Wide-band tracheids (WBTs) of photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic stems in species of Cactaceae

ARRUDA, E. AND G. F. A. MELO-DE-PINNA (Departamento de Botanica, Instituto de Biociencias. Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua do Matao, travessa 14, Cidade Universitaria, Butanta, Caixa Postal 11461, 05422-970. Sao Paulo, SP, Brasil). Wide-band tracheids (WBTs) of the photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic stems in species of Cactaceae. J. Torrey Bat. Soc. 137: 16-29. 2010.-The absence of WBTs and wood polymorphisms in some species of the Caryophyllales may be related to the particular area of plant analyzed. The present research has the objective of studying the photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic stems of different species and stages of differentiation to register wood polymorphisms and to understand the distribution and occurrence of WBTs. Wood polymorphism was observed in the non-photosynthetic stern of young and adult plants of Opuntioideae and Cactoideae and is also found in the photosynthetic stem of young plants of some species of Cactoideae. Cactoideae present WBT/fibrous dimorphic wood that can be related to cambial variation associated with growth habits and plant development. As expected, in the photosynthetic stem of the adult columnar cacti the wood is monomorphic fibrous in which WBTs were not found. This wood contains a great amount of fibers due to necessity of the mechanical support. In contrast, the globular species do not possess fibers in this area of the stem in either adult or young plants. Opuntia monacantha Haw. had non-fibrous wood in which WBTs were observed in the axial system and in the inner parts of the rays. Fiber clusters were present in the axial system. This wood represents a variation in the wood types described for Opuntioideae. Also, in O. monacantha, cells similar to the WBTs were observed in the pith, which can be interpreted as variation in the morphogenic processes during the ontogeny of the plant, probably a case of homeosis. Monomorphic fibrous wood without WBTs was found along the entire stem of Pereskia bahiensis Gurke. This feature has been observed in other pereskias, and in addition to the others, indicates its proximity to the ancestral cacti.

The reactions of specific neuron types to intestinal ischemia in the guinea pig enteric nervous system

Damage following ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) is common in the intestine and can be caused during abdominal surgery, in several disease states and following intestinal transplantation. Most studies have concentrated on damage to the mucosa, although published evidence also points to effects on neurons. Moreover, alterations of neuronally controlled functions of the intestine persist after I/R. The present study was designed to investigate the time course of damage to neurons and the selectivity of the effect of I/R damage for specific types of enteric neurons. A branch of the superior mesenteric artery supplying the distal ileum of anesthetised guinea pigs was occluded for 1 h and the animals were allowed to recover for 2 h to 4 weeks before tissue was taken for the immunohistochemical localization of markers of specific neuron types in tissues from sham and I/R animals. The dendrites of neurons with nitric oxide synthase (NOS) immunoreactivity, which are inhibitory motor neurons and interneurons, were distorted and swollen by 24 h after I/R and remained enlarged up to 28 days. The total neuron profile areas (cell body plus dendrites) increased by 25%, but the sizes of cell bodies did not change significantly. Neurons of type II morphology (intrinsic primary afferent neurons), revealed by NeuN immunoreactivity, were transiently reduced in cell size, at 24 h and 7 days. These neurons also showed signs of minor cell surface blebbing. Calretinin neurons, many of which are excitatory motor neurons, were unaffected. Thus, this study revealed a selective damage to NOS neurons that was observed at 24 h and persisted up to 4 weeks, without a significant change in the relative numbers of NOS neurons.

Immunohistochemical analysis of neuron types in the mouse small intestine

The definition of the nerve cell types of the myenteric plexus of the mouse small intestine has become important, as more researchers turn to the use of mice with genetic mutations to analyze roles of specific genes and their products in enteric nervous system function and to investigate animal models of disease. We have used a suite of antibodies to define neurons by their shapes, sizes, and neurochemistry in the myenteric plexus. Anti-Hu antibodies were used to reveal all nerve cells, and the major subpopulations were defined in relation to the Hu-positive neurons. Morphological Type II neurons, revealed by anti-neurofilament and anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide antibodies, represented 26% of neurons. The axons of the Type II neurons projected through the circular muscle and submucosa to the mucosa. The cell bodies were immunoreactive for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and their terminals were immunoreactive for vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT). Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) occurred in 29% of nerve cells. Most were also immunoreactive for vasoactive intestinal peptide, but they were not tachykinin (TK)-immunoreactive, and only 10% were ChAT-immunoreactive. Numerous NOS terminals occurred in the circular muscle. We deduced that 90% of NOS neurons were inhibitory motor neurons to the muscle (26% of all neurons) and 10% (3% of all neurons) were interneurons. Calretinin immunoreactivity was found in a high proportion of neurons (52%). Many of these had TK immunoreactivity. Small calretinin neurons were identified as excitatory neurons to the longitudinal muscle (about 20% of neurons, with ChAT/calretinin/+/- TK chemical coding). Excitatory neurons to the circular muscle (about 10% of neurons) had the same coding. Calretinin immunoreactivity also occurred in a proportion of Type II neurons. Thus, over 90% of neurons in the myenteric plexus of the mouse small intestine can be currently identified by their neurochemistry and shape.

Domestic Cats Constitute a Natural Reservoir of Human Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Types

Feces of 70 diarrhoeic and 230 non-diarrhoeic domestic cats from Sao Paulo, Brazil were investigated for enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) and enterotoxigenic (ETEC) Escherichia coli types. While ETEC and EHEC strains were not found, 15 EPEC strains were isolated from 14 cats, of which 13 were non-diarrhoeic, and one diarrhoeic. None of 15 EPEC strains carried the bfpA gene or the EPEC adherence factor plasmid, indicating atypical EPEC types. The EPEC strains were heterogeneous with regard to intimin types, such as eae-theta (three strains), eae-kappa (n = 3), eae-alpha 1 (n = 2), eae-iota (n = 2), one eae-alpha 2, eae-beta 1 and eae-eta each, and two were not typeable. The majority of the EPEC isolates adhered to HEp-2 cells in a localized adherence-like pattern and were positive for fluorescence actin staining. The EPEC strains belonged to 12 different serotypes, including O111:H25 and O125:H6, which are known to be pathogens in humans. Multi locus sequence typing revealed a close genetic similarity between the O111:H25 and O125:H6 strains from cats, dogs and humans. Our results show that domestic cats are colonized by EPEC, including serotypes previously described as human pathogens. As these EPEC strains are also isolated from humans, a cycle of mutual infection by EPEC between cats and its households cannot be ruled out, though the transmission dynamics among the reservoirs are not yet understood clearly.

Expression and purification of a recombinant adenovirus fiber knob in a baculovirus system

Objectives: To construct a recombinant baculovirus expressing the fiber knob domain of human adenovirus type 2 modified by the insertion of a foreign peptide, purify this protein after its production in insect cells, and to test its properties. Methods: Recombinant baculoviruses expressing the fiber knob were produced in Sf9 cells. The recombinant fiber knob was recovered from culture supernatants of infected cells and purified by a combination of Ni-NTA and ion-exchange chromatography. Results: Fiber knob was recovered from the culture media as a soluble protein. In the system used, the fiber knob is expressed fused with the V5 epitope and a histidine tag, which allowed purification by Ni-NTA chromatography. The protein was further purified by ion-exchange chromatography. We show that the recombinant fiber knob produced, with 31 extra amino acids in the C-terminus, can oligomerize and bind to the adenovirus receptor CAR, as it can block the infection of a recombinant type 5 adenovirus. Conclusions: The modified form of the fiber knob, produced in insect cells and purified by Ni-NTA and ion-exchange chromatography, retains the properties of oligomerization and binding to the fiber natural receptor, CAR. This construct has the potential to be a new adjuvant. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The South American Plasmodium falciparum var gene repertoire is limited, highly shared and possibly lacks several antigenic types

The Plasmodium falciparum var gene family encodes large variant antigens, which are important virulence factors, and also targets of the humoral host response. The frequently observed mild outcomes of falciparum malaria in many places of the Amazon area prompted us to ask whether a globally restricted variant (var) gene repertoire is present in currently circulating and older isolates of this area. By exhaustive analysis of var gene tags from 89 isolates and clones taken during many years from all over the Brazilian Amazon, we estimate that there are probably no more than 350-430 distinct sequence types, less than for any similar sized area studied so far. Detailed analysis of the var tags from genetically distinct clones obtained from single isolates revealed restricted and redundant repertoires suggesting either a low incidence of infective bites or restricted variant gene diversity in inoculated parasites. Additionally, we found a structuring of var gene repertoires observed as a higher pairwise typing sharing in isolates from the same microregion compared to isolates from different regions. Fine analysis of translated var tags revealed that certain Distinct Sequence Identifiers (DSIDs) were differently represented in Brazilian/South American isolates when compared to datasets from other continents. By global alignment of worldwide var DBL alpha sequences and sorting in groups with more than 76% identity, 125 clusters were formed and more than half of all genes were found in nine clusters with 50 or more sequences. While Brazilian/South American sequences were represented only in 64 groups, African sequences were found in the majority of clusters. DSID type 1 related sequences accumulated almost completely in one single cluster, indicating that limited recombination occurs in these specific var gene types. These data demonstrate the so far highest pairwise type sharing values for the var gene family in isolates from all over an entire subcontinent. The apparent lack of specific sequences types suggests that the P. falciparum transmission dynamics in the whole Amazon are probably different from any other endemic region studied and possibly interfere with the parasite`s ability to efficiently diversify its variant gene repertoires. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exhaustive exercise causes an anti-inflammatory effect in skeletal muscle and a pro-inflammatory effect in adipose tissue in rats

It is well known that exhaustive exercise increases serum and skeletal muscle IL-6 concentrations. However, the effect of exhaustive exercise on the concentrations of other cytokines in the muscle and in the adipose tissue is controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of exhaustive exercise on mRNA and protein expression of IL-10, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in different types of skeletal muscle (EDL, soleus) and in two different depots of white adipose tissue (mesenteric-MEAT and retroperitoneal-RPAT). Rats were killed by decapitation immediately (E0 group, n = 6), 2 (E2 group, n = 6) and 6 (E6 group, n = 6) hours after the exhaustion protocol, which consisted of running on a treadmill (approximately 70% VO(2max) for 50 min and then subsequently at an elevated rate that increased at 1 m/min every minute, until exhaustion). The control group (C group, n = 6) was not subjected to exercise. Cytokine protein expression increased in EDL, soleus, MEAT and RPAT from all exercised groups, as detected by ELISA. EDL IL-10 and TNF-alpha expression was higher than that of the soleus. The IL-10/TNF-alpha ratio was increased in the skeletal muscle, especially in EDL, but it was found to be decreased in the adipose tissue. These results show that exhaustive exercise presents a different effect depending on the tissue which is analysed: in the muscle, it induces an anti-inflammatory effect, especially in type 2 fibres, while the pro-inflammatory effect prevails in adipose tissue, possibly contributing to increased lipolysis to provide energy for the exercising muscle.

Effect of light-curing units on push-out fiber post bond strength in root canal dentin

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of different light-curing units on the bond strength (push-out) of glass fiber posts in the different thirds of the root (cervical, middle and apical) with different adhesive luting resin systems (dual-cure total-etch; dual-cured and self-etch bonding system; and dual-cure self-adhesive cements), Disks of the samples (n = 144) were used, with approximately 1 mm of thickness of 48 bovine roots restored with glass fiber posts, that were luted with resin cements photo-activated by halogen LCU (QTH, Optilux 501) and blue LED (Ultraled), with power densities of 600 and 550 mW/cm(2), respectively. A universal testing machine (MTS 810 Material Test System) was used with a 1 mm diameter steel rod at cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min until post extrusion, with load cell of 50 kg, for evaluation of the push-out strength in the different thirds of each sample. The push-out strength values in kgf were converted to MPa and analyzed through Analysis of Variance and Tukey`s test, at significance level of 5%. The results showed that there were no statistical differences between the QTH and LED LCUs. The self-adhesive resin cement had lower values of retention. The total-etch and self-adhesive system resin cements seem to be a possible alternative for glass fiber posts cementation into the radicular canal and the LED LCU can be applied as an alternative to halogen light on photo-activation of dual-cured resin cements.

ABELIANIZED OBSTRUCTION FOR FIXED POINTS OF FIBER-PRESERVING MAPS OF SURFACE BUNDLES

Let f: M -> M be a fiber-preserving map where S -> M -> B is a bundle and S is a closed surface. We study the abelianized obstruction, which is a cohomology class in dimension 2, to deform f to a fixed point free map by a fiber-preserving homotopy. The vanishing of this obstruction is only a necessary condition in order to have such deformation, but in some cases it is sufficient. We describe this obstruction and we prove that the vanishing of this class is equivalent to the existence of solution of a system of equations over a certain group ring with coefficients given by Fox derivatives.

Fixed points on Klein bottle fiber bundles over the circle

The main purpose of this work is to study fixed points of fiber-preserving maps over the circle S(1) for spaces which are fiber bundles over S(1) and the fiber is the Klein bottle K. We classify all such maps which can be deformed fiberwise to a fixed point free map. The similar problem for torus fiber bundles over S(1) has been solved recently.

Spherical space forms - Homotopy self-equivalences and homotopy types, the case of the groups Z/a x (Z/b x TL(2)(F(p)))

Let G = Z/a x(mu) (Z/b x TL(2)(F(p))) and X(n) be an n-dimensional CW-complex with the homotopy type of the n-sphere. We determine the automorphism group Aut(G) and then compute the number of distinct homotopy types of spherical space forms with respect to free and cellular G-actions on all CW-complexes X(2dn - 1), where 2d is a period of G. Next, the group E(X(2dn - 1)/alpha) of homotopy self-equivalences of spherical space forms X(2dn - 1)/alpha, associated with such G-actions alpha on X(2dn - 1) are studied. Similar results for the rest of finite periodic groups have been obtained recently and they are described in the introduction. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-reinforced composites obtained by the partial oxypropylation of cellulose fibers. 1. Characterization of the materials obtained with different types of fibers

The in-depth oxypropylation of different types of cellulose fibers, namely Avicel, Rayon, Kraft, and Filter Paper, was investigated. New biphasic mono-component materials were obtained, which could be hot-pressed to form films of cellulose fibers dispersed into a thermoplastic matrix. The success of this chemical modification was assessed by FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy. differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and contact angle measurements. The optimization of this process led to the establishment of the optimal molar ratio between the cellulose CH groups and propylene oxide, which varied as a function of the specific morphology of the fibers. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Of Library Budgets and Scholarly Productivity: What Academics Analytics Can Tell Us about how Library Spending Impacts Scholarly Communication at Different Types of Universities

This presentation was offered as part of the CUNY Library Assessment Conference, Reinventing Libraries: Reinventing Assessment, held at the City University of New York in June 2014.

The functions of Japanese Sound Symbolic Words in Different Types of Texts and Their Translation

Though sound symbolic words (onomatopoeia and mimetic words, or giongo and gitaigo in Japanese) exist in other languages, it would not be so easy to compare them to those in Japanese. This is because unlike in Japanese, in many other languages (here we see English and Spanish) sound symbolic words do not have distinctive forms that separate them immediately from the rest of categories of words. In Japanese, a sound symbolic word has a radical (that is based on the elaborated Japanese sound symbolic system), and often a suffix that shows subtle nuance. Together they give the word a distinctive form that differentiates it from other categories of words, though its grammatical functions could vary, especially in the case of mimetic words (gitaigo). Without such an obvious feature, in other languages, it would not be always easy to separate sound symbolic words from the rest. These expressions are extremely common and used in almost all types of text in Japanese, but their elaborated sound symbolic system and possibly their various grammatical functions are making giongo and gitaigo one of the most difficult challenges for the foreign students and translators. Studying the translation of these expressions into other languages might give some indication related to the comparison of Japanese sound symbolic words and those in other languages. Though sound symbolic words are present in many types of texts in Japanese, their functions in traditional forms of text (letters only) and manga (Japanese comics)are different and they should be treated separately. For example, in traditional types of text such as novels, the vast majority of the sound symbolic words used are mimetic words (gitaigo) and most of them are used as adverbs, whereas in manga, the majority of the sound symbolic words used (excluding those appear within the speech bubbles) are onomatopoeias (giongo) and often used on their own (i.e. not as a part of a sentence). Naturally, the techniques used to translate these expressions in the above two types of documents differ greatly. The presentation will focus on i) grammatical functions of Japanese sound symbolic words in traditional types of texts (novels/poems) and in manga works, and ii) whether their features and functions are maintained (i.e. whether they are translated as sound symbolic words) when translated into other languages (English and Spanish). The latter point should be related to a comparison of sound symbolic words in Japanese and other languages, which will be also discussed.