Federal Reserve : New times, new functions

Federal Reserve banks ; Regional economics ; Federal Reserve District, 5th

Financial aid : decentralizing Virginia's public universities

Education

Land of the economically free : Virginia ranks third in new study

Economic conditions ; Federal Reserve District, 5th

Cooperative Stimulation of Dendritic Cells by Cryptococcus neoformans Mannoproteins and CpG Oligodeoxynucleotides

While mannosylation targets antigens to mannose receptors on dendritic cells (DC), the resultant immune response is suboptimal. We hypothesized that the addition of toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands would enhance the DC response to mannosylated antigens. Cryptococcus neoformans mannoproteins (MP) synergized with CpG-containing oligodeoxynucleotides to stimulate enhanced production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines from murine conventional and plasmacytoid DC. Synergistic stimulation required the interaction of mannose residues on MP with the macrophage mannose receptor (MR), CD206. Moreover, synergy with MP was observed with other TLR ligands, including tripalmitoylated lipopeptide (Pam3CSK4), polyinosine-polycytidylic acid (pI:C), and imiquimod. Finally, CpG enhanced MP-specific MHC II-restricted CD4+ T-cell responses by a mechanism dependent upon DC expression of CD206 and TLR9. These data suggest a rationale for vaccination strategies that combine mannosylated antigens with TLR ligands and imply that immune responses to naturally mannosylated antigens on pathogens may be greatly augmented if TLR and MR are cooperatively stimulated.National Institutes of Health (RO1 AI25780, RO1 AI37532, K08 AI 53542

High pTp_{T} Inclusive Charged Hadron Spectra from Au+Au Collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200 GeV

The STAR Collaboration presents new measurements of inclusive charged hadron distributions for $p_{T} <$ 12 GeV/c from Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. Charged hadron suppression at high $p_{T}$ is similar in shape and magnitude at all centralities to that observed previously at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 130 GeV for $p_{T} <$ 6 GeV/c. The ratio of spectra from central and peripheral Au+Au collisions shows that hadron suppression is approximately constant within 6 $< p_{T} <$ 12 GeV/c. The ratios of charged hadron spectra at the two beam energies show a 15-20% increase in yield at low $p_{T}$. At high $p_{T}$, the ratios show a larger increase that agrees well with pQCD calculations of the $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ dependence of particle production in Au+Au collisions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Quark Matter 2002 Proceeding

The dollar dilemma : the falling dollar has made American goods more attractive to consumers abroad, but not everyone is happy about the currency's slide

Dollar, American ; Exports ; Federal Reserve District, 5th

The Anaphase-Promoting Complex (APC) ubiquitin ligase affects chemosensory behavior in \u3cem\u3eC. elegans\u3c/em\u3e

The regulation of fundamental aspects of neurobiological function has been linked to the ubiquitin signaling system (USS), which regulates the degradation and activity of proteins and is catalyzed by E1, E2, and E3 enzymes. The Anaphase-Promoting Complex (APC) is a multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase that controls diverse developmental and signaling processes in post-mitotic neurons; however, potential roles for the APC in sensory function have yet to be explored. In this study, we examined the effect of the APC ubiquitin ligase on chemosensation in Caenorhabditis elegans by testing chemotaxis to the volatile odorants, diacetyl, pyrazine, and isoamyl alcohol, to which wild-type worms are attracted. Animals with loss of function mutations in either of two alleles (g48 and ye143) of the gene encoding the APC subunit EMB-27 APC6 showed increased chemotaxis towards diacetyl and pyrazine, odorants sensed by AWA neurons, but exhibited normal chemotaxis to isoamyl alcohol, which is sensed by AWC neurons. The statistically significant increase in chemotaxis in the emb-27 APC6 mutants suggests that the APC inhibits AWA-mediated chemosensation in C. elegans. Increased chemotaxis to pyrazine was also seen with mutants lacking another essential APC subunit, MAT-2 APC1; however, mat-2 APC1 mutants exhibited wild type responses to diacetyl. The difference in responsiveness of these two APC subunit mutants may be due to differential strength of these hypomorphic alleles or may indicate the presence of functional sub-complexes of the APC at work in this process. These findings are the first evidence for APC-mediated regulation of chemosensation and lay the groundwork for further studies aimed at identifying the expression levels, function, and targets of the APC in specific sensory neurons. Because of the similarity between human and C. elegans nervous systems, the role of the APC in sensory neurons may also advance our understanding of human sensory function and disease