Parental bonding and mental health in adolescence

Attachment between parent and child plays a crucial role in the healthy development of the child. Accordingly disturbances in parental bonding will be linked with the development of mental disorders later in life. The present study examines the relationship between parental bonding and mental health in healthy adolescents. Participants were 847 Israeli high school students who completed the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the General Well-Being (GWB), the Perceived Social Support (PSS), and the Social Desirability scale (SDS). In general, Israeli adolescents reported more parental care and less control than did Australian adolescents and adults. Female subjects reported more maternal care than did males. Subjects who reported high care and low control (optimal bonding) reported less distress, better general well-being and better social support that did all other groups. In contrast, those who reported low care and high control (affectionless control bonding) had the highest BSI scores and the lowest GWB and PSS scores. These results are in line with Bowlby's theory of attachment. They also show that specific configuration of parental bonding are linked with distress and isolation in adolescents.     

Integrated-optic device for a fibre laser Doppler velocimeter

We first demonstrate an integrated-optic device for a fibre laser Doppler velocimeter, which consists of a waveguide interferometer and a frequency shifter in z-propagation Ti-diffused LiNbO3. The device is also pigtailed with a single-mode fibre to pick up a Doppler-shifted signal. Using the fabricated device, the velocity of a moving object was successfully heterodyne-detected with a signal/noise ratio of 30dB.     

High density lipoprotein conversion mediated by human plasma phospholipid transfer protein

Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) was purified from lipoprotein-free human plasma, obtained upon treatment of plasma with dextran sulfate and Ca2+, by employing a series of column chromatography. Upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the purified PLTP showed a single main band, corresponding to the molecular mass of 78 kDa. However, isoelectric focusing of the purified preparation gave multiple bands with pI ranging from 4.3 to 5.1, indicative of microheterogeneity. Purified PLTP was shown to possess not only phospholipid transfer activity, but also high density lipoprotein (HDL) conversion activity (Tu, A.-Y., Nishida, H. I., and Nishida, T. (1990), FASEB J. 4, A2148; Jauhiainen, M., Metso, J., Pahlman, R., Blomqvist, S., van Tol, A., and Ehnholm, C. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 4032-4036). Isolated HDL3 was enlarged to the size of HDL2b upon incubation with purified PLTP for 6 h at 37 degrees C at the PLTP/HDL3 molar ratio of approximately 1:45. Both the HDL conversion and the phosphatidylcholine transfer activities of purified PLTP were effectively inhibited by rabbit anti-PLTP immunoglobulin G. The primary importance of PLTP in the HDL enlargement that occurs in human plasma upon incubation at 37 degrees C was shown by the strong inhibitory effect of the anti-PLTP immunoglobulin G. The process of PLTP-mediated HDL enlargement was accompanied by the release of apoproteins, primarily apoA-I. HDL3 enlargement mediated by PLTP was effectively inhibited by the addition of free fatty acids.     

Study of correlations in DNA sequences

We present a method for unified statistical analysis of short and long range correlations between various nucleotides in genomic DNA strands. The approach is based on the mutual study of Fourier structure factor spectra and pair correlation functions. The analysis of cross correlations in the different ranges of structural spectra permits identification of the main sources of correlations, namely, the coherent point mutations, coincident periodicities or large scale density variations. The technique for assessment of structural coupling between various genes in the genome is also described.     

Activation of thymic B cells by signals of CD40 molecules plus interleukin-10

We have previously found that thymic B cells, particularly thymic CD5+ B cells, show low responsiveness to the usual B cell stimulants such as lipopolysaccharide or anti-IgM plus interleukin (IL)-4, although they proliferate and produce antibodies after direct interaction with major histocompatibility complex class II-restricted T blasts. These findings raise the possibility that a CD40-CD40 ligand (L) interaction is involved in the activation of thymic B cells. In the present study, we therefore examine this possibility using CD40L-transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells or anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody (mAb). When B cells in the spleen and peritoneal cavity were stimulated, they proliferated and produced immunoglobulin (Ig) in the presence of CD40L-CHO cells or anti-CD40 mAb alone. However, another signal delivered by IL-10 in addition to CD40L-CHO cells or anti-CD40 mAb was found to be necessary for thymic B cells to proliferate and secrete Ig. Other interleukins acting on B cells, such as IL-4, IL-5, and IL-6, had no effect on the activation of thymic B cells, which thus have unique characteristics not found in peripheral B cells. This report discusses the physiological significance of IL-10- and CD40-driven signals in the activation of thymic B cells.     

Electrochemical noise analysis for estimation of corrosion rate of carbon steel in bicarbonate solution

We have investigated the electrochemical noise behavior of carbon steel in fully deaerated aqueous bicarbonate solutions, and discussed the optimum conditions of the noise analysis for estimating corrosion rate of the steel. Noise of the potential difference and of the short-circuit current between two identical steel coupons were successfully measured. The time-series noise patterns were transformed into frequency domain by fast Fourier transformation, and then their power spectrum densities (PSDs) at a frequency were determined to be compared with the corrosion rate. The PSDs of the potential and of the current varied with changing environmental factors of bicarbonate concentration, pH, and immersion time. The factors also controlled the corrosion rate of the steel. The PSDs were associated with the corrosion rate, and then it was found that the PSDs of the potential and of the current showed linear correlation with the corrosion rate in log-log scale. There was also linear relationship between the corrosion rate and a spectral noise resistance obtained from the PSDs of the potential and the current. The linearities of the three correlations were better at a lower analyzed frequency. Furthermore, the PSDs of the current and the noise resistance indicated more linear correlation with the corrosion rate than that of the potential. As the simplicity of the measurement system is additionally considered, it is concluded that the PSD of the current noise at an analyzed frequency of 3 mHz is the optimum conditions for estimating the corrosion rate from 10⁻² to 10⁰ A m⁻² in this study.