A heterogeneous computing environment to solve the 768-bit RSA challenge

In December 2009 the 768-bit, 232-digit number RSA-768 was factored using the number field sieve. Overall, the computational challenge would take more than 1700 years on a single, standard core. In the article we present the heterogeneous computing approach, involving different compute clusters and Grid computing environments, used to solve this problem.     

Significant fish predation on zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha in Lake Champlain,U.S.A.

The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine which fishes were consistently eating zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha in Lake Champlain and document their feeding behaviour and (2) quantify the diet composition of the fish predators that were found to consume zebra mussels. From 2002 to 2005, freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus, yellow perch Perca flavescens and rock bass Ambloplites rupestris all consumed zebra mussels at varying frequencies and amounts. Aplodinotusgrunniens and L. gibbosus chewed clumps of zebra mussels, expelling shells, whereas P. flavescens and A. rupestris swallowed small individuals whole. Lepomis gibbosus consumed zebra mussels at the highest frequency (65–89% of prey consumed) and zebra mussels comprised a large part of this fish’s diet (up to 40% by dry mass). Zebra mussels were also an important component of the diet of A. grunniens (up to 59% of the diet by dry mass, 40–63% frequency of consumption). The percentage of the diet comprising zebra mussels in P. flavescens and A. rupestris varied significantly from year to year but never exceeded 10%. Because A. grunniens and L. gibbosus crushed zebra mussels, the nutritional return from consuming zebra mussels would be similar to other prey; for P. flavescens and A. rupestris zebra mussels were only partially digested and the nutritional return would probably be low. As predation on zebra mussels is widespread and significant, it is possible that fish predators could contribute to regulating the population of zebra mussels in Lake Champlain.     

The Boring Cunctichnus probans Fürsich,Palmer and Goodyear, 1994, from the Type Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous,Northeast Belgium)

The ichnogenus Cunctichnus Fürsich, Palmer and Goodyear, 1994 is monotypic, its type ichnospecies, C. probans Fürsich, Palmer and Goodyear, 1994, having hitherto been described solely from the Upper Jurassic (Tithonian) of southern England and the Paris Basin. Cunctichnus probans is recorded herein from the type Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of the province of Liège, northeast Belgium, that is, about 75 million years younger than previous published records. This specimen differs from the holotype in having a Y-shaped branch.     

Correlation between Genotypic Diversity,Lipooligosaccharide Gene Locus Class Variation,and Caco-2 Cell Invasion Potential of Campylobacter jejuni Isolates from Chicken Meat and Humans: Contribution to Virulotyping

Significant interest in studying the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) of Campylobacter jejuni has stemmed from its potential role in postinfection paralytic disorders. In this study we present the results of PCR screening of five LOS locus classes (A, B, C, D, and E) for a collection of 116 C. jejuni isolates from chicken meat (n = 76) and sporadic human cases of diarrhea (n = 40). We correlated LOS classes with clonal complexes (CC) assigned by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Finally, we evaluated the invasion potential of a panel of 52 of these C. jejuni isolates for Caco-2 cells. PCR screening showed that 87.1% (101/116) of isolates could be assigned to LOS class A, B, C, D, or E. Concordance between LOS classes and certain MLST CC was revealed. The majority (85.7% [24/28]) of C. jejuni isolates grouped in CC-21 were shown to express LOS locus class C. The invasion potential of C. jejuni isolates possessing sialylated LOS (n = 29; classes A, B, and C) for Caco-2 cells was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than that of C. jejuni isolates with nonsialylated LOS (n = 23; classes D and E). There was no significant difference in invasiveness between chicken meat and human isolates. However, C. jejuni isolates assigned to CC-206 (correlated with LOS class B) or CC-21 (correlated with LOS class C) showed statistically significantly higher levels of invasion than isolates from other CC. Correlation between LOS classes and CC was further confirmed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The present study reveals a correlation between genotypic diversity and LOS locus classes of C. jejuni. We showed that simple PCR screening for C. jejuni LOS classes could reliably predict certain MLST CC and add to the interpretation of molecular-typing results. Our study corroborates that sialylation of LOS is advantageous for C. jejuni fitness and virulence in different hosts. The modulation of cell surface carbohydrate structure could enhance the ability of C. jejuni to adapt to or survive in a host.Campylobacter jejuni is an important human enteric pathogen worldwide (3, 7, 26). Infected humans exhibit a range of clinical spectra, from mild, watery diarrhea to severe inflammatory diarrhea (28). Factors influencing the virulence of C. jejuni include motility, chemotaxis, the ability to adhere to and invade intestinal cells, intracellular survival, and toxin production (28, 30, 52). Besides its role in human enteric illnesses, C. jejuni is a predominant infectious trigger of acute postinfectious neuropathies, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) (1). Significant interest in studying the structure and biosynthesis of the core lipooligosaccharide (LOS) of C. jejuni has resulted from its potential role in these paralytic disorders. Many studies have now provided convincing evidence that molecular mimicry between C. jejuni LOS and gangliosides in human peripheral nerve tissue plays an important causal role in the pathogenesis of GBS/MFS (16, 17, 19, 21).Initial comparative studies of C. jejuni LOS structure and the corresponding DNA sequences of the LOS biosynthesis loci identified eight different LOS locus classes. Three of these classes, A, B, and C, harbor sialyltransferase genes involved in incorporating sialic acid into the LOS (42). Sialylation of the LOS core was found to be associated with ganglioside mimicry and also to affect immunogenicity and serum resistance (21). Recently, Parker et al. (43) identified 11 additional LOS classes on the basis of the sequence at the LOS biosynthesis locus. Their investigation also suggested that the LOS loci of C. jejuni strains are hot spots for genetic exchange, which can lead to mosaicism.Despite evidence on locus variation within C. jejuni LOS classes, PCR-based screening of a collection of 123 clinical and environmental strains showed that almost 60% of C. jejuni strains belong to class A, B, or C (42). Additionally, Godschalk et al. (16) found that 53% (9/17) of GBS-associated C. jejuni strains possessed LOS of class A, while 64% (35/55) of the non-GBS-associated isolates possessed LOS of class A, B, or C, and 62% (13/21) of enteritis-associated Campylobacter strains expressed LOS of class A, B, or C, as well. This relative representation of sialylated LOS classes A, B, and C was hypothesized to be advantageous for C. jejuni in the colonization and infection of various hosts (42, 49). Recently, Louwen et al. (34) demonstrated that C. jejuni strains possessing sialylated LOS (class A, B, or C) invade Caco-2 cells significantly better than nonsialylated strains (with class D or E). Knockout mutagenesis of the LOS sialyltransferase Cst-II in three C. jejuni strains revealed a significant reduction in the invasion potentials of the mutant strains (34). The possible role of LOS in adhesion and invasion was previously highlighted in the work of Perera et al. (44) and Kanipes et al. (29), where a C. jejuni waaF mutant strain showed significant reductions in levels of adherence to and invasion of INT-407 cells.LOS class diversity in C. jejuni strains isolated from chicken meat, an important source of human campylobacteriosis (6, 7, 26), has hardly been studied at all. In addition, the role of LOS class variation in the invasion potential of C. jejuni strains from chicken meat still needs to be explored. The epidemiological relevance of C. jejuni LOS gene screening can be further elaborated by correlating its results with results from other molecular-typing tools (e.g., multilocus sequence typing [MLST] and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE]). In the present study, we screened a diverse collection of C. jejuni isolates, from consumer-packaged chicken meats and from sporadic human cases of diarrhea, by PCR for five LOS classes (A, B, C, D, and E). Then we correlated the LOS classes assigned by PCR screening with the genotypes assigned by PFGE and MLST. Finally, we tested the invasion potentials of a representative subset of C. jejuni isolates in relation to their LOS classes and genotypic diversity.     

Mechanical control of the endothelial barrier

The integrity of the endothelial barrier is controlled by the combined action of chemical and mechanical signaling systems. Permeability-regulating factors signal through small GTPases to regulate the architecture of the cytoskeleton and this has a strong impact on the morphology and stability of VE-cadherin-based cell–cell junctions. The details of how structural and mechanical properties of the actin cytoskeleton influence cell–cell adhesion and how this impacts the dynamic regulation of the endothelial barrier, are beginning to be elucidated. In this review, we discuss the physical and regulatory interactions between the VE-cadherin complex and the actomysoin cytoskeleton, as they are the main determinants of cell–cell adhesion and the mechanical architecture of the cytoskeleton. We discuss, based on recent in vitro data, how a balance between Linear Adherens Junctions, paralleled by cortical actin bundles and Focal Adherens Junctions, connected to radial action bundles, determines endothelial barrier function. We discuss how small GTPases control this balance by regulating the spatial organization and mechanics of actomyosin. We propose a hypothetical model of how biochemical and mechanical signals cooperate locally, at the actomyosin–adhesion interface to open and re-seal the barrier in a rapid and controlled manner.     

Genotype Distribution,Viral Load and Clinical Characteristics of Infants with Postnatal or Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

Background

Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is a leading cause of long-term sequelae. Cytomegalovirus is also frequently transmitted to preterm infants postnatally, but these infections are mostly asymptomatic. A correlation between cytomegalovirus genotypes and clinical manifestations has been reported previously in infants with congenital infection, but not in preterm infants with postnatal infection.

Objectives

The main objective of this study was to investigate cytomegalovirus genotype distribution in postnatal and congenital cytomegalovirus infection and its association with disease severity.

Methods

Infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands between 2003–2010 and diagnosed with postnatal or congenital cytomegalovirus infection were included. Classification of cytomegalovirus isolates in genotypes was performed upon amplification and sequencing of the cytomegalovirus UL55 (gB) and UL144 genes. Clinical data, cerebral abnormalities, neurodevelopmental outcome and viral load were studied in relation to genotype distribution.

Results

Genotyping results were obtained from 58 preterm infants with postnatal cytomegalovirus infection and 13 infants with congenital cytomegalovirus infection. Postnatal disease was mild in all preterm infants and all had favourable outcome. Infants with congenital infection were significantly more severely affected than infants with postnatal infection. Seventy-seven percent of these infants were symptomatic at birth, 2/13 died and 3/13 developed long-term sequelae (median follow-up 6 (range 2–8) years). The distribution of cytomegalovirus genotypes was comparable for postnatal and congenital infection. UL55 genotype 1 and UL144 genotype 3 were predominant genotypes in both groups.

Conclusions

Distribution of UL55 and UL144 genotypes was similar in asymptomatic postnatal and severe congenital CMV infection suggesting that other factors rather than cytomegalovirus UL55 and UL144 genotype are responsible for the development of severe disease.     

Nitrogen retranslocation in plants of maize,lupin and cocklebur

Summary In a split root experiment translocation of N from shoot to root was studied using¹⁵NO ₃ ^– . The three plant species selected for this experiment differed significantly with respect to root NRA. For lupin, maize and cocklebur about 80, 50 and 6% of all absorbed NO ₃ ^– was assmilated in the roots, respectively.Although NO ₃ ^– was reduced in the roots of lupin and maize plants to a greater extent than required for the roots' demand for organic N, a significant phloem flow of N from shoot to roots was found in these plants. Unexpectedly, for cocklebur, the plant with the very low root NRA, the fraction of total N present in the root that has been imported from the shoot was only half that as found for lupin and maize.     

The graft-versus-host reaction in the rabbit spleen. Ultrastructural evidence for two differentiated T-cell lines

Lethally irradiated (900 rads), bone-marrow-protected rabbits were given allogeneic thymocytes intravenously. Autoradiography by means of local splenic infusion of (H3) thymidine revealed progeny of two differentiated T-cell lines. Electron microscopy confirmed these observations in detail. An analogy with cellular immunity reactions in an "isolated T-cell system", performed in draining lymph nodes after a variety of antigenic stimuli is presented. The functional properties of these T-blasts and their lymphoid descendants are discussed.