Radiotherapy in the SIOP (International Society of Pediatric Oncology) nephroblastoma studies: a review

It has been proposed that certain adverse early experiences may play a role in determining subsequent susceptibility to adult anxiety and affective disorders and this relationship may be the result of altered neurodevelopment of the noradrenergic and/or serotonergic systems. In this study of nonhuman primates, the predictability of foraging requirements for mothers during an early period of their infants' lives was manipulated. When the offspring were young adults, these early manipulations were related to differences in behavioral response to acute administration of two putative anxiety-provoking agents: the noradrenergic probe, yohimbine, and the serotonergic probe, mCPP. These long-term effects of the developmental environment on subsequent pharmacological responsivity suggest that both neuronal systems may be permanently altered by early experiential factors.     

Highways for protein delivery to the mitochondria

Messenger RNA (mRNA) localisation is one of the prime mechanisms to ensure protein localisation in the cytoplasm of polarised embryonic cells, and has been well-studied in the development of Xenopus and Drosophila embryos. But what of other cells? Here, we discuss whether the directed transport of mRNA out of the nucleus, following cytoplasmic highways to a specified organelle in the cytoplasm, might also contribute to the exquisite fidelity of protein targeting observed in all eukaryotic cells.     

Comparison of gas chromatographic methods for volatile lipid oxidation compounds in soybean oil

To develop new knowledge on undesirable flavors affecting the quality of foods containing polyunsaturated lipids, we investigated the volatiles in soybean oil oxidized at different conditions by three capillary gas chromatographic methods: (a) direct injection (5 min heating at 180 C); (b) static headspace (20 min heating at 180 C, pressurizing for one min), and (c) dynamic headspace (purging 15 min at 180 C onto a porous polymer trap, desorbing from trap for five min). A fused silica column was used with bonded polymethyl and phenyl siloxane phase. At peroxide values between 2 and 10, the major volatile products found in soybean oil by the three methods were pentane, hexanal, 2-heptenal, 2,4-heptadienal and 2,4-decadienal. The intensities of each volatile compound varied with the analytical methods used.     

Effects of ethanol on glucose transporter expression in cultured hippocampal neurons

Glucose transport was studied in primary hippocampal neuron cultures exposed to ethanol. Immunofluorescent staining with antibodies against neuron-specific enolase and glial fibrillary acidic protein identified approximately 95% of the cultured cells as neurons. Western blot analysis was conducted with polyclonal antisera to glucose transporter isoforms GLUT1 and GLUT3. As previously seen in astrocytes, GLUT1 protein was regulated by the culture medium glucose content. Exposure to 50 and 100 mM of ethanol for 5 hr induced dose-dependent reductions in GLUT1 and GLUT3 protein. In contrast, GLUT1 mRNA abundance was increased relative to controls under the same conditions. Glucose uptake, measured with the nonmetabolized analog, 2-deoxy-D-glucose, was reduced by 50 and 100 mM of ethanol in four experiments. These results indicate a direct effect of ethanol on neuronal glucose transporter expression, which may play a role in the neurotoxic effects of alcohol.     

SPROUT—A Modeling Language for SEED

An important capability of the SEED system is rapid generation of internal design representations, including design alternatives, that can be evaluated in terms of a broad range of criteria. It consists of modules that must communicate with each other and remain extensible. From a software engineering perspective, there exists no single programming language or database management system, commercial or research-based, that provides all the needed support. In this paper, we describe the SPROUT modeling language, the cornerstone of efforts to bridge this gap. It supports the specification of a system information model, which contains a building product model as a subset. Developments are discussed that lead to the current language design as well as the support for case-based design, persistent storage of objects, management of versions and alternatives, and communication between different SEED modules (i.e., agents). Emphasis is placed on the automatic generation of computer programs and database schemas from a SPROUT specification. Lastly, this effort is compared to other comparable efforts including PDES∕STEP.     

Focusing on the exterior and the interior: Two investigations of the initiation of personal relationships.

Tested the hypothesis that the construct of self-monitoring would identify individuals who characteristically adopt distinctly different orientations when initiating dating relationships. In each of 2 studies, low and high self-monitoring men chose a female partner for a date. In Study 1, attentional differences in the initial information-seeking stage of relationship initiation in an open-field setting were examined with 19 high- and 20 low-scoring Ss on a self-monitoring scale. In Study 2, actual choices of dating partners were examined where one type of desirable attribute in a partner had to be sacrificed in order to obtain another type of desirable attribute. 16 high- and 16 low-scoring Ss on a self-monitoring scale participated. Behavioral and self-report evidence revealed that in both the initial information-gathering stage and the actual choice of whom to date, low self-monitoring Ss paid a greater amount of attention to and placed greater weight on information about interior personal attributes than did high self-monitoring Ss; by contrast, high self-monitoring Ss paid more attention to and put greater weight on exterior physical appearance than did low self-monitoring Ss. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)