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Latter Process (latter + process)
Selected AbstractsMatrix metalloproteinases mediate the dismantling of mesenchymal structures in the tadpole tail during thyroid hormone-induced tail resorptionDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 3 2002Jae-Chang Jung Abstract It has been suggested that a family of tissue remodelling enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a causal role in the process of tail resorption during thyroid hormone-induced metamorphosis of the anuran tadpole; however, this hypothesis has never been directly substantiated. We cloned two new Xenopus MMPs, gelatinase A (MMP-2) and MT3-MMP (MMP-16), and the MMP inhibitor TIMP-2. These clones were used along with several others to perform a comprehensive expression study. We show that all MMPs and TIMP-2 are dramatically induced in the resorbing tail during spontaneous metamorphosis and are spatially coexpressed, primarily in the remodelling mesenchymal tissues. By Northern blotting, we show that all the examined MMPs/TIMP-2 are also induced by treatment of organ-cultured tails with thyroid hormone (T3). Using the organ culture model, we provide the first direct evidence that MMPs are required for T3 -induced tail resorption by showing that a synthetic inhibitor of MMP activity/expression can specifically retard the resorption process. By gelatin zymography, we also show T3 induction of a fifth MMP, preliminarily identified as gelatinase B (GelB; MMP-9). Moreover, T3 not only induces MMP/TIMP expression but also MMP activation, and we provide evidence that TIMP-2 participates in the latter process. These findings suggest that MMPs and TIMPs act in concert to effect the dismantling of mesenchymal structures during T3 -induced metamorphic tadpole tail resorption. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Novel Model Sulfur Compounds as Mechanistic Probes for Enzymatic and Biomimetic OxidationsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2005Alicia B. Peñéñory Abstract To test for the intermediacy of sulfide radical cations in biomimetic and enzymatic oxidations, the sulfides PhSCH3 (1a), PhSCH2Ph (1b), PhSCHPh2 (1c), PhSCPh3 (1d), CH3SCHPh2 (2), PhSCH2CH=CH2 (3), PhSCH2CH=CHPh (4) and CH3SCH2CH=CHPh (5) were studied, and their results were compared to those obtained for the corresponding chemical electron transfer (CET) and photoinduced electron transfer (PET) oxidations. The radical cations generated from 3,5 by CET in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) yielded only fragmentation products from the alkyl cations and the thiyl radicals (RS·), whereas 2·+ afforded both fragmentation and mainly ,-deprotonation products. Photochemical treatment of the sulfides 1a and 1b with C(NO2)4 gave only the corresponding sulfoxides, while fragmentation was the main pathway for the photoreactions of 1c, 2 and 5, and for 1d only this latter process was observed. These results support our selection of the sulfides RSCHPh2, RSCH2CH=CHPh (R = Me, Ph) and PhSCPh3 as models for the biomimetic and enzymatic studies. As evidenced by the sulfoxides and sulfones detected as unique products both in protic and in aprotic solvents, it is proposed that the mechanism of the biomimetic sulfoxidations of sulfides 1c and 2,5 by TPPFeIIICl is direct oxygen transfer. Three enzymes , Coprinus cinereus peroxidase (CiP), horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and chloroperoxidase (CPO) , were studied in the oxidation of sulfides 1a, 2, 4 and 5. The use of a racemic alkyl hydroperoxide in the CiP enzymatic oxidation of sulfides 5 and 2 yielded the corresponding sulfoxides (23 and 29%) and the aldehyde or benzophenone (5%), respectively. These results suggest the involvement of an ET process for the CiP-catalysed oxidation. Fragmentation products were observed in the enzymatic oxidation of sulfide 4 with HRP, which confirms the previously proposed ET mechanism. On the other hand, the CPO-enzymatic oxidation of sulfide 5 yielded only the corresponding sulfoxide, as would be expected for a direct oxygen-transfer or oxene mechanism. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005) [source] Interstitial lung disease,the new synergy between radiology and pathologyHISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2006M Quigley In the last 30 years, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) has been the major advance in diagnosis of diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD). We review the diagnostic accuracy of HRCT and discuss how the gold standard in diagnosis of DPLD has shifted from histopathological diagnosis in isolation to a multidisciplinary approach. This latter process is now accepted as providing the highest levels of diagnostic accuracy in patients with DPLD and lung biopsy is primarily reserved for cases with atypical clinical or radiological presentations. [source] Atlantic reef fish biogeography and evolutionJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2008S. R. Floeter Abstract Aim, To understand why and when areas of endemism (provinces) of the tropical Atlantic Ocean were formed, how they relate to each other, and what processes have contributed to faunal enrichment. Location, Atlantic Ocean. Methods, The distributions of 2605 species of reef fishes were compiled for 25 areas of the Atlantic and southern Africa. Maximum-parsimony and distance analyses were employed to investigate biogeographical relationships among those areas. A collection of 26 phylogenies of various Atlantic reef fish taxa was used to assess patterns of origin and diversification relative to evolutionary scenarios based on spatio-temporal sequences of species splitting produced by geological and palaeoceanographic events. We present data on faunal (species and genera) richness, endemism patterns, diversity buildup (i.e. speciation processes), and evaluate the operation of the main biogeographical barriers and/or filters. Results, Phylogenetic (proportion of sister species) and distributional (number of shared species) patterns are generally concordant with recognized biogeographical provinces in the Atlantic. The highly uneven distribution of species in certain genera appears to be related to their origin, with highest species richness in areas with the greatest phylogenetic depth. Diversity buildup in Atlantic reef fishes involved (1) diversification within each province, (2) isolation as a result of biogeographical barriers, and (3) stochastic accretion by means of dispersal between provinces. The timing of divergence events is not concordant among taxonomic groups. The three soft (non-terrestrial) inter-regional barriers (mid-Atlantic, Amazon, and Benguela) clearly act as ,filters' by restricting dispersal but at the same time allowing occasional crossings that apparently lead to the establishment of new populations and species. Fluctuations in the effectiveness of the filters, combined with ecological differences among provinces, apparently provide a mechanism for much of the recent diversification of reef fishes in the Atlantic. Main conclusions, Our data set indicates that both historical events (e.g. Tethys closure) and relatively recent dispersal (with or without further speciation) have had a strong influence on Atlantic tropical marine biodiversity and have contributed to the biogeographical patterns we observe today; however, examples of the latter process outnumber those of the former. [source] Uptake of pesticides from water by curly waterweed Lagarosiphon major and lesser duckweed Lemna minorPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 8 2007Renato F de Carvalho Abstract The uptake of pesticides from water by two aquatic plants, the submersed Lagarosiphon major (Ridley) Moss and the floating duckweed Lemna minor L., was measured over periods of up to 72 h. Twelve non-ionised pesticides and analogues, chosen to span a wide range of physicochemical properties, and one analogue (3,5-D) of the phenoxyacetic acid herbicide 2,4-D were studied. Concentrations of the parent compound were determined in the plants following extraction and separation by chromatography. Quantification was by liquid scintillation counting for the 14C-labelled compounds and by high-performance liquid chromatography for the four non-radiolabelled commercial pesticides. Uptake for all compound and plant combinations had reached equilibrium by 24 h. Accumulation of compound in the plant could be described well for most non-ionised compounds by equilibration into the aqueous phase in the plant cells together with partitioning onto the plant solids, this latter process becoming dominant in Lagarosiphon for compounds with log Kow > 1 and in Lemna for compounds with log Kow > 1.8. Lipophilic compounds with log Kow > 4 were concentrated more than 100-fold on a fresh-weight basis. However, the uptake of isoproturon and chlorotoluron was up to threefold less than expected from their Kow values, and their behaviour was better explained using solvation descriptors. Uptake of the acid 3,5-D was dependent on solution pH, this compound being strongly taken up at lower pH by the process of ion trapping, as previously observed in barley roots. Aquatic vegetation can thus rapidly accumulate pesticides, and could be an important sink especially for lipophilic pesticides reaching well-vegetated waters. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Cognitive mechanisms underlying the emotional effects of bias modificationAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Laura Hoppitt In this study we assessed the cognitive mechanisms underlying the affective consequences of modifying emotional processing biases. During ,active' training participants selected either threatening or non-threatening meanings of emotionally ambiguous words, in contrast to ,passive' conditions in which participants read unambiguous words with equivalent valenced meanings. Both methods enhanced access to training-congruent primed emotional meanings, as assessed in a lexical decision task, although neither method displayed evidence of an induced interpretive bias as it is usually understood. However, consistent with previous research, the methods differed in their emotional consequences: Active training had greater effects on anxiety while viewing an accident video than did passive exposure. We interpret these results to suggest that both forms of training enhance priming of a valenced category, but only active conditions induce an implicit production rule to generate and/or select emotional meanings, and that it is this latter process that is critical to the modification of emotionality. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Optimal Structure of Technology Adoption and Creation: Basic versus Development Research in Relation to the Distance from the Technological Frontier,ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009Joonkyung Ha O31; O47 Many economists maintain that in order to advance economic growth Asian countries should focus more on basic research than on technology adoption, and more on the supply of skilled workers than the supply of unskilled workers. In this context, this paper presents a theoretical model and empirical evidence to explain the observation that a country in which the level of technology approaches the technology frontier tends to rely more on technology creation than adoption, and invest more in basic research than in development. The model shows that technology creation involves both basic and development research processes, whereas technology adoption uses only the latter process. Therefore, R&D investment in our model involves three different processes: basic research in technology creation, development in technology creation, and development in technology adoption. The results suggest first that the rate of growth is positively correlated with the level of basic research activities in the technology creation sector, if a country's technology gap with the technology frontier is small enough. Second, an increase in the efficiency of the education system for highly skilled workers raises the level of basic research and the rate of growth. Third, verifying these theoretical results, empirical analyses using panel data from Korea, Japan and Taipei, China show that the narrower the distance to the technological frontier, the higher the growth effect of basic R&D, which indicates that the share of basic R&D matters for economic growth. Finally, the results also show that the quality of tertiary education has a significantly positive effect on the productivity of R&D. [source] Microfluidic-Assisted Synthesis of Polymer ParticlesCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 8 2008A. Serra Abstract Microfluidic devices have recently emerged as promising tools for the synthesis of polymer particles. Over conventional processes, microfluidic-assisted processes allow the production of polymer particles with an improved control over their sizes, size distributions, morphologies, and compositions. In this paper, the most common microfluidic devices are reviewed. Both projection photolithography and emulsification processes are reported for the continuous flow synthesis of polymer particles from a stream of polymerizable liquids. For the latter process, two distinct categories of microfluidic devices have been identified: microchannel-based and capillary-based microsystems. For each category, the existing geometries are described and the different emulsification methods including the co-flowing, cross-flowing, or flow-focusing of the continuous and dispersed phases are commented upon. Finally, for each microsystem the various polymer particles achieved in such devices including, but not restricted to, janus, core,shell, or porous particles and capsules are reported. [source] Modeling the Photochemistry of the Reference Phototoxic Drug Lomefloxacin by Steady-State and Time-Resolved Experiments, and DFT and Post-HF CalculationsCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008Mauro Freccero Prof. Abstract The irradiation in water of 1-ethyl-6,8-difluoro-7(3-methylpiperazino)3-quinolone-2-carboxylic acid (lomefloxacin), a bactericidal agent whose use is limited by its serious phototoxicity (and photomutagenicity in the mouse), leads to formation of the aryl cation in position eight that inserts into the 1-ethyl chain. Trapping of the cation was examined and it was found that chloride and bromide straightforwardly add in position eight, but with iodide and with pyrrole the 1-(2-iodoethyl) and the 1-[2-(2-pyrrolyl)ethyl] derivatives are formed. Flash photolysis reveals the triplet of lomefloxacin, a short-lived species (,max=370,nm, ,=40,ns) that generates the triplet cation (,max=480,nm, ,,120,ns). The last intermediate is quenched both by halides and by pyrrole. DFT and post-HF methods have shown that the triplet is the lowest state of the cation (,GST=13.3,kcal,mol,1) and intersystem crossing (ISC) to the singlet has no role because a less endothermic process occurs, that is, intramolecular hydrogen abstraction from the N -ethyl chain (9.2,kcal,mol,1) that finally leads to cyclization. The halides form weak complexes with the triplet cation (kq from 4.9×108 for Cl, to 7.0×109,m,1,s,1 for I,). With Cl, and Br, ISC occurs in the complex along with C8X bond formation. However, this latter process is slow with bulky iodide and with neutral pyrrole, and in these cases moderately endothermic electron transfer (ca. 7,kcal,mol,1) yielding the 8-quinolinyl radical occurs. Hydrogen exchange leads to a new radical on the 1-ethyl chain and to the observed products. These findings suggest that the mutagenic activity of the DNA-intercalated drug involves attack of the photogenerated cation to the heterocyclic bases. [source] The Reaction of o -Alkynylarene and Heteroarene Carboxaldehyde Derivatives with Iodonium Ions and Nucleophiles: A Versatile and Regioselective Synthesis of 1H -Isochromene, Naphthalene, Indole, Benzofuran, and Benzothiophene CompoundsCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 22 2006José Barluenga Prof. Dr. Abstract The reaction of o -alkynylbenzaldehydes 1 with different alcohols, silylated nucleophiles 5, electron-rich arenes 10, and heteroarenes 12 in the presence of the reagent IPy2BF4, at room temperature, gave functionalized 4-iodo-1H -isochromenes 2, 6, 11, and 13 in a regioselective manner. When alkynes 16 and alkenes 19 and 20 were used as nucleophiles, a regioselective benzannulation reaction took place to form 1-iodonaphthalenes 17 and 1-naphthyl ketones 18, respectively. Moreover, the latter process has been adapted to accomplish the synthesis of indole, benzofuran, and benzothiophene derivatives (23, 27, and 28, respectively). The three patterns of reactivity observed for the o -alkynylbenzaldehyde derivatives with IPy2BF4 stem from a common iodinated isobenzopyrylium ion intermediate, A, that evolves in a different way depending on the nucleophile present in the reaction medium. A mechanism is proposed and the different reaction pathways observed as a function of the type of nucleophile are discussed. Furthermore, the reaction of the o -hexynylbenzaldehyde 1,b with styrene was monitored by NMR spectroscopy. Compound III, a resting state for the common intermediate in the absence of acid, has been isolated. Its evolution in acid media has been also tested, thereby providing support to the proposed mechanism. [source] Effects of Ethanol and Transforming Growth Factor , (TGF,) on Neuronal Proliferation and nCAM ExpressionALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2002Michael W. Miller Background Developmental events targeted by ethanol are cell proliferation, neuronal migration, and neurite outgrowth; the latter processes being mediated by neural cell adhesion molecule (nCAM). TGF,1 affects all three of these events. Therefore, the effects of ethanol on transforming growth factor (TGF) ,1 mediated activities in neocortical neurons in vitro were examined. Methods Primary cultures of cortical neurons were obtained from 16-day-old fetuses and were treated with TGF,1 (0 or 10 ng/ml) and ethanol (0 or 400 mg/dl) for 48 hr. The effects of these substances on cell numbers, [3H]thymidine incorporation, and the expression of nCAM were determined. Results Both cell growth (the change in cell numbers over time) and cell proliferation were inhibited by TGF,1 and ethanol. The action of these two anti-mitogenic factors was additive. In contrast, TGF,1 also promoted the expression of three isoforms of nCAM. Likewise, ethanol also up-regulated nCAM expression. On the other hand, ethanol blocked TGF,1-mediated nCAM expression, particularly of the 120 and 180 kDa isoforms. Conclusions TGF, ligands inhibit neuronal proliferation and stimulate the expression of cell adhesion proteins that promote the movement of postmitotic neurons and process outgrowth. Ethanol alters these phenomena as well. Thus, in neurons, as in astrocytes, TGF,1 and ethanol may interact. [source] | |||||||||||||