Construction and genetic characterization of lambda specialized transducing particles carrying therglB gene ofEscherichia coli K-12

TherglB gene ofEscherichia coli codes for a restriction activity that cleaves the hydroxymethylated DNA of T2 and T4 phages. Earlier mapping data placed the gene at 98.39 min counterclockwise to thehsd operon. Genetic analysis of the in vivo gene fusions with fusion-transducing phages established the location of therglB gene next to thehsdS gene of thehsdRMS cluster. The methodology used in this study could be extended to similar in vivo physical mapping of closely linked genes.     

Methode zum Nachweis der Dauersporen des Kohlhernieerregers Plasmodiophora brassicae in gärtnerischen Kultursubstraten

Populations of pathogenic Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae were monitored on apparently healthy leaves, blossoms, and fruit from two apple orchards with known histories of blister bark and a pear orchard with a known history of blossom blast. Populations on blossoms and fruits were higher on pears than on apples. Yellow-pigmented, non-pathogenic bacteria might have suppressed or masked the presence of P. syringae pv. syringae on apple trees. Populations of P. syringae pv. syringae on apple and pear leaves fluctuated sharply but higher levels generally occurred during the 1984/85 growing season than during the drier 1983/84 season. This investigation indicates that the resident phase of P. syringae pv. syringae is probably a major source of inoculum for apple blister bark and pear blossom blast in South Africa.     

Surface EMG recordings and pain-related disorders: A diagnostic framework

Surface electromyography provides a very valuable set of information when used diagnostically with pain-related disorders. Unfortunately, most researchers and clinicians limit their investigation to only one level of diagnostic information available concerning the neuromuscular system. This article develops and encourages the clinician/researcher to consider three levels of diagnostic information: emotional, organ-related, and postural aspects. The theoretical background and diagnostic procedures used to investigate each is presented. Differential treatment considerations, given differential diagnostic findings, are discussed.     

Biochemical characterization of glutamine synthetase from the diazotrophic cyanobacterium,Anabaena doliolum

In cyanobacteria, the glutamine synthetase-L-glutamine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GS-GOGAT) pathway is the major ammonia-assimilating route. The GS ofAnabaena doliolum was synthesized more under N₂-fixing conditions, followed by ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite as nitrogen sources. The activities of both the glutamine synthetase, Mg²⁺-dependent biosynthetic and Mn²⁺-dependent -glutamyl transferase were optimum at pH 7. The active site of the enzyme bears sulfhydryl (-SH) groups; this was confirmed with the-SH group inhibitors, para-chloromercuribenzoate (pCMB) and N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). The biosynthetic and -glutamyl transferase activities showed specificity for the divalent cations, Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺, respectively. The other divalent cations Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ni²⁺ were poor substitutes. This enzyme also required these divalent cations to stabilize its structure and function under extreme conditions such as high and low temperatures and urea denaturation. The glutamate analogl-methionine-d,l-sulfoximine, inactivated the enzyme, whereas the GOGAT inhibitor, azaserine, had no effect on the enzyme activity. The GS enzyme required de novo protein synthesis.     

The trophic-dynamic aspect of ecology

Recent progress in the study of aquatic food-cycle relationships invites a reappraisal of certain ecological tenets. Quantitative productivity data provide a basis for enunciating certain trophic principles, which, when applied to a series of successional stages, shed new light on the dynamics of ecological succession. From “The trophic-dynamic aspect of ecology” by R. L. Lindeman.Ecology, Vol. 23, pp. 399–418 (1942).     

Metabolic regulation of rice α-amylase and sucrose synthase genes in planta

Isolated rice embryos were used to investigate the regulatory effects of endosperm extracts and pure sugars on the expression of alpha-amylase gene RAmy3D and a sucrose synthase gene homologous to the maize isozyme Ss2. The high-level expression of RAmy3D in the scutella of isolated embryos could be inhibited by a variety of sugars as well as endosperm extracts from germinated rice grains. Glucose, at a concentration of 250 mM, was most effective in repressing RAmy3D mRNA accumulation. Furthermore, this repression was reversible. Interestingly, RAmy3D repression was always accompanied by the induction of sucrose synthase gene expression. These results support a model in which the expression of alpha-amylase and sucrose synthase genes in the rice scutellum are counter-regulated by the influx of sugars from the endosperm.     

Age at menopause of Tamang women tea-labourers of Jalpaiguri district,West Bengal,India

The Tamang women tea-labouren of Jalpaiguri district show no significant difference in age at menopause among their three «migration status» groups, viz., MO, M1 and M2+. The mean age at menopause is 47.3±4.26 and the median age is 47.68 years. A significant difference occurs between the observed mean age at menopause and 45 years, which is generally taken to be the menopausal age by convention. These Tamang women seem to be similar to other hill women in respect of age at menopause.     

Expectancy effects on relaxation instructions: Physiological and self-report indices

Two sessions of relaxation instructions were administered under high and low expectancy conditions. Fifty-four college students scoring high on a self-report measure of anxiety served as subjects. Live and taped abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation instructions and a self-relaxation condition were equally effective in reducing within-session self-report and physiological indices of anxiety. High expectancy instructions led to greater reductions in heart rate than did low expectancy instructions. Factors controlling anxiety reduction during relaxation therapies are discussed.This experiment was submitted by the first author in partial fulfillment for a master of science degree at VPI and SU. The authors would like to thank Jean Sales and Dan Fones for their help in this investigation. The First author is now at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. The second author is currently at the Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.