ObjectivesObjectives Not AvailableDescriptionA collaborative study of the anaerobic treatment of wastes containing recalcitrant and inhibitory compounds using the SERC Anaerobic facility, in particular biomass structure, monitoring and control, catabolism and toxicity, pre-acidification and microbial growth and mesophilic and thermophilic lignocellulose degradation.~%~
The inhibitory effects of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) on elongation growth of pea (Pisum sativum L.) seedling roots were investigated...Full Text Available
The power?time curves of mice splenic lymphocytes growth at 37??C affected by ginsenoside Rh2 were determined by microcalorimetry using a 3114/3236 TAM air bioactivity monitor with ampoule mode. Then, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Rh2 on splenic lymphocytes growth was determined by serial dilution method. From factor analysis (FA) on six quantitative thermokinetic parameters from the power?time curves, the activity of Rh2 on splenic lymphocytes could be quickly evaluated by analyzing the changes in the two main parameters: growth rate constant k, and maximum heat-output power, P m. The results showed that Rh2 had strong inhibitory activity on splenic lymphocytes growth, and this inhibitory activity was strengthened with increasing concentration of Rh2 in the concentration r...
Strong inhibitory effects of the anionic surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) on four strains of autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are reported. Two Nitrosospira...Full Text Available
Accumulation of certain nonmetabolizable sugar-phosphates (including α-methyl glucoside-6-phosphate) in Escherichia coli is growthinhibitory and elicits the glucose-phosphate...Full Text Available
To successfully grow, neurons need to overcome the effects of hostile environments, such as the inhibitory action of myelin. We have evaluated the potential of exercise to overcome the intrinsic...Full Text Available
We study the growth of colonies of the yeast Pichia membranaefaciens on agarose film. The growth conditions are controlled in a setup where nutrients are supplied through an agarose film suspended over a solution of nutrients. As the thickness of the agarose film is varied, the morphology of the front of the colony changes. The growth of the front is modeled by coupling it to a diffusive field of inhibitory metabolites. Qualitative agreement with experiments suggests that such a coupling is responsible for the observed instability of the front.
The principle aim of the program was to produce a novel, non-leaching antimicrobial surface for commercial development and future use in the liquid food packaging industry. Antimicrobial surfaces which exist presently have been produced to combat the growth of prokaryotic organisms and usually function as slow release systems. A system which could inhibit eukaryotic growth without contaminating the surrounding 'environment' with the inhibitor was considered of great commercial importance. The remit of this study was concerned with creating a surface which could control the growth of eukaryotic organisms found in fruit juice with particular interest in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Putative antimicrobial surfaces were created by the chemical modification of the test substrate polymers; nylon and ethylvinyl alcohol (EVOH). Surfaces were chemically modified by the covalent coupling of antimicrobial ...
Rare earth elements (REEs) are widely used to increase crop production in China. However, little attention has been paid to their impacts on aquatic ecology. Batch cultivation was used here to study the effects of lanthanum (La) and EDTA on the growth and competition of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda. When EDTA was present at a very low concentration (0.269mmolL-1), low lanthanum concentrations (7.2mmolL-1) had little stimulative effect on the growth of M. aeruginosa and S. quadricauda, whereas a high lanthanum concentration (72mmolL-1) had significant inhibitory effect on both of them. The results of cultivation experiments suggested that the inhibitory effect on M. aeruginosa was higher than that on S. quadricauda and S. quadricauda c...
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates adenylyl cyclase in the heart via activation of the stimulatory GTP-binding protein Gs. Therefore, employing peptides corresponding to regions in the cytosolic...Full Text Available
The thiazolidinedione (TZD) or glitazone class of peroxisome proliferator-activated-#gamma# (PPAR-#gamma#) ligands not only induce adipocyte differentiation and increase insulin sensitivity, but also exert growthinhibitory effects on several carcinoma cell lines in vitro as well as in vivo. In the current study the in vitro effect of four PPAR-#gamma# agonists (ciglitazone, pioglitazone, troglitazone, rosiglitazone) on the cell growth of seven human neuroblastoma cell lines (Kelly, LAN-1, LAN-5, LS, IMR-32, SK-N-SH, SH-SY5Y) was investigated. Growth rates were assessed by a colorimetric XTT-based assay kit. Expression of PPAR-#gamma# protein was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. All glitazones inhibited in vitro growth and viability of the human neuroblastoma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner showing considerable effects only at high concentrations (10 ...
To analyze the proposed growth-inhibitory function of wild-type p53, we compared simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA replication in primary rhesus monkey kidney (PRK) cells, which express wild-type p53, and...Full Text Available
Abstract A Pseudomonas sp. isolate MSB1 efficiently inhibited the growth of Flavobacterium psychrophilum of different serotypes on agar medium. A significant difference in the inhibition was observed between isolates of the less virulent FpT serotype compared to the Fd and Th serotypes. In broth coculture experiments, a low number of cells of MSB1 inhibited and outcompeted the F.psychrophilum cells. Also cell-free culture supernatant of MSB1 clearly repressed the growth of F.psychrophilum. A chromoazurol S assay suggested that MSB1 produced efficient siderophores, which most probably were responsible for the iron deficiency in the supernatant. The limited growth of F.psychrophilum in the supernatant was found to be partly because of the lack of available iron, but the results also indicate...
This study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial effect of BSAP-254 on Bacillus cereus with the induced stress proteins. The BSAP-254 is an antimicrobial peptide isolated from soybean-fermenting bacteria, Bacillus subtilis SC-8. It had a narrow spectrum of activity against B. cereus group. The growthinhibitory effect of BSAP-254 (50??g/mL) reduced the population of B. cereus from >108 to 104 colony-forming units per milliliter within 30?min. In B. cereus exposed to BSAP-254, 14 intracellular proteins were differentially expressed as determined by 2-DE coupled with MS. Of the differentially expressed proteins identified, the stress protein GroEL, which is heat shock protein, was induced in B. cereus exposed to antibacterial peptide.
Abstract This study aimed at developing a suitable cryopreservation protocol for embryonic stem (ES)-like cells of a tiny freshwater fish Leopard danio (Brachydanio frankei). Embryonic stem (ES)-like cells derived from blastomeres of the early blastulae stage of the developing embryo were cultured in vitro in a medium containing Leibowitz-15 supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum, leopard danio embryo extract, sodium bicarbonate, sodium selenite, basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor and leukaemia inhibitory factor. The ES-like cells showed properties similar to ES cells in other species. They were morphologically small, round to polygonal and present in patches and extensively expressed alkaline phosphatase and stage-specific embryonic antigen. The toxicity and chilli...
Abstract The inhibitory effect of the extract from Magnolia officinalis (MOE) against L. monocytogenes, S. faecalis, E. coli, S. typhimurium, S. aureus and B. anthracis by paper-diffusion methods and the characterization of the mutton immersed in different concentrations of the MOE during storage were evaluated in this paper. The results showed that MOE could significantly inhibit the growth of S. aureus, S. faecalis, B. anthracis and E. coli, and their MIC was 0.02-mg/mL, 0.03-mg/mL, 0.05-mg/mL and 0.10-mg/mL, respectively. MOE showed weak inhibition for the S. typhimurium. The mutton treated with 2%, 4% and 6% MOE resulted in suppression in the increase of total volatile base nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, and the growth of Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas. The cooled m...
To investigate the growthinhibitory effects, and the underlying mechanism of human colon cancer cell (HT-29) death, induced by a new synthetic bile derivative (HS-1200). Human colon cancer cells (HT-29), in exponential growth phase, were treated with various concentrations of a new synthetic bile acid derivative (HS-1200). The growthinhibitory effects on HT-19 cells were examined using a trypan blue exclusion assay. The extent of apoptosis was determined using agarose gel electrophoresis, TUNEL assays and Hoechst staining. The apoptotic cell death was also confirmed by Western blotting of PARP, caspase-3 and DNA fragmentation factor (DFF) analysis. To investigate the involvement of mitochondria, we employed immunofluorescent staining of cytochrome c and mitochondrial membrane potential analyses. The dose required for the half maximal inhibition (IC_5_0) of the HT-29 cell ...
The acute acetoclastic methanogenic inhibition of several inorganic and organic arsenicals was assayed. Trivalent species, i.e., methylarsonous acid and arsenite, were highly inhibitory, with 50% inhibitory...Full Text Available
Coral populations have precipitously declined on Caribbean reefs while algal abundance has increased, leading to enhanced competitive damage to corals, which likely is mediated by the potent allelochemicals produced by both macroalgae and benthic cyanobacteria. Allelochemicals may affect the composition and abundance of coral-associated microorganisms that control host responses and adaptations to environmental change, including susceptibility to bacterial diseases. Here, we demonstrate that extracts of six Caribbean macroalgae and two benthic cyanobacteria have both inhibitory and stimulatory effects on bacterial taxa cultured from the surfaces of Caribbean corals, macroalgae, and corals exposed to macroalgal extracts. The growth of 54 bacterial isolates was monitored in the presence of l...
Conditioned medium from Sertoli cells, prepared from testes of 20-day-old rats, contains component(s) that inhibit the incorporation of (3H)-thymidine into DNA of peritubular myoid cells (PMC) and inhibit the proliferation of PMC. These components are trypsin-resistant, heat-stable compounds having a molecular weight less than 30,000. The active inhibitory components in Sertoli cell conditioned medium are inactivated by treatment with heparinase, but not by treatment with hyaluronidase or chondroitin sulfate lyases. Addition of heparin or heparan sulfate results in inhibition of DNA synthesis by PMC in a dose-dependent manner, whereas other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) examined (hyaluronic acid, keratan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate) have no detectable effects. Heparin and heparan sulfate are unique among GAGs tested in inhibiting the characteristic multilayer growth pattern of PMC following the attainment of confluence in serum-rich medium. On ...
The mechanisms that contribute to the extinction of previously acquired memories are not well understood. These processes, often referred to as inhibitory learning, are thought to be parallel...Full Text Available
If we are to stand any chance of understanding the circuitry of the superficial dorsal horn, it is imperative that we can identify which classes of interneuron are excitatory and which are inhibitory....Full Text Available
Clindamycin concentrations in gingival crevicular fluid and in blood were determined over a 7-h period and were related to the minimal inhibitory concentrations of this agent for 340 bacterial strains...Full Text Available
The grafted human glioblastoma cell CB109 was used as a model for intralesional therapy with 131I-labelled hyaluronectin glycoprotein (131I-HN). 131I-HN bound specifically to in situ hyaluronic acid (HA), a main component of the extracellular matrix which is involved in tumour invasion. Labelling experimental conditions were determined and, finally, 25 {mu}Ci/{mu}gHN, 1 {mu}g chloramine-T/{mu}gHN and a 60-s stirring period provided a 131I-HN preparation with an optimal affinity for HA (64% compared to unlabelled HN). Following intratumoral injection, 131I-HN was retained with a limited diffusion outside the tumour. On day 4 the radioactivity concentrated in the tumour was still 25 times greater than that in the liver, spleen and kidneys combined. For therapeutic assays, 65 {mu}Ci 131I-HN was injected into the tumour, resulting in a delivery of 6.8 Gy over a 7-day period. Controls received unlabelled HN, heat-inactivated HN, a mixture of inactivated HN plus free 131I or no treatment ...
In this study, silver nanoparticles were formed on a natural macroporous matrix, the stem of rice-paper plant, by reducing Ag{sup +} in aqueous solution through in situ processing without using any other stabilizers. The pores of the matrix, with their size of about 100 {mu}m, were thought to act as reaction compartments for the nucleation and growth of silver nanoparticles, and the control of nucleation of silver crystal during the reduction reaction was found to be important to the successful formation of nanosized silver particles onto the matrix. The diameter and amount of resultant silver particles can be controlled by changing the reaction conditions. Under optimized conditions, the content of silver particles in the matrix can reach as high as 1.8 wt% with the particle diameters being kept below 100 nm. The anti-microbial activities in terms of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the silver nanoparticle composites against ...
Eight patients, one male and seven females, with no pre-existing hypothalamic-pituitary disease, who developed symptoms of hypopituitarism following cranial irradiation for nasopharyngeal carcinoma were studied 5 years or more after radiotherapy. All were GH deficient. Four of the patients with no GH response during insulin tolerance tests (ITT) showed increased GH in response to synthetic human growth hormone releasing factor (GRF-44). Four patients had impaired cortisol responses to ITT, and gradual but diminished cortisol responses to ovine corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF-41). There was no significant difference between mean peak increments in response to ITT and those in response to CRF-41. TSH responses to TRH were delayed in five and absent in two patients; four of these had low free T4 index. Prolactin was raised in all seven women and increased further in response to TRH. Two patients had impaired gonadotrophin responses to LHRH. None of the patients ...
The influence of serum, IGF-1 and TGF-{beta} on the differentiation of preadipocytes was examined in primary cultures of porcine adipose tissue cells. In serum-supplemented or serum-free, IGF-1 (1 and 10 nM) had no effect on total cell number. However, IGF-1 (10nM) increased adipocyte number only in serum-supplemented (1% pig serum) cultures, whereas TGF-{beta} (15 pm) reduced the adipocyte number in the presence and absence of IGF-1. Replication of preadipocytes was analyzed with a ({sup 3}H) thymidine assay. Preadipocyte proliferation (cpm in adipocyte fraction) was increased by IGF-1 (10nM) only in cultures containing pig serum. TGF-{beta} had no effect on preadipocyte proliferation specifically, but slightly increased total ({sup 3}H) thymidine incorporation in cultures with serum. Glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) specific activity was decreased by adding TGF-{beta} to serum-free cultures but TGF-{beta} had little effect in serum-supplemented cultures. Cellular secretion of ...
The influence of serum, IGF-1 and TGF-#beta# on the differentiation of preadipocytes was examined in primary cultures of porcine adipose tissue cells. In serum-supplemented or serum-free, IGF-1 (1 and 10 nM) had no effect on total cell number. However, IGF-1 (10nM) increased adipocyte number only in serum-supplemented (1% pig serum) cultures, whereas TGF-#beta# (15 pm) reduced the adipocyte number in the presence and absence of IGF-1. Replication of preadipocytes was analyzed with a ["3H] thymidine assay. Preadipocyte proliferation (cpm in adipocyte fraction) was increased by IGF-1 (10nM) only in cultures containing pig serum. TGF-#beta# had no effect on preadipocyte proliferation specifically, but slightly increased total ["3H] thymidine incorporation in cultures with serum. Glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) specific activity was decreased by adding TGF-#beta# to serum-free cultures but TGF-#beta# had little effect in serum-supplemented cultures. Cellular secretion of IGF-1 was ...
Glycine is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord and brainstem. Recently, in vivo analysis of glycinergic synaptic transmission has been pursued in zebrafish using...Full Text Available
Ethanol has excellent fuel properties, such as high octane, high heat of vaporization and low photochemical reactivity in the atmosphere. It is less volatile than gasoline and there is lower smog formation from evaporative emissions of pure ethanol compared to gasoline. As such, ethanol has emerged as an important alternative energy source that is sustainable, efficient, cost effective, convenient and safe. In 2006, global production of ethanol reached 13.5 billion gallons, up from 12.1 billion gallons in 2005. However, in light of the current debate of food versus fuel, the industry must shift to non-food feedstocks. This paper described an emerging technology to cost-effectively produce ethanol from sweet sorghum stalks, the most promising alternative feedstock to corn, via solid state fermentation (SSF). Experiments of advanced solid state fermentation (ASSF) for ethanol production from sweet sorghum by Saccharomyces cerevisiae were conducted in laboratory and pilot scales studies. ...
Biosorption is presented as an alternative choice to traditional physicochemical means for removing toxic metals from groundwater and wastewaters. Removal of lead (Pb) from solutions was studied using Escherichia coli (parental) and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb)-expressing E. coli (transformed) cells. Pb biosorption was increased in bacterial hemoglobin-expressing E. coli cells grown in Luria broth B containing different concentrations of Pb{sup 2+}. The maximum Pb{sup 2+} biosorption of transformed and parental cells was determined to be 612 and 370 {mu}g Pb/g biomass, respectively. The inhibitory effect of Pb{sup 2+} on the parental strain was determined at 10 ppm. However, in transformed cells, Pb{sup 2+} was lethal at 100 ppm. The optimum aeration required for the transformed cells was lower than that for the parental strain on a growth yield basis. A linear correlation was established between the biosorption and uptake amounts. The ...
In the present study Balb/c mice were exposed to 3,4-benzopyrene, painted on the skin every 2nd day for a total of 6 months, and simultaneously irradiated with athermal (5 mW/cm/sup 2/) or subthermal (15 mW/cm/sup 2/) doses of 2,450 MHz microwaves. The other group of animals was preirradiated with microwaves at 10 mW/cm/sup 2/ power level for 1, 2, or 3 months and then treated with benzopyrene, as above. Control mice were exposed for 6 months to benzopyrene, resulting in the development of baso- or spinocellular skin carcinoma within approximately 9 months, and sham-irradiated with microwaves. The growth of the tumour was assessed according to a self-designed 7-range macroscopic scale, supported by microscopical examinations of skin sections. All protocols of microwave irradiations resulted in a significant acceleration of the development of benzopyrene-induced skin cancer and in shortening of life span of the tumour-bearing hosts. This effect seemed to be ...
Objective To evaluate the inhibitory property of de-glycyrrhizinated extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra root and its phytoconstituents (glabridin, isoliquiritigenin and glycyrrhizin) on LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory mediators. Materials and methods Inhibitory effect of G. glabra extract and its phytoconstituents were studied on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in J774A.1 murine macrophages. Results G. glabra and isoliquiritigenin significantly inhibited LPS stimulated NO, IL-1 beta and IL-6 production. Glabridin showed significant inhibition of NO and IL-1 beta release, but failed to attenuate IL-6 levels at the tested concentrations. In addition, glycyrrhizin did not exhibit inhibitory response towar...
SUMMARYThe cytolytic activity of natural killer (NK) cells is regulated by inhibitory receptors that detect the absence of self molecules on target cells. Structural studies of...Full Text Available
The receptive field of a neuron reflects its function. For example, for parallel fiber (PF) inputs in C3 zone the cerebellar cortex, the excitatory and inhibitory receptive fields of a Purkinje cell...Full Text Available
Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) are multipotent progenitor cells that have transient immunomodulatory properties on Natural Killer (NK) cells, Dendritic Cells (DC), and T cells. This...Full Text Available
BackgroundAlzheimer's disease, known to be associated with the gradual loss of memory, is characterized by low concentration of acetylcholine in the hippocampus and cortex part of...Full Text Available
The hypothesis that the antiarrhythmic drug amiodarone slows down the heart rate by its inhibitory action on the intracellular conversion of thyroxine (T4) to 3,5,3' triiodothyronine (T3) was investigated....Full Text Available
A solid-phase radioimmunoassay employing 125I-labeled enterotoxins and polystyrene tubes coated with specific antibody has been developed for assaying the relative concentrations of antibodies...Full Text Available
BackgroundMost rapidly evolving gene families are involved in immune responses and reproduction, two biological functions which have been assigned to the carcinoembryonic antigen...Full Text Available
Zinc modulates the activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase, the rate limiting enzyme in the synthesis of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter. Low cerebrospinal...Full Text Available
The mechanism by which enzyme IIIglc of the bacterial phosphotransferase system regulates the activity of crystalline glycerol kinase from Escherichia coli has been studied, and the inhibitory effects...Full Text Available
Neocortical columns are functional and morphological units whose architecture may have been under selective evolutionary pressure in different mammalian lineages in response to encephalization and specializations...Full Text Available
A series of 2-alkylthiopyrine-4-carbothioamides were synthesized, and their anti-fungal potency was tested. The chemical structures were proved by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and {sup 1}H nuclear magnetic resonance ({sup 1}H-NMR) data and by elemental analysis. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) assessment were used for the estimation of potential activity in vitro. The study comprising 21 clinical isolates of fungi showed that two compounds exhibited fair inhibitory activity against some yeasts and dermatophytes. Selective fungistatic activity against non-dermatophytes (MIC = 3.12-25.0 {mu}g/mL) was found also in another compound. None of the above compounds showed inhibitory activity against non-dermatophyte filamentous fungi. Microbiological activity of 2-alkylthiopyridine-4-carbothioamides appears to be mainly related to hydrophobicity of alkyl in position 2. (authors). ...
By using the continuation theorem of coincidence degree theory and constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, we study the existence and stability of periodic solution for shunting inhibitory cellular neural networks (SICNNs) with delays x-bar {sub ij}(t)=-a{sub ij}(t)x{sub ij}(t)--bar B{sup kl}-bar Nr(i,j)B{sub ij}{sup kl}(t)f{sub ij}(x{sub kl}(t))x{sub ij}(t)--bar C{sup kl}-bar Nr(i,j)C{sub ij}{sup kl}(t)g{sub ij}(x{sub kl}(t-{tau}{sub kl}))x{sub ij}(t)+L{sub ij}(t)
By using the continuation theorem of coincidence degree theory and constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, we study the existence and stability of periodic solution for shunting inhibitory cellular neural networks (SICNNs) with delays x-bar _i_j(t)=-a_i_j(t)x_i_j(t)--bar B"k"l-bar Nr(i,j)B_i_j"k"l(t)f_i_j(x_k_l(t))x_i_j(t)--bar C"k"l-bar Nr(i,j)C_i_j"k"l(t)g_i_j(x_k_l(t-#tau#_k_l))x_i_j(t)+L_i_j(t).
Uteroglobin (UG) gene encodes a cytokine-like, multifunctional, antiinflammatory protein, with potent phospholipase A2-inhibitory activity. It has been suggested that during implantation this protein...Full Text Available
The authors have shown previously that the domain recognizing receptors on activated human platelets is located on the human fibrinogen {gamma} chain between residues 400 and 411. To study the correlation between the structure of this segment of the {gamma} chain and its reactivity toward receptors on ADP-activated human platelets, they designed a series of analogues containing replacements at 9 out of 12 positions. A double substitution of the normal His{sup 400}-His{sup 401} sequence by Ala-Ala reduced the inhibitory potency of the dodecapeptide 3-fold. When Lys{sup 406} was replaced by Arg, the inhibitory potency of the dodecapeptide decreased 15 times. On the other hand, substitution of Ala{sup 408} with Arg increased the inhibitory potency of the dodecapeptide 6-fold. A drastic decrease in the reactivity of the dodecapeptide toward platelet receptors was observed when Val{sup 411} was replaced by leucine or cysteine or ...
Caffeine and related xanthines were identified as potent stimulators for the bacterial cellulose production in A. xylinum. These compounds are present in several plants whose infusions are useful as culture-medium supplements for this acetobacterium. The proposed target for these native purine-like inhibitory substances is the novel diguanyl nucleotide phosphodiesterase(s) that participates in the bacterial cellulogenic complex.
The catecholamine release-inhibitory catestatin [Cts; human chromogranin (Cg) A352-372, bovine CgA344-364] is a vasoreactive and anti-hypertensive peptide derived...Full Text Available
The extracellular domain of human fibroblast growth factor receptor (XC-FGF-R) was expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein was purified to homogeneity and the interaction with basic fibroblast growth...Full Text Available
The inhibitory activity of chicken and crocodilian ovomacroglobulins against trypsin was measured before and after their incubation with methylamine. The result for crocodilian ovomacroglobulin showed that methylamine treatment destroyed half of its activity, in unique contrast to human alpha 2-macroglobulin and chicken ovomacroglobulin for which methylamine either destroys the inhibitory activity of the former completely or does not affect that of the latter at all. Free sulfhydryl groups of chicken and crocodilian ovomacroglobulins were titrated with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) before and after incubation with trypsin. Prior to the incubation with trypsin the chicken and crocodilian proteins respectively had 0 and 1 titratable sulfhydryl per molecule of Mr 720,000. After treatment with trypsin the crocodilian protein had 3.5-4 titratable sulfhydryls, whereas there were no titratable sulfhydryls in the chicken protein. After ...
Functional activation of {beta}-catenin/Tcf signaling plays an important role in early events in carcinogenesis. We examined the effect of naringenin against {beta}-catenin/Tcf signaling in gastric cancer cells. Reporter gene assay showed that naringenin inhibited {beta}-catenin/Tcf signaling efficiently. In addition, the inhibition of {beta}-catenin/Tcf signaling by naringenin in HEK293 cells transiently transfected with constitutively mutant {beta}-catenin gene, whose product is not phosphorylated by GSK3{beta}, indicates that its inhibitory mechanism was related to {beta}-catenin itself or downstream components. To investigate the precise inhibitory mechanism, we performed immunofluorescence, Western blot, and EMSA. As a result, our data revealed that the {beta}-catenin distribution and the levels of nuclear {beta}-catenin and Tcf-4 proteins were unchanged after naringenin treatment. Moreover, the binding activities of Tcf complexes to ...
The goal of the present study is to elucidate the effect of lipid domain formation on activities of Naja naja atra and Bungarus multicinctus phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) enzymes. Sphingomyelin inhibited enzymatic activity and membrane-damaging activity of PLA(2) against egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (EYPC), while cholesterol and cholesterol sulfate abrogated the inhibitory effect of sphingomyelin. The ability of cholesterol and cholesterol sulfate to abolish the inhibitory effect of sphingomyelin was closely related to their capacity to induce domain formation in EYPC/sphingomyelin vesicles. Laurdan fluorescence measurement revealed that membrane packing of EYPC/sphingomyelin vesicles was differently affected by cholesterol and cholesterol sulfate. Unlike cholesterol, cholesterol sulfate was unable to promote domain formation in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) vesicles. Cholesterol increased but cholesterol sulfate reduced PLA(2) activity ...
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that promotes microtubule assembly and stability. In Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies, tau fibrillizes and aggregates into neurofibrillary tangles. Recently, oleocanthal isolated from extra virgin olive oil was found to display non-steroidal anti-inflammatory activity similar to ibuprofen. Since our unpublished data indicates an inhibitory effect of oleocanthal on A? fibrillization, we reasoned that it might inhibit tau fibrillization as well. Herein we demonstrate that oleocanthal abrogates fibrillization of tau by locking tau into the naturally unfolded state. Using PHF6 consisting of the amino acid residues VQIVYK, a hexapeptide within the third repeat of tau that is essential for fibrillization, we show that oleocanthal forms an adduct with the lysine via initial Schiff base formation. Structure and function studies demonstrate that the two aldehyde groups of oleocanthal are required for the ...
Those materials that can be extracted from pine or oak by ether, ethanol, methyl methacrylate (MMA), or benzene--alcohol all act as inhibitors in the #gamma# polymerization of MMA--wood composites. It was found that preirradiation of either the wood or of the wood--monomer combination reduces or eliminates the inhibitory effect. The most practical industrial solution to this problem is to increase the dose, thereby achieving high molecular polymer in the composite. However, the presence of a maximum in the molecular weight--dose curves means that each wood--monomer pair may have a different optimum dose.
The addition of ZnO, depleted in the Zn-64 isotope, to the water of boiling water nuclear reactors lessens the accumulation of Co-60 on the reactor interior surfaces, reduces radioactive wastes and increases the reactor service-life because of the inhibitory action of zinc on inter-granular stress corrosion cracking. To the same effect depleted zinc in the form of acetate dihydrate is used in pressurized water reactors. Gas centrifuge isotope separation method is applied for production of depleted zinc on the industrial scale. More than 20 years of depleted zinc application history demonstrates its benefits for reduction of NPP personnel radiation exposure and combating construction materials corrosion.
This study compares the effectiveness of potassium chloride with guanidine chlorhydrate in the prevention of clay swelling. The results given on various swelling tests on calcic montmorillonite led to the conclusions that (1) guanidine chlorhydrate is more effective than potassium chloride, especially in low concentrations, and (2) water immersion of samples treated by both solutions shows the permanent feature of the inhibitive action of guanidine chlorhydrate in swelling on one hand and the important increase in swelling of immersed samples treated by potassium chloride on the other. The viscosity measure of montmorillonite suspensions, before and after solution ion elimination by dialysis, confirms these observations.
Glabridin, an active constituent of Glycyrrhiza glabra roots, was found to be active against both yeast and filamentous fungi. Glabridin also showed resistance modifying activity against drug resistant mutants of Candida albicans at a minimum inhibitory concentration of 31.25-250 g/mL. Although the compound was reported earlier to be active against Candida albicans, but this is the first report of its activity against drug resistant mutants. Copyright Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Growth hormone (GH) has an important role in the regulation of hepatic LDL receptor expression and plasma lipoprotein levels. This investigation was undertaken to evaluate if these effects of GH on...Full Text Available
Target of rapamycin (TOR) kinases control cell growth through two functionally distinct multiprotein complexes. TOR complex 1 (TORC1) controls temporal cell growth and is sensitive to rapamycin, whereas...Full Text Available
Growth of the malolactic bacterium Leuconostoc oenos was improved with respect to both the specific growth rate and the biomass yield during the fermentation of glucose-malate mixtures as compared with...Full Text Available
Mice homozygous for the recessive gene achondroplasia (cn) aged 16 and 17 days and some homozygotes aged 22-34 days have disruptions in the growth of the proximal tibial growth plate which are due solely...Full Text Available
Background and AimsSecondary growth via successive cambia has been intriguing researchers for decades. Insight into the mechanism of growth layer formation is, however, limited to...Full Text Available
The growth and development of rice (Oryzae sativa) seedlings was shown to be regulated epigenetically by a fungal endophyte. In contrast to un-inoculated (nonsymbiotic) plants, endophyte...Full Text Available
To express growth-related changes in physiologic or other functions in forms usable for kinetic modeling, we are interested in identifying regular relationships that take the form of simple mathematical...Full Text Available
Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are a class of new chemicals that interfere with maturation and reproduction in insects. Proposed hypotheses on the biochemical mechanism of action are presented herein....Full Text Available
6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) inhibits the growth of. Escherichia coli B. Growth inhibition is ... reversed by subculture of the cells in 6-mercaptopurine- ...
There is conflicting evidence about the effect of parental consanguinity on fetal growth. Previous studies have not always allowed for other factors that are known to affect birth weight, in particular,...Full Text Available
Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta isoforms (TGF-beta 1, -beta 2, and -beta 3) regulate cell growth and differentiation and have critical regulatory roles in the process of tissue repair and remodeling....Full Text Available
Full text: Chemical-technology approaches allowing to intensification the prevention processes of gas hydrates formation at motion of gas-liquid stream of natural gas in system natural gas well - gas wire have been worked up. Technological regimes of treatment of gas stream have been determined. Linear correlation dependences inhibitor electrolytes contained hydrated ions with different ion radii and charges of subgroups of alkali elements with one - type electron configuration were obtained. Important physico-chemical parameters of electrolytes have been determined: activity; coefficients of activity, viscosity, diffusion; density; heat capacity; heat conductivity; surface tension and freezing-point. The features of continuous influence of inhibitory factors on process of gas flow at low temperatures and relatively high pressure differences ?P have been studied by using of technological installation modulating the system natural gas well - gas wire. The ...
Single crystal cubic boron nitride (cBN) was heteroepitaxially grown on a seed crystal of diamond under static high pressure and high temperature at 5.5GPa and 1,600--1,700 C, respectively, for 10--100 hour. A temperature gradient method was employed for the crystal growth by using lithium boron nitride as a solvent. Initial growth feature of cBN crystal was found on the diamond seed surface after the growing time of 10 minutes. The nucleation sites of the crystals seem to be near the etch pits on the diamond surface which were introduced by the surface dissolution by the solvent for cBN growth. Two types of growth features, island and step growth were typically shown on the surface. It can be seen that grown crystal appearing as a (111) nitrogen face was exhibited with the step growth feature, while the (11n) face exhibited the island ...
We investigate the variation of the out-of-phase periodic rhythm produced by two chaotic neurons {bold (}Hindmarsh-Rose neurons [J. L. Hindmarsh and R. M. Rose, Proc. R. Soc. London B {bold 221}, 87 (1984)]{bold )} coupled by electrical and reciprocally synaptic connections. The exploration of a two-parametric bifurcation diagram, as a function of the strength of the electrical and inhibitory coupling, reveals that the periodic rhythms associated to the limit cycles bounded by saddle-node bifurcations, undergo a strong variation as a function of small changes of electrical coupling. We found that there is a scaling law for the bifurcations of the limit cycles as a function of the strength of both couplings. From the functional point of view of this mixed typed of coupling, the small variation of electrical coupling provides a high sensitivity for period regulation inside the regime of out-of-phase synchronization. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical ...
This work reports the development of an automatic methodology based on the use of 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate (ANS) as an interfacial fluorescent probe for detecting the hydrophobic environment shift around the probe, caused by the hydrolytic action of PLA2 on the liposomes. The implementation of this reaction in a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system along with the use of the mixing chambers permitted the evaluation of PLA2 activity and assessment of the inhibitory effect of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on PLA2 activity. Several studies were performed with the aim of establishing the appropriate flow system configuration: the liposome substrate; PLA2 and ANS optimum concentrations and incubation times before and after the enzyme addition. Based on these st...
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used for relieving chronic pain in patients that have been through other existing options. The septum has been one of the targets for such treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the inhibitory effect of electrical stimulation in the medial septum diagonal band of broca (MSDB) on neuronal activity in the spinal cord of rats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital. While unilaterally stimulating the MSDB, wide dynamic range neurons in the lumbar region of the spinal cord were recorded in response to graded mechanical stimulation of the hind paws (brush, pressure, and pinch). Stimulation was at 1, 5, 10, and 20V, at 100Hz, and 0.1ms duration. Significant bilateral reduction was observed in response to pressure (ipsilaterally: 0.90+/-0.05, 0....
We study the spike statistics of neurons in a network with dynamically balanced excitation and inhibition. Our model, intended to represent a generic cortical column, comprises randomly connected excitatory and inhibitory leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, driven by excitatory input from an external population. The high connectivity permits a mean field description in which synaptic currents can be treated as gaussian noise, the mean and autocorrelation function of which are calculated self-consistently from the firing statistics of single model neurons. Within this description, a wide range of Fano factors is possible. We find that the irregularity of spike trains is controlled mainly by the strength of the synapses relative to the difference between the firing threshold and the postfiring reset level of the membrane potential. For moderately strong synapses, we find spike statistics very similar to those observed in primary visual cortex.
In this study, we investigated the kinetics of linoleic acid production via lipase-mediated hydrolysis of corn DDGS oil in a batch reactor with continuous mechanical agitation and developed a kinetic model that incorporated the product inhibition to study the complete hydrolysis. The model agreed very well with observed data; though situations with low enzyme dosage or low stirring rates were modeled successfully without product inhibition, actual product concentration in such situations was too low to exert any inhibitory effects. Increasing the enzyme concentration increased hydrolysis, and beyond certain enzyme concentrations, effects tended to fade away because of excessive enzyme desorption from the interface. An enzyme dosage within the range of 40-60KLU/L of oil dispersion could be ...
The cephalosporin class antibacterial agent, cefazolin, was intercalated into layered double hydroxides (LDHs) in order to improve the drug efficiency as well as to achieve the controlled release property. Cefazolin molecules were incorporated into LDH through conventional ion exchange reaction. X-ray diffraction pattern analyses confirmed that cefazolin molecules were intercalated between the interlayer spaces of LDH. Fourier-transform infrared spectra and high performance liquid chromatographs clearly showed that the drug molecules were stabilized in LDH lattice through electrostatic interaction and released without any changes in their chemical integrity. Antibacterial activity of the cefazolin-LDH nanohybrid was also examined by an in vitro test, such as the minimal inhibitory concentr...
The effect of ?/?-carrageenan from red alda Tichocarpus crinitus on the development of a potato virus X (PVX) infection in the leaves of Datura stramonium L. has been studied. The treatment of leaves with carrageenan stimulates a protein synthesis in the cells, causing an increase in the size of nucleoli and in the number of mitochondria and membranes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. At the same time, such treatment slightly stimulates lytic processes, causing an increase in the number of smooth endoplasmic reticulum cisternae, dictyosomes, and cytoplasmic vacuoles and the formation of cytoplasmic electron-transparent zones. The carrageenan-induced stimulation of lytic processes results in the destruction of viral particles and can be considered as one of the defense mechanisms, prevent...
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a measure of sensorimotor gating, a pre-attentional inhibitory brain mechanism that filters extraneous stimuli. Prepulse inhibition is correlated with measures of cognition and executive functioning, and is considered an endophenotype of schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses in which patients show PPI impairments. As a first step toward identifying genes that regulate PPI, we performed a quantitative trait locus (QTL) screen of PPI phenotypes in a panel of mouse chromosome substitution strains (CSSs). We identified five CSSs with altered PPI compared with the host C57BL/6J strain: CSS-4 exhibited decreased PPI, whereas CSS-10, -11, -16 and -Y exhibited higher PPI compared with C57BL/6J. These data indicate that A/J chromosomes 4, 10, 11, 16 and Y harbor...
We describe a simple one-pot thermal decomposition method for the production of a stable colloidal suspension of narrowly dispersed superparamagnetic Fe3O4-Ag core-shell nanostructures. These biocompatible nanostructures are highly toxic to microorganisms. Antimicrobial activity studies were carried out on both Gram negative (Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris) and Gram positive (Bacillus megaterium and Staphylococcus aureus) bacterial strains. Efforts have been made to understand the underlying molecular mechanism of such antibacterial actions. The effect of the core-shell nanostructures on Gram negative strains was found to be better than that observed for silver nanoparticles. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of these nanostructures were found to be considerably lowe...
Background, aim and scope Treatment performance of constructed wetlands (CWs) is largely dependent on the characteristics of the wastewater. Although livestock wastewater is readily biodegradable in general, its variety in biodegradability can still be significant in practice. In addition, it is a common practice to periodically use disinfectants in livestock activities for health concerns. Obviously, the residual of the disinfectants in livestock wastewater may have serious inhibitory effect on the microbial activities during wastewater treatment. Thus, the main objective of this study was to examine the variety of livestock wastewater in biodegradability and its effect on the performance of a pilot scale tidal flow CWs (TFCWs) in organic matter and nitrogen removal. Furthermore, investig...
Abstract BACKGROUND: Dietary plant materials have attracted much attention because of their health benefits to humans. Acrylamide is found in various heated carbohydrate-rich foods. Our previous results showed that crude aqueous extracts from diverse dietary plants and some phenolic compounds could mitigate acrylamide formation in an asparagine-glucose model system. Based on our previous study, several plant materials were selected to further investigate their inhibitory effects on acrylamide formation in cookies and starch-based model systems. RESULTS: Addition of raw powders from selected dietary plants and their crude aqueous extracts could considerably reduce acrylamide formation in both cookie and potato starch-based models. Aqueous extracts of clove at 4% caused the largest reduction...
Conformationally constrained analogue synthesis was undertaken to aid in pharmacophore mapping and 3D-QSAR analysis of nitrobenzylmercaptopurine riboside (NBMPR) congeners as equilibriative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1) inhibitors. In our previous study [J. Med. Chem. 2003, 46, 831-837], novel regioisomeric nitro-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline conformationally constrained analogues of NBMPR were synthesized and evaluated as ENT1 ligands. 7-NO2-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroisoquino-2-yl purine riboside was identified as the analogue with the nitro group in the best orientation at the NBMPR binding site of ENT1. In the present study, further conformational constraining was introduced by synthesizing 5prime-O,8-cyclo derivatives. The flow cytometrically determined binding affinities indicated that the...
Abstract Background: This study involves a multicentre surveillance of tigecycline and tetracycline activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria from primary care centres (PCCs), general hospital wards (GHWs) and intensive care units (ICUs) in Denmark (n == 9), Finland (n == 10), Norway (n == 7) and Sweden (n == 19). Methods: The hospitals were each asked to test 30 consecutive Gram-positive and 30 Gram-negative clinical isolates. Supportive information accompanying each isolate included the study centre, ward level (PCC, GHW, or ICU), patient identification and source of the isolate. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for tetracycline and tigecycline were determined with the Etest. Results: The isolates collected comprised 1610 Gram-negative and 1767 Gram-positive clini...
The effect of in vitro and in vivo administration of ethanol on the binding of "3"5S-t-butyl-bicyclophosphorothionate ("3"5S-TBPS) to cortical brain membranes of C57B1 mice was investigated using KCl (100 mM) containing assay media. The in vitro addition of ethanol produced a dose-dependent inhibition of basal "3"5S-TBPS binding. In the presence of chloride ions, GABA and pentobarbital had a biphasic action (stimulation followed by inhibition) on "3"5S-TBPS binding, whereas diazepam only stimulated the binding. Ethanol reduced the stimulatory effects of GABA and pentobarbital in a dose-dependent manner, but had no effect on the enhancement of "3"5S-TBPS binding produced by diazepam. "3"5S-TBPS binding to cortical brain membranes was inhibited by the putative Cl"- channel blocking agent DIDS. This inhibitory action of DIDS was significantly, and dose-dependently reduced by ethanol (#<=# 100 mM ethanol). Chronic ethanol ingestion in vivo, which produced tolerance ...
To investigate mechanisms responsible for positive and negative transcriptional control, the authors have utilized two types of promoters that are diffferentially regulated by thyroid hormone (T{sub 3}) receptors. Promoters containing the palindromic T{sub 3} response element TCAGGTCA TGACCTGA are positively regulated by the T{sub 3} receptor after the administration of T{sub 3}, whereas otherwise identical promoters containing the estrogen response element TCAGGTCA CTG TGACCTGA can be regulated negatively; converse effects are observed with the estrogen receptor. They describe evidence that the transcriptional inhibitory effects of the T{sub 3} or estrogen receptors on the estrogen or T{sub 3} response elements, respectively, are imposed by amino acid sequences in the C'-terminal region that colocalize with dimerization and hormone-binding domains and that these sequences can transfer inhibitory functions to other classes of ...
Aldosterone has been suggested to elicit vessel contraction via a nongenomic mechanism. We tested this proposal in microdissected, perfused rabbit renal afferent arterioles. Aldosterone had no effect on internal diameter in concentrations from 10(-10) to 10(-5) mol/L, but aldosterone abolished the ability of 100 mmol/L KCl to induce vascular contraction. The inhibitory effect of aldosterone was observed from 1 pmol/L. The inhibitory effect was significant after 5 minutes and maximal after 20 minutes and was fully reversible. Actinomycin D (10(-6) mol/L) prolonged the effect of aldosterone. The effect was abolished by the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone (10(-7) mol/L) but not by the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone (10(-6) mol/L). The K+-mediated increase of intracellular calcium concentration in afferent arterioles was not affected by aldosterone. Mineralocorticoid receptor was detected by reverse ...
Four trypsin inhibitor homologs, the first known from Dendroaspis angusticeps venom, were characterized using a combination of gel filtration, cation exchange, reverse-phase liquid chromatography, Edman degradation and mass spectrometry. The four toxins comprise two 57 residue and two 59 residue isoforms. The long toxins possess a Lys-Gln N-terminal extension lacked by the short toxins. The only other structural difference is an Arg/His replacement at position 55. The long Arg55 variant is identical to trypsin inhibitor E from the venom of Dendroaspis polylepis. The name epsilon-dendrotoxin is suggested so as to follow the nomenclature of Benishin, C.G., Sorensen, R.G., Brown, W.E., Krueger, B.K., Blaustein, M.P., 1988. Four polypeptide components of green mamba venom selectively block certain potassium channels in rat brain synaptosomes. Mol. Pharmacol. 34, 152-159. Among snake venom protease inhibitors, the epsilon-dendrotoxins are structurally most like the delta-dendrotoxins, with ...
Spice extracts under the form of essential oils were tested for their efficiency to increase the relative radiosensitivity of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157H7 in culture media. The two pathogens were treated by gamma-irradiation alone or in combination with oregano essential oil to evaluate their mechanism of action. The membrane murein composition, and the intracellular and extracellular concentration of ATP was determined. The bacterial strains were treated with two irradiation doses: 1.2 kGy to induce cell damage and 3.5 kGy to cause cell death for L. monocytogenes. A dose of 0.4 kGy to induce cell damages, 1.1 kGy to obtain viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state and 1.3 kGy to obtain a lethal dose was also applied on E. coli O157H7. Oregano essential oil was used at 0.020% and 0.025% (w/v), which is the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for L. monocytogenes. For E. coli O157H7, a concentration of 0.006% and 0.025% (w/v) which is the ...
Various chemical, physical, and mechanical methods to prevent unwanted deposition of mineral scale are described. The suitability of the different methods, which largely depends on the specific features and requirements of the system involved, is discussed. Special emphasis is placed upon the threshold treatment, where the growth process is retarded by the addition of trace amounts of growth inhibitors. Growth experiments have been performed on barium sulfate and calcium sulfate dihydrate seed crystals, suspended in a supersaturated solution with and without organic bisphosphonates as inhibitors. Two methods are selected for the analysis of the growth data. A degree of inhibition is defined to obtain a quantitative description of the influence of a growth inhibitor on the growth rate of the crystals. In addition the influence of the molecular structure of ...
Fatigue crack growth tests of three ferrite-pearlite steels with different size and spacing of pearlite particles, which were uniformly distributed in the ferrite matrix, were carried out to investigate the effect of microstructure on fatigue crack growth behavior in the Paris regime. The fatigue crack growth rates for the three materials did not coincide with each other, even when the crack growth curves were arranged by the effective stress intensity factor range. From in situ observations, crack tip stress shielding phenomena, such as interlocking and branching, were found on the crack wake, which enhanced fatigue crack growth resistance. A small size and spacing of pearlite particle seemed to induce small but frequent crack deflections, which resulted in crack closure phenomena. On the...
AIM: To investigate the effects of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) on the differentiation of colonic lamina propria fibroblasts (CLPF) into myofibroblasts in vitro.METHODS:...Full Text Available
Background and AimsIn spatially heterogeneous environments, a trade-off between seedling survival and relative growth rate may promote the coexistence of plant species. In temperate...Full Text Available
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is an adverse pregnancy outcome associated with significant perinatal and paediatric morbidity and mortality, and an increased risk of chronic disease later in adult life....Full Text Available
The growth regulating factor CTGF/CCN-2 is an integral factor in growth and development, connective tissue maintenance, wound repair and cell cycle regulation. It has recently been reported that CTGF/CCN-2...Full Text Available
Norepinephrine stimulates the growth of a range of bacterial species in nutritionally poor SAPI minimal salts medium containing 30% serum. Addition of size-fractionated serum components to SAPI...Full Text Available
Objective. To determine relative influences of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preterm birth on risks of cardiovascular, renal, or metabolic dysfunction in adolescent...Full Text Available
SummaryThe Hippo tumor-suppressor pathway controls tissue growth in Drosophila and mammals by regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis. The Hippo pathway includes...Full Text Available
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-specific monoclonal antibodies predominantly inhibit colorectal cancer (CRC) growth by interfering with receptor signaling. Recent analyses have shown that patients...Full Text Available
If bone strength was the only requirement of skeleton, it could be achieved with bulk, but bone must also be light. During growth, bone modelling and remodelling optimize strength, by depositing bone...Full Text Available
Staphylococcus aureus preferentially catabolizes glucose, generating pyruvate, which is subsequently oxidized to acetate under aerobic growth conditions. Catabolite repression of the...Full Text Available
During embryonic development, cells are instructed which position to occupy, they interpret these cues as differentiation programmes, and expand these patterns by growth. Sonic hedgehog...Full Text Available
Recent histological studies suggest relatively rapid growth in dinosaurs. However, the timing of reproductive maturity (RM) in dinosaurs is poorly known because unambiguous indicators of RM are rare....Full Text Available
Many growth factors and hormones modulate the reproductive status in mammals. Among these, insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) regulate the development of gonadal tissues. SH2-B has been...Full Text Available
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase domain mutations hyperactivate the kinase and confer kinase addiction of the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor...Full Text Available
Binding of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to the EGF receptor (EGFR) initiates signal transduction, ultimately leading to altered gene expression. Ligand-activated EGFR is also rapidly internalized...Full Text Available
Minoxidil induces hair growth in male pattern baldness and prolongs the anagen phase. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been reported to act synergistically with minoxidil in vivo:...Full Text Available
Rat somatotropin (growth hormone) was labelled biosynthetically by incubating anterior pituitary lobes with radioactive amino acids for 24 h in a simple buffered salts medium containing glucose. The...Full Text Available
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) related therapies – mainly tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as erlotinib and gefitinib, but also monoclonal antibodies targeting EGFR, for example,...Full Text Available
BackgroundAlthough some previous studies have suggested that posttraumatic growth (PTG) is comprised of several factors with different properties, few have examined both the association...Full Text Available
BackgroundPolymorphisms in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene may influence EGFR production and/or activity, thereby modulating susceptibility to lung...Full Text Available
Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a potent moderator of soft tissue repair through induction of the inflammatory phase of repair and subsequent enhanced collagen deposition. We examined the effect...Full Text Available
Up-flow anaerobic attached-growth bioreactors filled with pre-treated coir fibres ...coir-fibre arranged in bottle-brush configuration bounded by a novel plastic binding technique ...-three anaerobic filter reactors in series -coir fibre as the bacteria growth media a sedimentation
The receptors for IGF-I (IGF-IR) and insulin (IR) have been implicated in physiological cardiac growth, but it is unknown whether IGF-IR or IR signaling are critically required. We generated mice with...Full Text Available
Insect growth regulators (IGRs) of the juvenile hormone type alter physiological processes essential to insect development and appear to act specifically on insects. Three natural juvenile hormones...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE: We studied 22 dogs to examine the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) alone, in comparison with omental or muscular wrapping on airway healing in a tracheal autotransplantation...Full Text Available
The effect of growth phase on expression of virulence-associated factors was studied by Northern hybridization in an M1T1 clinical isolate of Streptococcus pyogenes. Expression of M...Full Text Available
Bacteria have the ability to adapt to different growth conditions and to survive in various environments. They have also the capacity to enter into dormant states and some bacteria form spores when...Full Text Available
Growth of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis was observed on media with citrate as the only energy source. At pH 5.6, steady state was achieved in...Full Text Available
Various factors affecting the aggregation of Actinomyces naeslundii strain 12104 were studied. When the pH of glucose-supplemented growth medium fell below 5.5, the cells aggregated and formed microbial...Full Text Available
This study explored posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive change resulting from struggling with trauma, among 7- to 10-year-olds impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Analyses focused on child self-system...Full Text Available
In the CNS, there are widespread and diverse interactions between growth factors and estrogen. Here we examine the interactions of estrogen and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), two...Full Text Available
Both deficiency and excess of growth hormone (GH) are associated with increased mortality and morbidity. GH replacement in otherwise healthy subjects leads to complications, whereas individuals with...Full Text Available
The electrical parameters that affect young seedling growth were investigated. Voltages ranging from 5 to 40 volts were applied longitudinally along the mesocotyl region of 4-day old Zea mays...Full Text Available
... Gastrointestinal Tract On the Growth and Development of Hymenolepis DiminutaKerry L. Dwinell, Paul Bass, Gordon L. Telford, ... central (CNS) nervous systems in the development of Hymenolepis diminuta usi...
We studied the dynamics of microbial communities attached to model aggregates (4-mm-diameter agar spheres) and the component processes of colonization, detachment, growth, and grazing mortality. Agar...Full Text Available
To determine the relative importance of different metabolites of vitamin D in bone growth and development, weanling male rat pups suckled by vitamin D-deficient mothers were given either calcitriol...Full Text Available
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a critical role in normal development as well as retinal vasculature disease. During retinal vascularization, VEGF is most strongly expressed by not yet...Full Text Available
This paper will discuss initial studies of thin-film GaAs grown by molecular-beam epitaxy for use in developing a thin-film GaAs solar cell. Photocurrent and photoluminescence intensity are related to the material morphology as a function of growth conditions. Growth temperature and V/III ratio have a dramatic effect on the photocurrent. However, it seems likely that even after optimizing such growth parameters, it will be necessary to provide substrates that can provide templates to enhance grain size from the start of thin-film growth. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}
DescriptionAbstract of Research Proposal The root environment has a major effect on crop growth, both directly through the supply of water and nutrients to the shoot, and indirectly through root to shoot signalling. Better management of crop root systems through agronomic and genetic means has the potential to improve the efficiency of water and nutrient uptake, and limit root restrictions to crop growth. However, progress in this area is currently limited by the lack of sensors for in situ estimates of [continued...
Roots of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings continue to grow at low water potentials that cause complete inhibition of shoot growth. In this study, we have investigated the role of abscisic...Full Text Available
In order to better understand the molecular mechanisms of human hair growth control and to test hair growth-modulatory drugs, appropriate in vitro models are required. Here, we report the long-term...Full Text Available
Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9), an oocyte-secreted member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily, progesterone receptor, cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2; Ptgs2), and the EP2 prostaglandin...Full Text Available
Whether the lusitropic potential of short-term exercise in aged rats is linked to an augmentation in the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) axis and an alteration in the...Full Text Available
The effect of WC particle size with the addition of VC as a grain growth inhibitor was investigated during the liquid phase sintering of WC-Co system. With increasing WC particle size at the same VC content, the effect of grain growth inhibition was increased. Also, with increasing the VC content, the grain shape of WC was changed from the faceted shape to the distorted shape, and the step density of the WC grain was increased. (orig.)
An interface-marker technique has been used to investigate the relative rates of diffusion of Si and of metal atoms during the growth of metal silicide films. The technique enables recognition of a reference plane in thin film diffusion using Rutherford backscattering, while minimizing any perturbation of the diffusion process. Examples are drawn from studies of the growth of silicides of W, Mo, Ta, Nb, Pd and Pt. (orig.).
Vermicompost preparations are increasingly used in agricultural practice. There is a possibility, that crop plants are sensitive to negative effect of vermicompost at early stages of development. The aim of the present study was to test the effects of vermicompost on seed germination and seedling growth of different vegetable crop species. Vermicompost substitution inhibited seed germination and seedling growth with almost linear decrease of growth with increasing concentration of vermicopost in the substrate. However, both leaf chlorophyll content and photochemical activity of photosynthesis increased in all crop species with the exception of pea seedlings. Vermicompost extract as a watering solution showed positive effect on growth of bean and pea seedlings. Germination response of vermi...
Serum growth hormone (GH) was suppressed in female rats bearing mammary tumors induced by 7, 12, dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) or N-nitrosomethylurea(NMU). Serum GH was suppressed due to treatment with a human GH analog produced by the plerocercoid stage of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides. Rats treated with plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) via plerocercoid infection had accelerated growth rates despite marked reductions in GH levels. Approximately two-thirds of the mammary tumors induced by either DMBA or NMU regressed during three weeks of exposure to PGF while most of the control tumors continued to grow. The data support an important regulatory role for GH in growth of mammary tumors in rats. PMID:3019224
Young rats were given a single irradiation dose (0.5, 2, 5 or 8 Gy) to the left knee-joint. The right unexposed knee-joint served as control. The animals were decapitated 1.5, 3, 7, 14 or 30 days after the irradiation. Longitudinal bone growth in the tibial epiphysis was established using tetracycline as an intravital marker. During the first 1.5 days after irradiation with 5 and 8 Gy, the growth was slightly inhibited (6-7%). Maximum growth retardation (20%) was found 7 to 14 days after irradiation with 5 and 8 Gy. No consistent effect occurred after 0.5 and 2 Gy. Between 14 to 30 days following irradiation growth was normalized.
A novel technique is proposed for the growth of an InN film on a GaN/Al2O3(0001) template by radio-frequency plasma-excited molecular beam epitaxy (RF-MBE). The method involves 1) InN growth under an In-rich condition and 2) additional nitrogen radical irradiation after the InN growth under an In-rich condition. Excess In that appeared on the InN surface in the InN growth under an In-rich condition is transformed to InN by the additional nitrogen radical irradiation. The effective V/III ratio is easily controlled by monitoring the intensity in a reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) pattern. The growth of the InN film by repeating the InN growth under an In-rich condition and the additional nitrogen radical irradiation is also demonstrated. (copyright 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)
Postresection villus hyperplasia is a major compensatory mechanism in the short-bowel patient. Substances capable of augmenting postresection mucosal hyperplasia could have therapeutic implications. Human growth hormone (hGH) and human growth hormone releasing factor (hGHRF) stimulate growth of the gastrointestinal tract; however, the diabetogenic actions of growth hormone limit its usefulness in clinical practice. Plerocercoid larvae of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides produce an analog of hGH void of diabetogenic side effects. We assessed effects of plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) on mucosal adaptation following 70% proximal jejunoileal resection in young rats. Mucosal weight, DNA, protein, and total sucrase activity per centimeter of bowel were increased in resected PGF-treated animals compared to resected controls. We conclude PGF augments intrinsic postresection mucosal ...
The effects of lead on the development of the nervous system are of immediate concern to human health. While it is clear that lead can affect neuronal development at levels of exposure within the range found in the environment, the particular mechanism of the disruption is not readily ascertained. The goal of the authors research is to develop a model system in which the effects of lead on central nervous system development can be demonstrated. To study neuronal development in a system that minimizes such difficulties, the authors have grafted discrete brain regions derived from rat fetuses into the anterior chamber of the eye of adult hosts. The brain pieces continue organotypic development in the eye, but are isolated from possible secondary changes due to alterations in the development of the endocrine and other somatic systems because the adult host has these systems already fully developed. Using this system, they have discovered that lead induces a hypernoradrenergic innervation ...
Several series of pyrimidine nucleosides were evaluated as part of a larger program to develop non-invasive brain imaging agents. The interaction of these antitumor/antiviral nucleosides with an NBMPR-sensitive murine erythroctye nucleoside transporter was evaluated by determining their inhibitory effect (K_i) on zero-trans influx of thymidine. Within each series of compounds, which had F, Cl, Br or I as halogen substituents, an increase in size of the halogen atom or a decrease in electronegativity decreased affinity for the transporter. Partition coefficients (P) of these pyrimidine nucleosides were measured to determine their potential to diffuse across the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). Most of the pyrimidine nucleosides had lower P values (log P < 0.9), and were considered to be poor candidates for simple diffusion across the BBB, although an active BBB transport mechanism for some nucleosides could be operative. For a given series, it was found that log P ...
Proteomic changes in proteins secreted by human hepatocellular carcinomas (HepG2) cells exposed to butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) were evaluated. HepG2 cells were treated with three different concentrations of BBP (0, 10, or 25 ?M) for 24 or 48 h. Following incubation, the cells were subjected to proteomic analysis using two different pI ranges (4-7 and 6-9) and large-size two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Results showed resolution of a total of 2776 protein spots. Of these, 29, including 19 upregulated and 10 downregulated proteins, were identified by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Among these, the identities of cystatin C, Rho guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor, gelsolin, DEK protein, Raf kinase inhibitory protein, triose phosphate ...
NFAT involvement in adipocyte physiological processes was examined by treatment with CsA and/or GSK3{beta} inhibitors (Li{sup +} or TZDZ-8), which prevent or increase NFAT nuclear translocation, respectively. CsA treatment reduced basal and TNF{alpha}-induced rates of lipolysis by 50%. Adipocytes preincubated with Li{sup +} or TZDZ-8 prior to CsA and/or TNF{alpha}, exhibited enhanced basal rates of lipolysis and complete inhibition of CsA-mediated decreased rates of lipolysis. CsA treatment dramatically reduced the mRNA levels of adipocyte-specific genes (aP2, HSL, PPAR{gamma}, ACS and Adn), compared with control or TNF{alpha}-treatment, whereas Li{sup +} pretreatment blocked the inhibitory effects of CsA, and mRNA levels of aP2, HSL, PPAR{gamma}, and ACS were found at or above control levels. NFAT nuclear localization, assessed by EMSA, confirmed that CsA or Li{sup +} treatments inhibited or increased NFAT nuclear translocation, respectively. These results show ...
We report the isolation of a new bacterium species (named as DN-06) that degrades pyridine, a model compound containing both carbon and nitrogen, from the aerobic activated sludge in a coking wastewater treatment plant. DN-06 was identified as Achromobacter sp. using 16S rDNA sequence analysis. In batch culture, more than 95% of pyridine (500?mg/L) was degraded within 18?h by DN-06 grown at 35?C and pH?8 with agitation at 170?rpm. Degradation experiments of pyridine at different initial concentrations (50?4,300?mg/L) revealed that pyridine was an inhibitory substrate, and that neither yield coefficient Y nor endogenous decay coefficient K d was a constant. The values of Y and K d were 0.55?0.74 and 0.0032?0.0057?h?1, respectively. Five kinetic models (Haldane, Yano, Aiba, Webb, and Monod) ...
Objective: To study the effects of minocycline hydrochloride (MINO) on the formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining-positive multinucleated osteoclast-like cells in mouse bone marrow cells (BMCs) treated with 1@a,25(OH)"2D"3 or soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-@kB ligand (s-RANKL). Materials and methods: Mouse BMCs were cultured in alpha-modified minimum essential medium containing foetal calf serum (10%) and tetracyclines (2.5, 5 and 10@mM), such as MINO, tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OXT) or doxycycline (DOXY) in the presence of 1@a,25(OH)"2D"3 (10nM) or s-RANKL (20ng/ml) for 7 days, and the number of TRAP staining-positive osteoclast-like cells was counted. In RNA isolated from BMCs treated with 1@a,25(OH)"2D"3 or s-R...
The effect of chronic administration of phenobarbital on the binding of phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (({sup 3}H)PDBu), an activator of protein kinase C (PKC), was examined in rat liver microsomes. A significant increase in the number of binding sites was observed in microsomes of Fisher 344 rats. However, no change appeared in liver cytosol binding of PDBu. Consequently, a translocation process of PKC is unlikely. The increase in ({sup 3}H)PDBu binding in liver microsomes is significant 24 h. after one injection of phenobarbital and reaches its maximum in 2 days. In other strains of rats (ACI and lean Zucker), significant differences were found in the increase of ({sup 3}H)PDBu binding in microsomes. Fisher 344 were the most sensitive, lean Zucker rats, the least sensitive. Those results parallel the pentoxy-resorufin O demethylase activity in the microsomes of the same animals. EC{sub 50} values for inhibition of ({sup 3}H)PDBu binding by pentobarbital were determined in control ...
The objective of this work was to investigate the efficiency of imidazole and its derivatives 4-methylimidazone, 4-methyl-5-hydroxymethylimidazone, 1-phenyl-4-methylimidazone, and 1-(p-tolyl)-4-methylimidazole for corrosion inhibition of copper in 0.5 M hydrochloric acid. Corrosion inhibition was studied using potentiodynamic methods. These studies have shown that 1-(p-tolyl)-4-methylimidazole has the best inhibitory efficiency. Activation energies were obtained by measuring the temperature dependence of the corrosion current. The activation energies in the presence of the various inhibitors are low (3--5 kJ/mol), with the best inhibitor showing the highest value. The adsorptive behavior of the imidazole derivatives on the copper electrode surface follows a Freundlich-type isotherm. The standard free energies of adsorption are also low (14--16 kJ/mol), indicating that imidazole and its derivatives physisorb on the copper surface. Possible mechanisms of corrosion ...
This study describes the role of "inflammatory" oxidized (Ox) phospholipids in regulation of rahU (PA0122) expression and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (383) wild type (rahU+) and rahU mutant (rahU-) strains. Functional analysis of RahU protein from P. aeruginosa in presence of Ox-phospholipids show: (a) LysoPC modulates RahU gene/and protein expression in rahU+ cells; (b) rahU promoter activity is increased by lysoPC and inhibited by PAPC, Ox-PAPC and arachidonic acid; the latter inhibitory effect can be reversed by lysoPC, which was enzymatically derived from PAPC; (c) biofilm formation increased in rahU- cells as compared to rahU+; and (d) inhibition of rahU promoter activity by PAPC and AA (but not lysoPC) showed significantly augmented biofilm formation in rahU+ but not ...
The structural organization of the genes encoding Bungarus multicinctus protease inhibitor-like proteins (PILPs), PILP-1, PILP-2 and PILP-3, are reported in this study. Unlike PILP-2 and PILP-3, recombinant PILP-1 exhibited inhibitory activity on trypsin. PILP genes and B chain genes shared identical organization with three exons interrupted by two introns in similar positions. On the contrary, intron 1 of these genes had a similar size, a notable variation with the size of intron 2 was observed. It was found that two regions at the second intron of B1 chain and B2 chain genes were absent in that of PILP genes. Noticeably, intronic insertion in the second intron of B chain genes appeared in the promoter region of PILP-1 gene, but not in that of PILP-2 and PILP-3 genes. Comparative analyses of PILP genes and B chain genes showed that the protein-coding regions of the exons are more diverse than introns, except for in the signal peptide domain. These results suggest ...
Effects of cell concentrations on the survival and repopulation of haemopoietic stem cells after irradiation were studied in the long-term culture of mouse bone marrow cells in vitro. No difference was observed in the survival of the stem cells among cultures in which 0 - 10/sup 7/ cells were re-inoculated on the adherent cell colonies in the culture flask. Stem cells showed a significant proliferation within 1 week and the number of the stem cells exceeded the control in 3 weeks after irradiation in the cultures with less than 10/sup 6/ re-inoculated cells per flask. In contrast, there was a considerable delay in the onset of stem cell proliferation after irradiation in the culture with 10/sup 7/ cells per flask. Based on these results, a possibility that a stimulator of stem cell proliferation, released from irradiated stromal cells, is cancelled by an inhibitory factor produced by irradiated or unirradiated haemopoietic cells is postulated.
Rat lung and liver microsomes did not undergo lipid peroxidation in the absence of iron when incubated with NADPH and concentrations of paraquat ranging from 10/sup -7/ to 10/sup -2/ M. Paraquat also did not stimulate rat liver and lung microsomal peroxidation induced by added iron and NADPH, and was inhibitory at concentrations above 10 ..mu..M. Similarly, no stimulation of peroxidation was produced by paraquat in rabbit or human lung microsomes; however, under similar conditions, paraquat enhanced NADPH/iron-dependent peroxidation in mouse lung and liver microsomes obtained from rats sacrificed at 12, 18, and 24 hr following a lethal dose of paraquat (50 mg/kg, ip), there was no loss of vitamin E or increase in susceptibility to in vitro peroxidation which would be expected if lipid peroxidation had occurred in vivo although extensive lung damage developed during this time period. These results indicate that paraquat does not cause pulmonary toxicity by ...
The accumulation of osmolytes in leaf tissues and the abscisic acid-induced stomatal closure are well-recognized mechanisms associated with drought tolerance in crop plants. We determine the response in terms of osmotic potential and the contents of leaf proline, glycine betaine and soluble sugar at booting and grain filling stages of four wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars to drought and exogenously applied abscisic acid (ABA) in a pot study. Leaf sample were collected 3, 6 and 9 days after drought induction and at 48 and 72 h of re-watering (recovery). Marked decreases in osmotic potential associated with the accumulation of proline, glycine betaine and soluble sugars occurred under conditions of drought stress Accession 011320 was most sensitive to drought and showed the largest decrease in osmotic potential and least accumulation of proline, sugar and glycine betaine The inhibitory effects of drought stress were ameliorated by exogenous application of ABA. ...
Treatment of cultures of 3T3-L1 cells with methylisobutyl-xanthine and dexamethasone has been shown to result in accumulation of lipid and conversion to the morphology of adipocytes in more than 90% of the cells. The status of the stimulatory (Gs), inhibitory (Gi) and Go-proteins during the course of 3T3-L1 differentiation was examined. The amount of alpha subunit of Gs (#alpha#Gs), assayed by radiolabeling in the presence of cholera toxin and ["3"2P]NAD"+, increased upon differentiation as previously described by others. The amounts of #alpha#Gi and #alpha#Go assayed by radiolabeling in the presence of pertussis toxin and ["3"2P]NAD"+ increased 3-fold upon differentiation. Immunoblots of cell membranes subjected to gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate were probed with two rabbit antisera raised against bovine brain #alpha#Go and with one raised against the#beta#-subunit of the bovine rod-outer-segment G-protein, referred to as transducin. The ...
Abstract Four new dimeric naphtho--pyrones, named rubasperone D (1), rubasperone E (2), rubasperone F (3), and its atropisomer rubasperone G (4), together with four known monomeric naphtho--pyrones, TMC 256 A1 (5), rubrofusarin B (6), fonsecin (7), and flavasperone (8), were isolated from the mangrove endophytic fungus Aspergillus tubingensis (GX1-5E) cultivated in solid rice medium. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including IR, 1D- and 2D-NMR, and MS. In the in vitro cytotoxicity assays, 5 displayed inhibitory activities against tumor cell lines of MCF-7, MDA-MB-435, Hep3B, Huh7, SNB19, and U87-MG with IC50 values between 19.92 and 47.98-M. Compounds 1, 6, and 8 also showed mild cytotoxic activity.
Abstract TLR9 recognizes unmethylated CpG-containing DNA commonly found in bacteria. Synthetic oligonucleotides containing CpG-motifs (CpG ODNs) recapitulate the activation of TLR9 by microbial DNA, whereas inversion of the CG dinucleotide within the CpG motif to GC (GpC ODNs) renders such ODNs inactive. This difference cannot be attributed to binding of ODNs to the full-length TLR9 ectodomain, as both CpG and GpC ODNs bind comparably. Activation of murine TLR9 requires cleavage into an active C-terminal fragment, which binds CpG robustly. We therefore compared the ability of CpG and GpC ODNs to bind to full-length and C-terminal TLR9, and their impact on the cleavage of TLR9. We found that CpG binds better to C-terminal TLR9 when compared with GpC, despite comparably low binding of both O...
The human CDC25 tyrosine phosphatases trigger activation of CDC2 by removing inhibitory phosphates; thus the genes encoding these phosphatases may be suspected as potential oncogenes due to their role in promoting cell division. To date, three human CDC25 genes have been identified: CDC25A, B, and C. This communication describes the mapping of CDC25A to chromosome 3p21 and CDC25B to chromosome 20p13 by fluorescence in situ hybridization with confirmation by the polymerase chain reaction of hamster-human somatic cell hybrid DNA. 3p21 is near an area frequently involved in karyotypic abnormalities in renal carcinomas, small cell carcinomas of the lung, and benign tumors of the salivary gland. 20p13 does not seem to be a common area for karyotypic alteration in tumors. Mapping of these genes to their chromosomal loci may help identify tumors with abnormal regulation of CDC25 genes due to genomic alterations. 15 refs., 3 figs.
The present study investigated the effects of peppermint (Mentha piperita), dill (Anethum graveolens) and basil (Ocimum basilicum) on yogurt formation, proteolysis and inhibition of angiotensin-1 converting enzyme (ACE). Herbal-yogurts had faster rates of pH reduction than plain-yogurt. All herbal-yogurts had higher (p < 0.05) antioxidant activities than plain-yogurt, both at the end of fermentation and throughout the storage period. The o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) peptides in herbal-yogurts increased by 28-36% after 7 days of storage. All herbal-yogurts showed higher anti-ACE activity than plain-yogurt at corresponding storage periods. M. piperita yogurt had highest inhibitory effect on ACE activity throughout the storage period. Peppermint, dill and basil may be used to modify microbial ferme...
Purified protein kinase C (C-kinase) from guinea pig pancreas and rat brain stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in purified rat adipocyte membranes. Cyclase stimulation occurred over 100 to 1000 mU/ml of C-kinase activity, required greater than 10 ..mu..M calcium, proceeded without a lag, was not readily reversible, and required no exogenous phospholipid. Moreover, C-kinase inhibitors, such as chlorpromazine and palmitoyl carnitine, inhibited selectively adenylate cyclase which was activated by C-kinase and calcium. Depending on assay conditions, 10 nM 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) either enhanced or was required for kinase action on cyclase. Also, TPA plus calcium promoted the quantitative association of C-kinase with membranes. Adenylate cyclase activation by C-kinase was seen both in the presence and absence of exogenous GTP, indicating that the kinase effect does not result from an action on the GTP-binding, inhibitory regulatory component (N/sub ...
The inducible transcription factor NF-#kappa#B regulates divergent signaling pathways including inflammatory response and cancer development. Selective inhibitors for NF-#kappa#B signaling are potentially useful for treatment of inflammation and cancer. NF-#kappa#B is canonically activated by preferential disposal of its inhibitory protein; I#kappa#B, which suppresses the nuclear translocation of NF-#kappa#B. I#kappa#B#alpha# (a major member of I#kappa#B family proteins) is phosphorylated with an I#kappa#B kinase (IKK) and subsequently polyubiquitylated by SCF"#beta#"T"r"C"P"1 ubiquitin-ligase in the presence of E1 and E2 prior to proteasomal degradation. Here, we describe a novel inhibitor termed GS143, which suppressed I#kappa#B#alpha# ubiquitylation, but not I#kappa#B#alpha# phosphorylation, MDM2-directed p53 ubiquitylation, and proteasome activity in vitro. GS143 markedly suppressed the destruction of I#kappa#B#alpha# stimulated by TNF#alpha# and a set of ...
Norepinephrine stimulates the growth of a range of bacterial species in nutritionally poor SAPI minimal salts medium containing 30% serum. Addition of size-fractionated serum components to SAPI medium indicated that transferrin was required for norepinephrine stimulation of growth of Escherichia coli. Since bacteriostasis by serum is primarily due to the iron-withholding capacity of transferrin, we considered the possibility that norepinephrine can overcome this effect by supplying transferrin-bound iron for growth. Incubation with concentrations of norepinephrine that stimulated bacterial growth in serum-SAPI medium resulted in loss of bound iron from iron-saturated transferrin, as indicated by the appearance of monoferric and apo- isoforms upon electrophoresis in denaturing gels. Norepinephrine also caused the loss of iron from lactoferrin. The pharmacologically inactive metabolite norepinephrine ...
A factor produced by plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides is similar to human growth hormone (hGH) in that it stimulates body growth, binds to hGH receptors, cross-reacts with anti-hGH antibodies, and has lactogenic and insulin-like activities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) is similar to hGH in expressing diabetogenic activity in the genetically obese (ob/ob) mouse. To determine an effective dose for use in the obese mice, the ability of daily injections of PGF to stimulate growth of phenotypically normal mice of the same strain was assessed in a 10-day weight gain assay. Injections of PGF stimulated a dose-dependent weight gain (r = 0.83) and 25 ng eq/day of PGF stimulated a response not significantly different from that produced by 100 micrograms of bovine growth hormone/day. Diabetogenicity was assessed using ...
Macrocephaly was defined as a head measuring larger than 98th percentile. We have evaluated CT findings and head growth curves in 25 infants with large heads. Ten (40%) of 25 infants with large heads were normal developmentally and neurologically. Five (20%) of those were mentally retarded. The other 10 infants (40%) included hydrocephalus (4 cases), malformation syndrome (3 cases), brain tumor (1 case), metabolic disorder (1 case) and degenerative disorder (1 case). Their head growth curves were typed as (I), (II) and (III): Type (I) (excessive head growth curve to 2 SDs above normal); Type (II) (head growth curve gradually approached to 2 SDs above normal); Type (III) (head growth curve parallel to 2 SDs above normal). Ten of macrocephaly with normal psychomotor development were studied clinically and radiologically in details. They were all male. CT pictures of those showed ...
Abstract. Objective: Lapatinib (Tykerb, GW572016), a potent inhibitor of the catalytic activities of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) (ErbB2), inhibits population growth of selected EGFR and HER2 overexpressing cell lines. Previous studies with a small number of cell lines suggest a correlation between overexpression of EGFR and/or HER2 and sensitivity to growth inhibition by lapatinib; however, the precise determinants of lapatinib selectivity for tumour and/or other cells remain unclear. Materials and methods: To clarify the determinants of its selectivity in cultured cells, lapatinib-induced cell population growth inhibition and relative EGFR and HER2 protein expression were quantified in 61 different human tumour cell lines fro...
This work is concentrated on growth, spectroscopy and laser performance of thulium-doped vanadate crystals. At the beginning the growth techniques are analyzed and then the matrix of vanadates crystal, its structure and physicochemical properties are explained together with the rare earth activators influence. Detailed spectroscopy of the thulium-doped vanadate crystals then follows. On the background of this theoretical analysis and state of the art of the subject the description of thulium vanadate lasers (especially Tm:YVO"4, Tm:GdVO"4, and Tm:LuVO"4) together with their generated output radiation characteristics are presented.
The solar energy industry experienced unprecedented growth in the eight years from 2000 to 2007, with explosive growth occurring in the latter half of this period. From 2004 to 2007, global private sector investment in solar energy increased by almost twenty-fold, marking a dramatic increase in the short span of four years. This paper examines the timing, magnitude, focus and location of various forms of investment in the solar energy sector. It analyzes their trends to provide an understanding of the growth of the solar industry during the past eight years and to identify emerging themes in this rapidly evolving industry.
The crack growth behavior and fracture toughness of two laminated metal composites (6090/SiC/25p laminated with 5182 and ultrahigh-carbon steel laminated with brass) have been studied in both ``crack arrester`` and ``crack divider`` orientations. The mechanisms of crack growth were analyzed and extrinsic toughening mechanisms were found to contribute significantly to the toughness. The influence of laminate architecture (layer thickness and component volume function), component material properties and residual stress on these mechanisms and the resulting crack growth resistance are discussed.
The inelastic scattering of the beam and the residual gas molecules in RHIC could represent one of the limitations on the beam life time and emittance growth. This report covers the dominant central nuclear collisions influence on the beam lifetime and transverse emittance growth. The cross sections for the beam-gas electron radiative captures are an order of magnitude smaller. The capture cross sections include the radiative and non-radiative capture, and the capture from the electron-positron pair creation from the 'vacuum capture'.
BACKGROUNDHirsutism is the presence of excess body or facial terminal (coarse) hair growth in females in a male-like pattern, affects 5–15% of women, and is an important...Full Text Available
Triacontanol (TRIA) has been realized as a potent plant growth promoting substance for a number of agricultural and horticultural crops. Out of a large number of essential oil bearing plants, mint (Mentha arvensis L.) constitutes the most important source of therapeutic agents used in the alternative systems of medicine. The mint plant has marvelous medicinal properties. In view of enhancing growth, yield and quality of this medicinally important plant, a pot experiment was conducted according to simple randomized block design. The experiment was aimed at studying the effect of four concentrations of TRIA (10?0, 10?7, 10?6 and 10?5?M) on the performance of mint with regard to growth and other physiological attributes, crop yield and quality attributes and the yield and contents of active c...
The growth power-time curves of a strain of petroleum bacteria, B-2, in various kinds of cultures containing different kinds of carbon sources, glucose, n-tetradecane, n-hexadecane and n-octadecane, and different kinds of microemulsions have been determined by using a 2277 Thermal Activity Monitor. The curves showed a single peak for cultures containing a single carbon source, glucose, and two peaks for cultures containing two kinds of carbon sources, glucose and one of the n-alkanes. The first peak indicated that bacteria grew by consuming glucose and the second peak indicated that bacteria grew by consuming n-alkane. The curves were complex when the bacterium grows in a microemulsion culture. According to a kinetic equation of bacterial growth under limited conditions, the rate constants of bacterial growth were obtained. The results showed that the microemulsion culture was more appropriate to bacteria to grow on ...
The author reviews the growth of the insecticide-resistance problem throughout the world during the period between July 1956 and November 1957, and the developments in research on the subject during...Full Text Available
We report the influence of a small quantity of Cl[sub 2], which enhanced the selectivity of silicon-selective epitaxial growth (Si-SEG) in UHV-CVD using Si[sub 2]H[sub 6], on both the epitaxial growth rate and the B-doping properties for each Si and Si[sub 1-x]Ge[sub x] film. The small quantity of Cl[sub 2] inhibited the Si, Ge and B incorporation, while the selectivity was enhanced. However, it was found, in the case of Si[sub 1-x]Ge[sub x]-SEG using Cl[sub 2], that the reduction ratio of both the growth rate and the B incorporation were smaller than those of Si-SEG with the selectivity still more enhanced. (orig.)
In this study, the thermodynamic stability of the grain boundaries and the grain growth of nanocrystalline Palladium (Pd) at various temperatures were investigated. For this purpose, the Gibbs free energy curves of grain boundaries were plotted in terms of the excess volume by the use of the equation of state (EOS) and Song's thermodynamic models. The results showed that, according to the prediction of these models, the nanocrystalline growth in metals was stopped at the grain sizes less than the critical grain size. Also, the results of the temperature variations and its effect on the Gibbs free energy curves showed that by the increase of the temperature, the possibility for the stoppage of grain growth is facilitated and the critical grain size is increased. To investigate the validity ...
Axon outgrowth and guidance to the proper target requires the coordination of filamentous (F)-actin and microtubules (MTs), the dynamic cytoskeletal polymers that promote shape change and locomotion....Full Text Available
... After formation of the monolayer (usually in 48 hours), the growth medium was poured off, and the cells washed twice with a Henkes solution and ...
The ras oncogenes function by indirectly controlling expression of a subset of yet-undefined genes that are crucial for cell growth and differentiation. In a differential display strategy, numerous...Full Text Available
The effect of different media and pH on the formation of amylase by Aspergillus oryzae EI 212 is described. Depending upon the composition of the medium and growth...Full Text Available
... growth hormone-like factor from plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides is a multifunctional protein. In Parasites and pathogens: ... ...
In the formation of A-15 superconducting compounds by solid state diffusion, the time exponent in the growth law under different experimental conditions varies widely from about 0.25 to 1.0. Specific models of growth for different operative rate-controlling conditions are proposed. When the diffusion of B atoms in the matrix is rate-controlling, the thickness of the reacted compound layer increases as tsup(1/2) or tsup(2/3). When the diffusion of B atoms through the compound layer is rate controlling, a tsup(1/2) dependence both for bulk diffusion and grain-boundary diffusion is predicted. When substantial grain growth occurs in the reacted layer during the diffusion anneal, the time exponent observed could be as low as 1/4. Experimental data in support of the predictions of the proposed models are presented. (author).
Photoautotrophic and mixotrophic growth of Lemna paucicostata Hegelm. 6746 (formerly Lemna perpusilla Torr. 6746) was investigated to establish standardized conditions...Full Text Available
This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of studies made on the regulation of the growth of Legionella Pneumophila bacteria in biofilms and amoebae. In a first project, the formation of biofilms by Legionella Pneumophila bacteria was analysed in static and dynamic systems using a complex growth medium. Under static and dynamic clinical and environmental conditions, the adherence of the biofilms on polystyrene tissue was studied. This was also examined under dynamic flow conditions. In a second part of the project, the regulation of growth of Legionella Pneumophila in amoebae was examined in that changes were made to the genome of the bacteria. The importance of the work for the de-activation of Legionella Pneumophila bacteria in biofilms is noted in the conclusions of the report.
The trifluoroacetate metal-organic decomposition route to YBa_2Cu_3O_7 film growth was investigated in order to bring new insights in the growth mechanism and its dependence on processing conditions and critical current density. Precursor films were processed on LaAlO_3 substrates at different total pressure, oxygen partial pressure, water vapor partial pressure, and volume gas flow rate keeping the growth temperature at 740 "0C. The influence of these various experimental parameters on the film growth rate, which was evaluated by in situ electrical resistance measurements, was studied thoroughly. It was found that the growth rate is nearly independent of the oxygen pressure and proportional to the square root of the water pressure. Additionally, the growth rate increases with a decrease of the total pressure or an increase of the gas flow rate. An empirical ...
Single crystals of ytterbium tartrate trihydrate have been grown by gel method using silica and agar-agar gels as media of growth. The medium of growth influences the morphology of grown crystals, silica gel yielding single and polycrystalline in the form of spherulites whereas agar-agar gel leading to growth of single and twinned crystals. Materials grown as single crystals have been characterized by using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDAX, XRD, FT-IR, CHN and thermogravimetric techniques. The stoichiometry of the grown single crystals is suggested to be Yb(C4H4O6) (C4H5O6).3H2O. The FT-IR spectrum shows the presence of singly as well as doubly ionized tartrate ligands. Results of thermal analysis indicate that the material is thermally stable up to a temperature of 200...
Growth mechanisms and thermal stability of ion-beam-induced epitaxial Pd/sub 2/Si films are investigated using Rutherford backscattering and channelling techniques. Epitaxial growth of Pd/sub 2/Si films was observed at room temperature by argon ion implantation into as-deposited Pd/Si(111) structures and furnace-annealed Pd/sub 2/Si(polycrystalline)/Pd/sub 2/Si(epitaxial)/Si(111) structures. Some additional experiments to check the growth mechanisms are also presented, in which the implantation energies, substrate orientations and dose rates were changed. Finally, the stability of the ion-beam-induced epitaxial Pd/sub 2/Si films on subsequent furnace annealing is studied.
Growth mechanisms and thermal stability of ion-beam-induced epitaxial Pd/sub 2/Si films are investigated using Rutherford backscattering and channelling techniques. Epitaxial growth of Pd/sub 2/Si films was observed at room temperature by argon ion implantation into as-deposited Pd/Si(111) structures and furnace-annealed Pd/sub 2/Si(polycrystalline)/Pd/sub 2/Si(epitaxial)/Si(111) structures. Some additional experiments to check the growth mechanisms are also presented, in which the implantation energies, substrate orientations and dose rates were changed. Finally, the stability of the ion-beam-induced epitaxial Pd/sub 2/Si films on subsequent furnace annealing is studied.
Nanoscale islands of Cu2O have been synthesized on single-crystal SrTiO3 (100) substrates using oxygen plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (OPA-MBE). Island growth location has been controlled by using an ex-situ Ga+ focused ion beam (FIB) to modify the growth surface in discrete locations prior to island synthesis. Analysis of Cu2O dot growth on unmodified substrate regions revealed an evolution of dot size and array density. Atomic force microscopy studies show that certain FIB substrate modification and MBE growth condition combinations lead to directed self-assembly of islands. Islands initially formed in the FIB-generated surface topography and filled those features before nucleating on neighboring unmodified surface regions.
Nanoscale islands of Cu_2O have been synthesized on single-crystal SrTiO_3 (100) substrates using oxygen plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). Island growth location has been controlled by using an ex situ Ga"+ focused ion beam (FIB) to modify the growth surface in discrete locations prior to island synthesis. The FIB modifications have generated surface topography with lateral dimensions of 150-200 nm. Ex situ atomic force microscopy study after island growth reveals that certain FIB substrate modification and MBE growth condition combinations lead to directed self-assembly of metal oxide islands at the edges of the FIB modified zones.
Nanoscale islands of Cu?O have been synthesized on single crystal SrTiO? (100) substrates using oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Island growth location has been controlled by using an ex-situ Ga? focused ion beam (FIB) to modify the growth surface in discrete locations prior to island sythesis. The FIB modifications have generated surface topography with lateral dimensions of 150-200 nm. Ex-situ AFM study after island growth reveals that certain FIB substrate modification and MBE growth condition combinations lead to directed self-assembly of metal oxide islands at the edges of the FIB modified zones.
Regular fuel reduction burning is an important management strategy for reducing the scale and intensity of wildfires in south-west Australian native forests, but the long term effects of this on tree and stand growth are not well understood. Five fire treatments, including application of frequent and infrequent low intensity burns, and 25?years of fire exclusion, were applied to small (4?ha) experimental plots in a low rainfall mixed jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and marri (Corymbia calophylla) forest to investigate the effects of these treatments on tree stem diameter growth, stand basal area increment and tree mortality. Mean tree stem growth measured over 20?years was lowest in the long unburnt treatment compared with the burn treatments, although surface soil nutrient levels were gener...
Cell cultures were prepared from lung tumors occurring in beagles following exposure to inhaled plutonium. Morphologic and growth characteristics of two of these cell lines are described.
The phytochrome photoreceptors and the circadian clock control many of the same developmental processes, in all organs and throughout the growth of Arabidopsis plants. Phytochrome A (phyA) provides...Full Text Available
Changes in soil properties and vegetable growth were quantified on a low-fertility tropical soil. Four treatments (two composts, urea, and control) were applied to an Oxisol (Rhodic Haplustox, Wahiawa series) in a field on Oahu, Hawaii. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa, Chinensis group) and eggplant (Solanum melongena) were grown sequentially as test crops. Soil quality as measured by hot-water-soluble carbon, dehydrogenase activity, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) increased by compost amendments. Total organic carbon or carbon dioxide (CO2) respiration rate did not correlate with the soil amendments. Nitrogen (N) nutrition was the main factor that improved growth and carotenoid content in cabbage. The urea treatment promoted better growth in cabbage, whereas good-quality compost, made of...
The authors present an investigation of structural changes occurring in bilayer stacks with crystalline columnar growth when one of the layers is substituted by layers known to grow amorphous. In Co/Cu multilayers the Co layers were substituted by CoZr layers of varying Zr content and layer thickness. Structural characterization was performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). They show that the amorphization of the CoZr layers leading to a destruction of the columnar growth depends both on the Zr content and on the thickness of the CoZr layers. Additionally a change to textured growth with a normal to the substrate occurs with increasing Zr content. They explain their observations by a simple picture based on the hard sphere model.
Root growth is a highly dynamic process influenced by genetic background and environment. This paper reports the development of R scripts that enable root growth kinematic analysis that complements a new motion analysis tool: PlantVis. Root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana expressing a plasma membrane targeted GFP (C24 and Columbia 35S:LTI6b-EGFP) was imaged using time-lapse confocal laser scanning microscopy. Displacement of individual pixels in the time-lapse sequences was estimated automatically by PlantVis, producing dense motion vector fields. R scripts were developed to extract kinematic growth parameters and report displacement to ?0.1 pixel. In contrast to other currently available tools, Plantvis-R delivered root velocity profiles without interpolation or averaging across the root s...
From the beginning of the 90s the analysis of the relationships between economic growth and environmental pressures has been influenced by the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis or inverted-U shaped relationship between environmental pressure and per capita income. Following this hypothesis, once achieved certain income level, more economic growth is followed by environmental quality improvement. In this paper, we analyse and discuss the theories that support this hypothesis as well as the empirical evidence on this subject. Further on we analyse the relationship between per capita income and the main environmental pollutants for the case does not support the hypothesis. The empirical evidence shows that economic growth, by itself, does not entail a pollution reduction. (Author) 35 refs.
Sep 1, 2011 ... Title: Application of chloropicrin to Douglas-fir stumps to control laminated root rot does not affect infection or growth of regeneration 16 growing ...
The growth of the Pd{sub 2}Si thin fllms on Si(111) substrates has been monitored by an {ital in} {ital situ} x-ray diffraction technique in vacuum and in helium atmosphere from 160 to 250 {degree}C. A familiar parabolic growth rate was found, confirming the diffusion-controlled film growth process. The activation energies were found to be 1.34 and 1.37 eV for the measurements performed in vacuum and helium environment, respectively. Stress relaxation in the growing Pd{sub 2}Si fllm was observed when the reaction temperature exceeds 200 {degree}C. The relaxed films showed a higher degree of texture as evidenced by the rocking curve measurements.
The growth of the Pd{sub 2}Si thin fllms on Si(111) substrates has been monitored by an {ital in} {ital situ} x-ray diffraction technique in vacuum and in helium atmosphere from 160 to 250 {degree}C. A familiar parabolic growth rate was found, confirming the diffusion-controlled film growth process. The activation energies were found to be 1.34 and 1.37 eV for the measurements performed in vacuum and helium environment, respectively. Stress relaxation in the growing Pd{sub 2}Si fllm was observed when the reaction temperature exceeds 200 {degree}C. The relaxed films showed a higher degree of texture as evidenced by the rocking curve measurements.
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is considered an emerging veterinary pathogen causing pneumonia in sheep and goats worldwide. Currently it has not been possible to define a growth medium that yields the maximum growth of M. ovipneumoniae within a short incubation period. Growth yields of M. ovipneumoniae in Eatons medium are variable and not as consistently high as those seen with other Mycoplasma spp. This study investigated the ability of different M. ovipneumoniae field strains to grow in various media formulations, where PPLO broth was replaced by a vegetable protein source, and comparisons were made in terms of strain viability in Eatons medium. Studies were also conducted to determine the optimal carbohydrate source for use in the M. ovipneumoniae medium. Generally, it was found that differ...
Large scale production of monoclonal antibodies has been accomplished using bioreactors with different length to diameter ratios, and diverse impeller and sparger designs. The differences in these physical attributes often result in dissimilar mass transfer, mechanical stresses due to turbulence and mixing inside the bioreactor that may lead to disparities in cell growth and antibody production. A rational analysis of impeller design parameters on cell growth, protein expression levels and subsequent antibody production is needed to understand such differences. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Rushton turbine and marine impeller designs on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell growth and metabolism, and antibody production and quality. Experiments to evaluate mass transfer...
Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar apparatus developed by Dr. Alex McPherson of the University of California, Irvine for use aboard Mir and the International Space ...
Hypoxia causes abnormal neonatal pulmonary artery remodeling (PAR) and inhibition of alveolar development (IAD). Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β is an important regulator of lung development...Full Text Available
The Myc oncoprotein is a potent inducer of cell growth, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis. While many direct Myc target genes have been identified, the molecular determinants of Myc’s transcriptional...Full Text Available
The present study is aiming at the visualization of the boiling structures for various pool boiling and flow boiling conditions by applying multiple visualization techniques simultaneously. The bubble growth rate and microlayer behavior were simultaneously visualized for an isolated boiling regime of a water by using a shadow graph and a total reflection technique, respectively
Spatial distributions of turgor and longitudinal growth were compared in primary roots of maize (Zea mays L. cv FR27 × FRMo 17) growing in vermiculite at high (−0.02...Full Text Available
Interchangeable technology from Flexicon Liquid Filling, a business division of Watson-Marlow Pumps Group, has helped family-run diagnostic reagent manufacturer, Hart Biologicals Ltd, to accommodate business growth with the recent upgrade to a tabletop bottle filling and capping machine. A peristaltic dispensing pump is crucial for succes
Smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and migration are key processes that occur in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and post-angioplasty restenosis. In the present study, we designed locked nucleic...Full Text Available
An Escherichia coli B strain, B834 galU56, has been isolated which supports growth of bacteriophage T4 with cytosine in its DNA while restricting growth of T4 with hydroxymethylcytosine. This host is...Full Text Available
The discovery of a specific high-affinity growth hormone (GH) binding protein (GH-BP) in plasma adds complexity to the dynamics of GH secretion and clearance. Intuitive predictions are that such a protein...Full Text Available
This paper reports the results of in situ observation of fatigue crack growth in a ferrite?pearlite steel. Stress intensity factor range (?K) decreasing/increasing and constant-?K fatigue tests have been carried out. In banded pearlite orientation, intense crack branching was observed which leads to fatigue crack retardation. Crack closure during the test was monitored to understand the fatigue crack growth behaviour.
A growth model of pitting corrosion of carbon steel in cooling water systems was developed on microscopic observations of pits and electrochemical studies. Results of pitting corrosion measurements in laboratory and field conditions with the model, using a newly developed electrochemical device, are discussed. For an actual heat exchanger up to a year operation, the values of pitting depth estimated were in good agreement with the measured values.
C14, C15, and C16 alkyl nitriles, and C16 and C18 alkyl acetylenes at 10 to 105 micromolar concentrations promote the growth of stem sections from...Full Text Available
Tow experiments were carried out in 1981 and 1982 growth seasons at the greenhouse of the department of agriculture for soils and water researches, atomic energy authority, at inshas, to investigate the responses of two mutation derived lines of sesame and the local cultivar giza 25 to the application of micro nutrients. The possible effect of radiation on germination and growth of sesame seed was also studied in a separate experiment conducted in 1985 season, at inshas.
The three mammalian transforming growth factor (TGF)-β isoforms (TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3) differ in their putative roles in radiation-induced fibrosis in intestine...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe ability of catecholamines to stimulate bacterial growth was first demonstrated just over a decade ago. Little is still known however, concerning the nature of the putative...Full Text Available
Clostridium thermoaceticum ATCC 39073 converted vanillate to catechol. Although carboxylated aromatic compounds which did not contain methoxyl groups were not by themselves growth supportive, protocatechuate...Full Text Available
The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) are inversely associated with inflammatory processes in an elderly background population.
It is now known that various growth factors may also act in the central nervous system. Among them, it has recently been shown that epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) may possess trophic effects in the mammalian brain. We report here on the respective autoradiographic distribution of ["1"2"5I]EGF and ["1"2"5I]IGF-I receptor binding sites in the rat brain, both during ontogeny and in adulthood. It appears that ["1"2"5I]EGF sites are mostly found in the rat forebrain during brain development. On the other hand, ["1"2"5I]IGF-I sites are more widely distributed both during ontogeny and in adulthood. These results reveal the plasticity of the expression of EGF and IGF-I receptor sites in the mammalian brain. This could be relevant for the respective role of these two growth factors in the development and maintenance of neuronal function.
The influence of high temperature thermal ageing treatments on the development of intercrystalline creep damage in two variants of Alloy 800 has been investigated. Ageing up to 3000 h and creep testing were carried out at 800 and 900 C. The high temperature behaviour of the 800HT variant is discussed with reference to the effect of heat treatments on the microstructure. The metallographic methods by which the creep damage was quantitatively determined are described. The growth rate of intercrystalline microcracks was described using a statistical model and the dependence of crack growth rate on the thermal history for both 800HT and 800H was determined. The carbide precipitation and growth processes were determined as functions of the exposure temperature and duration. The results showed the three characteristic stages, precipitation, growth and coarsening (Ostwald ripening). The largest increase in the ...
Plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides produce a substance that stimulates growth of experimental hosts. We report purification of plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) to homogeneity by a process involving isolation and solubilization of plerocercoid membranes, isoelectric point selection by chromatofocusing chromatography or preparative isoelectric focusing, and anion-exchange chromatography. A radioreceptor assay (RRA) for human growth hormone (hGH) was used to detect PGF and purity of the 27.5-kDa protein was judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Proteolytic activity was detected in the 27.5-kDa protein by gelatin substrate PAGE. Characterization of PGF as a neutral cysteine proteinase was based on substrate and inhibitor specificities and dependence on pH and thiol-containing reagents. The association of hGH agonist and proteinase activities was shown by comparing RRA ...
Standard Leadframes used in surface mount technology are finished with a layer of eutectic SnPb for passivation and for enhancing solder wetting during reflow. When eutectic SnPb is replaced by Pb-free solder, especially the eutectic SnCu, a large number of Sn whiskers are found on the Pb-free finish. Some of the whiskers are long enough to become shorts between the neighboring legs of the leadframe. How to suppress their growth and how to perform accelerated test of Sn whisker growth are crucial reliability issues in the electronic packaging industry. In this paper, we report the study of spontaneous Sn whisker growth at room temperature on eutectic SnCu and pure Sn finishes. Both compressive stress and surface oxide on Sn are necessary conditions for whisker growth. Structure and stress analyses by using the micro-diffraction in synchrotron radiation are reported. Cross-sectional electron microscopy, ...
The papers contained in this volume provide an overview of recent theoretical and experimental research related to the fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth characteristics of titanium alloys. Topics discussed include room temperature fatigue crack propagation in beta-titanium alloys, fatigue crack growth rate acceleration in alpha+beta Ti alloys, influence of transformed beta microstructures on fatigue crack growth rates in Ti-6Al-4V, and the role of inclusion and pore content on the fracture toughness of powder processed blended elemental Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al. Papers are also presented on fatigue crack growth measurements in an alpha-beta titanium alloy, the effects of thermal processing variation on the properties of Ti-6Al-4V, and the effect of microstructure on ductility and fracture toughness of alpha+beta titanium alloys.
Rhodopseudomonas viridis was grown in liquid culture at 30 degrees C anaerobically in light (generation time, 13 h) and under microaerophilic growth conditions in the dark (generation time, 24 h). The bacterium could be cloned at the same temperature anaerobically in light (1 week) and aerobically in the dark (3 to 4 weeks) if oxygen was limited to 0.1%. Oxygen could not be replaced by dimethyl sulfoxide, potassium nitrate, or sodium nitrite as a terminal electron acceptor. No growth was observed anaerobically in darkness or in the light when air was present. A variety of additional carbon sources were used to supplement the standard succinate medium, but enhanced stationary-phase cell density was observed only with glucose. Conditions for induction of the photosynthetic reaction center upon the change from microaerophilic to phototrophic growth conditions were investigated and optimized for a mutant functionally defective ...
Estimates of annual rates of change of fuel switching are constructed using logistic curve models fitted to often sparse historical data on fuel use in the USA. The estimated annual rate of loss of market share of an old fuel is then shown to be correlated with five-year averages of declines in the rate of growth of affected vehicle numbers. Other statistical tests show a positive correlation between five-year average changes in the rate of growth of the vehicle numbers and of macroeconomic activity when the affected vehicles are directly responsible for a large share of that activity. The vehicle types shown to have this effect are locomotives from 1885-1915 and automobiles thereafter. The third set of tests supports an interpretation that the indirect effects of fuel switches are significant and consistent with GNP throughout the 1880-1980 period. It is shown that a pronounced drop in GNP growth occurs at the time when ...
This paper presents a study on the crystallization and growth mechanism of selenium nanowires induced by silver nanoparticles at ambient conditions with special reference to the effects of factors such as the shapes and size of silver nanoparticles, the induced reaction time, and the molar ratio of Ag{sup 0} to SeO{sub 3}{sup 2-} ions. The synthesis approach is conducted with no need of any stabilizers, and with no sonochemical process and/or templates. It is found that whether silver spherical particles or colloids can lead to the formation of nanowires with average diameter of 25 nm and lengths up to a few micrometers, and silver nanoplates lead to the formation of flat Se nanostructures. In particular, Au, Cu, Pt, and Pd particles cannot induce the growth of selenium nanowires in aqueous solution at room temperature. The results indicate that silver particles play a critical role in determining the growth of selenium ...
A knowledge of surface film growth kinetics can be quite useful in the production of materials for uses ranging from protective coatings to microelectronic devices. A technique for determining the kinetics of film growth is presented which should prove to be a valuable alternative to the array of spectroscopies (AES, RBS, etc.) currently favored for these measurements. Some of the virtues of this X-ray diffraction approach are its non-destructive nature, thickness resolution better than 50 {angstrom} and conventional equipment requirements. Results obtained for the growth of Pd{sub 2}Si films during thermal annealing of Pd coatings on Si, indicate parabolic growth over a temperature range of 160-222 C. The rate constant was found to be k{prime} = 7 {times} 10{sup {minus}4} exp ({minus}1.06 eV/kT) cm{sup 2}/sec, where (film thickness){sup 2} = k{prime} x time. This activation energy is in agreement with ...
An analysis on landscape level was performed to investigate the growth of Scots pine stands (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the research area of 'Duebener Heide' under the impact of rapidly changing pollution loads and to evaluate their further development. Central to the work was a spatial database, installed using a geographic information system (GIS). This database enabled the statistical analysis of relationships and correlations between the growth of the pine stands, the influence of pollution impacts and the natural site characteristics. The results of emission and immission modelling gave detailed evaluation of the pollution load over the investigated area. The spatial information database was linked with a process-based growth model called FORSANA. The resulting regional model was used to simulate forest growth on stand level for variable time periods. The plausibility of the ...
A common evaluation is given for creep crack growth and fatigue crack growth experiments which have been performed at the companies ABB, Siemens-KWU and KFA. The materials under investigation were X10NiCrAlTi32 20 (Alloy 800) and NiCr22Col2Mo (Alloy 617). Several production lots and semi-finished materials as well as welded materials have been tested. Testing techniques differed at the different labs. In order to eliminate the influence of individual testing techniques, material from some production lots was investigated at different labs. The given data cover fatigue crack growth (the materials were tested between room temperature and 1050[sup o]C; the influence of temperature, R-ratio, and frequency was investigated) and creep crack growth (Alloy 800 was tested between 550sup(o)C and 900sup(o)C, Inconel 617 between 800sup(o)C and 1000sup(o)C; the evaluation was done on the basis of the fracture ...
A common evaluation is given for creep crack growth and fatigue crack growth experiments which have been performed at the companies ABB, Siemens-KWU and KFA. The materials under investigation were X10NiCrAlTi32 20 (Alloy 800) and NiCr22Col2Mo (Alloy 617). Several production lots and semi-finished materials as well as welded materials have been tested. Testing techniques differed at the different labs. In order to eliminate the influence of individual testing techniques, material from some production lots was investigated at different labs. The given data cover fatigue crack growth (the materials were tested between room temperature and 1050"oC; the influence of temperature, R-ratio, and frequency was investigated) and creep crack growth (Alloy 800 was tested between 550sup(o)C and 900sup(o)C, Inconel 617 between 800sup(o)C and 1000sup(o)C; the evaluation was done on the basis of the fracture mechanics ...
The effects of temperature and different forms of nutrients on Chattonella marina growth have been investigated in strains isolated from the Daya Bay, the South China Sea. The strain of C. marina preferred high temperatures, with an optimal temperature of 25?C, and 18?C was the minimum for its survival. Higher cell number and growth rate were obtained in high nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations (500 ?g/L, 74 ?g/L) than under nutrient limitation. Nitrogen influenced the growth most, as the specific growth rate and maximum cell density were lower in nitrogenlimited cultures than noted under phosphorus limitation or under limitation from both. C. marina was capable of using many kinds of organic nitrogen sources including L-serine (L-Ser), glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala), L-threonine (L-Thr),...
Maintenance energy expenditures were mesured for five rumen bacteria, Selenomonas ruminantium, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Bacteroides ruminicola, Megasphaera elsdenii, and Streptococcus bovis, by using a complex medium with glucose as the carbon source. Large differences (as high as 8.5-fold) in maintenance energy expenditures were seen among these bacteria. The suggestion is made that maintenance requirements could be a significant determinant of bacterial competition in the rumen. Theoretical maximum growth yields, calculated from double reciprocal plots of yield versus dilution rate, were compared to theoretical Y(ATP) values in order to estimate minimum molar adenosine 5'-triphosphate yields from glucose for each bacterium. Results showed that relative yield among the bacteria was growth rate dependent. At high dilution rates, both S. ruminantium and S. bovis produced lactate as their principal fermentation product. At lower dilution rates ...
Hot-torsion testing was used to establish the cavitation behavior of a typical alpha/beta titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V, with a colony microstructure, during simple-shear deformation. For this purpose, sections of deformed specimens were examined by optical metallography, and by scanning and orientation-imaging microscopy (OIM). It was found that cavity nucleation occurred along prior beta boundaries as well as at triple points; in particular, most cavities nucleated along boundaries perpendicular to the axial direction of the specimen. Extensive growth was observed for cavities surrounded by both hard and soft orientations, with the soft colonies accommodating more of the imposed strain. At high degrees of deformation, dynamic globularization of the colony microstructure adjacent to the cavities was also observed. In addition, the metallographic observations revealed that the cavities did not grow in an equiaxed mode, but in an elliptical manner. A tensor describing ...
Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune connective tissue disorder characterized by a widespread microangiopathy, autoimmunity and fibrosis of the skin and of various internal organs. Microangiopathy is characterized by a reduced capillary density and an irregular chaotic architecture that lead to chronic tissue hypoxia. Despite the hypoxic conditions, there is no evidence for a sufficient compensative angiogenesis in SSc. Furthermore, vasculogenesis is also impaired. An imbalance between angiogenic and angiostatic factors might explain the pathogenetic mechanisms of SSc vasculopathy. As far as angiogenic factors are concerned, within the most important are vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors, platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-?), fibroblast growth factor -2 (FGF-2), angiopoietin 1 (Ang-1), stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1/CXCL12), ...
A container experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that uncomposted wool wastes could be used as nutrient source and growth medium constituent for container-grown plants. The treatments were: (1) rate of wool-waste application (0 or unamended control, 20, 40, 80, and 120 g of wool per 8-in. pot), (2) growth medium constituents [(2.1) wool plus perlite, (2.2) wool plus peat, and (2.3) wool plus peat plus perlite], and (3) plant species (basil and Swiss chard). A single addition of 20, 40, 80, or 120 g of wool-waste to Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) in pots with growth medium provided four harvests of Swiss chard and five harvests of basil. Total basil yield from the five harvests was 1.6-5 times greater than the total yield from the unamended control, while total Swiss chard yield from the four harvests was 2-5 times greater relative to the respective unamended control. The addition ...
The aim of this work is to simulate the reduction by hydrogen of the tri-uranium octo-oxide U{sub 3}O{sub 8} (obtained by uranium trioxide calcination) into uranium dioxide. The kinetics curves have been obtained by thermal gravimetric analysis, the hydrogen and steam pressures being defined. The geometrical modeling which has allowed to explain the trend of the kinetics curves and of the velocity curves is an anisotropic germination-growth modeling. The powder is supposed to be formed of spherical grains with the same radius. The germs of the new UO{sub 2} phase appear at the surface of the U{sub 3}O{sub 8} grains with a specific germination frequency. The growth reactivity is anisotropic and is very large in the tangential direction to the grains surface. Then, the uranium dioxide growths inside the grain and the limiting step is the grain surface. The variations of the growth reactivity and of the ...
The toxicities of 21 different herbicides to algae (Selenastrum capricornutum and Chlorella vulgaris) and to terrestrial plants (radishes, barley, and bush beans or soybeans) were compared to order to determine the feasibility of using a short-term (96-h) algal growth inhibition test for identifying chemicals having potential toxicity in a 4-week terrestrial plant bioassay. The toxicity of each test chemical, usually in combination with a commercial formulation, was evaluated at six nominal concentrations, between 0 and 100 mg/L growth medium in the algal bioassay or between 0 and 100 mg/kg substate in the terrestrial plant bioassay, in terms of both (1) the no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC), i.e., the highest concentration tested at which no significant (P < 0.05, one-sided test) reduction in algal growth rate or in terrestrial plant yield, relative to controls, was observed; and (2) the concentration at which ...
The major effect of immobilization during growth is a smaller bone mass induced by either an increased bone resorption or a decreased bone formation. Using a method of analyzing radioisotopic loss of (/sup 3/H)tetracycline and (/sup 3/H)collagen from bone prelabeled in vivo, we compared the amount of bone resorption due to immobilization with bone resorption induced by growth. One hind limb was denervated in growing male rats, 6 weeks of age, that had been chronically prelabeled with (/sup 3/H)tetracycline, /sup 45/calcium, and (/sup 3/H)proline. The total radioactivity of the whole femur and tibia/fibula from the denervated limb was compared with that from bones of the control limb at 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after denervation. The effect of growth on bone formation was measured by net increases in bone length, volume, and mass of matrix and mineral. Experimental bones had a significantly smaller volume and mass. Bone ...
Alexandria is the second largest urban governorate in Egypt and has seen significant urban growth in its modern and contemporary history. This study investigates the urban growth phenomenon in Alexandria, Egypt, using the integration of remote sensing and GIS. The urban physical expansion and change were detected using Landsat satellite images. The satellite images of years 1984 and 1993 were first geo referenced, achieving a very small RMSE that provided high accuracy data for satellite image analysis. Then, the images were classified using a tailored classification scheme with accuracy of 93.82% and 95.27% for 1984 and 1993 images respectively. This high accuracy enabled detecting land use/land cover changes with high confidence using a post-classification comparison method. One of the most important findings here is the loss of cultivated land in favour of urban expansion. If the current loss rates continued, 75% of green lands would be lost ...
The palladium(II) and platinum(II)complexes(where, (M(L){sub 2}X{sub 2}), M=Pd(II), Pt(II); L=isoxazole (isox), 3, 5-dimethylisoxazole(3, 5-diMeisox), 3-methyl, 5-phenylisoxazole(3-Me, 5-Ph-isox), and 4-amino-3, 5-di-methylisoxazole (4-ADI); X=Cl, Br) with isoxazole and its derivatives were investigated on antitumor activity by MM2 and EHMO calculation. Because for all the complexes the {sigma}MO energy level (E{sub {sigma}}{sub (M-X)} between d{sub x}{sup 2}{sub -y}{sup 2} orbital of central metal and p{sub x} orbital of halogen atom is less than {sigma}MO energy level E{sub {sigma}}{sub (M-N)} between d{sub x}{sup 2}{sub -y}{sup 2} orbital of central metal and p{sub x} orbital of N atom, without exception. And judging, from the lower E{sub {sigma}}{sub (M-X)} value in trans, the bonding strength was found to be weaker in trans isomer than in cis. For the Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes which have planar ligands, it was shown that for all the complexes dissociation of X-atom in the Pd(II) ...
In view of the findings that several Kunitz-type protein inhibitors suppress tumor invasion and metastasis, the aim of the present study is to explore whether Bungarus multicinctus protease inhibitor-like protein-2 (PILP-2) and PILP-3 exhibit anti-tumor activity. Although approximately 28% of amino acid substitutions occurred between PILP-2 and PILP-3, molecular modeling suggested that PILP-2 and PILP-3 shared similar folded structures. Unlike PILP-2, PILP-3 showed a notable activity in abolishing migration and invasion of human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells. The ability of PILP-3 to inhibit matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) activity was higher than that of PILP-2. Pull-down assay revealed protein-protein interaction between PILP-3 and MMP-2. In contrast to mutation on N-terminal region, replacement of amino acids at C-terminus attenuated notably the ability of PILP-3 to inhibit cell invasion, cell migration and MMP-2 activity as well as the binding capability of PILP-3 with MMP-2. ...
In previous work the authors showed that on photolysis of Escherichia coli ribosomes in the presence of ({sup 3}H)tetracycline (TC) the major protein labeled is S7, and they presented strong evidence that such labeling takes place from a high-affinity site related to the inhibitory action of TC. In this work they use single protein omission reconstitution (SPORE) experiments to identify those proteins that are important for high-affinity TC binding to the 30S subunit, as measured by both cosedimentation and filter binding assays. With respect to both sedimentation coefficients and relative Phe-tRNA{sup Phe} binding, the properties of the SPORE particles they obtain parallel very closely those measured earlier, with the exception of the SPORE particle lacking S13. A total of five proteins, S3, S7, S8, S14, and S19, are shown to be important for TC binding, with the largest effects seen on omission of proteins S7 and S14. Determination of the protein compositions of ...
The steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1, also known as NR5A1) is a transcription factor belonging to the nuclear receptor superfamily. Whereas most of the members of this family have been extensively characterized, the therapeutic potential and pharmacology of SF-1 still remains elusive. Described here is the identification and characterization of selective inhibitory chemical probes of SF-1 by a rational ultra-high-throughput screening (uHTS) strategy. A set of 64,908 compounds from the National Institute of Health's Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository was screened in a transactivation cell-based assay employing a chimeric SF-1 construct. Two analogous isoquinolinones, ethyl 2-[2-[2-(2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-7-ylamino)-2-oxoethyl]-1-oxoisoquinolin-5-yl]oxypropanoate (SID7969543) and ethyl 2-[2-[2-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylmethylamino)-2-oxoethyl]-1-oxoisoquinolin-5-yl]oxypropanoate and (SID7970631), were identified as potent submicromolar inhibitors, yielding ...
The authors have found that heat-inactivated serum (57/sup 0/C for 1 hour) from normal chickens reduces the proliferation of mitogen-stimulated chicken and murine splenocytes as well as some transformed mammalian lymphoblastoid cell lines. Greater than a 50% reduction in /sup 3/H-thymidine incorporation was observed when concanavalin A (Con A)-activated chicken splenocytes that were cultured in the presence of 10% autologous or heterologous serum were compared to mitogen-stimulated cells cultured in the absence of serum. Normal chicken serum (10%) also caused greater than 95% suppression of /sup 3/H-thymidine incorporation by bovine (EBL-1 and BL-3) and gibbon ape (MLA 144) transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines. The only cell line tested that was not inhibited by chicken serum was an IL-2-dependent, murine cell line. Chicken serum also inhibited both /sup 3/H-thymidine incorporation and IL-2 synthesis by Con A-activated murine splenocytes. Suppression was caused by actions other than ...
Inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is an appealing method for decreasing the immunoresistance and augmenting T cell-mediated immunotherapy. A major impediment to this strategy is the impact of conventional PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitors on T cell function. In particular, rapamycin, is a well-known immunosuppressant that can decrease the activity of the PI3K/mTOR pathway in tumor cells, but also has a profound inhibitory effect on T cells. Here we show that Honokiol, a natural dietary product isolated from an extract of seed cones from Magnolia grandiflora, can decrease PI3K/mTOR pathway-mediated immunoresistance of glioma, breast and prostate cancer cell lines, without affecting critical proinflammatory T cell functions. Specifically, we show that at doses sufficient to down-regulate levels of phospho-S6 and the negative immune regulator B7-H1 in tumor cells, Honokiol does not significantly impair T cell ...
/sup 125/I-Calmodulin is internalized by isolated rat renal brush border membrane vesicles (BBV) in a time, temperature and calcium dependent manner. Internalization of /sup 125/I-calmodulin into the osmotically sensitive space of BBV was distinguished from binding of the ligand to the outer BBV surface by examining the interaction of ligand and BBV at different medium osmolarities (300-1100 mosm), uptake was inversely proportional to medium osmolarity. Internalized /sup 125/I-calmodulin was intact and Western blots of solubilized BBV with /sup 125/I-calmodulin demonstrated the presence of several calmodulin-binding proteins of 143, 118, 50, 47.5, 46.5 and 35 kilodaltons which could represent potential intravesicular binding sites for the ligand. Heparin and the related glycosaminoglycan heparin sulfate both showed a dose-dependent inhibition (0.5-50 ..mu..g/ml) of /sup 125/I-calmodulin uptake by BBV, but other sulfated and nonsulfated glycosaminoglycans including chondroitin sulfates, ...
Male rats were injected intravenously for 15 min with physiological saline (as control) (0.05 #mu#g/kg/min) or norepinephrine (NE) (0.1 #mu#g/kg/min) followed by 740 kBq of MIBG. Rats were injected for more 30 min (early stage group) and for more 4 hr (late stage group) with physiological saline or NE. Five MBq of "9"9"mTc-tetrofosmin (TF) was administered instead of MIBG in another group. The heart was isolated and uptake of MIBG or TF of right ventricle, apex, and left ventricle (divided into 8 parts) was measured. In control group, MIBG uptake of apex was significantly lower than that of lateral wall in both early and late groups. In NE group, MIBG uptake showed a tendency to decrease in both early and late groups. Compared with control group, the uptake of anterior wall in late group decreased significantly at NE 0.1 #mu#/kg/min. The TF uptake in control group was not different in each part. In NE group, the TF uptake of right ventricle decreased significantly compared with that of ...
The present study was designed to assess the radioprotective effects of amifostine on ovarian follicles. Three week-old female mice with or without pretreatment of amifostine were irradiated with 6.42 Gy of #gamma# -ray. Ovaries were collected 0 and 6h after irradiation. DNA fragmentation pattern and expression of genes and activity of proteins related with apoptosis were investigated by means of RT-PCR and Western blot. Proliferation of granulosa cells was reduced and incidence rate of follicular atresia was increased in ovarian follicles in #gamma# -ray irradiated mice compared to those in control or amifostine-treated group. DNA fragmentation was increased in time-dependent manner in granulosa cells of all irradiated groups. However, no difference between amifostine pre-treated group and irradiated groups was found and the expression of p53 as tumor suppressor gene and Bax as one of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family was increased in irradiated mice ovaries. PARP as DNA damage sensor was ...
Mutations in transcription factors hepatocyte nuclear factors (HNF)-1#alpha# and HNF-1#beta# cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) types 3 and 5, respectively. HNF-1#alpha# and HNF-1#beta# mutations are well studied in some tissues, but the mechanism by which HNF-1#alpha# and HNF-1#beta# mutations affect sucrase-isomaltase (SI) transcription in the small intestine is unclear. We studied the effects of 13 HNF-1#alpha# mutants and 2 HNF-1#beta# mutants on human SI gene transcription, which were identified in subjects with MODY3 and MODY5, respectively. Transactivation activity of 11 HNF-1#alpha# and 2 HNF-1#beta# mutants was significantly lower than that of wild (wt)-HNF-1#alpha# and wt-HNF-1#beta#. Furthermore, in co-expression studies with mutant (mu)-HNF-1#alpha#/ wt-HNF-1#beta# and wt-HNF-1#alpha#/mu-HNF-1#beta#, the combination of mu-HNF-1#alpha# (P379fsdelCT and T539fsdelC)/wt-HNF-1#beta# impaired SI transcription, but the others were not remarkably different from ...
From January 2008 to December 2009, 433 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains were examined to determine the serotype distribution and susceptibility to selected antibiotics. About 50% of them were invasive isolates. The strains were isolated from patients of all age groups and 33.55% were isolated from children below 5 years. The majority was isolated from blood (48.53%) and other sterile specimens (6.30%). Community acquired pneumonia (41.70%) is the most common diagnosis followed by sepsis (9.54%). Serotyping was done using Pneumotest Plus-Kit and antibiotic susceptibility pattern was determined by modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and measurement of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using E-test strip. Ten most common serotypes were 19F (15.02%), 6B (10.62%), 19A (6.93%), 14 (6.70%), 1 (5.08%), 6A (5.08%), 23F (4.85%), 18C (3.93%), 3 (2.08%) and 5 (1.85%). Penicillin MIC ranged between ? 0.012-4 ?g/ml with MIC?? of 1 ?g/ml. Penicillin resistant rate is ...
Intact rat fat cell exposed to 12.5 ..mu..M (..gamma..-32P)ATP incorporate label into specific proteins within minutes. By solubilizing the reaction mixture with SDS which bypasses the subcellular fractionation steps, the labeled proteins can be identified in autoradiographs of SDS-PAGE gels. The most prominently labeled protein has an M/sub r/ of 42,000. Localization of this component to the cell surface can be made on the basis of inhibition of phosphorylation by addition of a protein derived from the rat brain with protein kinase inhibitory property, susceptibility of the phosphorylated protein to the tryptic digestion, inhibition of phosphorylation of this protein after brief exposure to melittin. To rule out the possibility that the cell surface protein might be a mitochondrial contaminant from broken cells, /sup 32/Pi-labeled and (..gamma..-/sup 32/P)ATP-labeled cells were chromatographed on a rabbit anti-pyruvate dehydrogenase antibody-Sepharose 4B column. A ...
Abstract in english Extracts of nine species of plants traditionally used in Colombia for the treatment of a variety of diseases were tested in vitro for their potential antitumor (cytotoxicity) and antiherpetic activity. MTT (Tetrazolium blue) and Neutral Red colorimetric assays were used to evaluate the reduction of viability of cell cultures in presence and absence of the extracts. MTT was also used to evaluate the effects of the extracts on the lytic activity of herpes simplex virus type (more) 2 (HSV-2). The 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) and the 50% inhibitory concentration of the viral effect (EC50) for each extract were calculated by linear regression analysis. Extracts from Annona muricata, A. cherimolia and Rollinia membranacea, known for their cytotoxicity were used as positive controls. Likewise, acyclovir and heparin were used as positive controls of antiherpetic activity. Methanolic extract from Annona sp. on HEp-2 cells presented a CC50 value at ...
Coal exploitation inevitably damages the natural ecological environment through large scale underground exploitation which exhausts the surrounding areas and is the cause of surface subsidence and cracks. These types of damage seriously lower the underground water table. Deterioration of the environment has certainly an impact on and limits growth of vegetation, which is a very important indicator of a healthy ecological system. Dynamically monitoring vegetation growth under coal exploitation stress by remote sensing technology provides advantages such as large scale coverage, high accuracy and abundant information. A scatter plot was built by a TM (Thematic Mapper) infrared and red bands. A detailed analysis of the distributional characteristics of vegetation pixels has been carried out. ...
According to the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, environmental degradation increases in the early stages of growth, but it eventually decreases as income exceeds a threshold level. It is thus often argued that if international trade increases incomes then it can also have a positive impact on environmental quality. So far, these hypotheses have been widely empirically tested for the developed countries. However, it is still uncertain whether positive effects of international trade on growth and on the environment may also hold in developing countries. One of the major difficulties in testing these relations in developing countries is the poor quality of environment related data. In this analysis this problem is reduced by constructing a structural equation model (SEM) with three la...
The economic development of eastern Europe was associated during the last 15 years with the following average annual increases in energy consumption: Approximately 1% in the sectors industry, building and transport, almost 7% in the farming sector, approximately 3% in households, and nearly 4% in the municipal sector. This trend will not continue. As the economic system shifts from centrally planned to free economy and as the previously secluded economy is forced to face world market conditions as well as changed pars of exchange and conditions of payment, it not only experiences a transitory, sharp dip of economic growth in general but, in particular, drastic structural changes. - While there is to be expected, on the whole a slump in national economic growth, in tradiational branches of industry (e.g., metallurgy, the chemicals and textile industry) as well as in farming, such sectors as the service industry and small trade are expanding. ...
The thermal spike model has been successfully applied to track formation by swift heavy ions in insulators. Arguments are given supporting the assumption that the thermal spike mechanism is also valid for the anisotropic growth. The glass transition temperature is used as the main thermal parameter of the amorphous solids. Experimental results on the track formation in {alpha}-quartz and in crystalline Ni{sub 3}B and also on the anisotropic growth in Pyrex and Synsil glasses, in amorphous Pd{sub 80}Si{sub 20}, Ni{sub 3}B and Fe{sub 85}B{sub 15} are discussed. Good agreement is found with the predictions of the thermal spike model. (orig.).
Many human diseases are associated with protein aggregation and fibrillation. We present experiments on in vitro glucagon fibrillation using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, providing real-time measurements of single-fibril growth. We find that amyloid fibrils grow in an intermittent fashion, with periods of growth followed by long pauses. The observed exponential distributions of stop and growth times support a Markovian model, in which fibrils shift between the two states with specific rates. Remarkably, the probability of being in the growing (stopping) state is very close to 1/4 (3/4) in all experiments, even if the rates vary considerably. This finding suggests the presence of 4 independent conformations of the fibril tip; we discuss this possibility in terms of the existing structural knowledge.
Backgrounds and Aims The stem growth habit, determinate or indeterminate, of soybean, Glycine max, varieties affects various plant morphological and developmental traits. The objective of this study is to identify the effect of stem growth habit in soybean on the stomatal conductance of single leaves in relation to their leaf morphology in order to better understand the ecological and agronomic significance of this plant trait. Methods The stomatal conductance of leaves on the main stem was measured periodically under favourable field conditions to evaluate gmax, defined as the maximum stomatal conductance at full leaf expansion, for four varieties of soybean and their respective determinate or indeterminate near isogenic lines (NILs). Leaf morphological traits including stomatal density, ...
Mentha pulegium L. is a medicinal and aromatic plant belonging to the Labiatae family present in the humid to the arid bioclimatic regions of Tunisia. We studied the effect of different salt concentrations on plant growth, mineral composition and antioxidant responses. Physiological and biochemical parameters were assessed in the plant organs after 2?weeks of salt treatment with 25, 50, 75 and 100?mM NaCl. Results showed that, growth was reduced even by 25?mM, and salt effect was more pronounced in shoots (leaves and stems) than in roots. This growth decrease was accompanied by a restriction in tissue hydration and K+ uptake, as well as an increase in Na+ levels in all organs. Considering the response of antioxidant enzymes to salt, leaves and roots reacted differently to saline conditions...
Inert markers (evaporated tungsten and silver) were used in growth studies of silicides formed both by thermal annealing and by ion mixing in the Ni/Si, Pd/Si, and Cr/Si systems. The markers were initially imbedded inside silicides and backscattering spectrometry was used to determine the marker displacement after different processing conditions. The results obtained in thermal annealing are quite consistent with that found in previous investigations. Ni is the dominant diffusing species in Ni_2Si, while Si is the diffusing species in CrSi_2. In Pd_2Si, both Pd and Si are moving species with Pd the faster of the two. In contrast, in growth of silicides by ion irradiation Si is the faster diffusing species in all three systems.
Inert markers (evaporated tungsten and silver) were used in growth studies of silicides formed both by thermal annealing and by ion mixing in the Ni/Si, Pd/Si, and Cr/Si systems. The markers were initially imbedded inside silicides and backscattering spectrometry was used to determine the marker displacement after different processing conditions. The results obtained in thermal annealing are quite consistent with that found in previous investigations. Ni is the dominant diffusing species in Ni/sub 2/Si, while Si is the diffusing species in CrSi/sub 2/. In Pd/sub 2/Si, both Pd and Si are moving species with Pd the faster of the two. In contrast, in growth of silicides by ion irradiation Si is the faster diffusing species in all three systems.
Proteins aggregated into spherulite structures of amyloid fibrils have been observed in patients with certain brain diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons. The conditions under which these protein spherulites form and grow are not currently known. In order to illuminate the role of environmental factors on protein spherulites, this research aims to explore the kinetics and mechanisms of spherulite formation and growth, as monitored by optical microscopy, in a range of salt concentrations, and initial protein concentrations for two model proteins: bovine b-lactoglobulin and insulin. These two proteins are significantly different in their size and fibril growth rate, but both of these proteins have been shown previously to form amyloid fibrils and spherulites under low pH conditions. The...
The development of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum) mineral scale in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane desalting was investigated by direct real-time observation of crystal growth. Gypsum scaling studies were conducted in a specially modified plate-and-frame reverse osmosis cell fitted with an optical window, with dark-field membrane lighting arrangement within the membrane cell to enhance crystal boundaries and allow recording of digital surface images magnified through an optical microscope. The evolution of the surface number density (SND) of gypsum crystals resembled a sigmoidal population growth process with an increasing rate of crystal formation at higher solution supersaturation (with respect to gypsum) at the membrane surface. The rate of formation of new crystals declined as the su...
Plutonium oxide fuel pellets for powering radioisotopic thermoelectric generators for NASA space vehicles are encapsulated in iridium which has been grain-boundary-stabilized with thorium and aluminum. After aging for 6 months at 1310/sup 0/C under vacuum, enhanced grain growth is observed in the near-surface grains of the iridium next to the PuO/sub 2/. Examination of the grain boundaries by AES and SIMS shows a depletion of thorium and aluminum. Iron, chromium, and nickel from the fuel were found to diffuse into the iridium along the grain boundaries. Enhanced grain growth appears to result from thorium depletion in the grain boundaries of the near-surface grains next to the fuel. However, in one instance grain growth was slowed by the formation of thorium oxide by oxygen diffusing up the grain boundaries.
Increased levels of epidermal growth factor receptor have been reported in a variety of tumors, including pulmonary squamous cell carcinomas in man. The purpose of this study was to determine if increased levels of epidermal growth factor (EGFR) were present in lung tumors from Beagle dogs that had been exposed to "2"3"9PuO_2- Using immunohistochemical techniques, sections from 17 lung tumors were examined for the presence of EGFR. Seven of the tumors were strongly positive for EGFR; the remainder of the tumors and the normal lung sections were negative. The positive immunostaining could not be correlated with the histologic phenotype of the tumors. Work is in progress to determine the level of EGFR in preneoplastic, proliferative epithelial foci in the Iung. (author)
The thermodynamic aspects of indium-face InN growth by radio frequency plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (rf-MBE) and the nucleation of InN on gallium-face GaN (0001) surface were investigated. The rates of InN decomposition and indium desorption from the surface were measured in situ using reflected high-energy electron diffraction and the rf-MBE 'growth window' of In-face InN (0001) was identified. It is shown that sustainable growth can be achieved only when the arrival rate of active nitrogen species on the surface is higher than the arrival rate of indium atoms. The maximum substrate temperature permitting InN growth as a function of the active nitrogen flux was determined. The growth mode of InN on Ga-face GaN (0001) surface was investigated by reflected high-energy electron diffraction and atomic force microscopy. It was found to be of the Volmer-Weber-type for substrate ...
In tomato crop, the induction of resistance emerges as an important alternative for achieving the reduction of chemicals in disease control. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of 28 Trichoderma isolates to promote the growth of tomato seedlings and to induce systemic resistance (ISR) against Xanthomonas euvesicatoria and Alternaria solani, the causal agents of bacterial spot and early blight, respectively. Twelve isolates promoted the increase of plant dry matter mass (DMM) above 100%, showing the great potential of these strains. All isolates were able to colonize the root system of tomato plants. The plant growth-promoting isolates were further evaluated for potential elicitation of ISR. Treatment of the soil with all Trichoderma isolates provided protection in tomato plants from 2...
Pots used for experiments conducted on plants grown in them create rooting environments that are affected by limited soil volume, which can affect various physiological processes, including transpiration, and plant growth. However, the applicability of results from pot experiments to the field has received limited attention. The objective of this study was to compare the growth and transpiration of maize (Zea mays L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) when grown in pots and field plots under various constant water deficits. The experiments were conducted under similar environmental conditions for both pots and plots. Transpirational responses at both transient (RTTr) and daily (RDTr) time scales to a decreasing fraction of available soil water (FASW) were analyzed. For a comparable F...
The effect of water shortage on growth and gas exchange of maize grown on sandy soil (SS) and clay soil was studied. The lower soil water content in the SS during vegetative growth stages did not affect plant height, above-ground biomass, and leaf area index (LAI). LAI reduction was observed on the SS during the reproductive stage due to early leaf senescence. Canopy and leaf gas exchanges, measured by eddy correlation technique and by a portable photosynthetic system, respectively, were affected by water stress and a greater reduction in net photosynthetic rate (A N) and stomatal conductance (g s) was observed on SS. Chlorophyll and carotenoids content was not affected by water shortage in either condition. Results support two main conclusions: (1) leaf photosynthetic capacity was unaffec...
Keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 2c share identical amino acid sequences, except for a 46-amino acid domain in the extracellular region. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific to KGFR have not been reported nor are commercially available. In this study, we generated murine MAbs specific to KGFR in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice using a modified Repeated Immunizations at Multiple Sites (RIMMS) technology. Stable cell lines expressing the full-length human KGFR or FGFR2c were produced to facilitate the identification of KGFR-specific MAbs. Following the initial screening of hybridoma clones with a fluorescence-based, confocal cell detection method and ELISA, KGFR-specific MAbs were selected and confirmed by flow cytometry and Western blot ...
The Kyoto Protocol attempts through political negotiations to guide participating industrialized countries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a positive growing trend, to reach a peak point (or turning point), and then be reduced to a negative growth. That means the relationship between decreasing GHG emissions and economic growth may be described by an inverted-U curve (or called a bell-shaped curve), which is consistent with the concept of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis.This research observed that the economic development and GHG emissions in Economies in Transition (EITs) exhibit a hockey-stick curve trend (or called quasi-L-shape curve), that also generates a lot of "hot air" which is significant to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, through the ...
The grain morphology developed during solidification of an Al-4.5% Cu alloy is represented generally by columnar or equiaxed dendrites. Twinned feathery grains are found in the structure formed under certain heat and flow conditions during solidification. In this work, these conditions were achieved during solidification in a cavity under forced flow. Feathery grain formation is studied by means of fluid dynamics simulations with solidification included and by experiments. In order to determine the crystallographic orientation of feathery grains, electron backscattered diffraction measurements were performed. The growth features of feathery grains were analyzed by observations made normal and parallel to the growth direction. Some correlations between twinned feathery morphology, flow and ...
This book is mainly a comparison of the cost of pollution with the cost of environmental protection. As to the causes of pollution, a difference is made between pollutants that accumulate and pollutants that do not accumulate. Because of pollutant accumulation it is necessary to carry out both subsequent pollution abatement measures and to take preventive action which helps to avoid pollutant emission. Growth models serve to substantiate why such preventive action is both ecologically and economically useful as a rule. Finally the study makes a comparison between some tools of environmental protection. It stresses in particular that, if a duty on emissions is levied, the polluter has to bear all the cost of the pollution, while at the same time the quality of the environment can be more successfully improved than by emission standards alone.
Abstract Mammalian teeth exhibit incremental structures representing successive forming fronts of enamel at varying time scales, including a short daily increment called a cross striation and a long period called a stria of Retzius, the latter of which, in humans, occurs on average every 8-9 days. The number of daily increments between striae is called the repeat interval, which is the same period as that required to form one increment of bone, i.e. the lamella, the fundamental - if not archetypal - unit of bone. Lamellae of known formation time nevertheless vary in width, and thus their measures provide time-calibrated growth rate variability. We measured growth rate variability for as many as 6 years of continuously forming primary incremental lamellar bone from midshaft femur histologic...
The kinetics of passive film formation on iron in borate buffer solution has been studied at different anodic potentials. The process of film growth has been found to occur in four distinct stages. About 80-90% of the total film thickness formed in 1h grows during the initial two stages which last for only 1-3s (depending upon potential). The electric field strength across the film is not constant but decreases with progressing film growth. The thickness of the film determined ellipsometrically is less than that calculated from the electric charge consumed. The process of anodic film formation is accompanied by the dissolution of iron which occurs over the whole range of potentials.
The growth response, total hemocyte count (THC), respiratory burst (release of superoxide anion), phenoloxidase (PO) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity as well as resistance to the pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus were measured in Litopenaeus vannamei, which had been fed diets supplemented with glycyrrhizin (the aqueous extract of licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra, roots) at 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/kg of feed for 8 wk. In the feeding trial, there was no significant difference in survival rate (P > 0.05). Significant higher specific growth rate was observed in treatments with dietary glycyrrhizin than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Shrimp fed a diet with 200 mg/kg of glycyrrhizin had significant higher THC, PO activity, respiratory burst a...
An Fe-15Cr-20Ni ternary model alloy and a Type 316 stainless steel were irradiated by dual-ions at 1 to 50 appm of He/dpa ratios, to investigate the helium effects on microstructural development in austenitic alloys under irradiation. Quantitative analysis on resultant microstructures revealed that the Frank loop nucleation rate and the network dislocation density positively correlate and Frank loop growth rate negatively correlate with the He/dpa ratio, while the cavity growth rate has its peak at an intermediate helium injection rate. Although He/dpa dependence of various microstructural features were similar for the model alloy and the 316SS, the rates of their development and the mechanism which had assisted cavity growth were significantly different in these two materials. (orig.).
In order to replace copper fungicides in organic potato production, 53 copper-free preparations (CFPs) based on natural compounds, including plant extracts and microorganisms, and five copper preparations were evaluated for their potential to control Phytophthora infestans, the pathogen that causes late blight of potatoes. In in vitro assays, 30% of the CFPs inhibited indirect germination of sporangia, 26% mycelial growth and in growth chamber experiments, 21% efficiently reduced foliar blight of tomato plants. In micro-plot field trials with applications twice a week, the copper preparations were the most effective and reduced foliar blight by 99%. Of the CFPs tested, Oekofluid P, Mycosin and other sulphuric clays, and C-2000 reduced late blight the most, from 63% to 37%. In small-plot tr...
Atrazine is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the United States. While effective on target plants, it has been associated with harmful health effects in non-target organisms such as fish, amphibians and mammals. In this study, growth effects on human liver cells were determined after exposure to increasing concentrations of this herbicide. Growth of immortalized human hepatoma HepG2 cells was inhibited by atrazine concentrations of 625 ppb after 72 h exposure and flow cytometry analysis demonstrated HepG2 cells exposed to 100 ppb atrazine accumulated in S phase after 48 h compared to untreated cells. Expression of cell cycle specific cyclin proteins was altered after atrazine exposure with cyclin E levels significantly decreased after a 24 h exposure and cyclin B levels decreased...
Goldstein SL, Mattoo TK, Morgenstern B, Martz K, Stablein D, Talley L. Anemia and growth status in pediatric patients receiving maintenance dialysis after a failed renal transplant course: An NAPRTCS report.Pediatr Transplantation 2006. Copyright 2006 Blackwell Munksgaard Abstract: We conducted a retrospective review of the North American Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS) Registry transplant and dialysis arms to assess anemia and growth patterns in children who returned to dialysis after a failed renal transplant from January 1, 1992 to February 3, 2004. Of the 1807 potential study subjects, 1451 had transplant removal data (TxIn vs. TxOut) available for analysis. Four hundred and twenty-one of 1451 patients (29%) had a transplant nephrectomy at the time of entry into the NAPRTC...
We carried out theoretical analyses based on ab initio calculations that incorporate free energy of the vapor phase in order to determine the initial growth process of cubic GaN on GaN (001)-(4x1). The results suggest that a N-adsorbed structure appears at the initial growth stage and then Ga adsorbs on the N-adsorbed GaN (001)-(4x1) surface. Considering this process, we performed Monte Carlo simulations. The results suggest that the maximum point of Ga coverage after supplying a Formula Not Shown monolayer of atoms shifted toward a Ga-rich condition from V/III=1.0.
Aim: Several studies have investigated the expression of the cytokeratins (CKs), vimentin, the epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), the oestrogen receptor (ER), and the progesterone...Full Text Available
BackgroundSelection programs for growth and stress traits in cultured fish are fundamental to the improvement of aquaculture production. The gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)...Full Text Available
BackgroundDiabetic macular edema (DME) is one of the manifestations of diabetic retinopathy leading to loss of central vision and visual acuity. It manifests itself with swelling...Full Text Available
During organogenesis, net growth of tissues is determined by a balance between proliferation, hypertrophy, and apoptotic death. Human fetal bladder outflow obstruction is a major cause of end-stage...Full Text Available
Vascular permeability factor (VPF) is an Mr 40-kD protein that has been purified from the conditioned medium of guinea pig line 10 tumor cells grown in vitro, and increases fluid permeability from blood...Full Text Available
During germination and early growth of castor bean (Ricinus communis), all cellular constituents of the endosperm are eventually transferred to the growing embryo. The present results...Full Text Available
Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) are potentially devastating, and due to their asymptomatic behavior, pose a serious health risk characterized by the lack of medical treatment options and high...Full Text Available
Nerve growth factor (NGF), a survival factor for neurons enforces pain by sensitizing nociceptors. Also in the pancreas, NGF was associated with pain and it can stimulate the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) respond to NGF with apoptosis. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-b, one of the strongest pro-fibrogenic activators of pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) induced NGF and its two receptors in an immortalized human cell line (ihPSC) and primary rat PSC (prPSC) as determined by RT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence. In contrast to HSC, PSC expressed both NGF receptors, although p75NTR expression was weak in prPSC. In contrast to ihPSC TGF-b activated both Smad signaling cascades in prPSC. NGF secretion was diminished by the activin-like kinase (ALK)...
BackgroundPerichondrium is recognized as a tissue with chondrogenic potential yielding cells which can be used for osteochondral repair. Factors which influence the proliferative...Full Text Available
We carried out theoretical analyses based on ab initio calculations incorporates in which free energy of the vapor phase is incorporated in order to determine the initial growth kinetics of c-GaN on GaN(001)-(4x1). The feasibility of the theoretical approach had been confirmed by calculations of Ga adsorption-desorption transition temperature and transition beam equivalent pressures on the GaAs(001)-(4x2)b2 surface in our previous work [Y. Kangawa, T. Ito, A. Taguchi, K. Shiraishi, T. Ohachi, Surf. Sci. 493 (2001) 178]. The results of calculations suggest that no Ga adsorption occurs on the initial surface under typical growth conditions but that a Ga adsorption site appears after N adsorption on GaN(001)-(4x1). That is, in the initial growth stage of c-GaN on GaN(001)-(4x1), a N-adsorbed ...
The kinetics of calcium sulfate crystal growth is of importance in various fields, such as geochemistry, desalination technology, petroleum industry, and water and wastewater treatment. The seeded crystal growth rate of calcium sulfate dihydrate was measured as a function of supersaturation in NaCl electrolyte solutions from 0 to 6 m at temperatures of 25, 50, 70, and 90 C. The growth followed a second-order parabolic rate law with activation energies greater than 53 kJ/mol which suggested the surface reaction as the rate-limiting step. It was observed that the rate constant and the activation energy are solution composition dependent. The rate constant increases with NaCl concentration up to 3 molal and then begins to fall slightly. The activation energy dropped from 61 kJ/mol in the pure Ca-SO[sub 4]H[sub 2]O system to 53 kJ/mol in 3.0 m NaCl solutions. The electrolyte effect was similar to the crystal solubility behavior ...
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and other lesions occur frequently during cell growth and in meiosis. These are often repaired by homologous recombination (HR). HR may result in the formation of DNA...Full Text Available
The rolB gene of Agrobacterium rhizogenes, whose expression stimulates the formation of roots by transformed plant tissues and other growth alterations in transgenic plants, codes for a beta-glucosidase...Full Text Available
The rolC gene of Agrobacterium rhizogenes, which drastically affects growth and development of transgenic plants, codes for a cytokinin-beta-glucosidase. Indeed, rolC protein expressed in Escherichia...Full Text Available
Strategies to combine aspirated marrow cells with scaffolds to treat connective tissue defects are gaining increasing clinical attention and use. In situations such as large defects where initial...Full Text Available
The target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway regulates cell growth and aging in various organisms. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, silent information regulator 2 (Sir2) modulates cellular senescence. Moreover,...Full Text Available
Thyroid hormone is a critical regulator of growth, development and metabolism in virtually all tissues, and altered thyroid status affects many organs and systems. Although for many years testis...Full Text Available
During reproduction in flowering plants, pollen grains form a tube that grows in a polarized fashion through the female tissues to eventually fertilize the egg cell. These highly polarized pollen tubes...Full Text Available
The RNA-binding protein Hfq is recognized as an important regulatory factor in a variety of cellular processes, including stress resistance and pathogenesis. Hfq has been shown in several bacteria to...Full Text Available
Cellular polarity is a fundamental property of every cell. Due to their extremely fast growth rate (≥1 μm/s) and their highly elongated form, filamentous fungi represent a prime example...Full Text Available
Previous studies have shown that salicylates and protein-calorie malnutrition independently compromise maturation and growth of infants. In the present study, pregnant rats were fed normal-and low-protein...Full Text Available
Allen's Rule documents a century-old biological observation that strong positive correlations exist among latitude, ambient temperature, and limb length in mammals. Although genetic selection for thermoregulatory...Full Text Available
The role of IGF-I in the negative regulation of GH expression and release is demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo models; however, the targets and mechanisms of IGF-I...Full Text Available
We have identified the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase syk as a marker of differentiation/tumor suppressor in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Syk expression is lost in poorly differentiated PDAC...Full Text Available
... in Ti-6Al-4V has been studied quite thoroughly [5-7], much of the work resulting from the Air Force-sponsored High Cycle Fatigue initiative [8]. In ...
An overview is provided of an evolving atomistic and kinetic model of semiconductor growth that unifies the main features of strain relaxation in low and high lattice misfit heteroepitaxy. The model reveals a kinetic pathway for dislocation formation during growth with little or no energy cost at low misfits, thus providing a way out of the longstanding dilemma of too high dislocation nucleation energies predicted by classical theories of the equilibrium behavior of a fixed number of particles at low misfits. The essential kinetic process underlying the model are identified on the basis of comparison of the predictions of kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations of growth with real-time or in-situ data obtained in such experiments as reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Relative significance of these atomistic kinetic processes is shown to naturally lead to strain relaxation via ...
BackgroundIndia experienced a rapid economic boom between 1991 and 2007. However, this economic growth has not translated into improved nutritional status among young Indian children....Full Text Available
BackgroundEsophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most aggressive carcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract. We assessed the relevance of Slug in measuring the invasive...Full Text Available
It has become increasing clear that alterations in cellular metabolism have a key role in the generation and maintenance of cancer. Some of the metabolic changes can be attributed to the activation...Full Text Available
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is one of the most important prognostic and predictive factors for breast cancer patients. Recently, serum HER2...Full Text Available
Senescence of Grand Rapids leaf lettuce was greatly reduced at 3 storage temperatures by post-harvest treatment with N,N-dimethylaminosuccinamic acid (Alar) and 2-chloroethyltrimethylammonium chloride...Full Text Available
BackgroundLarge population growth surveys of children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 y were undertaken in Hong Kong in 1963 and 1993. The global epidemic of obesity is a major public...Full Text Available
The ruminal selenomonad strain H18 grew rapidly (mu = 0.50 h-1) in a defined medium containing glucose, ammonia, purified amino acids, and sodium (95 mM); little if any ammonia was utilized as a nitrogen...Full Text Available
MicroRNAs (miRs) can regulate many cellular functions, but their roles in regulating responses of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) to mechanical stimuli remain unexplored. We hypothesize that the physiological...Full Text Available
The Neurofibromatosis-2 (NF2) tumor suppressor merlin negatively regulates cell proliferation in numerous cell types. We have previously shown that the NF2...Full Text Available
Most genetic changes that promote tumorigenesis involve dysregulation of G1 cell cycle progression. A key regulatory site in G1 is a growth factor–dependent restriction point (R) where cells...Full Text Available
Although myo-inositol is included in media for the successful growth of plant tissues, the actual requirement of most tissues, including soybean (Glycine max) callus in suspension culture, for myo-inositol...Full Text Available
We examined the changes in the levels of indoleacetic acid (IAA), IAA esters, and a 22-kilodalton subunit auxin-binding protein (ABP1) in apical mesocotyl tissue of maize (Zea mays...Full Text Available
We have examined the association between cytokine, chemokine and growth factor concentrations with bacterial vaginosis (BV) in pregnant white and black women. A nested case-control analysis...Full Text Available
Emphasis was put on the comparative quantitative structure-activity approaches to the exploration of action mechanisms of structurally different classes of compounds showing the same type of activity...Full Text Available
The two-compartment radioassay for microbial kinetics based on continuous measurement of the {sup 14}CO{sub 2} released by bacterial metabolism of 14C-labeled substrate offers a valuable approach to testing the potency of antimicrobial drugs. By using a previously validated radioassay with gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, a group of protein synthesis inhibitors was evaluated for their effect on microbial growth kinetics. All tested drugs induced changes in both the slopes and intercepts of the growth curves. An exponential growth model was applied to quantify the drug effect on the processes of bacterial {sup 14}CO{sub 2} liberation and cell generation. The response was measured in terms of a generation rate constant. A linear dependence of the generation rate constant on the dose of spectinomycin was observed with Escherichia coli. Sigmoidal-shaped curves were found in the assays of chloramphenicol and ...
BACKGROUNDProtocadherin-PC (PCDH-PC) expression is upregulated in apoptosis-resistant sublines of the LNCaP human prostate cancer (CaP) cell line. Here, we assess...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe lactogenic hormones prolactin (PRL) and placental lactogens (PL) play central roles in reproduction and mammary development. Their actions are mediated via binding...Full Text Available
Cervical cancer is known to metastasize primarily by the lymphatic system. Dissemination through lymphatic vessels represents an early step in regional tumor progression, and the presence of lymphatic...Full Text Available
A Monascus pilosus strain was selected for production of intracellular α-galactosidase. Optimum conditions for mycelial growth and enzyme induction were determined. Galactose...Full Text Available
Interleukin 2 (IL-2) and B-cell growth factors I and II (BCGF I and BCGF II) are lymphokines produced by T cells that play a major role in T- and B-cell cooperation. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from...Full Text Available
During a study of the health status of children in rural Nigerian communities a gross lack of fit was observed between the sample and the growth attainment standards derived from local longitudinal...Full Text Available
The acetogenic bacterium Clostridium thermoaceticum ATCC 39073 grew at the expense of the two-carbon substrates oxalate and glyoxylate. Other two-carbon substrates (acetaldehyde, acetate,...Full Text Available
Cells of oat coleoptiles (Avena sativa L. cv. “Garry”) have been osmotically shocked in order to observe the effect of alterations of the plasma membrane on some auxin...Full Text Available
In the adult mammalian CNS, the growth inhibitors oligodendrocyte-myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) and the reticulon RTN4 (Nogo) are broadly expressed in oligodendrocytes and neurons. Nogo and OMgp...Full Text Available
DescriptionThe UK horticulture and agriculture industries rely on large inputs of mineral nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilisers to maintain product yield and quality. Recovery of applied fertilisers by field crops is inefficient (routinely
BackgroundDysregulation of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system, a common consequence of adiposity-induced insulin resistance, may be a key underlying mechanism...Full Text Available
Increased oxidative stress is associated with perinatal asphyxia and respiratory distress in the newborn period. Induction of nuclear factor erythroid 2 p45-related factor (Nrf2) has been shown to decrease...Full Text Available
Populus yunnanensis was employed as a model species to detect sexual differences in growth, physiological, biochemical, and ultrastructural responses to cadmium (Cd) stress, nitrogen...Full Text Available
Nickel was established as an essential micronutrient for the growth of temperate cereal crops. Grain from barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv `Onda'; containing 40 to 80 nanograms of Ni per...Full Text Available
Neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (NEP, CD10) is a cell-surface enzyme expressed by prostatic epithelial cells that cleaves and inactivates neuropeptides implicated in the growth of androgen-independent prostate...Full Text Available
Male transgenic mice expressing the polyomavirus middle T (PyV-MT) gene exhibited growth and developmental abnormalities in prostatic and other urogenital epithelium. Expression of PyV-MT was directed...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn rats, alcohol exposure during the period of rapid brain growth produces long-term changes in the free-running period, photoentrainment and phase-shifting...Full Text Available
A film of GaSb grown epitaxially on a Si substrate is a direct transition semiconductor useful for application as a light source in Si photonics and channel material in next-generation field effect transistors because its energy bandgap is close to the optical fibre communication wavelength and it possesses high carrier mobility. Here, we report a novel method for heteroepitaxial growth of high-quality GaSb/Si films, despite having a lattice mismatch as large as ? 12%, using elastically strain-relaxed GaSb nanodots with ultrahigh density as seed crystals for film growth. The nanodot seed crystals were grown epitaxially by restricted contact with the Si substrate through nanowindows in an ultrathin SiO(2) film on the Si substrate. A light-emitting diode containing GaSb/Si films with a thickness of ? 90 nm fabricated by this method operated at room temperature. The growth method was also used to fabricate AlGaSb films of high ...
The production of Alternaria alternata f. sp. lycopersici host-specific toxins (AAL toxins) and epoxide hydrolase (EH) activity were studied during the growth of this...Full Text Available
Microorganisms in the environment can often adapt to use xenobiotic chemicals as novel growth and energy substrates. Specialized enzyme systems and metabolic pathways for the degradation of man-made...Full Text Available
Aluminium (Al) toxicity, affecting around half of the world¿s arable land, severely hinders the ability of crop plants to utilize moisture and nutrients by restricting root growth and function. Among the cultivated cereals, rye is the most Al-tolerant and represents an important potential source of ...
Bacterial processes in soil, including biodegradation, require contact between bacteria and substrates. Knowledge of the three-dimensional spatial distribution of bacteria at the microscale is necessary...Full Text Available
The hair follicle cycle successively goes through the anagen, catagen, telogen, and latency phases, which correspond, respectively, to hair growth, arrest, shedding, and absence before a new anagen...Full Text Available
When 2,2-dimethyl 3-(2'-naphthyl 6'-hydroxy) pentanoic acid, an artificial estrogen of the allenolic acid group, was added to an exponential-phase growth culture of Neurospora crassa (in Horowitz medium),...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe tumor microenvironment has been described as a critical milieu determining tumor growth and metastases. A pivotal role of metastasis-inducing S100A4 in the development...Full Text Available
The formation of mammalian secondary palate requires a series of developmental events such as growth, elevation and fusion. Despite recent advances in the field of palate development, the process...Full Text Available
There has been great interest in understanding the methods by which collagen-based load-bearing tissue is constructed, grown and maintained in vertebrate animals. To date, the responsibility for this...Full Text Available
End binding proteins (EBs) are highly conserved core components of microtubule plus-end tracking protein networks. Here we investigated the roles of the three mammalian EBs in controlling microtubule...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) with its numerous ligands has fundamental roles in development, cell differentiation and physiology. Dysfunction of the receptor-ligand...Full Text Available
Mammals possess multiple insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding proteins (IGFBPs), and related proteins, that modulate the activity of insulin/IGF signalling (IIS), a conserved neuroendocrine signalling...Full Text Available
ObjectivesThe main objective of this study is to address the following specific questions: 1. Are the delayed effects of poor early diet on whole organism performance and senescence contingent on, or exacerbated by, the subsequent occurrence of compensatory growth? 2. Does the rate of growth influence levels of resting metabolism and/or oxidative stress, and if so, for how long does this persist? 3. How are the levels of early nutrition, growth, resting metabolism and oxidative stress linked to the lev [continued...]DescriptionIt is now widely appreciated that, while animals may appear to recover from periods of poor food quality or quantity experienced in early development, adverse effects may occur later in adult life. Such effects can influence the performance of complete cohorts of animals, and have important consequences for population dynamics. The reasons why such delayed effects occur across the animals' lifetimes ...
Sibling Paenibacillus dendritiformis bacterial colonies grown on low-nutrient agar medium mutually inhibit growth through secretion of a lethal factor. Analysis of secretions reveals...Full Text Available
A Legionella-like organism (strain 1087-AZ-H) was isolated from a pleural-fluid specimen from a renal transplant patient undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. Growth characteristics and gas-liquid chromatography...Full Text Available
A Legionella-like organism, strain 1677-MI-H, was isolated from the bronchoscopy washings of a patient with pneumonia who had a 2-year history of progressive, chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The growth...Full Text Available
New developments in fluorophores as well as in detection methods have fueled the rapid growth of optical imaging in the life sciences. Commercial widefield microscopes generally use arc lamps, excitation/emission...Full Text Available
Kin form important political groups, which change in size and relative inequality with demographic shifts. Increases in the rate of population growth increase the size of kin groups but decrease their...Full Text Available
The cytokine interleukin-7 (IL-7) has essential growth activities that maintain the homeostatic balance of the immune system. Little is known of the mechanism by which IL-7 signaling regulates metabolic...Full Text Available
Large population sizes, rapid growth and 3.8 billion years of evolution firmly establish microorganisms as a major source of the planet's biological and genetic diversity. However, up to 99% of the...Full Text Available
African trypanosomes exert significant morbidity and mortality in man and livestock. Only a few drugs are available for the treatment of trypanosome infections and therefore, the development of new...Full Text Available
Auxin autonomous growth of most crown gall tumor cells requires the expression of two auxin biosynthesizing genes (tms 1 and tms 2) from the T-DNA of Agrobacterium...Full Text Available
Life history theory proposes that early-life cues induce highly integrated responses in traits associated with energy partitioning, maturation, reproduction, and aging such that the individual phenotype...Full Text Available
Purpose: Understanding the kinetics of tumor growth∕shrinkage represents a critical step in quantitative assessment of therapeutics and realization of adaptive radiation therapy....Full Text Available
Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) acts as a co-receptor for class 3 semaphorins and vascular endothelial growth factor and is an attractive angiogenesis target for cancer therapy. In addition to the transmembrane...Full Text Available
Skeletal formation is an essential and intricately regulated part of vertebrate development. Humans and mice deficient in Growth and Differentiation Factor 6 (Gdf6) have numerous...Full Text Available
Cellular hypertrophy is regulated by coordinated pro- and antigrowth machineries. Foxo transcription factors initiate an atrophy-related gene program to counter hypertrophic growth. This study was designed...Full Text Available
In a community based study, height and weight increments of 441 Nepali children aged 0-6 years were measured before harvest and six months later and compared with centile standards derived from American...Full Text Available
In chemostat culture, the virulence of two strains of Legionella pneumophila was shown to be significantly (P < 0.05) reduced when the culture temperature was lowered from 37 to 24 degrees C....Full Text Available
Increasing salinity has the potential to affect freshwater organisms. Yet sub-lethal effects of salinity on macroinvertebrates are poorly understood. Growth and development of Ischnura heterosticta (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) was experimentally shown to be faster in 5-20 mS/cm than 0.1-1 mS/cm, while in 35 mS/cm all individuals died. In 30 mS/cm about half died and growth was similar to the 0.1 mS/cm treatment. The salinity-growth relationship cannot be explained indirectly, that is salinity affecting the survival of their prey. Tissue content and concentration of Ca, Mg, Na and K in emerged adults showed no evidence of deficiencies at low salinity. Heart beat rate was similar across treatments, except at 35 mS/cm, where it was slower. Respiration and feeding were similar at 0.1, 10 and 30 mS/cm. While there are similarities in I. heterosticta and other species' salinity response, there are differences and studies on more ...
A Staphylococcus strain was inoculated on the top and cut surfaces of freshly baked Southern custard pies which were then packaged in a pasteboard carton and held at 30 C. Daily plate...Full Text Available
Our increasing capabilities for quantitative hormone analysis and automated high resolution growth studies have allowed a reassessment of the classical Cholodny-Went hypothesis of gravitropism. According...Full Text Available
Neonatal administration of the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone (DEX) retards brain growth, alters adult behaviors and induces cell death in the rat brain, thereby implicating glucocorticoids...Full Text Available
This article examines the effects of competition of geothermal energy production with other technologies. The topics of the article include near-term market growth, cause for cautious optimism, limits to development of geothermal energy production, economic arguments for development of geothermal power plants, the effects of a competitive market on industry survival.
Harmful algal blooms, caused by rapid growth and accumulation of certain microalgae in the ocean, pose considerable impacts on marine environments, aquatic industries and even public health. Here, we...Full Text Available
Zinc is an essential trace metal ion for growth, but an excess of Zn is toxic and microorganisms express diverse resistance mechanisms. To understand global bacterial responses to excess Zn, we conducted...Full Text Available
Francisella tularensis requires iron (Fe) for growth, but the biologic sources of Fe for this organism are largely unknown. We found that Francisella sp. growing in...Full Text Available
We report here a study of the mechanisms leading to loss of growth control in chicken embryo fibroblasts transformed by Rous sarcoma virus (RSV). We have been particularly concerned with the role of the src gene in this process, and have used RSV mutants temperature sensitive (ts) for transformation to investigate the nature of the growth regulatory lesion. The two principal findings were (1) the stationary phase of the cell cycle (G{sub 1}) in chick embryo fibroblasts seems to have two distinct regulatory compartments (using the terminology of Brooks et al. we refer to these as 'Q' and 'A' states). When rendered stationary at 41.5 C by serum deprivation, normal cells enter a Q state, but cells infected with the ts-mutant occupy an A state. (2) Whereas normal cells can occupy either state depending on culture conditions, the ts-infected cells, at 41.5 C, do not seem to enter Q even though a known src gene ...
The structural features required for xyloglucan oligosaccharides to inhibit 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid-stimulated elongation of pea stem segments have been investigated. A nonasaccharide (XG9)...Full Text Available
A monensin-sensitive ruminal peptostreptococcus was able to grow rapidly (growth rate of 0.5/h) on an enzymatic hydrolysate of casein, but less than 23% of the amino acid nitrogen was ever utilized....Full Text Available
Forest research on fast growing Eucalyptus hybrids in the Congo, using coppice shoots for propagation, is described. The hybrids can grow 20 ft in 15 months and it is suggested that the application of such methods in Britain may increase the growth rates of hardwoods such as oak or walnut.
Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is involved in skeletal development of the vertebrate. Gain-of-function mutations of FGF receptors (FGFR) cause craniosynostosis, premature fusion of the skull,...Full Text Available
All eukaryotes require mitochondria for survival and growth. The origin of mitochondria can be traced down to a single endosymbiotic event between two probably prokaryotic organisms. Subsequent evolution...Full Text Available
The dissimilatory iron-reducing bacterium Geobacter metallireducens was found to require iron at a concentration in excess of 50 μM for continuous cultivation on nitrate. Growth...Full Text Available
Zygotes of fucoid algae have long been studied as a paradigm for cell polarity. Polarity is established early in the first cell cycle and is then expressed as localized growth and invariant cell division....Full Text Available
Objective: To evaluate effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on the viability, membrane properties, and zinc distribution, with and without the presence of Zn2+, in human prostate...Full Text Available
Enterococcus faecalis cells cannot synthesize porphyrins and do not rely on heme for growth but can take up heme and use it to synthesize heme proteins. We recently described a cytochrome...Full Text Available
Enrichment cultures were used to determine the conditions promoting fastest methanogenic propionate degradation and growth by adapting the cultures to various physical and chemical conditions and measuring...Full Text Available
One-third of botanical remedies from southern Italy are used to treat skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI). Staphylococcus aureus, a common cause of SSTI, has generated increasing...Full Text Available
Intermetallic compound (IMC) growth at the interface between a Sn coating and a Cu substrate with or without a Ni underlayer and its related stress state was evaluated by real-time measurements using the flexure beam method. For the Sn coating without a Ni underlayer, pyramid-shaped IMC grains of Cu6Sn5 grew along the grain boundaries of Sn from the Cu substrate, especially at the triple grain boundary junctions and the IMC grains rapidly increased their volume during the initial 3?days, During this time, the IMC growth rate was 2.3??m3/day and the compressive stress in the Sn coating rapidly developed and became saturated at about ?11?MPa. In contrast, platelet IMC grains of Ni3Sn4 formed at the surface of the Ni underlayer and the IMCs grew at a rate of 1.0??m3/day for the Sn/Ni coating....
In support of a project on lifetime calculation experiments were carried out to evaluate the resistance to environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) of steam generator tubes during operation. Estimations of the incubation period for crack initiation and the threshold K value, K{sup Iscc}, and the crack growth rate were made to predict evolution of damage in tube walls. The paper summarizes results of experiments of C ring specimen for the initiation testing and results of SENT (single edge notch tensile) specimen for the crack growth rate (CGR) testing. The specimens were exposed to concentrated environments at elevated temperatures simulating crevice environments in secondary side crevices in horizontal steam generators. The results show that the material of SG tubes is sensitive to transgranular environmentally assisted cracking in the three basic concentrated environments used, alkaline, neutral and acid. The most corrosive medium was the acid ...
In support of a project on lifetime calculation experiments were carried out to evaluate the resistance to environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) of steam generator tubes during operation. Estimations of the incubation period for crack initiation and the threshold K value, K"I"s"c"c, and the crack growth rate were made to predict evolution of damage in tube walls. The paper summarizes results of experiments of C ring specimen for the initiation testing and results of SENT (single edge notch tensile) specimen for the crack growth rate (CGR) testing. The specimens were exposed to concentrated environments at elevated temperatures simulating crevice environments in secondary side crevices in horizontal steam generators. The results show that the material of SG tubes is sensitive to transgranular environmentally assisted cracking in the three basic concentrated environments used, alkaline, neutral and acid. The most corrosive medium was the acid ...
Background and AimsThe small leafy succulent shrub Halocnemum strobilaceum occurs in saline habitats from northern Africa and Mediterranean Europe to western Asia,...Full Text Available
Methyl fluoride is frequently used to specifically inhibit acetoclastic methanogenesis, thus allowing determination of the relative contribution of acetate versus H2/CO2 to total...Full Text Available
Age-related deterioration of the fracture properties of bone, coupled with increased life expectancy, are responsible for increasing incidence of bone fracture in the elderly, and hence, an understanding of how its fracture properties degrade with age is essential. The present study describes ex vivo fracture experiments to quantitatively assess the effect of aging on the fracture toughness properties of human cortical bone in the longitudinal direction. Because cortical bone exhibits rising crack-growth resistance with crack extension, unlike most previous studies the toughness is evaluated in terms of resistance-curve (R-curve) behavior, measured for bone taken from wide range of age groups (34-99 years). Using this approach, both the ex vivo crack-initiation and crack-growth toughness are determined and are found to deteriorate with age; the initiation toughness decreases some 40% over six decades from 40 to 100 years, while the ...
This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth and pollutant emissions for a small and open developing country, Tunisia, during the period 1961-2004. The investigation is made on the basis of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, using time series data and cointegration analysis. Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}) are used as the environmental indicators, and GDP as the economic indicator. Our results show that there is a long-run cointegrating relationship between the per capita emissions of two pollutants and the per capita GDP. An inverted U relationship between SO{sub 2} emissions and GDP has been found, with income turning point approximately equals to $1200 (constant 2000 prices) or to $3700 (in PPP, constant 2000 prices). However, a monotonically increasing relationship with GDP is found more appropriate for CO{sub 2} emissions. Furthermore, the causality results show that the relationship between income and ...
This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth and pollutant emissions for a small and open developing country, Tunisia, during the period 1961-2004. The investigation is made on the basis of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, using time series data and cointegration analysis. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) are used as the environmental indicators, and GDP as the economic indicator. Our results show that there is a long-run cointegrating relationship between the per capita emissions of two pollutants and the per capita GDP. An inverted U relationship between SO2 emissions and GDP has been found, with income turning point approximately equals to $1200 (constant 2000 prices) or to $3700 (in PPP, constant 2000 prices). However, a monotonically increasing relationship with GDP is found more appropriate for CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the causality results show that the relationship between income and pollution in Tunisia is one ...
This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth and pollutant emissions for a small and open developing country, Tunisia, during the period 1961-2004. The investigation is made on the basis of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, using time series data and cointegration analysis. Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}) are used as the environmental indicators, and GDP as the economic indicator. Our results show that there is a long-run cointegrating relationship between the per capita emissions of two pollutants and the per capita GDP. An inverted U relationship between SO{sub 2} emissions and GDP has been found, with income turning point approximately equals to 1200 (constant 2000 prices) or to 3700 (in PPP, constant 2000 prices). However, a monotonically increasing relationship with GDP is found more appropriate for CO{sub 2} emissions. Furthermore, the causality results show that the relationship between income and ...
Glioblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor, is among the most lethal and difficult cancers to treat. Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are frequent in glioblastoma,...Full Text Available
Oocyte-cumulus cell bidirectional communication is essential for normal development of the oocyte and cumulus cells (CCs) within the follicle. We showed recently that addition of recombinant growth...Full Text Available
Genome endoreduplication during mammalian development is a rare event for which the mechanism is unknown. It first appears when fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) deprivation induces differentiation...Full Text Available
Growth at increasing continuous irradiance (at high nutrient nitrate) and nutrient nitrate concentrations (at high continuous irradiance) furnished increases in the in vivo and in...Full Text Available
The enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase in Drosophila melanogaster synthesizes mevalonate for the production of nonsterol isoprenoids, which are essential for growth and...Full Text Available
In rats, damage to neuronal populations in some brain regions occurs in response to neonatal alcohol exposure coinciding with the period of rapid brain growth. These alcohol-induced defects...Full Text Available
Transitions at 28-32°C in membranes of many kinds of seeds influence their germination and subsequent growth. Changes at 28-32°C in the rates of loss of endogenous amino acids from imbibed...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVEPhosphoinositide 3-kinase enhancer A (PIKE-A) is a proto-oncogene that promotes tumor growth and transformation by enhancing Akt activity. However, the physiological functions...Full Text Available
Proteins that metabolize or bind the nucleotide second messenger cyclic diguanylate regulate a wide variety of important processes in bacteria. These processes include motility, biofilm formation, cell...Full Text Available
The sale of consumer products over the Internet has grown rapidly, including the sale of drugs. While the growth in online drug sales by reputable pharmacies is a trend that may provide benefits to...Full Text Available
Activation of beta-adrenergic or muscarinic acetylcholine receptors expressed in transfected cells or epidermal growth factor receptors in human keratinocytes produces 15% to 200% changes in cellular...Full Text Available
A series of lab and greenhouse studies were undertaken to understand how Cu and Zn toxicity influences Bromus carinatus (Hook and Arn.) growth, to what degree an organic amendment (yard waste compost) may reduce Cu and Zn bioavailability in Cu-Zn minespoil and promote plant growth in combination with fertilizer, and how the vertical distribution of compost in the minespoil influences rooting depth. Root Cu and Zn toxicity thresholds were determined to be 1 mg L"-"1 and 10 mg L"-"1 in solution, respectively. The compost amendment had exceptionally high Cu and Zn binding capacities (0.17 and 0.08 g metal g C"-"1, for Cu and Zn, respectively) that were attributed to high compost humic and fulvic acid concentrations. Maximum plant biomass was achieved when minespoil was amended with compost and fertilizer in combination. Fertilizer alone had no effect on plant growth. Mixing compost into the minespoil was essential to promote ...
The overarching goal of medical training is to nurture the growth of knowledgeable, caring and insightful clinicians guided by the ideals of medical professionalism. Recent definitions of professional...Full Text Available
The opportunistic pathogenic yeast Candida albicans exhibits growth phase-dependent changes in cell surface hydrophobicity, which has been correlated with adhesion to host tissues....Full Text Available
The photosynthetic activity of the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda was investigated during synchronous growth in light/dark cycles. The rate of O2 evolution increased...Full Text Available
BackgroundAchieving sustainable economic and social growth through advances in health is crucial in Latin America within the framework of the United Nations Millennium Development...Full Text Available
Excess caveolin-1 has been reported to play a role in age-dependent hyporesponsiveness to growth factors in vitro. Therefore, we hypothesized that caveolin-1–dependent hyporesponsiveness...Full Text Available
BackgroundComplementary feeding is currently recommended after six months of age, when the nutrients in breast milk alone are no longer adequate to support growth. Few studies have...Full Text Available
Brownfields redevelopment contributes to the revitalization of communities across the U.S. Reuse of these abandoned, contaminated sites spurs economic growth, builds community pride, protects public health, and helps maintain our nation's "greenfields," often at a relatively low ...
BackgroundCancer stem cells (CSCs) have increased resistance to cancer chemotherapy. They can be enriched as drug-surviving CSCs (D-CSCs) by growth with chemotherapeutic drugs, and/or...Full Text Available
A rhabdomyosarcoma in a WAG/Rij rat with capacity for colony growth after tumour excision and enzymatic dissociation has been used to study response to high and low LET radiation. End points are tumor...Full Text Available
The protein kinase CK2 (formerly casein kinase II) is thought to be involved in light-regulated gene expression in plants because...Full Text Available
Functionalizing of single molecules on surfaces has manifested great potential for bottom-up construction of complex devices on a molecular scale. We discuss the growth mechanism for the initial layers...Full Text Available
Aerobacter cloacae UW-C83 and Escherichia coli K-12 were grown under various anaerobic environments. Yatp values were calculated by determination...Full Text Available
Experimental data are reported on the micro-irregularities of resistivity in longitudinal and transverse specimens of germanium 0.5 to 0.8 mm in thickness and 25 to 40 mm in width. These data are correlated with the conditions of growth of the crystals. (16 refs).
BackgroundObtaining single parasite clones is required for many techniques in malaria research. Cloning by limiting dilution using microscopy-based assessment for parasite growth...Full Text Available
Forty children with the fetal alcohol syndrome were identified in the west of Scotland. All were growth retarded and had abnormal facial features, and all those who were tested were found to have neurological...Full Text Available
A p[sup +]-Al[sub 0.3]Ga[sub 0.7]As/n[sup +]-GaAs heterojunction tunnel diode was fabricated using Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ALE) growth technique. Background carbon doping of [similar to]10[sup 20] cm[sup [minus]3] was achieved in the p-side of the diode by optimizing growth conditions such as V/III ratio, exposure times to reactant gases, and growth temperature. In the n-side of the diode GaAs was doped with silane and doping concentrations as high as 7[times]10[sup 18] cm[sup [minus]3] were also achieved. The dopants are chosen to satisfy the high levels and low diffusion requirements. The diode can be used to interconnect the high and low band-gap cells in the AlGaAs/GaAs cascade solar cell structure. The reactor used in this investigation is a commercial MOCVD system which has been specially modified for dual operation of ALE and MOCVD growth modes.
The relationships between basic and applied agricultural R&D, developed and developing country R&D and between R&D, extension, technology and productivity growth are outlined....Full Text Available
Low concentrations of sugars altered the sensitivity of seed germination to inhibition by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA). Germination of wild-type and ABA-insensitive (abi) Arabidopsis...Full Text Available
BackgroundPregnancies complicated by abnormal umbilical artery Doppler blood flow patterns often result in the baby being born both preterm and growth-restricted. These babies are...Full Text Available
Plumbagin is found in many herbal plants and inhibits the growth of various bacteria. Escherichia coli strains are relatively resistant to this drug. The mechanism of resistance is...Full Text Available
A generalized Fisher equation (GFE) relates the time derivative of the average of the intrinsic rate of growth to its variance. The GFE is an exact mathematical result that has been widely used in population...Full Text Available
We show that the expression of an indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-modified protein from bean seed, IAP1, is correlated to the developmental period of rapid growth during seed development. Moreover, this...Full Text Available
A comparative study has been carried out of the growth of two lines of Datura innoxia (Mill.) cells, designated DI-6 and NR1, their resistance to chlorate, and their ability to assimilate...Full Text Available
A comprehensive Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) study of submonolayer nucleation and growth of 2D islands in Ag/Ag(100) homoepitaxy for temperature between 295K and 370K is presented. The initial stages of multilayer kinetic roughening is also studied. Analysis of an appropriate model for metal (100) homoepitaxy, produces estimates of 350 meV for the terrace diffusion barrier, 400 meV for the adatom bond energy, and 25 meV for the additional Ehrlich-Schwoebel step-edge barrier.
Apparent growth of amorphous layers during low temperature annealing was observed in low energy Ge{sup +}-implanted (0 0 1)Si by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The occurrence of abnormal growth is due to the randomization of heavily damaged regions beneath the original amorphous/crystalline interfaces. The randomization process is attributed to the strain, incurred by the presence of a high density of large Ge atoms in the heavily damaged Si substrate, relaxation to lower the free energy of the systems. The randomization upon annealing may be fruitfully applied to minimize the transient enhanced diffusion in shallow junction formation.
Apparent growth of amorphous layers during low temperature annealing was observed in low energy Ge"+-implanted (0 0 1)Si by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The occurrence of abnormal growth is due to the randomization of heavily damaged regions beneath the original amorphous/crystalline interfaces. The randomization process is attributed to the strain, incurred by the presence of a high density of large Ge atoms in the heavily damaged Si substrate, relaxation to lower the free energy of the systems. The randomization upon annealing may be fruitfully applied to minimize the transient enhanced diffusion in shallow junction formation.
Magnetic materials such as yttrium iron garnet (YIG) are of great importance for its magneto-optic properties and for their potential applications in the domain of optical telecommunications. The deposition of thin films of YIG, on quartz or GGG (gadolinium gallium garnet) substrate, was performed using radio frequency non reactive magnetron sputtering, followed by high temperature annealing which is needed to enhance the crystallinity of the layers. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry RBS was used to determine the thickness and stoichiometry of the performed layers in order to investigate correlations between growth conditions and the quality of the final material. RBS measurements showed the influence of the deposition time and the temperature substrate on the film growth and its stoichiometry. (author)
The liver is a primary target of growth hormone (GH). GH signals are mediated by the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5). Here, we focus on recent discoveries about the role of GH-STAT5 signaling in hepatic physiology and pathophysiology. We discuss roles of the GH-STAT5 axis in body growth, lipid metabolism, and the cell cycle pertaining to hepatosteatosis, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Finally, we discuss recent discoveries about the role of GH-STAT5 in sex-specific gene expression and bile acid, steroid, and drug metabolism.
The effectiveness of the acridines ethidium bromide (EB) and acriflavine in inducing plasmon mutations was compared with the alkylating agents ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS) and diethyl sulphate and to #gamma#-rays. The growth habit (trailing versus bunch) of peanuts (A. hypogaea), controlled by genic-cytoplasmic interactions, was utilized. Breeding tests distinguishing nuclear from plasmon mutations were developed and are described in detail. Plasmon mutations were induced, but there were differences in mutation yields between the cultivars and the mutagens. (Auth.).
The in-situ observation of dendritic growth in lithium/polymer electrolyte-LiTFSI/lithium battery cells shows that dendrites grow up with about the same rate as anion migration. Memory effects have been evidenced in cycling experiments and limit the dendrites length. An overall movement of the electrolyte due to variations of electrolyte concentration in the vicinity of the electrodes has been observed too. (J.S.) 13 refs.
We study the energetics of island formation in Stranski-Krastanow growth within a parameter-free approach. It is shown that an optimum island size exists for a given coverage and island density if changes in the wetting layer morphology after the 3D transition are properly taken into account. Our approach reproduces well the experimental island size dependence on coverage, and indicates that the critical layer thickness depends on growth conditions. The present study provides a new explanation for the (frequently found) rather narrow size distribution of self-assembled coherent islands.
Mild steel samples were studied by chronoamperometry in sodium sulfide (Na[sub 2]S) aqueous solution. Pit nucleation and growth also were monitored by optical microscopy. The influence of variables such as temperature, polarization potential, surface roughness, the presence of electrochemically generated oxide layers, and the simultaneous presence of potassium hydroxide (KOH) was studied. The influence of each parameter on pit shape and growth was reviewed. Different reactions and competitive processes were proposed based on the experimental results.
Pitting corrosion can be considered as a combination of two physical processes: the pit generation process and its depth growth process. Both processes are uncertain and can be modeled by stochastic processes. A model that combines two stochastic processes to describe pitting corrosion was developed. In this model, the pit generation process is represented by the Poisson process, and the pit depth growth process is modeled by the Markov process. The probability distribution of corrosion pit depth and the probability of time-to-failure are derived based upon the combined stochastic processes. Examples of the use of this method in dealing with experimental data also were developed.