Surface expression of fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36) on platelets in myeloproliferative disorders and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus: Effect on arachidonic acid uptake

Increased platelet reactivity has been implicated in the vascular complications of myeloproliferative diseases and diabetes mellitus. The mechanisms of platelet hyperresponsiveness have not been fully explained. Expression of CD36 or fatty acid translocase (FAT) and its role in arachidonic acid (AA) uptake by platelets were examined in subjects with myeloproliferative disorders(MPD), those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), and in normal, healthy, age-matched controls. Surface expression of CD36 on platelet membranes was increased in MPD (10.94 ± 0.76 pmol/mg protein) compared with normal controls (6.94 ± 0.48 pmol/mg protein), p < 0.001. Total platelet content of CD36 was also significantly higher (32.1 ± 0.61 pmol/mg protein, p < 0.01) compared with those in sex and age matched normal controls (25.7 ± 1.09 pmol/mg protein). In contrast, platelet surface expression of CD36 in NIDDM (6.5 ± 0.56 pmol/mg protein) was not significantly different from those of normal controls despite higher total content of CD36 (32.8 ± 1.2, pmol/mg protein, p < 0 .01). Intact MPD platelets bound significantly more arachidonic acid (AA) (1.53 ± 0.16 nmol/mg protein, p < 0.05), compared with controls (1.12 ± 0.07 nmol/mg protein) or NIDDM subjects (1.16 ± 0.16 nmol/mg protein). The capacity of MPD platelet membranes to bind ¹⁴C-AA was also increased (1.72 ± 0.25 nmol/ protein, p < 0.05) compared with that of controls (1.62 ± 0.05 nmol/protein) and of NIDDM (1.22 ± 0.08 nmol/protein). This is consistent with higher surface expression of CD36 in MPD platelets. Membrane fatty acid analysis indicated that the % of AA in platelet phospholipids was significantly lower in MPD (3.15 ± 0.81%) compared with the controls (5.62 ± 1.7%, p < 0.05. The AA content of diabetic platelets (4.82 ± 1.1%) was not significantly different from normal controls. In summary, both total and surface expression of CD36 are increased in MPD, consistent with an enhanced capacity for uptake of AA by platelets. Increased expression of CD36 in platelets may play a role in the vaso-occlusive manifestations of MPD.     

情绪信息的注意偏向研究

目的:考察被试对消极词和积极词在无意识状态下的注意偏向,探讨被试在无意识状态下对两类情绪词汇诱发的情绪信息所产生的注意选择与偏向问题。方法:以情绪词为材料,采用任务分离范式,考察被试在无意识状态下对情绪词汇的选择率和反应时。结果:(1)无意识注意阶段存在情绪刺激的注意偏向;(2)在选择率上,被试对积极词汇的选择要明显多于对中性词汇或消极词汇,且女性对积极词汇的选择率要明显高于男性;(3)在反应时上,被试对消极词汇的反应时要明显快于中性词汇或积极词汇。结论:该实验结果说明,带情绪信息的词汇都较中性词汇更能引起被试的注意偏向。     

Linear-time computation of minimal absent words using suffix array

Background

An absent word of a word y of length n is a word that does not occur in y. It is a minimal absent word if all its proper factors occur in y. Minimal absent words have been computed in genomes of organisms from all domains of life; their computation also provides a fast alternative for measuring approximation in sequence comparison. There exists an ??(n)-time and ??(n)-space algorithm for computing all minimal absent words on a fixed-sized alphabet based on the construction of suffix automata (Crochemore et al., 1998). No implementation of this algorithm is publicly available. There also exists an ??(n²)-time and ??(n)-space algorithm for the same problem based on the construction of suffix arrays (Pinho et al., 2009). An implementation of this algorithm was also provided by the authors and is currently the fastest available.

Results

Our contribution in this article is twofold: first, we bridge this unpleasant gap by presenting an ??(n)-time and ??(n)-space algorithm for computing all minimal absent words based on the construction of suffix arrays; and second, we provide the respective implementation of this algorithm. Experimental results, using real and synthetic data, show that this implementation outperforms the one by Pinho et al. The open-source code of our implementation is freely available at http://github.com/solonas13/maw.

Conclusions

Classical notions for sequence comparison are increasingly being replaced by other similarity measures that refer to the composition of sequences in terms of their constituent patterns. One such measure is the minimal absent words. In this article, we present a new linear-time and linear-space algorithm for the computation of minimal absent words based on the suffix array.     

Word learning and the cerebral hemispheres: from serial to parallel processing of written words

Reading familiar words differs from reading unfamiliar non-words in two ways. First, word reading is faster and more accurate than reading of unfamiliar non-words. Second, effects of letter length are reduced for words, particularly when they are presented in the right visual field in familiar formats. Two experiments are reported in which right-handed participants read aloud non-words presented briefly in their left and right visual fields before and after training on those items. The non-words were interleaved with familiar words in the naming tests. Before training, naming was slow and error prone, with marked effects of length in both visual fields. After training, fewer errors were made, naming was faster, and the effect of length was much reduced in the right visual field compared with the left. We propose that word learning creates orthographic word forms in the mid-fusiform gyrus of the left cerebral hemisphere. Those word forms allow words to access their phonological and semantic representations on a lexical basis. But orthographic word forms also interact with more posterior letter recognition systems in the middle/inferior occipital gyri, inducing more parallel processing of right visual field words than is possible for any left visual field stimulus, or for unfamiliar non-words presented in the right visual field.     

Form–meaning links in the development of visual word recognition

Learning to read takes time and it requires explicit instruction. Three decades of research has taught us a good deal about how children learn about the links between orthography and phonology during word reading development. However, we have learned less about the links that children build between orthographic form and meaning. This is surprising given that the goal of reading development must be for children to develop an orthographic system that allows meanings to be accessed quickly, reliably and efficiently from orthography. This review considers whether meaning-related information is used when children read words aloud, and asks what we know about how and when children make connections between form and meaning during the course of reading development.     

言语流畅性与双语研究

从分析双语机制对双语者言语流畅性的影响入手,探讨了言语流畅性在双语研究中的作用,并总结出该测验在运用中应注意的几个问题,旨在明了言语流畅性与双语研究两者之间的关系,从而避免双语研究中存在曲解。     

Turnaround of Axoplasmic Transport of Selected Particle-Specific Enzymes at an Injury in Control and Diisopropylphosphorofluoridate-Treated Rats

: Reversal of direction (turnaround) of axonal transport of particle specific enzyme activities was studied at a ligature placed on rat sciatic nerve. In the principal experiment, the ligature remained on the nerve in vivo several hours, allowing enzyme activities (acetylcholinesterase, acid phosphatase, and monoamine oxidase) to accumulate immediately proximal to the tie. The nerve was then tied a second time, proximal to the first tie, and incubated in vitro for several more hours. Accumulation of enzyme activities just distal to the second tie was measured. This second accumulation, of activities traveling in the retrograde direction, was shown to be the result of turnaround in several ways. (1) The increase in activity distal to the second tie was equal to the decrease in activity proximal to the first. (2) The increase in enzyme activities distal to the second tie was greatly reduced when the accumulation proximal to the first tie was trapped by placing a third tie between the first and second ties. (3) It was shown that the activity that accumulated distal to the second tie could not have been in retrograde motion at the time of the first tie. (4) Accumulation distal to the second tie was not a function of the length of nerve segment included between the two ties. In contrast to the consistent occurrence of turnaround of orthograde flow, turnaround of retrograde flow could not be demonstrated. Turnaround transport was blocked by incubation in the cold and in the presence of NaCN or vinblastine. The turnaround process operated on all three enzymes studied, suggesting that it operates on lysosomes and mitochondria, as well as on the endoplasmic reticulum-like material bearing acetylcholinesterase. Evidence for the participation of the transport process in the renewal of AChE in the distal portions of the axon was obtained in experiments using diisopropylphosphorofluoridate and cycloheximide.     

The Characterization of [3H] Adenosine Uptake into Rat Cerebral Cortical Synaptosomes

: Uptake of adenosine, a putative inhibitory transmitter or modulator, was investigated in rat cerebral cortical synaptosomes. The accumulation of [³H]adenosine into synaptosomes, using an adenosine concentration of 10 μ.m , was linear for 30 min at 37°C. The uptake appeared to be mediated by kinetically saturable processes with apparent K_m's of 1 μam (“high-affinity A”) and 5 μm (“high-affinity B”), both of which were partially sensitive to the presence of external sodium and calcium ions. Both uptake processes were partially inhibited by 2,4-dinitrophenol, implying the presence of active uptake and diffusional components. A study of the metabolites of adenosine taken up by the two uptake systems indicates that the major metabolites were adenosine and nucleotides. However, adenosine incorporated by the high-affinity A uptake system is more likely to form deaminated metabolites, such as hypoxanthine and inosine, indicating a possible functional difference between the two uptake processes. A detailed comparison of the inhibitory properties of certain adenosine analogues and other pharmacological agents has revealed differences between the two adenosine uptake systems. Since the glial contamination in synaptosomal preparations is well established, one of the uptake systems we observed in the present study might be of glial origin. This notion is supported by the findings that the K_m values and kinetic properties of papaverine action in the synaptosomal high-affinity A uptake system are similar to those of astrocytes reported in the literature. In conclusion, the uptake processes of synaptosomal preparations show that accumulation of adenosine into neuronal (and possibly glial) elements may play a major role in regulating the extracellular adenosine concentration. Uptake inhibitors, such as diazepam, may exert, at least in part, their pharmacological actions by interfering with the regulation of extracellular adenosine concentrations.     

科技英语的特点及翻译技巧

科技英语不同于其他文体,其具有客观、准确、严密、简洁、逻辑性强的特点,译者在翻译时要做到既忠实于原文,又能准确通顺地把原文意思表达出来。这不仅需要译者具有一定的外语水平、扎实的汉语语言功底,还要了解相关的专业知识及掌握一定的翻译技巧。根据科技英语的特点,从词类的转换、分译、合译几个方面来探讨科技英语的翻译方法和技巧。     

Ultrastructure of Mitosis and Cytokinesis In the Colorless Flagellate Katablepharis Ovalis Skuja

ABSTRACT. Mitosis and cytokinesis in Katablepharis ovalis , a colorless flagellate, was investigated. Two new flagella are produced prior to prophase, resulting in a motile quadriflagellate cell during mitosis. the inner array of microtubules of the feeding apparatus disappears before prophase begins. the nuclear envelope disperses during prophase, apparently being converted into rough endoplasmic reticulum. the chromatin condenses and the nucleolus disperses with spindle microtubules appearing oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cell. At metaphase, the chromatin is condensed as a single disc-shaped mass and rough endoplasmic reticulum flanks the chromatin mass on each side. Groups of spindle microtubules pass through tunnels in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and through electron-translucent areas of the chromatin. the spindle microtubules end at a number of minipoles in the cytoplasm. Vesicles, ribosomes, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum migrate among the spindle microtubules. There is no polar body or any electrondense area associated with the spindle poles. the basal bodies of the flagella remain attached to the axonemes and do not participate in mitosis. In anaphase, the chromatin separates and migrates to the poles. During telophase, the nuclear envelope reforms from the rough endoplasmic reticulum and the nucleoli reappear. the spindle microtubules are persistent during telophase. Cytokinesis occurs by longitudinal fission, starting at the anterior end and progressing posteriorly. Cytokinesis may be driven by elongation of the spindle microtubules since there is no visible structure associated with the furrowing.     

JUZBOX: A web server for extracting biomedical words from the protein sequence

The recognition of gene/protein names in literature is one of the pivotal steps in the processing of biological literatures for information extraction or data mining. We have compiled a lexicon of biomedical words (conserved patterns/ potential motifs) which has the combination of only 20 alphabets of amino acids. The remaining 6 letters of the English alphabets (B, J, O, U, X, Z) are treated as invalid amino acid characters (to our context), We have jumbled the 6 letters for the sake of usage and convenience and termed as ’JUZBOX‘ and these characters were filtered in the biomedical lexicon. Undoubtedly, the generation of biomedical words from protein sequence using JUZBOX have applications specific for functional annotation.

Availability

JUZBOX is available freely at http://www.spices.res.in/juzbox     

Knowledge and attitudes toward human cloning in Israel

Abstract

The success of mammal cloning in 1997 has brought the issue of human cloning into public discussion. Human cloning has several aspects and potential applications for use in both reproductive and non-reproductive matters. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes toward human cloning in Israel. Data from 120 respondents (68 health professionals and 52 non-health professionals), all Jewish, Hebrew speaking with at least 15 years of education each, were collected using two questionnaires that dealt with knowledge and attitudes toward human cloning. Results showed that although health professionals had significantly more knowledge than non-health professionals, all respondents had poor knowledge about cloning. No difference in attitudes was found between the groups. Most respondents opposed human cloning, but more positive attitudes toward non-reproductive cloning were found. The results are discussed in the context of the deficit model. The findings indicate a need to provide information about human cloning to allow people to form their attitudes based on factual knowledge.     

How do we use language? Shared patterns in the frequency of word use across 17 world languages

We present data from 17 languages on the frequency with which a common set of words is used in everyday language. The languages are drawn from six language families representing 65 per cent of the world's 7000 languages. Our data were collected from linguistic corpora that record frequencies of use for the 200 meanings in the widely used Swadesh fundamental vocabulary. Our interest is to assess evidence for shared patterns of language use around the world, and for the relationship of language use to rates of lexical replacement, defined as the replacement of a word by a new unrelated or non-cognate word. Frequencies of use for words in the Swadesh list range from just a few per million words of speech to 191 000 or more. The average inter-correlation among languages in the frequency of use across the 200 words is 0.73 (p < 0.0001). The first principal component of these data accounts for 70 per cent of the variance in frequency of use. Elsewhere, we have shown that frequently used words in the Indo-European languages tend to be more conserved, and that this relationship holds separately for different parts of speech. A regression model combining the principal factor loadings derived from the worldwide sample along with their part of speech predicts 46 per cent of the variance in the rates of lexical replacement in the Indo-European languages. This suggests that Indo-European lexical replacement rates might be broadly representative of worldwide rates of change. Evidence for this speculation comes from using the same factor loadings and part-of-speech categories to predict a word's position in a list of 110 words ranked from slowest to most rapidly evolving among 14 of the world's language families. This regression model accounts for 30 per cent of the variance. Our results point to a remarkable regularity in the way that human speakers use language, and hint that the words for a shared set of meanings have been slowly evolving and others more rapidly evolving throughout human history.     

1990～2000年中国昆虫学文献关键词分析

通过统计分析 1 990～ 2 0 0 0年间中国 7种期刊 1 90 5篇昆虫学文献的 71 6 4个关键词 ,明确了中国昆虫学文献关键词的构成及其年度间变化 ,从一侧面勾勒了过去 1 1年来中国昆虫学的研究动态和未来昆虫学科的发展趋势     

分布在中国贵州梵净山的黔金丝猴

Short essay, no abstract.     

STEROLS OF PORPHYRIDIUM(RHODOPHYTA)1,2

Species of the unicellular Porphyridium have been examined for their sterol content. Clones of 4 species maintained in axenic, chemically-defined culture were analyzed—these included P. sordidum Geitler, P. purpureum (Bory) Ross, P. aerugineum Geitler and P. violaceum Kormnann(P. griseum Geitler was not available to use for examination). The major sterol was 22-dehydrocholesterol in all except P. aerugineum in which there was a mixture of this sterol, cholesterol and higher sterols. Traces of C₂₈ and C₂₉ sterols were detected in most instances as well.     

Beiträge zur Torsion und Frühevolution der Gastropoden

Contributions to torsion and early evolution of the gastropods The phylogenetical model, which is presented here, is directed by trying to explain torsion of gastropods out of biomechanical conditions. It is based on morphological and functional reflexions upon the evolution of an ancestral mollusc out of an annelid-like segmented coelomate and further evolution of this to a monoplacophoran. Starting point of gastropod evolution is a high-arched monoplacophoran with serial pairs of dorsoventral muscles. There are always alternating one pair of vertically and one pair of obliquely running, crossed dorsoventral muscles. Evolution of higher arches causes a reduction of many dorsoventral muscles and a magnification of the pallial cavity. This gives place for a few pairs of massive gills instead of many serrated little monoplacophoran gills. A second consequence is a waist (“Taille”) between cephalopodium and visceral hump. It functions as an axis for at first little, with further muscle reductions greater torsional motions of the shell and the visceral hump. At last there exists only one pair of oblique and crossed dorsoventral muscles. This situation forces a fixation of the torted position, because it causes less energy consumption. There is also a lot of other advantages for the “torted gastropod”. The construction of a bilateral ancestor is the base for the evolution of recent asymmetric snails as a bundle of different phylogenetic lines.     

Finding autophagy: It’s a question of how you look at it

To tell the truth, I find it difficult to work when flying, or even when sitting in an airport for an extended period of time. So, typically I take along a book to read. And when I truly cannot concentrate, for example when a flight is considerably delayed, I have even been known to resort to word puzzles. Depending on the type, they do not require much attention (that is, you can pick up right where you left off after you glance at the flight status screen for the twentieth or so time, even though you know nothing has changed), or effort (although you need to use a pen or pencil, not a keyboard), but nonetheless they can keep your mind somewhat occupied. I even rationalize doing them based on the assumption that they are sharpening my observational/pattern-finding skills. One type of word puzzle that is particularly mindless, but for that very reason I still enjoy in the above circumstances, is a word search; you are given a grid with letters and/or numbers, and a list of “hidden” terms, and you circle them within the grid, crossing them off the list as you go along. I do admit that the categories of terms used in the typical word searches can become rather mundane (breeds of dog, types of food, words that are followed by “stone,” words associated with a famous movie star, words from a particular television show, etc.). Therefore, on one of my last seminar trips I decided to generate my own word search, using the category of autophagy.