The 68,000-Dalton Neurofilament-Associated Polypeptide is a Component of Nonneuronal Cells and of Skeletal Myofibrils

Purified preparations of 10-nm neurofilaments from rat spinal cord and bovine or porcine brain contain a predominant 68,000-dalton polypeptide. This polypeptide is also a major component of the neurofilaments that copurify with brain tubulin isolated by cycles of polymerization and depolymerization. A protein that has the same isoelectric point and molecular weight as the neurofilament-associated polypeptide has also been identified as a cytoskeletal protein in a variety of avian and mammalian cell types, including baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) mouse 3T3, Novikoff rat hepatoma, chicken fibroblast, and chicken muscle cells. This protein is also a component of isolated chicken skeletal myofibrils. One-dimensional peptide maps of the 68,000-dalton proteins purified by two-dimensional isoelectric focusing/NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis from myofibrils, cycled tubulin, purified neurofilaments, and various cultured cell types were identical. In immunofluorescence this protein was associated with cytoplasmic intermediate filaments and myofibril Z discs. These results indicate that the neurofilament-associated polypeptide is a conserved protein that is present in many different cell types in addition to neuronal cells. Because some of these cells contain the major components of two other intermediate filament classes, desmin and vimentin, a given cell type may contain the subunits of at least three distinct intermediate filament types

Strengthening agricultural education and training in Sub-Saharan Africa from an innovation systems perspective: Case studies of Ethiopia and Mozambique

"This paper examines the role of postsecondary agricultural education and training (AET) in Sub-Saharan Africa in the context of the region's agricultural innovation systems. Specifically, the paper looks at how AET in Sub-Saharan Africa can contribute to agricultural development by strengthening innovative capabilities, or the ability to introduce new products and processes that are socially or economically relevant to smallholder farmers and other agents in the agricultural sector. Using AET in Ethiopia and Mozambique as case studies, the paper argues that while AET is conventionally viewed in terms of its role in building human and scientific capital, it also has a vital role to play in building the capacity of organizations and individuals to transmit and adapt new applications of existing information, new products and processes, and new organizational cultures and behaviors. The paper emphasizes the importance of improving AET systems by strengthening the innovative capabilities of AET organizations and professionals; changing organizational cultures, behaviors, and incentives; and building innovation networks and linkages. The paper draws on two main sources of information: the emerging literature on innovation systems in developing-country agriculture, and data gathered from secondary sources and semi-structured key informant interviews conducted in Ethiopia and Mozambique in late 2006. The paper offers several recommendations that can contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of AET's contribution to agricultural innovation and development. Key reforms include aligning the mandates of AET organizations with national development aspirations by promoting new educational programs that are more strategically attuned to the different needs of society; inducing change in the cultures of AET organizations through the introduction of educational programs and linkages beyond the formal AET system; and strengthening individual and organizational capacity by improving incentives to forge stronger linkages between AET and diverse user communities, knowledge sources, and private industry." - from authors' abstract.Agricultural education and training, Innovation systems, Sub-Saharan Africa, case studies, Small farmers, agricultural sector,

PI3K signalling in leptin receptor cells: Role in growth and reproduction

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149245/1/jne12685_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149245/2/jne12685.pd

Delay in presentation of symptomatic referrals to a breast clinic: patient and system factors

We attempted to identify factors associated with delay in presentation and assessment of women with breast symptoms who attended a London breast clinic. A total of 692 consecutive symptomatic referrals, aged 40–75 years, were studied. Patient delay, assessed prior to diagnosis, was defined as time elapsing between symptom discovery and first presentation to a medical provider. This was studied in relation to: reasons for delaying, beliefs and attitudes, socio-demographic and clinical variables, psychiatric morbidity and subsequent diagnosis. Thirty-five per cent of the cohort delayed presentation 4 weeks or more (median 13 days). The most common reason given was that they thought their symptom was not serious (odds ratio (OR) = 5.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.6–8.0). Others thought their symptom would go away (OR = 3.73, 95% CI 2.2–6.4) or delayed because they were scared (OR = 4.61, 95% CI 2.1–10.0). Delay was associated with psychiatric morbidity but not age. Patients who turned out to have cancer tended to delay less (median 7 days) but not significantly. Median system delay – time between first medical consultation and first clinic visit – was 18 days. Patients who thought they had cancer and those so diagnosed were seen more promptly (median 14 days). Most factors, including socio-economic status and ethnicity were non-contributory. Beliefs about breast symptoms and their attribution are the most important factors determining when women present. Health education messages should aim to convince symptomatic women that their condition requires urgent evaluation, without engendering fear in them. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

The IRAS Bright Galaxy Sample. III. 1-10 µm observations and coadded IRAS data for galaxies with L_(IR) ⩾ 10^(11) L⊙

Galaxies from the IRAS Bright Galaxy Sample with infrared luminosities L_(IR) ⩾ 10^(11) L⊙ have been measured at 1.3, 1.6, 2.2, 3.7, and 10 µm. In addition, coadded IRAS measurements at all four IRAS bands have been obtained. It is found that an increase in the total infrared luminosity above L_(IR) ⩾ 10^(11) L⊙ is correlated with increased emission from hot dust with characteristic temperatures ~800 K contributing a substantial fraction of the 2.2 and 3.7 µm emission. This hot dust emission appears to “turn on” at luminosities of roughly 10^(11) L⊙. The far-infrared emission cannot be modeled with a single dust temperature, but requires a cold (T~30-50 K) component coupled with a warmer (T≳70 K) component. Although the relative contribution from the cold component decreases with increasing luminosity, the temperature of the warmer component is independent of luminosity. The f_v (12 µm)/f_v (25 µm) ratios for the galaxies in this sample are small compared with other extragalactic objects, indicating that the radiation at 12 and 25 µm is dominated by emission from large dust grains radiating at high temperatures, rather than PAHs. The spatial distribution of the 10 µm emission indicates a substantial extended component for most of the galaxies in this sample, implying that star-formation processes contribute significantly to the luminosities. However, one-third of the galaxies have exponential scale sizes characteristic of compact sources, and half of the galaxies have 10 µm emission consistent with a contribution of 50% or more from a central point source

Four quasars above redshift 6 discovered by the Canada-France High-z Quasar Survey

The Canada-France High-z Quasar Survey (CFHQS) is an optical survey designed to locate quasars during the epoch of reionization. In this paper we present the discovery of the first four CFHQS quasars at redshift greater than 6, including the most distant known quasar, CFHQS J2329-0301 at z=6.43. We describe the observational method used to identify the quasars and present optical, infrared, and millimeter photometry and optical and near-infrared spectroscopy. We investigate the dust properties of these quasars finding an unusual dust extinction curve for one quasar and a high far-infrared luminosity due to dust emission for another. The mean millimeter continuum flux for CFHQS quasars is substantially lower than that for SDSS quasars at the same redshift, likely due to a correlation with quasar UV luminosity. For two quasars with sufficiently high signal-to-noise optical spectra, we use the spectra to investigate the ionization state of hydrogen at z>5. For CFHQS J1509-1749 at z=6.12, we find significant evolution (beyond a simple extrapolation of lower redshift data) in the Gunn-Peterson optical depth at z>5.4. The line-of-sight to this quasar has one of the highest known optical depths at z~5.8. An analysis of the sizes of the highly-ionized near-zones in the spectra of two quasars at z=6.12 and z=6.43 suggest the IGM surrounding these quasars was substantially ionized before these quasars turned on. Together, these observations point towards an extended reionization process, but we caution that cosmic variance is still a major limitation in z>6 quasar observations.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, AJ, in press, minor changes to previous versio

Lineare und nicht-lineare Knowledge Production: innovative Herausforderungen für das Hochschulsystem

In unserem Beitrag setzen wir uns mit der "Mode 3"-Universität auseinander. Bezieht sich das "Mode 1" der Wissensproduktion traditionell auf eine Grundlagenforschung ohne Anwendungsinteresse, so gilt bei "Mode 2" der Fokus bereits einer Wissensproduktion für angewandte Problemlösung. Mode 3 ließe sich hingegen als eine Grundlagenforschung im Anwendungskontext verstehen. Mode 3-Universitäten reflektieren, wie sich aus Mode 1 und Mode 2 flexible und kreative Kombinationen und Vernetzungen designen und entwickeln lassen. Das Wechselspiel von Mode 1 und Mode 2 fördert Innovationen und ermöglicht Netzwerke nicht-linearer Innovation. Fachhochschulen lassen sich als "Mode 3"-Universitäten neu erfinden. 30.03.2012 | David F. J. Campbell (Wien) & Elias G. Carayannis (Washington

Micofenolato mofetil pode proteger contra a pneumonia por Pneumocystis carinii em transplantados renais

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is usually prevented in transplanted patients by prophylactic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazol (TMS). Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been shown to have a strong protective effect against PCP in rats. This effect is also suggested in humans by the absence of PCP in patients receiving MMF. After January 1998 MMF has been used with no TMS prophylaxis in renal transplanted patients. In azathioprine (AZA) treated patients TMS prophylaxis was maintained. The incidence of PCP was analyzed in both groups. Data were collected in order to have a minimum 6-month follow-up. Two hundred and seventy-two patients were eligible for analysis. No PCP occurred either in patients under MMF without TMS prophylaxis nor in patients under AZA. MMF may have an effective protective role against PCP as no patient under MMF, despite not receiving TMS coverage, developed PCP. A larger, controlled, trial is warranted to consolidate this information.A pneumonia por Pneumocystis carinii (PPC) em transplantados renais é, habitualmente, prevenida pelo uso profilático de trimetoprim-sulfametoxazol (TMS). Foi demonstrado que o micofenolato mofetil (MMF) exerce um poderoso efeito protetor sobre a PPC experimental em ratos. Este efeito também foi sugerido em humanos pela ausência de PPC em pacientes recebendo MMF. A partir de janeiro de 1998 passamos a usar o MMF em transplantados renais sem profilaxia por TMS. Nos pacientes recebendo azatioprina (AZA) a profilaxia com TMS continuou a ser empregada. A incidência de PPC foi analisada em ambos os grupos. Os dados foram coletados após um mínimo de seis meses de seguimento. Foram analisados 272 pacientes. Não ocorreu nenhum caso de PPC tanto nos pacientes recebendo MMF como naqueles recebendo AZA. O MMF pode ter exercido um efeito protetor contra a PPC, já que nenhum paciente sob MMF e sem receber profilaxia por TMS desenvolveu PPC. Estudos maiores e controlados se fazem necessários para confirmar estas informações

Scintigraphic assessment of sympathetic innervation after transmural versus nontransmural myocardial infarction

To evaluate the feasibility of detecting denervated myocardium in the infarcted canine heart, the distribution of sympathetic nerve endings using 1–123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) was compared with the distribution of perfusion using thallium-201, with the aid of color-coded computer functional map in 16 dogs. Twelve dogs underwent myocardial infarction by injection of vinyl latex into the left anterior descending coronary artery (transmural myocardial infarction, n = 6), or ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (nontransmural myocardial infarction, n = 6). Four dogs served as sham-operated controls. Image patterns were compared with tissue norepinephrine content and with histofluorescence microscopic findings in biopsy specimens.Hearts with transmural infarction showed zones of absent MIBG and thallium, indicating scar. Adjacent and distal regions showed reduced MIBG but normal thallium uptake, indicating viable but denervated myocardium. Denervation distal to infarction was confirmed by reduced norepinephrine content and absence of nerve fluorescence. Nontransmural myocardial infarction showed zones of wall thinning with decreased thallium uptake and a greater reduction or absence of MIBG localized to the region of the infarct, with minimal extension of denervation beyond the infarct. Norepinephrine content was significantly reduced in the infarct zone, and nerve fluorescence was absent.These findings suggest that 1) MIBG imaging can detect viable and perfused but denervated myocardium after infarction; and 2) as opposed to the distal denervation produced by transmural infarction, nontransmural infarction may lead to regional ischemic damage of sympathetic nerves, but may spare subepicardial nerve trunks that course through the region of infarction to provide a source of innervation to distal areas of myocardium