Genetic and environmental parameters for mature weight and other growth measures in Polled Hereford cattle

Variances and covariances were estimated for birth weight (BWT), weaning weight (WW), yearling gain (YG), yearling weight (YW), yearling height (YH), relative growth from birth to weaning (RGW) and weaning to yearling (RGY), and mature weight (MW). Field records on 572,446 Polled Hereford cattle were analyzed. Because multiple dam weights were collected on a cow the MW used in the analysis was calculated using a nonlinear regression correction factor computed by fitting a quadratic with a plateau to the data. If the cow had an observation(s) beyond the inflection point (IP), the closest weight to that point was used. If the cow only had observation(s) before the IP the closest weight to that point was nonlinearly adjusted to the plateau. The IP for this data set was 1,506 d and the plateau was 554.7 kg. Heritabilities and genetic and environmental correlations were calculated from the appropriate (co)variances and phenotypic correlations were computed. Heritability estimates for BWT, WW, YG, YW, YH, RGW, RGY, and MW were .49, .24, .23, .30, .59, .24, .15, and .52, respectively. Genetic correlations between MW with BWT, WW, YG, YW, YH, RGW, and RGY were .64, .80, .76, .89, .73, -.29, and .35, respectively, environmental correlations were .15, .43, .05, .40, 1.03, .32, and -.10, respectively, and phenotypic correlations were .33, .32, .28, .46, .70, .00, and .07, respectively.     

Modeling the cellular basis of altered excitation-contraction coupling in heart failure

Ca transients measured in failing human ventricular myocytes exhibit reduced amplitude and slowed relaxation [Beuckelmann, D.J., Nabauer, M., Erdmann, E., 1992. Intracellular calcium handling in isolated ventricular myocytes from patients with terminal heart failure. Circulation 85, 1046-1055; Gwathmey, J.K., Copelas, L., MacKinnon, R., Schoen, F.J., Feldman, M.D., Grossman, W., Morgan, J.P., 1987. Abnormal intracellular calcium handling in myocardium from patients with end-stage heart failure. Circ. Res. 61, 70-76; Kaab, S., Nuss, H. B., Chiamvimonvat, N., O'Rourke, B., Pak, P.H., Kass, D.A., Marban, E., Tomaselli, G.F., 1996. Ionic mechanism of action potential prolongation in ventricular myocytes from dogs with pacing-induced heart failure. Circ. Res. 78(2); Li, H.G., Jones, D.L., Yee, R., Klein, G.J., 1992. Electrophysiologic substrate associated with pacing-induced hert failure in dogs: potential value of programmed stimulation in predicting sudden death. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 19(2), 444-449; Vermeulen, J.T., McGuire, M.A., Opthof, T., Colonel, R., Bakker, J.M.T.d., Klopping, C., Janse, M.J., 1994. Triggered activity and automaticity in ventricular trabeculae of failing human and rabbit hearts. Cardiovasc. Res. 28, 1547-1554.] and blunted frequency dependence [Davies, C.H., Davia, K., Bennett, J.G., Pepper, J.R., Poole-Wilson, P.A., Harding, S.E., 1995. Reduced contraction and altered frequency response of isolated ventricular myocytes from patients with heart failure. Circulation, 92, 2540-2549; Hasenfuss, G., Reinecke, H., Studer, R., Meyer, M., Pieske, B., Holtz, J., Holubarsch, C., Posival, H., Just, H., Drexler, H., 1994. Relation between myocardial function and expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase in failing and nonfailing human myocardium. Circ. Res. 75, 434-442; Hasenfuss, G., Reinecke, H., Studer, R., Pieske, B., Meyer, M., Drexler, H., Just, H., 1996. Calcium cycling proteins and force-frequency relationships in heart failure. Basic Res. Cardiol. 91, 17-22; Monte, F.D., O'Gara, P., Poole-Wilson, P.A., Yacoub, M., Harding, S.E., 1995. Cell geometry and contractile abnormalities of myocytes from failing human left ventricle.     

Unusual relapse of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma after spontaneous remission

Signalling via the receptor Notch, delivered by the ligands Delta and Serrate, plays a key role in many cell fate decisions in both Drosophila and vertebrate development (for review seeArtavanis-Tsakonas, S., Matsuno, K. and Fortini, M.E., 1995. Notch signalling. Science 268, 225-232; Lewis, J., 1996. Neurogenic genes and vertebrate neurogenesis. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 6, 3-10; Blair, S.S., 1997. Limb development: marginal fringe benefits. Curr Biol. 7, 686-690; Irvine, K.D. and Vogt, T.F., 1997. Dorsal-ventral signaling in limb development. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 9, 867-876). Recently vertebrate homologues of Notch (Notch1; Myat, A., Henrique, D., Ish-Horowicz, D. and Lewis, J., 1996. A chick homologue of Serrate and its relationship with Notch and Delta homologues during central neurogeneis. Dev. Biol. 174, 233-247) and Serrate (Serrate1 and 2; Myat, A., Henrique, D., Ish-Horowicz, D. and Lewis, J., 1996. A chick homologue of Serrate and its relationship with Notch and Delta homologues during central neurogeneis. Dev. Biol. 174, 233-247; Hayashi, H., Mochii, M., Kodama, R., Hamada, Y., Mizuno, N., Eguchi, G. and Tachi, C., 1996. Isolation of a novel chick homolog of Serrate and its coexpression with Notch-1 in chick development. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 40, 1089-96; Laufer, E., Dahn, R., Orozco, O.E., Yeo, C.Y., Pisenti, J., Henrique, D., Abbott, U., Fallon, J.F. and Tabin, C., 1996. Expression of Radical fringe in limb-bud ectoderm regulates apical ectodermal ridge formation. Nature 386, 366-373; Rodriguez-Esteban, C., Schwabe, J.W., De La Pena, J., Foys, B., Eshelman, B. and Izpisua-Belmonte, J.C., 1997. Radical fringe positions the apical ectodermal ridge at the dorsoventral boundary of the vertebrate limb. Nature 386, 360-366) were shown to be expressed in early chick limb mesenchyme and apical ridge. However, later expression patterns of these genes and of Delta 1 (Henrique, D. , Adam, J., Myat, A., Chitnis, A., Lewis, J. and Ish-Horowicz, D., 1995. Expression of a Delta homologue in prospective neurons in the chick. Nature 375, 787-790) in vertebrate limbs have not been documented. We have used whole mount in-situ hybridization to document expression patterns of Notch1, Serrate1, Serrate2 and Delta1 within the mesenchyme of the developing chick limb up to stage 31 of development. We show these genes are expressed, in different combinations, in the vasculature, the musculature and the tissues of the handplate.     

Drugs causing fixed eruptions: a study of 450 cases

BACKGROUND: Drug eruptions are among the most common cutaneous disorders encountered by the dermatologist. Some drug eruptions, although trivial, may cause cosmetic embarrassment and fixed drug eruption (FDE) is one of them. The diagnostic hallmark is its recurrence at previously affected sites. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated 450 FDE patients to determine the causative drugs. RESULTS: The ratio of men to women was 1:1.1. The main presentation of FDE was circular hyperpigmented lesion. Less commonly FDE presented as: nonpigmenting erythema, urticaria, dermatitis, periorbital or generalized hypermelanosis. Occasionally FDE mimicked lichen planus, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, paronychia, cheilitis, psoriasis, housewife's dermatitis, melasma, lichen planus actinicus, discoid lupus erythematosus, erythema annulare centrifugum, pemphigus vulgaris, chilblains, pityriasis rosea and vulval or perianal hypermelanosis. Cotrimoxazole was the most common cause of FDE. Other drugs incriminated were tetracycline, metamizole, phenylbutazone, paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid, mefenamic acid, metronidazole, tinidazole, chlormezanone, amoxycillin, ampicillin, erythromycin, belladonna, griseofulvin, phenobarbitone, diclofenac sodium, indomethacin, ibuprofen, diflunisal, pyrantel pamoate, clindamycin, allopurinol, orphenadrine, and albendazole. CONCLUSIONS: Cotrimoxazole was the most common cause of FDE, whereas FDE with diclofenac sodium, pyrantel pamoate, clindamycin, and albendazole were reported for the first time. FDE may have multiform presentations.     

Blood rheology and the Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect

The purpose of this report is to present the deconjugation of bile acids by numbers of strains of bacteria in the small intestine and feces. The small intestinal juice was aseptically aspirated by a double lumen tube with a rubber cover on the tip devised by us ("Fukushima Type 1"). Bile acids were analyzed with thin layer chromatography. The results: 1) Among aerobic bacteria, species of which all of the strains split conjugated bile acids was enterococcus, and most of the strains split were Staphylococcus (S.) epidermidis and Lactobacillus (L.) bifidus. Species of which none of the strains split were Escherichia (E.) coli, E. communior, E. freundii, L. plantarum, L. acidophilus, L. buchneri, L. cellobiosus, L. bulgaricus, S. aureus, Aerobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, candida, proteus, serratia, and almost none of the species split was Intermediate coliform bacilli. 2) Among anaerobic bacteria, species of which all of the strains split were Bacteroides (B.) vulgatus, B. thetaiotaomicron, B. uniformis, Corynebacterium (C.) granulosum, C. avidum, Peptostreptococcus (Peptostrept.) putridus, Eubacterium (Eubact.) lentum, Peptococcus (Pept.) grigoroffii, Pept. anaerobius, Veillonella (V.) orbiculus, and most of the strains split were Coryne. diphtheroides, Eubact. parvum, Peptostrept. intermedius. Species of which none of the strains split were Coryne, parvum, Peptostrept. micros, V. alcalescens, V. parvula, Catenabacterium (Catena.) catenaforme, and Catena. filamentosum. 3) All or none, or almost all or none, of the strains of each species tested split conjugated bile acids, and it seems probably that the presence or absence of this ability would be a proper character of eachspecies.     

Epidemiology of disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria

The clinically important nontuberculous mycobacteria include M. kansasii, M. genavense, M. marinum, M. simiae, M. scrofulaceum and M. szulgai, M. avium, M. haemophilum, M. intracellulare, M. malmoense, M. ulcerans, and M. xenopi, M. abscessus, M. chelonae, M. fortuitum, and (rarely) M. smegmatis. Four clinical syndromes account for nearly all cases: pulmonary disease, lymphadenitis, skin or soft tissue disease, and disseminated disease in AIDS. M. avium and M. intracellulare (known together as M. avium complex), are the most common causes of pulmonary disease, lymphadenitis, and disseminated disease. All four clinical syndromes seem to be increasing in frequency, particularly in immunosuppressed hosts. Nontuberculous mycobacteria are acquired from the environment, but specific reservoirs of these organisms leading to human disease have not been defined.     

Brainstem neurons with descending projections to the spinal cord of two elasmobranch fishes: thornback guitarfish, Platyrhinoidis triseriata, and horn shark, Heterodontus francisci

We studied two cartilaginous fishes and described their brainstem supraspinal projections because most nuclei in the reticular formation can be identified that way. A retrogradely transported tracer, horseradish peroxidase or Fluoro-Gold, was injected into the spinal cord of Platyrhinoidis triseriata (thornback guitarfish) or Heterodontus fransisci (horn shark). We described labeled reticular cells by their position, morpohology, somatic orientation, dendritic processes, and laterality of spinal projections. Nineteen reticular nuclei have spinal projections: reticularis (r.) dorsalis, r. ventralis pars alpha and beta, r. gigantocellularis, r. magnocellularis, r. parvocellularis, r. paragigantocellularis lateralis and dorsalis, r. pontis caudalis pars alpha and beta, r. pontis oralis pars medialis and lateralis, r. subcuneiformis, r. peduncularis pars compacta, r. subcoeruleus pars alpha, raphe obscurus, raphe pallidus, raphe magnus, and locus coeruleus. Twenty nonreticular nuclei have spinal projections: descending trigeminal, retroambiguus, solitarius, posterior octaval, descending octaval, magnocellular octaval, ruber, Edinger-Westphal, nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus, interstitial nucleus of Cajal, latral mesencephalic complex, periventricularis pretectalis pars dorsalis, central pretectal, ventromedial thalamic, posterior central thalamic, posterior dorsal thalamic, the posterior tuberculum, and nuclei B, F, and J. The large number of distinct reticular nuclei with spinal projections corroborates the hypothesis that the reticular formation of elasmobranches is complexly organized into many of the same nuclei that are found in frogs, reptiles, birds, and mammals.     

Activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK2 by the chemoattractant folic acid in Dictyostelium

The Dictyostelium MAP kinase ERK2 is activated by extracellular cAMP in aggregation-competent cells and is required for receptor activation of adenylyl cyclase (Maeda, M., Aubry, L., Insall, R., Gaskins, C., Devreotes, P. N., and Firtel, R. A. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 3351-3354; Segall, J., Kuspa, A., Shaulsky, G., Ecke, M., Maeda, M., Gaskins, C., Firtel, R., and Loomis, W. (1995) J. Cell Biol. 128, 405-413). This cAMP-dependent activation of ERK2 is mediated by the serpentine, G protein-coupled cAMP receptors. However, ERK2 activation by cAMP is at least partially heterotrimeric G protein-independent, with a level of activation in cells lacking the sole Gbeta subunit or the G protein-coupled cAMP receptors-coupled Galpha2 subunit that is approximately 50% that of wild-type cells (Maeda, M., Aubry, L., Insall, R., Gaskins, C., Devreotes, P. N., and Firtel, R. A. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 3351-3354; Segall, J., Kuspa, A., Shaulsky, G., Ecke, M., Maeda, M., Gaskins, C., Firtel, R., and Loomis, W. (1995) J. Cell Biol. 128, 405-413). Folic acid, a chemoattractant in the vegetative cells that enables amoebae to find bacteria in the wild, also triggers the activation of adenylyl cyclase, which is impaired in the vegetative cells lacking the Galpha protein subunit Galpha4 (Hadwiger, J., Lee, S., and Firtel, R. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 91, 10566-10570). In this study, we show that folic acid activates ERK2 in developmentally regulated manner and is required for ERK2 stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity. Maximum levels of folate-stimulated ERK2 activity occur in cells from very early in development, prior to aggregation, and again at the tipped aggregate stages, corresponding to the stages in which folate receptors and the coupled Galpha subunit Galpha4 are maximally expressed. During the activation by folic acid, ERK2 is phosphorylated on tyrosine residue(s) and contemporaneously shows a mobility shift on SDS-PAGE. Interestingly, this activation is not elicited in the absence of Gbeta subunits, in contrast to the response to cAMP. This response also requires the Galpha4 subunit known to be required for other folic acid-mediated responses (Hadwiger, J., Lee, S., and Firtel, R. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 91, 10566-10570). Furthermore, we show that the activation of ERK2 by cAMP is independent of the Galpha4 subunit, while the activation of ERK2 by folate is independent of Galpha2. Taken together, these data indicate that there are at least two pathways of ERK2 activation, heterotrimeric G protein-dependent and -independent pathways.     

The tryptophan requirement of male and female broilers during the 4-7 week period

Studies with broiler type chickens were conducted to determine the minimum tryptophan requirement for maximum growth, optimum feed efficiency and molted body feather count for the 4-7 week period of growth for both male and females. Basal diets analyzed to contain 0.158, 0.157, and 0.147% tryptophan using analyzed tryptophan values of 0.09, 0.01, 0.31, 0.70, 0.40, and 0.46% for corn, gelatin, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, peanut meal-45, and peanut meal-50, respectively. Based on the regression equations for males, the calculated tryptophan requirement for maximum growth, optimum feed efficiency, and molted body feather count for the 4-7 week period is 0.179, 0.170, and 0.172%, respectively for 3300 Kcal. of M.E. per kg. of diet. When expressed as a function of energy, these requirements would be 0.054, 0.052, and 0.052% tryptophan per megacalorie of M.E. per kg. of diet, respectively. Based on the equations for females, the calculated tryptophan requirement for maximum growth, optimum feed efficiency, and molted body feather count is 0.173, 0.163, and 0.172%, respectively for 3300 Kcal. of M.E. per kg. of diet, respectively.     

Molecular genetics of breast cancer

During 1994, 129 specimens of chub (Leuciscus cephalus L.) from two localities, polluted--Bolelouc, 80th river kilometer, near the city of Olomouc, and unpolluted--Brodské, 225th river kilometer, near the Lanzhot on the Morava river, were examined for metazoan parasites. Altogether 38 metazoan parasite species including helminths, leeches and glochidia belonging to 14 genera were found, 34 in the case of unpolluted locality (Brodské) and 28 in the polluted one (Bolelouc). In both localities, 24 parasite species (Dactylogyrus folkmanovae, D. naviculoides, D. prostae, D. vistulae, D. vranoviensis, Gyrodactylus carassii, G. gasterostei, G. gracilihamatus, G. scardiniensis, G. vimbi, Gyrodactylus sp., Paradiplozoon ergensi, P. homoion, P. megan, Paradiplozoon sp., Caryophyllaeus brachycollis, Diplostomum spathaceum--larval stage, Philometra abdominalis, Acanthocephalus anguillae, Pomphorhynchus laevis and Glochidium sp.) were found, 10 (D. crucifer, D. nanoides, G. hemibarbi, G. lamberti, G. leucisci, G. lomi, P. rutili, C. fennica, A. imitans, S. bramae) were identified solely in the unpolluted locality Brodské and 4 (D. fallax, G. laevis, P. ovata, G. kearni) parasite species were found only in the polluted locality Bolelouc. Differences in parasite species richness, the level of dominance, the structure of core and in satellite species were observed. Current methods of statistical evaluation were used.     

Genetic parameters for sex-specific traits in beef cattle

Data from 3,593 beef heifers and 4,079 of their steer paternal half-sibs were used to estimate genetic parameters of and among female growth and reproductive traits and male carcass traits. Estimates of heritability for adjusted 205-d weight, adjusted 365-d weight, age at puberty, calving rate, and calving difficulty measured on females were .16, .38, .47, .19, and .18, respectively; estimates for calving rate and calving difficulty were expressed on a normal scale. Estimates of heritability for hot carcass weight; retail product percentage; fat percentage; bone percentage; rib eye area; kidney, pelvic, and heart fat percentage; adjusted fat thickness; marbling score; Warner-Bratzler shear force; taste panel tenderness; taste panel juiciness; and taste panel flavor that were measured on steers at an average age of 447 d (weaning age = 185, days on feed = 262) were .50, .66, .58, .54, .61, .48, .66, .71, .26, .31, .00, and .04, respectively. Genetic correlations were positive for heifer weights with hot carcass weight, fat percentage, rib eye area, adjusted fat thickness, marbling score, and Warner-Bratzler shear force, and they were negative with retail product percentage and kidney, pelvic, and heart fat percentage of steers. Age at puberty was genetically correlated with taste panel tenderness but not with other carcass traits. Calving rate had positive genetic correlations with fat percentage, rib eye area, adjusted fat thickness, and taste panel flavor, and it had negative genetic correlations with retail product percentage; bone percentage; and kidney, pelvic, and heart fat percentage. Calving difficulty had favorable genetic correlations with hot carcass weight, retail product percentage, and measures of carcass tenderness, but it was unfavorably correlated with traits that involve carcass fatness. These results indicate that selection for some traits expressed in one sex of beef cattle may result in undesirable responses in traits expressed in the opposite sex.     

Clonal relationships among bloodstream isolates of Escherichia coli

The clonal relationships among 187 bloodstream isolates of Escherichia coli from 179 patients at Boston, Mass., Long Beach, Calif., and Nairobi, Kenya, were determined by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE), analysis of polymorphisms associated with the ribosomal operon (ribotyping), and serotyping. MLEE based on 20 enzymes resolved 101 electrophoretic types (ETs), forming five clusters; ribotyping resolved 56 distinct patterns concordant with the analysis by MLEE. The isolates at each study site formed a genetically diverse group and demonstrated similar clonal structures, with the same small subset of lineages accounting for the majority of isolates at each site. Moreover, two ribotypes accounted for approximately 30% of the isolates at each study site. One cluster contained the majority (65%) of isolates and, by direct comparison of the ETs and ribotypes of individual isolates, was genetically indistinguishable from the largest cluster for each of two other collections of E. coli causing pyelonephritis and neonatal meningitis (R. K. Selander, T. K. Korhonen, V. V?is?nen-Rhen, P. H. Williams, P. E. Pattison, and D. A. Caugent, Infect. Immun. 52:213-222, 1986; M. Arthur, C. E. Johnson, R. H. Rubin, R. D. Arbeit, C. Campanelli, C. Kim, S. Steinbach, M. Agarwal, R. Wilkinson, and R. Goldstein, Infect. Immun. 57:303-313, 1989), thus defining a virulent set of lineages. The isolates within these virulent lineages typically carried DNA homologous to the adhesin operon pap or sfa and the hemolysin operon hly and expressed O1, O2, O4, O6, O18, O25, or O75 antigens. DNA homologous to pap was distributed among isolates of each major cluster, whereas hly was restricted to isolates of two clusters, typically detected in pap-positive strains, and sfa was restricted to isolates of one cluster, typically detected in pap- and hly-positive strains. The occurrence of pap-positive isolates in the same geographically and genetically divergent lineages suggests that this operon was acquired early in the radiation of E. coli, while hly and sfa were acquired subsequently, most likely by pap-positive and pap- and hly-positive precursors, respectively.     

Influence of dominance relationships on the estimation of dominance variance with sire-dam subclass effects

Two data sets from the USDA Livestock and Range Research Laboratory were analyzed to study dominance variance and the influence of dominance relationships. The first consisted of 4,155 birth weight (3,884 weaning weight) records of inbred USDA Line 1 Herefords. The second consisted of 8,065 birth weight (7,380 weaning weight) records from a line-cross experiment with five lines. Two models were used. Both included fixed effects of year-sex of calf and age of dam, and covariates for calving date, inbreeding of animal, and inbreeding of dam. For the second set, additional covariates were line composition and heterozygosity coefficients. Random effects were direct and maternal additive genetic, maternal permanent environment, sire-dam subclass, and residual. Model 1 considered sire-dam subclasses unrelated. Model 2 related sire-dam subclasses with a parental dominance relationship matrix. Variance components were estimated using REML. Differences between estimates with Model 1 and 2 were unimportant except for dominance variance. For the first data set, estimates with Model 2 of relative genetic direct and maternal variances, direct-maternal correlation, permanent environment, and dominance variances for birth weight were .35, .13, -.02, .03, and .25, respectively, and they were .39, .11, .04, .06 and .14 for the second data set. For weaning weight, the first data set estimates were .20, .15, -.37, .19, and .11, respectively, and they were .16, .20, -.07, .18, and .18 for the second data set. Changes, decreases and increases, in estimates of dominance variances may be due to increased information from relationships and family types other than full-sibs. The assumption of unrelated sire-dam subclasses might not be appropriate for estimation of dominance variance in populations with many dominance relationships among sire-dam classes.     

Sintered antifriction materials

Some classes of sintered antifriction materials that form the basis for the development of new materials are discussed. Metal-and nonmetal-based materials with high wear resistance, low friction coefficient, and maximum lifetime are described. They differ in composition, structure (microheterogeneous, macroheterogeneous, layered, fibrous), carrying capacity, and potential for operation under various loads, at sliding rates, and in various conditions (high and low temperatures, corrosive and aggressive media, i.e., in water, acids, alkalis, melted metals, burning-hot gases, with and without lubrication, under high vacuum), in different friction modes (light, medium, heavy, and extremely heavy). The above materials are intended for application in the aviation, motorcar, chemical, oil, metallurgical, transportation, nuclear, textile, and food industries, in cryogenic, rocket, missile, and turbine engineering. Sintered antifriction materials are developed at the Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science, in particular, under the guidance of I. M. Fedorchenko, a famous materials scientist and academician.     

ICP-AES法测定稀土金属中的钛、钼、钨、铌和钽

针对试样特点拟定了加大称样量以减轻偏析,以浓硝酸溶解样品破坏碳化物,加入氢氟酸助溶,分离稀土基体同时络合钛、钼、钨、铌和钽的方法,无须基底匹配,采用工作曲线法成功地测定了金属镧、铈、镨、钕、钐、铕、钆、铽、镝、钇中的钛、钼、钨、铌和钽量,测定范围:0.0050%～0.50%。     

Redox properties of Desulfovibrio gigas [Fe3S4] and [Fe4S4] ferredoxins and heterometal cubane-type clusters formed within the [Fe3S4] core. Square wave voltammetric studies

The same polypeptide chain (58 amino acids, 6 cysteines) is used to build up two ferredoxins in Desulfovibrio gigas a sulfate reducing organism. Ferredoxin II (FdII) contains a single [Fe3S4] core and ferredoxin I (FdI) mainly a [Fe4S4] core. The [Fe3S4] core can readily be interconverted into a [Fe4S4] complex (J.J.G. Moura, I. Moura, T.A. Kent, J.D. Lipscomb, B.H. Huynh, J. LeGall, A.V. Xavier, and E. Munck, J. Biol. Chem. 257, 6259 (1982)). This interconversion process suggested that the [Fe3S4] core could be used as a synthetic precursor for the formation of heterometal clusters. Co, Zn, Cd, and Ni derivatives were produced (I. Moura, J.J.G. Moura, E. Munck, V. Papaephthymiou, and J. LeGall, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 108, 349 (1986), K. Sureurs, E. Munck, I. Moura, J.J.G. Moura, and J. LeGall, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 109, 3805 (1986), and A.L. Macedo, I. Moura, J.J.G. Moura, K. Surerus, and E. Munck, unpublished results). The redox properties of a series of heterometal clusters (MFe3S4] are assessed using direct electrochemistry (square wave voltammetry--SWV) promoted by Mg(II) at a glassy carbon electrode (derivatives: Cd (-495 mV), Fe (-420 mV), Ni (-360 mV), and Co (-245 mV) vs normal hydrogen electrode (NHE)). In parallel, the electrochemical behavior (cyclic voltammetry--CV, differential pulse voltammetry--DPV and SWV) of FdI and FdII were investigated as well as the cluster interconversion process. In addition to the +1/0 (3Fe cluster) and +2/+1 (4Fe cluster) redox transitions, a very negative redox step, at -690 mV, was detected for the 3Fe core, reminiscent of a postulated further 2e- reduction step, as proposed for D. africanus ferredoxin III by F.A. Armstrong, S.J. George, R. Cammack, E.C. Hatchikian, and A.J. Thomson, Biochem. J. 264, 265 (1989). The electrochemical redox potential values are compared with those determined by independent methods (namely by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and visible spectroscopy).     

"Revisioning the unconscious": Response to commentaries.

The author responds to comments by R. S. Lazarus, P. L. Wachtel, D. P. Spence, A. W. Kruglanski, E. L. Rossi, M. Eagle, J. F. Kihlstrom, N. F. Dixon, and D. Holender (see PA, Vol 75:16881, 16907, 16900, 16880, 16896, 16860, 16878, 16856, and 16872, respectively) regarding his (see record 1988-16849-001) article on the unconscious. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A method for triple fluorescence labeling with Vicia villosa agglutinin, an anti-parvalbumin antibody and an anti-G-protein-coupled receptor antibody

The aim of the original study [S.B. Bausch, C. Chavkin, Vicia villosa agglutinin labels a subset of neurons coexpressing both the mu opioid receptor and parvalbumin in the developing rat subiculum, Dev. Brain Res., 97, 1996, 169-177] [3] was to develop a method for identifying a subset of mu opioid receptor-expressing interneurons in the rat subiculum for electrophysiological studies. Previous studies had shown that a subset of parvalbumin-positive neurons in the rat subiculum could be labeled with the lectin, Vicia villosa agglutinin (VVA) [C.T. Drake, K.A. Mulligan, T.L. Wimpey, A. Hendrickson, C. Chavkin, Characterization of Vicia villosa agglutinin-labeled GABAergic neurons in the hippocampal formation and in acutely dissociated hippocampus, Brain Res., 554, 1991, 176-185] [11], and that mu opioid receptor immunoreactivity (-IR) and parvalbumin-IR were colocalized in a subset of neurons in the hippocampus and dentate gyrus [S.B. Bausch, C. Chavkin, Colocalization of mu and delta opioid receptors with GABA, parvalbumin and a G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channel in the rodent brain, Analgesia, 1, 1995, 282-285] [2]. We hypothesized that a subset of mu opioid receptor-expressing neurons in the subiculum also would express the calcium binding protein, parvalbumin, and could be labeled with VVA. Labeling of live neurons with VVA [11] then could be used to identify these neurons. This protocol was designed to triple-label neurons expressing the mu opioid receptor, parvalbumin and the carbohydrate group, N-acetylgalactosamine (which binds VVA [S.E. Tollefsen, R. Kornfeld, The B4 lectin from Vicia villosa seeds interacts with N-acetylgalactosamine residues alpha-linked to serine or threonine residues in cell surface glycoproteins, J. Biol. Chem., 258, 1983, 5172-5176][M.P. Woodward, W.W. Young, R.A. Bloodgood, Detection of monoclonal antibodies specific for carbohydrate epitopes using periodate oxidation, J. Immunol. Methods, 78, 1985, 143-153] [25, 29]). VVA labeling and immunocytochemistry with an affinity-purified anti-mu opioid receptor antibody [S.B. Bausch, T.A. Patterson, M.U. Ehrengruber, H.A. Lester, N. Davidson, C. Chavkin, Colocalization of mu opioid receptors with GIRK1 potassium channels in rat brain: an immunocytochemical study, Recept. Channels, 3, 1995, 221-241] [4] and an anti-parvalbumin antibody [M.R. Celio, W. Baier, L. Scharer, P.A. de Viragh, C. Gerday, Monoclonal antibodies directed against the calcium binding protein parvalbumin, Cell Calcium, 9, 1988, 81-86] [8] were used to accomplish this goal. Immunofluorescence was used as the detection method; visualization was accomplished with three fluorophores with different excitation/emission spectra and a one laser confocal microscope. This protocol can be modified easily to triple-label neurons for other carbohydrate groups and proteins.     

Effects of repeated urea dilution measurement on feedlot performance and consistency of estimated body composition in steers of different breed types

Steers (20 Bos indicus cross [BIX] and 20 Bos taurus cross [BTX]) were randomly assigned to a 2x2 factorial experiment within two weight blocks per treatment 1) to study the effects of repeated urea dilution (UD) measurement on feedlot performance and 2) to determine the consistency of estimated body composition in steers of different breed types. Weights were taken on d 0, 42, 84, 126, and 140. Urea dilution was determined on half of the pens in the experiment, and ultrasonic measurement of backfat (BF) was performed on all cattle on d 0, 42, 84, and 126. Pen means of all performance variables were used in the analysis of variance. Carcass data were analyzed on an individual basis. Within periods, ADG was inconsistent between controls and steers on which UD was determined (1.95 vs 2.03, 1.61 vs 1.28, 1.51 vs 1.71, and 1.77 vs 1.47 kg, P = .23, .02, .09, and .11, respectively, for Periods 1, 2, 3, and 4, SEM = .07). Overall, UD had no effect (control vs UD, respectively) on ADG (1.70 vs 1.68 kg, P = .77, SEM = .07), DMI (8.26 vs 8.03 kg, P = .69, SEM = .36), gain efficiency (207 vs 209 g BW gain/kg DMI, P = .78, SEM = 2.34), hot carcass weight (HCWT; 360 vs 358 kg, P = .90, SEM = 2.52), or percentage of estimated carcass fat, (ECF; 38.8 vs 37.0%, P = .61, SEM = 1.05). Breed types (BIX vs BTX, respectively) had similar ADG (1.74 vs 1.64 kg, P = .27, SEM = .14), DMI (7.96 vs 8.30 kg, P = .50, SEM = .36), backfat thickness (16.4 vs 15.0 mm, P = .30, SEM = .45), and ECF (38.9% vs 36.6%, P = .48, SEM = 2.01). Urea dilution estimated empty body fat values increased with days on feed (14.4+/-1.36; 22.7+/-1.47; 26.0+/-1.36; 30.4+/-1.47%, respectively, for d 0, 42, 84, and 126). Using yield grade factors to calculate ECF consistently produced a value that was higher than empty body fat determined by UD (UDEBF) 14 d prior to slaughter (36.9+/-1.73 vs 30.4%+/-0.17). Significant correlation coefficients were found for the pooled data between UDEBF vs BF, r = .84; UDEBF vs live weight, r = .99; UDEBF vs ECF, r = .82; and UDEBF vs percentage of carcass protein, r = -.99. This study demonstrated that there are no detrimental effects of the urea dilution procedure on performance characteristics of feedlot cattle. Beef cattle of different breed types may be accurately evaluated with urea dilution.     

Altruism and aggression: The heritability of individual differences.

Administered 5 questionnaires measuring altruistic and aggressive tendencies to 573 adult twin pairs (mean age about 30 yrs) of both sexes from the University of London Institute of Psychiatry Volunteer Twin Register. Ss included 206 monozygotic (MZ) female, 90 MZ male, 133 dizygotic (DZ) female, 46 DZ male, and 98 DZ opposite-sex pairs. The questionnaires measured altruism, empathy, nurturance, aggressiveness, and assertiveness. The intraclass correlations for the 5 scales, respectively, were .53, .54, .49, .40, and .52 for the 296 MZ pairs, and .25, .20, .14, .04, and .20 for the 179 same-sex DZ pairs, resulting in broad heritability estimates of 56, 68, 70, 72, and 64%. Additional analyses, using maximum-likelihood model-fitting, revealed approximately 50% of the variance on each scale to be associated with genetic effects, virtually 0% with the twins' common environment, and the remaining 50% with each twins' specific environment and/or error associated with the test. Correcting for the unreliability in the tests raised the maximum-likelihood heritabilities to approximately 60%. Age and sex differences were also found: Altruism increased over the age span from 19 to 60 yrs, whereas aggressiveness decreased; at each age, women had higher scores than men on altruism and lower scores on aggressiveness. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)