a repetition of YSPTSPS heptads and functions as a loading platform for protein complexes that regulate transcription, splicing, and maturation of RNAs. Here, we studied mammalian CTD mutants to analyze the function of tyrosine1 residues in the transcription cycle. Mutation of 3/4 of the tyrosine residues (YFFF mutant) resulted in a massive read-through transcription phenotype in the antisense direction of promoters as well as in the 3' direction several hundred kilobases downstream of genes. The YFFF mutant shows reduced Pol II at promoter-proximal pause sites, a loss of interaction with the Mediator and Integrator complexes, and impaired recruitment of these complexes to chromatin. Consistent with these observations, Pol II loading at enhancers and maturation of snRNAs are altered in the YFFF context genome-wide. We conclude that tyrosine1 residues of the CTD control termination of transcription by Pol II., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Low-complexity (LC) domains regulate the aggregation and phase transition of proteins in a modification-dependent manner. The study of LC domain modifications has now become feasible, as shown by genetic variants of the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) that provide access to the type and position of modifications of a LC domain by mass spectrometry (MS)., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) consists of heptad repeats with the consensus motif Y1-S2-P3-T4-S5-P6-S7. Dynamic phosphorylation of the CTD coordinates Pol II progression through the transcription cycle. Here, we use genetic and mass spectrometric approaches to directly detect and map phosphosites along the entire CTD. We confirm phosphorylation of CTD residues Y1, S2, T4, S5, and S7 in mammalian and yeast cells. Although specific phosphorylation signatures dominate, adjacent CTD repeats can be differently phosphorylated, leading to a high variation of coexisting phosphosites in mono- and di-heptad CTD repeats. Inhibition of CDK9 kinase specifically reduces S2 phosphorylation levels within the CTD., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Dynamic modification of heptad-repeats with the consensus sequence Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7 of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) C-terminal domain (CTD) regulates transcription-coupled processes. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that K7-residues in non-consensus repeats of human RNAPII are modified by acetylation, or mono-, di-, and tri-methylation. K7ac, K7me2, and K7me3 were found exclusively associated with phosphorylated CTD peptides, while K7me1 occurred also in non-phosphorylated CTD. The monoclonal antibody 1F5 recognizes K7me1/2 residues in CTD and reacts with RNAPIIA. Treatment of cellular extracts with phosphatase or of cells with the kinase inhibitor flavopiridol unmasked the K7me1/2 epitope in RNAPII0, consistent with the association of K7me1/2 marks with phosphorylated CTD peptides. Genome-wide profiling revealed high levels of K7me1/2 marks at the transcriptional start site of genes for sense and antisense transcribing RNAPII. The new K7 modifications further expand the mammalian CTD code to allow regulation of differential gene expression.

In mammals, the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase (Pol) II consists of 52 conserved heptapeptide repeats containing the consensus sequence Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7. Post-translational modifications of the CTD coordinate the transcription cycle and various steps of mRNA maturation. Here we describe Tyr1 phosphorylation (Tyr1P) as a hallmark of promoter (5' associated) Pol II in mammalian cells, in contrast to what was described in yeast. Tyr1P is predominantly found in antisense orientation at promoters but is also specifically enriched at active enhancers. Mutation of Tyr1 to phenylalanine (Y1F) prevents the formation of the hyper-phosphorylated Pol IIO form, induces degradation of Pol II to the truncated Pol IIB form, and results in a lethal phenotype. Our results suggest that Tyr1P has evolved specialized and essential functions in higher eukaryotes associated with antisense promoter and enhancer transcription, and Pol II stability.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02105.001., (Copyright © 2014, Descostes et al.)

The carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) in mammals undergoes extensive posttranslational modification, which is essential for transcriptional initiation and elongation. Here, we show that the CTD of RNAPII is methylated at a single arginine (R1810) by the coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1). Although methylation at R1810 is present on the hyperphosphorylated form of RNAPII in vivo, Ser2 or Ser5 phosphorylation inhibits CARM1 activity toward this site in vitro, suggesting that methylation occurs before transcription initiation. Mutation of R1810 results in the misexpression of a variety of small nuclear RNAs and small nucleolar RNAs, an effect that is also observed in Carm1(-/-) mouse embryo fibroblasts. These results demonstrate that CTD methylation facilitates the expression of select RNAs, perhaps serving to discriminate the RNAPII-associated machinery recruited to distinct gene types.

Combinations of cyclodextrins and alginates were used to solubilize the hydrophobic compound curcumin in aqueous vehicles intended for topical delivery. A careful selection of the excipients is necessary to achieve a sufficient release of curcumin towards a membrane of hydrophilic character, e.g. mucosa. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different combinations of cyclodextrins and alginates on curcumin release towards hydrophilic membranes in vitro. The curcumin flux through semi-permeable membranes of different molecular weight cut-off was measured to differentiate between the flux of curcumin in its uncomplexed form (restricted flux), its uncomplexed form together with its inclusion complexes (partly restricted flux) and the overall flux of curcumin-cyclodextrin complexes and uncomplexed curcumin (unrestricted flux). A high viscosity of the vehicle was expected to inhibit curcumin flux. Vehicles containing 3% alginate were found to have lower unrestricted flux than the vehicles containing 0.5% alginate independent of the type of cyclodextrin used. The results indicate that the unrestricted curcumin flux (e.g. in the case of wounded skin) is rather independent of the composition of the hydrophilic vehicle and mostly limited by the viscosity. However, partly restricted and restricted curcumin flux were found to depend on both the viscosity and the composition of the vehicles. The cyclodextrin with the demonstrated lowest solubilisation capacity (i.e. hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin) resulted in the highest values of both the restricted and unrestricted curcumin flux. In conclusion, a combination of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin and propylene glycol alginate seemed to be the best choice with respect to curcumin solubility and release from the vehicle.

Hibernating European hamsters reacted differently to sc injections of N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) than did European hamsters that were not hibernating. Hibernating animals tolerated higher dose levels but developed fewer neoplasms. In contrast, hibernating males had more pulmonary tumors than did the respective nonhibernators. However, the hibernating females of the low dosage group developed fewer lung tumors. The survival times were longer for the male hibernators than for the male nonhibernators. The organ specificity of DEN, as well as the morphology and histogenesis of the neoplasms, showed no differences between the hibernating and nonhibernating groups.