Peptide growth factors in the prostate as mediators of stromal epithelial interaction

Peptide growth factors play a role in the maintenance of normal prostatic growth and differentiation (Fig. 2). It seems likely that the androgen sensitivity of human prostate is mediated by the production of peptide growth factors from stromal cells which act as the direct intermediate of androgen action on epithelial cells. TGF-beta 1 inhibition of epithelial cells is opposed by the stimulatory action of EGF, IGF and FGFs to maintain an equilibrium of epithelial cell numbers. The indirect mitogenic action of androgens appear to act by down-regulation of TGF-beta 1 and possibly EGF receptors. There is also interaction with the effects of IGF-II, produced by prostatic stromal cells and acting on epithelial cells to increase proliferation. The growth of normal prostatic fibroblasts is under the control of bFGF and TGF-beta 1. However, although our understanding of the actions of these growth factors in the normal prostate has improved over the last decade, their role in the development and maintenance of prostate cancer is less clearly defined. TGF-beta 1, classically considered to be inhibitory for epithelial cells, may be up-regulated in prostatic tumours, stimulating growth. Alternatively, autocrine production of such growth factors by tumour cells may lead to loss of inhibitory effects from exogenous TGF-beta 1, a mechanism also witnessed with TGF-alpha and bFGF. The role of EGF in the development of prostate cancer is confusing because results from the use of different cell types and experimental conditions is contradictory. It may be that a switch in the production of the predominant EGFr ligand from EGF to TGF-alpha is an important feature in the development and maintenance of the malignant phenotype. The presence of TGF-alpha autocrine loops has been shown clearly in some tumour cell lines. This switch in the production of a particular ligand may also be a feature of IGFs in prostate cancer. IGF-II may be replaced by IGF-I during malignant progression, both of which are able to act via the type 1 receptor. This change in IGF expression appears to be accompanied by altered expression of the IGF-BP2, with less detectable within prostatic tissues but elevated serum levels [58]. Basic FGF is normally produced by prostatic fibroblasts but is also produced by some prostatic cancer cell lines [64]. However, as with all growth factors, the expression of the bFGF protein and its receptor is dependent on the cell line examined. The autocrine and paracrine control of normal and abnormal prostatic growth by growth factors is important in determining their role in the development and maintenance of prostate cancer. Better understanding of such mechanisms is essential for the development of novel therapeutic strategies in the control and treatment of prostate cancer.     

Community resources for clients with mobility problems

Clients are leaving the hospital "quicker and sicker," and they frequently have acute care needs that must be met by resources outside the hospital setting. Community resources are diverse, vary widely from place to place, and have no central administration. Thus, using them can be challenging for both the nurse, client, and family. Reimbursement mechanisms underlie a person's ability to use resources and receive health care. By presenting two actual case scenarios where clients have mobility problems commonly seen by orthopaedic nurses, the authors discuss the community resources available, avenues of access to them, and their reimbursement mechanisms.     

SYNTHESIS OF AROMA COMPONENTS DURING THE SPONTANEOUS FERMENTATION OF LAMBIC AND GUEUZE

Lambic is a type of Belgian beer obtained by spontaneous fermentation of wort. The fermentation in casks takes almost two years, and after that period the beer may be re-fermented in bottles and is then called gueuze. To gain insight into the many microbiological transformations occurring during this process, a qualitative and quantitative study of several components formed over a two-year period was undertaken. It was found that lambic and gueuze are characterized by high contents of ethyl acetate, ethyl lactate, lactic acid and acetic acid. Two phases of fermentation may be distinguished: a primary phase lasting for about three months during which almost all the ethanol and higher alcohols are formed and a very long secondary phase during which lactic acid is formed first, followed by ethyl lactate. Some lower fatty acids, including all the acetic acid, are made at the very beginning of the first phase. An important part of the ethyl acetate is made during the first phase but the amounts increase slowly to high levels during the second phase. Unusually low amounts of isoamyl acetate are detected. Several components are above the reported threshold levels of taste and are thus probably involved in the genesis of the typical aroma of lambic and gueuze. These results will allow a further study of the relations between the components found and the microbial populations involved in the spontaneous fermentation inherent in the brewing of lambic and gueuze.     

APPLICATION OF CONCEPTUAL LEARNING TECHNIQUES TO GENERALIZED GROUP TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

In this article, we first point out the advantages and limitations of the keywords filtering techniques and the standard automatic clustering techniques for group technology applications. We consider, then, a product, or more generally an item, as a conjunction of symbolic attributes. We present a new method to recognize homogeneous families of products and to interpret the families by extraction of their concepts. Finally, the method is applied to analyze a population of 1010 mechanical parts.     

SWITCHING MECHANISMS IN A GENERALIZED INFORMATION SYSTEM

Abstract

A generalized information system has recently been proposed     

THE LECTINS AND LECTIN-LIKE PROTEINS OF TEPARY BEANS (PHASEOLUS ACUTIFOLIUS) AND TEPARYCOMMON BEAN (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS) HYBRIDS

High levels of lectin activity were found in sixty cultivated and ten wild tepary (Phaseolus acutifolius) accessions. No lectin deficient varieties were observed and all examples studied contained both the phytohemagglutinin-E and L-like lectins previously described (Pusztai et al. 1987). There appeared to be no obvious differences between the wild and cultivated forms of the tepary lectins and all teparies studied contained lectin-like proteins in addition to the tepary lectins. One of the lectin related proteins (40 Kdalton subunit) was present in all teparies and may be comparable to arcelin, a lectin found in certain wild accessions of Phaselus vulgaris. All wild teparies contained a lectin related polypeptide of about 34 Kdaltons which appears to distinguish the wild teparies from the cultivated forms. Three tepary-common bean hybrids were examined and one hybrid was found to be expressing both tepary and common bean lectin genes.     

用低反射率光栅阵列实现智能复合电力电缆温度监测

针对现有的电缆温度监测方法主要存在无法检测电缆内部温度和测温时易受到应力影响等缺点。针对此本文研究采用低反射率光栅(wFBG)阵列智能复合电力电缆温度监测技术,用于实时监测电缆内部及外部的温度分布情况。通过免应力光栅阵列,解决了复合电缆和光缆的过程中因光纤受力而影响光栅波长准确测量从而造成对温度的影响问题。系统通过检测wFBG波长漂移得到温度信息从而实现高灵敏度高空间分辨率的智能电缆的分布式温度在线监测。搭建了基于wFBG阵列的复合电力电缆实验系统,结果表明,该系统可以实现对电缆内部及外部温度的高精度、高空间分辨率分布式测量,电缆沿线空间分辨率达到10 cm,测温精度达到0.1℃。该低反射率光栅阵列智能复合电力电缆温度监测系统可以满足智能电网运行的实际需要。     

Encapsulation of polymer photovoltaic prototypes

A simple and efficient method for the encapsulation of polymer and organic photovoltaic prototypes is presented. The method employs device preparation on glass substrates with subsequent sealing using glass fiber reinforced thermosetting epoxy (prepreg) against a back plate. The method allows for transporting oxygen and water sensitive devices outside a glove box environment after sealing and enables sharing of devices between research groups such that efficiency and stability can be evaluated in different laboratories.     

The oxidation of benzene under conditions encountered in waste incinerators

The oxidation of benzene was studied as a function of residence time (τ_res=0–2.5 s), temperature (850–960 K), and oxygen concentration (O₂=0.2–2.3%) in a heated laminar flow reactor at atmospheric pressure. Nitrogen, doped with 350 ppm benzene, was injected downstream of the burned gas from a near stoichiometric flame of methane + air. Gas samples were taken at different heights up the reactor and analyzed using GC-FID/TCD and HPLC techniques. Phenol and partially oxidized hydrocarbons such as acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and acrolein were found with concentrations up to 50 ppm. At relatively low temperatures, the conversion of benzene was observed to proceed considerably more slowly at higher oxygen concentrations. Measured concentration profiles were modeled using detailed reaction schemes. A modified mechanism for the oxidation of benzene called BenWas was constructed from the mechanism of Zhang and McKinnon (Combust. Sci. Technol. 107 (1995) 261) by incorporating a submechanism for benzoquinone (OC₆H₄O) and by updating and enlarging the reaction scheme of cyclopentadiene (C₅H₆). The agreement between observed and predicted concentration profiles, e.g., of phenol (C₆H₅OH), acetylene (C₂H₂), and carbon monoxide (CO), was considerably improved by the use of the BenWas mechanism for rich and lean conditions, mainly due to the introduction of an additional pathway for phenyl oxidation (C₆H₅ + O₂ = OC₆H₄O + H) and due to the changed kinetics of the oxidation of cyclopentadienyl (C₅H₅) in C₅H₅ + O₂ = C₅H₄O + OH. The measured retardation of benzene oxidation with higher amounts of oxygen can be explained by the formation and reactions of peroxy radicals.     

InAs/GaInAs quantum dot DFB lasers emitting at 1.3 μm

Singlemode operation of 1.3 μm InAs/GaInAs quantum dot lasers has been achieved using the concept of complex coupled distributed feedback. Mode selection was realised by laterally patterned metal gratings. At room temperature the lasers show stable singlemode emission with sidemode suppression ratios of up to 55 dB, threshold currents as low as 17 mA and output powers of up to 8 mW under continuous wave operation