Cloning and characterization of cDNA for adenosine kinase from mammalian (Chinese hamster, mouse, human and rat) species. High frequency mutants of Chinese hamster ovary cells involve structural alterations in the gene

In a previous investigation of bifidobacteria isolated from human dental caries (V. Scardovi and F. Crociani, Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 24:6-20, 1974), 40 strains were assigned to the new species Bifidobacterium dentium. In this study we examined 70 new strains of bifidobacteria isolated from dental caries. The morphological characteristics, biochemical reactions, fermentation patterns, end products from glucose metabolism, protein electrophoretic patterns, levels of DNA hybridization, and DNA G+C contents of these organisms revealed that they belong to three different taxa. One of these taxa was identified as B. dentium. The other two are described as the following new Bifidobacterium species in this paper: Bifidobacterium inopinatum (type strain, DSM 10107) and Bifidobacterium denticolens (type strain, DSM 10105). The two new species differ from other Bifidobacterium species in their morphological characteristics (especially B. inopinatum, with its very small coccoid cells), in their carbohydrate fermentation patterns (most strains ferment dextran, and B. inopinatum does not ferment galactose), and in their DNA base compositions (especially B. inopinatum).     

DAD1 is required for the function and the structural integrity of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex

Asparagine-linked glycosylation is a highly conserved protein modification reaction that occurs in all eukaryotic organisms. The oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), which has its active site exposed on the luminal face of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), catalyzes the transfer of preassembled high mannose oligosaccharides onto certain asparagine residues of nascent polypeptides. The mammalian OST complex was initially thought to be composed of three transmembrane proteins, ribophorin I (RI), ribophorin II (RII), and OST48. Most recently, a small integral membrane protein of 12 kDa called DAD1 has been identified as an additional member of the mammalian OST complex. A point mutation in the DAD1 gene is responsible for the temperature-sensitive phenotype of a baby hamster kidney-derived cell line (tsBN7) that undergoes apoptosis at the non-permissive temperature. Furthermore, the mutant protein DAD1 is not detectable in tsBN7 cells 6 h after shifting the cells to the non-permissive temperature. This temperature-sensitive cell line offered unique opportunities to study the effects caused by the loss of one OST subunit on the other three subunits and also on N-linked glycosylation. Western blot analysis of cell lysates showed that after 6 h at the non-permissive temperature, steady-state levels of the ribophorins were reduced by about 50%, and OST48 was barely detectable. On the other hand, steady-state levels of other components of the rough ER, such as the alpha-subunits of the TRAP (translocon-associated membrane protein) and the Sec61 complex, which are components of the translocation apparatus, are not affected by the instability of the OST subunits. Furthermore, N-glycosylation of the ribophorins was seriously affected 6 h after shifting the cells to the non-permissive temperature, and after 12 h they were synthesized only in the non-glycosylated form. As may be expected, this defect in the OST complex at the non-permissive temperature caused also the underglycosylation of a secretory glycoprotein. We concluded that degradation of DAD1 at the non-permissive temperature not only affects the stability of OST48 and the ribophorins but also results in the functional inactivation of the OST complex.     

Cytomorphologic panorama of cysticercosis on fine needle aspiration. A review of 298 cases

Definitive identification of detached hooklets, scolex and fragments of the spiral wall of Cysticercus cellulosae on fine needle aspiration smears was documented. A critical review of aspirates from 200 diagnosed and 98 suspected lesions of soft tissue and intramuscular cysticercosis was done. Characteristic fragments of bladder wall cytomorphologically corresponding to viable or partially necrotic lesions were seen in 203 cases. Identification of fragments of an invaginated larva (i.e., hooklets, scolex or spiral wall) established the diagnosis in 33 of the suspected lesions. Cytomorphologically all these cases were from either necrotic or calcified lesions. In necrotic lesions with eosinophils, a careful search for fragments of the invaginated portion of the larva should be made.     

Collapse load analysis of square and rectangular tubes subjected to transverse in-plane loading

Experiments to determine the collapse load of aluminum and mild steel tubes, of square and rectangular cross-sections, between parallel rigid platens were carried out in an Instron machine. A two stage analysis for the collapse of these tubes was carried out by considering the out-of-straightness of arms, corner radius, friction between the platens and the specimen and stability of the vertical arms. Results thus obtained compare well with experiments.     

Updating ?,<-chains

We address the problem of very efficient reasoning and update in ?,<-chains, where a ?,<-chain is a directed acyclic graph such that there is a directed path between every pair of vertices, and edges are consistently labeled by ? or <. It is easy to show that, subsequent to an O(n) labeling scheme, queries concerning implied ? and < relations can be answered in O(1) time. However this scheme does not allow for efficient updates to a chain. We show via a novel encoding of precedence information that updates to chains can be accomplished very efficiently. For edge or vertex addition, updates can be carried out in O(logn) time, with manageable degradation for queries: ? queries are answered in O(1) time while < queries require O(logn) time. This result is surprising, in that in the obvious approach to updates O(n) time is required.     

Effect of process parameters on residual stress distribution in poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers and films as revealed by chemical etching

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers and films produced by varying process parameters, such as production speed and medium, temperature and rate of drawing, were annealed at temperatures between 100 and 250°C in the free-to-shrink and constant-length conditions. The as-spun, as-drawn, and drawn and annealed samples were etched in 40% aqueous methylamine at room temperature for 4 h. The etch patterns were examined on a scanning electron microscope and were found to be related mainly to residual stress and its distribution in the samples and thereby to sample morphology. The studies clearly bring about the important role played by the processing history. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Detection of alcohol misusing patients in accident and emergency departments: the Paddington alcohol test (PAT)

The list of hepatitis viruses is increasing over the years. Now the viruses range from A to G. Hepatitis A virus is a short incubation RNA virus which is transmitted oro-faecally. It does not cause chronic illness but may be fatal in a few cases especially in pregnancy. It can now be prevented by vaccination. Hepatitis B virus is a long incubation DNA virus which is transmitted mainly through blood and blood products. It causes chronic illness and can lead to liver cancer in some cases. It can be prevented by vaccination and WHO is now recommending global vaccination of all infants irrespective of endemicity of hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis C virus is an RNA virus which used to be known as parenterally transmitted non A non-B virus. It leads to chronic illness and can lead to liver cancer. It is now responsible for most cases of post transfusion hepatitis in Europe, North America and Asia. Hepatitis Delta virus is a defective virus which requires hepatitis B virus for its existence. Thus it affects only those who have hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis E virus used to be known as the enterically transmitted non-A non-B virus. It is transmitted oro-faecally and seems not to lead to chronic illness. It is endemic in some areas like Middle East and parts of Africa. Hepatitis G virus is just being described. More information about it will soon be available.     

APPLICATION OF NORMAL AND DERIVATIVE ULTRAVIOLET ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY FOR THK DETERMINATION OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN GAS OILS

Ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, has an immense potential for characterization of aromatic hydrocarbons in distillate petroleum fractions. The second derivative ultraviolet spectroscopy has improved the understanding of complex aromatic structures, such as polynuclear aromatics, which are present in gas oil fractions. Normal and second derivative ultraviolet spectroscopy of gas oils and their separated fractions are discussed in detail and conclusions are drawn regarding mono-di-and polynuclear aromatics in various gas oils.     

Depression and suicidal ideation in dermatology patients with acne, alopecia areata, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis

OBJECTIVE: To determine the birth prevalence of and risk factors associated with congenital esotropia. DESIGN: Population-based prevalence study with nested case-control study. PARTICIPANTS: All residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota who were diagnosed with congenital esotropia and born between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989 (n = 47). Control subjects were chosen by selecting the next two sequential births to parents residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota (n = 94). METHODS: Cases were identified through the Medical Diagnostic Index of Mayo and the Rochester Epidemiology Project. The community medical records were reviewed to confirm case status and ascertain risk factor information. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Birth prevalence of congenital esotropia. RESULTS: Forty-seven cases were identified from 17,536 live births, for a birth prevalence of 27 per 10,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], 20-35). Congenital esotropia was associated with prematurity (odds ratio [OR], 11.5; 95% CI, 3.4-39.2), a birth weight less than 2500 grams (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 1.7-12.9), a low Apgar score at 1 minute (OR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.7-11.2) and at 5 minutes (OR, 6.3; 95% CI, 1.3-30.7), and a family history of strabismus (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.5-8.3). CONCLUSIONS: The birth prevalence of congenital esotropia in Olmsted County, Minnesota is lower than previous estimates. Prematurity, low birth weight, low Apgar scores, and a family history of strabismus are significant risk factors for congenital esotropia.     

Numerical simulation and artificial neural network modeling of natural circulation boiling water reactor

Numerical simulation of natural circulation boiling water reactor is important in order to study its performance for different designs and under various off-design conditions. Numerical simulations can be performed by using thermal-hydraulic codes. Very fast numerical simulations, useful for extensive parametric studies and for solving design optimization problems, can be achieved by using an artificial neural network (ANN) model of the system. In the present work, numerical simulations of natural circulation boiling water reactor have been performed with RELAP5 code for different values of design parameters and operational conditions. Parametric trends observed have been discussed. The data obtained from these simulations have been used to train artificial neural networks, which in turn have been used for further parametric studies and design optimization. The ANN models showed error within ±5% for all the simulated data. Two most popular methods, multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) networks, have been used for the training of ANN model. Sequential quadratic programming (SQP) has been used for optimization.