The homogenous γG-immunoglobulin produced by mouse plasmacytoma 5563 and its subsequent heterogeneity in serum

The mouse plasma cell tumour 5563 has been shown to synthesize and secrete a single molecular species of gammaG-immunoglobulin, which was identified by labelling with (14)C-labelled amino acids. The heterogeneity of G-myeloma globulin as it is found in serum of tumour-bearing mice is due to subsequent changes in the charge properties of the newly secreted molecules. These changes have been reproduced in vitro. On incubation with sterile serum, the newly formed radioactive myeloma protein changed its chromatographic and electrophoretic properties to coincide with those of myeloma protein isolated from serum. Incubation of purified myeloma protein band a, under a variety of conditions, led to the characteristic pattern of serum myeloma protein showing multiple electrophoretic bands. The chemical nature of the molecular changes is not yet known. It is suggested that seruminduced changes could contribute to the electrophoretic heterogeneity of specific antibodies within the gammaG-class of immunoglobulins. This demonstration of the production of a single molecular species of immunoglobulin by a plasma cell tumour provides support for the concept of ;one-cell-one antibody'.     

A collection of maize from Darien,Panama

A collection of maize obtained from the Chocó Indian tribe of Darien, Panama, differs from published accounts of maize reported as typical for the area in size and in methods of cultivation. The collection may represent a segregating population from crosses occurring between the racesChococeño andCoastal Tropical Flint. Implications of this hypothesis with regard to problems of introduction, present geographical occurrence, and transportation of these races by nomadic human vectors are briefly discussed.     

Psychological Sequelae of Accidental Injury: A Medico-Legal Quagmire

Litigation for personal injury following accidental trauma is an expensive and confused process involving three protagonists: patient, doctor and lawyer. Although post-traumatic conditions can be elaborately classified, the intrinsic validity of such classifications is often questionable. Current methods of evaluating psychological sequelae of accidental injury are inaccurate and unsatisfactory, partly because of the protagonists'' conceptual, motivational and semantic differences. In addition, there is no really satisfactory method of (a) determining and quantifying minor but significant degrees of brain damage, (b) distinguishing these from “post-traumatic neurosis”, or (c) determining the relationship between the trauma and subsequent disturbance of function. Increasingly “expert” advice is solicited but owing to the nature of the data and conditions of examination, such advice does little to clarify the underlying problems. Furthermore, doctors are often unable to communicate effectively to the judiciary just how the trauma has affected the patient. Even though certain suggestions for improvement are advanced, the need for comprehensive, longitudinal research is inescapable.     

Ernährungsbiologie einer rhipidoglossen Kiemenschnecke

Zusammenfassung Die Arbeitsweise und die Leistungen der Rhipidoglossenradula von Theodoxus fluviatilis werden durch die kräftigen 4. Zwischenzähne und die Randbürstenzähne bestimmt. Die 4. Zwischenzähne lockern im wesentlichen die dem Fre\grund anhaftenden oder aufliegenden ein- bis wenigzelligen Algen (Diatomeen, chlorococcale und konjugate Grünalgen), die Randzähne fegen das gelockerte Nahrungsgut quantitativ zusammen. Fädige Grünalgen (z. B. Cladophorales) und Gewebeteile höherer Pflanzen werden nicht abgebissen bzw. abgeschabt.Die Diatomeen werden nur verdaut, wenn die Kieselschalen bereits bei der Nahrungsaufnahme mechanisch zerkleinert werden. Diese Zerkleinerung erfolgt allein auf einem Substrat mit rauher Oberfläche; sie wird durch die während des Bisses zwischen 4. Zwischenzähnen und Substrat auftretenden Reibungskräfte erzielt. Theodoxus wurde bei refiner Diatomeenernährung über mehrere Generationen gezüchtet. Tierisches Eiwei\ ist als Zusatzkost nicht erforderlich. Mit besonderen Hilfsma\nahmen kann Theodoxus im Laboratorium auch mit Cyanophyceen oder besonders mit Flagellaten (Chlamydomonas), die den Schnecken an den im Freiland besiedelten Standorten nicht zur Verfügung stehen, ernährt werden.Sämtliche Grünalgen mit stärkerer Cellulosewandung (Chlorococcales, Conjugatae) sind unverdaulich. Die Unverdaulichlichkeit beruht vermutlich auf einem Fehlen von Cellulasen im Verdauungstraktus. Die Zellmembranen und extrazellularen Scheiden der Cyanophyceen, die aus Hemicellulosen und Pektinen aufgebaut sind, werden im Magen aufgelöst. Theodoxus ist ein reiner Diatomeenfresser. Die ökologische Einnischung in die litorale Steinregion ist vorwiegend ernährungs-physiologisch begründet und erklärt das Vorkommen in Flie\gewassern und an Brandungsufern stehender Sü\gewässer sowie der Ostsee.     

Production planning of a flexible manufacturing system in a material requirements planning environment

Early flexible manufacturing system (FMS) production planning models exhibited a variety of planning objectives; typically, these objectives were independent of the overall production environment. More recently, some researchers have proposed hierarchical production planning and scheduling models for FMS. In this article, we examine production planning of FMS in a material requirements planning (MRP) environment. We propose a hierarchical structure that integrates FMS production planning into a closed-loop MRP system. This structure gives rise to the FMS/MRP rough-cut capacity planning (FMRCP) problem, the FMS/MRP grouping and loading (FMGL) problem, and the FMS/MRP detailed scheduling problem. We examine the FMRCP and FMGL problems in detail and present mathematical programming models for each of these problems. In particular, the FMRCP problem is modeled as a generalized assignment problem (GAP), and a GAP-based heuristic procedure is defined for the problem. We define a two-phase heuristic for the FMGL problem and present computational experience with both heuristics. The FMRCP heuristic is shown to solve problems that exhibit a dependent-demand relation within the FMS and with FMS capacity utilization as high as 99 percent. The FMGL heuristic requires very little CPU time and obtains solutions to the test problems that are on average within 1.5 percent of a theoretical lower bound. This FMS/MRP production planning framework, together with the resulting models, constitutes an important step in the integration of FMS technology with MRP production planning. The hierarchical planning mechanism directly provides for system-level MRP planning priorities to induce appropriate production planning and control objectives on the FMS while simultaneously allowing for necessary feedback from the FMS. Moreover, by demonstrating the tractability of the FMRCP and FMGL problems, this research establishes the necessary groundwork upon which to explore systemwide issues pertaining to the coordination of the hierarchical structure.     

Short-term action of insulin on Aplysia neurons: Generation of a possible novel modulator of ion channels

In mollusks as in other animals, peptides can act as hormones, growth factors, and neurotransmitters. The presence of insulin in vertebrate brain as well as its actions on nerve cells led us to examine the electrophysiological effects of the mammalian hormone on Aplysia neurons. Application of insulin extracellularly causes hyperpolarization of L14 and L10, identified neurons of the abdominal ganglion. This hyperpolarization is associated with a decreased membrane conductance that reverses at ?35 mV. We also injected inositol phosphate glycan (IPG) into the identified neurons. This complex sugar, which was purified from rat liver and which is a putative second messenger for insulin in nonneural vertebrate cells (Saltiel and Cuatrecasas, 1986; Saltiel, Osterman, and Darnell, 1988), causes hyperpolarization with decreased membrane conductance in L14 and L10 similar to the effects of insulin. Furthermore, exposure of isolated ganglia to insulin results in the generation of IPG with a compensating decrease in its glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol precursor. We suggest that, in addition to its other roles, insulin may function as a neuropeptide transmitter using IPG as a second messenger.