Effect of cardiac output on gravity-dependent and nondependent inequality in pulmonary blood flow

To examine the effect of cardiac output (CO) on the gravity-nondependent distribution of pulmonary blood flow, 2 X 10(6) 99mTc-labeled albumin microspheres (20 microns) were injected at end expiration into dogs (anesthetized, supine, and breathing room air spontaneously). Two animals were injected at their resting CO, two were injected during increased CO (arteriovenous fistulas induced), and two were injected at low CO (phlebotomy induced). The chest was opened and the lungs were removed, drained of blood, and dried while fully inflated. Single-photon emission-computed tomography was performed on the dry lungs to map the distribution of activity in transverse, coronal, and sagittal slices. The results confirmed the presence of a central-peripheral gravity-nondependent gradient and showed that increases in CO were associated with increases in absolute flow to both the central and peripheral regions of the lung with persistence of the central-peripheral gradient. These observations were further confirmed by direct imaging of midcoronal slices. Examination of the average flow in vertical and horizontal slices showed that, when zone 1 was not present, changes in CO affected all slices uniformly, such that when the CO doubled, the absolute flow in every slice in all three planes also doubled. We conclude that, with the exception of recruitment and derecruitment of vascular channels in the upper regions of the lung (zone 1), when CO changes, the blood flow everywhere in the lung changes uniformly and in proportion to the CO. This uniform increase in blood flow is consistent with the three-dimensional nature and resistive properties of the pulmonary vascular tree.     

Ape-like endocast of “ape-man” Taung

I have identified and illustrated a spherical “dimple” or “depression” on the Taung endocast as indicating the most likely position of the medial end of the lunate sulcus but have not drawn an actual lunate sulcus on Taung because one is not visible. In a recent paper, R.L. Holloway (Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 77:27–33, 1988) drew a lunate sulcus on his copy of the Taung endocast, incorrectly attributed this sulcus to me, and used it to obtain a ratio of 0.254 to describe “Falk's” position of the lunate sulcus. My published ratio of 0.242 for Taung (Falk: Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 67:313–315, 1985a) was not considered, although the focus of Holloway's paper was my assessment of the position of the lunate sulcus. Holloway also excluded published ratios for a chimpanzee in my collection from his statistical analysis but, even so, my published ratio for Taung is still only 1.5 standard deviations from his chimpanzee mean. If my chimpanzee brain is included in the sample, the ratio for Taung is 1.2 standard deviations from the mean. Furthermore, one of Holloway's own chimpanzees (B60–7) has a ratio of 0.241, just 0.001 below my ratio for Taung. There is no sulcus where Holloway has drawn one on Taung, his “F(LS)” is not mine, his 2 mm error is not mine, and the correct ratio for my measurement of Tuang is the one that I published, not the one that Holloway attributes to me. Assessment of Holloway's chimpanzee data supports my claim that the dimple on the Taung endocast is within the chimpanzee range for the medial end of the lunate sulcus.     

An ultra-pure in vitro phase synchrony method employing centrifugal elutriation and viable flow cytometric cell sorting

We present a method of synchronizing cells in G1-, S-, and G2M-phases employing sequential centrifugal elutriation and viable flow cytometric cell sorting of Hoechst-33342 stained Chinese hamster ovary cells. G1- and S-phase cells can be separated to greater than 99% homogeneity and G2-M to 70% purity. Most of the 30% contamination in the G2-M fraction was due to S-phase cells, whose reproductive integrity could be eliminated through the use of high specific activity 3H-TdR. There were minimal toxic effects or perturbations to growth following the selection procedures. The most significant limitation of this technique appears to be the rate of cell sorting, which, with current equipment, is approximately 3,000 cells per second.     

The contributions of diverse sense organs to the control of leg movement by a walking insect

Summary During locomotion, stick insectsCarausius morosus, place the tarsus of the rear leg near the tarsus of the ipsilateral middle leg, whatever the position of the latter. This adjustment by the hind leg requires that it receive information on the actual position of the middle leg tarsus. It is shown by ablation experiments that such information is contributed by the following proprioceptors of the middle leg: the ventral and dorsal coxal hairplates, the coxal hair rows, the trochanteral hairplate and the femoral chordotonal organ. Additional information comes from other, as yet unidentified, sense organs. Several alternatives are considered to explain how the signals from the diverse sense organs of the subcoxal joint might be combined in computing the target position for the protracting hind leg. The experimental results support the hypothesis that the signals are added nonlinearly and that a signal deviating from the majority pattern is weighted less.Abbreviations cxHPu ventral coxal hairplate - cxHPd dorsal coxal hairplate - trHP trochanteral hairplate - HR hair row - feCO femoral chordotonal organ - AEP anterior extreme position     

Characterization of temperate phages ofBacillus subtilis

Nine known temperature phages ofBacillus subtilis, including four that are newly isolated (ϱ6, ϱ10, ϱ14, and ϱ18), have been compared. Analysis by serology, immunity, host range, and adsorption site similarity place the phages into four groups: Group I, ϕ105, ϱ6, ϱ10, and ϱ14, which are 80–90% related; Group II, SPO2; Group III, ϕ3T and ϱ11, 100% related; and Group IV, SP16. The phage ϱ18 is largely uncharacterized, but is heteroimmune to other groups.     

The induction of autophagy in isolated insect fat body by β-ecdysone

The fat body in Calpodes undergoes sequential organelle specific autophagy as a first step in the cell remodeling process necessary for metamorphosis to the pupa. This autophagy begins at about 36 hr before pupation and coincides with a critical period after which an isolated abdomen will pupate without further influence from the prothoracic glands. This suggested that autophagy might be induced by ecdysone. Fat body taken before the critical period and cultured in a medium containing β-ecdysone undergoes autophagy. Fat body from the same animal maintained in hormone-free medium retains the pre-critical period morphology with no autophagy. Autophagy is therefore directly induced by β-ecdysone. Fat body taken soon after the critical period continues with the autophagic sequence in hormone-free medium. Therefore the entire autophagic sequence is induced and does not require the continuing presence of hormone. Protein storage granule formation and cell dissociation, which occur in fat body at metamorphosis, are also induced by β-ecdysone.