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The statistical structure of natural light patterns determines perceived light intensity.

The same target luminance in different contexts can elicit markedly different perceptions of brightness, a fact that has long puzzled vision scientists. Here we test the proposal that the visual system encodes not luminance as such but rather the statistical relationship of a particular luminance to all possible luminance values experienced in natural contexts during evolution. This statistical conception of vision was validated by using a database of natural scenes in which we could determine the probability distribution functions of co-occurring target and contextual luminance values. The distribution functions obtained in this way predict target brightness in response to a variety of challenging stimuli, thus explaining these otherwise puzzling percepts. That brightness is determined by the statistics of natural light patterns implies that the relevant neural circuitry is specifically organized to generate these probabilistic responses.

Biometry↗

Blue light perception in plants. Detection and characterization of a light-induced neutral flavin radical in a C450A mutant of phototropin.

The LOV2 domain of Avena sativa phototropin and its C450A mutant were expressed as recombinant fusion proteins and were examined by optical spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and electron-nuclear double resonance. Upon irradiation (420-480 nm), the LOV2 C450A mutant protein gave an optical absorption spectrum characteristic of a flavin radical even in the absence of exogenous electron donors, thus demonstrating that the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) cofactor in its photogenerated triplet state is a potent oxidant for redox-active amino acid residues within the LOV2 domain. The FMN radical in the LOV2 C450A mutant is N(5)-protonated, suggesting that the local pH close to the FMN is acidic enough so that the cysteine residue in the wild-type protein is likely to be also protonated. An electron paramagnetic resonance analysis of the photogenerated FMN radical gave information on the geometrical and electronic structure and the environment of the FMN cofactor. The experimentally determined hyperfine couplings of the FMN radical point to a highly restricted delocalization of the unpaired electron spin in the isoalloxazine moiety. In the light of these results a possible radical-pair mechanism for the formation of the FMN-C(4a)-cysteinyl adduct in LOV domains is discussed.

Avena↗

Tumor necrosis factor-induced long myosin light chain kinase transcription is regulated by differentiation-dependent signaling events. Characterization of the human long myosin light chain kinase promoter.

Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) is expressed as long and short isoforms from unique transcriptional start sites within a single gene. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) augments intestinal epithelial long MLCK expression, which is critical to cytoskeletal regulation. We found that TNF increases long MLCK mRNA transcription, both in human enterocytes in vitro and murine enterocytes in vivo.5'-RACE identified two novel exons, 1A and 1B, which encode alternative long MLCK transcriptional start sites. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and site-directed mutagenesis identified two essential Sp1 sites upstream of the exon 1A long MLCK transcriptional start site. Analysis of deletion and truncation mutants showed that a 102-bp region including these Sp1 sites was necessary for basal transcription. A promoter construct including 4-kb upstream of exon 1A was responsive to TNF, AP-1, or NFkappaB, but all except NFkappaB responses were absent in a shorter 2-kb construct, and all responses were absent in a 1-kb construct. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays, ChIP, and site-directed mutagenesis explained these data by identifying three functional AP-1 sites between 2- and 4-kb upstream of exon 1A and two NFkappaB sites between 1- and 2-kb upstream of exon 1A. Analysis of differentiating epithelia showed that only well differentiated enterocytes activated the 4-kb long MLCK promoter in response to TNF, and consensus promoter reporters demonstrated that TNF-induced NFkappaB activation decreased during differentiation while TNF-induced AP-1 activation increased. Thus either AP-1 or NFkappaB can up-regulate long MLCK transcription, but the mechanisms by which TNF up-regulates intestinal epithelial long MLCK transcription from exon 1A are differentiation-dependent.

Animals↗

Chromosomal location of structural genes encoding murine immunoglobulin lambda light chains. Genetics of murine lambda light chains.

To determine the chromosomal localization of murine lambda light (L) chain structural genes, DNA from a panel of 11 mouse x hamster somatic cell hybrids was scored for the presence of sequences homologous to cloned lambda DNA probe molecules. Six of the hybrids had detectable lambda I and lambda II gene sequences. In all six, the full complement of murine sequences was present, and in its germline configuration. The remaining hybrids lacked any detectable murine lambda L chain gene sequences. The only mouse chromosome present in all of the positive hybrids and absent from the negative ones was number 16, allowing the assignment of lambda L chain structural genes to this chromosome. Together with the previous assignments of the kappa L chain genes to chromosome 6 and heavy chain genes to chromosome 12, this finding completes the mapping of Ig structural genes in the mouse at the chromosomal level.

Animals↗

A transgene encoding a blue-light receptor, phot1, restores blue-light responses in the Arabidopsis phot1 phot2 double mutant.

Phototropins (phot1 and phot2) are suggested to be multifunctional blue-light (BL) receptors mediating phototropism, chloroplast movement, stomatal opening, and leaf expansion. The Arabidpsis phot1 phot2 double mutant lacks all of these responses. To confirm the requirement of phototropins in BL responses, the Arabidopsis phot1 phot2 double mutant was transformed with PHOT1 cDNA and the phenotypic restoration was analysed in the transformants. It was found that all BL responses were restored, although differentially, by the transformation of the Arabidopsis phot1 phot2 double mutant with PHOT1 cDNA. The results showed that phot1 was an essential component for all these BL responses in planta, and that the cellular level of phot1 might determine the individual BL responses.

Arabidopsis↗

Prevention of continuous light-induced anovulation in rats by early exposure to continuous light.

Continuous illumination (LL) beginning at 22 days of age caused precocious puberty followed by persistent estrus with anovulation in female offspring originating from mother rats exposed to a 14L:10D light-dark cycle prior to and during pregnancy. However, LL had no deleterious effect on reproductive cycles of offspring reared in LL and originating from mothers exposed to LL prior to and during pregnancy. These rats had a normal onset of puberty in LL, a normal 4-day estrous cycle, a periodic rise of plasma estrogen prior to the periodic appearance of the preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, and spontaneous ovulation in LL continued until at least 300 days of age. Also, the female offspring of these rats showed a similar resistance to the deleterious effects of LL on cyclic ovulation. These results support the following interpretation: 1) offspring from mother rats exposed to LL prior to and during pregnancy become insensitive to the deleterious effects of LL on cyclic ovulation, 2) neural elements controlling cyclic release of LH are not totally photoperiod (14L:10D)-dependent, and 3) in the absence of daily 14L:10D signals, an endogenous clock, possibly timed by daily laboratory signals (temperature, noise, taking of vaginal smears), may provide time cues for cyclic LH release.

Animals↗

In vivo determination of optical properties of normal and tumor tissue with white light reflectance and an empirical light transport model during endoscopy.

Determination of tissue optical properties is fundamental for application of light in either therapeutical or diagnostics procedures. In the present work we implemented a spatially resolved steady-state diffuse reflectance method where only two fibers (one source and one detector) spaced 2.5 mm apart are used for the determination of the optical properties. The method relies on the spectral characteristics of the tissue chromophores (water, dry tissue, and blood) and the assumption of a simple wavelength dependent expression for the determination of the reduced scattering coefficient. Because of the probe dimensions the method is suited for endoscopic measurements. The method was validated against more traditional models, such as the diffusion theory combined with adding doubling for in vitro measurements of bovine muscle. Mean and standard deviation of the absorption coefficient and the reduced scattering coefficient at 630 nm for normal mucosa were 0.87+/-0.22 cm(-1) and 7.8+/-2.3 cm(-1), respectively. Cancerous mucosa had values 1.87+/-1.10 cm(-1) and 8.4+/-2.3 cm(-1), respectively. These values are similar to data presented by other authors. Blood perfusion was the main variable accounting for differences in the absorption coefficient between the studied tissues.

Algorithms↗

Ultraviolet light protection, enhancement of ultraviolet light mutagenesis, and mutator effect of plasmid R46 in Salmonella typhimurium.

Plasmid R46 partially protected Salmonella typhimurium, wild type or uvrB or polA, against the lethal effect of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, but did not protect recA mutants. The plasmid also increased frequency of UV-induced reversion to His+ in all tested his point mutants (wild type for UV sensitivity), including amber, ochre, UGA, missense, and frame-shift mutants. Plasmid R46 also increased UV-induced reversion to His+ in uvrB and polA strains, but no UV mutagenic effect was detected in R- or R46-carrying recA derivatives of a his (amber) mutant. The spontaneous reversion frequency of his nonsense mutants of all classes, and of some his missense mutants, was increased about 10-fold when the strains carried R46, but the plasmid had no effect on the spontaneous reversion frequency of some other his missense mutations or of reversion rate of his frame-shift mutants (except for two uvrB derivatives of one single-base insertion mutant). The plasmid increased the ability of wild-type, polA, and uvrB hosts to support plaque production by UV-irradiated phage, and made strain LT2 hisG46 less sensitive to methyl methane sulfonate and to X rays and more responsive to the mutagenic effect of visible-light irradiation. R46 increased spontaneous reversion frequency of a his (amber) rec+ strain, but had no such effect in its recA sublines. Since the plasmid in the absence of host recA function fails to produce its mutator effect, or to confer UV protection or to enhance UV mutagenesis, these three effects may be produced via some mechanism involved in recA-dependent deoxyribonucleic acid repair, perhaps by an increase in activity of the "error prone" component of the inducible repair pathway.

Drug Resistance, Microbial↗

Effects of paraprotein heavy and light chain types and free light chain load on survival in myeloma: an analysis of patients receiving conventional-dose chemotherapy in Medical Research Council UK multiple myeloma trials.

While investigating 2592 patients enrolled in multicenter myeloma trials, we found light chain-only (LCO) patients had worse median survival times (1.9 years) than patients with IgA and IgG paraproteins (2.3 and 2.5 years, respectively) (P < .001). However, IgA and IgG patients with levels of LC excretion similar to those of LCO patients also had poor survival times because of renal failure, resulting in worse survival during induction therapy and at relapse with no difference in progression-free survival between LCO and IgG patients. LC excretion was higher for lambda than for kappa types, but there was no difference in survival between the 2 LC types when stratified for level of LC excretion, indicating that care of renal function is vital to improving the survival of any patient with LC excretion. LCO patients were younger (P = .001), had worse performance status (P = .001), and had more lytic lesions (P < .001), perhaps reflecting late and missed diagnoses in younger and older LCO patients, respectively. No differences were observed between IgA and IgG patients in presentation characteristics, response, or survival from disease progression. The worse survival of IgA patients was attributed to shorter progression-free survival (median, 1.2 vs 1.6 years; P < .001), which is important for maintenance therapy.

Aged↗

Basic studies on visible light-curing resin for denture base. Part 8. The hardening depth of denture relining material after penetration of light through the denture base resin.

A study was performed to examine how the duration of irradiation at the time of relining with visible light-curing material influences the depth of hardening of the relining material, in relation to the thickness of the denture base placed between the denture and the relining material. It was found that for a range of denture base thickness of 1-2.5 mm, a desirable degree of hardening could be obtained using an irradiation time of 20 s for relining material with a thickness of up to 4 mm used for the basal surface.

Dental Materials↗

[Clinical study on the time courses of serum myosin light chain I levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction: effect of intracoronary thrombolysis on serum myosin light chain I levels].

Changes of serum myosin light chain I (Myosin LCI) concentrations and CK activities were serially measured in 23 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Intracoronary thrombolysis was performed in 14 patients (ICT group) while the remaining 9 patients were treated in the conventional manner (non ICT group). The relationships between the maximum levels of serum Myosin LCI or CK and a myocardial infarct size index or left ventricular function were evaluated in 18 patients. The myocardial infarct size index was determined by 201Tl myocardial scintigrams performed in the chronic phase. Multiple peaks of Myosin LCI were observed in 64% (9/14) of the ICT group and the first peak in 6 of these patients appeared Much earlier in the same time as CK peak than in the non-ICT group, while multiple peaks were seen only in one case in the non-ICT group. The infarct size index by 201Tl myocardial SPECT correlated with maximum Myosin LCI levels (r = 0.88, p < 0.001, n = 10) and CK activities (r = 0.67, p < 0.05, n = 10). These results indicate that the measurement of serum Myosin LCI is very useful for estimating the extent of myocardial damage and suggest that myocardial degeneration occurs at a very early phase of myocardial infarction.

Female↗

[Resonance light scattering study on interaction of solochrome cyanine R with protein and light scattering determination of trace protein].

The resonance light scattering (RLS) of Solochrome Cyanine R(SCR) is greatly enhanced by proteins. Based on this phenomenon, a novel method for the determination of protein by using SCR as a labeling agent was developed. In the pH 4.0 solution the enhanced intensity of RLS at 400 nm is proportional to the concentration of protein. The linear range for bovine serum albumin (BSA) is 0-5.0 mg x L(-1) and the limit of detection is 44.4 microg x L(-1). The method is simple, rapid, sensitive, stable, and tolerant of many foreign substances. It has been used to determine proteins in human urine samples with satisfactory results.

Animals↗

Immunogold quantitation of immunoglobulin light chains in renal amyloidosis and kappa light chain nephropathy.

By quantitative immunoelectron microscopy using protein A-gold, the authors compared the content and distribution of immunoglobulin light chain (LC) antigens in glomeruli from 11 cases of renal amyloidosis with that in two cases of kappa LC glomerulopathy and two cases of diabetic glomerulosclerosis. In a supplementary study and using a similar immunogold technique, the authors identified amyloid A in deparaffinized renal tissue from three of the 11 cases of renal amyloidosis. Each patient had similar clinical manifestations (chronic renal failure with proteinuria) and similar glomerular morphology (thickened glomerular basement membranes and nodular expansion of the mesangium). In 12 cases (10 amyloid, 2 kappa LC), immunoelectron microscopy localized LC antigens over the glomerular deposits and allowed indirect tissue quantitation of each LC antigen to the various cellular and interstitial compartments. In 6 of the 11 cases of renal amyloidosis, the amyloid labeled only for lambda, and in one, only for kappa. In one patient with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, who had a biclonal gammopathy, both LC were identified in the amyloid. In two cases, both of whom had a history of chronic suppurative lung disease, both LC antigens as well as amyloid A were localized to the amyloid fibrils. In only one case, in which glomerular amyloid labeled for amyloid A, the amyloid did not label for either LC. Whereas lambda LC-derived fibrils often appeared as spicules in the glomerular subepithelial space, other amyloid deposits usually accumulated in the subendothelial zone and did not form spicules. The epimembranous location of spicules suggested that the amyloid precursor protein transformed into amyloid fibrils after filtration into the urinary space. Presence of epimembranous spicules may explain the more severe proteinuric renal failure and the more rapid progression to glomerulosclerosis described in primary amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis↗

[Effect of filler system on the mechanical properties of light-cured composite resins. II. Mechanical properties of visible light-cured composite resins with binary filler system].

To improve the fracture resistance of the composite resin system under highly stressed conditions, a variable amount of microfiller was incorporated into the light-cured composite resins containing splinter-shaped silica filler. With the increasing the microfiller content (10-30 wt%) in the resin matrix, the elastic modulus, compressive proportional limit and compressive fracture strength of the composite resin were increased. The plastic deformation of the composite resins under compressive stress were decreased with increasing microfiller content. These findings suggested that the combination of a larger silica filler and microfiller would increase the compressive fracture resistance of the composite resin systems.

Composite Resins↗

Action spectra determined with tunable dye laser light for light-induced proton efflux and uptake in membrane vesicles of Halobacterium halobium.

A new pigment from Halobacterium halobium has been previously described which mediates the electrogenic extrusion of sodium ions when illuminated. Using essentially monochromatic light (0.05 nm bandwidth), maximum activity for this pigment occurred at 590 nm as monitored by passive proton uptake in envelope vesicles. The uncoupler bis(hexafluoroacetonyl)-acetone did not shift peak activity, but did increase passive proton influx. When the new pigment (NaP590) bacteriorhodopsin, the well characterized proton pump, and were compared at their respective wave-lengths of maximum activity, NaP590 required approximately 100-fold more energy to achieve saturation.

Acetone↗

Sequences of V kappa L subgroup light chains in Fanconi's syndrome. Light chain V region gene usage restriction and peculiarities in myeloma-associated Fanconi's syndrome.

Certain monoclonal Ig light chains (LC) are responsible for marked disturbances of proximal tubule cell functions (Fanconi's syndrome, FS). In patients with FS, intracellular crystal-like inclusions containing LC determinants are commonly found in plasma cells, macrophages, and renal tubular cells. In an attempt at understanding the pathogenesis of myeloma-associated FS, we recently determined the first complete primary sequence of a kappa-LC (CHEB) responsible for the disease. We now report on the primary structure of three other kappa-LC of the V kappa l variability subgroup associated with FS (TRE, TRO, and DEL). After PCR amplification, cDNA encoding these LC were sequenced. CHEB, TRE, and TRO LC genes were found to be highly homologous to the same germline gene O2/O12. These patients had numerous intracellular crystals, whereas the fourth patient, DEL, had no detectable crystals. The LC from the latter patient was homologous to another germline gene, O8/O18. Comparison of these LC sequences to previously reported LC of the V kappa l subgroup allowed identification of a number of unusual amino acid substitutions in the V region that had rarely or never been previously described at the corresponding positions. Some of these unusual substitutions affect highly conserved amino acids located either in an external loop (residue 30) or in inner (residues 48 and 55) and outer (positions 63 and 72) beta-sheets that may be important for the structure and binding properties of the kappa-chains. These and several other substitutions, some of them shared with amyloidogenic kappa-LC, could induce conformational alterations and represent a determinant pathogenic factor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Microhardness and porosity of Class 2 light-cured composite restorations cured with a transparent cone attached to the light-curing wand.

A new technique for curing class 2 composite fillings was investigated with respect to microhardness and porosity in the cervical part of the restorations. The technique is based on a plastic transparent cone that is attached to the curing wand. Before polymerizing the cervical portion, the cone is pressed down into the material in the direction of the floor of the approximal box. When the light is activated, it concentrates in the tip of the cone, from where it is distributed into the composite material. In order to compare this technique with conventional curing, standardized class 2 cavity preparations were made in brass blocks. Four different composite materials were used for 20 restorations each: Heliomolar, Herculite XR, Occlusin, and P-50. Ten restorations of each material were cured using the conventional technique (in two portions), and in the remaining 10 restorations the cervical portion was cured with the transparent cone. The irradiation time was 60 seconds in all instances. The Vickers hardness of the cervical approximal surfaces was measured after one and 24 hours. The surfaces were photographed in a stereomicroscope, and the numbers of porosities were counted on black-and-white prints.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acrylic Resins↗

Light collection efficiency and light transport in backscattered electron scintillator detectors in scanning electron microscopy.

Experimentally, scintillator detectors used in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to record backscattered electrons (BSE) show a noticeable difference in detection efficiency in different parts of their active zones due to light losses transport in the optical part of the detector. A model is proposed that calculates the local efficiency of the active parts of scintillator detectors of arbitrary shapes. The results of these calculations for various designs are presented.

Journal Article↗