Impaired pulmonary blood flow distribution in congestive heart failure assessed using synchrotron radiation microangiography

Synchrotron radiation microangiography is a powerful tool for assessing adverse changes in pulmonary vessel density associated with primary pulmonary hypertension (PH). Congestive heart failure (CHF) leads to a `secondary' onset of PH, yet it is unknown whether secondary PH is also associated with reduced vessel density. This study utilized synchrotron radiation to assess both pulmonary vessel density and endothelial function in a Dahl rat model of CHF with secondary PH. High salt‐fed Dahl salt‐sensitive (Dahl‐S) and salt‐resistant (Dahl‐R) rats were anesthetized and microangiography was performed to assess the pulmonary vessel density and vascular responses to (i) sodium nitroprusside (5.0 µg kg^?1 min^?1), (ii) acetylcholine (3.0 µg kg^?1 min^?1) and (iii) ET‐1_A receptor blockade, BQ‐123 (1 mg kg^?1). Dahl‐S rats developed CHF and secondary PH as evident by endothelial dysfunction, impaired vasodilatory responses to acetylcholine, enhanced vasodilatory responses to BQ‐123 and extensive pulmonary vascular remodeling. Consequently, the pulmonary vessel density was adversely reduced. Interestingly, the etiology of secondary PH manifests with structural and functional changes that are comparable with that previously reported for primary PH. One important discrepancy, however, is that ET‐1 modulation of pulmonary vessels is most striking in vessels with a diameter range of 100–200 µm in secondary PH, in contrast to a range of 200–300 µm in primary PH. Such discrepancies should be considered in future studies investigating primary and secondary forms of PH.     

Abelian Subgroup Separability of Haken 3-Manifolds and Closed Hyperbolic n-Orbifolds

We prove that abelian subgroups of fundamental groups of Haken3-manifolds and closed hyperbolic n-orbifolds are separable.2000 Mathematical Subject Classification: 20E26, 51M10, 57M05.     

Looking for Difference Sets in Groups with Dihedral Images

We prove four theorems about groups with a dihedral (or cyclic) image containing a difference set. For the first two, suppose G, a group of order 2p with p an odd prime, contains a nontrivial (v, k, ) difference set D with order n = k – prime to p and self-conjugate modulo p. If G has an image of order p, then 0 2a + 2 for a unique choice of = ±1, and for a = (k – )/2p. If G has an image of order 2p, then and ( – 1)/( – 1). There are further constraints on n, a and . We give examples in which these theorems imply no difference set can exist in a group of a specified order, including filling in some entries in Smith's extension to nonabelian groups of Lander's tables. A similar theorem covers the case when p|n. Finally, we show that if G contains a nontrivial (v, k, ) difference set D and has a dihedral image D _2m with either (n, m) = 1 or m = p ^t for p an odd prime dividing n, then one of the C ₂ intersection numbers of D is divisible by m. Again, this gives some non-existence results.     

Efficient algorithms for finding minimum spanning trees in undirected and directed graphs

Recently, Fredman and Tarjan invented a new, especially efficient form of heap (priority queue). Their data structure, theFibonacci heap (or F-heap) supports arbitrary deletion inO(logn) amortized time and other heap operations inO(1) amortized time. In this paper we use F-heaps to obtain fast algorithms for finding minimum spanning trees in undirected and directed graphs. For an undirected graph containingn vertices andm edges, our minimum spanning tree algorithm runs inO(m logβ (m, n)) time, improved fromO(mβ(m, n)) time, whereβ(m, n)=min {i|log⁽ⁱ⁾ n ≦m/n}. Our minimum spanning tree algorithm for directed graphs runs inO(n logn + m) time, improved fromO(n log n +m log log log_(m/n+2) n). Both algorithms can be extended to allow a degree constraint at one vertex. Research supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant MCS-8302648. Research supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant MCS-8303139. Research supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant MCS-8300984 and a United States Army Research Office Program Fellowship, DAAG29-83-GO020.     

The neomycin biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces fradiae NCIMB 8233: genetic and biochemical evidence for the roles of two glycosyltransferases and a deacetylase

An efficient protocol has been developed for the genetic manipulation of Streptomyces fradiae NCIMB 8233, which produces the 2-deoxystreptamine (2-DOS)-containing aminoglycoside antibiotic neomycin. This has allowed the in vivo analysis of the respective roles of the glycosyltransferases Neo8 and Neo15, and of the deacetylase Neo16 in neomycin biosynthesis. Specific deletion of each of the neo8, neo15 and neo16 genes confirmed that they are all essential for neomycin biosynthesis. The pattern of metabolites produced by feeding putative pathway intermediates to these mutants provided unambiguous support for a scheme in which Neo8 and Neo15, whose three-dimensional structures are predicted to be highly similar, have distinct roles: Neo8 catalyses transfer of N-acetylglucosamine to 2-DOS early in the pathway, while Neo15 catalyses transfer of the same aminosugar to ribostamycin later in the pathway. The in vitro substrate specificity of Neo15, purified from recombinant Escherichia coli, was fully consistent with these findings. The in vitro activity of Neo16, the only deacetylase so far recognised in the neo gene cluster, showed that it is capable of acting in tandem with both Neo8 and Neo15 as previously proposed. However, the deacetylation of N-acetylglucosaminylribostamycin was still observed in a strain deleted of the neo16 gene and fed with suitable pathway precursors, providing evidence for the existence of a second enzyme in S. fradiae with this activity.     

Elusive Double Perovskite Iodides: Structural,Optical, and Magnetic Properties

Halide double perovskites [A₂M^IM^IIIX₆] are an important class of materials that have garnered substantial interest as non-toxic alternatives to conventional lead iodide perovskites for optoelectronic applications. While numerous studies have examined chloride and bromide double perovskites, reports of iodide double perovskites are rare, and their definitive structural characterization has not been reported. Predictive models have aided us here in the synthesis and characterization of five iodide double perovskites of general formula Cs₂NaLnI₆ (Ln=Ce, Nd, Gd, Tb, Dy). The complete crystal structures, structural phase transitions, optical, photoluminescent, and magnetic properties of these compounds are reported.     

Formation of the serine octamer: Ion evaporation or charge residue

The mechanism of formation for clusters of serine generated by electrospray ionization is hypothesized to play a critical role in determining their ultimate properties. Under carefully manipulated electrospray source conditions, two distinct and well-separated distributions of clusters can be observed. The characteristics of the two cluster populations are consistent with different formation mechanisms, namely ion evaporation and charge residue. Upon further inspection, it is proposed that the magic number intensity, homochiral selectivity, and unique formation of the serine octamer are best explained within the context of the ion evaporation mechanism. As a consequence, solution phase properties of the octamer become important, particularly in relation to interface effects present on the surface of the charged droplet. In contrast, other clusters of serine, including the B form of the octamer, are probably generated by the charge residue mechanism and may have no connection to condensed phase phenomena.     

Cholesterol surrogates incorporating a benzophenone as part of the sterol tetracycle

Photoactivatable analogues 4-6 of cholesterol (1), having their cross-linking site in the ring D sterol region, have been synthesized starting from bromotetralone 14 via enantioselective Robinson annulation to enone 13 and Suzuki carbonylative coupling to the appropriate phenylboronic acid. Each of 4-6 was shown to substitute successfully for 1 in an assay of apo A-I-induced cellular cholesterol efflux, indicating that these analogues equilibrated with 1 in all major cellular pools.     

Interaction of first row transition metals with α1-3, α1-6 mannotriose and conserved trimannosyl core oligosaccharides: A comparative electrospray ionization study of doubly and singly charged complexes

Electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometry were used in the analysis of metalcoordinated oligosaccharides. Four transition metal ions, Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Zn²⁺, and the alkaline earth metal ion Ca²⁺, were each coordinated to the trimer α1–3, α1–6 mannotriose and the pentamer conserved trimannosyl core (mannotriosyl-chitobiose). Instrumental and concentration ratio optimization studies were carried out to determine the best conditions for producing the [M + Met]²⁺, [M + MetCl]⁺, and [M + Met ? H]⁺ ions (Met = metal dication). These precursors were then subjected to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis and compared. Both the ionic radii and efficacy of ligand coordination were observed as important criteria for producing the precursor ions. Tandem mass spectra for the Cu²⁺- and Zn²⁺-coordinated species did not produce significant structural information about either the trimer or the pentamer. Although tandem mass spectra for the Ca²⁺-, Co²⁺-, and Mn²⁺-coordinated trimer were very similar, those of the pentamer were not. MS/MS of the Co²⁺-coordinated pentamer was the most unique and exhibited very different dissociation pathways.     

Thermophysical Properties of High-Temperature Reacting Mixtures of Carbon and Water in the Range 400–30,000 K and 0.1–10 atm. Part 1: Equilibrium Composition and Thermodynamic Properties

This paper is devoted to the calculation of the chemical equilibrium composition and thermodynamic properties of reacting mixtures of carbon and water at high temperature. Equilibrium particle concentrations and thermodynamic properties including mass density, molar weight, entropy, enthalpy and specific heat at constant pressure, sonic velocity, and heat capacity ratio are determined by the method of Gibbs free energy minimization, using species data from standard thermodynamic tables. The calculations, which assume local thermodynamic equilibrium, are performed in the temperature range from 400 to 30,000 K for pressures of 0.10, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10.0 atm. The properties of the reacting mixture are affected by the possible occurrence of solid carbon formation at low temperature, and therefore attention is paid to the influence of the carbon phase transition by comparing the results obtained with and without considering solid carbon formation. The results presented here clarify some basic chemical process and are reliable reference data for use in the simulation of plasmas in reacting carbon and water mixtures together with the need of transport coefficients computation.