Different response to eccentric and concentric training in older men and women

Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength and has been associated with an increased risk of falling and the development of metabolic diseases. Various training protocols, nutritional and hormonal interventions have been proposed to prevent sarcopenia. This study explores the potential of continuous eccentric exercise to retard age-related loss of muscle mass and function. Elderly men and women (80.6 +/- 3.5 years) were randomized to one of three training interventions demanding a training effort of two sessions weekly for 12 weeks: cognitive training (CT; n = 16), conventional resistance training (RET; n = 23) and eccentric ergometer training (EET; n = 23). Subjects were tested for functional parameters and body composition. Biopsies were collected from M. vastus lateralis before and after the intervention for the assessment of fiber size and composition. Maximal isometric leg extension strength (MEL: +8.4 +/- 1.7%) and eccentric muscle coordination (COORD: -43 +/- 4%) were significantly improved with EET but not with RET (MEL: +2.3 +/- 2.0%; COORD: -13 +/- 3%) and CT (MEL: -2.3 +/- 2.5%; COORD: -12 +/- 5%), respectively. We observed a loss of body fat (-5.0 +/- 1.1%) and thigh fat (-6.9 +/- 1.5%) in EET subjects only. Relative thigh lean mass increased with EET (+2.5 +/- 0.6%) and RET (+2.0 +/- 0.3%) and correlated negatively with type IIX/type II muscle fiber ratios. It was concluded that both RET and EET are beneficial for the elderly with regard to muscle functional and structural improvements but differ in their spectrum of effects. A training frequency of only two sessions per week seems to be the lower limit for a training stimulus to reveal measurable benefits.

MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY CHARACTERIZATION OF RAT TRANSFORMATION ASSOCIATED PROTEINS INDUCED BY MOLONEY MURINE SARCOMA VIRUS

By the use of Moloney murine sarcoma virus (Mo-MSV)-induced rat bone tumor (RBT) cells as immunogens, and the hybridoma technique, a mouse hybridoma clone was isolated in Dr. Chan's lab (Chan et al., 1983), which produced a monoclonal antibody, designated MC. MC detected specific antigens in three different Mo-MSV-transformed rat cell lines: 78A1 WRC, RBT and 6M2 (NRK cells infected with the ts110 mutant of Mo-MSV), but not in their untransformed counterparts. These antigens are tentatively termed transformation associated proteins (TAP). In this study, TAP were hypothesized to be the rat specific proteins which are activated by Mo-MSV and play an important role in cellular transformation, and were further investigated. Their properties are summarized as follows: (1) TAP may represent cellular products localized in the cytoplasm of 6M2 cells. (2) The expression of TAP is temperature-sensitive and related to cellular transformation, and probably activated by the v-mos gene products. The optimal temperature for the expression of both P85('gag-mos), the only known viral transforming protein in 6M2 cells, and TAP was 28(DEGREES)C. The expression of both P85('gag-mos) and TAP was proportional to the degree of transformation of 6M2 cells. (3) There were four antigenically-related forms of intracellular TAP (P66, P63, P60 and P58) in 6M2 cells. After synthesis, the 58Kd TAP was probably converted to one of the other three forms. These three polypeptides (P66, P63 and P60) were rapidly converted to two (P68 and P64) and subsequently secreted to the extracellular medium with a 50% secretion rate of 78 min. The conversion of these molecular sizes of TAP is probably related to glycosylation. Inhibition of TAP glycosylation by 0.5 ug/ml of tunicamycin could retard the secretion rate of TAP by 39%. (4) TAP are phosphoproteins, but not associated with any protein kinase activity. (5) TAP have been purified, and found to be mitogenic NRK-2 cells. TAP can bind to the receptors of NRK-2 cells with a K(,d) of 1.4 pM and with about 2 x 10('5) binding sites for TAP per NRK-2 cell. (6) Some weak proteolytic activity was found to associate with purified TAP. ^

Polonofilizm i polskość wśród czeskich emancypantek w drugiej połowie XIX wieku: przykład Karoliny Světlej

The awakening of national consciousness went hand in hand in Bohemia with an anxiety about national disappearance. In this context, the recourse to Pan-Slavism was for the Czechs a way to encourage themselves through the idea of belonging to a great Slavic world, while the Slavic Congress organized in Prague in 1848 was an attempt to realize this ideal. The Congress was a failure from the political point of view, but it did have some socio-cultural repercussions: notably, it served as a pretext for the advancement of women's issues in Bohemia. It is indeed in the wake of the Congress that Honorata z Wiśniowskich Zapová, a Polish women settled in Prague after her marriage to a Czech intellectual, founded, under the guise of collaboration between all Slavic women, the first women's association, as well as a (very short-lived) Czech-Polish institute, where Czech, as well as Polish girls, could get a quality education in their mother tongue. Honorata was undoubtedly the source of the polonophilia wind that seemed to blow over the Czech emancipation movement in the second half of the nineteenth century. In particular, Karolina Světlá showed in her Memoirs a great recognition for Honorata's efforts in matters of emancipation and education, and explicitly took up the challenge launched by the latter in founding another women's association and in inaugurating a school for underprivileged girls. But the tribute Světlá paid to Honorata is even more evident in her literary work, where Poland and the Polish woman (who often wears Honorata's features) play a significant role (see for example her short novel Sisters or her story A Few Days in the Life of a Prague Dandy). Světlá was probably the Czech feminist writer who, in her activities and in her work, relied most strongly on the Polish woman as a model for the Czech woman. However, she wasn't alone. In general, it was a characteristic of the Czech feminist movement of the second half of the nineteenth century to have recourse to the Polish woman and to Poland as a landmark for comparison and as a goal to be achieved.

The Response of a Small Stream in the Lesni Potok Forested Catchment, Central Czech Republic, to a Short-Term In-Stream Acidification

Lesni Potok stream drains a forested headwater catchment in the central Czech Republic. It was artificially acidified with hydrochloric acid (HCl) for four hours to assess the role of stream substrate in acid-neutralisation and recovery. The pH was lowered from 4.7 to 3.2. Desorption of Ca and MP and desorption or solution of Al dominated acid-neutralisation; Al mobilisation was more important later. The stream substrate released 4.542 meq Ca, 1, 184 meq Mg, and 2,329 meq Al over a 45 in long and I in wide stream segment, smaller amounts of Be. Cd, Fe, and Mn were released. Adsorption of SO42- and desorption of F- occurred during the acidification phase of the experiment. The exchange reactions were rapidly reversible for Ca, Mg and SO42- but not symmetric as the substrate resorbed 1083, 790 and 0 meq Ca, Mg, and Al. respectively, in a 4-hour recovery period. Desorption of SO42- occurred during the resorption of Ca and Mg. These exchange and dissolution reactions delay acidification, diminish the pH depression and retard recovery from episodic acidification. The behaviour of the stream substrate-water interaction resembles that for soil-soil water interactions. A mathematical dynamic mass-balance based model, MASS (Modelling Acidification of Stream Sediments), was developed which simulates the adsorption and desorption of base cations during the experiment and was successfully calibrated to the experimental data.

The effect of RNA base lesions on mRNA translation

The biological effect of oxidatively damaged RNA, unlike oxidatively damaged DNA, has rarely been investigated, although it poses a threat to any living cell. Here we report on the effect of the commonly known RNA base-lesions 8-oxo-rG, 8-oxo-rA, ε-rC, ε-rA, 5-HO-rC, 5-HO-rU and the RNA abasic site (rAS) on ribosomal translation. To this end we have developed an in vitro translation assay based on the mRNA display methodology. A short synthetic mRNA construct containing the base lesion in a predefined position of the open reading frame was 32P-labeled at the 5′-end and equipped with a puromycin unit at the 3′-end. Upon in vitro translation in rabbit reticulocyte lysates, the encoded peptide chain is transferred to the puromycin unit and the products analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Alternatively, the unlabeled mRNA construct was used and incubated with 35S-methionine to prove peptide elongation of the message. We find that all base-lesions interfere substantially with ribosomal translation. We identified two classes, the first containing modifications at the base coding edge (ε-rC, ε-rA and rAS) which completely abolish peptide synthesis at the site of modification, and the second consisting of 8-oxo-rG, 8-oxo-rA, 5-HO-rC and 5-HO-rU that significantly retard full-length peptide synthesis, leading to some abortive peptides at the site of modification.

Job Matching and Wage Growth in the U.S. and Germany

This paper examines the contribution of job matching to wage growth in the U.S. and Germany using data drawn from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the German Socio-Economic Panel from 1984 through 1992. Using a symmetrical set of variables and data handling procedures, real wage growth is found to be higher in the U.S. than in Germany during this period. Also, using two different estimators, job matches are found to enhance wage growth in the U.S. and retard it in Germany. The relationship of general skills to employment in each country appears responsible for this result.

Indios, Moradores e Câmaras Municipais : Etnicidade e conflitos agrários no Rio de Janerio e no Espírito Santo (séculos XVIII e XIX)

This paper analyzes the processes of extinction of indigenous collective lands and villages in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, from mid-eighteenth century to the nineteenth century, giving emphasis on the role of IndigenousÆs policy aiming to delay the process. Based on the correspondence among authorities, laws, statistical reports, and petitions from the Indians themselves, we approach the agrarian conflicts among indigenous, non-Indian residents and municipal councils, focusing on the issue of controversies and discussions regarding ethnicity that played a central role in these disputes.

Indios, Moradores e Câmaras Municipais : Etnicidade e conflitos agrários no Rio de Janerio e no Espírito Santo (séculos XVIII e XIX)

This paper analyzes the processes of extinction of indigenous collective lands and villages in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, from mid-eighteenth century to the nineteenth century, giving emphasis on the role of IndigenousÆs policy aiming to delay the process. Based on the correspondence among authorities, laws, statistical reports, and petitions from the Indians themselves, we approach the agrarian conflicts among indigenous, non-Indian residents and municipal councils, focusing on the issue of controversies and discussions regarding ethnicity that played a central role in these disputes.

Indios, Moradores e Câmaras Municipais : Etnicidade e conflitos agrários no Rio de Janerio e no Espírito Santo (séculos XVIII e XIX)

This paper analyzes the processes of extinction of indigenous collective lands and villages in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, from mid-eighteenth century to the nineteenth century, giving emphasis on the role of IndigenousÆs policy aiming to delay the process. Based on the correspondence among authorities, laws, statistical reports, and petitions from the Indians themselves, we approach the agrarian conflicts among indigenous, non-Indian residents and municipal councils, focusing on the issue of controversies and discussions regarding ethnicity that played a central role in these disputes.

The Effect of Sequence of Operations on Fatigue Life of LSP Treated Open-hole Aluminium Specimens

Fastener holes in aeronautical structures are typical sources of fatigue cracks due to their induced local stress concentration. A very efficient solution to this problem is to establish compressive residual stresses around the fastener holes that retard the fatigue crack nucleation and its subsequent local propagation. Previous work done on the subject of the application of LSP treatment on thin, open-hole specimens [1] has proven that the LSP effect on fatigue life of treated specimens can be detrimental, if the process is not properly optimized. In fact, it was shown that the capability of the LSP to introduce compressive residual stresses around fastener holes in thin-walled structures representative of typical aircraft constructions was not superior to the performance of conventional techniques, such as cold-working.

Optically programmable logic cells as basic units for transmission and synchronization of chaotic signals

We proposed an optical communications system, based on a digital chaotic signal where the synchronization of chaos was the main objective, in some previous papers. In this paper we will extend this work. A way to add the digital data signal to be transmitted onto the chaotic signal and its correct reception, is the main objective. We report some methods to study the main characteristics of the resulting signal. The main problem with any real system is the presence of some retard between the times than the signal is generated at the emitter at the time when this signal is received. Any system using chaotic signals as a method to encrypt need to have the same characteristics in emitter and receiver. It is because that, this control of time is needed. A method to control, in real time the chaotic signals, is reported.

Induction of through-thickness compressive residual stress fields in thin Al2024-T351 plates by laser shock processing

Laser Shock Processing (LSP) has been demonstrated as an emerging technique for the induction of RS’s fields in subsurface layers of relatively thick specimens. However, the LSP treatment of relatively thin specimens brings, as an additional consequence, the possible bending in a process of laser shock forming. This effect poses a new class of problems regarding the attainment of specified RS’s depth profiles in the mentioned type of sheets, and, what can be more critical, an overall deformation of the treated component. The analysis of the problem of LSP treatment for induction of tentatively through-thickness RS’s fields for fatigue life enhancement in relatively thin sheets in a way compatible with reduced overall workpiece deformation due to spring-back self-equilibration is envisaged in this paper. The coupled theoretical-experimental predictive approach developed by the authors has been applied to the specification of LSP treatments for achievement of RS's fields tentatively able to retard crack propagation on normalized specimens. A convergence between numerical code results and experimental results coming from direct RS's measurement is presented as a first step for the treatment of the normalized specimens under optimized conditions and verification of the crack retardation properties virtually induced.

Ansiedade em situações de convívio social em idosos

A ansiedade é uma experiência normal em qualquer idade, mas merece uma atenção especial no indivíduo idoso. O idoso tem vivido uma vida social mais intensa como freqüentar cursos, festas ou mesmo lidar com novas tecnologias.Sintomas de ansiedade social podem surgir ou se acentuar nestas situações, prejudicando a integração do indivíduo à sociedade e à família. .A depressão é uma grande preocupação para o idoso. A importância do diagnóstico da doença depressão para diferenciar sintomas depressivos de sentimento de tristeza ou síndrome depressiva .Trata-se de um estudo, do tipo caso-controle investigando ansiedade em situações de convívio social em 61indivíduos com 60 anos de idade ou mais e um grupo de 60 jovens até 35 anos.Responderam um questionário, escalas de ansiedade,fobia social ,esquiva e desconforto, medo de avaliação negativa e depressão.De acordo com os resultados obtidos a ansiedade pode estar relacionada a fatores biológicos, psicológicos e sociais que diagnosticados precocemente podem ser tratados por medicamentos , psicoterapia ou uso da estratégia adequada melhorar a adaptação do idoso.A realidade é que o perfil do idoso mudou e a qualidade de vida também,o que gerou necessidades diferentes,novos desafios. É um assunto que requer maiores estudos com o intuito de apontar estratégias que auxiliem na prevenção ou que aponte fatores que melhorem a adaptação do idoso.(AU)

Ansiedade em situações de convívio social em idosos

A ansiedade é uma experiência normal em qualquer idade, mas merece uma atenção especial no indivíduo idoso. O idoso tem vivido uma vida social mais intensa como freqüentar cursos, festas ou mesmo lidar com novas tecnologias.Sintomas de ansiedade social podem surgir ou se acentuar nestas situações, prejudicando a integração do indivíduo à sociedade e à família. .A depressão é uma grande preocupação para o idoso. A importância do diagnóstico da doença depressão para diferenciar sintomas depressivos de sentimento de tristeza ou síndrome depressiva .Trata-se de um estudo, do tipo caso-controle investigando ansiedade em situações de convívio social em 61indivíduos com 60 anos de idade ou mais e um grupo de 60 jovens até 35 anos.Responderam um questionário, escalas de ansiedade,fobia social ,esquiva e desconforto, medo de avaliação negativa e depressão.De acordo com os resultados obtidos a ansiedade pode estar relacionada a fatores biológicos, psicológicos e sociais que diagnosticados precocemente podem ser tratados por medicamentos , psicoterapia ou uso da estratégia adequada melhorar a adaptação do idoso.A realidade é que o perfil do idoso mudou e a qualidade de vida também,o que gerou necessidades diferentes,novos desafios. É um assunto que requer maiores estudos com o intuito de apontar estratégias que auxiliem na prevenção ou que aponte fatores que melhorem a adaptação do idoso.(AU)

Constitutive Bcl-2 expression throughout the hematopoietic compartment affects multiple lineages and enhances progenitor cell survival

Bcl-2, which can both reduce apoptosis and retard cell cycle entry, is thought to have important roles in hematopoiesis. To evaluate the impact of its ubiquitous overexpression within this system, we targeted expression of the human bcl-2 gene in mice by using the promoter of the vav gene, which is active throughout this compartment but rarely outside it. The vav-bcl-2 transgene was expressed in essentially all nucleated cells of hematopoietic tissues but not notably in nonhematopoietic tissues. Presumably because of enhanced cell survival, the mice displayed increases in myeloid cells as well as a marked elevation in B and T lymphocytes. The spleen was enlarged and the lymphoid follicles expanded. Although total thymic cellularity was normal, T cell development was altered: cells at the very immature and most mature stages were increased, whereas those at the intermediate stage were decreased. Unexpectedly, blood platelets were reduced by half, suggesting that their production from megakaryocytes is regulated by the Bcl-2 family. Colony formation by myeloid progenitor cells in vitro remained cytokine dependent, and the frequency of most progenitor and preprogenitor cells was normal. Macrophage progenitors were less frequent and yielded smaller colonies, however, perhaps reflecting inhibitory effects of Bcl-2 on cell cycling in specific lineages. After irradiation or factor deprivation, Bcl-2 markedly enhanced clonogenic survival of all tested progenitor and preprogenitor cells. Thus, Bcl-2 has multiple effects on the hematopoietic system. These mice should help to further clarify the role of apoptosis in the development and homeostasis of this compartment.