bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Activation of 2-Aminofluorene by Cultured Plant Cells
Authors: Plewa Michael J. , Weaver Danny L. , Blair L. Curt , Gentile James M.
Published: October 2006

Cultured tobacco plant cells activated 2-aminofluorene to an agent mutagenic to
Salmonella typhimurium
strain TA98. The plant activation of 2-aminofluorene is heat-inactivated and may not involve solely cytochrome P-450. The kinetics of activation demonstrated both time- and concentration-dependent responses.
Bimolane: Structure Determination Indicates Anticancer Activity Is Attributable to ICRF-154
Authors: Camerman N. , Hempel A. , Camerman A.
Published: October 2006

X-ray diffraction studies of crystals from samples of bimolane synthesized in China and in the United States showed that the crystals consist of the related compound ICRF-154. Analysis of the results of biological tests did not show any significant differences between the anticancer activity of bimolane and ICRF-154. It appears that the anticancer activity of bimolane is due to ICRF-154.
Recent Discoveries Relating to the Origin and Antiquity of Man
Authors: Osborn Henry Fairfield
Published: October 2006

Let us therefore conclude with consideration of the ancestry of man according to the modified concept of "dawn men," not "ape-men." In the first place, over an incredibly long period of time the Dawn Men have been tool-makers, of high adaptability and wonderful technique. We have then a biped, a being with a hand capable of grasping and controlling tools, a tool-maker with as fine a sense of touch as that of any of the present-day etchers, engravers and artists. In my opinion, the pro-man psychology, leaving out the evidence of anatomy and morphology, is certainly that of a Dawn Man and not of an "ape-man." I agree with my colleagues that man passed through an arboreal stage, but I believe that this stage did not progress so far as to carry man into a stage approaching that of the anthropoid apes. Dollo has stated the law of the irreversibility of evolution. The brachiating hand of the ape was used as a hook—apes do not grasp a branch with the fingers and thumb but hook the whole hand over the branch, as trapeze workers do to-day—and the thumb was therefore a grave danger. If man had gone through a prolonged period of brachiating in the branches of trees he would have lost his thumb. I agree to putting our arboreal ancestors back to Eocene time, but I predict that even in Upper Oligocene time we shall find pro-men, and if we find Oligocene pro-man—in Mongolia, for example—that he will have pro-human limbs, not proanthropoid ape limbs.
Studies in Microbial Thermogenesis
Authors: James Lawrence H. , James Lawrence H.
Published: October 2006

An apparatus for the study of the "spontaneous" heat production in stored organic materials has been described. Experiments with commercial cornmeal and cracked yellow field corn have shown that temperatures above 60°C. can readily be produced under suitable conditions of moisture content, oxygen supply and insulation, and that marked heating does not take place in the absence of oxygen.

"Spontaneous" heat production is the result of oxidative reactions and will not take place to any marked extent in the absence of air or oxygen. Stored organic materials will not heat if retained under anaerobic conditions.
Normal Cells of Patients with High Cancer Risk Syndromes Lack Transforming Activity in the NIH/3T3 Transfection Assay
Authors: Needleman Samuel W. , Yuasa Yasuhito , Srivastava Shiv , Aaronson Stuart A.
Published: October 2006

Oncogenes capable of transforming NIH/3T3 cells are often present in human tumors and tumor cell lines. Such oncogenes were not detected in normal fibroblast lines derived from patients with several clinical syndromes associated with greatly increased cancer risk. Thus, germ-line transmission of these oncogenes does not appear to be the predisposing factor responsible for these high cancer risk syndromes.
The Edge Cell, a Possible Intraspinal Mechanoreceptor
Authors: Grillner Sten , Williams Thelma , Lagerbäck Per-Åke
Published: October 2006

In the lateral edge of the "white matter" in the lamprey spinal cord, there is a group of nerve cells referred to as edge cells. The results of a combined physiological, light microscopical, and electron microscopical study suggest that these cells serve as intraspinal mechanoreceptors. Edge cells are depolarized on stretch of the lateral margin of the spinal cord, and they have nestlike ramifications in this region oriented in a rostrocaudal plane. These cells exhibit a close structural similarity with the crayfish stretch receptor.
Epinephrine Enables Pavlovian Fear Conditioning Under Anesthesia
Authors: Weinberger N. M. , Gold P. E. , Sternberg D. B.
Published: October 2006

Rats underwent Pavlovian defensive conditioning (noise paired with shock) while under general anesthesia. Peripheral administration of epinephrine (0.01 to 1.0 milligram per kilogram of body weight) during training resulted in the acquisition of conditioned fear, as shown 10 days later by conditioned suppression of water drinking. Analysis of heart rate and measurement of reflexes during training indicated that epinephrine did not lighten the state of anesthesia. These results indicate that epinephrine enables the learning of conditioned fear in the anesthetized brain.
Human Monocytic Cell Lines Derived from Cord Leukocytes by Co-Cultivation with Irradiated CM-S Cells
Authors: Revoltella R. P. , Vigneti E. , Ragona G. , Rocchi G.
Published: October 2006

The CM-S cell line was established from the bone marrow of a child with congenital hypoplastic anemia and resembles its monocyte-macrophage lineage. Lethally x-irradiated CM-S cells from various passages and clones, representing different stages in the progression of the transformed growth phenotype, were tested for their ability to affect the survival and proliferation of normal human cord or adult blood leukocytes in co-culture. One clone, CM-SM, which is tumorigenic in athymic mice, consistently immortalized umbilical cord mononuclear cells but did not immortalize adult peripheral blood leukocytes. Six autonomous monocyte-like diploid cell lines were obtained and all were found to be of cord origin. Three lines were tumorigenic in athymic mice. Attempts to immortalize human leukocytes with cell-free supernatants from CM-S cells were unsuccessful.
Barbiturate-Enhanced Detection of Brain Lesions by Carbon-14-Labeled 2-Deoxyglucose Autoradiography
Authors: Frey Kirk A. , Agranoff Bernard W.
Published: October 2006

Cerebral glucose metabolism in rats was examined 1 week after the production by ibotenic acid of unilateral striatal lesions. The incorporation of carbon-14-labeled deoxyglucose decreased within the lesion but much less than that of carbon-14-labeled glucose. Barbiturate anesthesia caused a reversal of the asymmetric striatal deoxyglucose labeling, such that the lesioned striatum retained more tracer than the contralateral side. The combined use of barbiturates and radiolabeled deoxyglucose may enhance the identification of recent brain infarction in experimental animals and in man.
Metabolic Mapping of Functional Activity in Human Subjects with the [
18
F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Technique
Authors: Greenberg J. H. , Reivich M. , Alavi A. , Hand P. , Rosenquist A. , Rintelmann W. , Stein A. , Tusa R. , Dann R. , Christman D. , Fowler J. , MacGregor B. , Wolf A.
Published: October 2006

The 2-[
18
F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose technique was used to measure regional cerebral glucose utilization by human subjects during functional activation. Normal male volunteers subjected to one or more sensory stimuli (tactile, visual, or auditory) exhibited focal increases in glucose metabolism in response to the stimulus. Unilateral visual hemifield stimulation caused the contralateral striate cortex to become more metabolically active than the striate cortex ipsilateral to the stimulated hemifield. Similarly, stroking the fingers and hand of one arm with a brush produced an increase in metabolism in the contralateral postcentral gyrus, compared with the homologous ipsilateral region. The auditory stimulus, which consisted of a monaurally presented factual story caused an increase in glucose metabolism in the auditory cortex in the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulated ear. These results demonstrate that the technique is capable of providing functional maps in vivo related to both body region and submodality of sensory information in the human brain.
Saving Time And Storage in Breeding Sugar-Beets
Authors: Stewart George
Published: October 2006

(1) By seeding sugar-beets in the greenhouse in early December or sooner, by exposing the growing beets to electric light for a few hours in the evening and by transplanting the roots into the field in spring, a seed generation may be produced every year.

(2) The beets must have reached a minimum stage of maturity at transplanting time, otherwise many may fail to produce seed.

(3) Storage for one month in a cellar before transplanting failed to give any observable benefit.
Vitamin D—Dependent Calcium Binding Protein: Immunocytochemical Localization in Chick Kidney
Authors: Roth Jürgen , Thorens Bernard , Hunziker Willi , Norman Anthony W. , Orci L.
Published: October 2006

A vitamin D—dependent calcium binding protein in the chick kidney that was detected by immunocytochemical techniques was localized exclusively in the distal convoluted tubule, the initial collecting tubule, and the early part of the collecting tubule. The intercalated (mitochondria-rich) cells in these tubular segments were negative for the calcium binding protein. Subcellularly, the protein was found in the cytosol and the nucleus of the tubular cells. The results suggest a role for vitamin D—dependent calcium binding protein in intracellular calcium metabolism rather than a direct involvement in membrane-mediated calcium reabsorption in the avian kidney.
Pregnancy Suppression by Active Immunization Against Gestation-Specific Riboflavin Carrier Protein
Authors: Murty C. V. Ramana , Adiga P. Radhakantha
Published: October 2006

A riboflavin carrier protein isolated from chickens cross-reacts with a gestation-specific rodent carrier for riboflavin. Active immunization of female rats of proved fertility with the purified chicken carrier protein completely yet reversibly suppressed early pregnancy without impairing implantation per se. Concurrently there were no discernible adverse effects on maternal health in terms of weight gain, vitamin status, and fertility.
Decreased Insulin Receptors But Normal Glucose Metabolism in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Authors: De Pirro Roberto , Lauro Renato , Testa Ivano , Ferretti Ginofabrizio , De Martinis Carlo , Dellatonio Renzo
Published: October 2006

Compared to matched controls, 17 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy showed decreased insulin binding to monocytes due to decreased receptor concentration. These patients showed no signs of altered glucose metabolism and retrospective analysis of the clinical records of a further 56 such patients revealed no modification in carbohydrate metabolism. These data suggest that reduced insulin receptor number does not produce overt modifications of glucose metabolism in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Lipofuscin: Resolution of Discrepant Fluorescence Data
Authors: Eldred Graig E. , Miller Gregory V. , Stark William S. , Feeney-Burns Lynette
Published: October 2006

Lipofuscin granules (age pigments) emit yellow light under ultraviolet excitation in the fluorescence microscope. The reported blue emission maximum of extracts of lipofuscin-laden cells may result from instrumental bias. The major fluorescent components that accumulate with age in these lysosomal residual bodies of human retinal pigment epithelium are yellow-emitting fluorophores. Different age-related fluorophores, which do emit blue light, are derived from other intracellular sources. A reevaluation of the connection between blue-emitting lipid peroxidation products and the age-related lipofuscin granules of classical pathology is necessary.
Regression of Tumors in Guinea Pigs After Treatment with Synthetic Muramyl Dipeptides and Trehalose Dimycolate
Authors: McLaughlin Charles A. , Schwartzman Steven M. , Horner Bonnie L. , Jones Gordan H. , Moffatt John G. , Nestor John J. , Tegg Derek
Published: October 2006

A high incidence of tumor regression was observed in guinea pigs bearing transplantable, line-10 hepatocellular carcinomas when synthetic muramyl dipeptides combined with trehalose dimycolate in oil-in-water emulsions were injected directly into the tumors. These compounds are promising candidates to replace viable bacillus Calmette-Guérinin cancer immunotherapy in humans and animals.
Reward-Induced Stereotypy: Modulation by the Hippocampus
Authors: Devenport Lynn D. , Devenport Jill A. , Holloway Frank A.
Published: October 2006

In animals with hippocampal damage, the signaled administration of reward is sufficient to induce the sort of behavioral stereotypy and locomotion that heretofore has been observed only after drug administration. Haloperidol returns these behaviors to normal. The interaction of the hippocampus with reward helps to explain many well-known characteristics of animals with lesions in the hippocampus and may have relevance for catecholamine-based clinical disorders.
Rod-Cone Interaction in the Distal Human Retina
Authors: Sandberg Michael A. , Berson Eliot L. , Effron Marc H.
Published: October 2006

During the rod-isolated phase of dark adaptation, b-wave implicit time of the human cone electroretinogram increased exponentially with a time constant corresponding to that for the regeneration of rhodopsin. In the presence of different photopically equated short-wave backgrounds, cone b-wave implicit time varied inversely with the scotopic brightness of the background. Taking into account the origin of the b wave, these measurements support the idea of a rod effect on cone function in the distal human retina.
Enhanced Spinal Cord Regeneration in Lamprey by Applied Electric Fields
Authors: Borgens Richard B. , Roederer Ernesto , Cohen Melvin J.
Published: October 2006

After a weak, steady electric current of approximately 10 microamperes was imposed across the completely severed spinal cord of the larval lamprey
Petromyzon marinus
, enhanced regeneration was observed in the severed giant reticulospinal neurons. The current was applied with implanted wick electrodes for 5 to 6 days after transection (cathode distal to lesion). The spinal cords were examined 44 to 63 days after the operation by means of intracellular fluorescent dye injections and electrophysiology. Extracellular stimulation of whole cords showed that action potentials in most of the electrically treated preparations were conducted in both directions across the lesion, but they were not conducted in either direction in most of the sham-treated controls. In most of the electrically treated animals, processes from giant axons with swollen irregular tips, indicating active growth, were seen in or across the lesion. Only a few of the sham-treated controls showed these features. It is possible that these facilitated regenerative responses were mediated by the effects of the artificially applied electric fields on the natural steady current of injury entering the spinal lesion.
Retinal Ganglion Cell Classes in the Old World Monkey: Morphology and Central Projections
Authors: Leventhal Audie G. , Rodieck R. W. , Dreher B.
Published: October 2006

Labeled ganglion cells were studied in whole-mount retinas of Old World monkeys after electrophoretic injections of horseradish peroxidase into physiologically characterized sites. A number of different morphological classes have been identified, each of which has a distinctive pattern of central projection. Since different functional classes of primate retinal ganglion cells also have distinctive patterns of central projection, correspondences between functional and morphological cell types have been inferred. There prove to be parallels between morphological types of cat and monkey ganglion cells.
Sodium-Calcium Exchange Activity Generates a Current in Cardiac Membrane Vesicles
Authors: Reeves John P. , Sutko John L.
Published: October 2006

Sarcolemmal membrane vesicles isolated from canine ventricular tissue accumulate calcium through the sodium-calcium exchange system when an outwardly directed sodium gradient is generated across the vesicle membrane. Moreover, calcium uptake under these conditions is accompanied by the transient accumulation of the lipophilic cation tetraphenylphosphonium. Since the distribution of tetraphenylphosphonium across biological membranes reflects the magnitude and direction of transmembrane potential differences and the characteristics of the transient accumulation of this cation closely resemble those of sodium-calcium exchange activity, it is concluded that a membrane potential, interior negative, is produced during calcium accumulation through the exchange system. Thus, the operation of the sodium-calcium exchange system generates a current in cardiac membrane vesicles, suggesting that three or more sodium ions exchange for each calcium ion.
Tritiated Imipramine Binding Sites Are Decreased in Platelets of Untreated Depressed Patients
Authors: Briley M. S. , Langer S. Z. , Raisman R. , Sechter D. , Zarifian E.
Published: October 2006

The high-affinity binding of tritiated imipramine to platelet membranes was compared in samples from 16 untreated depressed women and 21 age-matched controls of the same sex. The maximal binding in the depressed group was significantly lower than that of the controls, although the affinity constants were similar. These results suggest that binding of tritiated imipramine in human platelets may represent a biochemical index of depression, possibly reflecting similar changes in the brain.
Minimal Conditions for the Visual Detection of Structure and Motion in Three Dimensions
Authors: Lappin Joseph S. , Doner Jonathan F. , Kottas Brian L.
Published: October 2006

Human observers detected the global three-dimensional organization of visual patterns consisting of only two successive frames of randomly positioned dots, corresponding to projections of a rotating sphere. A perfectly coherent sphere yielded a stable perceptual organization that was detected more accurately than other slightly less organized patterns.
Ozone Selectively Inhibits Growth of Human Cancer Cells
Authors: Sweet Frederick , Kao Ming-Shian , Lee Song-Chiau , Hagar Will L. , Sweet Wileen E.
Published: October 2006

The growth of human cancer cells from lung, breast, and uterine tumors was selectively inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by ozone at 0.3 to 0.8 part per million of ozone in ambient air during 8 days of culture. Human lung diploid fibroblasts served as noncancerous control cells. The presence of ozone at 0.3 to 0.5 part per million inhibited cancer cell growth 40 and 60 percent, respectively. The noncancerous lung cells were unaffected at these levels. Exposure to ozone at 0.8 part per million inhibited cancer cell growth more than 90 percent and control cell growth less than 50 percent. Evidently, the mechanisms for defense against ozone damage are impaired in human cancer cells.
Fourier-Transformed Infrared Photoacoustic Spectroscopy of Biological Materials
Authors: Rockley M. G. , Davis D. M. , Richardson H. H.
Published: October 2006

A new technique for measuring the infrared spectra of solids has been developed. The photoacoustic spectra of hemin, hemoglobin, protoporphyrin IX, and horseradish peroxidase show how this technique can be used to obtain structural information about biological materials which cannot readily be studied by normal transmission infrared spectroscopy. The method requires milligram quantities of material and involves no sample preparation.
Cyclophosphamide-Induced Spermatogenic Effects Detected in the F
1
Generation by Behavioral Testing
Authors: Adams Perrie M. , Fabricant Jill D. , Legator Marvin S.
Published: October 2006

Fischer 344 male rats were treated with cyclophosphamide (10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight) for 5 weeks and subsequently mated to females previously treated with saline or cyclophosphamide. The F
1
progeny of the cyclophosphamide-treated males exhibited behavior deficits when compared to controls. These data could indicate a chemically induced genetic effect manifested by behavioral alterations.
X- and Y-Cells in the Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus of the Owl Monkey (
Aotus trivirgatus
)
Authors: Sherman S. Murray , Wilson J. R. , Kaas J. H. , Webb S. V.
Published: October 2006

The owl monkey, as do other mammals, has X- and Y-cells in its lateral geniculate nucleus. X-cells are found in the parvocellular laminae; Y-cells, in the magnocellular laminae.
A Yeast Protein Similar to Bacterial Two-Component Regulators
Authors: Ota Irene M. , Varshavsky Alexander
Published: October 2006

Many bacterial signaling pathways involve a two-component design. In these pathways, a sensor kinase, when activated by a signal, phosphorylates its own histidine, which then serves as a phosphoryl donor to an aspartate in a response regulator protein. The Sln1 protein of the yeast
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
has sequence similarities to both the histidine kinase and the response regulator proteins of bacteria. A missense mutation in
SLN1
is lethal in the absence but not in the presence of the N-end rule pathway, a ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic system. The finding of
SLN1
demonstrates that a mode of signal transduction similar to the bacterial two-component design operates in eukaryotes as well.
Monocular Deprivation: Morphological Effects on Different Classes of Neurons in the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
Authors: Garey L. J. , Blakemore Colin
Published: October 2006

Retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase from areas 17 and 18 of the cat's visual cortex labels, principally, the small (X) and large (Y) cells, respectively, of the lateral geniculate nucleus. Quantitative analysis of the sizes of these morphologically identified neurons after monocular deprivation shows that the arrest of cell growth in the deprived laminae involves mainly Y cells.
Dialkylglycine Decarboxylase Structure: Bifunctional Active Site and Alkali Metal Sites
Authors: Toney Michael D. , Hohenester Erhard , Cowan Sandra W. , Jansonius Johan N.
Published: October 2006

The structure of the bifunctional, pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme dialkylglycine decarboxylase was determined to 2.1-angstrom resolution. Model building suggests that a single cleavage site catalyzes both decarboxylation and transamination by maximizing stereoelectronic advantages and providing electrostatic and general base catalysis. The enzyme contains two binding sites for alkali metal ions. One is located near the active site and accounts for the dependence of activity on potassium ions. The other is located at the carboxyl terminus of an α helix. These sites help show how proteins can specifically bind alkali metals and how these ions can exert functional effects.
Determinants of Binding-Site Specificity Among Yeast C
6
Zinc Cluster Proteins
Authors: Reece Richard J. , Ptashne Mark
Published: October 2006

Related DNA binding proteins often recognize similar DNA sites but can distinguish among them with the use of different protein-DNA contacts. Here, it is shown that members of the C
6
zinc cluster family of yeast transcriptional activators distinguish related DNA sites by a different mechanism. The DNA binding site for each of these proteins contains identical nucleotide triplets (CGG ... CCG) but differs in the spacings between the triplets. It is shown that zinc clusters of these proteins work interchangeably to recognize the conserved triplets and that the region 19 amino acids to the carboxyl-terminal side of the zinc cluster, comprising the linker and the beginning of a dimerization element as inferred from the GAL4 crystal structure, directs the protein to its preferred site.
Kinetic Resonance Raman Spectroscopy: Dynamics of Deprotonation of the Schiff Base of Bacteriorhodopsin
Authors: Marcus Michael A. , Lewis Aaron
Published: October 2006

We have developed a kinetic technique, combining resonance Raman spectroscopy and variable-speed continuous flow methods, to study molecular dynamics of isolated sites in macromolecules. Kinetic resonance Raman spectra of the retinylidene chromophore of bacteriorhodopsin have been obtained and the dynamics of the deprotonation of the Schiff base linkage is discussed.
Requirement of the Carboxyl Terminus of a Bacterial Chemoreceptor for Its Targeted Proteolysis
Authors: Alley M. R. K. , Maddock Janine R. , Shapiro Lucille
Published: October 2006

The bacterium
Caulobacter crescentus
yields two different progeny at each cell division; a chemotactically competent swarmer cell and a sessile stalked cell. The chemotaxis proteins are synthesized in the predivisional cell and then partition only to the swarmer cell upon division. The chemoreceptors that were newly synthesized were located at the nascent swarmer pole of the predivisional cell, an indication that asymmetry was established prior to cell division. When the swarmer cell differentiated into a stalked cell, the chemoreceptor was specifically degraded by virtue of an amino acid sequence located at its carboxyl terminus. Thus, a temporally and spatially restricted proteolytic event was a component of this differentiation process.
Stimulation by Immune Complexes of Mucus Release from Goblet Cells of the Rat Small Intestine
Authors: Walker W. Allan , Wu Margaret , Bloch Kurt J.
Published: October 2006

Immune complexes (bovine serum albumin with rat antibodies to bovine serum albumin) formed in twofold antibody excess were injected into the duodenum of normal rats. In comparison to controls injected with antigen only, there was a marked increase in the percentage of disrupted goblet cells (an index of mucus release) in segments from the intestine of rats exposed for 3 hours to immune complexes in vivo. Similarly, there was a significant increase in
35
S-labeled mucus recovered by filtration of intestinal wash, rinse, and mucosal homogenate fluids from rats exposed to immune complexes compared to those from rats exposed to bovine serum albumin or purified rat antiserum to bovine serum albumin alone. These findings suggest that certain immune complexes can stimulate mucus release from intact rat small intestine; enhanced mucus release may have a role in clearing the surface of complexes.
Bovine Protoporphyria: The First Nonhuman Model of This Hereditary Photosensitizing Disease
Authors: Ruth George R. , Schwartz Samuel , Stephenson Betty
Published: October 2006

Protoporphyria, a photosensitizing disease documented only in humans, was transmitted as a recessive trait to seven female calves. Cutaneous lesions were extensive, and erythrocyte and fecal protoporphyrin concentrations exceeded by far those of human protoporphyria. Average ferrochelatase activity was decreased to one-half of normal in the liver of carriers, and to about one-tenth of normal in liver, kidney, heart, spleen, lung, and marrow of protoporphyrics.
The Utilization of L-Glucose by Mammalian Tissues and Bacteria
Authors: Rudney Harry
Published: October 2006

The utilization of l-glucose by rat tissues and
B. coli
and
B. aerogenes
was studied. There was no evidence that l-glucose was metabolized by either mammalian or bacterial cells.
Side Chain Metabolism of 25-Hydroxy-[26,27-
14
C] Vitamin D
3
and 1,25-Dihydroxy-[26,27-
14
C] Vitamin D
3
in Vivo
Authors: Harnden Deborah , Kumar Rajiv , Holick M. F. , DeLuca H. F.
Published: October 2006

Radioactive CO
2
was detected in expired air after the administration of 25-hydroxy-[26,27-
14
C] vitamin D
3
to vitamin D-deficient hypocalcemic rats;
14
C
2
was also detected after the administration of 1,25-dihydroxy-[26,27-
14
C] vitamin D
3
to rats raised on the same diet. Nephrectomy totally abolished
14
CO
2
formation after administration of 25-hydroxy-[26,27-
14
C] vitamin D
3
, but not after the administration of 1,25-dihydroxy-[26,27-
14
C] vitamin D
3
. The production of
14
CO
2
commenced within 4 hours after injection of 1,25-dihydroxy-[26,27-
14
C] vitamin D
3
, suggesting a possible relevance of this reaction to the function of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D
3
. These results at least demonstrate a new metabolic pathway of vitamin D
3
metabolism involving the oxidation of a portion of the side chain of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D
3
to CO
2
.
A Rationale for Studies in the Control of Epidemic Influenza
Authors: Francis Thomas
Published: October 2006

Influenza has long been a field conducive to fancy and speculation. At present, however, through increasing knowledge of the pathogenesis of the disease and the factors influencing resistance, the collected data are beginning to take form. In this discussion an effort has been made to point out the trends, to interpret their possibilities on the basis of the mechanisms involved, and to give some intimation as to their relative applicabilities and limitations. It is clear that certain of them offer reasonable promise of exerting a real effect in the prevention of influenza; it remains only to prove them.
Interindividual Variation in Binding of Benzo[
a
]pyrene to DNA in Cultured Human Bronchi
Authors: Harris Curtis C. , Autrup Herman , Connor Robert , Barrett Lucy A. , McDowell Elizabeth M. , Trump Benjamin F.
Published: October 2006

The binding of benzo[
a
]pyrene to DNA in cultured human bronchus was measured in specimens from 37 patients. The binding values ranged from 2 to 151 picomoles of benzo[
a
]pyrene per milligram of DNA with an overall mean ± standard error of 34.2 ± 5.2. This 75-fold interindividual variation in the binding of benzo[
a
]pyrene to DNA is similar in magnitude to that found in pharmacogenetic studies of drug metabolism. Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase is also inducible by benz[
a
]anthracene in the bronchial mucosa.
WHEN IS THE MODIFIED VON KOCH SNOWFLAKE NON-SELF-INTERSECTING?
Authors: KELETI TAMÁS
Published: October 2006

We prove that the modified von Koch snowflake curve, which we get as a limit by starting from an equilateral triangle (or from a segment) and repeatedly replacing the middle portion c of each interval by the other two sides of an equilateral triangle (and the corresponding von Koch snowflake domain), is non-self-intersecting if and only if c < ½. This answers a question of M. van den Berg.
Genetic Impact of Functional Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the 3′-UTR Region of the Chemoattractant Receptor Expressed on Th2 Cells (CRTH2) Gene on Asthma and Atopy in a Japanese Population
Authors: Maeda Yukiko , Hizawa Nobuyuki , Takahashi Daisuke , Fukui Yoshinobu , Konno Satoshi , Nishimura Masaharu
Published: October 2006

Background: The human chemoattractant receptor expressed on Th2 cells (CRTH2), the receptor for prostaglandin D2, induces cell migration in eosinophils, basophils, and Th2 cells. The gene encoding CRTH2 is located on chromosome 11q13. Several groups, including ours, have reported significant associations between this region and various traits associated with allergic diseases such as asthma and atopy. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms in the 3′-UTR of the CRTH2 gene (1544G→C and 1651G→A) are associated with the mRNA stability of the gene; they have also been associated with asthma in both African American and Chinese populations. Methods: Because CRTH2 is a biologically important candidate gene on chromosome 11q13, we conducted a case-control analysis using 787 Japanese subjects (384 asthmatics and 403 controls) to evaluate the genetic impact of the CRTH2 gene on asthma and asthma-related traits. Four polymorphisms [1544G→C (rs11571288), 1651G→A (rs545659), 11336T→C (rs2074422), and 12375G→T (rs561285)] were studied. Results: The allele, genotype, or haplotype frequencies for 2 functional polymorphisms in our Japanese population were significantly different from those in the Chinese or African American populations. No association was found between any polymorphisms or haplotypes in the CRTH2 gene and asthma, atopy, or total serum IgE levels in a Japanese population. Conclusions: Our data failed to support previous associations of functional polymorphisms at the 3′-UTR of the CRTH2 gene implicated in asthma. We did show a significant difference in the allele and genotype frequencies as well as different haplotype frequencies among African American, Chinese, and Japanese populations, suggesting that the genetic impacts of these functional polymorphisms on asthma and asthma-related phenotypes may vary in different populations.
The Prevalence of Atopy in Asthmatic Children Correlates Strictly with the Prevalence of Atopy among Nonasthmatic Children
Authors: Ronchetti R. , Rennerova Z. , Barreto M. , Villa M.P.
Published: October 2006

Background: Because asthma preferentially burdens persons with atopy, atopy is simplistically considered a primary ‘cause’ of asthma. Yet at the population level, the percentage of asthma cases ‘attributable’ to atopy ranges from less than 10% to more than 60%. Seeking to understand the rationale for the variability of atopy-attributable cases of asthma, we systematically reviewed the results of our own previous epidemiological studies and several studies conducted by others in children. Methods: From each of the 37 random pediatric populations selected by a Medline search combining the key words ‘IgE or skin tests or hypersensitivity, immediate’ with ‘epidemiological studies, cross-sectional, case-control, prevalence, longitudinal, epidemiology of asthma’ (12 from our previous pediatric surveys and a further 25 reported from 19 studies in children), we extracted the population prevalence of asthma and atopy among asthmatic subjects and among the nonasthmatic part of the population. Results: No correlation was found between the prevalence of asthma (range 1.8–44.1%) and atopy (range 5.8–63.9%) in these 37 populations of children (r = 0.052, p = 0.761). Nevertheless, the prevalence of atopy among asthmatics strictly correlated with the prevalence of atopy in nonasthmatics (r = 0.900, p< 0.001, slope 1.364). Conclusion: The prevalence of asthma and atopy varies worldwide and at various time points and independently undergoes the influence of powerful environmental factors. The almost perfect correlation we found between atopy in asthmatics and atopy in the nonasthmatic part of the childhood population shows that the prevalence of atopy in asthma depends on environmental factors that simultaneously induce atopy in asthmatic and nonasthmatic subjects.
Pneumocystis-mediated IL-8 release by macrophages requires coexpression of mannose receptors and TLR2
Authors: Tachado Souvenir D , Zhang Jianmin , Zhu Jinping , Patel Naimish , Cushion Melanie , Koziel Henry
Published: October 2006

Interaction with the unique fungus Pneumocystis (Pc) promotes IL-8 release by human alveolar macrophages (AM), although the receptor(s) mediating IL-8 release have not been identified. TLR2 recognizes fungal components and mediates release of host defense cytokines and chemokines, although whether TLR2 mediates signaling in response to Pc is not known. In the current study, Pc induced IL-8 release by human AM, and AM pretreatment with anti-TLR2 neutralizing antibody reduced IL-8 release. However, in nonphagocytic human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells transfected with human TLR2 cDNA, incubation with Pc did not induce IL-8 release, whereas these same cells released IL-8 in response to the TLR2 agonist lipoteichoic acid. Targeted gene silencing of AM mannose receptors (MR; phagocytic receptors for Pc) using small interfering RNA also reduced Pc-mediated IL-8 release in human AM. However, HEK293 cells transfected with human MR cDNA alone did not release IL-8 in response to Pc. In contrast, HEK293 cells cotransfected with human TLR2 and human MR cDNA released IL-8 in response to Pc. In human AM, Pc promoted direct interaction of MR and TLR2, IL-8 release was reduced markedly upon simultaneous blocking of TLR2 and gene silencing of MR, and IL-8 release was dependent in part on transcription factor NF-κB and ERK1/2 and JNK MAPKs. These studies demonstrate that Pc-mediated IL-8 release by human AM requires the coexpression of MR and TLR2 and further supports the concept that combinatorial interactions of macrophage innate receptors provide specificity of host defense cell responses to infectious challenge.
Seasonal acquisition of chill tolerance and restructuring of membrane glycerophospholipids in an overwintering insect: triggering by low temperature, desiccation and diapause progression
Authors: Tomcala A. , Tollarová M. , Overgaard J. , Simek P. , Kostál V.
Published: October 2006

Adults of the insect Pyrrhocoris apterus acquire chill tolerance through the process of autumnal acclimatization. Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to separate the triggering effects of low temperatures, desiccation and diapause progression on the physiological characteristics related to chill tolerance with emphasis on the restructuring of glycerophospholipid (GPL) composition. Changes in relative proportions of major molecular species of glycerophosphoethanolamines (GPEtns) and glycerophosphocholines (GPChols) in thoracic muscle and fat body tissues were followed using HPLC coupled to electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. The increase in relative proportion of 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleyl-sn-GPEtn at the expense of 1,2-dilinoleyl-sn-GPChol was the most prominent feature of the complex change observed in both tissues during autumnal acclimatization in the field. The relative proportion of total GPEtns increased, while the proportion of total GPChols decreased. The relative proportion of unsaturated fatty acyls slightly decreased. A similar restructuring response was seen during acclimatization in the field and cold acclimation in the laboratory. By contrast, the GPL changes related to desiccation and diapause progression were relatively small, differed qualitatively from the cold-acclimation response, and were accompanied with no increase of chill tolerance. Other features of autumnal acclimatization, i.e. depression of supercooling capacity and accumulation of polyhydric alcohols,were also triggered solely by low temperatures.
Synthesis of Hyperbranched Aromatic Poly(ether sulfone) with Sulfonyl Chloride Terminal Groups
Authors: Matsumoto Kazuya , Ueda Mitsuru
Published: October 2006

A new hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether sulfone) with sulfonyl chloride terminal groups was prepared by polycondensation of a new AB2 monomer (1), 4,4′-(m-phenylenedioxy)bis(benzenesulfonyl chloride). The polymerization was carried out in nitrobenzene at 120 °C for 3 h in the presence of a catalytic amount of FeCl3, giving the polymer with number-average molecular weights up to 35,700. Furthermore, an ABA block copolymer was prepared from a linear polymer, poly(ether sulfone) with sulfonyl chlorides at both ends and AB2 monomer 1.
Radiotherapy in the management of primary malignancies of the hard palate
Authors: Chung Chan K. , Johns Michael E. , Cantrell Robert W. , Constable William C.
Published: October 2006

Primary malignancies of the hard palate are rare. Only 66 cases have been seen at the University of Virginia Hospital in the 43 years from 1932 through March 1975. These have been reviewed with regard to age, sex, race, histology and clinical presentation. There was 32 squamous cell carcinomas, 25 salivary gland tumors and 9 nonepithelial malignancies. The nonepithelial malignancies were a diverse group and are not considered further. The results of treatment for the squamous cell carcinoma group and salivary gland tumors have been analyzed by stage and mode of therapy. Although no great improvement in the results of surgery or combined therapy have been observed over the years in the squamous cell carcinoma group, there has been a dramatic improvement in the results of treatment with radiation therapy from the orthovoltage era to the super‐voltage era. Primary control with radiation therapy for the squamous cell carcinoma group was 2/5 (40%) in the orthovoltage era and 7/7 (100%) in the supervoltage era. Surgery would appear to be the appropriate treatment for salivary gland tumors with possibly a place for combined therapy. Radiation therapy proved useful in salvaging certain surgical failures. The time of appearance of local recurrence following initial therapy, the incidence of distant metastases and second primary tumors were analyzed and are presented.
Re-orienting Ph.D. education in industrial design: some issues arising from the experience of a Ph.D. programme revision
Authors: Pizzocaro Silvia
Published: October 2006

This article is intended as a reflection on the changing aims and intention of the Ph.D. programme in industrial design held at Politecnico di Milano. The Ph.D. programme started in 1990. A decade later, in 2000, the faculty faced the issue of partially maintaining the former curricula
or radically changing the programme. Following the institutional changes derived from the restructuring of the national university system and stimulated by the critical and theoretical developments taking place within the international debate about the form and nature of the Ph.D. programmes
in design, the faculty chose to encourage a radical reorientation in the intention and structure of the programme.

The article addresses the background context of the transition and the conceptual framework underpinning the activities of this Ph.D. programme.

Reflecting within a conceptual
framework, an attempt is made to stress the relevance of the Ph.D. programmes in industrial design as strategic sites for research, where crucial efforts are concentrated to produce collective learning.

The article further proposes that Ph.D. programmes might best perform an incubator function,
in terms of potential skills to capture key aspects of design research development and to manage the complexity of design issues deriving from the technology-society interaction.

This article does not intend to explore the results of the curriculum change (the revised programme being still
in its pilot phase). Rather, it presents some elements of a progressive shift from searching in design to learning how to make research in design.
Spanish foreign direct investment, transnationals and the redefinition of the Spanish business realm
Authors: Salmon Keith
Published: October 2006

Spanish outward direct investment grew substantially during the 1990s, transforming some Spanish businesses from national players to transnationals and adding a distinctive Latin American dimension to an essentially European economy. More broadly foreign investment contributed towards
further globalisation. This paper examines the process of outward direct investment, the logic behind it, and some of its implications for the Spanish economy. It concludes that a number of Spanish businesses are now transnationals and that there is an interdependence between the Spanish and
Latin American economies. Moreover, the Spanish business realm has emerged from the isolation of much of the twentieth century to re-establish itself in Latin America.
Welcome to Dreamland: From place to non-place and back again in Pawel Pawlikowski's Last Resort
Authors: Roberts Les
Published: October 2006

This paper explores the incorporation of anthropologist Marc Aug's theory of non-place into the study of representations of travel, migration and displacement in contemporary European cinema. Taking the British film Last Resort (Pawlikowski, 2000) as its central example, the idea of
home as a structuring absence is considered by exploring the spatial geographies and practices within narratives of movement. Acknowledging the sedentariness of much of the travel and migratory experience, the non-place invokes the dreamscapes and imaginary spaces of Elsewhere from the realities
of a quotidian spatio-temporal present. Last Resort, and other examples from contemporary film, employ a tripartite spatial structure of zones of arrival and departure, zones of stasis and zones of transition, to delineate the literal and metaphorical processes of displacement that mark the
status of the traveller and migrant. Although the non-place provides a valuable and neglected area of study in filmic representations of anthropological and spatial practice, counter constructions of being and place are no less evident in a narrative gestalt where subjectivities are drawn
from social and cinematic spaces which are ostensibly heterotopic.
Exploring the Synthetic Applicability of a Cyanobacterium Nitrilase as Catalyst for Nitrile Hydrolysis
Authors: Mukherjee Chandrani , Zhu Dunming , Biehl Edward R. , Hua Ling
Published: October 2006

The substrate specificity and synthetic applicability of the nitrilase from cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 have been examined. This nitrilase catalyzed the hydrolysis of both aromatic and aliphatic nitriles to the corresponding acids in high yields. Furthermore, the stereoselective hydrolysis of phenyl‐substituted β‐hydroxy nitriles to (S)‐enriched β‐hydroxy carboxylic acids and selective hydrolysis of α,ω‐dinitriles with five or less methylene groups to ω‐cyano carboxylic acids have been achieved. This suggested that nitrilase from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 could be a useful enzyme catalyst for the “green” nitrile hydrolysis. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
Efficient forward dynamics simulation and optimization of human body dynamics
Authors: Stelzer M. , von Stryk O.
Published: October 2006

The modeling of the time dependent, dynamic behavior of the human musculoskeletal system results in a large scale mechanical multibody system. This consists of submodels for the skeleton, wobbling masses, muscles and tendons as redundant actuators. Optimization models are required for the simulation of the muscle groups involved in a motion. In contrast to the inverse dynamics simulation the forward dynamics simulation enables to consider very general problem statements in principle. The paper presents a new approach to the forward dynamics simulation and optimization of human body dynamics which overcomes the enormous computational cost of current approaches for solving the resulting optimal control problems. The presented approach is based on a suitable modeling of the dynamics of the musculoskeletal system in combination with a tailored direct collocation method for optimal control. First numerical results for a human kick demonstrate an improvement in computational time of two orders of magnitude when compared to standard methods.
The dance of life: order and disorder in the architecture of H. T. Cadbury-Brown
Authors: Powers Alan
Published: October 2006

Cadbury-Brown's design principles are examined through a text, buildings and projects, and the case presented for alternative readings of both his work and of English post-war modernism.