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Distinct Features (distinct + feature)
Selected AbstractsSpectrum of idiopathic photodermatoses in a Mediterranean countryINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2003Alexander J. Stratigos md Background ,Idiopathic photodermatoses are considered to be common disorders in the population of northern latitude countries, presumably because of the dominance of more "sun-sensitive" individuals with a light-skinned complexion. The incidence of these disorders in the Mediterranean or tropical countries is often under-appreciated because of the higher degree of perennial presence of sunlight and the prevalence of darker skin-type individuals who are seemingly more resistant to the development of sun sensitivity. Methods ,We performed a retrospective, chart-based review of all patients who were diagnosed with idiopathic photodermatoses at a photodermatology referral center in Athens, Greece, during a period of 10 years. Our aim was to assess the pattern of idiopathic photosensitivity disorders in a Mediterranean country and to determine their epidemiological, clinical, and photobiological profile. Results ,A total of 310 patients were referred to our center with symptoms of photosensitivity. One hundred and forty-six patients (47.0%) were diagnosed with an idiopathic photosensitivity disorder by means of history, clinical examination, biochemical screening, histology, and phototesting. The most prevalent disorder was polymorphous light eruption, which was diagnosed in 95 patients (65.0%) of our cohort. Chronic actinic dermatitis occurred in 15 patients (10.2%), solar urticaria in 26 patients (17.8%), actinic prurigo in three patients (2.0%), hydroa vacciniforme in one patient (0.6%) and juvenile spring eruption in six patients (4.1%). Conclusions ,Compared with the results of other studies, the prevalence of idiopathic photodermatoses appears to have a similar trend to that of higher latitude countries. Distinct features in our series include the higher incidence of idiopathic photosensitivity in patients with a fair-skinned complexion (skin types II,III) and the frequent appearance of photo-induced eruptions during sunny weather breaks in the winter period. [source] Trends in Diet, Nutritional Status, and Diet-related Noncommunicable Diseases in China and India: The Economic Costs of the Nutrition TransitionNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 12 2001Dr. Barry M. Popkin Ph.D Undernutrition is being rapidly reduced in India and China. In both countries the diet is shifting toward higher fat and lower carbohydrate content. Distinct features are high intakes of foods from animal sources and edible oils in China, and high intakes of dairy and added sugar in India. The proportion of overweight is increasing very rapidly in China among all adults; in India the shift is most pronounced among urban residents and high-income rural residents. Hypertension and stroke are relatively higher in China and adult-onset diabetes is relatively higher in India. Established economic techniques were used to measure and project the costs of undernutrition and diet-related noncommunicable diseases in 1995 and 2025. Current WHO mortality projections of diet-related noncommunicable diseases, dietary and body composition survey data, and national data sets of hospital costs for healthcare, are used for the economic analyses. In 1995, China's costs of undernutrition and costs of diet-related noncommunicable diseases were of similar magnitude, but there will be a rapid increase in the costs and prevalence of diet-related noncommunicable diseases by 2025. By contrast with China, India's costs of undernutrition will continue to decline, but undernutrition costs did surpass overnutrition diet-related noncommunicable disease costs in 1995. India's rapid increase in diet-related noncommunicable diseases and their costs projects similar economic costs of undernutrition and overnutrition by 2025. [source] A Kindling Model of Pharmacoresistant Temporal Lobe Epilepsy in Sprague,Dawley Rats Induced by Coriaria Lactone and Its Possible MechanismEPILEPSIA, Issue 4 2003Ying Wang Summary: ,Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a new animal model of pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) by repeated intramuscular injection of Coriaria lactone (CL) at subthreshold dosages and to explore the mechanisms that might be involved. Methods: Healthy male Sprague,Dawley rats (n = 160) were randomized into four groups during the kindling process: three groups (n = 50 for each group) received CL injection at subthreshold dosages (1.25, 1.5, and 1.75 mg/kg, respectively), and ten received normal saline (NS) injection as a control group. The maximal human adult dosage of carbamazepine (CBZ), valproate (VPA), and phenytoin (PHT) was administered as monotherapy to different groups of kindled rats for 1 month (n = 20 for each group). Changes in EEG recording, seizure number, intensity (expressed as grade 1,5 according to Racine stage), and duration, including spontaneous seizures during different interventions, were compared. The expression of P-170, a multiple drug resistance gene (MDR1) encoding P-glycoprotein, was measured in brain samples from different groups of experimental rats by using an image analysis and measurement system (ImagePro-Plus 4.0). Results: A total of 70 (46.7%) rats were fully kindled with a median of 15 (seven to 20) CL injections. Electrocorticogram (ECoG) including hippocampal (EHG) monitoring revealed the temporal lobe origins of epileptiform potentials, which were consistent with the behavioral changes observed. Spontaneous seizures occurred with frequency and diurnal patterns similar to those of human TLE. The antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) tested lacked a satisfactory seizure control. The maximal P-170 expression was in the kindled rats with AED treatment; the next highest was in the kindled rats without AED intervention. Nonkindled SD rats with CL injection also had increased P-170 expression compared with control SD rats. Conclusions: The study provided a simple and stable animal TLE kindling model with pharmacoresistant properties. The pharmacoresistance observed in the kindled rats to CBZ, VPA, and PHT at maximal human adult dosages together with the increased P-170 expression was a distinct feature of this model. This model might be used in further investigations of the mechanisms involved in pharmacoresistant TLE and for developing new AEDs. [source] Homeostatic plasticity induced by chronic block of AMPA/kainate receptors modulates the generation of rhythmic bursting in rat spinal cord organotypic culturesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 6 2001Micaela Galante Abstract Generation of spontaneous rhythmic activity is a distinct feature of developing spinal networks. We report that rat embryo organotypic spinal cultures contain the basic circuits responsible for pattern generation. In this preparation rhythmic activity can be recorded from ventral interneurons and is developmentally regulated. When chronically grown in the presence of an AMPA/kainate receptor blocker, this circuit expresses long-term plasticity consisting largely of increased frequency of fast synaptic activity and reduction in slow GABAergic events. We examined whether, once this form of homeostatic plasticity is established, the network could still exhibit rhythmicity with properties similar to controls. Control or chronically treated ventral interneurons spontaneously generated (with similar probability) irregular, network-driven bursts over a background of ongoing synaptic activity. In control cultures increasing network excitability by strychnine plus bicuculline, or by raising [K+]o, induced rapid-onset, regular rhythmic bursts. In treated cultures the same pharmacological block of Cl, -mediated transmission or high-K+ application also induced regular patterned activity, although significantly faster and, in the case of high K+, characterized by slow onset due to postsynaptic current summation. Enhancing GABAergic transmission by pentobarbital surprisingly accelerated the high-K+ rhythm of control cells (though depressing background activity), whereas it slowed it down in chronically treated cells. This contrasting effect of pentobarbital suggests that, to preserve bursting ability, chronic slices developed a distinct GABAergic inhibitory control on over-expressed bursting circuits. Conversely, in control slices GABAergic transmission depressed spontaneous activity but it facilitated bursting frequency. Thus, even after homeostatic rearrangement, developing mammalian spinal networks still generate rhythmic activity. [source] KERIS: evolving software with extensible modulesJOURNAL OF SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, Issue 5 2005Matthias ZengerArticle first published online: 26 SEP 200 Abstract We present the programming language KERIS, an extension of Java with explicit support for software evolution. KERIS introduces extensible modules as the basic building blocks for software. Modules are composed hierarchically, explicitly revealing the architecture of systems. A distinct feature of the module design is that modules do not get linked manually. Instead, the wiring of modules gets inferred. The module assembly and refinement mechanism of KERIS is not restricted to the unanticipated extensibility of atomic modules. It also allows extensions of already linked systems by replacing selected submodules with compatible versions without needing to re-link the full system. Extensibility is type-safe and non-invasive, i.e., the extension of a module preserves the original version and does not require access to source code. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Psychogenic movement disorders in children: A report of 15 cases and a review of the literature,,MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 13 2008Petra Schwingenschuh MD Abstract Data on psychogenic movement disorders (PMD) in children are scarce, with most existing literature relating to adults only. We report 15 cases with the aim of highlighting the clinical characteristics, risk factors, comorbidity, treatment, outcome, and prognosis of PMD in children. Only 13% of cases had onset before age 10, with the mean age at onset being 12.3 years. Females were predominantly affected (F:M = 4:1). The most common types of movement disorders seen were dystonia (47%), tremor (40%), and gait disorders (13%). Multiple hyperkinetic phenomenologies were observed in many cases. Abrupt onset and precipitation by minor injuries, and stressful life events were commonly reported. Clinical clues on examination suggesting a psychogenic origin were similar to those identified in adults. A distinct feature of PMD in children was the predominant involvement of the dominant limb. The underlying psychiatric diagnosis was conversion disorder in the majority of cases. Time from symptom onset until diagnosis of a PMD varied broadly (between 2 weeks and 5 years). Treatment with cognitive and behavioral therapy and rehabilitation by a multidisciplinary team led to improvement in most cases. However, treatment was much more effective in children with a short time from symptom onset to diagnosis and treatment. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society [source] Basement Characteristics and Crustal Evolution of the Copper-Gold Metallogenic Belt in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River: Some Isotope ConstraintsACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 2 2000ZHOU Taofa Abstract Studies of the Pb, Sr and Nd isotopic composition of Mesozoic intrusive rocks indicate that the basement of the copper-gold metallogenic belt of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River has "two-layer structure" and partly has "multi-layered structure", and is inhomogeneous and shows the distinct feature of E-W provincialism. The calculated model lead ages (t1) are mostly greater than 2600 Ma, and the model neodymium ages (TDM) vary from 953 to 2276 Ma and concentrate in two time intervals: 1800,2000 Ma and 1200,1600 Ma. It is concluded that the basement of the MBYR is composed of the Late Archaeozoic to Middle Proterozoic metamorphic series and that the crust was initiated in the Archaean and continued to grow in the Early and Middle Proterozoic, and the proportion of new crust formed by mantle differentiation during the Late Proterozoic is low. [source] EuIII -Doping of Lamellar Bilayer and Amorphous Mono-Amide Cross-Linked Alkyl/Siloxane HybridsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 18 2010Silvia C. Nunes Abstract Two structurally different but chemically similar families of alkyl/siloxane mono-amidosil hosts, represented by m-A(x) [where x = 14 or 8 represents the number of CH2 groups of the pendant alkyl chains directly bonded to the carbonyl group of the amide cross-link] have been doped with a wide range of concentrations of Eu(CF3SO3)3. Mono-amidosils m-A(x)nEu(CF3SO3)3 with n,,,10 (where n is the molar ratio of carbonyl groups per Eu3+ ion) have been analyzed. The m-A(8)nEu(CF3SO3)3 mono-amidosils are transparent and amorphous films, in which the alkyl chains adopt gauche conformations. In contrast, the m-A(14)nEu(CF3SO3)3 mono-amidosils are solid powders; here the lamellar bilayer hierarchical structure of m-A(14) coexists with a new lamellar phase in which the Eu3+ ions are bonded to carbonyl oxygen atoms of the amide groups. At n = 10 the hydrogen-bonded associations formed are highly ordered and considerably stronger than those found in the less concentrated hybrids and in the nondoped matrices. "Free" and weakly coordinated triflate ions occur in all the mono-amidosil samples. The hybrids are white light emitters (maximum quantum yield: 0.08,±,0.01), presenting a broad emission band in the blue/purplish-blue spectral region (ascribed to the hybrid host) superimposed on the 5D0,7F0,4 Eu3+ intra-4f6 transitions. Two Eu3+ local coordination sites (named A and B) have been discerned in both systems. Site A is attributed to weakly coordinated Eu3+/CF3SO3, ion pairs, whereas site B involves Eu3+ coordination to the oxygen atoms of the C=O groups, of the CF3SO3, ions and of the water molecules. For site B, the long-range order of the hybrid host induces distinct features in the energy of the 5D0,7F0,4 transitions, the 5D0 lifetime and the degree of covalency of the Eu3+,first-ligand bonds. [source] Synapse-specific localization of vesicular glutamate transporters in the rat olfactory bulbEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 5 2007Marie-Madeleine Gabellec Abstract Vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) mediate the packaging of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate into synaptic vesicles. Three VGLUT subtypes have so far been identified, with distinct expression patterns in the adult brain. Here, we investigated the spatial distribution of the three VGLUTs in the rat olfactory bulb, a brain region containing a variety of glutamate synapses, both axodendritic and dendrodendritic. Using multilabelling confocal microscopy and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry, we showed that each VGLUT isoform has a highly selective localization in olfactory bulb synapses. VGLUT1 is present at dendrodendritic synapses established by the output neurones (mitral and tufted cells) with bulbar interneurones in the glomerular layer and external plexiform layer, as well as in axonal synapses of the granule cell layer. By contrast, VGLUT2 is strongly expressed in axon terminals of olfactory sensory neurones, which establish synapses with second-order neurones in the glomerular neuropil. VGLUT2 is also found in the outer part of the external plexiform layer and in the granule cell layer but colocalizes only partially with VGLUT1. Finally, we showed that VGLUT3 is exclusively located in the glomerular neuropil, where it colocalizes extensively with the vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter vesicular GABA transporter, suggesting that it is associated with a subset of inhibitory synapses. Together, these observations extend previous findings on VGLUT distribution in the forebrain, and suggest that each VGLUT subtype has a specific function in the distinct features of axodendritic and dendrodendritic synapses that characterize the olfactory bulb circuit. [source] Understanding the binding properties of an unusual metal-binding protein , a study of bacterial frataxinFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 16 2007Chiara Pastore Deficiency of the small mitochondrial protein frataxin causes Friedreich's ataxia, a severe neurodegenerative pathology. Frataxin, which has been highly conserved throughout evolution, is thought to be involved in, among other processes, Fe,S cluster formation. Independent evidence shows that it binds iron directly, although with very distinct features and low affinity. Here, we have carried out an extensive study of the binding properties of CyaY, the bacterial ortholog of frataxin, to different divalent and trivalent cations, using NMR and X-ray crystallography. We demonstrate that the protein has low cation specificity and contains multiple binding sites able to chelate divalent and trivalent metals with low affinity. Binding does not involve cavities or pockets, but exposed glutamates and aspartates, which are residues that are unusual for iron chelation when not assisted by histidines and/or cysteines. We have related how such an ability to bind cations on a relatively large area through an electrostatic mechanism could be a valuable asset for protein function. [source] The crystal structure of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3, a mammalian homologue of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Atg8GENES TO CELLS, Issue 7 2004Kenji Sugawara Microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), a mammalian homologue of yeast Atg8, plays an essential role in autophagy, which is involved in the bulk degradation of cytoplasmic components by the lysosomal system. Here, we report the crystal structure of LC3 at 2.05 Å resolution with an R-factor of 21.8% and a free R-factor of 24.9%. The structure of LC3, which is similar to those of Golgi-associated ATPase enhancer of 16 kDa (GATE-16) and GABAA receptor-associated protein (GABARAP), contains a ubiquitin core with two , helices, ,1 and ,2, attached at its N-terminus. Some common and distinct features are observed among these proteins, including the conservation of residues required to form an interaction among ,1, ,2 and the ubiquitin core. However, the electrostatic potential surfaces of these helices differ, implicating particular roles to select specific binding partners. Hydrophobic patches on the ubiquitin core of LC3, GABARAP and GATE-16 are well conserved and are similar to the E1 binding surface of ubiquitin and NEDD8. Therefore, we propose that the hydrophobic patch is a binding surface for mammalian Atg7 similar to a ubiquitin-like conjugation system. We also propose the functional implications of the ubiquitin fold as a recognition module of target proteins. [source] Seismic characterization of vertical fractures described as general linear-slip interfacesGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 2 2003Vladimir Grechka ABSTRACT Fluid flow in many hydrocarbon reservoirs is controlled by aligned fractures which make the medium anisotropic on the scale of seismic wavelength. Applying the linear-slip theory, we investigate seismic signatures of the effective medium produced by a single set of ,general' vertical fractures embedded in a purely isotropic host rock. The generality of our fracture model means the allowance for coupling between the normal (to the fracture plane) stress and the tangential jump in displacement (and vice versa). Despite its low (triclinic) symmetry, the medium is described by just nine independent effective parameters and possesses several distinct features which help to identify the physical model and estimate the fracture compliances and background velocities. For example, the polarization vector of the vertically propagating fast shear wave S1 and the semi-major axis of the S1 -wave normal-moveout (NMO) ellipse from a horizontal reflector always point in the direction of the fracture strike. Moreover, for the S1 -wave both the vertical velocity and the NMO velocity along the fractures are equal to the shear-wave velocity in the host rock. Analysis of seismic signatures in the limit of small fracture weaknesses allows us to select the input data needed for unambiguous fracture characterization. The fracture and background parameters can be estimated using the NMO ellipses from horizontal reflectors and vertical velocities of P-waves and two split S-waves, combined with a portion of the P-wave slowness surface reconstructed from multi-azimuth walkaway vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data. The stability of the parameter-estimation procedure is verified by performing non-linear inversion based on the exact equations. [source] ,, T-cell lymphomas: a homogeneous entity?HISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2000De Wolf-Peeters ,, T-cells comprise an immunologically distinct lymphoid population, characterized by specific morphological, phenotypical and functional properties. Therefore it seems reasonable to speculate that neoplasms derived from this particular T-cell subset display distinct features. Indeed, the prototype ,, T-cell lymphoma, hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma constitutes a unique clinicopathological entitity which is intimately associated with a ,, T-cell phenotype. However, ,, T-cell lymphomas have also been described in other extranodal sites where, unlike reactive ,, T-cells and hepatosplenic ,, T-cell lymphomas, they display an important morphological heterogeneity. Moreover, these nonhepatosplenic ,, T-cell lymphomas are essentially not that different from their ,, T-cell receptor for antigen (TCR)-expressing counterparts and thus may be incorporated in the established T-cell lymphoma subclasses. However, subtle differences regarding their histopathological appearance as well as their biological behaviour indicate that further studies to determine the exact significance of TCR expression are required. Such inquiries may contribute to the general understanding of T-cell lymphomagenesis in general, which is still obscure. [source] Classification of hydrological regimes of northern floodplain basins (Peace,Athabasca Delta, Canada) from analysis of stable isotopes (,18O, ,2H) and water chemistryHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 2 2007Brent B. Wolfe Abstract We used stable isotopes (,18O and ,2H) and water chemistry to characterize the water balance and hydrolimnological relationships of 57 shallow aquatic basins in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), northern Alberta, Canada, based on sampling at the end of the 2000 thaw season. Evaporation-to-inflow ratios (E/I) were estimated using an isotope mass-balance model tailored to accommodate basin-specific input water compositions, which provided an effective, first-order, quantitative framework for identifying water balances and associated limnological characteristics spanning three main, previously identified drainage types. Open-drainage basins (E/I < 0·4; n = 5), characterized by low alkalinity, low concentrations of nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and ions, and high minerogenic turbidity, include large, shallow basins that dominate the interior of the PAD and experience frequent or continuous river channel connection. Closed-drainage basins (E/I , 1·0; n = 16), in contrast, possess high alkalinity and high concentrations of nitrogen, DOC, and ions, and low minerogenic turbidity, and are located primarily in the relict and infrequently flooded landscape of the northern Peace sector of the delta. Several basins fall into the restricted-drainage category (0·4 # E/I < 1·0; n = 26) with intermediate water chemistries and are predominant in the southern Athabasca sector, which is subject to active fluviodeltaic processes, including intermittent flooding from riverbank overflow. Integration of isotopic and limnological data also revealed evidence for a new fourth drainage type, mainly located near the large open-drainage lakes that occupy the central portion of the delta but within the Athabasca sector (n = 10). These basins were very shallow (<50 cm deep) at the time of sampling and isotopically depleted, corresponding to E/I characteristic of restricted- and open-drainage conditions. However, they are limnologically similar to closed-drainage basins except for higher conductivity and higher concentrations of Ca2+ and Na+, and lower concentrations of SiO2 and chlorophyll c. These distinct features are due to the overriding influence of recent summer rainfall on the basin water balance and chemistry. The close relationships evident between water balances and limnological conditions suggest that past and future changes in hydrology are likely to be coupled with marked alterations in water chemistry and, hence, the ecology of aquatic environments in the PAD. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Robust stabilization of a class of non-minimum-phase nonlinear systems in a generalized output feedback canonical formINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 3 2009Jun Fu Abstract In this paper, a globally robust stabilizer for a class of uncertain non-minimum-phase nonlinear systems in generalized output feedback canonical form is designed. The system contains unknown parameters multiplied by output-dependent nonlinearities and output-dependent nonlinearities enter such a system both additively and multiplicatively. The proposed method relies on a recently developed novel parameter estimator and state observer design methodology together with a combination of backstepping and small-gain approach. Our design has three distinct features. First, the parameter estimator and state observer do not necessarily follow the classical certainty-equivalent principle any more. Second, the design treats unknown parameters and unmeasured states in a unified way. Third, the technique by combining standard backstepping and small-gain theorem ensures robustness with respect to dynamic uncertainties. Finally, two numerical examples are given to show that the proposed method is effective, and that it can be applied to more general systems that do not satisfy the cascading upper diagonal dominance conditions developed in recent papers, respectively. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Neural network-based adaptive control of piezoelectric actuators with unknown hysteresisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 1 2009Wen-Fang Xie Abstract This paper proposes a neural network (NN)-based adaptive control of piezoelectric actuators with unknown hysteresis. Based on the classical Duhem model described by a differential equation, the explicit solution to the equation is explored and a new hysteresis model is constructed as a linear model in series with a piecewise continuous nonlinear function. An NN-based dynamic pre-inversion compensator is designed to cancel out the effect of the hysteresis. With the incorporation of the pre-inversion compensator, an adaptive control scheme is proposed to have the position of the piezoelectric actuator track the desired trajectory. This paper has three distinct features. First, it applies the NN to online approximate complicated piecewise continuous unknown nonlinear functions in the explicit solution to Duhem model. Second, an observer is designed to estimate the output of hysteresis of piezoelectric actuator based on the system input and output. Third, the stability of the controlled piezoelectric actuator with the observer is guaranteed. Simulation results for a practical system validate the effectiveness of the proposed method in this paper. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Spatial and temporal dynamics of Myzus persicae clones in fields and suction trapsAGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Louise Kasprowicz Abstract 1,The population of peach-potato aphid Myzus persicae in Scotland is comprised almost entirely of long-term asexual clones. 2,Over a ten year period, M. persicae from Scottish fields and suction traps were analysed with six microsatellite markers. 3,Out of 1497 individuals analysed, 14 clones (denoted A,N) comprised over 98% of the collection. 4,Some clones were particularly abundant but most clones had a widespread distribution on all available plants. 5,Clones E and L had distinct features in their distributions as clone L was geographically totally restricted to the north east of Scotland and clone E showed a marked preference for brassica crops. 6,Clones E and L provide direct evidence of a role for local adaptations in the distribution of M. persicae clones. [source] A gregarious lingulid brachiopod Longtancunella chengjiangensis from the Lower Cambrian, South ChinaLETHAIA, Issue 1 2007ZHIFEI ZHANG Longtancunella chengjiangensis, one of the sparse lingulid brachiopods from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätten of southwestern China, is characterized by a sub-circular shell shape, stout pedicle, and notably by gregarious occurrences in the fossils. This brachiopod form was briefly reported in 1999, but its detailed description, however, remains to be done. The material in our collection is remarkably well preserved and allows accounts of the shell morphology and of valve interiors, including lophophores, mantle canals, and a digestive tract. When compared with the coeval lingulid brachiopod Xianshanella haikouensis Zhang & Han, 2004, L. chengjiangensis exhibits some distinct features, notably tenuous marginal setae and distinguishable mantle canals and a relative short pedicle tapering posteriorly. [source] The Trollopian Geopolitical AestheticLITERATURE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 9 2010Lauren M. E. Goodlad Trollope's reputation as a formally dull post-1848 realist persists even though the period of his Palliser series (1864,1879) was characterized by intense political and imperial dynamism. While most of Trollope's novels during this period exemplify a historically engaged realism, The Eustace Diamonds is distinct for its rare meditation on empire in South Asia,a topic that Trollope seems purposely to have avoided. Trollope's fourth Palliser novel captures the vexed ethics of a so-called liberal imperialism through two classic characters,Lucy Morris and Lord Fawn,and their interactions with the Sawab of Mygawb, a "non-character"who marks the novel's geopolitical unconscious. But the novel's most formally distinct features revolve around representation of Lizzie Eustace, who figures Trollope's uneasiness over the New Imperial era's neo-feudal aesthetics. Trollope associated the New Imperialism with Benjamin Disraeli whose Jewish ethnicity he tied to a "conjuring" political agency that could master the theaters of mass democracy and imperial expansion. In The Eustace Diamonds, Lizzie becomes the embodiment of an actively performed New Imperial aesthetic. As a Disraeli-like schemer, she introduces a stylistic referentiality that is alien to Trollope's ,pellucid' linguistic ideal. Where Trollope's sociological and global capitalist novels offer nuanced aesthetic capture, Lizzie marks the representational limits of such realism. Like the Sawab, she is the sign of a Trollopian power to stretch form beyond the crude anti-realism of the racialized scapegoat. [source] Movement disorders associated with encephalitis lethargica: A video compilationMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 1 2006Joel A. Vilensky PhD Abstract Encephalitis lethargica (EL; epidemic encephalitis; von Economo's disease) often presented with a movement disorder, and the motor consequences of postencephalitic parkinsonism (PEP) were characteristic of the chronic sequelae of this condition. PEP was similar to Parkinson's disease but was more variable and had some distinct features such as oculogyric crises. Although two previous publications have included video images of the movement disorders associated with EL and PEP, the sequences presented were typically short, showed only a few patients, and did not include the work of several neurologists who had the foresight to preserve filmed images of their patients. We describe the most complete record of EL and PEP moving images that have been preserved and make them available in edited form. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society [source] Distribution of lymphoid neoplasms in the Republic of Korea: Analysis of 5318 cases according to the World Health Organization classification,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 10 2010Sun Och Yoon Compared with the West, the overall incidence of lymphoid neoplasms is lower, and the subtype distribution is distinct in Asia. To comprehensively investigate the subtype distribution with the age and sex factors, and temporal changes of subtype proportions, we re-assessed all patients with lymphoid neoplasms diagnosed at a large oncology service in the Republic of Korea from 1989 to 2008 using the World Health Organization classifications. Of the total 5,318 patients, 66.9% had mature B-cell neoplasms, 12.5% had mature T/natural killer (NK)-cell neoplasms, 16.4% had precursor lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL/LBL), and 4.1% had Hodgkin's lymphoma. The most common subtypes were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (30.5%), plasma cell myeloma (14.0%), extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type (MALT lymphoma; 12.4%), B-cell ALL/LBL (11.3%), Hodgkin's lymphoma (4.1%), peripheral T-cell lymphoma unspecified (4.0%), T-cell ALL/LBL (3.9%), and extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma of nasal type (3.9%). Most subtypes showed male predominance, with an average M/F ratio of 1.3. Most mature lymphoid neoplasms were diseases of adults (mean age, 53.5 yr), whereas ALL/LBLs were of young individuals (mean age, 20.3 yr). When the relative proportion of subtypes were compared between two decades (1989,1998 vs. 1999,2008), especially MALT lymphoma has increased in proportion, whereas T/NK-cell neoplasms and ALL/LBL have slightly decreased. In summary, the lymphoid neoplasms of Koreans shared some epidemiologic features similar to those of other countries, whereas some subtypes showed distinct features. Although the increase in incidence of lymphoid neoplasms is relatively modest in Korea, recent increase of MALT lymphoma and decrease of T/NK-cell neoplasms and ALL/LBL are interesting findings. Am. J. Hematol., 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Clinical and genetic heterogeneity in Omenn syndrome and severe combined immune deficiencyPEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 2 2009Tanja A. Gruber Abstract:, OS has been described as a clinical phenotype in infants characterized by SCID, diffuse erythroderma, and other distinct features. The pathogenesis is secondary to autologous, auto-reactive T cells produced as rare escapees from the SCID blockade. Mutations in either the RAG1 or RAG2 gene that lead to partial recombinase activity are responsible for many of the patients with these clinical features. We report on two patients, one with an atypical phenotype of OS (absence of rash but presence of other typical features) who harbored a previously undescribed mutation in RAG1, and a second who had many of the classic features of OS but was found to have a mutation in the common gamma chain (,c) cytokine receptor gene. These cases highlight the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of OS. [source] Cytomegalovirus-Induced Glomerular Vasculopathy in Renal Allografts: A Report of Two CasesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 7 2002Macaulay Onuigbo Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a major viral pathogen complicating renal transplantation. Tubulointerstitial nephritis is the commonly acknowledged and well-characterized pathologic feature of renal allograft CMV disease. There is controversy about whether there is a distinct entity as a CMV glomerulopathy in the absence of tubulointerstitial disease. We describe two patients with renal allograft dysfunction who displayed distinct features of CMV glomerular vasculopathy, in the absence of overt viral cytopathic changes involving the tubules. [source] Nitric oxide and ovarian functionANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006Masa-aki HATTORI ABSTRACT Nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized by three NO synthases, designated as NOS-1, NOS-2, and NOS-3, with distinct features and localization. Nitric oxide and the reactive oxygen species generated from NO react with a wide variety of biomolecules such as DNA, transcription factors, enzymes, cytokines, and membrane receptors in NO synthesized cells and nearby cells to mediate a variety of biological functions. Nitric oxide synthase-2 and NOS-3 are expressed in the ovary during folliculogenesis and luteinization. Nitric oxide functions as an important modulator for folliculogenesis and atresia, steroidogenesis, prostaglandin biosynthesis, ovulation, luteolysis, and oocyte maturation. Nitric oxide synthase-3 is also localized in the porcine oocytes of the primordial follicles as well as in large follicles. It has been proved that NO is involved in intracellular signaling for oocyte growth and maturation at the pre-ovulatory stage. [source] Common gene expression signatures in t(8;21)- and inv(16)-acute myeloid leukaemiaBRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Hitoshi Ichikawa Summary Human acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) involving a core-binding factor (CBF) transcription factor is called CBF leukaemia. In these leukaemias, AML1 (RUNX1, PEBP2,B, CBF,2)-MTG8 (ETO) and CBF, (PEBP2,)-MYH11 chimaeric proteins are generated by t(8;21) and inv(16) respectively. We analysed gene expression profiles of leukaemic cells by microarray, and selected genes whose expression appeared to be modulated in association with t(8;21) and inv(16). In a pair-wise comparison, 15% of t(8;21)-associated transcripts exhibited high or low expression in inv(16)-AML, and 26% of inv(16)-associated transcripts did so equivalently in t(8;21)-AML. These common elements in gene expression profiles between t(8;21)- and inv(16)-AML probably reflect the situation that AML1-MTG8 and CBF, -MYH11 chimaeric proteins affect a common set of target genes in CBF leukaemic cells. On the other hand, 38% of t(8;21)-associated and 24% of inv(16)-associated transcripts were regulated in t(8;21)- and inv(16)-specific manners. These distinct features of t(8;21)- and inv(16)-associated genes correlate with the bimodular structures of the chimaeric proteins (CBF-related AML1 and CBF, portions, and CBF-unrelated MTG8 and MYH11 portions). [source] 4131: Pathologic epithelial and anterior corneal nerve morphology in congenital aniridic keratopathyACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010P FAGERHOLM Purpose To document corneal morphology in Swedish families with congenital aniridia. Methods Detailed ophthalmic examinations were conducted in a number of affected and unaffected members. Digital slit lamp photography, anterior segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT) and in-vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) examinations were performed bilaterally to document corneal morphology. Results Affected family members presented with different stages of aniridic keratopathy, with a corneal appearance varying from totally transparent to opaque and highly vascularised. Increased corneal thickness in affected members, particularly those with severe keratopathy, was noted by ASOCT. By IVCM, opaque corneas were characterized by active vessels and dense inflammatory cell infiltration. In corneas with milder keratopathy, pathologic epithelial findings included epithelial pleomorphism, focal epithelial opacities, and an absence of limbal epithelial crypts and focal stromal projections at the limbus. Nerves of the anterior cornea exhibited several distinct features, including an unusually close association of subbasal nerves with epithelial cells, an unusually high subbasal nerve density with highly branched nerves, and a prominent whorl region. Additionally, abnormally dense and tortuous anterior stromal nerves, attached to stromal keratocytes, were noted in unaffected members. Conclusion Altered epithelial morphology and a vigorous innervation of the anterior cornea were the most pronounced corneal findings in family members with milder forms of aniridic keratopathy. Further findings confirmed the known increase in corneal thickness and limbal stem cell abnormality in aniridia. [source] Short-Range Interactions in Na Coadsorption with CO and O on Ni(111)CHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 8 2008Antonio Politano Dr. Abstract The coadsorption of Na with CO and O on Ni(111) is studied by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. Experimental evidence for a very short-range interaction between Na and coadsorbates is reported, in contrast with recent theoretical predictions overestimating nonlocal alkali-induced effects. Loss spectra show distinct features, as a consequence of different local [CO]:[Na] and [O]:[Na] stoichiometries. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||