Measurements of Pb, Cu, Zn, As, Ni, Hg, and Fe heavy metals and major elements and components such as Ca, HCO3, SO4, Na, K, Mg and Cl in soluble rain fractions were performed on rainwater collected at Arak plain during the rainy seasons of 2012. Concentrations of the heavy metals in the soluble fractions decreased for Fe, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cu, As and Hg, respectively and the major elements and compon...

Molecular dynamics simulations of a bacterial potassium channel (KcsA) embedded in a phospholipid bilayer reveal significant differences in interactions of the selectivity filter with K(+) compared with Na(+) ions. K(+) ions and water molecules within the filter undergo concerted single-file motion in which they translocate between adjacent sites within the filter on a nanosecond timescale. In ...

Line emission from excited state metal atoms (e.g., Na*) can be observed in sonoluminescence (SL) spectra when aqueous solutions containing metal salts, such as NaCl, are sonicated. With a view to understanding the metal ion reduction process, we have investigated the influence of various experimental parameters, such as, counter ions, dissolved gases, the presence of volatile solutes, ultrasou...

The effects of altering the concentrations of sodium (Na) and calcium (Ca + ) ions on the isometric energy output of rabbit papillary muscle at room temperature were examined by a myothermic technique. The well-known inotropic changes resulting from these alterations were not correlated with parallel changes in the magnitude of the tension-independent heat. Instead, the magnitude of the tension...

Salinity affects large areas of agricultural land, and all major crop species are intolerant to high levels of sodium ions. The principal route for Na(+) uptake into plant cells remains to be identified. Non-selective ion channels and high-affinity potassium transporters have emerged as potential pathways for Na(+) entry. A third candidate for Na(+) transport into plant cells is a low-affinity ...

The structural stability of guanine quadruplexes depends critically on an unusual configuration of dehydrated Na (+) or K (+) ions, closely spaced along the central axis of the quadruplex. Crystallography and NMR spectroscopy indicate that these internal ions can be located between the G-quartet planes as well as in the thymine loops, but the precise ion coordination has been firmly established...

The Fig (Ficus carica.L) is a woody perennial crop, cultivated worldwide in subtropical regions. Since, salinity is the main concern of fig industry, therefore, studying the pattern of ion absorption and accumulation contribute during the stress in different plant organs can lead understanding the mechanism of tolerance/sensitivity. So, during 2016-2017, seven fig cultivars (‘Sabzʼ, ‘Siyahʼ, ‘S...

The Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase restores sodium (Na(+)) and potassium (K(+)) electrochemical gradients dissipated by action potentials and ion-coupled transport processes. As ions are transported, they become transiently trapped between intracellular and extracellular gates. Once the external gate opens, three Na(+) ions are released, followed by the binding and occlusion of two K(+) ions. While the mech...

L-glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the human brain, activates a family of ligand-gated ion channels, the major subtypes of which are named AMPA, kainate, and NMDA receptors. In common with many signal transduction proteins, glutamate receptors are modulated by ions and small molecules, including Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Zn(2+), protons, polyamines, and steroids. Strikingly, the activa...

Na,K-ATPase, the main active transport system for monovalent cations in animal cells, is responsible for maintaining Na(+) and K(+) gradients across the plasma membrane. During its transport cycle it binds three cytoplasmic Na(+) ions and releases them on the extracellular side of the membrane, and then binds two extracellular K(+) ions and releases them into the cytoplasm. The fourth, fifth, a...