On the spider population of the area adjacent to Teletskoe Lake (Northeast Altai)

Investigations have been carried out in the area adjacent to Teletskoe Lake in the Altai Nature Reserve. Checklists of species for the studied habitats and their comparative analysis are given. Previous data on the fauna of spiders in the Altai Nature Reserve have been supplemented by 39 species. Three species have been recorded for the first time in the fauna of the Altai Mountains. The complexes of dominant species have been revealed. Peculiarities of the seasonal dynamics of the population for order as a whole and for separate herpetobiont spiders groups have been considered.     

Development of a gas chromatography mass spectrometry assay for the two eosinophil chemotactic factors of anaphylaxis

Gas chromatography mass spectrometry has been used for over a decade for the determination of the amino acid sequences of fragment peptides derived from larger parent molecules. The majority of these fragments have from four to seven residues and several different methods of derivatization have been devised. Few reports have been published in which similar techniques have been used for the quantification of such peptides, but there is a growing list of small peptides which have been shown to have biological activity in their own right. This report is concerned with the development of a gas chromatographic mass spectrometric assay for the two eosinophil chemotactic peptides, Val-Gly-Ser-Glu and Ala-Gly-Ser-Glu, which appear to have a role to play in the course of the inflammatory process in skin disorders.     

The white race is shrinking: Perceptions of race in Canada and some speculations on the political economy of race classification

Movements for the recognition and official establishment of particular languages in India, among the many hundreds that have been identified and classified by linguists, grammarians, and census takers, have been prominent and recurring features of politics in the subcontinent for a century-and-a-half. These movements have invariably been competitive in character, demanding preference for one, and displacement of other, actual or potential rivals. Further, they have sometimes been associated with hostile and venomous characterizations of both a rival language and its speakers, leading to intercommunal/interethnic violence. Despite the turbulent history of such movements in modern India, viable compromises have been reached concerning the status of the multiplicity of Indian languages and their hierarchical ordering for various purposes. These compromises, however, have profound consequences for the life chances, including the empowerment and disempowerment, of all India’s citizens. These consequences have only recently begun to attract scholarly attention.     

Phage display in pharmaceutical biotechnology

Over the past year, methods for the construction of M13 phage-display libraries have been significantly improved and new display formats have been developed. Phage-displayed peptide libraries have been used to isolate specific ligands for numerous protein targets. New phage antibody libraries have further expanded the practical applications of the technology and phage cDNA libraries have proven useful in defining natural binding interactions. In addition, phage-display methods have been developed for the rapid determination of binding energetics at protein-protein interfaces.     

Heparan sulfate proteoglycan modulation of developmental signaling in Drosophila

Heparan sulphate proteoglycans (HSPG's) are cell surface proteins to which long, unbranched chains of modified sugars called heparan sulphate glycosaminoglycans have been covalently attached. Cell culture studies have demonstrated that HSPG's are required for optimal signal transduction by many secreted cell signaling molecules. Now, genetic studies in both Drosophila and vertebrates have illustrated that HSPG's play important roles in signal transduction in vivo and have also begun to reveal new roles for HSPG's in signaling events. In particular, HSPG's have been shown to be important in ligand sequestration of wingless, for the transport of the Hedgehog ligand, and for modulation of the Dpp morphogenetic gradient.     

Lentiviral and MLV based retroviral vectors for ex vivo and in vivo gene transfer

Retroviral vectors have become an important tool for gene transfer in vitro and in vivo. Classical Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV) based retroviral vectors have been used for over 20 years to transfer genes into dividing cells. Cell lines for production of retroviral vectors have become commonly available and modifications in retroviral vector design and use of envelope proteins have made the production of high titer, helper-free, infectious virus stocks relatively easy. More recently, lentiviral vectors, another class of retroviruses, have been modified for in vitro and in vivo gene transfer. The ability of lentiviral vectors to transduce non-dividing cells has made them especially attractive for in vivo gene transfer into differentiated, non-dividing tissues. Several improvements in helper plasmids and vectors have made lentivirus a safe vector system for ex vivo and in vivo gene transfer. This review will briefly summarize the background of these vector systems and provide some common protocols available for the preparation of MLV based retroviral vectors and HIV-1 based lentiviral vectors.     

Have we found the tip link,transduction channel,and gating spring of the hair cell?

Recent reports have offered candidates for key components of the apparatus used for mechanotransduction in hair cells. TRPA1 and cadherin 23 have been proposed to be the transduction channel and component of the tip link, respectively; moreover, ankyrin repeats in TRPA1 have been proposed to be the gating spring. Although these are excellent candidates for the three components, definitive experiments supporting each identification have yet to be performed.     

Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori

The different invasive and noninvasive diagnostic tests for Helicobacter pylori have been applied mainly in emerging countries. Molecular methods have been developed, especially a test for detection of H. pylori and its clarithromycin resistance directly from stools. The long-term effects of eradication on histologic lesions have been studied in a meta-analysis and the prognostic value of post-treatment in gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma has been assessed. An operating link for gastritis assessment (the OLGA staging) has also been published. Attempts to simplify the urea breath test protocol have been made, and new stool antigen tests have been proposed and compared to those previously available.     

Phenylketonuria due to phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency: an unfolding story. Medical Research Council Working Party on Phenylketonuria.

Efficient neonatal screening for phenylketonuria and the availability of complex diets for lifelong use have virtually eliminated severe mental handicap from the disease. Nevertheless, there remains a high risk of fetal damage in offspring of women with the disease, and the possibility that the diets themselves may be harmful cannot be excluded. Search for a preventive treatment for the disease has been greatly aided by advances in molecular genetics. For example, in mice modified liver cells have been implanted, which have not only corrected the phenylalanine defect but have remained healthy for the normal life span of the animal. Overall, however, prevention and treatment have not progressed as quickly as was hoped, and research and development must be pursued vigorously to take account of contemporary perceptions of the disorder.     

Anisotropic analysis of bone — Some two-dimensional problems

The solutions of the two-dimensional problems of concentrated forces, double forces and stresses due to a pressurized cavity in bone have been reported, treating bone as an anisotropic material. Using analytic functions of several complex variables, and starting from Lekhnitskii's solution for a concentrated force in an infinite plane, expressions for stresses for various cases have been obtained. Numerical results of stress distributions for various material axis orientations have been presented and compared with isotropy. The stress distributions for double forces in a semi-infinite plane, for various degrees of anisotropy, have also been included.     

Have biopesticides come of age?

Biopesticides based on living microbes and their bioactive compounds have been researched and promoted as replacements for synthetic pesticides for many years. However, lack of efficacy, inconsistent field performance and high cost have generally relegated them to niche products. Recently, technological advances and major changes in the external environment have positively altered the outlook for biopesticides. Significant increases in market penetration have been made, but biopesticides still only make up a small percentage of pest control products. Progress in the areas of activity spectra, delivery options, persistence of effect and implementation have contributed to the increasing use of biopesticides, but technologies that are truly transformational and result in significant uptake are still lacking.     

Maintenance management and eradication of established aquatic invaders

Although freshwater invasions have not been targeted for maintenance management or eradication as often as terrestrial invasions have, attempts to do so are frequent. Failures as well as successes abound, but several methods have been improved and new approaches are on the horizon. Many freshwater fish and plant invaders have been eliminated, especially by chemical and physical methods for fishes and herbicides for plants. Efforts to maintain invasive freshwater fishes at low levels have sometimes succeeded, although continuing the effort has proven challenging. By contrast, successful maintenance management of invasive freshwater plants is uncommon, although populations of several species have been managed by biological control. Invasive crayfish populations have rarely been controlled for long. Marine invasions have proven far less tractable than those in fresh water, with a few striking eradications of species detected before they had spread widely, and no marine invasions have been substantially managed for long at low levels. The rapid development of technologies based on genetics has engendered excitement about possibly eradicating or controlling terrestrial invaders, and such technologies may also prove useful for certain aquatic invaders. Methods of particular interest, alone or in various combinations, are gene-silencing, RNA-guided gene drives, and the use of transgenes.

     

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and cardiovascular disease risk factors

Numerous epidemiological and controlled interventional trials have supported the health benefits of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in the form of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) plus eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) from fish and fish oils as well as from algal sources. The beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease and related mortality including various risk factors for cardiovascular disease (particularly lowering circulating triglyceride levels and the triglyceride:HDL-cholesterol ratio) have been observed in the absence of any concomitant blood cholesterol lowering. With appropriate dosages, consistent reductions in both fasting and postprandial triglyceride levels and moderate increases in fasting HDL-cholesterol levels have been observed with algal DHA in the majority of trials. These results are similar to findings for fish oils containing DHA and EPA. Related to greater fish intake, higher levels of DHA in circulating blood biomarkers (such as serum phospholipid) have been associated with reduced risks for the progression of coronary atherosclerosis and lowered risk from sudden cardiac death. Controlled clinical trials have also indicated the potential for algal DHA supplementation to have moderate beneficial effects on other cardiovascular disease risk factors including blood pressures and resting heart rates. Recommended intakes of DHA+EPA from numerous international groups for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease have been forthcoming, although most have not offered specific recommendations for the optimal individual intake of DHA and EPA.     

A note on "effects of couple stresses on the blood flow through an artery with mild stenosis"

Some errors have been observed in the analytical expression for the resistance to flow (lambda R), and in the computation of shear stress distribution (tau R) in the analysis of Prawal Sinha and Chandan Singh (1). These errors have been rectified in the present analysis. Also, better values have been suggested for the couple stress parameter alpha for getting better results for lambda R and tau R.     

Biomass estimation of orange roughy: a summary and evaluation of techniques for measuring stock size of a deep-water fish species in New Zealand

A number of techniques have been employed to measure biomass of orange roughy in New Zealand. Time series of stratified random trawl surveys in a number of areas over periods of 5–10 years have given relative abundance indices, which have been used in stock reduction analyses to estimate true biomass. This has given confident results for the Chatham Rise stock, and surveys have also shown strong trends in other regions. Acoustic surveys have been carried out on three grounds. They can give relative indices of orange roughy abundance in areas of fiat or medium sloping bottom, and have the potential for estimation of absolute biomass from a single survey. Egg production surveys have been employed on two grounds on the east coast of the North Island, where conditions of tight spawning aggregations and steep bottom topography have limited the success of other methods. Both daily fecundity reduction and annual egg production methods have been used. These have given estimates of true biomass from one-off surveys, although results are imprecise. Both unstandardized and standardized analyses of commercial catch-per-unit-effort data have given relative indices of abundance, which have formed an important part of stock assessment for several fisheries. No single technique used to measure the size of orange roughy stocks has proven ideal or appropriate in all New Zealand situations. All have advantages and disadvantages, depending on the characteristics of the fishing area and fish behaviour. For two areas, a combination of methods have been applied, which has given more confident results than those from a single technique.     

Models for protocellular photophosphorylation

Several photoreactions for transducing light energy have been analyzed for their relevance as models for protocellular photophosphorylation. Inorganic ions and compounds could have played a role in protocellular photophosphorylation. Organic catalysts may have been the next significant agents used by protocells for photophosphorylation. Membranous photophosphorylation probably became the most recent type of photoenergy transduction to be acquired by protocells; it is still used by modern cells although components of the other types of phosphorylation are found in present day cells. Recorded yields of energy-rich phosphates from the model reactions discussed are small. Arguments are advanced that such yields could have been sufficient to have fueled protocellular metabolism which was probably very slow compared to modern cellular metabolism. Future prospects for research in this area are discussed.     

Examination of the computed molecular properties of compounds selected for clinical development

We have conducted a systematic evaluation of the calculated molecular properties of compounds in clinical development and have found that the development process selects for compounds that have certain computed physical properties. In particular, as the stage of development progresses, compounds that are advanced have lower calculated octanollwater partition coefficient (ClogP), polar surface area, and molecular weight. The findings of this study provide guidance for combinatorial library design and lead selection, which may enhance the chance for ultimate success in lead optimization.     

Host defense mechanisms of cephalopods

Humoral and cellular mechanisms of defense have been described for cephalopods, a relatively advanced group of mollusks. Typical of other mollusks, cephalopod agglutinins are the most documented component of humoral immunity. Lectins, which have agglutinating properties, have been described and characterized from octopuses. Agglutinins from cephalopod hemolymph have also been shown to agglutinate a variety of vertebrate red blood cells, as well as potential bacterial pathogens. Hemocytes are the primary component of cellular immunity. Although the hemocyte role in phagocytosis has been extensively studied in other mollusks, the mechanisms of phagocytosis have not been described extensively for cephalopods. Cephalopod hemocytes have phagocytic capabilities and may function in encapsulation and neutralization of foreign substances; however, the effects of environmental factors and the full extent of phagocytic capabilities of cephalopod hemocytes have not been reported. Hemocytes from cephalopods have a role in wound healing and inflammation which have been reported in detail by several investigators.     

Incorporation of flexibility into rigid-body docking: applications in rounds 3-5 of CAPRI

We have submitted models for all 9 targets in Rounds 3-5 of CAPRI and have predicted at least 30% of the correct contacts for 4 of the targets and at least 10% of the correct contacts for another 4 targets. We have employed a variety of techniques but have had the greatest success by combining established rigid-body docking with a variety of initial conformations generated by molecular dynamics.