Molecular responses of agroinfiltrated Nicotiana benthamiana leaves expressing suppressor of silencing P19 and influenza virus-like particles.

The production of influenza vaccines in plants is achieved through transient expression of viral hemagglutinins (HAs), a process mediated by the bacterial vector Agrobacterium tumefaciens. HA proteins are then produced and matured through the secretory pathway of plant cells, before being trafficked to the plasma membrane where they induce formation of virus-like particles (VLPs). Production of VLPs unavoidably impacts plant cells, as do viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs) that are co-expressed to increase recombinant protein yields.

Dark Matter Search Results from the PICO-60 C_{3}F_{8} Bubble Chamber.

New results are reported from the operation of the PICO-60 dark matter detector, a bubble chamber filled with 52 kg of C_{3}F_{8} located in the SNOLAB underground laboratory. As in previous PICO bubble chambers, PICO-60 C_{3}F_{8} exhibits excellent electron recoil and alpha decay rejection, and the observed multiple-scattering neutron rate indicates a single-scatter neutron background of less than one event per month. A blind analysis of an efficiency-corrected 1167-kg day exposure at a 3.

Epidemic History and Iatrogenic Transmission of Blood-borne Viruses in Mid-20th Century Kinshasa.

Background: The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) pandemic was ignited in Léopoldville (now known as Kinshasa), in the former Belgian Congo. Factors that jump-started its early expansion remain unclear. Nonlethal hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1) can be used to investigate past iatrogenic transmission.

Dark Matter Search Results from the PICO-2L C3F8 Bubble Chamber.

New data are reported from the operation of a 2 liter C3F8 bubble chamber in the SNOLAB underground laboratory, with a total exposure of 211.5 kg days at four different energy thresholds below 10 keV. These data show that C3F8 provides excellent electron-recoil and alpha rejection capabilities at very low thresholds.

β-Amyloid peptides display protective activity against the human Alzheimer's disease-associated herpes simplex virus-1.

Amyloid plaques, the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), contain fibrillar β-amyloid (Aβ) 1-40 and 1-42 peptides. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) has been implicated as a risk factor for AD and found to co-localize within amyloid plaques. Aβ 1-40 and Aβ 1-42 display anti-bacterial, anti-yeast and anti-viral activities.

An apparatus to manipulate and identify individual Ba ions from bulk liquid Xe.

We describe a system to transport and identify barium ions produced in liquid xenon, as part of R&D towards the second phase of a double beta decay experiment, nEXO. The goal is to identify the Ba ion resulting from an extremely rare nuclear decay of the isotope (136)Xe, hence providing a confirmation of the occurrence of the decay. This is achieved through Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (RIS).

Search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 136Xe with EXO-200.

We report on a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 136Xe with EXO-200. No signal is observed for an exposure of 32.5 kg yr, with a background of ∼1.

Observation of two-neutrino double-beta decay in 136Xe with the EXO-200 detector.

We report the observation of two-neutrino double-beta decay in (136)Xe with T(1/2) = 2.11 ± 0.04(stat) ± 0.

A magnetically driven piston pump for ultra-clean applications.

A magnetically driven piston pump for xenon gas recirculation is presented. The pump is designed to satisfy extreme purity and containment requirements, as is appropriate for the recirculation of isotopically enriched xenon through the purification system and large liquid xenon time projection chamber of EXO-200. The pump, using sprung polymer gaskets, is capable of pumping more than 16 standard liters per minute of xenon gas with 750 Torr differential pressure.

The complex vaginal flora of West African women with bacterial vaginosis.

Background: The spectrum of bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) has recently expanded through taxonomic changes and the use of molecular methods. These methods have yet to be used in large-scale epidemiological studies in Africa where BV is highly prevalent.

Methods: An analysis of samples obtained during a clinical trial of the management of vaginal discharge in four West African countries.

A simple radionuclide-driven single-ion source.

We describe a source capable of producing single barium ions through nuclear recoils in radioactive decay. The source is fabricated by electroplating (148)Gd onto a silicon α-particle detector and vapor depositing a layer of BaF(2) over it. (144)Sm recoils from the alpha decay of (148)Gd are used to dislodge Ba(+) ions from the BaF(2) layer and emit them in the surrounding environment.

Relationship between the genomic organization and the overlapping embryonic expression patterns of the zebrafish dlx genes.

To understand the relationship between the expression and the genomic organization of the zebrafish dlx genes, we have determined the genomic structure of the dlx2 and dlx4 loci. This led to the identification of the zebrafish dlx1 and dlx6 genes, which are closely linked to dlx2 and dlx4, respectively. Therefore, the inverted convergent configuration of Dlx genes is conserved among vertebrates.

Stable transfer of zebrafish chromosome segments into mouse cells.

Whole-cell fusion between zebrafish fibroblast-like ZF4 cells and mouse B78 melanoma cells resulted in hybrids containing one or a few zebrafish chromosome segments in a murine chromosomal background. Fluorescence in situ hybridization to hybrid cell metaphases with a zebrafish genomic DNA probe revealed that many hybrids contained zebrafish chromosome segments that were either inserted or translocated to a mouse chromosome, whereas other hybrids contained zebrafish chromosomes with no evidence of insertion or translocation. We have assigned hybrids to 17 linkage groups of the genetic map of the zebrafish genome.