Quantitation by radioimmunoassay of PAF in human saliva

Approximately 75% of the PAF present in saliva is recovered on extraction of whole saliva (0.8 vol) with chloroform/methanol/water (2∶2∶1 v/v/v). PAF levels, determined by our recently developed radioimmunoassay, in saliva extracts ranged from 0.5–21 ng/mL with 59% between 2–6 ng/mL. These figures, for apparently healthy subjects, are higher than previously reported levels obtained by platelet assays. The validity of our radioimmunoassay results was checked by isolating and quantitating the PAF fraction from whole saliva. In addition, when we examined our saliva samples by platelet aggregation, low levels of PAF, comparable with the values found in the literature, were detected. Investigations revealed the presence of a substance(s) which inhibited PAF-induced platelet aggregation but which did not affect the radioimmunoassay.     

Preoperative radiotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the rectosigmoid

Ninety-seven patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectosigmoid have been treated with high dose (5000-6000 rad) preoperative irradiation from 1960 through 1972 at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center. Fifty-seven were initially clinically resectable and 40 were initially inoperable. Forty of the 57 initially clinically resectable patients had "curative" resections and are at risk for more than 5 years. An increase in 5-year survival (from 38% to 53%) and an absence of pelvic recurrence have occurred in those patients receiving preoperative irradiation and "curative" resection. Four of the 40 initially inoperable patients are alive without tumor. Three of the four survivors had irradiation and surgery; one had irradiation only. An additional four patients had no evidence of tumor at death. Tumor was totally sterilized by irradiation and nine patients and reduced to microfocal extent in an additional three of the 97 patients. Incidence of complications was no greater than has been reported in a surgical series from the same institution.     

Genetic Correlational Analyses of Ethanol Reward and Aversion Phenotypes in Short-Term Selected Mouse Lines Bred for Ethanol Drinking or Ethanol-Induced Conditioned Taste Aversion.

Short-term selective breeding created mouse lines divergent for ethanol drinking (high drinking short-term selected line [STDRHI], low drinking [STDRLO]) or ethanol-induced conditioned taste aversion (CTA; high [HTA], low [LTA]). Compared with STDRLO, STDRHI mice consumed more saccharin and less quinine, exhibited greater ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP), and showed reduced ethanol stimulation and sensitization under some conditions; a line difference in ethanol-induced CTA was not consistently found. Compared with LTA, HTA mice consumed less ethanol but were similar in saccharin consumption, sensitivity to ethanol-induced CPP, and ethanol-induced locomotor stimulation and sensitization. These data suggest that ethanol drinking is genetically associated with several reward-and aversion-related traits. The interpretation of ethanol-induced CTA as more genetically distinct must be tempered by the inability to test the CTA lines beyond Selection Generation 2. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnicity, culture, and sexual aggression: Risk and protective factors.

Explanatory models of sexual aggression were examined among mainland Asian American (n = 222), Hawaiian Asian American (n = 127), and European American men (n = 399). The Malamuth et al. (N. M. Malamuth, D. Linz, C. L. Heavey, G. Barnes, & M. Acker, 1995; N. M. Malamuth, R. J. Sockloskie, M. P. Koss, & J. S. Tanaka, 1991) confluence model of sexual aggression, which posits impersonal sex and hostile masculinity as paths to sexual aggression, was consistently supported. Culture-specific moderators of sexual aggression were also identified. Whereas loss of face was a protective factor against sexual aggression in the Asian American samples, it generally was not a protective factor among European Americans. These findings are not a function of actual or perceived minority status. An implication is that theoretical models may need to be augmented with cultural constructs for optimal application in certain ethnic group contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Auditory-visual cross-modal perception of communicative stimuli in Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella).

Research on cross-modal performance in nonhuman primates is limited to a small number of sensory modalities and testing methods. To broaden the scope of this research, the authors tested capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) for a seldom-studied cross-modal capacity in nonhuman primates, auditory-visual recognition. Monkeys were simultaneously played 2 video recordings of a face producing different vocalizations and a sound recording of 1 of the vocalizations. Stimulus sets varied from naturally occurring conspecific vocalizations to experimentally controlled human speech stimuli. The authors found that monkeys preferred to view face recordings that matched presented vocal stimuli. Their preference did not differ significantly across stimulus species or other stimulus features. However, the reliability of the latter set of results may have been limited by sample size. From these results, the authors concluded that capuchin monkeys exhibit auditory-visual cross-modal perception of conspecific vocalizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vision in and out of vehicles

At the Australian National University's Intelligent Vehicle Project, we are developing subsystems for: driver fatigue or inattention detection; pedestrian spotting; blind-spot checking and merging assistance to validate whether sufficient clearance exists between cars; driver feedback for lane keeping; computer-augmented vision (that is, lane boundary or vehicle highlighting on a head-up display); traffic sign detection and recognition; and human factors research aids Systems that perform such supporting tasks are generally called driver assistance systems (DAS). We believe that implementing DAS could prevent similar accidents or at least reduce their severity.     

Deformable M-Reps for 3D Medical Image Segmentation

M-reps (formerly called DSLs) are a multiscale medial means for modeling and rendering 3D solid geometry. They are particularly well suited to model anatomic objects and in particular to capture prior geometric information effectively in deformable models segmentation approaches. The representation is based on figural models, which define objects at coarse scale by a hierarchy of figures—each figure generally a slab representing a solid region and its boundary simultaneously. This paper focuses on the use of single figure models to segment objects of relatively simple structure.A single figure is a sheet of medial atoms, which is interpolated from the model formed by a net, i.e., a mesh or chain, of medial atoms (hence the name m-reps), each atom modeling a solid region via not only a position and a width but also a local figural frame giving figural directions and an object angle between opposing, corresponding positions on the boundary implied by the m-rep. The special capability of an m-rep is to provide spatial and orientational correspondence between an object in two different states of deformation. This ability is central to effective measurement of both geometric typicality and geometry to image match, the two terms of the objective function optimized in segmentation by deformable models. The other ability of m-reps central to effective segmentation is their ability to support segmentation at multiple levels of scale, with successively finer precision. Objects modeled by single figures are segmented first by a similarity transform augmented by object elongation, then by adjustment of each medial atom, and finally by displacing a dense sampling of the m-rep implied boundary. While these models and approaches also exist in 2D, we focus on 3D objects.The segmentation of the kidney from CT and the hippocampus from MRI serve as the major examples in this paper. The accuracy of segmentation as compared to manual, slice-by-slice segmentation is reported.     

Labelled-replica techniques: post-shadow labelling of intramembrane particles in freeze-fracture replicas

Three methods are described for direct post-fracture, post-shadow labelling of individual classes of intramembrane particles (IMPs) in freeze-fracture replicas of biological membranes. The P-face IMPs corresponding to the acetylcholine receptor complexes (AChRs) of vertebrate neuroeffector junctions are identified by post-replication labelling with ferritin-antibody complexes and with neurotoxin-biotin-avidin-colloidal gold affinity ligands. (The freeze-etch nomenclature of Branton et al., 1975, is used in this report.) These post-shadow labelling techniques resemble conventional en bloc labelling techniques except that the labelling reagents must penetrate a thin but discontinuous layer of platinum superimposed on the molecules of interest. In the ‘sectioned labelled-replica technique’, the replicated and labelled tissues are stained, embedded in plastic and sectioned parallel to the replica-tissue interfaces. In the direct ‘labelled-replica techniques’, the replicated and labelled samples are freeze-dried or critical point dried, the labelled surfaces are stabilized by carbon coating, and the underlying tissues are dissolved, allowing the labelled-replicas to be examined as conventional freeze-fracture replicas. The unshadowed side of each AChR IMP is shown to retain sufficient biochemical information to permit both immunospecific and neurotoxin specific labelling despite formaldehyde fixation, freezing, fracturing, platinum shadowing, and thawing in aqueous media. A new mixed ferricyanide-osmium staining method reveals electron opaque structures spanning the membrane bilayer in the same size, number and distribution as the labelled IMPs. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of identifying individual IMPs in freeze-fracture replicas and may allow the identification of specific membrane lesions in human disease.     

Ubiquitin Ligases in Longevity and Aging Skeletal Muscle

The development and prevalence of diseases associated with aging presents a global health burden on society. One hallmark of aging is the loss of proteostasis which is caused in part by alterations to the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) and lysosome–autophagy system leading to impaired function and maintenance of mass in tissues such as skeletal muscle. In the instance of skeletal muscle, the impairment of function occurs early in the aging process and is dependent on proteostatic mechanisms. The UPS plays a pivotal role in degradation of misfolded and aggregated proteins. For the purpose of this review, we will discuss the role of the UPS system in the context of age-related loss of muscle mass and function. We highlight the significant role that E3 ubiquitin ligases play in the turnover of key components (e.g., mitochondria and neuromuscular junction) essential to skeletal muscle function and the influence of aging. In addition, we will briefly discuss the contribution of the UPS system to lifespan. By understanding the UPS system as part of the proteostasis network in age-related diseases and disorders such as sarcopenia, new discoveries can be made and new interventions can be developed which will preserve muscle function and maintain quality of life with advancing age.     

A multi-institutional, multinational study of programming concepts using card sort data

Abstract: This paper presents a case study of the use of a repeated single‐criterion card sort with an unusually large, diverse participant group. The study, whose goal was to elicit novice programmers' knowledge of programming concepts, involved over 20 researchers from four continents and 276 participants drawn from 20 different institutions. In this paper we present the design of the study and the unexpected result that there were few discernible systematic differences in the population. The study was one of the activities of the National Science Foundation funded Bootstrapping Research in Computer Science Education project (2003).