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Selected AbstractsProspective evaluation of cell kinetics, yields and donor experiences during a single large-volume apheresis versus two smaller volume consecutive day collections of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cellsBRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2003Charles D. Bolan Summary. We report cell kinetics, yields and donation experiences of 20 demographically matched allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donors who were prospectively assigned to undergo either a single 25 l or two consecutive daily 15 l (15 l × 2) apheresis procedures. Procedures were performed using prophylactic intravenous calcium administration after standard granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) mobilization (10 ,g/kg/d). Central line placements (two each), initial CD34 cell counts (0·077 vs 0·078 × 109/l) and yields (7·9 vs 8·1 × 108 CD34 cells) were similar in the two groups; however, 25 l donors spent significantly less time both in the clinic (7·5 vs 10·8 h) and with central venous catheters in place (8·5 vs 29·5 h) than 15 l × 2 donors. End-procedure platelet counts were below 100 × 109/l in one out of 10 25 l donors versus five out of 10 in 15 l × 2 donors (41%vs 53% mean decrease in platelet counts, P = 0·02). PBSC collection efficiency increased by 37% after 15 l of the 25-l volume had been processed, compared with no significant change during 15 l × 2 procedures. Results similar to these prospective findings were also observed in CD34 yields, symptoms and platelet counts in additional 25 l and 15 l procedures performed during the same period and evaluated retrospectively. This study indicates that a single 25-l apheresis procedure results in similar yields and symptoms, but less donor thrombocytopenia and inconvenience than two consecutive daily 15-l procedures. [source] Vacancies and Unemployment in AustraliaTHE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 2 2010Phillip Chindamo This article examines the extent to which the Mortensen,Pissarides model of labour market search can quantitatively match business cycle fluctuations in Australia. With productivity and job-separation-rate shocks, the model fails to produce substantial volatility among unemployment or vacancies, a result similar to,Shimer's (2005),findings for the United States. Examining a broader range of shocks significantly increases the magnitude of business cycle fluctuations, but still only explains roughly 25 per cent of labour market volatility. The implied volatility of wages in the model is similar to that in the data and hence excessive wage flexibility is unlikely to be central to the failure of the model as claimed in the literature. [source] Use of GPS/MET refraction angles in three-dimensional variational analysisTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 570 2000X. Zou Abstract The Spectral Statistical Interpolation (SSI) analysis system of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is modified to include GPS/MET data (meteorological data from the Global Positioning Satellite system) using a GPS ray-tracing operator. The new system is tested by incorporating 30 actual GPS/MET observations of refraction angles obtained during the GPS/MET experiment. This is the first time that real radio occupation refraction angles and refractivities have been incorporated into a three-dimensional variational analysis system. We examine the magnitude and the vertical distribution of the analysis adjustments that result from using refraction-angle observations in the NCEP SSI analysis system. The average magnitudes of the adjustments in the temperature and specific-humidity fields are approximately 0.4 degC and 0.6 g kg,1, respectively. Individual changes can be as large as 4 degC and 4g kg,1, respectively. The greatest adjustments to the temperature occur in the middle and upper troposphere and stratosphere, while the major changes in specific humidity occur in the lower troposphere. An assessment of the impact of the GPS/MET observations on the analysis, verified by conventional (mostly radiosonde) data, is difficult because of the small number of GPS/MET data used. Nevertheless, it is found that, even over data-rich regions (regions containing many radiosonde observations), and even when the verification data were the radiosonde data themselves, the use of GPS/MET refraction angles makes a slight improvement, overall, to the analysed temperatures and winds. The impact on the water-vapour analyses, again as measured against radiosonde data, is mixed, with improvements shown in some layers and degradation in others. Compared with the background field, the use of refraction angles from one occultation results in an analysis whose simulated refraction angles are much closer to the withheld GPS/MET refraction angles at the two nearby occultation locations, and whose temperature and moisture profiles are also closer to those resulting from the direct assimilation of the two withheld occultations. Although the forward model used in this study, with the ray tracing being carried out in a two-dimensional plane, is much cheaper than a more accurate three-dimensional forward model, it is still quite expensive. In order to further reduce the computational requirement for the assimilation of GPS/MET data, we test a scheme in which the GPS/MET-retrieved refractivities (instead of refraction angles) are used above a selected height for each occupation. These heights are determined objectively based on the departures from spherical symmetry of the model field. It is shown that the mixed use of GPS/MET refraction angles and refractivities produces an analysis result similar to the one using refraction angles alone, while the computational cost is reduced by more than 30%. [source] Pd0 -Mediated Rapid Coupling between Methyl Iodide and Heteroarylstannanes: An Efficient and General Method for the Incorporation of a Positron-Emitting 11C Radionuclide into Heteroaromatic Frameworks,CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 45 2009Masaaki Suzuki Prof. Abstract The Pd0 -mediated rapid trapping of methyl iodide with an excess amount of a heteroaryl-substituted tributylstannane has been investigated with the aim of incorporating a short-lived 11C-labelled methyl group into the heteroaromatic carbon frameworks of important organic compounds, such as drugs with various heteroaromatic structures, in order to execute a positron emission tomography (PET) study of vital systems. The reaction was first performed by using our previously developed CH3I/stannane/[Pd2(dba)3]/P(o -CH3C6H4)3/CuCl/K2CO3 (1:40:0.5:2:2:2) system in DMF at 60,°C for 5,min (conditions A), however, the reaction gave low yields for various heteroaromatic compounds. Increasing the amount of phosphine ligand (conditions B) led to a significant improvement in the yield, but the conditions were still not suitable for a range of basic heteroaromatic structures. Use of the CuBr/CsF system (conditions C) also provided a result similar to that obtained under conditions B with an increased amount of the phosphine. Thus, pyridine and related heteroaromatic compounds remained less reactive substrates. The problem was overcome by replacing the DMF solvent with N -methyl-2-pyrolidinone (NMP). The reaction in NMP at 60,100,°C for 5,min using a CH3I/stannane/[Pd2(dba)3]/P(o -CH3C6H4)3/CuBr/CsF (1:40:0.5:16:2:5) combination (conditions D) gave the methylated products in yields of more than 80,% (based on the reaction of CH3I) for all of the heteroaromatic compounds listed in this study. Thus, the combined use of NMP and an increased amount of phosphine is important for promoting the reaction efficiently. The use of this general approach to rapid methylation has been well demonstrated by the synthesis of the PET tracers 2- and 3-[11C]methylpyridines by using [Pd2(dba)3]/P(o -CH3C6H4)3/CuBr/CsF (1:16:2:5) in NMP at 60,°C for 5,min, which gives the desired products in HPLC analytical yields of 88 and 91,%, respectively. [source] Wine industry residue as antioxidant in cooked chicken meatINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Ligianne Din Shirahigue Summary The effectiveness of grape extracts as food ingredient has been tested in various systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of four concentrations of residues of the wine industry in delaying lipid oxidation in processed chicken meat stored under refrigeration. The development of oxidation during the 14-day storage was evaluated through the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances method (TBAS). The analyses of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were performed in grape residue extracts through DPPH (1,1-difenil-2-picrilidrazil) method, lipid peroxidation inhibition and Rancimat. The profile of polyphenols was determined using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Isabel grape extract (IGE) and Niagara grape extract (NGE) showed significant content of phenolic compounds. NGE and IGE had high antioxidant activity. The addition of grape extracts significantly increased the oxidative stability of processed and cooked chicken meat during the storage time. The extracts from both grape varieties when applied in concentrations of 40 and 60 mg of GAE, presented results similar to that of Butyl hydroxy toluene (BHT). [source] Nested areas of endemism analysisJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 9 2006Anthony J. Deo Abstract Aim, To develop and evaluate a nested clade approach to aid in the determination of areas of endemism (AoE) in biogeographical studies. Methods, We adapted the nested clade analysis (NCA) to studies of areas of endemism. For this purpose we adapted several of the programs currently in use. Two data sets were examined using this approach , one involving Sciobius in southern Africa and the other involving terrestrial mammals in Mexico. Results, Nested clade analysis as applied to areas of endemism produced results similar to those of previous analyses of Sciobus in southern Africa. An analysis of terrestrial mammals in Mexico supports the designation of some biogeographical provinces as areas of endemism while suggesting that other provinces may comprise composite distributions that should be subdivided. Main conclusions, The nested clade analysis approach utilized primarily in genetic analysis of phylogeographical patterns in population biology studies can be adapted to understanding AoE in the realm of biogeography. This approach offers a statistical paradigm to evaluate AoE suggested by parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) trees. [source] Regulating a Monopolist with Unknown Demand: Costly Public Funds and the Value of Private InformationJOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMIC THEORY, Issue 5 2004Iñaki Aguirre In this paper, we analyze the optimal regulation policy when the regulated firm has better information concerning the market demand than the regulator. We show that introducing a cost on public funds into the Planner's objective function does not lead to qualitative results similar to those obtained by introducing distributional considerations. In particular we show that under constant marginal cost the full information policy is not implementable and that the optimal regulatory policy results in informational rents. The social value of private information and the firm's informational rents are both increasing functions of the cost of the public funds. [source] Genomic scale analysis of the human keratinocyte response to broad-band ultraviolet-B irradiationPHOTODERMATOLOGY, PHOTOIMMUNOLOGY & PHOTOMEDICINE, Issue 1 2002Joe Takao Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is an important inducer of many biologic changes in skin, of which keratinocytes are a key target. To gain better insight into changes in gene expression generated in the early phase after UVB exposure, we used complementary RNA (cRNA) microarray hybridization to compare differences in mRNA expression of UVB-irradiated (single dose of 100 J/m2 broad-band UVB) and sham-irradiated primary cultured human keratinocytes. Six hours after irradiation, total RNA was isolated from keratinocytes, and cRNA was synthesized and hybridized to a GeneChip expression array (Affymetrix) consisting of 6800 genes. Based on a threshold of >,twofold change, 187 genes (2.8%) were designated to be the most UVB-responsive. Surprisingly, none of these genes had been shown previously to be modulated by UVB. Conversely, several genes in the microarray that had been reported previously to be UVB- responsive by other methods showed less (< twofold) or no change. Northern blotting of seven differentially modulated genes produced results similar to those derived from microarray technology, thereby validating the accuracy of screening. Clustering based on known or likely functions indicated that among 88 upregulated genes, nine encode for cytochrome c subunits, six for ribosomal proteins, and two for regulators of apoptosis. By contrast, many of the 99 downregulated genes are involved in transcription, differentiation and transport. These findings indicate that keratinocytes respond to a single low dose of broad-band UVB irradiation by enhancing processes involved in energy production and translation, while suppressing those related to transcription, differentiation and transport. [source] Improving mixing length-scale for stable boundary layersTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 637 2008B. Grisogono Abstract We intend to improve the ,z-less' mixing length-scale for parametrization of turbulence in the stable atmospheric boundary layers (SABL). Since the SABL structures are far from being fully understood today, their parametrizations or explicit treatment are still usually very sketchy in most mesoscale and climate models. Typically an over-diffusion through the SABL occurs in most numerical models. With the ,z-less' mixing length-scale proposed here the over-diffusion is absent. In particular, the mesoscale model used gave results similar to those from an improved (calibrated) Prandtl model, i.e. katabatic flow occupying the lower and more active part of the SABL developed in both models. The corresponding low-level jet that is embedded in the strong near-surface inversion appears similar in both models. Certain details vary, simply because of the very different nature of the models deployed. The results, that should be also valid for other types of SABL flows, could be used in different types of numerical modelling, parametrizations of the SABL, further development of analytical models and data interpretation. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Age-related changes in skin wrinkles assessed by a novel three-dimensional morphometric analysisBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2002S. Akazaki SummaryBackground,A system has been developed whereby the morphology of the skin surface can be evaluated directly in three dimensions. This system employs a non-invasive device that utilizes white light of halogen origin, and which allows the computation of wrinkle depth and width, and other parameters of skin surface morphology. Using innovative engineering, an optical system has been devised so that light is transmitted via a slit and can be used to measure not only replicas of the skin but also the skin surface directly. The measurement area is 6·4 × 6·4 mm, and the theoretical resolution with a × 50 magnification lens is within 12·5 µm. Objectives,To use this system to study age-related changes in the morphology of wrinkles at the eye corner areas of women of varying ages. Methods,One hundred and one healthy women (age range 20,80 years) residing in the Tokyo area were the subjects used in this study. Results,Wrinkles demonstrated a rapid increase in depth in women aged 40 years or older, and plateaued at the age of 60 years. Surface morphology parameters yielded results similar to those of age-related changes in wrinkles. Conclusions,This new analytical system provides a rapid and convenient non-invasive method to evaluate skin surface morphology in three dimensions, especially with respect to wrinkle formation. The results obtained using this system provide a deeper insight into the mechanistic relationship between wrinkles and skin elasticity. [source] | ||||||||||||||||