1,133 research outputs found
Interleukin-l regulates synthesis of nerve growth factor in non-neuronal cells of rat sciatic nerve
Analysing the relationship between ectomycorrhizal infection and forest decline using marginal models
This statistical survey originates from the problem of discovering which relationship exists between root ectomycorrhizal infection and health status of forest plants. The sampling scheme takes observations from roots that come from sectors around the tree resulting in a hierarchical association structure of the observations. Marginal regression models are used to analyze the mean effect of the ectomycorrhizal state on a response variable proxy for the health degree of the plants
Classical Supersymmetric Mechanics
We analyse a supersymmetric mechanical model derived from (1+1)-dimensional
field theory with Yukawa interaction, assuming that all physical variables take
their values in a Grassmann algebra B. Utilizing the symmetries of the model we
demonstrate how for a certain class of potentials the equations of motion can
be solved completely for any B. In a second approach we suppose that the
Grassmann algebra is finitely generated, decompose the dynamical variables into
real components and devise a layer-by-layer strategy to solve the equations of
motion for arbitrary potential. We examine the possible types of motion for
both bosonic and fermionic quantities and show how symmetries relate the former
to the latter in a geometrical way. In particular, we investigate oscillatory
motion, applying results of Floquet theory, in order to elucidate the role that
energy variations of the lower order quantities play in determining the
quantities of higher order in B.Comment: 29 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Annals of Physic
Involvement of ras p2I in Neurotrophin-induced Response of Sensory, but Not Sympathetic Neurons
Little is known about the signal transduction mechanisms involved in the response to neurotrophins and other neurotrophic factors in neurons, beyond the activation of the tyrosine kinase activity of the neurotrophin receptors belonging to the trk family. We have previously shown that the introduction of the oncogene product ras p21 into the cytoplasm of chick embryonic neurons can reproduce the survival and neurite-outgrowth promoting effects of the neurotrophins nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). To assess the potential signal- transducing role of endogenous ras p21, we introduced function-blocking anti-ras antibodies or their Fab fragments into cultured chick embryonic neurons. The BDNF-induced neurite outgrowth in E12 nodose ganglion neurons was reduced to below control levels, and the NGF- induced survival of E9 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons was inhibited in a specific and dose-dependent fashion. Both effects could be reversed by saturating the epitope-binding sites with biologically inactive ras p21 before microinjection. Surprisingly, ras p21 did not promote the survival of NGF-dependent E12 chick sympathetic neurons, and the NGF-induced survival in these cells was not inhibited by the Fab-fragments. The survival effect of CNTF on ras-responsive ciliary neurons could not be blocked by anti-ras Fab fragments. These results indicate an involvement of ras p21 in the signal transduction of neurotrophic factors in sensory, but not sympathetic or ciliary neurons, pointing to the existence of different signaling pathways not only in CNTF-responsive, but also in neurotrophin-responsive neuronal populations
Regional and Cellular Codistribution of Interleukin lß and Nerve Growth Factor rnRNA in the Adult Rat Brain
Ras p21 protein promotes survival and fiber outgrowth of cultured embryonic neurons
Although evidence obtained with the PC12 cell line has suggested a role for the ras oncogene proteins in the signal transduction of nerve growth factor-mediated fiber outgrowth, little is known about the signal transduction mechanisms involved in the neuronal response to neurotrophic factors in nontransformed cells. We report here that the oncogene protein T24-ras, when introduced into the cytoplasm of freshly dissociated chick embryonic neurons, promotes the in vitro survival and neurite outgrowth of nerve growth factor-responsive dorsal root ganglion neurons, brain-derived neurotrophic factor-responsive nodose ganglion neurons, and ciliary neuronotrophic factor-responsive ciliary ganglion neurons. The proto-oncogene product c-Ha-ras also promotes neuronal survival, albeit less strongly. No effect could be observed with truncated counterparts of T24-ras and c-Ha-ras lacking the 23 C-terminal amino acids including the membrane-anchoring, palmityl-accepting cysteine. These results suggest a generalized involvement of ras or ras-like proteins in the intracellular signal transduction pathway for neurotrophic factors
Non-linear thermogravimetric mass spectrometry of carbon materials providing direct speciation separation of oxygen functional groups
Thermogravimetric mass spectrometry (TG-MS) is an established way to analyze oxygen containing surface functional groups of carbon materials. Thermal stabilities and structures of functional groups influence their decomposition temperatures and products (CO, CO2). In this work, a non-linear procedure with isothermal steps is presented enabling a separation of functional groups by different decomposition temperatures. Nitrosulfuric acid functionalized carbon materials like multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphite were used to design the temperature program. Comparative studies of linear and non-linear heating experiments in argon and hydrogen containing atmosphere were performed to state the benefits and limits of both methods. The distinct advantage of non-linear thermal analysis is demonstrated by an application-oriented experiment where only selected functional groups are consumed
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