Geographic variation of natural products of tropical nudibranch Asteronotus cespitosus

Extracts of the dorid nudibranch Asteronotus cespitosus from two geographically separate regions of Australia and from the Philippines were compared using thin-layer, high-performance liquid and gas chromatography and H-1 NMR analysis. Halogenated metabolites were detected in all mollusk specimens. The major component detected in digestive tissue of specimens from the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Australia was 4,6-dibromo2-(2',4'-dibromophenoxy)phenol (1), with minor amounts of 3,5-dibromo-2(3',5'-dibromo-20-methoxyphenoxy)phenol (2). In a specimen collected from northwestern Australia, only 3,5-dibromo-2-(3',5'-dibromo-2'-methoxyphenoxy)phenol was found. The specimen from the Philippines contained 2,3,4,5-tetrabromo-6-(2'-bromophenoxy) phenol (3) together with a novel chlorinated pyrrolidone (4). In addition, the sesquiterpenes dehydroherbadysidolide (5) and spirodysin (6) were detected in the digestive organs and mantle tissue of the nudibranchs from the Great Barrier Reef and from the Philippines, whereas these chemicals were not found in the specimen from northwestern Australia. All of the chemicals (1-3,5, and 6) have previously been isolated from the sponge Dysidea herbacea, as have chlorinated metabolites related to 4. This is the first time the characteristic halogenated metabolites that typify Dysidea herbacea have been reported from a carnivorous mollusk, which implies a dietary origin as opposed to de novo synthesis.

Jules Cotard (1840-1889) - His life and the unique syndrome which bears his name

Dr. Jules Cotard (1840-1889) was a Parisian neurologist who first described the delire des negations. Cotard's syndrome or Cotard's delusion comprises any one of a series of delusions ranging from the fixed and unshakable belief that one has lost organs, blood, or body parts to believing that one has lost one's soul or is dead. In its most profound form, the delusion takes the form of a professed belief that one does not exist. Encountered primarily in psychoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Cotard's syndrome has also been described in organic lesions of the nondominant temporoparietal cortex as well as in migraine. Cotard's delusion is the only self-certifiable syndrome of delusional psychosis. Jules Cotard, a Parisian neurologist and psychiatrist and former military surgeon, was one of the first to induce cerebral atrophy by the experimental embolization of cerebral arteries in animals and a pioneer in studies of the clinicopathologic correlates of cerebral atrophy secondary to perinatal and postnatal pathologic changes. He was the first to record that unilateral cerebral atrophy in infancy does not necessarily lead to aphasia and was also the pioneer of studies of altered conscious states in diabetic hyperglycemia.

Alternative technologies for producing sterile low acid food products

Four emerging high-energy non-thermal technologies may replace or augment heating for producing sterile low-acid food products. High pressure, high-voltage pulsed electric field, high-energy ultrasound and high-intensity pulsed light are all capable of reducing bacterial spore counts under certain conditions. However, only non-continuous high pressure treatments, at temperatures higher than ambient, are currently capable of completely inactivating spores and producing sterile food products. The first three technologies also reduce the resistance of spores to inactivation by heat.

Lipolysis in milk and dairy products: a research journey

In this paper, I describe my journey through a field of research in which I have been involved for some years - lipolysis in milk and dairy products. While I call it my journey, I have had many fellow travellers who have helped me along the way. These have been my research colleagues and collaborators, and, since I joined the University of Queensland, my students. The research has covered a variety of aspects but I have chosen to describe only a selection of these.

Monitoring and isolation of blood dendritic cells from apheresis products in healthy individuals: a platform for cancer immunotherapy

The fundamental role of dendritic cells (DC in initiating and directing the primary immune response is well established. Furthermore, it is now accepted that DC may be useful in new vaccination strategies for preventing certain malignant and infectious diseases. As blood DC (BDC physiology differs from that of the DC homologues generated in vitro from monocyte precursors, it is becoming more relevant to consider BDC for therapeutic interventions. Until recently, protocols for the isolation of BDC were laborious and inefficient; therefore, their use for investigative cancer immunotherapy is not widespread. In this study, we carefully documented BDC counts, yields and subsets during apheresis (Cobe Spectra), the initial and essential procedure in creating a BDC isolation platform for cancer immunotherapy. We established that an automated software package (Version 6,0 AutoPBPC) provides an operator-independent reliable source of motionuclear cells (MNC for BDC preparation. Further, we observed that BDC might be recovered in high yields, often greater than 100% relative to the number of circulating BDC predicted by blood volume. An average of 66 million (range, 17-179) BDC per 10-1 procedure were obtained, largely satisfying the needs for immunization. Higher yields were possible on total processed blood volumes of 151. BDC were not activated by the isolation procedure and, more importantly, both BDC subsets (CD11c(+)CD123(low) and CD11c(-)CD123(high)) were equally represented. Finally, we established that the apheresis product could be used for antibody-based BDC immunoselection and demonstrated that fully functional BDC can be obtained by this procedure. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Further evidence for the reliance of catalysis by rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase upon isomerization of the ternary complex between enzyme and products

Isothermal calorimetry has been used to examine the effect of thermodynamic non-ideality on the kinetics of catalysis by rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase as the result of molecular crowding by inert cosolutes. The investigation, designed to detect substrate-mediated isomerization of pyruvate kinase, has revealed a 15% enhancement of maximal velocity by supplementation of reaction mixtures with 0.1 M proline, glycine or sorbitol. This effect of thermodynamic non-ideality implicates the existence of a substrate-induced conformational change that is governed by a minor volume decrease and a very small isomerization constant; and hence, substantiates earlier inferences that the rate-determining step in pyruvate kinase kinetics is isomerization of the ternary enzyme product complex rather than the release of products. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Alternatively spliced products of the human kinesin light chain 1 (KNS2) gene

Conventional kinesin is a microtubule-based molecular motor involved in the transport of membranous and non-membranous cargoes. The kinesin holoenzyme exists as a heterotetramer, consisting of two heavy chain and two light chain subunits. It is thought that one function of the light chains is to interact with the cargo. Alternative splicing of kinesin light chain pre-mRNA has been observed in lower organisms, although evidence for alternative splicing of the human gene has not been reported. We have identified 19 variants of the human KNS2 gene (KLC1) that are generated by alternative splicing of downstream exons, but calculate that KNS2 has the potential to produce 285919 spliceforms. Corresponding spliceforms of the mouse KLC1 gene were also identified. The alternative exons are all located 3' of exon 12 and the novel spliceforms produce both alternative carboxy termini and alternative 3' untranslated regions. The observation of multiple light chain isoforms is consistent with their proposed role in specific cargo attachment.

Biodegradation and ecotoxicity evaluation of a bionolle and starch blend and its degradation products in compost

A polymer based on a blend of starch and Bionolle(TM) has been prepared and tested for biodegradation in compost. The polymer was completely mineralised to carbon dioxide in 45 days. The potential toxicity of the polymer was tested against the earthworm Eisenia fetida using a modification of the American Standard for Testing Materials E1976-97. The earthworms were exposed to 30 g of the polymer for 28 days and changes in weight recorded. In addition, the polymer was firstly degraded by the compost and the worms exposed to the breakdown products for 28 days. Differences in weight were also recorded. In each case the production of juveniles was noted and all earthworms were examined for pathology. The results obtained were processed statistically using a t-test. The number of juveniles, produced from the breakdown products, was highly significant (P < 0.001) when compared to the earthworms added to the intact polymer. There was a definitely significant difference (P < 0.01, t = 3.25) in change in weight between the earthworms that were exposed to the polymer directly and those that were exposed to the breakdown products. There was no indication of any pathology of any earthworms. The polymer is considered safe for this species. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

O recurso da propaganda na valorização do produto imobiliário nos municípios de Vitória e Serra a partir da segunda metade do século XX

Este trabalho analisa a importância da propaganda no setor da construção imobiliária nos municípios de Vitória e Serra no Espírito Santo, localizados na Região Metropolitana da Grande Vitória (RMGV). Esse setor tem produzido uma série de transformações no espaço urbano da RMGV, onde a propaganda situa-se como parte destas estratégias, constituindo-se numa importante ferramenta. A partir de informações oriundas de entrevistas e de pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, investigamos por que a propaganda vai modificando-se com as formas diferenciadas de produção imobiliária e ganhando importância nos lançamentos de empreendimentos entre as décadas de 1950 a 2010, nos municípios de Vitória e Serra. Ao longo da pesquisa foi possível constatar que os mecanismos institucionais criados pelo Estado trouxeram modificações ao referido setor, o que acarretou na elaboração de estratégias de produção e criação de novos produtos. Tais modificações manifestaram-se na propaganda imobiliária, que atualmente ocupa um lugar de destaque na gestão de marketing implantada nas construtoras e incorporadoras capixabas. Os resultados mostram que ao longo das décadas o setor da construção imobiliária vem elaborando estratégias para criação de novas formas de distinção de seus produtos com intuito de apropriação do espaço urbano nos municípios estudados.

Improving the environmental performance of bedding products by using life cycle assessment at the design stage

Improvement of the environmental performance of processes and products is a common objective in industry, and has been receiving increased attention in recent years. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the potential environmental impact of two bedding products, a polyurethane foam mattress (PFM) and a pocket spring mattress (PSM). These two types are the most common mattresses used in Europe. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) shows that the PFM has a higher environmental impact than the PSM. For both products the main cause of environmental impact is the manufacturing process, respectively the polyurethane foam block moulding process for the PFM, and the pocket spring nucleus process for the PSM. A scenario analysis shows the possibility of reducing the environmental impact of the products’ life cycle using an alternative End-of-Life scenario, resorting to incineration rather than landfill. Two strategies were also studied in order to reduce the environmental impact of the PFM: (1) reutilization of foam that was sent to the waste system management, and (2) a 20% weight reduction of the polyurethane foam. The second strategy has proven to be the most effective.