The effect of a year of high-school biology on achievement in first-semester college biology

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University, 1947. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Progress Report on Varian Ultrasound Imaging System for NDE

This report describes an effort to develop a portable ultrasonic imaging system for NDE use. Results of a short applications study undertaken to identify importani. NDE problems which would benefit from such a system are presented. The overall system design goals and methods to accomplish them are described

Internal Myxosporidian Infections of Some Fishes of the Okoboji Region

Protozoa of the order Myxosporidia are primarily parasites of fishes, and no major group of fishes is entirely free from infection. Apparently most species of Myxosporidia do not produce serious pathological changes. However, some of the most destructive diseases of fish, such as the wormy halibut of the Pacific coast of North America; the boil disease of barbel in European waters; and the twist disease of salmonoid fish, are caused by myxosporidian infection. These infections are often fatal and sometimes occur in epidemic form. The life history of the myxosporidia has been discussed by Kudo (1920, 1939). The present paper is primarily a report of a survey of myxosporidian parasites which occur in the internal organs of fishes of the Okoboji region

Unraveling the directional link between adiposity and inflammation: a bidirectional mendelian randomization approach

<b>Context</b>: Associations between adiposity and circulating inflammation markers are assumed to be causal, although the direction of the relationship has not been proven. <b>Objective</b>: The aim of the study was to explore the causal direction of the relationship between adiposity and inflammation using a bidirectional Mendelian randomization approach. <b>Methods</b>: In the PROSPER study of 5804 elderly patients, we related C-reactive protein (CRP) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1800947 and rs1205) and adiposity SNPs (FTO and MC4R) to body mass index (BMI) as well as circulating levels of CRP and leptin. We gave each individual two allele scores ranging from zero to 4, counting each pair of alleles related to CRP levels or BMI. <b>Results</b>: With increasing CRP allele score, there was a stepwise decrease in CRP levels (P for trend < 0.0001) and a 1.98 mg/liter difference between extremes of the allele score distribution, but there was no associated change in BMI or leptin levels (P ≥ 0.89). By contrast, adiposity allele score was associated with 1) an increase in BMI (1.2 kg/m2 difference between extremes; P for trend 0.002); 2) an increase in circulating leptin (5.77 ng/ml difference between extremes; P for trend 0.0027); and 3) increased CRP levels (1.24 mg/liter difference between extremes; P for trend 0.002). <b>Conclusions</b>: Greater adiposity conferred by FTO and MC4R SNPs led to higher CRP levels, with no evidence for any reverse pathway. Future studies should extend our findings to other circulating inflammatory parameters. This study illustrates the potential power of Mendelian randomization to dissect directions of causality between intercorrelated metabolic factors

Myosin5a tail associates directly with Rab3A-containing compartments in neurons

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The definitive version was published in Journal of Biological Chemistry, 286 (2011): 14352-14361, doi:10.1074/jbc.M110.187286.Myosin-Va (Myo5a) is a motor protein associated with synaptic vesicles (SVs) but the mechanism by which it interacts has not yet been identified. A potential class of binding partners are Rab GTPases and Rab3A is known to associate with SVs and is involved in SV trafficking. We performed experiments to determine whether Rab3A interacts with Myo5a and whether it is required for transport of neuronal vesicles. In vitro motility assays performed with axoplasm from the squid giant axon showed a requirement for a Rab GTPase in Myo5a-dependent vesicle transport. Furthermore, mouse recombinant Myo5a tail revealed that it associated with Rab3A in rat brain synaptosomal preparations in vitro and the association was confirmed by immunofluorescence imaging of primary neurons isolated from the frontal cortex of mouse brains. Synaptosomal Rab3A was retained on recombinant GST-tagged Myo5a tail affinity columns in a GTP-dependent manner. Finally, the direct interaction of Myo5a and Rab3A was determined by sedimentation v e l o c i t y analytical ultracentrifugation using recombinant mouse Myo5a tail and human Rab3A. When both proteins were incubated in the presence of 1 mM GTPγS, Myo5a tail and Rab3A formed a complex and a direct interaction was observed. Further analysis revealed that GTP-bound Rab3A interacts with both the monomeric and dimeric species of the Myo5a tail. However, the interaction between Myo5a tail and nucleotidefree Rab3A did not occur. Thus, our results show that Myo5a and Rab3A are direct binding partners and interact on SVs and that the Myo5a/Rab3A complex is involved in transport of neuronal vesicles

Biological nomenclature terms for facilitating communication in the naming of organisms

A set of terms recommended for use in facilitating communication in biological nomenclature is presented as a table showing broadly equivalent terms used in the traditional Codes of nomenclature. These terms are intended to help those engaged in naming across organism groups, and are the result of the work of the International Committee on Bionomenclature, whose aim is to promote harmonisation and communication amongst those naming life on Earth