Comparative genomic hybridization: a comparison with molecular and cytogenetic analysis

A comparative analysis of the differentiation pattern, the proliferative behaviour, and the level of apoptosis between human benign and malignant neoplasms of smooth-muscle (SM) tissue is lacking. The clinical, histopathological, immunochemical, and immunocytochemical features of leiomyomas (LM) and leiomyosarcomas (LMS) were investigated by a panel of monoclonal antibodies specific for some differentiation markers of SM tissue (SM myosin and alpha-actin, desmin, and SM22) and for markers of non-muscle tissue (vimentin and non-muscle myosin). Proliferating normal and neoplastic cells were identified by proliferating-cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)/Ki67 immunostainings and the apoptotic cells were revealed by means of the terminal-deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling technique. Gel electrophoresis and Western blotting, performed with anti-(SM1/SM2 myosin isoform) antibody, indicated quantitative differences between LMS and LM, which mirrored higher positive to negative nuclear ratios for PCNA, Ki67 and apoptosis in malignant as opposed to benign neoplasms. With LM, however, a similar SM1 to SM2 ratio could be associated with different proliferation levels. Uterine, gastric and intestinal LMS displayed specific patterns of SM1/SM2 and/or non-muscle myosin expression that were not paralleled by different levels of proliferation/apoptosis. While the level of PCNA/Ki67 correlated with the level of apoptosis in normal SM tissues and LM, that of LMS did not. In vivo at the cellular level, LM and uterine LMS displayed a near-uniform SM tissue differentiation, whereas the other LMS displayed a lesser or a heterogeneous immunoreactivity. In vitro, cultured LMS cells showed a limited and peculiar expression of SM myosin. In conclusion, there is no reciprocal relationship between degree of differentiation and the level of proliferation, as exemplified by the finding that the less differentiated intestinal LMS displays the lowest proliferative behaviour and that the relatively more differentiated gastric LMS/metastasis is more proliferative.     

Comparative effectiveness of guided mastery and exposure treatments for intractable phobias.

Compared the exposure model and the self-efficacy model by randomly assigning 32 18–76 yr old individuals with driving or height phobias to 1 of the treatment conditions or to a control condition. Results show that treatments were equivalent in duration of exposure and in degree of inducement to confront threats rapidly, but the self-efficacy (mastery) model was significantly more effective than exposure in restoring Ss' behavioral functioning and diminishing their anticipated anxiety and performance-related anxiety. Both treatments were more effective than the control condition. It is suggested that self-efficacy predicted therapeutic behavior change significantly better than did anxiety, exposure duration, or performance level achieved during treatment. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A tensile testing technique for fibre-reinforced composites at impact rates of strain

Journal of Materials Science - A brief review is given of techniques which have been employed in attempts to determine the mechanical properties of composite materials under tensile impact loading....     

Levels of functional impairment following a civilian disaster: The Beverly Hills Supper Club fire.

117 individuals (mean age 37.77 yrs) who were at the fire and 30 individuals (mean age 40.72 yrs) who were not at the fire (bereaved families and rescue workers) were assessed regarding objective stressfulness of their fire experience, subjective stressfulness, and intensity of psychological symptoms (the Psychiatric Evaluation Form, PEF) in a structured clinical interview approximately 1 yr after the fire. Ss also filled out the Symptom Checklist-90, Revised Version (SCL-90R). 88 Ss were followed-up at 2 yrs. The group as a whole was more impaired than comparison samples of normals but less impaired than outpatients. Ss at the fire were less impaired than those not at the fire, who were similar to outpatients on the PEF. The latter group improved significantly on several measures from 1 to 2 yrs postfire, whereas the group at the fire showed little change. Results are discussed in the context of the specific instruments and methodology used in the present study, impairment levels of other samples, and the nature of the particular disaster. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Break-up of drops and bubbles in stagnant media

A simple empirical model is developed based on two-dimensional linearized Rayleigh-Taylor stability theory to describe the break-up of drops and bubbles in stagnant fluids. Splitting is predicted to occur if the growth of indentations on the leading edge is rapid enough relative to the rate at which the disturbance is carried around the interface to the equator. Experimental data on maximum stable sizes of drops and bubbles in viscous liquids are presented for eighteen different systems, covering a range much larger than in previous studies. Agreement between the model and experimental results is favourable.     

Evidence that lamprey GnRH-III does not release FSH selectively in cattle

Experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that lamprey GnRH-III (lGnRH-III) selectively releases FSH. Primary cultures of bovine adenohypophyseal cells were treated with mammalian GnRH (mGnRH) and lGnRH-III (10(-9), 10(-8), 10(-7) and 10(-6) M) or control media in Experiment 1. All doses of mGnRH and the two highest doses of lGnRH-III stimulated (P < 0.001) a non-selective release of LH and FSH. In Experiments 2-4, Latin Square designs were utilized in vivo to examine whether physiological and hormonal milieu regulate putative selective effects of lGnRH-III. In Experiments 2 and 3, ovariectomized cows with basal levels of estradiol only (Experiment 2) or in combination with luteal phase levels of progester-one (Experiment 3) were injected with mGnRH and lGnRH-III (0.055, 0.11, 0.165 and 1.1 microg/kg body weight (BW) and saline. All doses of mGnRH released (P < 0.001) LH and FSH, but only the highest dose of lGnRH-III stimulated (P < 0.001) a non-selective release of both LH and FSH (Experiment 3). For Experiments 4A and 4B, intact, mid-luteal phase cows were injected with mGnRH and lGnRH-III (1.1 microg/kg BW; Experiment 4A), lGnRH-III (1.1 and 4.4 microg/kg BW; Experiment 4B) and saline. As before, mGnRH released (P < 0.001) both LH and FSH at all doses. In contrast, lGnRH-III at the highest dose released (P < 0.001) LH but not FSH. These findings suggest that lGnRH-III may act as a weak competitor for the mGnRH receptor and do not support the hypothesis that it selectively releases FSH in cattle.     

Tilt Estimation in Moderate-to-Strong Scintillation

Adaptive optics systems are being applied in ever more challenging environments, for example, the projection of lasers over long horizontal paths through the atmosphere. These long atmospheric paths corrupt the signal received from the beacon and typically yield highly scintillated received wave fronts. Tilt estimation for controlling the fast steering mirror in these systems is complicated by the presence of branch points in the scintillated received wave fronts. In particular, correlation between the tilt and the projected beam's centroid error at the target has been observed in horizontal laser beam projection experiments. The presence of this correlation indicates that better tracking performance should be achievable. We compare the performance of four estimation schemes applied to tilt estimation in a horizontal laser projection system. It is demonstrated that all four schemes underestimate the tilt required to return the laser beam to a target in highly scintillated environments. A method of correcting this tilt is presented, and the expected performance improvement is quantified.     

Determination of leaf pigment content in Calluna vulgaris shoots from spectral reflectance

Leaf pigment concentrations are indicative of a range of plant physiological properties and processes. The measurement of leaf spectral reflectance is a rapid, non-destructive method for determining pigment content, and a large number of spectral indices have been developed for the estimation of leaf pigment content. Despite their ‘applicability’ across many species types, some ecologically important species remain to be explored. The objective of this paper was to investigate a wide range of hyperspectral indices for determining the chlorophyll and carotenoid content in a microphyllous and sclerophyllous species, Calluna vulgaris. We carried out spectral measurements on individual heather shoots with a handheld GER-1500 spectroradiometer, and sampled each measured shoot for biochemical analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We found that several previously published indices performed relatively poorly and yielded coefficients of determination (R²) for chlorophyll ranging from 0.34 to 0.66, with the first derivative of reflectance at the red edge yielding the highest correlation with chlorophyll content (R² = 0.66). Only one of the carotenoid indices we tested (the Photochemical Reflectance Index, PRI) provided a strong correlation with the de-epoxidation state of the xanthophyll cycle (R² = 0.78). The other previously published carotenoid indices performed poorly within our data set. We concluded that only a few of the so-called ‘widely applicable’ indices were applicable to use with this data set, which would present limitations when working with remotely sensed data at a larger scale where a mix of species, including Calluna vulgaris, is present.