One-parameter family of closed, radiation-filled Friedmann-Robertson-Walker ``quantum'' universes

Using as an illustrative example the p=1 operator-ordered Wheeler-DeWitt equation for a closed, radiation-filled Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe, we introduce and discuss the supersymmetric double Darboux method in quantum cosmology. A one-parameter family of ``quantum'' universes and the corresponding ``wavefunctions of the universe" for this case are presentedComment: 7 pp with 2 epsf figs, small corrections to the published pape

Characterization of latex allergenic components by capillary zone electrophoresis and N-terminal sequence analysis

In a previous study, protein components purified from latex gloves that elicited allergenic reactions were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and yielded apparent molecular weights of 14, 22, 30, 34, 46, and 58 kD, These allergenic components were isolated for further characterization by capillary zone electrophoresis and N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. These components all migrated at approximately 25 and 35 min on capillary zone electrophoresis, Diode array spectral analysis detected indistinguishable characteristics between these two protein peaks, In addition, complex formation of these components with patients' immunoglobulin was demonstrated by capillary zone electrophoresis. Analysis of components separated by SDS-PAGE on a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane showed that the first 13 residues were identical to the sequence of hevein, Based on the criteria of charge-to-mass ratio and N-terminal amino acid sequence, our results suggest that these components of latex proteins are similar in the primary structure

A poly-Si thin-film transistor with the in situ vacuum gaps under the T-shaped-gated electrode

A T-shaped-gated (T-gate) poly-Si thin-film transistor (TFT) with symmetric vacuum gaps has been proposed and fabricated simply with a selective-etching technique and an in situ vacuum encapsulation. The proposed TFT has demonstrated a higher maximum on-off current ratio and superior reliability compared to the conventional TFTs. This is attributed to the resulting offset region and vacuum gap to reduce the off-state leakage current and improve the hot-carrier reliability, while the extra subgate serves to induce an inversion layer at the offset region to maintain the on current during the on state. Therefore, such a T-gate poly-Si TFT is very suitable for manufacturing and applications in active-matrix flat panel electronics. (c) 2006 The Electrochemical Society

Generation of hermaphrodite transgenic papaya lines with virus resistance via transformation of somatic embryos derived from adventitious roots of in vitro shoots

Papaya production is seriously limited by Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) worldwide and Papaya leaf-distortion mosaic virus (PLDMV) in Eastern Asia. An efficient transformation method for developing papaya lines with transgenic resistance to these viruses and commercially desirable traits, such as hermaphroditism, is crucial to shorten the breeding program for this fruit crop. In this investigation, an untranslatable chimeric construct pYP08 containing truncated PRSV coat protein (CP) and PLDMV CP genes coupled with the 3' untranslational region of PLDMV, was generated. Root segments from different portions of adventitious roots of in vitro multiple shoots of hermaphroditic plants of papaya cultivars 'Tainung No. 2', 'Sunrise', and 'Thailand' were cultured on induction medium for regeneration into somatic embryos. The highest frequency of somatic embryogenesis was from the root-tip segments of adventitious roots developed 2-4 weeks after rooting in perlite medium. After proliferation, embryogenic tissues derived from somatic embryos were wounded in liquid-phase by carborundum and transformed by Agrobacterium carrying pYP08. Similarly, another construct pBG-PLDMVstop containing untranslatable CP gene of PLDMV was also transferred to 'Sunrise' and 'Thailand', the parental cultivars of 'Tainung No. 2'. Among 107 transgenic lines regenerated from 349 root-tip segments, nine lines of Tainung No. 2 carrying YP08 were highly resistant to PRSV and PLDMV, and 9 lines (8 'Sunrise' and 1 'Thailand') carrying PLDMV CP highly resistant to PLDMV, by a mechanism of post-transcriptional gene silencing. The hermaphroditic characteristics of the transgenic lines were confirmed by PCR with sex-linked primers and phenotypes of flower and fruit. Our approach has generated transgenic resistance to both PRSV and PLDMV with commercially desirable characters and can significantly shorten the time-consuming breeding programs for the generation of elite cultivars of papaya hybrids

The Maize Tapetum Employs Diverse Mechanisms to Synthesize and Store Proteins and Flavonoids and Transfer Them to the Pollen Surface1[W][OA]

In anthers, the tapetum synthesizes and stores proteins and flavonoids, which will be transferred to the surface of adjacent microspores. The mechanism of synthesis, storage, and transfer of these pollen-coat materials in maize (Zea mays) differs completely from that reported in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), which stores major pollen-coat materials in tapetosomes and elaioplasts. On maize pollen, three proteins, glucanase, xylanase, and a novel protease, Zea mays pollen coat protease (ZmPCP), are predominant. During anther development, glucanase and xylanase transcripts appeared at a mid developmental stage, whereas protease transcript emerged at a late developmental stage. Protease and xylanase transcripts were present only in the anther tapetum of the plant, whereas glucanase transcript was distributed ubiquitously. ZmPCP belongs to the cysteine protease family but has no closely related paralogs. Its nascent polypeptide has a putative amino-terminal endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-targeting peptide and a propeptide. All three proteins were synthesized in the tapetum and were present on mature pollen after tapetum death. Electron microscopy of tapetum cells of mid to late developmental stages revealed small vacuoles distributed throughout the cytoplasm and numerous secretory vesicles concentrated near the locular side. Immunofluorescence microscopy and subcellular fractionation localized glucanase in ER-derived vesicles in the cytoplasm and the wall facing the locule, xylanase in the cytosol, protease in vacuoles, and flavonoids in subdomains of ER rather than in vacuoles. The nonoverlapping subcellular locations of the three proteins and flavonoids indicate distinct modes of their storage in tapetum cells and transfer to the pollen surface, which in turn reflect their respective functions in tapetum cells or the pollen surface

Evaluating the potential of Re-188-SOCTA-trastuzumab as a new radioimmunoagent for breast cancer treatment

Introduction: Radioimmunotherapy, which utilizes monoclonal antibodies and therapeutic radioisotopes against antigen-expressing tumor tissues, is an attractive therapeutic approach for cancer therapy. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) is a humanized anti-HER-2/neu monoclonal antibody for breast cancer treatment. In this paper, we introduce a new radioimmunoagent, Re-188-trastuzumab, via a bifunctional ligand, succinimidyl 3,6-diaza-5-oxo-3-[2-((triphenymethyl)thio)ethyl]-8-[(triphenylmethyl)thio]octanoate (SOCTA), and evaluate its potential to be a therapeutic radiopharmaceutical for breast cancer treatment. Methods: Equimolar amounts of SOCTA and trastuzumab were selected to react, and the conjugation ratio of SOCTA-trastuzumab was evaluated by the MALDI-TOF method. The immunoreactivity of SOCTA-trastuzumab was compared with nonconjugated trastuzumab in HER-2/neu overexpressing human breast cancer cell BT-474. Biodistribution experiment and microSPECT/CT images of Re-188-SOCTA-trastuzumab being administered intravenously to SCID mice hearing xenografted BT-474 breast cancer were investigated to evaluate the tumor-targeting capability. Results: The covalent attachment of SOCTA to trastuzumab (at 1: 1 molar ratio) resulted in the averaged conjugation ratio of 0.27 +/- 0.06 (n=3). The complex Could easily be labeled with Re-188 and achieve 95% radiochemical purity (RCP) after 1 h of reaction at room temperature. The in vitro stability study also revealed that the RCP of Re-188-SOCTA-trastuzumab was at a value of more than 85% after 48 h Of incubation with human serum. The immunoreactivity evaluation showed that SOCTA-trastuzumab and nonconjugated trastuzumab had similar binding capacity (B,) to HER-2/neu receptor in BT-474 cells. The animal experiments showed that Re-188-SOCTA-trastuzumab accumulated more intensively in the tumor site as compared to normal tissue. Conclusion: We suggest that Re-188-SOCTA-trastuzumab could be a potential candidate for radioimmunotherapy. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved