Myt1: a membrane-associated inhibitory kinase that phosphorylates Cdc2 on both threonine-14 and tyrosine-15

Cdc2 is the cyclin-dependent kinase that controls entry of cells into mitosis. Phosphorylation of Cdc2 on threonine-14 and tyrosine-15 inhibits the activity of the enzyme and prevents premature initiation of mitosis. Although Wee1 has been identified as the kinase that phosphorylates tyrosine-15 in various organisms, the threonine-14-specific kinase has not been isolated. A complementary DNA was cloned from Xenopus that encodes Myt1, a member of the Wee1 family that was discovered to phosphorylate Cdc2 efficiently on both threonine-14 and tyrosine-15. Myt1 is a membrane-associated protein that contains a putative transmembrane segment. Immunodepletion studies suggested that Myt1 is the predominant threonine-14-specific kinase in Xenopus egg extracts. Myt1 activity is highly regulated during the cell cycle, suggesting that this relative of Wee1 plays a role in mitotic control.     

Dopamine modulates effort-based decision making in rats.

Previous research has implicated dopamine as a modulating factor in choice behavior based on effort. The purpose of the present study was to determine the individual contribution of different dopamine receptors to effort-based decision making in rats. Rats were trained in a T-maze to choose a large-reward arm that contained 8 pellets of food over a small-reward arm that contained 2 pellets of food. The rats then were trained to climb progressively higher barriers to obtain the food from the large-reward arm. Using a discounting procedure on each test day, it was found that rats were more likely to choose the small-reward arm after treatment with the D1 antagonist, SCH-23390, or the D2 antagonist, haloperidol. The dopamine agonist, D-amphetamine, biased the rats toward choosing the large-reward arm and blunted the effects of SCH-23390 or haloperidol. Treatment with the D3 receptor antagonist, U99194, or the D3 receptor agonist, 7-OH-DPAT, did not alter choice behavior. These data indicate that D1 and D2 receptors are required for decisions based on effort. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Field Patterns of the TE Modes in Ridge-Trough Waveguide

A single-ridge waveguide with a symmetrical longitudinal trough, designated as a ridge-trough waveguide has been used as a transition in a V-band (50-75 GHz) wafer probe recently. In this paper, the field patterns for the dominant TE mode and the first higher TE mode in ridge-trough waveguide with different configurations are presented by finite element method. The field patterns in this paper have important values for us to understand the transmission characteristics of ridge-trough waveguide, and will be of practical significance in designing ridge-trough waveguide components in microwave and millimeter wave engineering.     

The use of noninvasive biological means in assessing lipids in children

Gas chromatographic analysis of the lipid fatty acid spectrum of blood (serum and plasma), sweat, and exhaled air condensate in children with acute pneumonia and dermatitis caused by alimentary allergies showed good correlation of the results. Therefore, biological objects obtained by noninvasive methods can be used for studies of lipid metabolism in children.     

Radiative Properties of Blackbody Calibration Sources:Recent Advances in Computer Modeling

The radiative characteristics (spectral effective emissivity, spectral radiance, and radiance temperature) of blackbody calibration sources widely used in radiation thermometry are an important subject for advanced computer modeling by the Monte Carlo method. An algorithm and code for stochastic modeling of the radiant heat transfer inside cavities has been developed on the basis of the reciprocity principle and backward ray tracing. The importance sampling technique has been applied to generate the reflected rays according to the surface reflection model that can be a linear combination of the following primary models: Lambertian, Specular, and TETRA (a microfacet model of random tetrahedral pits that mimics reflections from a rough surface). A wide range of axisymmetrical cavities, cylindrical cavities with an inclined flat bottom, and a rectilinear grooved radiator of polygonal profile have been implemented. Various conditions of observation can be modeled to compute appropriate radiation characteristics. A number of different temperature distributions can be assigned to the same node set on the cavity surface, so several related tasks can be modeled in a single run. The results obtained for the radiative properties of isothermal and non-isothermal non-diffuse blackbodies used for the calibration of infrared radiation thermometers are presented and discussed.     

Temperature-Resolved Infrared Spectral Emissivity of SiC and Pt–10Rh for Temperatures up to 900°C

This article reports the first comprehensive results obtained from a fully functional, recently established infrared spectral-emissivity measurement facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). First, sample surface temperatures are obtained with a radiometer using actual emittance values from a newly designed sphere reflectometer and a comparison between the radiometer temperatures and contact thermometry results is presented. Spectral emissivity measurements are made by comparison of the sample spectral radiance to that of a reference blackbody at a similar (but not identical) temperature. Initial materials selected for measurement are potential candidates for use as spectral emissivity standards or are of particular technical interest. Temperature-resolved measurements of the spectral directional emissivity of SiC and Pt–10Rh are performed in the spectral range of 2–20 μm, over a temperature range from 300 to 900°C at normal incidence. Further, a careful study of the uncertainty components of this measurement is presented.     

Infants with birth weight 1,000-1,499 grams born in three time periods: has outcome changed over time?

The objective of this study was to see whether outcome of infants of larger birth weight (1,000-1,499 grams) has changed with advances in neonatology. The outcome of infants born in a recent time period (1989-1991) was compared with that of infants born previously, in 1984-1986 and 1979-1981. Univariate analyses were conducted on the association of medical risk factors and date of birth with outcome. More than 90% of infants in each time period were neurologically normal and more than 80% were cognitively normal. Predictor variables were intracranial hemorrhage for poor neurologic outcome and days on oxygen for poor cognitive outcome. We found that neurodevelopmental outcome was stable over three time periods.