Comparison of murine lymphokine-activated killer cells, natural killer cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Precursors and effectors of murine lymphokine-activated killer cells, natural killer cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes are compared. Natural killer cells are resistant to gamma-irradiation (1000 R) whereas precursors of lymphokine-activated killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes are sensitive. Lower doses of gamma-irradiation (500 R) remove precursors for cytotoxic T lymphocytes but not lymphokine-activated killer cells. In addition, lymphokine-activated killer cells are regenerated before classical CTL after sublethal doses of gamma-irradiation. Natural killer cells are resistant to anti-Thy 1 and C' and anti-thymocyte serum, but sensitive to anti-asialo GM1 and complement. Precursors of cytotoxic T lymphocytes are sensitive to anti-Thy 1 and complement and anti-thymocyte serum, but are resistant to anti-asialo GM1 and complement. Precursors of lymphokine-activated killer cells are partially sensitive to anti-Thy 1 and complement and anti-thymocyte serum, but are resistant to anti-asialo GM1 and complement. Effector cells of cytotoxic T lymphocytes are sensitive to anti-Thy 1 and complement and resistant to anti-asialo GM1 and complement. Lymphokine-activated killer cell effectors are sensitive to anti-asialo GM1 and complement at 24 hr after activation. These effectors are more closely aligned with classical natural killer effectors. Lymphokine-activated killer effectors, 7 days after activation, are resistant to anti-asialo GM1 and complement and sensitive to anti-Thy 1 and complement. Relationships and differences among these cytotoxic subsets are discussed.     

The family Erinaceidae: a synthesis of its taxonomy, phylogeny, ecology and zoogeography

All species and higher taxa of Recent Erinaceidae are diagnosed, the character-states most useful in classification are tabulated and the most probable phylogenies presented. Four African species are included in the genus Atelerix. The desert-adapted Paraechinus is believed to be more closely related to Atelerix than to the convergent Hemiechinus. The ranges of all species are mapped, with emphasis upon areas of parapatry and sympatry. Marginal localities are listed if they are not derived from previously published maps. All nominal fossil species that have been allocated to Recent genera are listed. Ecological data relevant to the interpretations of species boundaries, e.g. relating to diet and habitat, are summarized, and the factors likely to determine the species boundaries are reviewed.     

Proposed new realignments in the angiosperms

Our attempt at putatively phylogenetic classifications of Angiospermae, considering our vast ignorance of more than 120 million years of evolution of the class, must be very tentative and elastic to make full use of the new approaches and new data constantly being made available to us. Some of the realignments thus required in my system of classification are here explained. Among others, the Paeoniales are recognized and include Glaucidiaceae; various shifts of families are made within Thei–florae–Violiflorae–Malviflorae; Thymelaeaceae and Simmondsiaceae are transferred to Euphorbiales; Emblingiaceae, Gyrostemonaceae and Bataceae are added to Sapindineae; Fabineae, with Connaraceae, Surianaceae and Fabaceae, are transferred to Rutiflorae; Proteiflorae are placed near Rutiflorae, especially Fabineae; the largely Australasian–African Pittosporales are explained; Cornaceae are severely pruned; Haemodoraceae and Velloziaceae are transferred to Commelinales; Arecales, Cyclanthales and Pandanales are separated into unrelated superorders; and Typhiflorae are moved into closer proximity with Commeliniflorae.     

Arteriovenous malformations of the brain: a teratologic challenge

Congenital arteriovenous malformations of the brain are lesions which are well-known to neurologists and neurosurgeons but are puzzling to teratologists because they occur sporadically and are unassociated with congenital malformations outside the central nervous system. They are recommended to teratologists as a field of etiologic and pathogenetic research.     

中国缩颜蚜蝇族种类记述及地理分布(双翅目:食蚜蝇科)

本文记述了我国双翅目食蚜蝇科缩颜蚜蝇族6属23种,其中有5新种2新纪录属13新纪录种,列出了属、种检索表,并对新种进行了形态描述,同时,对此族的地理分布、区系及起源进行了初步探讨。     

Two arms are better than one: parasite variation leads to combined inducible and constitutive innate immune responses

Parasites represent a major threat to all organisms which has led to the evolution of an array of complex and effective defence mechanisms. Common to both vertebrates and invertebrates are innate immune mechanisms that can be either constitutively expressed or induced on exposure to infection. In nature, we find that a combination of both induced and constitutive responses are employed by vertebrates, invertebrates and, to an extent, plants when they are exposed to a parasite. Here we use a simple within-host model motivated by the insect immune system, consisting of both constitutive and induced responses, to address the question of why both types of response are maintained so ubiquitously. Generally, induced responses are thought to be advantageous because they are only used when required but are too costly to maintain constantly, while constitutive responses are advantageous because they are always ready to act. However, using a simple cost function but with no a priori assumptions about relative costs, we show that variability in parasite growth rates selects for a strategy that combines both constitutive and induced defences. Differential costs are therefore not necessary to explain the adoption of both forms of defence. Clearly, hosts are likely to be challenged by variable parasites in nature and this is sufficient to explain why it is optimal to deploy both arms of the innate immune system.     

Tailoring SOFC Electrode Microstructures for Improved Performance

The key technical challenges that fuel cell developers need to address are performance, durability, and cost. All three need to be achieved in parallel; however, there are often competitive tensions, e.g., performance is achieved at the expense of durability. Stability and resistance to degradation under prolonged operation are key parameters. There is considerable interest in developing new cathodes that are better able to function at lower temperature to facilitate low cost manufacture. For anodes, the ability of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) to better utilize commonly available fuels at high efficiency, avoid coking and sulfur poisoning or resistance to oxidation at high utilization are all key. Optimizing a new electrode material requires considerable process development. The use of solution techniques to impregnate an already optimized electrode skeleton, offers a fast and efficient way to evaluate new electrode materials. It can also offer low cost routes to manufacture novel structures and to fine tune already known structures. Here impregnation methodologies are discussed, spectral and surface characterization are considered, and the recent efforts to optimize both cathode and anode functionalities are reviewed. Finally recent exemplifications are reviewed and future challenges and opportunities for the impregnation approach in SOFCs are explored.     

峨眉山蕨类植物区系的初步研究

依据2004~2006年的野外调查和标本馆标本以及文献资料,初步分析了峨眉山蕨类植物区系的地理特征,结果表明:峨眉山共有蕨类植物46科110属425种,优势科为蹄盖蕨科、水龙骨科和鳞毛蕨科,共192种,占总种数45.2%,优势属为耳蕨属、鳞毛蕨属、凤尾蕨属和蹄盖蕨属等;在科、属的水平上,为热带分布型,以泛热带分布为主,而种的地理分布则以温带分布的中国特有和东亚成分占绝对优势,分别为36.5%和32.0%,揭示了峨眉山蕨类植物区系是以温带性质为主的亚热带类型,具有较强的热带亲缘;与大巴山关系密切,和云南哀牢山有一定的联系,而与秦岭、西藏和陕西天华山的关系较为疏远。     

Wood, bark and stem anatomy of New World species of Gnetum

Quantitative and qualitative data are presented for 11 collections of six species. The wide range of character states for the species is presented in the form of a key to emphasize their potential systematic correlations. Distinctive among these are phcllem characteristics. Fibre-tracheids are newly reported for lianoid Gnetum species. Cells previously thought to be like companion cells in secondary phloem are shown to be uniseriate rays, counterparts to uniseriate xylem rays. Laticifers are abundant in most of the species, and are newly described for secondary tissues of Gnetum. Presence of tyloses in laticifers of two species is apparently a new report for vascular plants. Tori are present in two New World Gnetum species, adding to the report in African species. Perforation plates are simple except near or in primary xylem, where they are simple or foraminate. Torus presence and foraminate perforation plate presence are features more reminiscent of Ephedra and other gymnosperms than of angiosperms. The bark of Gnetum is also very similar to that of Ephedra.     

Paraffin Embedding; a Graded-Temperature Table Used with Multiple Blocking for Enhanced Efficiency

Details are given for the construction of a graded-temperature table having a cool and hot side. Aluminum baking pans smeared with glycerol are used to cast the multiple paraffin blocks. These are loaded with paraffin wax from an electrically heated paraffin wax dispenser incorporated in the graded-temperature table and the pieces of tissue and labels orientated in them. The pans are then moved to the cool side of the table before finally floating them on cold water to harden the wax. Arranged above the heated side of the table are two infrared lamps which prevent premature solidification of the surface of the wax. After removing the solid, multiple-block slabs from the pans, the infrared lamps are used to soften the wax to a cheese-like consistency. Individual blocks are cut apart and trimmed around their sides with single strokes to produce smooth-sided blocks which are ready for attaching to wooden holders, adapted to the microtome chuck.     

Estimatingdendroctonus frontalis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) daily infestation dynamics

Summary Mathematical procedures are given to estimate infestation totals and daily life stage arrivals, departures, and mortality ofDendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann for an infested tree in the field. These estimates are based on minimal sample data and are designed to utilize all available information. Daily arrival estimates for larvae, pupae, and callow adults are obtained by indirect analysis without direct observation of these stages. The procedures are applied to 147 infested trees, and the results are transformed to a common time basis to obtain daily expectations by life stage for an “average” tree. These expectations suggest optimal times for field sampling or relative times of sampling when optimal times are missed. Expected daily arrival distributions by life stage for a single egg and a single attacking adult are given. Procedures are given for utilizing collateral information to obtain an infestation total and daily arrival estimates for a boundary life stage. The results of this study are applicable to anyD. frontalis field study, and the procedures given are applicable to any bark inhabiting insect having similar habits.     

Linear rank tests for interval-censored data with application to PCB levels in adipose tissue of transformer repair workers

Linear rank statistics are described for testing for differences between groups when the data are interval-censored. The statistics are closely related to those described by Prentice (1978, Biometrika 65, 167-179) for right-censored data. Problems in calculating the statistics are discussed and several approaches to computation including estimation of the efficient rank scores are described. Results from a small simulation study are presented. The methods are applied to data from a study relating tissue levels of PCBs to occupational exposure.     

Free and membrane-bound chloroplast polyribosomes Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Over half of the chloroplast ribosomes isolated from growing cultures of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii are bound to chloroplast thylakoid membranes if completion of nascent polypeptide chains is prevented by chloramphenicol. The free chloroplast ribosomes are recovered in homogenate supernatants, and presumably originate from the chloroplast stroma. Only about 10% of these free chloroplast ribosomes are polyribosomes, even under conditions when 70% of free cytoplasm ribosomes are recovered as polyribosomes. The nonionic detergent Nonidet P-40 liberates atypical polyribosomes (Type I), from membranes, which require both ribonuclease and proteases for complete conversion to monomeric ribosomes. Thus Type I particles are held together by mRNA but are also held together by peptide bonds. These Type I polyribosomes probably are not bound to intact membrane, but might be bound to some protein-containing sub-membrane particle. The Type I polyribosomes are dissociated to ribosomal subunits by puromycin and high salt, and contained 0.2 to 1 nascent chain per ribosome. If membranes are treated with Nonidet and proteases at the same time, polyribosomes which are digested to monomeric ribosomes by ribonuclease alone (Type II) are obtained. Type II polyribosomes are smaller than Type I, and probably represent the true size distribution of polyribosomes on the membranes. At least 50% of the membrane-bound ribosomes are polyribosomes, since that much membrane bound chloroplast RNA is recovered as Type I or Type II polyribosomes.     

Scaling of Folding Properties in Go Models of Proteins

Insights about scaling of folding properties of proteins are obtained bystudying folding in heteropolymers described by Go-like Hamiltonians. Bothlattice and continuum space models are considered. In the latter case, themonomer-monomer interactions correspond to the Lennard-Jones potential.Several statistical ensembles of the two- and three-dimensional targetnative conformations are considered. Among them are maximally compactconformations which are confined to a lattice and those which are obtainedeither through quenching or annealing of homopolymers to their compactlocal energy minima. Characteristic folding times are found to grow aspower laws with the system size. The corresponding exponents are notuniversal. The size related deterioration of foldability is found to beconsistent with the scaling behavior of the characteristic temperatures:asymptotically, the folding temperature becomes much lower than thetemperature at which glassy kinetics become important. The helicalconformations are found to have the lowest overall scaling exponent andthe best foldability among the classes of conformations studied. Thescaling properties of the Go-like models of the protein conformationsstored in the Protein Data Bank suggest that proteins are not optimizedkinetically.     

In vivo and ex vivo regulation of bacterial virulence gene expression

Bacteria are remarkably adaptable organisms that are able to survive and multiply in diverse and sometimes hostile environments. Adaptability is determined by the complement of genetic information available to an organism and by the mechanisms that control gene expression. In general, gene products conferring a growth or survival advantage in a particular situation are expressed, while unnecessary or deleterious functions are not. Expression of virulence gene products that allow pathogenic bacteria to multiply on and within host cells and tissues are no exception to this rule. Being of little or no use to the bacterium except during specific stages of the infectious cycle, these accessory factors are nearly always subject to tight and coordinate regulation. As a result of recent advances, we are beginning to appreciate the complexities of the interactions between bacteria and their hosts. The ability to probe virulence gene regulation in vivo has broadened our perspectives on pathogenesis.     

宁波北仑植物资源及珍稀保护植物研究

宁波市北仑区蕴藏着丰富的植物资源,据调查有野生维管植物158科454属712种,在这些植物中,有药用植物276种、用材树种95种、观赏植物87种、纤维植物60种、防护植物55种、薪炭植物52种、油脂植物48种、饲料植物42种、野生水果38种、芳香植物30种、淀粉植物25种、蜜源植物24种、野菜植物18种等,大多具有开发和可持续利用的价值;此外,北仑还有国家野生重点保护植物4科5属5种、古树名木15科17属17种,这些植物对开发建设中的北仑来说,是极其宝贵的自然资源.因此,为使北仑区的植物资源得到可持续的利用,对其开发利用和保护提出了建议.     

Cell surface proteins and malignant transformation

Many of the altered properties of malignant cells are thought to involve alterations in cell surface functions. In order to understand these alterations it is necessary to know more about the molecular structure of the surface. Methods for analyzing surface proteins are discussed and their application to normal and transformed tissue culture cells are reviewed. A number of surface proteins are observed to be altered by transformation. Most of the alterations are reductions in amounts of particular species, although a few proteins do increase. Evidence concerning the reasons for these alterations and the possible functions of some of the molecules is reviewed. Working hypotheses arising from these data are presented and prospects for understanding the physiological changes in terms of molecular effects are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the idea that surface molecules are associated in specific-non-covalent complexes which are important for their functions.     

Estimates of a Treatment Effect Based on Censored Data Rank Tests

Linear rank test statistics are applied to the problem of estimating a treatment effect if two sets of censored failure time data are compared and the distributions of the log-failure times of the two samples are assumed to differ only in location. Rank tests for this accelerated failure time model are reviewed and Hodges-Lehmann type estimates for the shift parameter are proposed. Properties of these estimates are investigated, computational aspects are discussed and an example is presented.     

Ecology of nematophagous fungi: vertical distribution in a deciduous woodland

Summary The distribution of nematophagous fungi in soil collected from a deciduous woodland is compared to various biotic and abiotic soil factors. The microfungi are isolated at all depths down to a maximum of 35 cm. Predators forming constricting rings, adhesive branches and adhesive knobs are restricted to the upper litter and humus layers. The net forming predators and endoparasites are isolated at all depths, although they are significantly more abundant in the lower mineral rich soils. A much greater species diversity of nematophagous fungi is recorded in the upper organic zones.Preliminary soil analysis indicates thatCephalosporium balanoides is independent of all soil variables, while predators able to form traps spontaneously are restricted to the organic soils which are rich in nematodes. Non-spontaneous trap forming predators, which are excellent saprophytes, are isolated from the deeper soils which are low in nutrients. The ecological significance of these results is discussed.