Anatomy and Bud Formation of Subterranean Parts of Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia Esula L.)

In order to obtain plant material for in vitro bud formation studies, many preliminary experiments involving germination and seedling growth were conducted. Anatomical studies were conducted to establish the identity of underground parts. Cyclic temperature changes from 20 0C and 30 0C (12 hours each) provided 97, 80, and 21% germination for mottled, grey, and purple seeds in 12 days. Mottled seeds require only 2 cycles of alternating temperature to approach or equal the germination percent obtained with 10 additional temperature alternations. Two cyclic temperature changes provided that one-fourth of the maximum germination percent of grey and purple seeds obtained with 10 additional cycles. Hot water extracts of seeds inhibit seedling growth. Inhibition was less from extracts of more mature seeds (mottled) than from less mature seeds (grey and purple). Maximum growth of isolated root tips was obtained under alternating temperature conditions, when 20 mg per liter adenine sulfate had been added to the media. The greatest portion of the increase was due to the cyclic temperature changes. Kinetin was a potent inhibitor of seedling and isolated root tip growth, in culture, at concentrations as low as 10-4 mg per liter. Root segments from a plant grown on sucrose-based media were induced to maximum lateral root initiation by 1 mg per liter IAA. This same concentration of IAA allowed no buds to form. Maximum stimulation of bud formation was observed at 10-1 mg per liter kinetin. On root segments from a plant grown on sucrose-based media supplemented with adenine sulfate, IAA only induced callus. Bud formation was negligible or non-existent in both kinetin-treated and untreated segments. Maximum stimulation of bud formation on hypocotyl segments occurred at 10-2 mg per liter kinetin, and this effect was removed by 10-4 mg per liter IAA. The callus formation observed on the basipetal ends of untreated segments or segments treated with 10-4 mg per liter IAA was diminished as the concentration of included kinetin increased. The main axis of a mature plant of leafy spurge was composed of aboveground stem(s), a hypocotyl region, varying from a few millimeters to a few centimeters, a transition zone, and the primary root. This vertical primary root produced lateral roots, feeder roots, and adventitious buds. The lateral roots, and roots of other orders, produced additional lateral roots, feeder roots, and adventitious buds. The adventitious buds extended, forming vertical, underground, and aboveground shoots. In established patches of leafy spurge, about 90% of the aboveground shoots arose from adventitious buds on lateral roots. Crowns of buds, at and just below the soil surface, were formed both from vertical stems and from the collect or hypocotyl region of the main axis. The transition zone was found in the collect (lower hypocotylary swelling). The transition from exarch, radial stele of the root to endarch, collateral stele of the upper collet was complete in approximately 2500 microns. All root primordia and endogenous origin from pericycle or pericyclic tissues. Buds arose endogenously in roots but exogenously in the region of the hypocotyl with endarch protoxylem. In many cases, primordia were identified as roots or shoots prior to their emergence from the main axes

The Role of Sulfatide in Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid beta plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and loss of cortical neurons that control memory and cognition. The cause of NFTs and Aβ plaques is not clear, though it is known that they are formed by enzymes which are preferentially sequestered to membrane domains called lipid rafts. Sulfatide (ST) is a glycosphingolipid that is essential for the proper structure and function of lipid rafts. In mice that lack ST, membrane domains that are normally maintained by adhesive contacts and functional lipid rafts are improperly formed and are unstable. In these ST null mice, voltage gated sodium channels, neuronal proteins that normally cluster at the nodes of Ranvier, initially accumulate in the node but are not retained with age. Taken together the findings from the ST null mice indicate that membrane organization is compromised. Recently, a published report demonstrated that ST is significantly reduced in AD. Based on this observation combined with the findings from the ST null mice, I propose that membrane architecture is also altered in AD and this alteration may facilitate AD pathogenesis. To test this hypothesis, I have used an immunohistochemical approach to assess neuronal membrane organization in AD and non-AD brain samples. Analysis of the sodium channel clusters was chosen since these nodal domains provide an easy assessment tool for membrane organization. In the current study, sodium channel domains were not altered and no change in isoform expression was observed. Based on these findings, membrane organization does not appear to be altered in AD. It is important to note, however, that sodium channel clusters are restricted to a specific region of the axon and thus membrane organization within other regions of the axon and in other regions of the neuron may be altered. Additionally, assessment of the brain samples, using thin layer chromatography, did not show a reduction in ST levels between the AD and non-AD brains. Therefore, my study strongly suggests that further analysis of ST levels in AD brains should be conducted to resolve the contrasting results between the current study and the previously published work

The determination of operational and support requirements and costs during the conceptual design of space systems

The first year of research to provide NASA support in predicting operational and support parameters and costs of proposed space systems is reported. Some of the specific research objectives were (1) to develop a methodology for deriving reliability and maintainability parameters and, based upon their estimates, determine the operational capability and support costs, and (2) to identify data sources and establish an initial data base to implement the methodology. Implementation of the methodology is accomplished through the development of a comprehensive computer model. While the model appears to work reasonably well when applied to aircraft systems, it was not accurate when used for space systems. The model is dynamic and should be updated as new data become available. It is particularly important to integrate the current aircraft data base with data obtained from the Space Shuttle and other space systems since subsystems unique to a space vehicle require data not available from aircraft. This research only addressed the major subsystems on the vehicle

The market for Insulation in Alaska and Feasibility of Regional Manufacture

State of Alaska and Mineral Industry Research LaboratorySummary of major insulation products •••.•••••• 8 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Total contract expenditures awarded and distribution of contracts awarded according to construction site, 1949-1950, 1957-1958, and FY 1964 •••••••••••• 19 Seasonal employment in the Alaskan construction industry by locality, 1960, 1963-1964 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 20 Employment and earnings in selected industries in Alaska, 1960- 1965 ••••••••••••• 21 Estimated average military e}tpenditure by states, fiscal year 1959-1961 ••••••••••••• 23 Annual federal payments to several states listed according to purpose of expend iture, fiscal year 1959-1961 •••••••.••••••••• 25 Projected costs of State of Alaska capital construction program according to major functional categories, 1963-1969 •••• 27 General expenditures of school districts by designation of outlet, Alaska and "all states, ;i. 1962 ••••••.•••••••••••••••••• •• 28 Per capita inter-governmental expend itures by purpose, 1962 •••••••• o••••••••••••• 29 Summary of Alaska wholesaling construction materials by type of distributor outlet and location, 1954, 1958, 1963 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 31 Summary of new residential housing construction in Alaska by area, as of 1960 . •.....•. ., ...... o ••••••••••••••••••••• 36 12 Summary of Alaska retailing statistics by store classification, 1958 and 1963 ••••••• 37 iii 13 Survey of retail building materials prices of lumber dealers in Anchorage and Fairbanks, as of June, 1965 ••••••••••••• 45 14 Survey of producer interest in Alaskan raw materials and manufactured insulation products, as of July, 1965 ••••••• 55Ye

Adrenalectomy stimulates hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin expression but does not correct diet-induced obesity

BACKGROUND: Elevated glucocorticoid production and reduced hypothalamic POMC mRNA can cause obese phenotypes. Conversely, adrenalectomy can reverse obese phenotypes caused by the absence of leptin, a model in which glucocorticoid production is elevated. Adrenalectomy also increases hypothalamic POMC mRNA in leptin-deficient mice. However most forms of human obesity do not appear to entail elevated plasma glucocorticoids. It is therefore not clear if reducing glucocorticoid production would be useful to treat these forms of obesity. We hypothesized that adrenalectomy would increase hypothalamic POMC mRNA and reverse obese phenotypes in obesity due to a high-fat diet as it does in obesity due to leptin deficiency. RESULTS: Retired breeder male mice were placed on a high-fat diet or a low-fat diet for two weeks, then adrenalectomized or sham-adrenalectomized. The high-fat diet increased body weight, adiposity, and plasma leptin, led to impaired glucose tolerance, and slightly stimulated hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) expression. Adrenalectomy of mice on the high-fat diet significantly reduced plasma corticosterone and strikingly increased both pituitary and hypothalamic POMC mRNA, but failed to reduce body weight, adiposity or leptin, although slight improvements in glucose tolerance and metabolic rate were observed. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that neither reduction of plasma glucocorticoid levels nor elevation of hypothalamic POMC expression is effective to significantly reverse diet-induced obesity

Growing sorghum and making sorghum sirup

"May, 1942.""Orange, Sumac, Honey, and Black Amber are the four best varieties of sweet sorghum to use in Missouri. Orange is most commonly used and is generally well adapted throughout the entire State. In extreme northern Missouri, especially for late planting, Black Amber may be used, but under normal conditions use Orange. From Central Missouri southward Sumac and Honey are also well adapted, and in extreme southern Missouri and in southeastern Missouri Honey is especially well suited. As to maturity, Amber is early, Orange and Sumac medium, while Honey is comparatively late."--Page 17 pages : illustration

Research Monograph No. 4

State of Alaska and Mineral Industry Research LaboratoryYe

Role of glucocorticoids in mediating effects of fasting and diabetes on hypothalamic gene expression

BACKGROUND: Fasting and diabetes are characterized by elevated glucocorticoids and reduced insulin, leptin, elevated hypothalamic AGRP and NPY mRNA, and reduced hypothalamic POMC mRNA. Although leptin replacement can reverse changes in hypothalamic gene expression associated with fasting and diabetes, leptin also normalizes corticosterone; therefore the extent to which the elevated corticosterone contributes to the regulation of hypothalamic gene expression in fasting and diabetes remains unclear. To address if elevated corticosterone is necessary for hypothalamic responses to fasting and diabetes, we assessed the effects of adrenalectomy on hypothalamic gene expression in 48-hour-fasted or diabetic mice. To assess if elevated corticosterone is sufficient for the hypothalamic responses to fasting and diabetes, we assessed the effect of corticosterone pellets implanted for 48 hours on hypothalamic gene expression. RESULTS: Fasting and streptozotocin-induced diabetes elevated plasma glucocorticoid levels and reduced serum insulin and leptin levels. Adrenalectomy prevented the rise in plasma glucocorticoids associated with fasting and diabetes, but not the associated reductions in insulin or leptin. Adrenalectomy blocked the effects of fasting and diabetes on hypothalamic AGRP, NPY, and POMC expression. Conversely, corticosterone implants induced both AGRP and POMC mRNA (with a non-significant trend toward induction of NPY mRNA), accompanied by elevated insulin and leptin (with no change in food intake or body weight). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that elevated plasma corticosterone mediate some effects of fasting and diabetes on hypothalamic gene expression. Specifically, elevated plasma corticosterone is necessary for the induction of NPY mRNA with fasting and diabetes; since corticosterone implants only produced a non-significant trend in NPY mRNA, it remains uncertain if a rise in corticosterone may be sufficient to induce NPY mRNA. A rise in corticosterone is necessary to reduce hypothalamic POMC mRNA with fasting and diabetes, but not sufficient for the reduction of hypothalamic POMC mRNA. Finally, elevated plasma corticosterone is both necessary and sufficient for the induction of hypothalamic AGRP mRNA with fasting and diabetes

A Qualitative Study of Transgender Women and Cisgender Men Living Together in Two Recovery Homes

Oxford Houses (OH) are a peer-run sober living homes that are the largest network of recovery homes with over 2,000 in the US. They are self-run without any professional staff. The current study focused on better understanding the facilitators and barriers to OH entry for transgender individuals. The study explored ways in which transgender people found entry into the OHs and the experiences of transgender residents in OHs in comparison to cisgender residents