蕲州地区的蕲艾、青蒿、黄花蒿与茵陈的考订

<正> 蕲州是我国中药材主要产地之一,是湖北省蕲春县的一个集镇,,是我国中医药大师李时珍的家乡。该地区生长的菊科蒿属植物Artemisia Linn。颇多,其中入药的有十余种,并在李时珍《本草纲目》中曾有记载。这里仅对该地区常见入药的蕲艾、青蒿、黄花蒿与茵陈结合《本草纲目》记载的材料作初步的考订。     

Chinchilla "big" and "little" gastrins

Gastrin heptadecapeptides (gastrins I and II which differ in the presence of sulfate on the tyrosine of the latter) have been purified and sequenced from several mammalian species including pig, dog, cat, sheep, cow, human and rat. A 34 amino acid precursor ("big" gastrin), generally accounting for only 5% of total gastrin immunoreactivity, has been purified and sequenced only from the pig, human, dog and goat. Recently we have demonstrated that guinea pig (GP) "little" gastrin is a hexadecapeptide due to a deletion of a glutamic acid in the region 6-9 from its NH2-terminus and that GP "big" gastrin is a 33 amino acid peptide. The chinchilla, like the GP, is a New World hystricomorph. This report describes the extraction and purification of "little" and "big" gastrins from 31 chinchilla antra. Chinchilla "little" gastrin is a hexadecapeptide with a sequence identical to that of the GP and its "big" gastrin is a 33 amino acid peptide with the following sequence: (See text)     

"Competence" progress

Zwang et al. (2011) have identified outputs of two EGF pulses that commit cells to cycle. The first induces components for lipid biosynthesis and sets up an inhibitory latch through p53. The second works through ERK to EGR1 and releases the latch to promote restriction point traverse.     

Orienting reflex: "targeting reaction" and "searchlight of attention"

The concept of orienting reflex based on the principle of vector coding of cognitive and executive processes is proposed. The orienting reflex to non-signal and signal stimuli is a set of orienting reactions: motor, autonomic, neuronal, and subjective emphasizing new and significant stimuli. Two basic mechanisms can be identified within the orienting reflex: a "targeting reaction" and a "searchlight of attention". In the visual system the first one consists in a foveation of a target stimulus. The foveation is performed with participation of premotor neurons excited by saccadic command neurons of the superior colliculi. The "searchlight of attention" is based on the resonance of gamma-oscillations in the reticular thalamus selectively enhancing responses of cortical neurons (involuntary attention). The novelty signal is generated in novelty neurons of the hippocampus, which are selectively tuned to a repeatedly presented standard stimulus. The selective tuning is caused by the depression of plastic synapses representing a "neuronal model" of the standard stimulus. A mismatch of the novel stimulus with the established neuronal model gives rise to a "novelty signal" enhancing the novel input. The novelty signal inhibits current conditioned reflexes (external inhibition) contributing to redirecting the behavior. By triggering the expression of early genes the novelty signal initiates the formation of the long-term memory connected with neoneurogenesis.     

"Light" and "dark" pinealocytes of the porcine pineal gland

Both qualitative and quantitative comparative studies of "dark" and "light" pinealocytes of the porcine pineal gland have been carried out. These cells differ from each other in their electronic density of cytoplasm, shape of nucleus, the structure of membrane bound dense bodies and the number of microtubules and smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The membrane bound dense bodies--characteristic structures of pig pinealocytes as well dense core vesicles occur in both types of cells. The relative volume of the majority of the cells' organellae apart from the Golgi apparatus, also do not show any significant difference. The results obtained support a functional basis for pinealocyte differentiation in the porcine pineal gland.     

"I" becomes "L": modification of vertical mammaplasty

The problems of the vertical mammaplasty by Lejour (i.e., gathering the skin envelope in one vertical suture, frequent secondary healing problems, and later sagging of the inferior glandular part in the case of large and very large breasts) are well known. A simple modification of the Lejour technique, that is, adding a lateral inframammary scar to shorten the vertical scar length, is presented. The modified L technique was used in 45 patients (90 breasts) between October of 1999 and August of 2001. With an average follow-up of 13 months, the jugular notch-to-nipple distance was 21 cm, the vertical scar length was 8.4 cm, the lateral inframammary scar length was 11 cm, and the average resection weight was 625 g per breast (range, 200 g to 2080 g). Even among patients who had very large glandular bases and resection weights it was possible to achieve a breast base reduction, modeling the glandular corpus to a harmonic, well-projecting, and youthful shape. Slight wound-healing problems with spontaneous cicatrization within 2 weeks occurred in six patients. In two patients who exhibited gigantomastia up to 2080 g per breast, partial mamilla necrosis occurred on one side. Ninety-one percent of the patients reported being "very satisfied" with the outcome, and 9 percent reporting being "satisfied." The authors' modification of the vertical mammaplasty to an L-shaped scar technique enables the surgeon to apply the principles of the Lejour technique for higher resection weights and diminishes wound-healing problems, and it is still a scar-minimizing technique that results in a scar-free cleavage. It is easy to learn and an ideal standard technique for a teaching hospital.     

"Ant" and "grasshopper" life-history strategies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

From the evolutionary and ecological points of view, it is essential to distinguish between the genetic and environmental components of the variability of life-history traits and of their trade-offs. Among the factors affecting this variability, the resource uptake rate deserves particular attention, because it depends on both the environment and the genetic background of the individuals. In order to unravel the bases of the life-history strategies in yeast, we grew a collection of twelve strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from different industrial and geographical origins in three culture media differing for their glucose content. Using a population dynamics model to fit the change of population size over time, we estimated the intrinsic growth rate (r), the carrying capacity (K), the mean cell size and the glucose consumption rate per cell. The life-history traits, as well as the glucose consumption rate, displayed large genetic and plastic variability and genetic-by-environment interactions. Within each medium, growth rate and carrying capacity were not correlated, but a marked trade-off between these traits was observed over the media, with high K and low r in the glucose rich medium and low K and high r in the other media. The cell size was tightly negatively correlated to carrying capacity in all conditions. The resource consumption rate appeared to be a clear-cut determinant of both the carrying capacity and the cell size in all media, since it accounted for 37% to 84% of the variation of those traits. In a given medium, the strains that consume glucose at high rate have large cell size and low carrying capacity, while the strains that consume glucose at low rate have small cell size but high carrying capacity. These two contrasted behaviors may be metaphorically defined as "ant" and "grasshopper" strategies of resource utilization. Interestingly, a strain may be "ant" in one medium and "grasshopper" in another. These life-history strategies are discussed with regards to yeast physiology, and in an evolutionary perspective.     

THE POWER OF THE " A" -" NOT A" METHOD

The " A" - " Not A" method is a rating method with two categories. It is often treated as a discrimination method. Unlike forced choice procedures, the Thurstonian model for this method involves a choice criterion. In statistical tests, it is treated as a comparison of two proportions. In this paper, the power for hypothesis tests involving the monadic and replicated monadic " A" - " Not A" method is discussed. The power functions and the sample sizes needed for 80% power are given based on Thurstone's δ. Designs with equal and unequal allocations for A and A (Not A) samples are considered. The power of the method is also compared with that of four forced choice methods under the assumption that the perceptual variance is identical among methods. The comparison shows that, in general, the power for the five methods ranks from high to low: the 3-AFC, 2-AFC, " A" - " Not A", triangular and duo-trio. The comparison also shows that, based on the same number of panelists and/or the same sample size for the A and A⁻ samples for the methods, if the panelists are not too discrepant and the choice criterion in the " A" - " Not A" method is not too strict or too lax, the power of the " A" - " Not A" method is very close to that of the 2-AFC method.     

Short electric-field pulses convert DNA from "condensed" to "free" conformation

Electric-field pulses of e.g. 20 kV/cm and 100 μs induce a strong decrease in the scattered light intensity of DNA condensed by spermine. Analysis of this effect demonstrates that the decrease of the scattered light intensity results from decondensation of DNA. The decondensation reaction requires an electric-field strength exceeding a threshold value. Complete decondensation can be achieved at field strength that are only slightly higher than the threshold value. The decondensation process is strongly accelerated at high electric-field strengths. At 30 kV/cm, the decondensation time constant is ～8 μs, corresponding to an acceleation factor of 10⁵ relative to the field-free decondensation reaction. The dependence of the time constants on the electric-field strength suggests that the field-induced decondensation is due to a dissociation field effect. The condensation process observed after electric-field pulses at low concentrations of DNA and spermine shows a characteristic induction period, which strongly depends on the spermine concentration. This induction period reflects the time required for the binding of spermine to DNA, until the degree of binding is sufficiently high for the condensation reaction. The fast dissociation of condensed DNA by electric-field pulses together with a relatively long lifetime of the free DNA results in a reaction cycle resembling a hysteresis loop.     

"Epidemic" vs "epidemiological": linguistic aspects of epidemiological terminology

The meaning of the terms "epidemic" and "epidemiological" used in a medical discourse have been analyzed; differential signs have been found by the method of linguistic analysis, making it possible to avoid unjustified interchanges of these terms.     

A "glyconutrient sham"

The discipline of glycobiology contributes to our understanding of human health and disease through research, most of which is published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Recently, legitimate discoveries in glycobiology have been used as marketing tools to help sell plant extracts termed "glyconutrients." The glyconutrient industry has a worldwide sales force of over half a million people and sells nearly half a billion dollars (USD) of products annually. Here we address the relationship between glyconutrients and glycobiology, and how glyconutrient claims may impact the public and our discipline.     

The use of multifolded pericranial flaps as "plugs" and "pads"

Pericranial flaps are thin and, hence, their volumes are small. Therefore, their use for soft-tissue augmentation has not been popular. In this article, the author introduces a new concept: the use of a multifolded pericranial flap as a "plug" or a "pad" for localized contour defects. Eight patients were included in the study. In all cases, an anteriorly based pericranial flap was used, and the flap was folded on itself several times to increase its bulk. The results were satisfactory in all patients. The literature on the topic is reviewed, and the blood supply of pericranial flaps is discussed.     

"Timers" and "scanners" among orientation detectors in cat visual cortex

Experiments were carried out on immobilized cats to determine whether, among visual cortical neurons, besides the "scanners" described by the writers previously, which are responsible for a dynamic shift of preferred orientation, there exist also "timer" cells, which do not change the temporal parameters of their responses during rotation of a flashing stimulus. The existence of such cells is postulated on the basis of the previous hypothesis on the spatiotemporal principle of orientational coding. Of 76 neurons tested 27, i.e., 36%, were classed as "timers." They differed significantly from the "scanners" (64%) by the following properties: shorter latent periods, shorter time to the peak and duration of responses, more rapid rise of discharge frequently in the volley. The "timers" had less sharp orientational tuning and a low ratio between values of responses to presentation of preferred and worst stimuli (on account of a considerable increase in responses to unpreferred orientations). The set of preferred orientations of the "timers" was found to be highly selective and additional relative to the corresponding distribution for "scanners."The difference in frequency-temporal properties of responses and orientational tuning of the "timers" and "scanners" and their possible mutually complementary role in orientational coding at the visual cortical level are discussed.Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 35–43, January–February, 1985.     

Summary--Measuring "bone quality"

The idea of bone quality is well-established in the literature and represents a real conundrum in the treatment of osteoporosis. On the one hand, there are measurements for patients that predict fracture risk for the population as a whole, but between individual patients, one will fracture but another will not, despite the fact that all of the technical measurements we use to predict fracture risk are the same. There are, of course, many aspects of bone mechanical properties that cannot yet be measured in patients. The session began with a discussion of what bone quality is, then the speakers presented work on novel aspects of bone properties that could help explain why fracture prediction in vivo is inexact.     

"Wild Capitalism" and "Ecocolonialism": A Tale of Two Rivers

The development and pollution of two rivers, the Danube and Tisza, have been the site and subject of environmental protests and projects in Hungary since the late 1980s. Protests against the damming of the Danube rallied opposition to the state socialist government, drawing on discourses of national sovereignty and international environmentalism. The Tisza suffered a major environmental disaster in 2000, when a globally financed gold mine in Romania spilled thousands of tons of cyanide and other heavy metals into the river, sending a plume of pollution downriver into neighboring countries. In this article, I examine the symbolic ecologies that emerged in the two moments of environmental protest, as well as Hungarian activists' reflections on the changing political ecology of the region in their discourses of "ecocolonialism" ( ökógyarmatosítás ) and "wild capitalism" ( vadkapitaliszmus ).     

Revisiting "scale-free" networks

Recent observations of power-law distributions in the connectivity of complex networks came as a big surprise to researchers steeped in the tradition of random networks. Even more surprising was the discovery that power-law distributions also characterize many biological and social networks. Many attributed a deep significance to this fact, inferring a "universal architecture" of complex systems. Closer examination, however, challenges the assumptions that (1) such distributions are special and (2) they signify a common architecture, independent of the system's specifics. The real surprise, if any, is that power-law distributions are easy to generate, and by a variety of mechanisms. The architecture that results is not universal, but particular; it is determined by the actual constraints on the system in question.     

Distinguishing "or" from "and" and the case for historical identification

The adequacy of a probabilistic interpretation must be judged according to the nature of the event, or thing, being inferred. For example, conditional (frequency) probability is not admissible in the inference of phylogeny, because basic statements of common ancestry do not fulfill the requirements of the relations specified by the probability calculus. The probabilities of the situation peculiar to the time and place of origin of species are unique. Moreover, according to evolutionary theory, an event of species diversification is necessarily unique, because species are parts of a replicator continuum—species arise from ancestral species. Also, these probabilities cannot be ascertained, because the relevant situation cannot be repeated—it is unique. Finally, the applicability of conditional (frequency) probability is denied, because events of common ancestry have already occurred—there is nothing to predict. However, hypotheses of species relationships can be identified objectively according to the degree to which they have survived simultaneous testing with critical evidence, not with generally confirming evidence. The most parsimonious hypothesis of species relationships represents the least disconfirmed, best supported, proposition among the alternatives being compared. That hypothesis does not, however, deserve any special epistemological status beyond serving as the focus of the next round of testing.     

Reducing ambiguity in describing plant–insect interactions: "preference", "acceptability" and "electivity"

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists have a common interest in plant–insect interactions. Ecologists develop terminology describing patterns of association between plants and insects, while evolutionary biologists use the same words to denote potentially heritable traits of individuals. Use of the same terms to describe both traits of the interaction and traits of the organisms hinders communication. An example is "preference", often used by ecologists to denote properties of the plant–insect interaction and by behavioural or evolutionary biologists to denote insect traits. The existing term "electivity" could be incorporated into the lexicon of plant–insect interactions to supplant the ecological use of "preference". The term "preference" would then denote a behavioural trait of the insect. The mirror-image trait of the plant would be "acceptability". This could be a step towards a common terminology that would be usable by both ecologists and evolutionists.