The photosynthetic membranes of cyanobacteria and chloroplasts of higher plants have remarkably similar lipid compositions. In particular, thylakoid membranes of both cyanobacteria and chloroplasts ...are composed of galactolipids, of which monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) is the most abundant, although MGDG biosynthetic pathways are different in these organisms. Comprehensive phylogenetic analysis revealed that MGDG synthase (MGD) homologs of filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs Chloroflexi have a close relationship with MGDs of Viridiplantae (green algae and land plants). Furthermore, analyses for the sugar specificity and anomeric configuration of the sugar head groups revealed that one of the MGD homologs exhibited a true MGDG synthetic activity. We therefore presumed that higher plant MGDs are derived from this ancestral type of MGD genes, and genes involved in membrane biogenesis and photosystems have been already functionally associated at least at the time of Chloroflexi divergence. As MGD gene duplication is an important event during plastid evolution, we also estimated the divergence time of type A and B MGDs. Our analysis indicated that these genes diverged ∼323 million years ago, when Spermatophyta (seed plants) were appearing. Galactolipid synthesis is required to produce photosynthetic membranes; based on MGD gene sequences and activities, we have proposed a novel evolutionary model that has increased our understanding of photosynthesis evolution.
We describe the filtering and analysis software running in the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) Run II Level-3 trigger, as well as the client- and event-driven data hub system. These systems ...constitute critical components of the data acquisition system of the CDF detector. The Level-3 trigger is responsible for reconstructing the events and forming the final trigger decision. The consumer-server/logger (CSL) system receives the accepted physics events from multiple connections and writes them to disk in multiple streams, while distributing them to online analysis programs (consumers). Since 2001, the system has been running successfully at high throughput rates: the Level-3 trigger reduces the event rate from 350 Hz to about 100 Hz with an average event size of 150 kB, while the CSL is able to process up to 22 MB/s of constant event logging. We describe these systems in detail and report on their current performance. We briefly outline upgrade plans for the remainder of Tevatron Run II.
The mechanism of monoglucosyldiacylglycerol (MGlcDG) increase following heat shock in
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was examined by measuring MGlcDG synthase (Sll1377) activity. Temperature-dependent ...activation of Sll1377 was observed in the membrane fraction of
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, whereas the Sll1377 protein level remained unchanged, suggesting that the activity is post-translationally regulated without covalent modification of Sll1377 by soluble enzymes. Four individual mutations introduced into recombinant Sll1377 (D147, D200, R329, and R331) significantly reduced the activity and blocked temperature-dependent activation, suggesting that these amino acid residues are essential for Sll1377 activity at both normal growth temperature and the higher temperature.
The complete genomic sequence of canine calicivirus (CaCV) isolated from feces of a dog with diarrhea was determined. The CaCV genome, a positive-sense single-stranded RNA, contained 8513 nucleotides ...excluding the poly(A) tail and was longer than that of any other calicivirus strain with a completely known sequence. There were three open reading frames (ORF1, nt 12-5801; ORF2, nt 5805-7880; and ORF3, nt 7877-8278). ORF1 encoded a polyprotein (calculated Mr of 214,802) which had the conserved motifs of non-structural proteins of other caliciviruses and picornaviruses. Regions containing characteristic motifs in the non-structural polyprotein of CaCV showed highest similarity with those of the species Feline calicivirus and Vesicular exanthema of swine virus in the genus Vesivirus. Phylogenic analysis indicated that CaCV formed a distinct branch within the genus. Our results strongly suggested that CaCV is a new species in the genus Vesivirus.
Abstract Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in cardiac performance and myocardial blood perfusion by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients ...upgrading to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) from right ventricular apical pacing (RVAP). Methods Eleven patients (age, 70±7.7 years; pacing career, 95±48.8 months) with chronic RVAP were studied. Their baseline characteristics included New York Heart Association (NYHA) class ≥2, with left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) >55 mm or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50%, as shown by echocardiography. Cardiac function and cardiac blood perfusion of 17 segments were evaluated by SPECT. Cardio-GRAF (cardio Gated single photon emission computed tomography Regional Assessment for left ventricular Function), a left ventricular (LV) segmental time–volume analyzing program for SPECT, was used to assess dyssynchrony. Results Upgrading from RVAP to CRT resulted in an increase in LVEF and a decrease in LVEDV. The standard deviation of the time from the onset of QRS to end-systole in the 17 LV segments, which indicates LV dyssynchrony, showed the tendency to shorten from 98 to 70 ms. Furthermore, the %uptake of blood perfusion was increased at the inferoseptal lesion. Conclusion Upgrading to CRT from RVAP improved cardiac function and increased %uptake of blood perfusion at the inferoseptal lesion, as demonstrated by SPECT.
The principle of hepatoblastoma (HB) treatment is complete resection. The removal of tumor-bearing section(s) or hemiliver is widely accepted. However, neither the standardized anterior approach for ...right hepatectomy nor parenchymal sparing anatomical liver resection has been described for HB.
We retrospectively reviewed the clinical course of two pediatric HB patients who underwent extended right hepatectomy using the anterior approach with the liver hanging maneuver and one who underwent parenchymal sparing anatomical liver resection of S4 apical+S8 ventral/dorsal+S7. The critical aspects of surgical techniques are described in detail.
In all three patients, R0 resection was achieved without complications and are currently alive without recurrence after an average follow-up of 28 months. Intraoperative cardiac hemodynamics were stable, even in a trisomy 18 patient with cardiac disease.
Our findings suggest that these innovative techniques established in adults are safe and feasible for HB in children. These techniques also allow optimal anatomical liver resection to accomplish curative surgery while maintaining the functional reserve of the remnant liver.
UDP-sulfoquinovose synthase, SQD1, catalyzes the transfer of sulfite to UDP-glucose giving rise to UDP-sulfoquinovose, which is the head group donor for the biosynthesis of the plant sulfolipid ...sulfoquinovosyldiacylglyerol. The native SQD1 enzyme of spinach exists as a 250
kDa heteroprotein complex with much higher affinity for the substrate sulfite than the recombinant SQD1 protein itself. The SQD1 protein co-purified with nine proteins. Likely binding partners included rubisco activase, HSP70, and ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase (FdGOGAT). While the first two proteins are known to interact with many other proteins, the identification of FdGOGAT was most intriguing because this 160
kDa protein contains an FMN cofactor known to bind sulfite in vitro. Using different constructs expressing recombinant forms of the multidomain protein FdGOGAT, it was demonstrated that the FMN-binding domain of FdGOGAT is essential for specific binding of the protein to SQD1. A model suggests that FdGOGAT could channel sulfite to SQD1.
In this paper, we describe a method of modeling the global solar irradiance on a clear sky. The proposed method is based on astrological phenomena, with which we can estimate the global solar ...irradiance of the few days, several months, and some years. To estimate the irradiance with high accuracy, it is necessary to calculate the solar radiation outside the Earth's atmosphere taking into account the Earth's revolution around the sun and rotation on its axis. Our proposed model is compared with data in the Chronological Science Tables as well as those measured on a horizontal surface. The simulation results using proposed model agree very well with the measured data.
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