Effect of alkali on methylene blue (CI Basic Blue 9) and other thiazine dyes

A detailed study of the action of alkali on methylene blue (Cl. Basic Blue 9) and other thiazine dyes was carried out through a combination of UV/visible spectroscopy, thin layer chromatography, mass and NMR spectrometry and computational methods. In 0.1 M aq alkali solution, methylene blue forms a highly coloured, lipophilic species that is mainly Bernthsen's methylene violet i.e. a hydrolysis decomposition product, this being contrary to the report of a red N-hydroxy methylene blue adduct. The nature of the heterocyclic nitrogen atom in C.I. Basic Blue 9 is discussed and it is concluded there is no basis for the proposal of nucleophile addition at this site of the dye. In contrast, other thiazine dyes are deprotonated by alkali to form their neutral, highly coloured, lipophilic conjugate base forms. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional responses of the intertidal amphipod Echinogammarus marinus: effects of prey supply, model selection and habitat complexity.

The influence of predation in structuring ecological communities can be informed by examining the shape and magnitude of the functional response of predators towards prey. We derived functional responses of the ubiquitous intertidal amphipod Echinogammarus marinus towards one of its preferred prey species, the isopod Jaera nordmanni. First, we examined the form of the functional response where prey were replaced following consumption, as compared to the usual experimental design where prey density in each replicate is allowed to deplete. E. marinus exhibited Type II functional responses, i.e. inversely density-dependent predation of J. nordmanni that increased linearly with prey availability at low densities, but decreased with further prey supply. In both prey replacement and non-replacement experiments, handling times and maximum feeding rates were similar. The non-replacement design underestimated attack rates compared to when prey were replaced. We then compared the use of Holling’s disc equation (assuming constant prey density) with the more appropriate Rogers’ random predator equation (accounting for prey depletion) using the prey non-replacement data. Rogers’ equation returned significantly greater attack rates but lower maximum feeding rates, indicating that model choice has significant implications for parameter estimates. We then manipulated habitat complexity and found significantly reduced predation by the amphipod in complex as opposed to simple habitat structure. Further, the functional response changed from a Type II in simple habitats to a sigmoidal, density-dependent Type III response in complex habitats, which may impart stability on the predator−prey interaction. Enhanced habitat complexity returned significantly lower attack rates, higher handling times and lower maximum feeding rates. These findings illustrate the sensitivity of the functional response to variations in prey supply, model selection and habitat complexity and, further, that E. marinus could potentially determine the local exclusion and persistence of prey through habitat-mediated changes in its predatory functional responses.

Enhanced antimicrobial activities of 1-alkyl-3-methyl imidazolium ionic liquids based on silver or copper containing anions

We have developed a series of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachlorocuprate(II) and dibromoargentate(I) ionic liquids with enhanced antimicrobial activity when compared with 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquids. These new ionic liquids proved to be effective against a range of pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Metabolism of very low- and low-density lipoproteins isolated from normolipidaemic type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients by human monocyte-derived macrophages

The very low- and low-density lipoprotein fractions were isolated from 16 normolipidaemic Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients in good to fair glycaemic control and from corresponding age-, sex-, and race-matched, non-diabetic control subjects. Rates of cholesteryl ester synthesis averaged 268 +/- 31 vs 289 +/- 40 pmol 14C-cholesteryl oleate.mg cell protein-1.20 h-1 for very low- and 506 +/- 34 vs 556 +/- 51 pmol 14C-cholesteryl oleate.mg cell protein-1.20 h-1 for low-density lipoproteins isolated from the Type 2 diabetic patients and control subjects, respectively, when they were incubated with human macrophages. A group of approximately one-third of the patients was selected for separate analyses because very low-density lipoproteins isolated from these patients did stimulate more cholesteryl ester synthesis when incubated with macrophages. There were no significant differences in the lipid composition of the lipoproteins isolated from the three groups of subjects. The relative proportion of apoprotein C to apoprotein E was significantly decreased (p less than 0.002) in the very low-density lipoproteins from diabetic patients and was further decreased in samples from these selected diabetic patients. The apoprotein C-I content of very low-density lipoproteins isolated from diabetic patients was increased compared to control subjects and was further increased in samples from the selected diabetic patients (p less than 0.02). There were no significant differences in the proportions of apoproteins C-III-0, C-III-1, or C-III-2 among the three groups. These studies suggest that in normolipidaemic Type 2 diabetic patients, the apoprotein composition of VLDL is abnormal and this may alter VLDL macrophage interactions and thus contribute to the increased prevalence of atherosclerosis in diabetic patients.

Pots, prestige and ritual in neolithic southern Italy,

Malone, C.A.T., in Papers in Italian Archaeology IV. Vol. ii. Prehistory, C.A.T. Malone and S.K.F. Stoddart, (eds.). 1985, British Archaeological Reports, Oxford: Cambridge. p. 118-151.

Effect of interleukin-6 polymorphisms on human longevity:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Several studies have assessed changes in frequency of -174 interleukin (IL)-6 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with age. If IL-6 tracks with disability and age-related diseases, then there should be reduction, in the oldest old, of the frequency of homozygous GG subjects, who produce higher IL-6 levels. However, discordant results have been obtained. To explore the relationship between this polymorphism and longevity, we analyzed individual data on long-living subjects and controls from eight case-control studies conducted in Europeans, using meta-analysis. There was no significant difference in the IL-6 genotype between the oldest old and controls (Odds Ratio [OR]=0.96; 95% C.I.: 0.77-1.20; p=0.71), but there was significant between-study heterogeneity (I2=55.5%). In a subgroup analyses when male centenarians from the three Italian studies were included, the frequency of the IL-6 -174 GG genotype was significantly lower than the other genotypes (OR=0.49; 95% C.I.: 0.31-0.80; p=0.004), with no evidence of heterogeneity (I2=0%). Our data supports a negative association between the GG genotype of IL-6 SNP and longevity in Italian centenarians, with males who carry the genotype being two times less likely to reach extreme old age compared with subjects carrying CC or CG genotypes. These findings were not replicated in other European groups suggesting a possible interaction between genetics, sex and environment in reaching longevity.

Homologous size-extension of hybrid vanadate capsules – solid state structures, solution stability and surface deposition

The dimensions and cavity sizes of the molecular capsules with the general formula [V₁₀O₁₈L₄]¹⁰⁻ can be controlled modularly through the nature of the bifunctional, rigid organophosphonate ligands L¹ and L² (L¹ = bis(4-phosphonatophenyl)ethyne and L² = bis(4-phosphonatophenyl)butadiyne); the solution stability of the molecular entities as demonstrated by ESI-MS studies permits their assembly on the Au(111) surface on a sub-monolayer scale giving rise to a 2D supramolecular structure that is comparable to the packing arrangements of the capsules in the crystal structures.

Genomic prediction for tuberculosis resistance in dairy cattle

Background: The increasing prevalence of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in the UK and the limitations of the currently available diagnostic and control methods require the development of complementary approaches to assist in the sustainable control of the disease. One potential approach is the identification of animals that are genetically more resistant to bTB, to enable breeding of animals with enhanced resistance. This paper focuses on prediction of resistance to bTB. We explore estimation of direct genomic estimated breeding values (DGVs) for bTB resistance in UK dairy cattle, using dense SNP chip data, and test these genomic predictions for situations when disease phenotypes are not available on selection candidates. Methodology/Principal Findings: We estimated DGVs using genomic best linear unbiased prediction methodology, and assessed their predictive accuracies with a cross validation procedure and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. Furthermore, these results were compared with theoretical expectations for prediction accuracy and area-under-the-ROC- curve (AUC). The dataset comprised 1151 Holstein-Friesian cows (bTB cases or controls). All individuals (592 cases and 559 controls) were genotyped for 727,252 loci (Illumina Bead Chip). The estimated observed heritability of bTB resistance was 0.23±0.06 (0.34 on the liability scale) and five-fold cross validation, replicated six times, provided a prediction accuracy of 0.33 (95% C.I.: 0.26, 0.40). ROC curves, and the resulting AUC, gave a probability of 0.58, averaged across six replicates, of correctly classifying cows as diseased or as healthy based on SNP chip genotype alone using these data. Conclusions/Significance: These results provide a first step in the investigation of the potential feasibility of genomic selection for bTB resistance using SNP data. Specifically, they demonstrate that genomic selection is possible, even in populations with no pedigree data and on animals lacking bTB phenotypes. However, a larger training population will be required to improve prediction accuracies. © 2014 Tsairidou et al.

238.2T-14 Concrete Thixotropy

Fresh concrete can exhibit different rheological behavior when at rest than when flowing. This difference is due to thixotropy, which can have important consequences for formwork pressure, multi-lift casting, slip-form paving, pumping, and segregation resistance. This TechNote defines thixotropy and distinguishes it from other changes in rheological properties; discusses the origins of, test methods for measuring, and factors affecting thixotropy; and concludes with its applications.

A systematic review of population based epidemiological studies in Myasthenia Gravis

Background: The aim was to collate all myasthenia gravis (MG) epidemiological studies including AChR MG and MuSK MG specific studies. To synthesize data on incidence rate (IR), prevalence rate (PR) and mortality rate (MR) of the condition and investigate the influence of environmental and technical factors on any trends or variation observed.

Methods: Studies were identified using multiple sources and meta-analysis performed to calculate pooled estimates for IR, PR and MR.

Results: 55 studies performed between 1950 and 2007 were included, representing 1.7 billion population-years. For All MG estimated pooled IR (eIR): 5.3 per million person-years (C.I.: 4.4, 6.1), range: 1.7 to 21.3; estimated pooled PR: 77.7 per illion persons (C.I.: 64.0, 94.3), range 15 to 179; MR range 0.1 to 0.9 per millions person-years. AChR MG eIR: 7.3 (C.I.: 5.5, 7.8), range: 4.3 to 18.0; MuSK MG IR range: 0.1 to 0.32. However marked variation persisted between populations studied with similar methodology and in similar areas.

Conclusions: We report marked variation in observed frequencies of MG. We show evidence of increasing frequency of MG with year of study and improved study quality. This probably reflects improved case ascertainment. But other factors must also influence disease onset resulting in the observed variation in IR across geographically and genetically similar populations.

Transforming Growth Factor-beta superfamily:evaluation as breast cancer biomarkers and preventive agents

The Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGFbeta) superfamily of cytokines is comprised of a number of structurally-related, secreted polypeptides that regulate a multitude of cellular processes including proliferation, differentiation and neoplastic transformation. These growth regulatory molecules induce ligand-mediated hetero-oligomerization of distinct type II and type I serine/threonine kinase receptors that transmit signals predominantly through receptor-activated Smad proteins but also induce Smad-independent pathways. Ligands, receptors and intracellular mediators of signaling initiated by members of the TGFbeta family are expressed in the mammary gland and disruption of these pathways may contribute to the development and progression of human breast cancer. Since many facets of TGFbeta and breast cancer have been recently reviewed in several articles, except for discussion of recent developments on some aspects of TGFbeta, the major focus of this review will be on the role of activins, inhibins, BMPs, nodal and MIS-signaling in breast cancer with emphasis on their utility as potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets.

Survival and behaviour of the earthworms Lumbricus rubellus and Dendrodrilus rubidus from arsenate-contaminated and non-contaminated sites

Two arsenic- and heavy metal-contaminated mine-spoil sites, at Carrock Fell, Cumbria and Devon Great Consols Mine, Devon, were found to support populations of the earthworms Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister and Dendrodrilus rubidus (Savigny). L. rubellus and D. rubidus collected from the Devon site and an uncontaminated site were kept for 28 days in uncontaminated soil and in soil containing sodium arsenate (494 mg As kg^-1). The state of the specimens was recorded every 7 days using a semi-quantitative assessment of earthworm health (condition index, C. I.). The C. I. remained high for all specimens except those of L. rubellus and D. rubidus from uncontaminated sites, which displayed 60 and 10% mortality, respectively. L. rubellus collected from the Carrock Fell site, and L. rubellus and D. rubidus from an uncontaminated site, burrowed as rapidly into soil containing up to 1235 mg As kg^-1 in the form of sodium arsenate as into uncontaminated soil when placed on the soil surface. When earthworms were allowed a choice between uncontaminated soil and soil contaminated with sodium arsenate in concentrations of up to 1235 mg As kg^-1, the threshold concentration for avoidance of contaminated soil was lower for L. rubellus and D. rubidus from uncontaminated soil than for specimens from contaminated soil. There was no significant effect of pH on soil discrimination. The LC₅₀ concentration of As for L. rubellus from Devon Great Consols was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than for L. rubellus from the uncontaminated site: 1510 and 96 mg As kg^-1, respectively. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.