Nature and uses of immaturity.

Considers that the progressive selection of a distinctive pattern of immaturity in primate evolution has enabled the more flexible adaptation of the human species. The most distinctive feature of that adaptation is culture-using: changing the amplifiers and transformers for man's sense organs, muscles, and reckoning posers, and changing the properties of his habitat. Characteristics of the maturing process in the human species include (a) evolution of educability and existence of fixed limits for the primate young; (b) emergence of a more flexible form of social bonding among primates accompanied by new capacity for observational learning; (c) interaction between, and effects of, the function of play and learning to use tools; and (d) instructional interaction between adults and young, especially in the symbolic meaning of language. Man's natural mode of adapting should be used to render change as intelligent and stable as possible. (103 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Twelve Hundred Seventeenth Street.

This article discusses the move of the American Psychological Association headquarters to Twelve Hundred Seventeenth Street. It also announces that on Saturday, October 16,1965, the headquarters building will be dedicated by Dr. Donald F. Hornig, Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential expression of two fibroblast growth factor-receptor genes is associated with malignant progression in human astrocytomas

Malignant astrocytomas, which are highly invasive, vascular neoplasms, compose the majority of nervous system tumors in humans. Elevated expression of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) in astrocytomas has implicated the FGF family of mitogens in the initiation and progression of astrocyte-derived tumors. In this study, we demonstrated that human astrocytomas undergo parallel changes in FGF-receptor (FGFR) expression during their progression from a benign to a malignant phenotype. FGFR type 2 (BEK) expression was abundant in normal white matter and in all low-grade astrocytomas but was not seen in malignant astrocytomas. Conversely, FGFR type 1 (FLG) expression was absent or barely detectable in normal white matter but was significantly elevated in malignant astrocytomas. Malignant astrocytomas also expressed an alternatively spliced form of FGFR-1 (FGFR-1 beta) containing two immunoglobulin-like disulfide loops, whereas normal human adult and fetal brains expressed a receptor form (FGFR-1 alpha) containing three immunoglobulin-like disulfide loops. Intermediate grades of astrocytic tumors exhibited a gradual loss of FGFR-2 and a shift in expression from FGFR-1 alpha to FGFR-1 beta as they progressed from benign to malignant phenotype. These results suggest that differential expression and alternative splicing of FGFRs may be critical in the malignant progression of astrocytic tumors.     

Effects of feeding propionibacteria to dairy cows on milk yield, milk components, and reproduction

Two weeks before parturition, 38 Holstein primiparous and multiparous cows were assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: control animals (n = 13) received regular total mixed rations (TMR), the low-dose group (n = 14) received the control TMR plus 6 x 10(10) cfu/cow of Propionibacterium strain P169 (P169), and the high-dose group (n = 11) received the control TMR plus 6 x 10(11) cfu/cow of P169 from -2 to 30 wk postpartum. Weekly milk samples were analyzed for percentage of milk fat, protein, lactose, and SNF, milk urea nitrogen, and somatic cell counts. Daily milk production expressed as 4% fat-corrected milk was affected by treatment and week x parity. High-dose and low-dose P169-treated cows exhibited 7.1 and 8.5% increases above controls in daily 4% fat-corrected milk, respectively. Treatment x parity and week significantly influenced percentage of milk fat, lactose, and protein, whereas treatment x parity and treatment x week influenced SNF. Ruminal propionate levels were influenced by treatment such that high-dose P169 cows had greater molar percentage of propionate than did low-dose P169 and control cows. Change in body weight postpartum was influenced by week x parity and treatment x parity such that high-dose and low-dose P169 multiparous cows exhibited a more rapid recovery of wk-1 body weight than did control multiparous cows. There was no treatment, parity, or interaction on days to first postpartum ovulation or on estrous behavior at 45 and 90 d postpartum. We concluded that P169 might have potential as an effective direct-fed microorganism to increase milk production in dairy cows.     

Cloning and characterization of ERG25, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene encoding C-4 sterol methyl oxidase

We have cloned the Saccharomyces cerevisiae C-4 sterol methyl oxidase ERG25 gene. The sterol methyl oxidase performs the first of three enzymic steps required to remove the two C-4 methyl groups leading to cholesterol (animal), ergosterol (fungal), and stigmasterol (plant) biosynthesis. An ergosterol auxotroph, erg25, which fails to demethylate and concomitantly accumulates 4,4-dimethylzy-mosterol, was isolated after mutagenesis. A complementing clone consisting of a 1.35-kb Dra I fragment encoded a 309-amino acid polypeptide (calculated molecular mass, 36.48 kDa). The amino acid sequence shows a C-terminal endoplasmic reticulum retrieval signal KKXX and three histidine-rich clusters found in eukaryotic membrane desaturases and in a bacterial alkane hydroxylase and xylene monooxygenase. The sterol profile of an ERG25 disruptant was consistent with the erg25 allele obtained by mutagenesis.     

Business process management: survey and methodology

Due to the growing concern about the competitiveness of US industry in the international marketplace, several initiatives are now underway to enhance the competitive posture of the nation's firms. Many companies are engaged in assessing ways in which their productivity, product quality, and operations can be improved. A relatively new area of such improvements is business process management (BPM). BPM can be any structured approach used to analyze and continually improve fundamental activities, such as manufacturing, marketing, communications, and other major elements of a company's operation. This paper describes a generic step-by-step method for BPM which encompasses methods employed in industry from incremental improvements to reengineering. To better understand BPM, the authors have conducted a survey of major US companies on their approaches to process quality assessment. This report summarizes the findings of the survey and work with a number of leading companies, and may be useful to quality managers and others involved in total quality management, continuous improvement, or reengineering efforts. Due to the interest in BPM, a number of methods and tools, including software, have been used or developed to aid in its implementation. The authors relate some of these methods and tools to the individual steps of the generic BPM method