Trends in overweight among US adults from 1987 to 1993: a multistate telephone survey

OBJECTIVES: Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, this study describes trends in the prevalence of overweight between 1987 and 1993. METHODS: Data were examined from 33 states participating in an ongoing telephone survey of health behaviors of adults (n = 387,704). Self-reported weights and heights were used to calculate sex-specific prevalence estimates of overweight for each year from 1987 to 1993. Time trends were evaluated with the use of linear regression. RESULTS: Between 1987 and 1993, the age-adjusted prevalence of overweight increased by 0.9% per year for both sexes (from 21.9% to 26.7% among men and from 20.6% to 25.4% among women). The increasing linear trend was observed in all subgroups of the population but was most notable for Black men (1.5% per year) and men living in the Northeast (1.4% per year). Secular changes in smoking and leisure-time physical activity did not entirely account for the increase in overweight. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of overweight among American adults increased by 5% between 1987 and 1993. Efforts are needed to explore the causes of this adverse trend and to find effective strategies to prevent obesity.     

Exochelin genes in Mycobacterium smegmatis: identification of an ABC transporter and two non-ribosomal peptide synthetase genes

Many strains of mycobacteria produce two ferric chelating substances that are termed exochelin (an excreted product) and mycobactin (a cell-associated product). These agents may function as iron acquisition siderophores. To examine the genetics of the iron acquisition system in mycobacteria, ultraviolet (UV) and transposon (Tn611) mutagenesis techniques were used to generate exochelin-deficient mutants of Mycobacterium smegmatis strains ATCC 607 and LR222 respectively. Mutants were identified on CAS siderophore detection agar plates. Comparisons of the amounts of CAS-reactive material excreted by the possible mutant strains with that of the wild-type strains verified that seven UV mutant strains and two confirmed transposition mutant strains were deficient in exochelin production. Cell-associated mycobactin production in the mutants appeared to be normal. From the two transposon mutants, the mutated gene regions were cloned and identified by colony hybridization with an IS6100 probe, and the DNA regions flanking the transposon insertion sites were then used as probes to clone the wild-type loci from M. smegmatis LR222 genomic DNA. Complementation assays showed that an 8 kb PstI fragment and a 4.8 kb PstI/SacI subclone of this fragment complemented one transposon mutant (LUN2) and one UV mutant (R92). A 10.1 kb SacI fragment restored exochelin production to the other transposon mutant (LUN1). The nucleotide sequence of the 15.3 kb DNA region that spanned the two transposon insertion sites overlapped the 5' region of the previously reported exochelin biosynthetic gene fxbA and contained three open reading frames that were transcribed in the opposite orientation to fxbA. The corresponding genes were designated exiT, fxbB and fxbC. The deduced amino acid sequence of ExiT suggested that it was a member of the ABC transporter superfamily, while FxbB and FxbC displayed significant homology with many enzymes (including pristinamycin I synthetase) that catalyse non-ribosomal peptide synthesis. We propose that the peptide backbone of the siderophore exochelin is synthesized in part by enzymes resembling non-ribosomal peptide synthetases and that the ABC transporter ExiT is responsible for exochelin excretion.     

Attractive and inhibitory pheromones produced in the bark beetle,Dendroctonus brevicomis,during host colonization: Regulation of inter- and intraspecific competition

Quantities of attractive (exo-brevicomin and frontalin) and inhibitory (trans-verbenol, verbenone, and ipsdienol) pheromones were monitored in both sexes ofDendroctonus brevicomis during their colonization of a ponderosa pine. Verbenone was found in males in the greatest amounts at the time of landing, and it declined more rapidly than the other pheromones in either sex. The amounts of frontalin andexo-brevicomin in males and females, respectively, increased after initial boring within the host but began to decline after mating. The quantity oftrans-verbenol in both sexes (females had significantly more) declined more gradually thanexo-brevicomin, frontalin, and verbenone. Ipsdienol was found only in males during the initial stages of attack when encountering the resin. It is suggested that along with a general decline in all pheromonal components, a sufficient change in the ratio of the attractive pheromones to an inhibitory pheromone,trans-verbenol, may play a role in termination of aggregation.trans-Verbenol may also function along with verbenone and ipsdienol in limiting the density of attack and thus intraspecific competition. These inhibitory pheromones also appear to cause several competing species of bark beetle to avoid landing in areas infested withD. brevicomis, even when their own pheromone is present.Coleoptera:Scolytidae. These studies were supported in part by the Rockefeller Foundation, USDA Forest Service, Regional research project W-110, SEA/ USDA, and the National Science Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency through a grant (NSF GB-34719/BMS 75-04223) to the University of California.     

Interactions of pheromone component odor plumes of western pine beetle

The relationships between catch ofD. brevicomis LeC. at sources of the synergistic pheromone components,exo-brevicomin (E) and frontalin (F), and increasing distance of separation of sources were investigated in the forest. The two components were each released with the host monoterpene, myrcene (M), in trap pairs. The traps of each pair were spaced apart at various distances (0–16 m) in either horizontal or vertical lines that were perpendicular to the mean wind direction. Both sexes were most strongly attracted when the two components were released from the same source, and increasing distance of separation between components caused exponential decreases in trap catch for all trap configurations. Males were significantly more attracted to traps with E, M alone than to corresponding traps with F, M alone, while females exhibited a preference for F, M. The theoretical relationships and properties of two coalescing plumes of individual components and their intersecting active space are presented and discussed. It is proposed that confusion or communication disruption techniques for insect control may be more successful if components are released individually from many points rather than released similarly in blends. Dendroctonus brevicomis LeC. (Coleoptera: Scolytidae).Supported in part by grants from U.S.A. and Sweden, NSF (INT-8503520), STU (84-3937), NFR, FRN, and SJFR.     

Inhibitory Effect of Monoterpenes on Response of Pityogenes bidentatus to Aggregation Pheromone Released by Piezoelectric Sprayer for Precision Release of Semiochemicals

A piezoelectric sprayer for dispensing semiochemicals was developed and used for a field test of bark beetle semiochemicals. The sprayer consists of a geared pump that pushes a syringe slowly to dispense semiochemicals in solvents through a microtube to a glass micropipet fixed to a piezoelectric high-frequency vibrator. The frequency is adjusted via a function generator to about 120 kHz until the harmonic properties of the glass micropipet, drawn by an electrophysiological pipet puller, cause vibrations that atomize the solvent from the micropipet tip. The sprayer, syringe, pump, function generator, and power supply were hung on one arm of a rotating trap pair (traps 6 m apart) that was slowly rotated at 2 revolutions per hour (rph) to even out the position effects on trap catches. The aggregation pheromone components of Pityogenes bidentatus, grandisol and cis-verbenol, were released by standard tube dispensers in one trap and compared to the release of similar amounts by the sprayer in the other trap. No significant differences in catch were observed. No effect of the solvent hexane on aggregation could be observed. The trap pair also caught approximately equal numbers of bark beetles when the baits were identical. The release of (+)and (–)--pinene, (+)-3-carene, and terpinolene, monoterpenes of host Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris, at increasing rates from 0.01 to 10 log-equivalents in decadic steps (each at 0.1–100 g/min) resulted in decreasing responses to aggregation pheromone (only 9% at highest rate). Inhibition by the individual monoterpenes tested at the 100 g/min rate was significant for (+)and (–)--pinene and terpinolene (12, 13, and 15% of control, respectively). The inhibition by the host Scotch pine monoterpenes may allow P. bidentatus to avoid resistant trees that release large amounts of toxic monoterpenes in their resin and instead colonize dying and diseased limbs or slash, the usual host substrate. The piezoelectric sprayer should prove generally useful to dispense precise amounts of semiochemicals in field and laboratory experiments.     

The rest stays unchanged (concurrency and state-based specification)

Pre-/postconditions have been extensively used in program specification, e.g. Z [Spi89], VDM [Jon86], and proof, e.g. Hoare logic, Dijkstra's guarded commands [DiF88]. In [ScP86, SPB90] the authors introduced neutral and central relations to formalise the concept of the rest stays the same. In this paper we abstract away from the specific definition of neutral relation given in [SPB90], through the mechanism of relational boolean algebras. This leads to the definition of implicitly central relations which are easier for the user in practical examples and facilitate the use of pre-/postcondition reasoning about truly concurrent behaviour.     

Cuticular lipids of insects: V. Cuticular wax esters of secondary alcohols from the grasshoppersMelanoplus packardii andMelanoplus sanguinipes

Wax esters of secondary alcohols constitute 18–20% of the cuticular lipid extract ofMelanoplus packardii and 26–31% of the cuticular lipids ofMelanoplus sanguinipes. The total number of carbons in the wax esters range from 37–54 with 41 predominating in both species. The fatty acids ofM. packardii wax esters are 16∶0, 18∶0, 14∶0, 20∶0 and 12∶0 in decreasing quantity. The fatty acids ofM. sanguinipes wax esters are 18∶0, 20∶0, 16∶0 22∶0, 14∶0, 19∶0 and 17∶0 in decreasing quantity. The secondary alcohols from the wax esters ofM. packardii are C₂₅, C₂₃ and C₂₇ in decreasing quantity, and the secondary alcohols of theM. sanguinipes are C₂₃, C₂₅, C₂₁, C₂₇, C₂₄, C₂₂ and C₂₆ in decreasing quantity. Each secondary alcohol consists of two to four isomers with the hydroxyl group located near the center of the chain. Montana Agriculture Experiment Station, Journal Series No. 332.     

Spatially and temporally correlated MIMO channels: modeling and capacity analysis

Wireless communication systems employing multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver have been shown to offer significant gains over single-antenna systems. Recent studies on the capacity of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) channels have focused on the effect of spatial correlation. The joint effect of spatial and temporal correlation has not been well studied. In this paper, a geometric MIMO channel model is presented, which considers motion of the receiver and nonisotropic scattering at both ends of the radio link. A joint space-time cross-correlation function is derived from this model and variates with this joint correlation are generated by using the vector autoregressive stochastic model. The outage capacity of this channel is considered where the effects of antenna spacing, antenna array angle, degree of nonisotropic scattering, and receiver motion are investigated. When n transmit and n receive antennas are employed, it is shown that the outage capacity still increases linearly with respect to n, despite the presence of spatial and temporal correlation. Furthermore, analytical expressions are derived for the ergodic capacity of a MIMO channel for the cases of spatial correlation at one end and at both ends of the radio link. The latter case does not lend itself to numerical evaluation, but the former case is shown to be accurate by comparison with simulation results. The proposed analysis is very general, as it is based on the transmit and receive antenna correlations matrices.     

Pathologic parameters in the diagnosis and prognosis of primary cutaneous melanoma

Significant progress has been made in the last 10 years on the identification of histologic parameters that are independent predictors of melanoma prognosis, immunohistochemical markers of cells of melanocytic origin and changes in adhesion molecules, cytoskeletal proteins, growth factor receptors, cell signaling, and nuclear proliferation proteins associated with tumor progression. Histologic criteria may never be completely sufficient to predict behavior accurately, because the fundamental change that renders a cell aggressive may not be morphologically reflected and may require immunohistochemical or other molecular markers to establish behavior. To date, it is humbling that no immunohistochemical or molecular marker provides a greater predictable value for aggressive behavior than does the simple calibrated ocular micrometer to measure tumor thickness. Nevertheless, development of multiple histologic parameters with the concept of nontumorigenic RGP and tumorigenic VGP provides a reliable statistical model to predict metastases. Fortunately, nontumorigenic RGP melanomas with greater than 75% regression are rare. Thus, individual patients with melanoma without regression and without the tumorigenic VGP can be given reasonable assurance of 100% survival. Nevertheless, this assurance is based on a statistical model with a finite population studied. Additional studies are needed to confirm this model, as well as more definitive markers to precisely predict outcome for those individuals with tumorigenic VGP melanoma.