Sphere organelles are nuclear structures in amphibian oocytes that are easily visible by light microscopy. These structures are up to 10 microns in diameter and have been described morphologically for decades, yet their function remains obscure. The present study defines a protein component of the sphere organelle, named SPH-1, which is recognized by a mAb raised against purified Xenopus laevis...

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, sphingolipids are essential for cell growth. Inactivation of sphingolipid biosynthesis, such as by disrupting the serine palmitoyltransferase gene (LCB2), is lethal, but cells can be rescued by supplying an exogenous LCB (long-chain base) like PHS (phytosphingosine) or DHS (dihydrosphingosine). In the present study, supplying SPH (sphingosine), an unnatura...

The finite element method (FEM) is often used as the conventional method in computational geomechanics. However, dealing with the large deformation and failure is generally a difficult task for FEM since this method is suffered from grid distortions. In order to resolve this problem, the development of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) to simulate large deformation and failure of geomateria...

We study the deformation and haptic feedback of soft tissue in virtual surgery based on a liver model by using a force feedback device named PHANTOM OMNI developed by SensAble Company in USA. Although a significant amount of research efforts have been dedicated to simulating the behaviors of soft tissue and implementing force feedback, it is still a challenging problem. This paper introduces a ...

Objective. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) utility in diagnosis in malignant and granulomatous mediastinal disease has been well demonstrated. We propose to examine the role of EBUS transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in the diagnosis of subacute pulmonary histoplasmosis (SPH) with mediastinal lymphadenopathy in an area where histoplasmosis is endemic. Methods. A retrospective review w...

Previously, we reported that PC12 cells showed increased vulnerability to oxidative stress (OS) induced by H2O2 (as assessed by decrements in calcium recovery, i.e., the ability of cells to buffer Ca(2+) after a depolarization event) when the membrane levels of cholesterol (CHL) and sphingomyelin (SPH) were modified to approximate those seen in the neuronal membranes of old animals. The present...

PURPOSE To investigate quantitative trait loci linked to refractive error, we performed a genome-wide quantitative trait linkage analysis using single nucleotide polymorphism markers and family data from five international sites. METHODS Genomic DNA samples from 254 families were genotyped by the Center for Inherited Disease Research using the Illumina Linkage Panel IVb. Quantitative trait li...

Bacillus anthracis is nonhemolytic, even though it is closely related to the highly hemolytic Bacillus cereus. Hemolysis by B. cereus results largely from the action of phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC) and sphingomyelinase (SPH), encoded by the plc and sph genes, respectively. In B. cereus, these genes are organized in an operon regulated by the global regulator PlcR. B. an...

Hypervelocity impacts (HVIs) are collisions at velocities greater than the target object’s speed of sound. Such impacts produce pressure waves that generate sharp and sudden changes in the density of the materials. These are propagated as shock waves. Previous computational research has given insight into this shock loading for the case of homogeneous materials. Shock-wave propagation through m...