Hemispheric differences for identification of words and nonwords in urdu-English bilinguals.

Hemispheric asymmetry was examined for Urdu-English bilinguals identifying printed Urdu words and nonwords, separated Urdu letter strings, digits, and English nonwords. In all cases, fewer errors occurred when stimuli were presented to the right visual field/left hemisphere (RVF/LH) than to the left visual field/right hemisphere (LVF/RH). Qualitative error patterns suggested that separated Urdu letter strings were processed more serially than Urdu letter strings joined to form words or pronounceable nonwords and more serially on RVF/LH than on LVF/RH trials. This qualitative laterality effect is similar to that found for Hebrew and Arabic but opposite that found for English and suggests that the qualitative manner of processing printed verbal material is influenced by language-specific factors such as scanning direction, orthographic-to-phonological mapping rules, and morphology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The size of science in the old Nigerian Universities — A preliminary analysis

The scientific productivity of six old Universities in Nigeria has been computed over the period 1970–79. The order of contribution is by University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, Universities of Ife, Nigeria, Lagos and Benin. While there is a real growth in Scientific research in Nigeria as a whole, some of the Universities have problems which have put their research efforts on a downward trend. A new order of Scientific contributions by the Universities appears to be emerging. Constant Scientific growth analysis will help the new bodies involved in formulating and coordinating Science policy in Nigeria.     

Cardiac damage induced by 2-amino-3-methyl-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoline in nonhuman primates

The heterocyclic aromatic amine 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) is a potent hepatocarcinogen in cynomolgus and rhesus monkeys. The finding of high cardiac IQ-DNA adduct levels prompted a histopathological study of perfusion-fixed hearts from 10 tumor-bearing monkeys chronically dosed with IQ at 10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg 5 days per week for 48-80 months. Two monkeys dosed only with the vehicle for IQ, hydroxypropylcellulose, served as controls. All the monkeys had normal heart weights, and no abnormalities were observed upon gross inspection of the hearts. Microscopically, focal myocardial lesions were observed in 8 of 10 monkeys dosed with IQ. Light microscopic abnormalities included myocyte necrosis with or without chronic inflammatory infiltrates, interstitial fibrosis with myocyte hypertrophy or atrophy, and vasculitis. Electron microscopic findings included disruption of the mitochondrial architecture (i.e., mitochondrial swelling and clearing of matrix densities), myofibrillar loss, disorganization of the normal alignment of sarcomeres, and occasional myocytes showing nuclear hypertrophy or peripheral clumping of the nuclear chromatin. There was some correlation between the cumulative dose of IQ and the extent of the myocardial abnormalities. These findings suggest that chronic exposure to IQ can lead to myocardial damage in monkeys. Although focal and not associated with clinical evidence of heart failure, these abnormalities may represent the initial stages of IQ-induced toxic cardiomyopathy.     

Improvement of oil flowability by assembly of comb‐type copolymers with paraffin and asphaltene

Comb‐type (maleic acid alkylamides‐co‐α‐octadecene) copolymers (MACs) assemble with long‐chain n‐paraffins and asphaltenes by the hydrophobic alkyl branches and polar groups, respectively, and improve flowability of crude oils upon cooling. Their effects on the crystallization of paraffins from model oils were studied by rheology, optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X‐ray diffraction. Upon cooling, MACs change the size and shape of paraffin crystals and reduce the yield stresses of gels generated by precipitated solids. Deposition of wax was significantly suppressed by MAC as observed using a laboratory‐scale deposition apparatus. MACs are more effective than poly(ethylene‐butene) copolymers in improving the flowability of crude oils containing asphaltenes. The interactions between the carboxyl and amide groups of MAC with the polar aromatic asphaltenes appear to stabilize crudes through the steric effects of the long alkyl groups of MAC polymers, thereby reducing the strength of paraffin/asphaltene gels formed on cooling. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012     

Suppression of human fibrosarcoma cell growth by transcription factor, Egr-1, involves down-regulation of Bcl-2

OBJECTIVES: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common psychiatric condition, may impair a child's ability to learn and to form social relationships, tasks critical to healthy development. This study describes the prevalence of the disorder among children in special education programs and identifies the extent and predictors of unmet service needs. METHODS: A 2-stage screening protocol of a countywide population of second- through fourth-grade students in special education was conducted to (1) screen for ADHD, employing standardized parent and teacher questionnaires, and determine health services use (n = 499) and (2) perform diagnostic assessments of ADHD (n = 318). RESULTS: Almost half of the children qualified for a diagnosis of ADHD, yet only half of those were reportedly receiving care for the condition, mainly in the general health care sector. Girls were more than 3 times as likely as boys to have unmet service needs; minority status, low income, and health maintenance organization coverage also emerged as possible risk factors for unmet service needs. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD is a common yet often untreated condition among children in special education. Mental health services for children with this disorder should be integrated with general health care and special education programs.     

T cell receptor peptide vaccination in rheumatoid arthritis: a placebo-controlled trial using a combination of Vbeta3, Vbeta14, and Vbeta17 peptides

OBJECTIVE: Restricted T cell receptor (TCR) gene usage has been demonstrated in animal models of autoimmune disease and has resulted in the successful use of TCR peptide therapy in animal studies. This clinical trial was undertaken to determine the safety and efficacy of a combination of Vbeta3, Vbeta14, and Vbeta17 TCR peptides in Freund's incomplete adjuvant (IFA) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, phase II clinical trial was undertaken using IR501 therapeutic vaccine, which consists of a combination of 3 peptides derived from TCRs (Vbeta3, Vbeta14, and Vbeta17) in IFA. A total of 99 patients with active RA received either 90 microg (n = 31) or 300 microg (n = 35) of IR501 or IFA alone (n = 33) as a control. The study medication and placebo were administered as a single intramuscular injection (1 ml) at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 20. RESULTS: Treatment with IR501 was safe and well tolerated. None of the patients discontinued the trial because of treatment-related adverse events. Efficacy was measured according to the American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement criteria. Using these criteria, patients in both IR501 dosage groups showed improvement in disease activity. In the most conservative analysis used to evaluate efficacy, an intent-to-treat analysis including all patients who enrolled, the 90-microg dosage group showed a statistically significant improvement compared with control patients at the 20-week time point after the third injection. Trends toward improvement were shown in both the 90-microg and the 300-microg dosage groups at week 24 after the fourth injection. CONCLUSION: IR501 therapeutic vaccine therapy was safe and well tolerated, immunogenic, and demonstrated clinical improvement in RA patients. Additional clinical trials are planned to confirm and extend these observations.     

Field-Scale In-Situ Compliance of Arctic First-Year Sea Ice

This paper presents the experimental results and analysis of the creep recovery and cyclic loading crack-opening-displacement measurements recorded on level first-year sea ice at Barrow, Alaska. This was the third of a three-trip program to track the seasonal evolution of the mechanical and physical properties of first-year S2 sea ice. Seven large-scale in-situ experiments were completed covering a size range of 1:30 with the largest test having dimensions of 30 m × 30 m. The creep recovery response from the largest test specimen is examined in this paper to determine the compliance of a precracked square-plate test geometry via a nonlinear viscoelastic∕viscoplastic formulation. This model is then applied to the cyclic loading, and a monotonic ramp to fracture, to quantify its ability to predict the behavior for a variety of loading paths.     

Acute effects of inhaled urban particles and ozone: lung morphology, macrophage activity, and plasma endothelin-1

We studied acute responses of rat lungs to inhalation of urban particulate matter and ozone. Exposure to particles (40 mg/m3 for 4 hours; mass median aerodynamic diameter, 4 to 5 microm; Ottawa urban dust, EHC-93), followed by 20 hours in clean air, did not result in acute lung injury. Nevertheless, inhalation of particles resulted in decreased production of nitric oxide (nitrite) and elevated secretion of macrophage inflammatory protein-2 from lung lavage cells. Inhalation of ozone (0.8 parts per million for 4 hours) resulted in increased neutrophils and protein in lung lavage fluid. Ozone alone also decreased phagocytosis and nitric oxide production and stimulated endothelin-1 secretion by lung lavage cells but did not modify secretion of macrophage inflammatory protein-2. Co-exposure to particles potentiated the ozone-induced septal cellularity in the central acinus but without measurable exacerbation of the ozone-related alveolar neutrophilia and permeability to protein detected by lung lavage. The enhanced septal thickening was associated with elevated production of both macrophage inflammatory protein-2 and endothelin-1 by lung lavage cells. Interestingly, inhalation of urban particulate matter increased the plasma levels of endothelin-1, but this response was not influenced by the synergistic effects of ozone and particles on centriacinar septal tissue changes. This suggests an impact of the distally distributed particulate dose on capillary endothelial production or filtration of the vasoconstrictor. Overall, equivalent patterns of effects were observed after a single exposure or three consecutive daily exposures to the pollutants. The experimental data are consistent with epidemiological evidence for acute pulmonary effects of ozone and respirable particulate matter and suggest a possible mechanism whereby cardiovascular effects may be induced by particle exposure. In a broad sense, acute biological effects of respirable particulate matter from ambient air appear related to paracrine/endocrine disruption mechanisms.