A molecular atlas of plastid and mitochondrial proteins reveals organellar remodeling during plant evolutionary transitions from algae to angiosperms.

Algae and plants carry 2 organelles of endosymbiotic origin that have been co-evolving in their host cells for more than a billion years. The biology of plastids and mitochondria can differ significantly across major lineages and organelle changes likely accompanied the adaptation to new ecological niches such as the terrestrial habitat. Based on organelle proteome data and the genomes of 168 phototrophic (Archaeplastida) versus a broad range of 518 non-phototrophic eukaryotes, we screened for changes in plastid and mitochondrial biology across 1 billion years of evolution.

A mysterious cloak: the peptidoglycan layer of algal and plant plastids.

The plastids of algae and plants originated on a single occasion from an endosymbiotic cyanobacterium at least a billion years ago. Despite the divergent evolution that characterizes the plastids of different lineages, many traits such as membrane organization and means of fission are universal-they pay tribute to the cyanobacterial origin of the organelle. For one such trait, the peptidoglycan (PG) layer, the situation is more complicated.

Loss of Plastid Developmental Genes Coincides With a Reversion to Monoplastidy in Hornworts.

The first plastid evolved from an endosymbiotic cyanobacterium in the common ancestor of the Archaeplastida. The transformative steps from cyanobacterium to organelle included the transfer of control over developmental processes, a necessity for the host to orchestrate, for example, the fission of the organelle. The plastids of almost all embryophytes divide independently from nuclear division, leading to cells housing multiple plastids.

Gonad metabolomics and blood biochemical analysis reveal differences associated with testicular oocytes in wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).

Adverse reproductive effects associated with gonadal intersex among freshwater fish could hold considerable implications for population sustainability. Presence of testicular oocytes (TO) is the most common form of intersex and is widespread among centrarchids (sunfishes) of North America and other freshwater teleosts. Placing TO within the toxicological context of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) to assess ecological risk is a priority for ecotoxicologists due to the association of TO with harmful chemical exposure and adverse reproductive effects in some cases.

Cherenkov Radiation from the Quantum Vacuum.

A charged particle moving through a medium emits Cherenkov radiation when its velocity exceeds the phase velocity of light in that medium. Under the influence of a strong electromagnetic field, quantum fluctuations can become polarized, imbuing the vacuum with an effective anisotropic refractive index and allowing the possibility of Cherenkov radiation from the quantum vacuum. We analyze the properties of this vacuum Cherenkov radiation in strong laser pulses and the magnetic field around a pulsar, finding regimes in which it is the dominant radiation mechanism.

Nonlethal laparoscopic detection of intersex (testicular oocytes) in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu).

Intersex in wild fish populations has received considerable attention in the scientific literature and public media. Conventional detection of testicular oocytes, the presence of immature oocytes within testis of male fish, commonly employs transverse sectioning of excised testis and is lethal. The present study used a nonlethal laparoscopic technique to collect biopsies of testis from black bass, entering the body cavity via the genital pore.

Ultrasound Evaluation of the Urinary Bladder in Dogs Following Cystotomy with Full Thickness Suture Placement.

The purpose of the study reported here is to determine the long-term effect of full thickness suture placement in the urinary bladder following cystotomy as it relates to urinary bladder mucosal changes identified ultrasonographically at the suture placement site. A retrospective search for dogs that had undergone a cystotomy from 6 to 24 mo prior to the study was performed, yielding 31 dogs included in the study. All dogs had the cystotomy closed using full thickness sutures.

Gastric dilatation-volvulus in a guinea pig (Cavia porcellus).

A 3-year-old, intact female guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) was presented for anorexia and abdominal distention of 24 hours' duration. Radiographs revealed a severely distended stomach, suggestive of severe gastric dilatation or gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). Exploratory surgery was recommended, but the owners elected euthanasia.

The influence of gender on short- and long-term outcome after primary PCI and delivered medical care for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Aims: Despite the advances in treatment for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during the past decades for both men and women, most previous studies reported on significantly higher unadjusted in-hospital and long-term mortality rates among women compared with men. Most of these studies have been performed in the (pre-)thrombolytic and early post-thrombolytic era. Many studies reported on myocardial infarction or acute coronary syndromes and did not specifically address STEMI.

Quantitative assessment of blood volume and permeability in cerebral mass lesions using dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography in the dog.

Rationale And Objectives: To evaluate cerebral blood volume (CBV) and permeability (PS) in spontaneously occurring cerebral neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions in dogs using dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT).

Materials And Methods: Dogs presenting with spontaneous intracranial lesions (n = 16) underwent DCE-CT at the level of the lesion followed by a histologically confirmed diagnosis from a CT-guided stereotactic biopsy. Data post-processing was performed with commercially available CT software (GEMS Advantage Workstation 4.

Step length adaptation on ridge functions.

Step length adaptation is central to evolutionary algorithms in real-valued search spaces. This paper contrasts several step length adaptation algorithms for evolution strategies on a family of ridge functions. The algorithms considered are cumulative step length adaptation, a variant of mutative self-adaptation, two-point adaptation, and hierarchically organized strategies.

Quantitative assessment of blood volume, blood flow, and permeability of the brain of clinically normal dogs by use of dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

Objective: To determine effects of regional variation, interobserver variability, and vessel selection on quantitative vascular variables derived by dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT) of the brain of clinically normal dogs.

Animals: 14 adult dogs with no evidence of CNS dysfunction.

Procedures: Dogs were randomly assigned to 4 groups, and DCE-CT was performed at the level of the frontal lobe, rostral portion of the parietal-temporal lobes, caudal portions of the parietal-temporal lobes, or occipital lobe-cerebellum for groups 1 to 4, respectively.