Company news

Including information on:

• ScanSoft
• SpeechWorks International
• Viisage Technology
• Firstec
• BIO-key International
• HP
• ZN Vision Technologies
• Unisys
• US Government’s
• Communication Intelligence Corporation
• Infinity Technologies

     

Application news

Including information on:

• Martin State Airport
• Bioscrypt
• Saflink
• Office of the Secretary of Defense
• Department of Defense
• Boeing Corporation
• Bell ID, Gemplus
• Siemens
• Foreign Ministry

     

Company news

• Daon
• Musicrypt
• EMI Music Canada
• Digital Broadband Networks
• FaceKey Corporation
• Eystar Media Inc (EMI)
• Temasya Wira
• Animated Electronic Industries
• BIO-key International
• Entryport Corporation

     

In brief

• Bioscrypt
• Saflink
• Dell
• Fujitsu Microelectronics America
• Identix
• Viisage
• Acsys Biometrics
• US Government

     

Effects of a purine inhibitor,allopurinol, on urate metabolism in the german cockroach,Blattella germanica L. (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae)

• 1.1. Adult male and female cockroaches (Blattella germanica) were maintained on a positive nitrogen balance diet (66% protein) containing various levels of allopurinol (0–3%) to determine the effects of allopurinol on urate synthesis and storage.
• 2.2. Each insect was injected with [¹⁴C]hypoxanthine and after 1 week was analyzed for whole-body hypoxanthine, xanthine and urate radiolabel.
• 3.3. There was a general trend of decreased whole-body radiolabel retention, radiolabeled body urates and total-body urate content in both sexes with increasing amounts of dietary allopurinol.
• 4.4. Virgin female adults were allowed to feed on diets containing 0, 25 and 66% protein plus 0.1% allopurinol and were injected with [¹⁴C]xanthine.
• 5.5. After 1 week radiolabel content in the whole-body xanthine and urate pools was determined.
• 6.6. Females on the 0% protein diets contained less radiolabel in the whole-body and body urates than those on either 25 or 66% protein diets.

     

Osmotically-induced volume changes in isolated cells of a pond snail

• 1.1. To assess whether the stretch-activated (SA) channels in snail cells could contribute to osmoregulation, information is needed about the behaviour of the cells under anisosmotic conditions.
• 2.2. Cells of Lymnaea stagnalis were therefore examined during acute hyposmotic stress (HOS).
• 3.3. Kidney, heart and neuronal cells (monitored photographically) swelled less than expected for strictly semipermeable cells, but exhibited no regulatory volume decrease.
• 4.4. Long-term viability of the cells was not compromised following acute hyposmotic stress.
• 5.5. Quinidine, which blocks SA channels in Lymnaea, intensified stress-induced swelling most markedly in kidney cells.
• 6.6. The data can, however, be explained without invoking recruitment of SA channels.

     

Quantitative Proteomics of Uukuniemi Virus-host Cell Interactions Reveals GBF1 as Proviral Host Factor for Phleboviruses

1. Download : Download high-res image (114KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

Highlights

• •Quantitative proteomics reveals GBF1 to interact with Uukuniemi virus glycoproteins.
• •GBF1 is a proviral host factor for phleboviruses and other zoonotic RNA viruses.
• •GBF1 supports phlebovirus replication and assembly and release of particles.
• •The GBF1 inhibitor Golgicide A blocks infection with zoonotic RNA viruses.

     

Bayesian Confidence Intervals for Multiplexed Proteomics Integrate Ion-statistics with Peptide Quantification Concordance,

1. Download : Download high-res image (74KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

Highlights

• •Bayesian Beta-Binomial model integrates ion statistics with peptide ratio agreement.
• •Model appropriately interprets information from low signal peptides.
• •Confidence can be assigned even without replicates.
• •Model adds sensitivity to detection of small changes.

     

Binding and detoxification of heavy metals in lower vertebrates with reference to metallothionein

• 1.1. The metabolism of Cu, Zn, Cd and Hg in lower vertebrates is described, using fish as a model.
• 2.2. The main part of this review deals with metallothionein and the role of this protein for the storage and detoxification of these metals.
• 3.3. Factors influencing the bioavailability and probable uptake routes are identified.
• 4.4. The distribution of the metals within the organism is outlined. The distribution between tissues is described and the subcellular distribution discussed with reference to metallothionein.

     

Optical and neural pooling in visual processing in crustacea

• 1.1. Optical pooling is common in crustacean vision, both pooling in the single ommatidium and pooling inputs from many ommatidia by overlapping visual fields.
• 2.2. Optical and neural pooling work together subdividing the eye into different surface regions with different tasks.
• 3.3. Small-fiber and large-fiber systems with corresponding small and large dendritic branching provide a parallel processing system.
• 4.4. Several parallel, integrating channels process that visual information which is needed for high-speed reactions.
• 5.5. Visual fibers receive contributions from other modality inputs like vibration, olfaction or attention neurons. Inputs from mechanoreceptors transmitted over integrating fibers seem to join the signals in the intergrating visual fibers.
• 6.6. The signal for a particular channel is expressed by the pattern of spikes (rather than changes in the mean frequency of spikes) which is modulated by any input variation.
• 7.7. A particular discharge pattern may then be recognized by a command neuron or a muscle ensemble.

     

Quantification of the honeybee's proboscis reflex by electromyographic recordings

The proboscis-extension reflex of the honeybee, which is subject to classical conditioning was examined by monitoring the proboscis movements with a video camera and recording extracellularly from the muscle which retracts the labium.

• 1.1. The movements of the proboscis during feeding are divided into three phases: extension, repeated licking phases (licks) and retraction.
• 2.2. Recordings from both symmetrically arranged muscles show a one to one relationship of muscle potentials during licks, but they are less synchronized during the extension phase, where the muscle ipsilateral to the stimulated antenna is activated first.
• 3.3. In an odour conditioning paradigm, the latency between the onset of the conditioned stimulus and the conditioned response shortens with acquisition and lengthens with extinction.
• 4.4. During extinction, the motor programme is gradually shortened by means of a decreased number of licks between the extension and retraction phases.

     

Substantial Influence of ERAP2 on the HLA-B*40:02 Peptidome: Implications for HLA-B*27-Negative Ankylosing Spondylitis

1. Download : Download high-res image (115KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

Highlights

• •HLA-B*40:02 and ERAP2 are risk factors for ankylosing spondylitis.
• •The effects of ERAP2 on the B*40:02 peptidome are defined.
• •ERAP2 has a major influence mainly due to alterations of N-terminal residues.
• •These effects provide a basis for the association of ERAP2 with disease.

     

δ-Aminolevulinic acid dehydratase inactivation by uroporphyrin I in light and darkness

• 1.1. The action of uroporphyrin I on erythrocytic ALA-D activity under dark and light conditions was examined.
• 2.2. Photo and non-photoinactivation of ALA-D induced by uroporphyrin I were observed.
• 3.3. Both effects were dependent on uroporphyrin concentration, temperature and time of exposure of the protein to the porphyrin.
• 4.4. Light-dependent effect of uroporphyrin I is related with the phototoxicity of porphyrins and could be produced by primary amino acid photooxidation followed by secondary cross-linking of the protein.
• 5.5. Light-dependent effect of uroporphyrin I could be ascribed to a direct enzyme inhibition due to binding of the porphyrin to the protein inducing structural changes at or near its active site.

     

l-Leucine intestinal transport at different ages in chicken: Effect of anticoccidial drugs

• 1.1. l-Leucine transport by everted slices of duodenum, jejunum ileum and cecum of 1-, 2- and 3-week-old chickens has been determined.
• 2.2. The effects of the administration with the diet of three anticoccidial drugs: monensin, maduromicin ammonium and nicarbazine have been studied.
• 3.3. In the control animals, there is a reduction on intestinal transport with age, except in the duodenum which is not age-dependent.
• 4.4. Momensine induces an increase on leucine transport in the duodenum and cecum at all ages studied and only in the 3-week-old animals in the jejunum and ileum.
• 5.5. Nicarbazine reduces jejunal absorption of leucine and does not affect the function of the other segments.
• 6.6. Maduromicin ammonium has almost no effect on the absorptive process.

     

Quantification of Dynamic Protein Interactions and Phosphorylation in LPS Signaling Pathway by SWATH-MS

1. Download : Download high-res image (142KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

Highlights

• •Intensive investigation of dynamic interactions in MyD88, TRAF6, and NEMO complexes.
• •Mechanistic insights into IRAKs proteins' assembly.
• •A signal amplification mechanism for MyD99-denpendent TLR signaling disclosed by stoichiometry of complexes.
• •Quantitative measurement of multiple phosphorylation sites on the key components in TLR signaling pathway.

     

Breast,hips, and buttocks revisited: Honest fatness for honest fitness

This paper comments on: Low, B. S., Alexander, R. D., and Noonan, K.M. Human hips, breast, and buttocks: Is fat deceptive? Ethology and Sociobiology 8: 249-247, 1987. In it I argue that:

• 1.1. Sexual selection has probably not been the most important selection pressure on
• 2.female human body shape.
• 3.2. Male humans in different cultures find different aspects of the female body attractive
• 4.and therefore are unlikely to have exerted consistent directional sexual selection on
• 5.the female body.
• 6.3. Breast size is not correlated with lactation success.
• 7.4. Visible hip width is not correlated with parturition success.
• 8.5. Women would lower their fitness if they tried to deceive men about their internal
• 9.pelvic dimensions.
• 10.6. There are many alternative hypothesis to explain the existence of fat onwomen's
• 11.breast, hips, and buttocks.

     

Heart rate and its cholinergic control in the sole (Solea vulgaris), acclimatized to different temperatures

• 1.1. The effects of thermal acclimatization at 10 and 24°C on heart rate were investigated on unrestrained soles (Solea vulgaris).
• 2.2. The sensitivity of heart rate to temperature changes induced by temperature acclimatization was higher in cold-acclimatized than in warm-acclimatized soles.
• 3.3. Heart rate of cold-acclimatized fish to temperature changes was not affected by blocking the vagal tone with atropine.
• 4.4. After atropine treatment the ability of heart rate to show thermal compensation decreased in warm-acclimatized soles.
• 5.5. It is suggested that the vagus nerve can function differently at different temperatures.

     

From comparative physiology to toxicological risk assessment

• 1.1. Comparative physiology may help to improve the toxicologists' ability to assess and predict toxicological risks of chemicals.
• 2.2. Three main lines of approach have been distinguished, A: comparative research concerning the toxicokinetics of chemicals in different species; B: research concerning ecophysiological characteristics and C: studies aimed at the identification of biological markers that can be used to signal toxic effects in both experimental and free living populations of organisms.
• 3.3. Some remarks are made on limiting conditions to be fulfilled in order to make comparative physiology valuable from a toxicological point of view.

     

Effects of feeding conditions on toxicity for the purpose of extrapolation

• 1.1. Mathematical models can be most helpful in attempts to understand the way effects of toxic substances show up under various conditions. They are essential for extrapolation and prediction, especially when effects have to be quantified.
• 2.2. In some cases, there is a tight relationship between effects and toxicokinetics, i.e. uptake/elimination behaviour of compounds.
• 3.3. It can be shown that, at least for some compounds, the toxicokinetics depends on feeding conditions. This alone makes it necessary to account for energetics in the use of laboratory observations for predictions and interpretation concerning field data.
• 4.4. It can also be shown that, given certain effects on individuals, the consequences for populations depend sensitively on energetics. This leads to an even tighter link between ecotoxicology and energetics.
• 5.5. A basic problem is that realistic models involve a relatively large number of parameters, even under the most simple assumptions about kinetics and effects. This constraints possibilities for extrapolation and prediction.
• 6.6. All in all, a close link between experimental and modelling programmes is necessary.