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Mats
Kinds of Mats Selected AbstractsTheory of mind functioning in mentally disordered offenders detained in high security psychiatric care: its relationship to clinical outcome, need and riskCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 5 2007David Murphy Background,Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the cognitive mechanisms that allow us to infer our own mental states and those of others. Whilst ToM deficits are frequently observed among individuals with schizophrenia, little is known about their relationship to functional outcome. Aims,Among patients with schizophrenia in a high security hospital, to test whether ToM performance, in relation to other cognitive and clinical variables, is related to measures of subsequent clinical outcome. Methods,ToM was assessed using the modified advanced test (MAT) and the revised eyes task (RET). Outcome, including ongoing need and risk, was assessed using the HoNOS secure, CANFOR and HCR-20 respectively three years post ToM assessment. Results,Performance on the RET was the only variable to be significantly correlated with the symptom ratings of the HoNOS secure and the HCR-20 total scores. Performance on the RET also accounted for approximately half of the variance in the CANFOR ratings and a third in the risk management item ratings of the HCR-20. Age, number of years diagnosed with schizophrenia and other aspects of cognition were also significantly correlated with the HoNOS security scale. Conclusions,The results suggest that social perceptual ToM may be a useful prognostic indicator, but also that ToM impairments may represent an unmet need. Replication of the work with larger and more diverse samples of people with schizophrenia is necessary, as well as trials of therapeutic effort directed at improvement of ToM impairments. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Genotype and mating type analysis of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii isolates from China that mainly originated from non-HIV-infected patientsFEMS YEAST RESEARCH, Issue 6 2008Xiaobo Feng Abstract Cryptococcosis has been reported to be mostly associated with non-HIV-related patients in China. However, little is known about the molecular characteristics of clinical isolates from the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex in this country. In this study, 115 clinical isolates were included. Molecular type VNI was the most representative (n=103), followed by VGI (n=8), VNIII (n=2), VNIV (n=1), and VGII (n=1). With the exception of a serotype D mating type a isolate, all possessed the MAT, locus. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) revealed that most Cryptococcus gattii isolates from China shared identical MLST profiles with the most common MLST genotype reported in the VGI group, and the only one VGII isolate resembled the Vancouver Island outbreak minor genotype. The C. gattii strains involved in this study were successfully grouped according to their molecular type and mating types by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the GEF1 gene. Our results suggest that (1) in China, cryptococcosis is mostly caused by C. neoformans var. grubii (molecular type VNI), and mating type ,; (2) The most common causative agents of C. gattii infection in China are closely related to a widely distributed MLST genotype; and (3) The PCR-RFLP analysis of the GEF1 gene has the potential to identify the molecular and mating types of C. gattii simultaneously. [source] Below-ground carbon flux and partitioning: global patterns and response to temperatureFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2008C. M. Litton Summary 1The fraction of gross primary production (GPP) that is total below-ground carbon flux (TBCF) and the fraction of TBCF that is below-ground net primary production (BNPP) represent globally significant C fluxes that are fundamental in regulating ecosystem C balance. However, global estimates of the partitioning of GPP to TBCF and of TBCF to BNPP, as well as the absolute size of these fluxes, remain highly uncertain. 2Efforts to model below-ground processes are hindered by methodological difficulties for estimating below-ground C cycling, the complexity of below-ground interactions, and an incomplete understanding of the response of GPP, TBCF and BNPP to climate change. Due to a paucity of available data, many terrestrial ecosystem models and ecosystem-level studies of whole stand C use efficiency rely on assumptions that: (i) C allocation patterns across large geographic, climatic and taxonomic scales are fixed; and (ii) c. 50% of TBCF is BNPP. 3Here, we examine available information on GPP, TBCF, BNPP, TBCF : GPP and BNPP : TBCF from a diverse global data base of forest ecosystems to understand patterns in below-ground C flux and partitioning, and their response to mean annual temperature (MAT). 4MAT and mean annual precipitation (MAP) covaried strongly across the global forest data base (37 mm increase in MAP for every 1 °C increase in MAT). In all analyses, however, MAT was the most important variable explaining observed patterns in below-ground C processes. 5GPP, TBCF and BNPP all increased linearly across the global scale range of MAT. TBCF : GPP increased significantly with MAT for temperate and tropical ecosystems (> 5 °C), but variability was high across the data set. BNPP : TBCF varied from 0·26 to 0·53 across the entire MAT gradient (,5 to 30 °C), with a much narrower range of 0·42 to 0·53 for temperate and tropical ecosystems (5 to 30 °C). 6Variability in the data sets was moderate and clear exceptions to the general patterns exist that likely relate to other factors important for determining below-ground C flux and partitioning, in particular water availability and nutrient supply. Still, our results highlight global patterns in below-ground C flux and partitioning in forests in response to MAT that in part confirm previously held assumptions. [source] Use of response functions in selecting lodgepole pine populations for future climatesGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2006T. WANG Abstract Although growth response functions have previously been developed for lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) populations in British Columbia, new analyses were conducted: (1) to demonstrate the merit of a new local climate model in genecological analysis; (2) to highlight new methods for deriving response functions; and (3) to evaluate the impacts of management options for existing geographically defined seed planning units (SPUs) for reforestation. Results of this study suggest that new methods for anchoring population response functions, and a multivariate approach for incorporating climate variables into a single model, considerably improve the reliability of these functions. These functions identified a small number of populations in central areas of the species distribution with greater growth potential over a wide range of mean annual temperature (MAT). Average productivity of lodgepole pine is predicted to increase (up to 7%) if moderate warming (,2°C MAT) occurs in the next few decades as predicted, although productivity would substantially decline in some SPUs in southern BC. Severe global warming (>3°C MAT) would result in either a drastic decline in productivity or local populations being extirpated in southern SPUs. New deployment strategies using the best seed sources for future reforestation may not only be able to mitigate the negative impact of global warming, but may even be able to increase productivity in some areas. [source] Global trends in senesced-leaf nitrogen and phosphorusGLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Zhiyou Yuan ABSTRACT Aim, Senesced-leaf litter plays an important role in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. While green-leaf nutrients have been reported to be affected by climatic factors at the global scale, the global patterns of senesced-leaf nutrients are not well understood. Location, Global. Methods, Here, bringing together a global dataset of senesced-leaf N and P spanning 1253 observations and 638 plant species at 365 sites and of associated mean climatic indices, we describe the world-wide trends in senesced-leaf N and P and their stoichiometric ratios. Results, Concentration of senesced-leaf N was highest in tropical forests, intermediate in boreal, temperate, and mediterranean forests and grasslands, and lowest in tundra, whereas P concentration was highest in grasslands, lowest in tropical forests and intermediate in other ecosystems. Tropical forests had the highest N : P and C : P ratios in senesced leaves. When all data were pooled, N concentration significantly increased, but senesced-leaf P concentration decreased with increasing mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP). The N : P and C : P ratios also increased with MAT and MAP, but C : N ratios decreased. Plant functional type (PFT), i.e. life-form (grass, herb, shrub or tree), phylogeny (angiosperm versus gymnosperm) and leaf habit (deciduous versus evergreen), affected senesced-leaf N, P, N : P, C : N and C : P with a ranking of senesced-leaf N from high to low: forbs , shrubs , trees > grasses, while the ranking of P was forbs , shrubs , trees < grasses. The climatic trends of senesced-leaf N and P and their stoichiometric ratios were similar between PFTs. Main conclusions, Globally, senesced-leaf N and P concentrations differed among ecosystem types, from tropical forest to tundra. Differences were significantly related to global climate variables such as MAT and MAP and also related to plant functional types. These results at the global scale suggest that nutrient feedback to soil through leaf senescence depends on both the climatic conditions and the plant composition of an ecosystem. [source] Global-scale patterns of nutrient resorption associated with latitude, temperature and precipitationGLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Z. Y. Yuan ABSTRACT Aim Nutrient resorption from senescing leaves is an important mechanism of nutrient conservation in plants, but the patterns of nutrient resorption at the global scale are unknown. Because soil nutrients vary along climatic gradients, we hypothesize that nutrient resorption changes with latitude, temperature and precipitation. Location Global. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis on a global data set collected from published literature on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) resorption of woody plants. Results For all data pooled, both N resorption efficiency (NRE) and P resorption efficiency (PRE) were significantly related to latitude, mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP): NRE increased with latitude but decreased with MAT and MAP. In contrast, PRE decreased with latitude but increased with MAT and MAP. When functional groups (shrub versus tree, coniferous versus broadleaf and evergreen versus deciduous) were examined individually, the patterns of NRE and PRE in relation to latitude, MAT and MAP were generally similar. Main conclusions The relationships between N and P resorption and latitude, MAT and MAP indicate the existence of geographical patterns of plant nutrient conservation strategies in relation to temperature and precipitation at the global scale, particularly for PRE, which can be an indicator for P limitation in the tropics and selective pressure shaping the evolution of plant traits. Our results suggest that, although the magnitude of plant nutrient resorption might be regulated by local factors such as substrate, spatial patterns are also controlled by temperature or precipitation. [source] Liver cell proliferation requires methionine adenosyltransferase 2A mRNA up-regulationHEPATOLOGY, Issue 6 2002Covadonga Pańeda Regulation of liver cell proliferation is a key event to control organ size during development and liver regeneration. Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) 2A is expressed in proliferating liver, whereas MAT1A is the form expressed in adult quiescent hepatocytes. Here we show that, in H35 hepatoma cells, growth factors such as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and insulin up-regulated MAT2A expression. HGF actions were time- and dose-response dependent and required transcriptional activity. Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate kinase (PI 3-K) pathways were required for both HGF-induced cell proliferation and MAT2A up-regulation. Furthermore, in H35 cells treated with HGF, the inhibition of these pathways was associated with the switch from the expression of fetal liver MAT2A to the adult liver MAT1A isoform. Fetal liver hepatocytes exhibited an identical response pattern. Treatment of H35 hepatoma cells with MAT2A antisense oligonucleotides decreased cell proliferation induced by HGF; this decrease correlated with the decay in MAT2A messenger RNA (mRNA) levels. Finally, growth inhibitors such as transforming growth factor (TGF) , blocked HGF-induced MAT2A up-regulation while increasing MAT1A mRNA levels in H35 cells. In conclusion, our results show that MAT2A expression not only correlates with liver cell proliferation but is required for this process. [source] LayTracks: a new approach to automated geometry adaptive quadrilateral mesh generation using medial axis transformINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2004W. R. Quadros Abstract A new mesh generation algorithm called ,LayTracks', to automatically generate an all quad mesh that is adapted to the variation of geometric feature size in the domain is described. LayTracks combines the merits of two popular direct techniques for quadrilateral mesh generation,quad meshing by decomposition and advancing front quad meshing. While the MAT has been used for the domain decomposition before, this is the first attempt to use the MAT, for the robust subdivision of a complex domain into a well defined sub-domain called ,Tracks', for terminating the advancing front of the mesh elements without complex interference checks and to use radius function for providing sizing function for adaptive meshing. The process of subdivision of a domain is analogous to, formation of railway tracks by laying rails on the ground. Each rail starts from a node on the boundary and propagates towards the medial axis (MA) and then from the MA towards the boundary. Quadrilateral elements are then obtained by placing nodes on these rails and connecting them inside each track, formed by adjacent rails. The algorithm has been implemented and tested on some typical geometries and the quality of the output mesh obtained are presented. Extension of this technique to all hexahedral meshing is discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The effect of instrument exposure on marine air temperatures: an assessment using VOSClim DataINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2005David I. Berry Abstract Observations of marine air temperature (MAT) by Voluntary Observing Ships (VOS) are known to contain significant biases due to solar heating of the sensor environment. MAT and humidity observations are usually made using wet- and dry-bulb thermometers housed in Stevenson screens, or with psychrometers. These instruments are typically mounted in the bridge wings or on the wheel-house top. If not sited carefully then the instruments can be poorly exposed to the undisturbed environmental conditions and have inadequate ventilation, leading to biased observations of both MAT and humidity. In this paper we use observations collected as part of the VOS Climate (VOSClim) project to investigate the relationship between instrument exposure and heating errors. The heating errors are estimated as the difference between the observed MAT and the collocated output of a numerical weather prediction model. The instrument exposures are assessed from photographs of the instruments. Currently, photographs of the instruments and sufficient observations exist for 17 VOSClim ships. Two methods of assessing the instrument exposure using the observations are presented. The first method is based on the skewness of the distribution of estimated heating errors for individual ships. The second method is based on a correction developed to correct the heating errors and uses the ratio of the heating to cooling terms in the correction. When ships are ranked both on the skewness and on the ratio of the heating to cooling terms, there is a statistically significant correspondence between the rankings and the visual assessments of instrument exposure. The skewness of the distribution of estimated errors in MAT is proposed as a simple indicator of instrument exposure. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Robust frame synchronization for the DVB-S2 system with large frequency offsets,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING, Issue 1 2009Pansoo Kim Abstract This paper tackles the problem of frame synchronization design for the Digital Video Broadcasting standard via Satellite (DVB-S2) system. In particular, the design of a novel frame detection scheme exhibiting robustness against large frequency errors is proposed. Post-detection integration (PDI) is exploited to provide coarse frame alignment with limited complexity with respect to classical approximate maximum likelihood (ML) solutions. The novel scheme, denoted as differential generalized post-detection integration, derives from a pragmatic adaptation of the well-known generalized PDI scheme (IEEE Trans. Commun. 2007; 55(11):2159,2171), which eliminates its inherent source of weakness in the presence of large frequency offsets, i.e. its non-differential component given by non-coherent PDI. The proposed approach manages to reduce the remarkable performance gap with respect to approximate ML techniques available in the literature (IEEE Trans. Commun. 2002; 50(7):1062,1065), providing the designer with an interesting performance/complexity trade-off. Performance is numerically evaluated in terms of receiver operating characteristics and mean acquisition time (MAT), handling the acquisition procedure according to a single-dwell approach. Both threshold crossing and MAX criterion are contrasted to identify the best design solution. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mechanisms of Right Atrial Tachycardia Occurring Late After Surgical Closure of Atrial Septal DefectsJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 7 2005ISABELLE MAGNIN-POULL M.D. Introduction: In patients without structural heart disease, the most frequently occurring AT is the common atrial flutter. In patients with repaired congenital heart disease other mechanisms of AT may occur, due to the presence of an atriotomy that can provide a substrate for reentry. The aim of the present study was to identify the mechanisms of atrial tachycardia (AT) occurring late after atrial septum defect (ASD) repair, with the help of a three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping system. Methods and Results: Twenty-two consecutive patients presenting with AT underwent complete electroanatomic mapping (CARTO®, Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA) of spontaneously occurring and inducible right ATs. Complete maps of 26 ATs were obtained. Three tachycardia mechanisms were identified: single-loop macroreentrant atrial tachycardia (MAT) (n = 7), double-loop MAT (n = 18), and focal AT (n = 1). In all MATs, protected isthmuses were identified as the electrophysiological substrate of the arrhythmia, most frequently the cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) (n = 24), and a gap between the inferior vena cava and a line of double potentials (n = 11). A mean number of 13.5 ± 2.1 radiofrequency applications were delivered to transect these critical parts of the circuit. During a follow-up of 25 ± 16 months the RF ablation was acutely successful in all patients. Thirteen patients (59%) had an early recurrence of MAT and needed an additional ablation procedure. One of those patients needed two additional ablation procedures. Conclusions: Three-dimensional electroanatomic mapping is useful to identify postsurgical AT mechanisms; the CTI isthmus is involved in 92% MAT, and if the right atrial free wall (RAFW) abnormal tissue related to surgical scar is present this substrate contributes to the MAT circuit [source] INTRODUCTION: DOING CHINESE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY WITHOUT "MAT VENDOR'S FALLACY"JOURNAL OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY, Issue 2 2007CHENYANG LI [source] Systematic conformational search analysis of the SRR and RRR epimers of 7-hydroxymatairesinolJOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2010Giovanni Li Manni Abstract An extensive and systematic conformational search was performed on the two epimers of the natural lignan 7-hydroxymatairesinol (HMR), by means of a home-made Systematic Conformational Search Analysis (SCSA) code, designed to select more and more stable conformers through sequential geometry optimization of trial structures at increasing levels of calculation theory. In the present case, the starting molecular structures were selected by the semi-empirical AM1 method and filtered , i.e. decreased in number by choosing the more stable species , on the basis of their energy calculated by the HF method and the 6-31G(d) basis set. The geometries obtained were further refined by performing density functional theory (DFT) optimizations, using the B3LYP functional and the 6-31G(d,p) basis set, both in vacuo and in ethanol solution. This procedure allowed us to isolate, at a high level of theory, three groups of epimer conformers characterized by open, semi-folded, and folded conformations. Moreover, the SCSA allowed us to describe a conformational space made-up by about 20 species for each of the two epimers. The corresponding energy content of these species was within 27,kJ,mol,1 from the absolute minimum found, both in vacuo and in ethanol solution. The conformational analysis, followed by the inspection of the stereochemistry of the two most stable conformers of both epimers, provides support in rationalizing the proposed reaction mechanism of the catalytic hydrogenolysis of the HMR to matairesinol (MAT). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] MYELINATION DEFICIT IN NERVE OF SUCKLING RATS DUE TO CYCLOLEUCINE -INDUCED DEFICIENCY OF METHYL DONORSJOURNAL OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, Issue 1 2000R. Bianchi We used cycloleucine (CL) , which prevents methionine conversion to S-adenosyl-methionine (SAMe) by inhibiting ATP-L-methionine-adenosyl-transferase (MAT) , to characterize the lipid and protein changes induced by methyl donors deficit in peripheral nerve and brain myelin in rats during development. We have previously shown that CL (400 mg/kg ip) given to suckling rats at days 7, 8, 12, and 13 after birth reduced brain and sciatic nerve weight gain, brain myelin content, protein, phospholipid (PL), and galactolipid concentration in comparison to control. Among PLs, only sphingomyelin (SPH) significantly increased by 35,50%. SAMe p-toluensulphonate (SAMe-SD4) (100 mg/kg, ip) given daily from day 7, as with exogenous SAMe, partially prevented some lipid alterations induced by CL, particularly galactolipid and SPH. To test the ability of CL to affect PL metabolism we have measured de novo PL biosynthesis, ex vivo in nerve homogenates (in comparison with brain homogenates) from control and CL-treated animals killed at day 18 after birth, starting from labelled substrates ([3H]-choline, specific activity 20 mCi/mmol) in a Tris/HCl buffer, containing 5 mM MgCl2, 0.2 mM EDTA, 0.1 mM ATP, and 0.5 mM of the labelled substrates. After 60 min incubation, lipids were extracted, PL separated by TLC, and corresponding silica gel fractions scraped and counted in a liquid scintillator. Phosphatidylcholine enrichment in labelled choline resulted in slight increases in brain and sciatic nerve of CL-treated rats, suggesting an increased synthesis rate via the Kennedy pathway, possibly due to the reduced availability of methyl donors. Interestingly, choline incorporation into SPH in brain and nerve myelin resulted in significant increases of 30,40%. In agreement with the observed decrease of galactolipid content and the relative increase in SPH, these data suggest an alteration in sphingolipid metabolism after CL. Among proteins, in sciatic nerves of CL-treated pups the relative content of a number of polypeptides, namely the 116, 90, 66, 58, and 56 kDa bands, decreased, whereas others increased; the most abundant PNS protein, protein zero, remained unchanged. The analyses of myelin basic protein isoforms revealed a dramatic increase in the 14.0 and 18.5 forms, indicating early active myelination. SAMe-SD4 treatment counteracted, and in some cases normalized, these changes. In summary, methyl donor deficiency induced by MAT inhibition produces myelin lipid and protein alterations, partly counteracted by SAMe-SD4 administration. The financial support of Telethon-Italy (grant No. D 51) is gratefully acknowledged. [source] Clinicopathologic Features and Outcome Predictors of Leptospira interrogans Australis Serogroup Infection in Dogs: A Retrospective Study of 20 Cases (2001,2004)JOURNAL OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2007Cinzia Mastrorilli Background and Hypothesis: We retrospectively evaluated the Clinicopathologic findings and outcome predictors in dogs with Leptospira interrogans Australis serogroup infections. Animals and Methods: The medical records of 159 dogs that had a leptospiral microscopic agglutination test (MAT) performed between 2001 and 2004 were reviewed. Results: Twenty dogs met serologic criteria for either symptomatic (16 dogs) or asymptomatic (4 dogs) infection caused by Leptospira interrogans Australis serogroup. Seven of 16 symptomatic dogs died or were euthanized and 9/16 recovered. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) was observed in 9/16 dogs. The presence of SIRS did not affect prognosis (P= .357). C-reactive protein (CRP) and haptoglobin (Hpt) concentrations were altered in all symptomatic dogs, but results did not differ significantly between survivors and nonsurvivors (P= .08 and P= .055, respectively). Conversely, the CRP to Hpt ratio (CRP/Hpt) was significantly increased in nonsurvivors. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) was diagnosed in 7/16 dogs. DIC did not significantly affect outcome (P= .126). Multiple organ involvement was present with renal failure in 16/16, liver damage in 12/16, cardiac damage in 11/16, and muscular damage in 8/16 dogs. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Among the evaluated Clinicopathologic biomarkers, serum albumin, cardiac troponin I, CRP/Hpt, urinary albumin, and urinary total protein to creatinine ratio were found to predict outcome and warrant evaluation in larger prospective studies. [source] Pharmacokinetics of sarafloxacin in pigs and broilers following intravenous, intramuscular, and oral single-dose applicationsJOURNAL OF VETERINARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 5 2001H. Z. Ding Pharmacokinetics of sarafloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, was determined in pigs and broilers after intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.), or oral (p.o.) administration at a single dose of 5 (pigs) or 10 mg/kg (broilers). Plasma concentration profiles were analysed by a noncompartmental pharmacokinetic method. Following i.v., i.m. and p.o. doses, the elimination half-lives (t1/2,) were 3.37 ± 0.46, 4.66 ± 1.34, 7.20 ± 1.92 (pigs) and 2.53 ± 0.82, 6.81 ± 2.04, 3.89 ± 1.19 h (broilers), respectively. After i.m. and p.o. doses, bioavailabilities (F) were 81.8 ± 9.8 and 42.6 ± 8.2% (pigs) and 72.1 ± 8.1 and 59.6 ± 13.8% (broilers), respectively. Steady-state distribution volumes (Vd(ss)) of 1.92 ± 0.27 and 3.40 ± 1.26 L/kg and total body clearances (ClB) of 0.51 ± 0.03 and 1.20 ± 0.20 L/kg/h were determined in pigs and broilers, respectively. Areas under the curve (AUC), mean residence times (MRT), and mean absorption times (MAT) were also determined. Sarafloxacin was demonstrated to be more rapidly absorbed, more extensively distributed, and more quickly eliminated in broilers than in pigs. Based on the single-dose pharmacokinetic parameters determined, multiple dosage regimens were recommended as: a dosage of 10 mg/kg given intramuscularly every 12 h in pigs, or administered orally every 8 h in broilers, can maintain effective plasma concentrations with bacteria infections, in which MIC90 are <0.25 ,g/mL. [source] High-resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy in rat liver using magic angle turning at a 1 Hz spinning rateMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 5 2002Jian Zhi Hu Abstract It is demonstrated that a high-resolution 1H NMR spectrum of excised rat liver can be obtained using the technique of magic angle turning (MAT) at a sample spinning rate of 1 Hz. A variant of the phase-corrected MAT (PHORMAT) pulse sequence that includes a water suppression segment was developed for the investigation. The spectral resolution achieved with PHORMAT approaches that obtained from a standard magic angle spinning (MAS) experiment at a spinning rate of several kHz. With such ultra-slow spinning, tissue and cell damage associated with the standard MAS experiment is minimized or eliminated. The technique is potentially useful for obtaining high-resolution 1H spectra in live animals. Magn Reson Med 47:829,836, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Arm,domain interactions can provide high binding cooperativityPROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 10 2004Robert Schleif Abstract Peptidyl arms extending from one protein domain to another protein domain mediate many important interactions in biology. A well-studied example of this type of protein,protein interaction occurs between the yeast homeodomain proteins, MAT ,2 and MAT a1, which form a high-affinity heterodimer on DNA. The carboxyl-terminal arm extending from MAT ,2 to MAT a1 has been proposed to produce an allosteric conformational change in the a1 protein that generates a very large increase in the DNA binding affinity of a1. Although early studies lent some support to this model, a more recent crystal structure determination of the free a1 protein argues against any allosteric change. This note presents a thermodynamic argument that accounts for the proteins' binding behavior, so that allosteric conformational changes are not required to explain the large affinity increase. The analysis presented here should be useful in analyzing binding behavior in other systems involving arm interactions. [source] Application of immunoproteomics to leptospirosis: towards clinical diagnostics and vaccine discoveryPROTEOMICS - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 4 2007Uraiwan Kositanont Abstract Each of the currently available methods for serodiagnosis of leptospirosis, including the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), has its own drawback(s) when used in clinical practice. A new diagnostic test is therefore required for an earlier and more accurate diagnosis of leptospirosis. We applied immunoproteomics to define potential immunogens from five serovars of Leptospira reference strains. A leptospiral whole cell lysate from each serovar was used as the antigen to react with IgG and IgM in the sera from four patients with a positive MAT. Sera from four non-leptospirosis patients with a negative MAT were pooled and used as the negative control. 2-D Western blot analysis showed that the degree of immunoreactivity corresponded with the MAT titers. No immunoreactive spots were detected when the pooled control sera were used. A total of 24 protein spots immunoreacted with IgM and/or IgG from patients with leptospirosis. These immunoreactive proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and were classified into five groups, including flagellar proteins, chaperones/heat shock proteins, transport proteins, metabolic enzymes, and hypothetical proteins. More immunoreactive spots were detected with anti-human IgG in the sera of all patients and with all the serovars of leptospires used. Some of the identified proteins immunoreacted only with IgG, whereas the others were detectable with both IgM and IgG. Among the immunoreactive proteins identified, FlaB proteins (flagellin and flagellar core protein) have been shown to have a potential role in clinical diagnostics and vaccine development. These data underscore the significant impact of immunoproteomics in clinical applications. [source] A New Divergent Type of Eukaryotic Methionine Adenosyltransferase is Present in Multiple Distantly Related Secondary Algal LineagesTHE JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008GABINO F. SANCHEZ-PEREZ ABSTRACT. S -adenosylmethionine is one of the most important metabolites in living cells and is synthesized in a single reaction catalyzed by methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT). At the sequence and structural level, this enzyme is one of the most conserved proteins known. Here we show that some representatives of three distantly related eukaryotic lineages,dinoflagellates, haptophytes, and euglenids,possess a highly divergent type of MAT, which we call MATX. Even though MATX contains all the sites known to be involved in catalysis and the association of monomers, it also has four insertions throughout the protein that are not observed in other MAT homologs. The phylogenetic distribution and affinities of MATX suggest that it originated in a single eukaryotic lineage and was spread via multiple events of eukaryote-to-eukaryote lateral gene transfer. We suggest a tentative model in which the origin of MATX is connected with the progression of secondary endosymbiosis. [source] Fungal sex genes,searching for the ancestorsBIOESSAYS, Issue 8 2008Lorna A. Casselton The sex-determining genes of fungi reside at one or two specialised regions of the chromosome known as the mating type (MAT) loci. The genes are sufficient to determine haploid cell identity, enable compatible mating partners to attract each other, and prepare cells for sexual reproduction after fertilisation. How conserved are these genes in different fungal groups? New work1 seeks an answer to this question by identifying the sex-determining regions of an early diverged fungus. These regions bear remarkable similarity to those described in other fungi, but the sex proteins they encode belong to only a single class of transcription factor, the high mobility group (HMG), indicating that these are likely to be ancestral to other proteins recruited for fungal sex. BioEssays 30:711,714, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Minimal access thyroid surgery: technique and report of the first 25 casesANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 5 2004Jessica E. Gosnell Background: Minimal access thyroid surgery, using various techniques, is increasingly being reported. The present study reviews our experience with thyroid surgery using a lateral focused mini-incision approach, and assesses its safety and feasibility. Methods: The study group comprised all patients undergoing minimal access thyroid surgery (MATS) during the period May 2002,May 2003. Data were prospectively gathered, including patient demographics, indication for surgery, operation performed, nodule size, final pathology, and complications. Exclusion criteria for this procedure included: family history of thyroid cancer, previous neck irradiation or surgery, carcinoma on fine needle aspiration, presence of significant thyroiditis, multinodular goitre, and nodule size >3 cm. The operation was carried out through a 2.5-cm lateral incision placed directly over the nodule, with exposure gained by dissecting the plane between the sternomastoid muscle and the lateral edge of the strap muscles. Results: Twenty-five patients underwent MATS, 22 women and three men. Nineteen patients underwent hemithyroidectomy, five underwent isthmectomy, and one underwent local nodule excision. The average measured incision size was 2.63 cm at the end of the procedure. The average nodule size was 2.2 cm, and the average thyroid lobe resected measured 4.7 cm in maximal length. Final pathology revealed benign nodules in 21 patients and four thyroid cancers (two follicular and two papillary). There was one wound infection and two patients had temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve neuropraxia. Conclusion: Minimal access thyroid surgery is a safe and feasible alternative to open thyroid surgery in selected cases. [source] Dyslexia and music: measuring musical timing skillsDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2003Katie Overy Abstract Over the last few decades, a growing amount of research has suggested that dyslexics have particular difficulties with skills involving accurate or rapid timing, including musical timing skills. It has been hypothesised that music training may be able to remediate such timing difficulties, and have a positive effect on fundamental perceptual skills that are important in the development of language and literacy skills (Overy, 2000). In order to explore this hypothesis further, the nature and extent of dyslexics' musical difficulties need to be examined in more detail. In the present study, a collection of musical aptitude tests (MATs) were designed specifically for dyslexic children, in order to distinguish between a variety of musical skills and sub-skills. 15 dyslexic children (age 7,11, mean age 9.0) and 11 control children (age 7,10, mean age 8.9) were tested on the MATs, and their scores were compared. Results showed that the dyslexic group scored higher than the control group on 3 tests of pitch skills (possibly attributable to slightly greater musical experience), but lower than the control group on 7 out of 9 tests of timing skills. Particular difficulties were noted on one of the tests involving rapid temporal processing, in which a subgroup of 5 of the dyslexic children (33%) (mean age 8.4) was found to account for all the significant error. Also, an interesting correlation was found between spelling ability and the skill of tapping out the rhythm of a song, which both involve the skill of syllable segmentation. These results support suggestions that timing is a difficulty area for dyslexic children, and suggest that rhythm skills and rapid skills may need particular attention in any form of musical training with dyslexics. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mechanisms of Right Atrial Tachycardia Occurring Late After Surgical Closure of Atrial Septal DefectsJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 7 2005ISABELLE MAGNIN-POULL M.D. Introduction: In patients without structural heart disease, the most frequently occurring AT is the common atrial flutter. In patients with repaired congenital heart disease other mechanisms of AT may occur, due to the presence of an atriotomy that can provide a substrate for reentry. The aim of the present study was to identify the mechanisms of atrial tachycardia (AT) occurring late after atrial septum defect (ASD) repair, with the help of a three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping system. Methods and Results: Twenty-two consecutive patients presenting with AT underwent complete electroanatomic mapping (CARTO®, Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA) of spontaneously occurring and inducible right ATs. Complete maps of 26 ATs were obtained. Three tachycardia mechanisms were identified: single-loop macroreentrant atrial tachycardia (MAT) (n = 7), double-loop MAT (n = 18), and focal AT (n = 1). In all MATs, protected isthmuses were identified as the electrophysiological substrate of the arrhythmia, most frequently the cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) (n = 24), and a gap between the inferior vena cava and a line of double potentials (n = 11). A mean number of 13.5 ± 2.1 radiofrequency applications were delivered to transect these critical parts of the circuit. During a follow-up of 25 ± 16 months the RF ablation was acutely successful in all patients. Thirteen patients (59%) had an early recurrence of MAT and needed an additional ablation procedure. One of those patients needed two additional ablation procedures. Conclusions: Three-dimensional electroanatomic mapping is useful to identify postsurgical AT mechanisms; the CTI isthmus is involved in 92% MAT, and if the right atrial free wall (RAFW) abnormal tissue related to surgical scar is present this substrate contributes to the MAT circuit [source] "Shaking Out the Mat": Schism and Organizational Transformation at a Mexican Ark of the VirginJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 2 2003Miguel C. Leatham The apocalyptic Marian colony of Nueva Jerusalén, Mexico suffered a violent schism in 1982, marking a turning point in the history of the sect. The rift resulted in a major organizational transformation and helped to establish the centralized system of authority now observable in the colony. This article examines the ideological and structural factors that promoted the schism. A succession crisis, caused by the death of a Marian apparition seer, precipitated schismatic activity as dissidents struggled to block the charismatic leader's attempts to revise the sect's authority structure and identity. At the same time, the prophet escalated tensions by reframing the conflict as a commitment test. Wallis's theory of structural opportunity for schism is used to show how the conflict grew out of long-standing interest groups and ambiguous authority arrangements in the colony. [source] The Occurrence of Phytoplasmas in Apple Trees Showing Branch TwistingJOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 7-8 2005J. Fránová Abstract Apple trees showing malformation of branches were found at different locations in the Czech Republic. Ultrathin sections of tissues from diseased trees showed the presence of pleomorphic bodies resembling phytoplasma. Nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays with primers amplifying16S,23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences specific for phytoplasma and the subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses allowed to classify the detected phytoplasmas in the aster yellows group, subgroup 16SrI-C in 12 trees, single (11 plants) or mixed with phytoplasma belonging to subgroup 16SrI-B (1 plant). Phytoplasma of apple proliferation group (16SrX-A subgroup) were identified in cv. Mat,ino. Apple tree cv. P,e,tické r,,ové was infected by phytoplasma of the 16SrX-A and 16SrI-B subgroups. No phytoplasmas were detected in asymptomatic apple trees. [source] On the Evaluation of the Information Matrix for Multiplicative Seasonal Time-Series ModelsJOURNAL OF TIME SERIES ANALYSIS, Issue 2 2006E. J. Godolphin Abstract., This paper gives a procedure for evaluating the Fisher information matrix for a general multiplicative seasonal autoregressive moving average time-series model. The method is based on the well-known integral specification of Whittle [Ark. Mat. Fys. Astr. (1953) vol. 2. pp. 423,434] and leads to a system of linear equations, which is independent of the seasonal period and has a closed solution. It is shown to be much simpler, in general, than the method of Klein and Mélard [Journal of Time Series Analysis (1990) vol. 11, pp. 231,237], which depends on the seasonal period. It is also shown that the nonseasonal method of McLeod [Biometrika (1984) vol. 71, pp. 207,211] has the same basic features as that of Klein and Mélard. Explicit solutions are obtained for the simpler nonseasonal and seasonal models in common use, a feature which has not been attempted with the Klein,Mélard or the McLeod approaches. Several illustrations of these results are discussed in detail. [source] An approximation result for free discontinuity functionals by means of non-local energiesMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 18 2008Luca Lussardi Abstract We approximate, in the sense of ,-convergence, free discontinuity functionals with linear growth by a sequence of non-local integral functionals depending on the average of the gradient on small balls. The result extends to a higher dimension what is already proved in (Ann. Mat. Pura Appl. 2007; 186(4): 722,744), where there is the proof of the general one-dimensional case, and in (ESAIM Control Optim. Calc. Var. 2007; 13(1):135,162), where the n -dimensional case with ,=Id is treated. Moreover, we investigate whether it is possible to approximate a given free discontinuity functional by means of non-local energies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On the invariant measure for the quasi-linear Lasota equationMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 7 2007Antoni Leon Dawidowicz Abstract The problem of the existence of the invariant measure is important considering its connections with chaotic behaviour. In the papers (Zesz. Nauk. Uniw. Jagiello,skiego, Pr. Mat. 1982; 23:117,123; Ann. Pol. Math. 1983; XLI:129,137; J. Differential Equations 2004; 196:448,465) the existence of invariant and ergodic measures according to the dynamical system generated by the Lasota equation was proved, i.e. the equation describing the dynamics and becoming different of the population of cells. In this paper, the existence of such measure for the quasi-linear Lasota equation is proved. This measure is the carriage of the measure described by Dawidowicz (Zesz. Nauk. Uniw. Jagiello,skiego, Pr. Mat. 1982; 23:117,123). Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Unsaturated incompressible flows in adsorbing porous mediaMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 16 2003A. Fasano We study a free boundary problem modelling the penetration of a liquid through a porous material in the presence of absorbing granules. The geometry is one dimensional. The early stage of penetration is considered, when the flow is unsaturated. Since the hydraulic conductivity depends both on saturation and on porosity and the latter change due to the absorption, the main coefficient in the flow equation depends on the free boundary and on the history of the process. Some results have been obtained in Fasano (Math. Meth. Appl. Sci. 1999; 22:605) for a simplified version of the model. Here existence and uniqueness are proved in a class of weighted Hölder spaces in a more general situation. A basic tool are the estimates on a non-standard linear boundary value problem for the heat equation in an initially degenerate domain (Rend. Mat. Acc. Lincei 2002; 13:23). Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||