Increased expression of peripheral benzodiazepine receptors in the facial nucleus following motor neuron axotomy

Peripheral benzodiazepine receptors (PBRs) are expressed in a variety of tissues but are normally found at low levels in the brain. Following various types of nerve injury, a reactive gliosis results that exhibits a high expression of this receptor. To further characterize the expression of PBRs following neuronal injury, we evaluated PBR expression in the facial nucleus following facial nerve axotomy (FNA). Injury to a peripheral nerve results in a complex series of metabolic and morphological changes around the injured neuron. Transections of the facial nerve results in a rapid activation of both astrocytes and microglia around axotomized motor neurons. FNA resulted in an increase in the staining for both astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein) and activated microglia (OX42). There was also a reduction in synaptic contacts with the motor nucleus as evidenced by reduced staining for the synaptic marker, synaptophysin. In sections labeled with [3H]-PK11195, the subsequent autoradiograms displayed marked increases in the labeling for PBRs. This increase was observed at 5, 7 and 10 days after nerve transection. The increase was primarily in the level of expression (Bmax), with no change in the affinity of the ligand (Kd). The increase in PBR expression after FNA supports the hypothesis that PBRs can be used as a sensitive marker for CNS injury.     

Cost-benefit analysis of power system reliability: two utility casestudies

There is an emerging recognition that utility investments and other decisions that affect electric service reliability should be explicitly evaluated on the basis of their cost and benefit implications. A cost-benefit approach that quantifies the reliability benefits of alternatives in terms of the reduction in costs resulting from unserved energy enables the evaluation of generation and transmission capacity additions on a consistent, economic basis. This approach has been applied to two utility case studies. In a case study for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, it was used to evaluate three options for maintaining reliability in a major load center-two involving local generation, and the third, a new 230 kV transmission connection. In a case study for Duke Power Company, the approach was used to evaluate alternative designs for proposed additions to a transmission station. This paper describes the methodology and presents the two utility studies     

Normalization and Deconfliction

In last month’s column we started the correlation process. This early work simply looked at individual pieces of evidence as they might relate to other pieces of evidence. However, there are some potential pitfalls if we stop here. First, digital evidence can be ambiguous. In other words, we can see the same event reported by various sources in various ways. Are we really looking at the same event, or are we looking at different ones? The second issue is that events may be reported in unusual ways leading the analyst to believe that the event occurred multiple times when, in fact, it did not. We need processes to analyze all the events that are reported and to help us to understand the actual data that we are seeing. Fortunately, we actually have two: normalization and deconfliction. Those two processes will be the topics of this month’s offering.     

The Impact of Lightstruck and Stale Character in Beers on their Perceived Quality: A Consumer Study

The relative liking or disliking that beer drinkers have for characteristics generally regarded as off‐flavours by brewers, namely lightstruck and stale, has been explored in a consumer trial where products are presented branded and unbranded. Drinkers display a significant preference for fresh over lightstruck product, irrespective of branding. By contrast, drinkers seemed to be less clear about their liking or otherwise for stale character, although in this case they clearly prefer the branded product over the unbranded product when the beers are fresh and vice‐versa when the beer is aged. A stale version of a beer that consumers are familiar with fails to meet expectations for that product. Significant numbers of drinkers do declare a liking for lightstruck and aged character.     

Plastic changes in the cholinergic innervation of the rat cerebral cortex after unilateral lesion of the nucleus basalis with alpha-amino-3-OH-4-isoxozole propionic acid (AMPA): effects of basal forebrain transplants into neocortex

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, different methods to control the quality of analyses have been in use. The advent of modern analytical instruments has prompted the need for such controls. In a modern clinical chemistry laboratory, quality control is an important tool to maintain the high predictive value of the methods in use. In this article the most important aspects of quality control are outlined. For further study, I recommend the references listed at the end of this article.     

A 200 MHz CMOS Q-enhanced LC bandpass filter

This paper presents design techniques and performance bounds for implementing Q-enhanced, LC bandpass filters in silicon IC technologies. These filters offer significant advantages over switched capacitor and Gm-C based designs, including higher frequency of operation and lower power consumption for a given dynamic range. A prototype 200 MHz, fourth-order filter implemented in a 2 μm n-well CMOS process is described, and measured performance is compared with theoretical predictions. The prototype filter operates at a selectivity Q of 100 and draws less than 8 mA when operating from 3 to 5 V supplies, making it potentially suitable for use as a first IF filter in modern cellular and PCS receivers     

Centre-tapped spiral inductors for monolithic bandpass filters

A centre-tapped spiral inductor is proposed for use in fully balanced monolithic bandpass filters. The design consumes only 63% of the area required by two traditional spirals and delivers a common-mode rejection ratio approaching 40 dB. Moreover, the self-resonance frequency is twice that of a traditional grounded spiral of the same inductance value. Enabling higher reactances and Q-values to be achieved     

Cytoplasmic mRNA for human triosephosphate isomerase is immune to nonsense-mediated decay despite forming polysomes

Nonsense codons between position 14 within the first exon and position 193 within the penultimate exon of the human gene for triosephosphate isomerase reduce mRNA abundance to 25% of normal. The reduction in abundance is due to the decay of newly synthesized mRNA that copurifies with nuclei. TPI mRNA that copurifies with cytoplasm is immune to decay. We show here that immunity is not due to the failure of nonsense-containing mRNA to form polysomes. This finding indicates that cytoplasmic mRNA, in contrast to nucleus-associated mRNA, may have lost one or more factors that are required for nonsense-mediated decay or gained one or more factors that confer immunity to nonsense-mediated decay.     

Designing DSS (decision support systems) and EIS (executive information systems) applications to fit executive user needs

The effectiveness of executive information systems and decision support rests on the level of understanding, commitment and use that top management devotes to the system. The author describes new technologies that help promote executive commitment to DSS/EIS.