Apelin-13 causes vasoconstriction by acting directly on APJ receptors in vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells; however, the ionic mechanisms underlying this action at the cellular level remain unclear. Large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BKCa) channels in VSM cells are critical regulators of membrane potential and vascular tone. In the present study, we examined the effect of apelin-13 on BK...

Connexins (Cx) form gap junctions and allow the coordination of cellular behaviour. In vessels, expression of Cx40, Cx37, and Cx43 is well established and specifically Cx40 serves important functions in endothelial cells. In contrast, expression and physiological functions of Cx45 is unclear although its expression has been suggested in vascular smooth muscle (VSM). Therefore, we studied expres...

This paper presents a new approach for estimating and improving voltage stability margin from phase and magnitude profiles of bus voltages using sensitivity analysis of Voltage Stability Assessment Neural Network (VSANN). Bus voltage profile contains useful information about system stability margin including the effect of loadgeneration pattern, line outage and reactive power compensation, so i...

With the increases in size and strength that come with adulthood, challenging behaviours among those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can become critical. Few studies have explored behavioural interventions in adults with ASD, though recent studies have shown video self-modeling (VSM) to be effective in children with ASD. VSM involves an individual watching videos of himself demonstrating p...

Of 62 males admitted for treatment in Turkey in 2008 with a diagnosis of volatile substance misuse (VSM) dependency, half were randomly allocated to receive a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based brief intervention and an education program and half participated only in the education program. One year after treatment, 38.2% of the experimental group and 58.1% of the control group had continu...

In mammals, endothelin receptors are sub-classified into ET(A) receptors (ET(A)R), which are purely constrictive in vascular smooth muscle (VSM), and ET(B)R, which may produce constriction in VSM or dilatation by stimulating the production of nitric oxide (NO) from endothelial cells. In contrast, previous studies suggested that shark VSM is stimulated exclusively by ET(B)R. The Ca(2+) signaling...

Vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells, endothelial cells (EC), and pericytes that form the walls of vessels in the microcirculation express a diverse array of ion channels that play an important role in the function of these cells and the microcirculation in both health and disease. This brief review focuses on the K+ channels expressed in smooth muscle and endothelial cells in arterioles. Microva...

Estrogen potentiates vascular reactivity to vasopressin (VP) by enhancing constrictor prostanoid function. To determine the cellular and molecular mechanisms, the effects of estrogen on arachidonic acid metabolism and on the expression of constrictor prostanoid pathway enzymes and endoperoxide/thromboxane receptor (TP) were determined in the female rat aorta. The release of thromboxane A2 (TxA2...

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a functional approach to reorganizing production system in line with lean vision. It has been applied in many sectors to improve performance. However, there are several factors that need to be considered while implementing VSM in practice. This paper presents a literature review of the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in the implementation of VSM across five differe...