In vitro and in vivo effect of methyl isocyanate on rat liver mitochondrial respiration

Previous work has shown that irrespective of the route of exposure methyl isocyanate (MIC) caused acute lactic acidosis in rats (Jeevaratnam et al., Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 19, 314�319, 1990) and the hypoxia was of stagnant type due to tissue hypoperfusion resulting from hypovolemic hypotension in rabbits administered MIC subcutaneously (Jeevarathinam et al., Toxicology 51, 223�240, 1988). The present study was designed to investigate whether MIC could induce histotoxic hypoxia through its effects on mitochondrial respiration. Male Wistar rats were used for liver mitochondrial and submitochondrial particle (SMP) preparation. Addition of MIC to tightly coupled mitochondria in vitro resulted in stimulation of state 4 respiration, abolition of respiratory control, decrease in ADP/O ratio, and inhibition of state 3 oxidation. The oxidation of NAD+-linked substrates (glutamate + malate) was more sensitive (fiveto sixfold) to the inhibitory action of MIC than succinate while cytochrome oxidase remained unaffected. MIC induced twofold delay in the onset of anerobiosis, and cytochrome b reduction in SMP with NADH in vitro confirms inhibition of electron transport at complex I region. MIC also stimulated the ATPase activity in tightly coupled mitochondria while lipid peroxidation remained unaffected. As its hydrolysis products, methylamine and N,N?-dimethylurea failed to elicit any change in vitro; these effects reveal that MIC per se acts as an inhibitor of electron transport and a weak uncoupler. Administration of MIC sc at lethal dose caused a similar change only with NAD+-linked substrates, reflecting impairment of mitochondrial respiration at complex I region and thereby induction of histotoxic hypoxia in vivo.

Origin of Disk Lopsidedness in Spiral Galaxies

In our work we have used the atomic hydrogen [HΙ] gas distribution in the HΙ 21-cm line emission to study the dark matter halo perturbations. For tHΙs analysis, the 2-D HΙ surface density and velocity maps (arcHΙval) of the galaxies in the Eridanus group (obtained using the GMRT) and in the Ursa Major group (obtained from WSRT) were used. In addition a few HΙckson Compact Groups of galaxies were also studied using the GMRT. The HΙ maps of these galaxies were Fourier analysed to estimate the asymmetry in the distribution and motion of gas. The average asymmetry parameter in the 1.5 to 2.5 K′-band scale lengths was found to be ~ 0.27 for the Eridanus group of galaxies wHΙle it was ~ 0.14 for the Ursa Major group of galaxies. The asymmetries in the distribution of HΙ as a function of Hubble type of galaxies were also studied and was found to be directly correlated with the compactness of the groups. In addition, the trend in the asymmetry as a function of the Hubble type of galaxies was opposite to that seen in the field galaxies, i.e., in the group galaxies, the early type galaxies showed more asymmetry than late type. These two aspects indicated that tidal interactions between the galaxies in a group environment to be the major cause of asymmetries. The observed asymmetry parameters were consistent with recent numerical simulations of asymmetries of gas disk caused by fly-by interactions. We have also estimated the perturbation of dark matter halo using the asymmetry parameter obtained from the Fourier series analysis of the surface density maps.

Computation of thermodynamic properties of liquid ferrous alloys from structural measurements

Relation between X-ray scattering intensities, mean square thermal fluctuations and thermodynamic properties. High temperature X-ray diffraction study of liquid Fe-Ni and Fe-Si alloys using reflection and transmission geometries. Calculation of the structure factor as a function of wave vector. Extrapolation to zero wave vector. Calculation of the concentration-concentration correlation function defined by A. B. Bhatia and D. E. Thorton. Computation of thermodynamic quantities of mixing A G, LlH and LlS for the binary alloys. Comparison with direct thermodynamic measurements reported in the literature.

THE KNICKKOPF DOMON DOMAIN IS ESSENTIAL FOR CUTICLE DIFFERENTIATION IN Drosophila melanogaster

The dopamine monoxygenase N-terminal (DOMON) domain is found in extracellular proteins across several eukaryotic and prokaryotic taxa. It has been proposed that this domain binds to heme or sugar moieties. Here, we have analyzed the role of four highly conserved amino acids in the DOMON domain of the Drosophila melanogaster Knickkopf protein that is inserted into the apical plasma membrane and assists extracellular chitin organization. In principal, we generated Knickkopf versions with exchanged residues tryptophan(299,) methionine(333), arginine(401), or histidine(437), and scored for the ability of the respective engineered protein to normalize the knickkopf mutant phenotype. Our results confirm the absolute necessity of tryptophan(299,) methionine(333), and histidine(437) for Knickkopf function and stability, the latter two being predicted to be critical for heme binding. In contrast, arginine(401) is required for full efficiency of Knickkopf activity. Taken together, our genetic data support the prediction of these residues to mediate the function of Knickkopf during cuticle differentiation in insects. Hence, the DOMON domain is apparently an essential factor contributing to the construction of polysaccharide-based extracellular matrices.

Analysis of cracked and un-cracked semicircular rings under symmetric loading

Edge cracked specimens have been widely utilized for fracture testing. Edge cracked semicircular disk (ECSD) specimen has now been well characterized with regard to its form factor and weight function. This paper presents a modified semicircular ring version of this specimen to enhance the form factor in general while retaining other desirable features. The efficacy of the modified design is proved by combining theory of elasticity solutions with finite element results to arrive at the optimum design geometry. New insights emerging from this work are used to theoretically re-examine the arch-tension and the four-point bend specimens. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The descriptive epidemiology of congenital and acquired cryptorchidism in a UK infant cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies in other European countries suggest that the prevalence of congenital cryptorchidism continues to increase. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and natural history of congenital cryptorchidism in a UK centre. METHODS: Between October 2001 and July 2008, 784 male infants were born in the prospective Cambridge Baby Growth Study. 742 infants were examined by trained research nurses at birth; testicular position was assessed using standard techniques. Follow-up assessments were completed at ages 3, 12, 18 and 24 months in 615, 462, 393 and 326 infants, respectively. RESULTS: The prevalence of cryptorchidism at birth was 5.9% (95% CI 4.4% to 7.9%). Congenital cryptorchidism was associated with earlier gestational age (p<0.001), lower birth weight (p<0.001), birth length (p<0.001) and shorter penile length at birth (p<0.0001) compared with other infants, but normal size after age 3 months. The prevalence of cryptorchidism declined to 2.4% at 3 months, but unexpectedly rose again to 6.7% at 12 months as a result of new cases. The cumulative incidence of "acquired cryptorchidism" by age 24 months was 7.0% and these cases had shorter penile length during infancy than other infants (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of congenital cryptorchidism was higher than earlier estimates in UK populations. Furthermore, this study for the first time describes acquired cryptorchidism or "ascending testis" as a common entity in male infants, which is possibly associated with reduced early postnatal androgen activity.

The role of androgens in fetal growth: observational study in two genetic models of disordered androgen signalling.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of androgens on birth weight in genetic models of altered androgen signalling. SETTING: Cambridge Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) database and the Swedish national screening programme for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). PATIENTS: (1) 29 girls with XY karyotype and mutation positive complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS); (2) 43 girls and 30 boys with genotype confirmed CAH. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Birth weight, birth weight-for-gestational-age (birth weight standard deviation score (SDS)) calculated by comparison with national references. RESULTS: Mean birth weight SDS in CAIS XY infants was higher than the reference for girls (mean, 95% CI: 0.4, 0.1 to 0.7; p=0.02) and was similar to the national reference for boys (0.1, -0.2 to 0.4). Birth weight SDS in CAH girls was similar to the national reference for girls (0.0, -0.2 to 0.2) and did not vary by severity of gene mutation. Birth weight SDS in CAH boys was also similar to the national reference for boys (0.2, -0.2 to 0.6). CONCLUSION: CAIS XY infants have a birth weight distribution similar to normal male infants and birth weight is not increased in infants with CAH. Alterations in androgen signalling have little impact on birth weight. Sex dimorphism in birth size is unrelated to prenatal androgen exposure.

Carbon onions: Carriers of the 217.5 nm interstellar absorption feature

The UV-VIS characteristics of carbon ions fabricated by an arch discharge in water or liquid nitrogen show characteristics that are similar to the interstellar absorption feature. Thus, high purity and well separated carbon onion samples prepared by annealing the as-fabricated powder in air at 600°C for 60 showed a constant absorption peak at 4.6 μm-1 with a variable width ranging from 1.2-1.6 μm-1. In addition to the UV-VIS data, the origin of the absorption feature at 4.6 μm-1 in carbon onions can be attributed to the collective excitations of π plasmons.

The mechanism of energy storage by shearing the solar magnetic field

In this paper, a complete set of MHD equations have been solved by numerical calculations in an attempt to study the dynamical evolutionary processes of the initial equilibrium configuration and to discuss the energy storage mechanism of the solar atmosphere by shearing the magnetic field. The initial equilibrium configuration with an arch bipolar potential field obtained from the numerical solution is similar to the configuration in the vicinity of typical solar flare before its eruption. From the magnetic induction equation in the set of MHD equations and dealing with the non-linear coupling effects between the flow field and magnetic field, the quantitative relationship has been derived for their dynamical evolution. Results show that plasma shear motion at the bottom of the solar atmosphere causes the magnetic field to shear; meanwhile the magnetic field energy is stored in local regions. With the increase of time the local magnetic energy increases and it may reach an order of 4×10^25 J during a day. Thus the local storage of magnetic energy is large enough to trigger a big solar flare and can be considered as the energy source of solar flares. The energy storage mechanism by shearing the magnetic field can well explain the slow changes in solar active regions.

A consistent model of isolated force-free magnetic arches

The magnetic flux tube concentrating strong magnetic field is the basic configuration of magneticfield in the solar atmosphere. In the present paper, the equilibrium of isolated magnetic flux tube inthe solar atmosphere is discussed. In the viewpoint of mathematics, the boundary condition is nonlinearand the position of boundary needs to be determined by the physical condition although the equation ofmagnetic potential is linear for the linear force-free field. Analytical solutions to the arches of bothuniform circular cross-section and non-uniform cross section have been obtained. The results show thatthe nonlinear problem may have or not have any solution according to different azimuthal components of the magnetic field; the number of solutions to the nonlinear problem is four at most, and two in some cases. In the present paper, the analytical solutions to the approximations of both fat and slender arches are given in detail, and the general features of magnetic arch structure are shown.

Areas de migración y ecología de la anchoa Lycengraulis olidus (Günther) en las aguas argentinas (Pisces, fam. Engraulidae)

The purpose of the present study was to confirm the migratory habits of the anchovy, Lycengraulis olidus (Günther), between fresh and sea water environments. Anchovies were examined from three freshwater localities: Bella Vista and Rosario (Paraná river) and Punta Lara (La Plata river), and from four marine localities; Mar del Plata, Bahia Blanca, San Blas and Patagones, all in the Argentine Republic. Five meristic and nine morphometric characters were selected for study, namely: vertebrae; dorsal, pectoral and anal fin rays; gill rakers on the first gill arch; head-length; body-depth; distance between the snout and dorsal, pectoral, ventral and anal fin; eye-diameter; snout and maxilary. The food of the anchovy in fresh and sea water consists principally of fish and crustaceans including copepods, paleamonids, sergestids and larvae of Brachyura. The condition factor of the anchovy was lower in the fresh-water samples and higher in the marine samples. (PDF has 32 pages (two pages on each)

A study of populations of the anchoveta, Cetengraulis mysticetus, based on meristic characters

ENGLISH: This study was undertaken to determine whether meristic characters indicate that more than one major population of anchovetas occurs in the range of the species from Mexico to Peru. Interest in this species lies in the fact that it is the principal bait fish used to catch yellowfin and skipjack tunas in the Eastern Pacific. Specimens examined were from collections made by California tuna fishing vessels at six major baiting localities covering nearly the entire range of the species, namely, Almejas Bay on the outer coast of Baja California, Guaymas and Ahome Point in the Gulf of California, Gulf of Fonseca, Gulf of Panama, and Gulf of Guayaquil. Four meristic characters were selected for study: vertebrae, dorsal fin rays, anal fin rays, and gill rakers on the first gill arch. Vertebral counts, using X-ray film, were taken from a total of 1,500 fish, 250 each from each of the six localities. For the other characters, 125 anchovetas were examined from each locality for a total of 750, the counts being made with the aid of a binocular microscope. Specimens were between 80 and 165 mm. standard length. SPANISH: Este estudio ha sido hecho con el propósito de determinar si los caracteres numéricos de las anchovetas indican que existe más de una población de este pez en la zona en que se encuentra la especie, comprendida entre México y Perú. El interés en dicha especie radica en el hecho de que éste es el pez de carnada usado principalmente para la pesca de los atunes "aleta amarilla" y "barrilete" en el Pacífico Oriental. Los especímenes que han sido examinados, se tomaron de las muestras recogidas por los barcos atuneros de California en seis de las mejores localidades en que se pesca la anchoveta, las cuales comprenden casi toda la zona en donde se encuentra la especie, a saber, Bahía de Almejas en la costa exterior de Baja California, Guaymas y Punta Ahorne en el Golfo de California, el Golfo de Fonseca, el Golfo de Panamá y el Golfo de Guayaquil. Cuatro caracteres numéricos fueron escogidos para su estudio: los que presentan 1) las vértebras, 2) los radios de la aleta dorsal, 3) los radios de la aleta anal y 4) las branquispinas del primer arco branquial. Mediante el uso de películas con rayos X, se contaron las vértebras en un total de 1,500 peces, es decir, 250 de cada una de las seis mencionadas localidades. En relación con los otros caracteres, se examinaron 125 anchovetas de cada área, o sea, un total de 750 ejemplares, habiendo sido hecho el conteo por medio de un microscopio binocular. Los especímenes tenían un largo standard entre 80 y 165 milímetros. (PDF contains 24 pages.)

Geology of the Pacoima Area, Los Angeles County, California

The Pacoima area is located on an isolated hill in the northeast section of the San Fernando, the northeast portion of the Pacoima Quadrangle, Los Angeles County, California. Within it are exposed more than 2300 feet of Tertiary rocks, which comprise three units of Middle Miocene (?) age, and approximately 950 feet of Jurassic (?) granite basement. The formations are characterized by their mode of occurrence, marine and terrestial origin, diverse lithology, and structural features.

The basement complex is composed of intrusive granite, small masses of granodiorite and a granodiorite gneiss with the development of schistosity in sections. During the long period of erosion of the metamorphics, the granitic rocks were exposed and may have provided clastic constituents for the overlying formations.

As a result of rapid sedimentation in a transitional environment, the Middle Miocene Twin Peaks formation was laid down unconformably on the granite. This formation is essentially a large thinning bed of gray to buff pebble and cobble conglomerate grading to coarse yellow sandstone. The contact of conglomerate and granite is characterized by its faulted and depositional nature.

Beds of extrusive andesite, basalt porphyry, compact vesicular amygdaloidal basalts, andesite breccia, interbedded feldspathic sands and clays of terrestial origin, and mudflow breccia comprise the Pacoima formation which overlies the Twin Peaks formation unconformably. A transgressing shallow sea accompanied settling of the region and initiated deposition of fine clastic sediments.

The marine Topanga (?) formation is composed of brown to gray coarse sandstone grading into interbedded buff sandstones and gray shales. Intrusions of rhyolitedacite and ash beds mark continued but sporatic volcanism during this period.

The area mapped represents an arch in the Tertiary sediments. Forces that produced the uplift of the granite structural high created stresses that were relieved by jointing and faulting. Vertical and horizontal movement along these faults has displaced beds, offset contacts and complicated their structure. Uplift and erosion have exposed the present sequence of beds which dip gently to the northeast. The isolated hill is believed to be in an early stage of maturity.

Estudo aleatório e controlado do uso clínico de um primer autocondicionante na colagem de bráquetes ortodônticos

O uso de primers autocondicionantes tem sido proposto como uma alternativa para a redução de passos clínicos. O objetivo deste estudo clínico aleatório e controlado foi avaliar a performance de um sistema autocondicionante (Transbond Plus Self-Etching Primer, 3M Unitek - SEP) comparado a um sistema multipasso convencional (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek - TBXT) de colagem ortodôntica, durante um período de 12 meses. Vinte e oito pacientes participaram deste estudo, sendo estes alocados aos grupos SEP ou TBXT de forma aleatória, através de randomização em bloco. Um total de 548 bráquetes metálicos (Micro-Arch, prescrição Alexander, GAC International, Bohemia, NY) foram colados com uso da pasta adesiva Transbond XT (3M Unitek), sendo todos os produtos manuseados de acordo com as recomendações dos fabricantes. Foram totalizados 276 bráquetes no grupo controle e 272 no segundo. Curvas de sobrevivência Kaplan-Meier e o teste log-rank (p<0,05) foram utilizados para comparar o percentual de falhas adesivas para as duas técnicas. Ao final do período foram verificadas trinta e duas falhas adesivas (bráquetes descolados), sendo 19 (6,98%) falhas quando utilizado o primer autocondicionante (SEP) e 13 (4,71%) quando usado o primer convencional (TBXT). Não houve diferença significante entre a sobrevivência dos bráquetes entre os dois grupos avaliados (log-rank test, p=0,311). Quando a influência de gênero do paciente, arco dentário e tipo dentário (anterior ou posterior) foram analisados, somente o tipo dentário foi achado significante. Bráquetes de dentes posteriores apresentaram uma maior probabilidade de falha adesiva que os colados em dentes anteriores (p=0,013) Os autores concluem que o primer autocondicionante pode ser utilizado para colagem direta de bráquetes ortodônticos sem que sua sobrevivência clínica seja afetada.