Abnormal or absent beta mRNA in betao Ferrara and gene deletion in delta beta thalassaemia

In patients with betao thalassaemia from Ferrara, beta globin mRNA sequences are either absent or structurally abnormal while in betao thalassaemia in Catania, beta globin mRNA sequences are present. In deltabeta thalassaemia there is a deletion of beta-like globin genes, while in betao Catania DNA, no beta globin gene deletion is detectable.     

Further studies on the role of the adrenal hormones in responses of rats to meal-feeding

The importance of the adrenal hormones in the lipogenic responses to meal-feeding or starvation-refeeding was studied. In experiment 1, intact or adrenalectomized (ADX) rats were either ad libitum-fed or meal-fed a 65% glucose diet for 21 days or until moribund (ADX rats only). Serum glucose and electrolytes (Ca++, Mg++, Na+, K+), hepatic glycogen and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and malic enzyme (ME) were determined. ADX rats died within 10 days after the initiation of meal-feeding and were hypoglycemic with low liver glycogen levels and low enzyme activities. No differences in serum electrolytes were observed. In the second experiment, ADX and intact rats of varying initial weights were weight paired and meal-fed. When the ADX rat died, his intact control was killed and both carcasses assayed for fat content. Heavier rats with presumably more carcass fat survived meal-feeding longer than the lighter rats. Rats died when they had lost all but 2 to 3 g carcass lipid. In experiments 3 and 4, ADX and intact rats were subjected to starvation-refeeding. In experiment 4, additional ADX groups were given supplemental doses of cortisol (0.75 mg/kg, subcutaneous, 2 times daily) during either the starvation period, the refeeding period or during both periods. The activities of hepatic G6PD and ME were determined as well as the levels of liver lipid in experiment 4. Intact starved-refed rats had the usual enzyme overshoot, whereas ADX starved-refed rats did not. Cortisol-treated ADX starved-refed rats had as great an enzyme overshoot as the intact rats and as great an increase in liver lipid. These results suggest that ADX rats die when meal-fed the glucose diet, because they are unable to store sufficient metabolic fuel for use during the starvation phase of the meal-feeding cycle. Further, the results show that glucocorticoids are required for the induction of de novo enzyme synthesis.     

Simultaneous systemic lupus erythematosus and dermatitis herpetiformis

The binding in vitro of the sodium salts of cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, deoxycholic acid, taurocholic acid, taurochenodeoxycholic acid, taurodeoxycholic acid, glycocholic acid, glycochenodeoxycholic acid, and glycodeoxycholic acid by alfalfa, bran, cellulose, lignin, and cholestyramine was measured. Cholestyramine bound an average of 81.3% of all the bile acids and salts tested whereas cellulose bound only negligible amounts (1.4%). Of the other substances tested, lignin bound 29.2%, alfalfa, 15.9% and bran, 9.0%. No distinct pattern of binding was discerned. It is therefore apparent that the validity of statements concerning the effect of fiber on bile salf metabolism rests upon the specificity of the composition of the fiber involved and the bile acids or salts tested.     

Osteopetrosis in the IA rat cured by spleen cells from a normal littermate

The Clausen modification of the peripheral blood buffy coat leukocyte migration test was used to test patients with multiple sclerosis, normal subjects and patients with other neurologic diseases for cell-mediated immunity to commercial measles virus, purified nuclear core material from a human neurotropic strain of measles virus, as well as to commercial preparations of rubella, mumps and parainfluenza HA2. Leukocytes of multiple sclerosis patients showed significantly less mean inhibition of migration in the presence of both measles antigens, mumps and parainfluenza but no difference from controls when incubated with rubella. No correlation could be found between the degree of migration inhibition and concomitant serum anti-measles neutralization antibody titers to the same strain of virus. The use of purified viral antigens might result in more meaningful studies of the status of cellmediated immunity to viral antigens in multiple sclerosis. The relationship of our findings to other studies in this area and to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis is discussed.     

From Part to Whole: Developing an Appreciation of Kuna Molas as Collectibles

Abstract

In the Kuna language the word mola is polysemous, with meanings which include cloth, a rectangular panel of appliquéd cloth and a complete blouse. A pair of mola panels joined together with a yoke and sleeves form a mola blouse, thus the word mola means both part and whole of an item of clothing. Sewn and worn by Kuna women and girls, molas have become identified with Panama and mola panels have become the quintessential tourist souvenir. Parallels are made between the meaning and iconic role of the Kuna mola and art forms from other indigenous cultures. Individual mola panels are found in the collections of major ethnographic, art, and textile museums and there are many private collectors in the US, Europe, Japan and Australia. The role of the mola blouse as part of the dress ensemble of Kuna women is frequently not appreciated, since complete mola blouses form a small part of many collections. The display of mola panels as artworks in ethnographic and art museum exhibitions promotes their intrinsic aesthetic qualities and contributes to distancing them from their role as a component of dress. The meaning of molas may be considered to be polyvalent: Kuna women who sew and wear molas and Kuna communities may derive various meanings; there may be various meanings attributed to specific designs; and outsiders may derive different meanings. The attraction of molas to the Western eye is explored in terms of Kuna ethnoaesthetic principles and choice of iconography, as well as aesthetic appreciation. Molas may be interpreted as early examples of craftivism and contemporary collectors are attracted to their handmade qualities.     

Predictive Thermal Inactivation Model for Effects and Interactions of Temperature, NaCl, Sodium Pyrophosphate, and Sodium Lactate on Listeria monocytogenes in Ground Beef

The effects and interactions of heating temperature (60 °C to 73.9 °C), salt (0.0 % to 4.5 %?w/v), sodium pyrophosphate (0.0 % to 0.5 %?w/v), and sodium lactate (0.0 % to 4.5 %?w/v) on the heat resistance of a five-strain mixture of Listeria monocytogenes in 75 % lean ground beef were examined. Meat samples in sterile filtered stomacher bags were heated in a temperature controlled waterbath to determine thermal death times. The recovery medium was tryptic soy agar supplemented with 0.6 % yeast extract and 1 % sodium pyruvate. Weibull survival functions were employed to model the primary survival curves. Then, survival curve-specific estimated parameter values obtained from the Weibull model were used for determining a secondary model. The results indicate that temperature and salt have a large impact on the inactivation kinetics of L. monocytogenes, while sodium lactate (NaL) has an impact in the presence of salt. The model presented in this paper for predicting inactivation of L. monocytogenes can be used as an aid in designing lethality treatments meant to control the presence of this pathogen in ready-to-eat products.     

Effect of temperature on raw whole milk density and its potential impact on milk payment in the dairy industry

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of temperature on whole milk density measured at four different temperatures: 5, 10, 15, and 20 °C. A total of ninety-three individual milk samples were collected from morning milking of thirty-two Holstein Friesian dairy cows, of national average genetic merit, once every two weeks over a period of 4 weeks and were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for milk composition analysis. Density of the milk was evaluated using two different analytical methods: a portable density meter DMA35 and a standard desktop model DMA4500M (Anton Paar GmbH, UK). Milk density was analysed with a linear mixed model with the fixed effects of sampling period, temperature and analysis method; triple interaction of sampling period x analysis method x temperature; and the random effect of cow to account for repeated measures. The effect of temperature on milk density (ρ) was also evaluated including temperature (t) as covariate with linear and quadratic effects within each analytic method. The regression equation describing the curvature and density–temperature relationship for the DMA35 instrument was ρ = 1.0338−0.00017T−0.0000122T² (R² = 0.64), while it was ρ = 1.0334 + 0.000057T−0.00001T² (R² = 0.61) for DMA4500 instrument. The mean density determined with DMA4500 at 5 °C was 1.0334 g cm⁻³, with corresponding figures of 1.0330, 1.0320 and 1.0305 g cm⁻³ at 10, 15 and 20 °C, respectively. The milk density values obtained in this study at specific temperatures will help to address any bias in weight–volume calculations and thus may also improve the financial and operational control for the dairy processors in Ireland and internationally.     

Decision rules for determining terrestrial movement and the consequences for filtering high-resolution global positioning system tracks: a case study using the African lion (Panthera leo)

The combined use of global positioning system (GPS) technology and motion sensors within the discipline of movement ecology has increased over recent years. This is particularly the case for instrumented wildlife, with many studies now opting to record parameters at high (infra-second) sampling frequencies. However, the detail with which GPS loggers can elucidate fine-scale movement depends on the precision and accuracy of fixes, with accuracy being affected by signal reception. We hypothesized that animal behaviour was the main factor affecting fix inaccuracy, with inherent GPS positional noise (jitter) being most apparent during GPS fixes for non-moving locations, thereby producing disproportionate error during rest periods. A movement-verified filtering (MVF) protocol was constructed to compare GPS-derived speed data with dynamic body acceleration, to provide a computationally quick method for identifying genuine travelling movement. This method was tested on 11 free-ranging lions (Panthera leo) fitted with collar-mounted GPS units and tri-axial motion sensors recording at 1 and 40 Hz, respectively. The findings support the hypothesis and show that distance moved estimates were, on average, overestimated by greater than 80% prior to GPS screening. We present the conceptual and mathematical protocols for screening fix inaccuracy within high-resolution GPS datasets and demonstrate the importance that MVF has for avoiding inaccurate and biased estimates of movement.     

Sunlight photodepolymerization of transient polymers

The study and development of transient devices is an emerging field where the disposal of a device after use is desired to avoid reverse engineering and minimize the environmental impact. Polyaldehydes with phototriggers have been investigated because the radiation wavelength can be adjusted to meet the transient application. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were used as the optical sensitizer for photoacid generators (PAGs). Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) with an iodonium-based PAG was used to expand the spectral sensitivity range. Anthracene, tetracene, and pentacene derivatives were synthesized with appended phenylethynyl groups to improve the solubility of the sensitizer and adjust the absorption wavelength. Sensitization of the iodonium-based PAG with the PAH derivatives was found to have thermodynamically favorable PET reactions for depolymerization of poly(propylene carbonate) and poly(phthalaldehyde) (PPHA). The Rehm–Weller equation and Stern–Volmer analysis were used to study the electron transfer and the fluorescence quenching rates of the PAHs with the iodonium salts, respectively. The photosensitivity, efficiency, and byproducts of the PET reactions in the decomposable polymer films are reported. A rapid photoreaction is reported for the depolymerization of PPHA exposed to a sunlight dose of <6 J cm⁻² (i.e., 1 min of direct sunlight) with a pentacene-based sensitizer. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47141.