PLEKHA7 is a recently identified protein of the epithelial zonula adhaerens (ZA), and is part of a protein complex that stabilizes the ZA, by linking it to microtubules. Since the ZA is important in the assembly and disassembly of tight junctions (TJ), we asked whether PLEKHA7 is involved in modulating epithelial TJ barrier function. We generated clonal MDCK cell lines in which one of four diff...

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/ CCN2) is a 38-kDa secreted protein, a prototypic member of the CCN family, which is up-regulated in many diseases, including atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and diabetic nephropathy. We previously showed that CTGF can cause actin disassembly with concurrent down-regulation of the small GTPase Rho A and proposed an integrated signaling network connecti...

Ubiquitin, a 76 amino-acid polypeptide, presents a compact three-dimensional structure, utilising a fold that recurs within larger polypeptides and in other protein modifiers, such as NEDD8 and SUMO. Ubiquitylation was initially recognised as a signal for proteasome-mediated degradation. We shall consider here how this view has evolved to appreciate that the dynamic appendage of different types...

A new EU directive on used vehicles has recently been introduced. It demands that for every scrapped car, at least 85% by weight must be recycled by the year 2006 and 95% by 2015. The current level is about 80%. The growing car disassembly industry was chosen as the study object of this thesis. Due to the increased demands on recycling, the disassembly industry is expected to undergo comprehens...

The classification of an unknown binary program as malicious or benign requires two steps. In the first step, the stream of bytes that constitutes the program has to be transformed (or disassembled) into the corresponding sequence of machine instructions. In the second step, based on this machine code representation, static or dynamic code analysis techniques can be applied to determine the pro...

Abstract Disassembly is the first operation in remanufacture, repair and recycling of products that have reached end their service life. Both productivity flexibility should be considered when using robots to carry out disassembly due complexities associated with returned for remanufacturing. Human-robot collaboration a flexible semi-automated approach mitigate against effects uncertainties fre...

The papers in this special issue focus on artificial intelligence (AI) for efficiency and sustainability assembly/disassembly industrial processes. Assembly disassembly lines are the backbone of modern manufacturing. These transform raw materials into finished products or take apart used reuse recycling. designed to optimize process putting together products, ensuring that each part is right pl...