Activity of two lignin biosynthesis enzymes during development of a maize internode

To ascertain the temporal relationships of phcnylpropanoid and lignin pathway enzymes, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and cinnamyl alcohol- NADPH dehydrogenase(CAD), with lignin concentration, PAL and CAD activities and lignin concentrations were assessed during progressive development of the 10th internode in maize (Zea mays L). Enzyme activities were quantified and lignin concentrations were determined by the detergent system of fiber fractiona- tion from lower, middle, and upper sections of the elongating internode harvested 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 days after the internode had reached 10 mm in length. Over 15 days, a coordinated, sequential, and basipetal pattern of enzyme activities and lignin accumulation evolved through the internode, spanning the stages of rapid elongation, cellular differentiation, and secondary cell wall formation. PAL activity was initiated first, rising to peak activity in elongating tissue, and falling basipetally in tissues as they matured. CAD activity rose in fully elongated, maturing internode tissue where PAL activity was waning following its peak activity. Lignin accumulated in tissues with high CAD activity. CAD activity and lignin deposition patterns were similar: simultaneously increasing in activity and deposition over time while activity and deposition also shifting basipetally through the internode, keeping pace with secondary cell wall formation. Lignin concentration correlated significantly with CAD, but not with PAL.     

Preparation and characterization of lanthanum silicon nitride

Lanthanum silicon nitride (LaSi₃N₅) powder has been prepared under the relatively mild conditions of 1400 ° C and 1 atm nitrogen. Chemical, X-ray diffraction, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and morphological information on this powder is presented. The X-ray diffraction data and previously published information have been used to develop a more complete specification of the unit cell dimensions.²⁹Si magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of LaSi₃N₅ show two chemical shifts at –64.5 and –56.5 p.p.m. These shifts reflect two electronically different types of silicon which have been attributed to the effects of quadrupolar¹³⁹La nuclei and their spatial arrangements around silicon atoms.     

The relationship between resources and capabilities of new ventures in emerging economies

Despite the fact that the resource-based view has drawn a great deal of attention in studying new ventures, our understanding on resource management in the emerging economies is limited and there are many unsolved issues. In this paper, theoretical reasoning approach is applied to analyze the relationship between the entrepreneurial resources and the organizational capabilities (including operating and dynamic capabilities) for new ventures. An empirical study in the context of emerging economy in China is conducted to verify the theoretical reasoning. As information technology becomes a key element for new ventures, the enterprise resources relevant to the network technology and e-commerce are especially focused, as well as the impact of information acquisition on the resource combination. The results from the theoretical and empirical study have shown that resource combination mediates the relationship of entrepreneurial resources and organizational capability. It is also found that the information acquisition affects the organizational capabilities significantly; however, there is an inverted U-shape relationship between the information acquisition and the resource combination in emerging economies .     

Development and evaluation of an intervention to reduce rip current related beach drowning

The objective of this research was to evaluate a campaign to improve beachgoer recognition of calm-looking rip currents, known to contribute to surf drowning. Posters, postcards, and brochures conveying the message “Don’t get sucked in by the rip” were distributed in an intervention area. Beachgoers were interviewed in this and a similar control area one year before and immediately after the intervention (respective response rates: 69.9% and 82.3%), Consenting respondents were sent follow-up questionnaires after approximately 6 months and 55% responded. In the intervention area, 28.8% of post-intervention, and 57.2% of follow-up respondents, had seen our campaign. At post-intervention, intervention respondents demonstrated improvement (relative to baseline) in intentions to swim away from a calm-looking rip, ability and confidence in identifying a rip, intention never to swim at unpatrolled beaches, and responses to being caught in a rip, compared to the control respondents. Similar improvements were observed post-intervention for respondents in the intervention area who had seen our campaign (relative to those who had not), and at 6 month follow-up for intervention respondents (relative to control respondents). The relatively brief print-based campaign was effective in warning beachgoers about calm-looking rips.     

An exposure based study of crash and injury rates in a cohort of transport and recreational cyclists in New South Wales,Australia

This paper examines self-reported prospectively collected data from 2038 adult transport and recreational cyclists from New South Wales (Australia) to determine exposure-based incident crash and injury rates. During 25,971 days of cycling, 198 crashes were reported, comprising approximately equal numbers of falls and collisions. The overall crash rate was 0.290 (95% CI, 0.264–0.319) per 1000 km or 6.06 (95% CI, 5.52–6.65) per 1000 h of travel. The rate of crashes causing any injury (self-treated, or medically attended without overnight hospital stay) was 0.148 (95% CI, 0.133–0.164) per 1000 km or 3.09 (95% CI, 2.79-3.43) per 1000 h of travel. The rate of crashes causing a medically attended injury (without overnight hospital stay) was 0.023 (95% CI, 0.020–0.027) per 1000 km or 0.49 (95% CI, 0.43-0.56) per 1000 h of travel. No injuries requiring an overnight stay in hospital were reported on days meeting the inclusion criteria. After adjustment for exposure in hours, or for the risks associated with different infrastructure utilisation, the rates of crashes and medically attended injuries were found to be greater for females than males, less experienced than more experienced cyclists, and for those who rode mainly for transport rather than mainly for recreation. Comparison of estimated crash and injury rates on different infrastructure types were limited by the small number of events, however findings suggest that the separation of cyclists from motorised traffic is by itself not sufficient to ensure safe cycling.     

A high-resolution CMOS time-to-digital converter utilizing aVernier delay line

This paper describes a CMOS time-to-digital converter (TDC) integrated circuit utilizing tapped delay lines. A technique that allows the achievement of high resolution with low dead-time is presented, The technique is based on a Vernier delay line (VDL) used in conjunction with an asynchronous read-out circuitry. A delay-locked loop (DLL) is used to stabilize the resolution against process variations and ambient conditions. A test circuit fabricated in a standard 0.7-μm digital CMOS process is presented. The TDC contains 128 delay stages and achieves 30-ps resolution, stabilized by the DLL, with the accuracy exceeding ±1 LSB. Test results show that even higher resolutions can be achieved using the VDL method, and resolutions down to 5 ps are demonstrated to be obtainable     

Spatiotemporal and spatial threshold models for relating UV exposures and skin cancer in the central United States

The exact mechanisms relating exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and elevated risk of skin cancer remain the subject of debate. For example, there is disagreement on whether the main risk factor is duration of the exposure, its intensity, or some combination of both. There is also uncertainty regarding the form of the dose-response curve, with many authors believing only exposures exceeding a given (but unknown) threshold are important. This paper explores methods to estimate such thresholds using hierarchical spatial logistic models based on a sample of a cohort of x-ray technologists for whom self-reports of time spent in the sun and numbers of blistering sunburns in childhood are available. A preliminary goal is to explore the temporal pattern of UV exposure and its gradient. Changes would imply that identical exposure self-reports from different calendar years may correspond to differing cancer risks.     

Social factors and compulsory detention of psychiatric patients in the U.K. The role of the approved social worker in the 1983 Mental Health Act

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is known to be a mitogenic factor for vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. In the current study, we describe possible intracellular mechanisms by which LDL elicits its mitogenic effects. Stimulation of VSMCs with LDL resulted in a pertussis-toxin (PTX)-sensitive stimulation of the 44-kDa mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (p44(mapk)) and 42-kDa MAP kinase (p42(mapk)) isoforms as well as in a PTX-sensitive increase in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). Binding of the LDL-induced increase in [Ca2+]i to the intracellular Ca2+ chelator bis(2-amino-5-methylphenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetraacetoxymethyl ester resulted in a 2-fold increase in the phosphorylated p44(mapk) and p42(mapk) isoforms but did not influence the LDL effect of VSMC DNA synthesis. PD 98059, a MAP kinase kinase inhibitor, remarkably attenuated the LDL-induced activation of MAP kinases and DNA synthesis. Treatment of normal human skin fibroblasts and human fibroblasts isolated from patients with familial hypercholesterolemia homozygote class 1 mutations, which are not able to produce the classic LDL receptor, resulted also in a PTX-sensitive increase in cell DNA synthesis and stimulation of the p44(mapk) and p42(mapk) isoforms in both cell types. These results demonstrate that the mitogenic effect of LDL is mediated by a PTX-sensitive Gi-coupled receptor that is independent of its classic receptor and involves activation of MAP kinase isoforms. Furthermore, the mitogenic effect of LDL may be mediated by the activation of the MAP kinase pathway. In contrast, the LDL-induced increase in [Ca2+]i may be implicated in this process only in conjugation with other signaling components.