Urotensin II in the central nervous system of the frog Rana ridibunda: Immunohistochemical localization and biochemical characterization

Urotensin II (UII) is traditionally regarded as a product of the neurosecretory cells in the caudal portion of the spinal cord of jawed fishes. A peptide related to UII has been recently isolated from the frog brain, thereby providing the first evidence that UII is also present in the central nervous system of a tetrapod. In the present study, we have investigated the distribution of UII-immunoreactive elements in the brain and spinal cord of the frog Rana ridibunda by immunofluorescence using an antiserum directed against the conserved cyclic region of the peptide. Two distinct populations of UII-immunoreactive perikarya were visualized. The first group of positive neurons was found in the nucleus hypoglossus of the medulla oblongata, which controls two striated muscles of the tongue. The second population of immunoreactive cell bodies was represented by a subset of motoneurons that were particularly abundant in the caudal region of the cord (34% of the motoneuron population). The telencephalon, diencephalon, mesencephalon, and metencephalon were totally devoid of UII-containing cell bodies but displayed dense networks of UII-immunoreactive fibers, notably in the thalamus, the tectum, the tegmentum, and the granular layer of the cerebellum. In addition, a dense bundle of long varicose processes projecting rostrocaudally was observed coursing along the ventral surface of the brain from the midtelencephalon to the medulla oblongata. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of frog brain, medulla oblongata, and spinal cord extracts revealed that, in all three regions, UII-immunoreactive material eluted as a single peak which exhibited the same retention time as synthetic frog UII. Taken together, these data indicate that UII, in addition to its neuroendocrine functions in fish, is a potential regulatory peptide in the central nervous system of amphibians. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Reforming central government: An evaluation of an accounting innovation

This paper examines a significant accounting innovation in central government accounting – the introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) in the UK. This innovation is studied through the lens of Rogers diffusion theory. The study setting is the Scotland Parliament. This research shows that, in the terms of diffusion theory, RAB can be classified as an accounting innovation. However, the implementation of RAB is problematic. While the reform of the UK central government system was initially sought as a mechanism to enhance democratic accountability, this paper shows that RAB does not connect with parliamentarians. The introduction of RAB flows as much from a managerial agenda as it does from the aim of democratic accountability.

Market Basket Survey Shows Elevated Levels of As in South Central U.S. Processed Rice Compared to California: Consequences for Human Dietary Exposure:consequences for human dietary exposure

We report the largest market basket survey of arsenic (As) in U.S. rice to date. Our findings show differences in transitional-metal levels between polished and unpolished rice and geographical variation in As and selenium (Se) between rice processed in California and the South Central U.S. The mean and median As grain levels for the South Central U.S. were 0.30 and 0.27 µg As g-1, respectively, for 107 samples. Levels for California were 41% lower than the South Central U.S., with a mean of 0.17 µg As g-1 and a median of 0.16 µg As g-1 for 27 samples. The mean and median Se grain levels for the South Central U.S. were 0.19 µg Se g-1. Californian rice levels were lower, averaging only 0.08 and 0.06 µg Se g-1 for mean and median values, respectively. The difference between the two regions was found to be significant for As and Se (General Linear Model (GLM):? As p < 0.001; Se p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed in As or Se levels between polished and unpolished rice (GLM:? As p = 0.213; Se p = 0.113). No significant differences in grain levels of manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), or zinc (Zn) were observed between California and the South Central U.S. Modeling arsenic intake for the U.S. population based on this survey shows that for certain groups (namely Hispanics, Asians, sufferers of Celiac disease, and infants) dietary exposure to inorganic As from elevated levels in rice potentially exceeds the maximum intake of As from drinking water (based on consumption of 1 L of 0.01 mg L-1 In. As) and Californian state exposure limits. Further studies on the transformation of As in soil, grain As bioavailability in the human gastrointestinal tract, and grain elemental speciation trends are critical.

Are systemizing and autistic traits related to talent and interest in mathematics and engineering? Testing some of the central claims of the empathizing-systemizing theory.

In two experiments, we tested some of the central claims of the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory. Experiment 1 showed that the systemizing quotient (SQ) was unrelated to performance on a mathematics test, although it was correlated with statistics-related attitudes, self-efficacy, and anxiety. In Experiment 2, systemizing skills, and gender differences in these skills, were more strongly related to spatial thinking styles than to SQ. In fact, when we partialled the effect of spatial thinking styles, SQ was no longer related to systemizing skills. Additionally, there was no relationship between the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the SQ, or skills and interest in mathematics and mechanical reasoning. We discuss the implications of our findings for the E-S theory, and for understanding the autistic cognitive profile.

Isolation and characterization of a novel simazine-degrading bacterium from agricultural soil of central Chile, Pseudomonas sp MHP41

s-Triazine herbicides are used extensively in South America in agriculture and forestry. In this study, a bacterium designated as strain MHP41, capable of degrading simazine and atrazine, was isolated from agricultural soil in the Quillota valley, central Chile. Strain MHP41 is able to grow in minimal medium, using simazine as the sole nitrogen source. In this medium, the bacterium exhibited a growth rate of mu = 0.10 h(-1), yielding a high biomass of 4.2 x 10(8) CFU mL(-1). Resting cells of strain MHP41 degrade more than 80% of simazine within 60 min. The atzA, atzB, atzC, atzD, atzE and atzF genes encoding the enzymes of the simazine upper and lower pathways were detected in strain MHP41. The motile Gram-negative bacterium was identified as a Pseudomonas sp., based on the Biolog microplate system and comparative sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene. Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis allowed the differentiation of strain MHP41 from Pseudomonas sp. ADP. The comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses suggested that strain MHP41 is closely related to Pseudomonas nitroreducens and Pseudomonas multiresinovorans. This is the first s-triazine-degrading bacterium isolated in South America. Strain MHP41 is a potential biocatalyst for the remediation of s-triazine-contaminated environments.

Oxygen isotopes from Phorcus (Osilinus) turbinatus shells as a proxy for sea surface temperature in the central Mediterranean: a case study from Malta.

The marine topshell, Phorcus (Osilinus) turbinatus, is a common component of many archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. This species has been successfully used as a palaeoclimate proxy in Italy. To test whether d18O from P. turbinatus shells can serve as a reliable palaeoclimate archive for other regions of the Mediterranean, we collected live P. turbinatus from the northeast coast of Malta each month for a year. The d18OSHELL values of the outermost growth increments of these live-collected shells ranged between-0.4 and+2.4‰. These values correspond to growing temperatures calculated from shell edge d18O of between 15 °C and 27 °C. Calculated shell edge sea surface temperatures are highly correlated with instrumental records of sea surface temperature recorded over the period of collection. The individuals analysed for this study are smaller than P. turbinatus from populations studied elsewhere in the Mediterranean. Nonetheless, d18OSHELL provides a robust record of sea surface temperatures, suggesting that smaller/younger shells in archaeological deposits can still provide reliable palaeothermometry records. This study extends the upper growth limit P. turbinatus by 2 °C compared with the previous studies of P. turbinatus in the Mediterranean and suggests that, contrary to the previous studies, growth shutdown does not occur in all P. turbinatus when sea surface temperatures exceed 25 °C. This may reflect the higher sample resolution that can be obtained from smaller/faster growing shells, or it may reflect actual higher growth tolerances of P. turbinatus populations in Malta. By showing that P. turbinatus precipitate their shells in d18O equilibrium with surrounding sea water, this study reinforces the potential for the stable isotope chemistry of P. turbinatus shells preserved in Mediterranean archaeological sites to provide a window into the climate and seasonality regimes of the past.