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The article focuses on the remodeling of the residential buildings in Lake Michigan, Chicago designed by SPACE Architects + Planners.

The article offers information on the remodeling project of HighCraft Builders to a family home located in Old Town, Colorado, along with works conducted by the team of Project Manager Gordon Winner of HighCraft to the house.

ABSTRACTMembers of the order Chlamydialescomprise a group of exquisitely evolved parasites of eukaryotic hosts that extends from single-celled amoeba to mammals. The most notable are human pathogens and include the agent of oculogenital disease Chlamydia trachomatis, the respiratory pathogen C. pneumoniae, and the zoonotic agent C. psittaci. All of these species are obligate intracellular bacteria that develop within parasitophorous vesicles termed inclusions. This demanding lifestyle necessitates orchestrated entry into nonphagocytic cells, creation of a privileged intracellular niche, and subversion of potent host defenses. All chlamydial genomes contain the coding capacity for a nonflagellar type III secretion system, and this mechanism has arisen as an essential contributor to chlamydial virulence. The emergence of tractable approaches to the genetic manipulation of chlamydiae raises the possibility of explosive progress in understanding this important contributor to chlamydial pathogenesis. This minireview considers challenges and recent advances that have revealed how chlamydiae have maintained conserved aspects of T3S while exploiting diversification to yield a system that exerts a fundamental role in the unique biology of Chlamydiaspecies.

ABSTRACTChlamydia trachomatisis a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that preferentially infects epithelial cells. Professional phagocytes provide C. trachomatisonly a limited ability to survive and are proficient killers of chlamydiae. We present evidence herein that identifies a novel host defense protein, perforin-2, that plays a significant role in the eradication of C. trachomatisduring the infection of macrophages. Knockdown of perforin-2 in macrophages did not alter the invasion of host cells but did result in chlamydial growth that closely mirrored that detected in HeLa cells. C trachomatisL2, serovar B, and serovar D and C. muridarumwere all equally susceptible to perforin-2-mediated killing. Interestingly, induction of perforin-2 expression in epithelial cells is blocked during productive chlamydial growth, thereby protecting chlamydiae from bactericidal attack. Ectopic expression of perforin-2 in HeLa cells, however, does result in killing. Overall, our data implicate a new innate resistance protein in the control of chlamydial infection and may help explain why the macrophage environment is hostile to chlamydial growth.

The article focuses on the L-shaped terrace in Nashville, Tennessee, designed by Wade Weissmann Architecture.

The article focuses on a house renovation located in Long Beach, California.

The article focuses on the remodeling of a ranch bungalow located in Santa Barbara, California, designed by Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects and remodeled by Allen Associates, which feature elegant textures and designs that gave life to the home.

The article focuses on the restoration of an 1860s stone smokehouse in a home backyard located in Howell, Michigan by Paul McClorey of Paulson's Construction Inc.

The article focuses on the renovation of a 155-year-old Victorian home located in LaGrange, Illinois.

The article focuses on the programs and services offered by manufacturers to strengthen the businesses of remodeling contractors in the U.S. As stated, a coalition of manufacturers support a program through BI Coalition Marketing Group called Contractor Rewards, which incentivizes remodelers. The Liners Direct is helping exterior remodelers provides an iPad application that allows customers to build their own bathroom. Behr has introduced a Direct to Pro program for helping contractors.

ABSTRACTChlamydiaspp. are among the many pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria that employ a type III secretion system (T3SS) to overcome host defenses and exploit available resources. Significant progress has been made in elucidating contributions of T3S to the pathogenesis of these medically important, obligate intracellular parasites, yet important questions remain. Chief among these is how secreted effector proteins traverse eukaryotic membranes to gain access to the host cytosol. Due to a complex developmental cycle, it is possible that chlamydiae utilize a different complement of proteins to accomplish translocation at different stages of development. We investigated this possibility by extending the characterization of C. trachomatisCopB and CopB2. CopB is detected early during infection but is depleted and not detected again until about 20 h postinfection. In contrast, CopB2 was detectible throughout development. CopB is associated with the inclusion membrane. Biochemical and ectopic expression analyses were consistent with peripheral association of CopB2 with inclusion membranes. This interaction correlated with development and required both chlamydial de novoprotein synthesis and T3SS activity. Collectively, our data indicate that it is unlikely that CopB serves as the sole chlamydial translocation pore and that CopB2 is capable of association with the inclusion membrane.

The article discusses the growing use of plastics and composite elements as alternatives to natural wood or metal in residential remodeling. It is stated that real wood and simulate wood grains are digitized by manufacturers with the help of technological advances. Jerry Blais, vice president of marketing for the Siding Group of Cary, comments that a way out of the cookie-cutter syndrome is provided to homeowners by the sue of composites.

The article reviews the architectural design of a house, in the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts, originally designed by architect, Royal Barry Wills.

The article focuses on the use of prepackaged solar-electric and solar water-heating (SWH) systems for residential houses. The systems enable residential contractors to get into the solar market in an easy way. According to chief executive director of Redwood City, California-based Ready Solar, Bob Giles, the use of the system allows contractors to enter into the solar market even without specialized knowledge and they able to provide customers with a product that is easy to install.

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that develops within a parasitophorous vacuole termed an inclusion. The inclusion is nonfusogenic with lysosomes but intercepts lipids from a host cell exocytic pathway. Initiation of chlamydial development is concurrent with modification of the inclusion membrane by a set of C. trachomatis-encoded proteins collectively designated Incs. One of these Incs, IncA, is functionally associated with the homotypic fusion of inclusions. Inclusions also do not fuse when cultures are multiply infected with C. trachomatis and cultivated at 32 degrees C. We obtained evidence linking these experimental observations by characterizing IncA localization in 32 degrees C cultures. Analysis of inclusions by light and transmission electron microscopy confirmed that HeLa cells infected with multiple C. trachomatis elementary bodies and cultivated at 32 degrees C for 24 h contained multiple, independent inclusions. Reverse transcriptase PCR and immunoblot analyses of C. trachomatis-infected HeLa cells demonstrated the presence of IncA at 24 h in 32 degrees C cultures. When parallel cultures were probed with IncA-specific antibodies in indirect immunofluorescence assays, IncA was detectable in intracellular chlamydiae but not within the inclusion membrane. In addition, analysis of purified reticulate bodies from 37 and 32 degrees C cultures showed that bacterium-associated pools of IncA are enriched in cultures grown at 32 degrees C. Microscopic observation of infected cells revealed that some vacuoles had fused by 48 h postinfection, and this finding was correlated with the detection of IncA in inclusion membranes by immunofluorescence microscopy. The data are consistent with a requirement for IncA in fusions of C. trachomatis inclusions and suggest that the effect of incubation at 32 degrees C is manifested by restricted export of IncA to the inclusion membrane.

ABSTRACTChlamydia trachomatisis an obligate intracellular bacterium that develops within a parasitophorous vacuole termed an inclusion. The inclusion is nonfusogenic with lysosomes but intercepts lipids from a host cell exocytic pathway. Initiation of chlamydial development is concurrent with modification of the inclusion membrane by a set of C. trachomatis-encoded proteins collectively designated Incs. One of these Incs, IncA, is functionally associated with the homotypic fusion of inclusions. Inclusions also do not fuse when cultures are multiply infected with C. trachomatisand cultivated at 32°C. We obtained evidence linking these experimental observations by characterizing IncA localization in 32°C cultures. Analysis of inclusions by light and transmission electron microscopy confirmed that HeLa cells infected with multiple C. trachomatiselementary bodies and cultivated at 32°C for 24 h contained multiple, independent inclusions. Reverse transcriptase PCR and immunoblot analyses of C. trachomatis-infected HeLa cells demonstrated the presence of IncA at 24 h in 32°C cultures. When parallel cultures were probed with IncA-specific antibodies in indirect immunofluorescence assays, IncA was detectable in intracellular chlamydiae but not within the inclusion membrane. In addition, analysis of purified reticulate bodies from 37 and 32°C cultures showed that bacterium-associated pools of IncA are enriched in cultures grown at 32°C. Microscopic observation of infected cells revealed that some vacuoles had fused by 48 h postinfection, and this finding was correlated with the detection of IncA in inclusion membranes by immunofluorescence microscopy. The data are consistent with a requirement for IncA in fusions of C. trachomatisinclusions and suggest that the effect of incubation at 32°C is manifested by restricted export of IncA to the inclusion membrane.

The article discusses the strategies employed by the house construction industry Landis Architects Builders to solve issues like green practices on an older ranch home in Potomac, Maryland. Topics discussed includes insulation of roof structure with Icynene closed-cell spray foam and forced-air HVAC system employed by house.

Yersinia pestis, the etiologic agent of plague, secretes a set of environmentally regulated, plasmid pCD1-encoded virulence proteins termed Yops and V antigen (LcrV) by a type III secretion mechanism (Ysc). LcrV is a multifunctional protein that has been shown to act at the level of secretion control by binding the Ysc inner-gate protein LcrG and to modulate the host immune response by altering cytokine production. LcrV also is essential for the unidirectional targeting of Yops to the cytosol of infected eukaryotic cells. In this study, we constructed an in-frame deletion within lcrG (DeltalcrG3) to further analyze the requirement of LcrV in Yop targeting. We confirmed the essentiality of LcrV and found that LcrG may have a facilitative role, perhaps by promoting efficient secretion of LcrV. We also constructed mutants of lcrV expressing LcrV truncated at the N or C terminus. Both the N and C termini of LcrV were required for the secretion of LcrV into the medium and targeting of Yops. LcrV was detected in punctate zones on the surface of fixed Y. pestis by laser-scanning confocal microscopy, and this localization required a functional Ysc. However, the truncated LcrV proteins were not found on the bacterial surface. Finally, we tested the ability of LcrV-specific Fab antibody fragments or full-length antibody to interfere with Yop targeting and found no interference, even though this antibody protects mice against plague. These results indicate that LcrV may function in Yop targeting at the extracellular surface of yersiniae and that the protective efficacy of LcrV-specific antibodies can be manifested without blocking Yop targeting.

Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of bubonic plague and possesses a set of plasmid-encoded, secretable virulence proteins termed LcrV and Yops which are essential for survival in mammalian hosts. Yops and LcrV are secreted by a type III mechanism (Ysc), and Yops are unidirectionally targeted into the cytosol of associated eukaryotic cells in a tissue culture infection model. LcrV is required for Yops targeting, and recent findings have revealed that it can localize to the bacterial surface; however, its fate in this infection model has not been investigated in detail. In this study, we compared the localization of LcrV to that of the targeted proteins YopE and YopM by immunoblot analysis of fractions of Yersinia-infected HeLa cultures or by laser-scanning confocal microscopy of infected monolayers. Both LcrV and YopE were secreted by contact-activated, extracellularly localized yersiniae and were targeted to the HeLa cell cytosol. Although a significant amount of LcrV partitioned to the culture medium (unlike YopE), this extracellular pool of LcrV was not the source of the LcrV that entered HeLa cells. Unlike targeting of YopE and YopM, targeting of LcrV occurred in the absence of a functional Ysc apparatus and other virulence plasmid (pCD1)-expressed proteins. However, the Ysc is necessary for LcrV to be released into the medium, and our recent work has shown that localization of LcrV on the bacterial surface requires the Ysc. These results indicate that two mechanisms exist for the secretion of LcrV by Y. pestis, both of which are activated by contact with eukaryotic cells. LcrV secreted by the Ysc reaches the bacterial surface and the surrounding medium, whereas the second is a novel, Ysc-independent pathway which results in localization of LcrV in the cytosol of infected cells but not the surrounding medium.

High-purity bovine brain clathrin elicited antibodies, which were separated by affinity chromatography on clathrin conjugated with CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B. Indirect immunofluorescent labeling on cultured rat fibroblasts showed the characteristic dotted fluorescence throughout the entire cytoplasm and concentrated patches of fluorescence in areas where the Golgi apparatus and GERL (Golgi apparatus-endoplasmic reticulum-lysosome complex) exist next to the nucleus. Cerebellar tissue sections exhibited profuse immunofluorescence in the granular layer; dissociated cultures of neonatal rat cerebellar cells showed intense fluorescence in the cytoplasm and processes of granule cell neurons. The data suggest that clathrin is an abundant protein distinctly localized in the cytoplasm of cells and clearly correlated in its distribution and arrangement with actin stress fibers.

This report describes the cytoskeleton nature of a 60,000-mol-wt protein, P60, previously shown to undergo Ca2+ influx-induced phosphorylation concomitant with insulin release in hamster insulinoma cells. Four lines of evidence suggest that P60 is an intermediate filament protein of the keratin class. (a) As previously described (Schubart, U.K., 1982, J. Biol. Chem. 257:12231-12238), Triton X-100-insoluble cytoskeletons are enriched for P60; (b) these cytoskeletons contain 7-11-nm filaments as determined by negative staining; (c) immunoblot analysis revealed that all proteins detected in the insulinoma cell cytoskeletons are recognized by a monoclonal antibody that interacts with a common determinant in all intermediate filament proteins; and (d) P60 was shown, by its identical migration on two-dimensional electrophoresis and by its immunologic relatedness, to be analogous to a known keratin present in HeLa cells. An antibody specific for P60, as judged by immunoblotting, was developed in a rabbit. In indirect immunofluorescence studies on insulinoma cells, this anti-P60 antibody produced a filamentous staining pattern. The antibody also permitted the identification of P60 in normal pancreatic islets as determined both by immunoblotting of hamster islet proteins resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis and by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy on cryostat sections of hamster pancreas. In addition, the antibody recognized an antigen in the epithelial layer of pancreatic exocrine ducts, as determined by indirect immunofluorescence. The data have implications for the embryonic origin of pancreatic islets. Together with the phosphorylation data, these findings suggest that this islet cell cytokeratin may be involved in the regulation of insulin release.

Antisera were raised to the 210,000-dalton and the 49,000-dalton proteins of a fraction enriched in intermediate (10 nm) filaments from human brain. Proteins of the filament preparation were separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and used for immunization and subsequent analysis of the reactions of the sera by rocket immunoelectrophoresis. Anti-210,000-dalton serum precipitated proteins of molecular weights 210,000, 160,000, and 68,000, and, thus, reacted with all the neurofilament triplet components. Anti-49,000-dalton serum did not react with the triplet proteins but precipitated the 49,000-dalton protein. By immunofluorescence on tissue sections, anti-210,000-dalton serum bound to neuronal axons in sciatic nerve and cerebellum. In dissociated cell cultures, rat dorsal root ganglion cells and their processes bound the serum, whereas nonneuronal cells did not. Some cultured cerebellar neurons were also positive, whereas astrocytes were not. At the ultrastructural level, anti-210,000-dalton serum bound to intermediate filaments inside axonal processes. Anti-49,000-dalton serum bound to astrocytes in sections of the cerebellum, and cultured astrocytes had filaments that stained, whereas other cell types did not. In sciatic nerve sections, elements stained with this serum, but cultured cells from newborn sciatic nerve were negative. An antiserum against the 58,000-dalton protein of the cytoskeleton of NIL-8 fibroblasts strongly stained sciatic nerve sections, binding to Schwann cells but not to axons or to myelin. In cerebellar sections, astrocytes were positive, as were blood vessels and cells in the pia. In cell cultures, anti-58,000-dalton serum stained filaments inside Schwann cells, fibroblasts, and astrocytes, but neurons were negative. Cells in the cultures and tissue sections of the nervous system failed to react with antiserum to the 58,000-dalton protein of skin intermediate filaments. In these studies, astrocytes in vivo and in culture were the only cells which had antigens related to two classes of intermediate filaments.

The article focuses on a kitchen renovation in a house located in Geneva, Illinois that was designed by Synergy Builders.

The article focuses on a kitchen renovation in a 400-square-foot home located in Washington, D.C. designed by architectural firm Landis Construction.

The article focuses on a kitchen renovation in a home located in Nixa, Missouri.

The article reports on the software programs developed to help the remodelers in estimating and managing time and tasks like subcontractors and client relationship. Corey Thrush of H. I. Technologies LLC states the programs that offer remote access allow estimators to pull in additional expertise if needed. It reports that some of the new programs are Internet based, which retains and backs up data in case remodeler's hard drive crashes.