Effect of exercise on the plasma nonesterified fatty acid composition of dogs and goats: Species with different aerobic capacities and diets

The goals of this study were to determine: (i) whether mammals mobilize particular nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) preferentially during locomotion, (ii) if differences in aerobic capacity or diet can affect the pattern of NEFA mobilization and (iii) which individual NEFA are most representative of total NEFA concentration changes, to use them as tracers for turnover studies. Individual NEFA were measured in trained dogs and goats (VO₂max dog/VO₂max goat=2.2; where VO₂max=max-imal oxygen consumption) during treadmill exercise at 40 and 60% VO₂max. Important interspecies differences in individual NEFA concentrations could be attributed to differences in aerobic capacity. The more aerobic species (dog) had much higher plasma NEFA concentrations for all but one NEFA (18∶0), when compared with the low-aerobic species (goat). In addition, exercise caused a large increase in concentration of individual NEFA in the dogs, with the largest increases seen in 18∶1 (150% above resting values) and 16∶0 (60% increase), but it had no effect in goats. Therefore, the aerobic species has a much higher ability for mobilizing and transporting NEFA in plasma than its low-aerobic counterpart. Two NEFA accounted for more than half total plasma NEFA in both species, 18∶1 (about 35% total NEFA) and 16∶0 (20%). Calculation of variability in percent composition reveals that oleate and palmitate also closely reflect changes in total NEFA and are therefore the most appropriate tracers forin vivo kinetic studies in exercising mammals. Differences in diet and digestion physiology explained some differences in the plasma NEFA composition of the two species; this was reflected in the percent contributions of individual fatty acids to total NEFA: in dogs 18∶1>16∶0>18∶2>18∶0, while in goats 18∶1>16∶0>18∶0>18∶2. Also, only goats had 18∶3 (6% total NEFA), a fatty acid of plant origin, while only dogs had 16∶1 (7% total NEFA). Overall, however, the plasma NEFA composition of goats did not exactly reflect that of their diet due to preabsorptive modification of unsaturated fatty acids, while in dogs there was a good correlation between dietary and plasma NEFA.     

Induction of forward mutations at the thymidine kinase locus of mouse lymphoma cells: evidence for electrophilic and non-electrophilic mechanisms

A database of 209 chemicals tested for induction of forward mutations at the heterozygous thymidine kinase (TK +/-) locus in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells was analyzed for structure-activity relationships using the MultiCASE expert system. Consistent with evidence of several contributing biological mechanisms, these studies suggest that such mutations may occur by more than one mechanism. As might be expected, there was evidence for a component involving direct electrophilic attack on the cellular DNA, in a manner previously established as causative in the induction of mutations in Salmonella. In addition, however, there was also strong evidence for another mechanism or mechanisms involving chromosome missegregation, cellular toxicity or an alternate site of action, such as the microtubules.     

Reasoning in inconsistent knowledge bases

Databases and knowledge bases could be inconsistent in many ways. For example, during the construction of an expert system, we may consult many different experts. Each expert may provide us with a group of rules and facts which are self-consistent. However, when we coalesce the facts and rules provided by these different experts, inconsistency may arise. Alternatively, knowledge bases may be inconsistent due to the presence of some erroneous information. Thus, a framework for reasoning about knowledge bases that contain inconsistent information is necessary. However, existing frameworks for reasoning with inconsistency do not support reasoning by cases and reasoning with the law of excluded middle (“everything is either true or false”). In this paper, we show how reasoning with cases, and reasoning with the law of excluded middle may be captured. We develop a declarative and operational semantics for knowledge bases that are possibly inconsistent. We compare and contrast our work with work on explicit and non-monotonic modes of negation in logic programs and suggest under what circumstances one framework may be preferred over another     

Fibronectin fragments modulate human retinal capillary cell proliferation and migration

Capillary morphogenesis involves cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Proteases elaborated by capillary cells modify the extracellular matrix (ECM) to facilitate capillary tube formation. Previously, we detected the presence of fibronectin fragments (Fn-f) associated with the proform of matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) in conditioned medium of human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs). Association of this fragment to latent MMP-2 prevented autocatalytic activation of MMP-2, suggesting a modulatory role of Fn-f in MMP-2 activation. In this report, we examined the potential role of Fn-f on two processes involved in angiogenesis, proliferation and migration of vascular cells. The effects of Fn-f on proliferation were determined by DNA synthesis and cell counts. Their effects on migration were assessed using modified Boyden chambers. Seven Fn-f were tested on vascular cell migration and/or proliferation. Three Fn-f induced migration. Fn-f of 30-kDa and 120-kDa size positively affected proliferation of microvascular cells but not macrovascular cells. A 45-kDa gelatin binding fragment of Fn inhibited HREC proliferation but stimulated pericyte and smooth muscle cell proliferation. The potency of these fragments exceeded that of the known angiogenic growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), on HREC migration. ECM components such as fibronectin may influence capillary morphogenesis by the generation of fragments that can modulate proliferation, migration, and protease activation. In the setting of diabetes, excess Fn is generated and is available for degradation. Thus, the production of Fn-f may be specifically relevant to the angiogenesis observed in proliferative diabetic retinopathy.     

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ON COKE YIELDS IN VACUUM RESIDS AS A FUNCTION OF COMPOUND CLASSES AND ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS

This paper describes the statistical analysis of data on coke formation (measured by microcarbon residue) in five resids, as a function of compound classes, in order to identify variables wiih a significant effect on the former. In this sense, the SAS VARCLUS and Principal Component Analysis were used. The analysis carried out leads to a lineal combination of the H/C ratio, vanadium and nitrogen content as a model to explain coke yield, under non-catalytic conditions, as determined by MCR. Of all these factors, the H/C ratio has the most important contribution.     

Assessing terrestrial wildlife populations in the Toronto and Region Area of Concern

Beneficial use impairments (BUIs) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement identify environmental issues requiring remedial action within the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs). We conducted this study to support the assessment of the wildlife component of BUI 3: degradation of fish and wildlife populations. We compared bird and amphibian (frogs and toads) data from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s Terrestrial Long-term Monitoring Program in the Toronto and Region AOC to an adjacent, but otherwise similar, reference watershed, Duffins Creek. Twelve of 13 targets were met within the AOC for forest bird, wetland bird, meadow bird and amphibian populations based on averages of mean annual values at sites within the AOC that were within two standard deviations of averages at sites in the Duffins Creek reference watershed between 2008 and 2017. Even though wildlife populations within the AOC were within the normal range of variability expected from a reference watershed, they were often at lower levels than within the Duffins Creek reference watershed. In addition, forest bird and amphibian populations were negatively affected by urbanization within the AOC and meadow bird indices declined. We conclude that while wildlife populations within the AOC currently meet targets for BUI 3, they continue to be negatively impacted by numerous stressors that are primarily related to past and ongoing urbanization. Thus, continued restoration of wildlife habitat and protection of existing habitat within the AOC is highly recommended.     

Spatial ecology of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Lake Winnipeg and its potential for management actions

Common carp feeding and spawning behaviours negatively impact the functioning of marsh ecosystems. In the Netley-Libau Marsh, situated on the southern end of Lake Winnipeg, water level regulations, nonpoint source nutrient pollution, and the non-native common carp are thought to be the main contributors to the degradation of the marsh habitat. Using acoustic telemetry, we analysed the movement rate, frequency and timing of suspected spawning migrations, spatial ecology, and aggregation of common carp in the Lake Winnipeg drainage over a three year time period. Common carp moved the farthest during the open water period when water temperature was >5 °C. Their annual migration into Netley-Libau Marsh was correlated to ordinal date. Common carp left the marsh in late spring/early summer, presumably feeding in Lake Winnipeg, before moving to overwintering sites situated in Traverse Bay and Lake Winnipeg, where they arrived typically by October and formed aggregations. These findings will inform habitat and fisheries managers in the effort to undertake evidence-based management actions. The predictability of the movements and the tendency for common carp to aggregate indicates that exclusion techniques and commercial fishing may represent viable management solutions.     

Potential applications of three-way multidimensional scaling and related techniques to integrate knowledge from multiple experts

Theknowledge transfer problem in artificial intelligence consists of finding effective ways to elicit information from a human expert and represent it in a form suitable for use by an expert system. One approach to formalizing and guiding this knowledge transfer process for certain types of expert systems is to use psychometric scaling methods to analyze data on how the human expert compares or groups solutions. For example, Butler and Corter [1] obtained judgments of thesubstitutability of solutions from an expert, then analyzed the resulting data via techniques for fitting trees and extended trees [2]. The expert's interpretation of certain aspects of the solutions were directly encoded as production rules, allowing rapid prototyping. In this paper we consider the problem of combining information from multiple experts. We propose the use of three-way or individual differences multidimensional scaling, tree-fitting, and unfolding models to analyze two types of data obtainable from the multiple experts: judgments of the substitutability of pairs of solutions, and judgments of the appropriateness of specific solutions to specific problems. An application is described in which substitutability data were obtained from three experts and analyzed using the SINDSCAL program [3] for three-way multidimensional scaling [4].     

A connection between the Cantor–Bendixson derivative and the well-founded semantics of finite logic programs

Results of Schlipf (J Comput Syst Sci 51:64?C86, 1995) and Fitting (Theor Comput Sci 278:25?C51, 2001) show that the well-founded semantics of a finite predicate logic program can be quite complex. In this paper, we show that there is a close connection between the construction of the perfect kernel of a $\Pi^0_1$ class via the iteration of the Cantor?CBendixson derivative through the ordinals and the construction of the well-founded semantics for finite predicate logic programs via Van Gelder??s alternating fixpoint construction. This connection allows us to transfer known complexity results for the perfect kernel of $\Pi^0_1$ classes to give new complexity results for various questions about the well-founded semantics ${\mathit{wfs}}(P)$ of a finite predicate logic program P.