Effect of gamma-irradiation on flavour 5′-nucleotides,tyrosine, and phenylalanine in mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)

The impact of gamma-irradiation on 5′-nucleotides and on the free amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine in fresh mushrooms was studied. After irradiation the samples were freeze-dried to avoid enzyme induced chemical changes. Three 5′-nucleotides could be detected using HPLC–UV and LC–ESI-MS: adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP), guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP) and guanosine 5′-diphosphate (GDP). Irradiation significantly reduced (p = 0.05) the GDP concentration (22%). AMP showed a marked reduction (46%) only at 5 kGy. GMP, tyrosine, and phenylalanine were not affected by gamma-irradiation.     

Chronic in vivo nerve electrical recordings of Aplysia californica using a boron-doped polycrystalline diamond electrode

Custom diamond electrodes for in vivo, passive electrical nerve recording were developed and implanted in an intact, freely behaving Aplysia californica. A diamond electrode may have advantages for electrical recording because of its chemical stability, higher signal-to-noise ratio, and reduced biological fouling relative to traditional nerve-recording electrode materials. For example, thin stainless steel electrodes used for chronic extracellular recording in Aplysia typically last on the order of seven days in vivo. We have developed a first-generation diamond electrode with a flexible lead to withstand the complicated movements of Aplysia and to enable direct comparison with implanted stainless steel electrodes.Boron-doped polycrystalline diamond was grown onto tungsten wire substrates by hot filament chemical vapor deposition. The wires were pre-shaped into a hook (for nerve recording) or a loop (for a ground wire) and masked for selective growth on only 2–3 mm of the wire. After diamond growth, the uncoated portion of the wire substrates was removed and the intact diamond-coated hook or loop attached to a stainless steel electrical lead with conductive epoxy. After epoxy curing, these electrodes were insulated and implanted in the animal.The diamond and stainless steel electrodes were attached extracellularly to buccal nerve 2, a primary nerve for the feeding behavior of A. californica. The two electrodes were implanted adjacent to each other so that the recordings would be nearly synchronous. In vivo recordings were successfully obtained on a diamond hook electrode during a feeding behavior for up to 9 days after the implantation. The electrode remained intact for a total of 28 days in the animal and upon retrieval.     

Child sexual abuse, early family risk, and childhood parentification: Pathways to current psychosocial adjustment.

In this study, the authors examined the role of parentification (children assuming adult-like roles in the family) as it relates to family risk (parental psychopathology, parental illness, and domestic violence), child sexual abuse (CSA), and psychosocial adjustment in 499 college women. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model of direct, indirect, and mediational pathways through which CSA, family risk, and parentification contributed to later psychosocial maladjustment. Results indicate that CSA and family risk independently and directly predicted higher levels of maladjustment, but only family risk positively predicted parentification in childhood. Parentification was unexpectedly related to less maladjustment. Parentification failed to mediate the relation between early family risk and maladjustment. Findings suggest that family risk factors may contribute to parentification and that parentification is not always related to poorer psychosocial outcomes. Future research should examine the impact of parentification on other aspects of functioning and should assess how individual, familial, and cultural variables (e.g., age, gender, duration, perceived fairness, ethnicity, and family support) moderate the impact of parentification on long-term adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of Stable LifeAct-mRuby2- and LAMP1-NeonGreen Expressing A549 Cell Lines for Investigation of Aspergillus fumigatus Interaction with Pulmonary Cells

Inhaled Aspergillus fumigatus spores can be internalized by alveolar type II cells. Cell lines stably expressing fluorescently labeled components of endocytic pathway enable investigations of intracellular organization during conidia internalization and measurement of the process kinetics. The goal of this report was to evaluate the methodological appliance of cell lines for studying fungal conidia internalization. We have generated A549 cell lines stably expressing fluorescently labeled actin (LifeAct-mRuby2) and late endosomal protein (LAMP1-NeonGreen) following an evaluation of cell-pathogen interactions in live and fixed cells. Our data show that the LAMP1-NeonGreen cell line can be used to visualize conidia co-localization with LAMP1 in live and fixed cells. However, caution is necessary when using LifeAct-mRuby2-cell lines as it may affect the conidia internalization dynamics.     

Sound matters: Notes toward the analysis and design of sound in multimodal webtexts

In this essay, I draw from approaches in voice, music, theater, and film studies to examine four elements of sound: vocal delivery, music, special effects, and silence. Within this four-part schema, I discuss a variety of frameworks that I hope may serve as resources for those seeking to engage in both the analysis and production of sound in multimodal webtexts. Throughout the essay, I analyze several poetic Flash texts, and I consider the relationship of part-to-whole and whole-to-part when seeking to analyze and compose with multiple modes.     

Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interview (SASII): Development, reliability, and validity of a scale to assess suicide attempts and intentional self-injury.

The authors describe the development of the Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interview (SASII), an instrument designed to assess the factors involved in nonfatal suicide attempts and intentional self-injury. Using 4 cohorts of participants, authors generated SASII items and evaluated them with factor and content analyses and internal consistency statistics. The final measure was assessed for reliability and validity with collateral measures. The SASII assesses variables related to method, lethality and impulsivity of the act, likelihood of rescue, suicide intent or ambivalence and other motivations, consequences, and habitual self-injury. The SASII was found to have very good interrater reliability and adequate validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Violence and risk of PTSD, major depression, substance abuse/dependence, and comorbidity: Results from the National Survey of Adolescents.

With a national household probability sample of 4,023 telephone-interviewed adolescents ages 12-17, this study provides prevalence, comorbidity, and risk-factor data for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive episode (MDE), and substance abuse/dependence (SA/D). Roughly 16% of boys and 19% of girls met criteria for at least 1 diagnosis. Six-month PTSD prevalence was 3.7% for boys and 6.3% for girls, 6-month MDE prevalence was 7.4% for boys and 13.9% for girls. and 12-month SAM prevalence was 8.2% for boys and 6.2% for girls. PTSD was more likely to be comorbid than were MDE and SA/D. Results generally support the hypothesis that exposure to interpersonal violence (i.e., physical assault, sexual assault, or witnessed violence) increases the risk of these disorders and of diagnostic comorbidity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)