A new, transportable ergometer for the measurement of musculotendinous stiffness during wrist flexion.

We present here a new, dedicated mechanical device for monitoring quick-release movements of the wrist. The ergometer was designed to easily assess musculotendinous properties during wrist flexion. Maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) and quick-release (QR) movements during wrist flexion were performed on 14 subjects. A validation of the ergometer, using a test-retest methodology, was performed to assess its reliability and sensitivity. The device has been technically and biomechanically validated in a range of situations, including inertia measurement (mean inertia was found 0.0119+/-0.0012 N m s(2) rad(-1)) and appearance of the unloading reflex. Our results indicate that the device provides highly reliable, sensitive evaluation of wrist muscle stiffness (intraclass correlation coefficient for inertia, maximal voluntary contraction and stiffness index were 0.873, 0.994 and 0.930, respectively). Its portability facilitates measurement of the influence of repetitive, occupational activity on the musculotendinous complex of the wrist flexors.     

Bristol Industrial Therapy Housing Association: A Contribution to Domestic Resettlement

A housing association for the rehabilitation of adults suffering from psychiatric illness now has six council houses, a former private hotel, and two large houses—providing a total of 100 places. The cost of full board and lodging is about £6·00 a week; the association shows a small profit; and virtually all the residents are in open or sheltered work.     

Enzyme-coding genes as molecular clocks: The molecular evolution of animal alpha-amylases

Summary We constructed a cDNA library for the beetle,Tribolium castaneum. This library was screened using a cloned amylase gene fromDrosophila melanogaster as a molecular probe. Beetle amylase cDNA clones were isolated from this bank, and the nucleotide sequence was obtained for a cDNA clone with a coding capacity for 228 amino acids. Both the nucleotide sequence and predicted amino acid sequence were compared to our recent results forD. melanogaster alpha-amylases, along with published sequences for other alpha-amylases. The results show that animal alpha-amylases are highly conserved over their entire length. A borader comparison, which includes plant and microbial alpha-amylase sequences, indicates that parts of the gene are conserved between prokaryotes, plants, and animals. We discuss the potential importance of this and other enzyme-coding genes for the construction of molecular phylogenies and for the study of the general question of molecular clocks in evolution.     

Role of acetylation on metal induced precipitation of alginates

Acetylation dramatically effects both the solution properties and the metal induced precipitation of alginates. The presence of acetyl groups on both bacterial and seaweed alginate polymers marginally increased the weight average molecular weight (M_w) of each polymer by 7% and 11%, respectively. Acetylated bacterial alginate showed a significant increase in solution viscosity compared to its deacetylated counterpart. However microbial acetylation of seaweed alginate did not change its solution viscosity. Acetylation altered the calcium induced precipitation of both alginates. The presence of acetyl groups decreased the ability of each polymer to bind with calcium but increased their ability to bind with ferric Ion (Fe³⁺). By controlling the degree of acetylation on the alginate chains, it was possible to modify solution viscosity and cation induced precipitation of these polymers.     

Electron microscope tomography of Balbiani Ring hnRNP substructure

Three-dimensional (3-D) reconstructions, by electron microscope tomography, of selectively stained, contrast enhanced Balbiani Ring (BR) hnRNP granules reveal a complex spatial arrangement of RNA-rich domains. This particulate substructure was examined by volume rendering computer graphics. Modeling the arrangement of RNA-rich domains is made difficult by apparent structural flexibility and/or heterogeneity of composition. Formulation of a consensus 3-D arrangement of RNA-rich domains will require an expanded data base of reconstructed BR granules and the development of new image manipulation and analysis techniques. This study demonstrates the potential for ultra-structural cell biology of combining several new techniques: selective nucleic acid staining, electron spectroscopic imaging to enhance contrast, electron microscope tomography and volume rendering computer graphics.Abbreviations BR Balbiani Ring - EMT electron microscope tomography - ESI electron spectroscopic imaging - hnRNP heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein - OA-B osmium ammine-B - kb kilobases by P.B. Moens     

Dextran production by Leuconostoc mesenteroides in the presence of a dextranase producing yeast, Lipomyces starkeyi

Summary A new process for the production of small size dextran is developed in which dextran is produced by cultures of Leuconostoc mesenteroides in the presence of a partially constitutive mutant of Lipomyces starkeyi producing dextranase. Mixed cultures were examined by scanning electron microscopy with ruthenium to show the effects of the mixed culture on low molecular weight dextran (M.W. of 5,000 – 100,000) formation. The presence of the size variation in dextran was confirmed by gel permeation chromatography.     

ZmEsr, a novel endosperm-specific gene expressed in a restricted region around the maize embryo

A novel endosperm-specific gene named Esr (e mbryo s urrounding r egion) has been isolated by differential display between early developmental stages of maize endosperms and embryos. It is expressed in a restricted region of the endosperm, surrounding the entire embryo at early stages (4 to 7 days after pollination, DAP) and ever-decreasing parts of the suspensor at subsequent stages. The expression starts at 4 DAP and is maintained until at least 28 DAP. A minimum of three Esr genes are present in the maize genome and at least two of them map to the short arm of chromosome 1 at position 56. The Esr genes contain no introns and show no significant nucleotide or amino acid sequence homologies to sequences in the databases. The open reading frames encode basic proteins of 14 kDa with presumptive signal peptides at their N-termini followed by a hypervariable and a conserved region. The gene product may play a role in the nutrition of the developing embryo or in the establishment of a physical barrier between embryo and endosperm.     

Nucleotide Composition Bias Affects Amino Acid Content in Proteins Coded by Animal Mitochondria

We show that in animal mitochondria homologous genes that differ in guanine plus cytosine (G + C) content code for proteins differing in amino acid content in a manner that relates to the G + C content of the codons. DNA sequences were analyzed using square plots, a new method that combines graphical visualization and statistical analysis of compositional differences in both DNA and protein. Square plots divide codons into four groups based on first and second position A + T (adenine plus thymine) and G + C content and indicate differences in amino acid content when comparing sequences that differ in G + C content. When sequences are compared using these plots, the amino acid content is shown to correlate with the nucleotide bias of the genes. This amino acid effect is shown in all protein-coding genes in the mitochondrial genome, including cox I, cox II, and cyt b, mitochondrial genes which are commonly used for phylogenetic studies. Furthermore, nucleotide content differences are shown to affect the content of all amino acids with A + T- and G + C-rich codons. We speculate that phylogenetic analysis of genes so affected may tend erroneously to indicate relatedness (or lack thereof) based only on amino acid content. Received: 3 July 1996 / Accepted: 6 November 1996     

T cells in a suppressor circuit and non-T: non-B cells bear different 1-J determinants

T cells involved in the generation of suppressor activity bear an I-J-subregion controlled determinant (e. g., J₁) which is distinct from that (e. g., J₁) found on non-T: non-13 accessory cells. T-cell subsets examined include Ly-1 inducer and Ly-1,2 acceptor cells which collaborate to generate suppressor activity in the in vitro sheep red blood cell antibody system. Non-T:non-B accessory cells examined include accessory cells involved in concanavalin-A induced, T-cell proliferative responses and in in vitro antibody responses to sheep red blood cells. These results provide evidence for serologic and genetic complexity of the I-J subregion of the murine H-2 gene complex.