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Stress can have long-lasting impacts on plants. Here we report the long-term effects of the stress hormone jasmonic acid (JA) on the defence phenotype, transcriptome and DNA methylome of Arabidopsis. Three weeks after transient JA signalling, 5-week-old plants retained induced resistance (IR) against herbivory but showed increased susceptibility to pathogens. Transcriptome analysis revealed long-term priming and/or upregulation of JA-dependent defence genes but repression of ethylene- and salicylic acid-dependent genes. Long-term JA-IR was associated with shifts in glucosinolate composition and required MYC2/3/4 transcription factors, RNA-directed DNA methylation, the DNA demethylase ROS1 and the small RNA (sRNA)-binding protein AGO1. Although methylome analysis did not reveal consistent changes in DNA methylation near MYC2/3/4-controlled genes, JA-treated plants were specifically enriched with hypomethylated ATREP2 transposable elements (TEs). Epigenomic characterization of mutants and transgenic lines revealed that ATREP2 TEs are regulated by RdDM and ROS1 and produce 21 nt sRNAs that bind to nuclear AGO1. Since ATREP2 TEs are enriched with sequences from IR-related defence genes, our results suggest that AGO1-associated sRNAs from hypomethylated ATREP2 TEs trans-regulate long-lasting memory of JA-dependent immunity.

Large-scale biodiversity monitoring remains a challenge in science and policy. ‘Biodiversity Observation Networks’ provide an integrated infrastructure for monitoring biodiversity through timely discovery, access, and re-use of data, but their establishment relies on an in-depth understanding of existing monitoring effort. We performed a scoping review and network analysis to assess the scope of available data on amphibians and reptiles in the UK and catalogue the mobilisation of information across the data landscape, thereby highlighting existing gaps. The monitoring portfolio has grown rapidly in recent decades, with over three times as many data sources than there are amphibian and reptile species in the UK now available. We identified 45 active sources of ‘FAIR’ (‘Findable’, ‘Accessible’, ‘Interoperable’ and ‘Reusable’) data. The taxonomic, geographic and temporal coverage of datasets appears largely uneven and no single source is currently suitable for producing robust multispecies assessments on large scales. A dynamic and patchy exchange of data occurs between different recording projects, recording communities and digital data platforms. The National Biodiversity Network Atlas is a highly connected source but the scope of its data (re-)use is potentially limited by insufficient accompanying metadata. The emerging complexity and fragmented nature of this dynamic data landscape is likely to grow without a concerted effort to integrate existing activities. The factors driving this complexity extend beyond the UK and to other facets of biodiversity. We recommend integration and greater stakeholder collaboration behind a coordinated infrastructure for data collection, storage and analysis, capable of delivering comprehensive assessments for large-scale biodiversity monitoring.

The overall purpose of this study is to investigate the potential for producing higher energy biogas at elevated fermentation pressures. Upgrading of biogas is often carried out to increase its methane (energy) content by removing carbon dioxide. Upgrading is used, for example, to give methane of sufficient purity that it can be injected directly into the gas supply grid. In this research, freshwater algae are used as the feedstock for anaerobic digestion (AD) to produce biogas as a source of renewable energy. Although this has been the subject of extensive research over the past few decades, the main reason why AD has not been more widely commercialised is because it can have poor economic viability. In this paper, we used two similar bioreactors of capacity 1.5 L to generate biogas at different pressures. The methane concentration of the biogas increases to at least 70.0% for a headspace pressure greater than 4 bara compared to 57.5% or less when the pressure is less than 1.6 bara. The higher pressure operation therefore reduces the amount of upgrading required leading to a reduction in the cost of this step. Another interesting finding of this study is that the solubility of biogas in the digestate is estimated to be only 3.7% (best fit value) of its solubility in pure water, which is much lower than the values previously reported in the literature.

Exudates released from plant roots can recruit beneficial microorganisms that boost plant growth and immunity. In Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato, active DNA demethylation regulates the production of myo-inositol, a root exudate which recruits a specific plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium.

A fifth of reptiles are Data Deficient; many due to unknown population status. Monitoring snake populations can be demanding due to crypsis and low population densities, with insufficient recaptures for abundance estimation via Capture-Mark-Recapture. Alternatively, binomial N-mixture models enable abundance estimation from count data without individual identification, but have rarely been successfully applied to snake populations. We evaluated the suitability of occupancy and N-mixture methods for monitoring an insular population of grass snakes (Natrix helvetica) and considered covariates influencing detection, occupancy and abundance within remaining habitat. Snakes were elusive, with detectability increasing with survey effort (mean: 0.33 ± 0.06 s.e.m.). The probability of a transect being occupied was moderate (mean per kilometre: 0.44 ± 0.19 s.e.m.) and increased with transect length. Abundance estimates indicate a small threatened population associated to our transects (mean: 39, 95% CI: 20–169). Power analysis indicated that the survey effort required to detect occupancy declines would be prohibitive. Occupancy models fitted well, whereas N-mixture models showed poor fit, provided little extra information over occupancy models and were at greater risk of closure violation. Therefore we suggest occupancy models are more appropriate for monitoring snakes and other elusive species, but that population trends may go undetected.

Many areas of the Earth’s crust deform by distributed extensional faulting and complex fault interactions are often observed. Geodetic data generally indicate a simpler picture of continuum deformation over decades but relating this behaviour to earthquake occurrence over centuries, given numerous potentially active faults, remains a global problem in hazard assessment. We address this challenge for an array of seismogenic faults in the central Italian Apennines, where crustal extension and devastating earthquakes occur in response to regional surface uplift. We constrain fault slip-rates since ~18 ka using variations in cosmogenic 36Cl measured on bedrock scarps, mapped using LiDAR and ground penetrating radar, and compare these rates to those inferred from geodesy. The 36Cl data reveal that individual faults typically accumulate meters of displacement relatively rapidly over several thousand years, separated by similar length time intervals when slip-rates are much lower, and activity shifts between faults across strike. Our rates agree with continuum deformation rates when averaged over long spatial or temporal scales (104 yr; 102 km) but over shorter timescales most of the deformation may be accommodated by

Background: The Ras/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway is frequently deregulated in cancer and a number of inhibitors that target this pathway are currently in clinical development. It is likely that clinical testing of these agents will be in combination with standard therapies to harness the apoptotic potential of both the agents. To support this strategy, it has been widely observed that a number of chemotherapeutics stimulate the activation of several intracellular signalling cascades including Ras/RAF/MEK/ERK. The MEK1/2 inhibitor selumetinib has been shown to have anti-tumour activity and induce apoptotic cell death as a monotherapy. Methods: The aim of this study was to identify agents, which would be likely to offer clinical benefit when combined with selumetinib. Here, we used human tumour xenograft models and assessed the effects combining standard chemotherapeutic agents with selumetinib on tumour growth. In addition, we analysed tumour tissue to determine the mechanistic effects of these combinations. Results: Combining selumetinib with the DNA-alkylating agent, temozolomide (TMZ), resulted in enhanced tumour growth inhibition compared with monotherapies. Biomarker studies highlighted an increase in γH2A.X suggesting that selumetinib is able to enhance the DNA damage induced by TMZ alone. In several models we observed that continuous exposure to selumetinib in combination with docetaxel results in tumour regression. Scheduling of docetaxel before selumetinib was more beneficial than when selumetinib was dosed before docetaxel and demonstrated a pro-apoptotic phenotype. Similar results were seen when selumetinib was combined with the Aurora B inhibitor barasertib. Conclusion: The data presented suggests that MEK inhibition in combination with several standard chemotherapeutics or an Aurora B kinase inhibitor is a promising clinical strategy.

The identification of the regulatory protein ENL as essential to an aggressive form of leukaemia provides insight into transcriptional regulation and highlights potential avenues for therapy. See Letters p.265 & p.270 Cancer cells often exploit transcription machinery and chromatin regulatory pathways to activate oncogenic gene expression programs. Chromatin regulatory mechanisms such as the recognition of modified histones by 'reader' proteins are therefore being explored as potential therapeutic targets in cancer. Here, Xiaobing Shi and colleagues show that ENL is a chromatin reader protein that regulates oncogenic programs in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). It binds via its YEATS domain to acetylated histones on the promoters of actively transcribed genes and links to the transcriptional machinery. Depletion of ENL leads to anti-leukaemic effects, indicating that disrupting the interaction between the ENL YEATS domain and acetylated histones could be a potential therapeutic approach for AML, either alone or in combination with BET inhibitors. A related paper in this week's issue of Nature from James Bradner and colleagues provides further insights into the role of ENL in leukaemia. Recurrent chromosomal translocations involving the mixed lineage leukaemia (MLL) gene give rise to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Here, James Bradner and colleagues perform a genome-scale loss-of-function screen using CRISPR–Cas9 technology in MLL-AF4 AML cells. They find that the ENL gene is critical for cell proliferation and use a chemical genetic strategy of targeted protein degradation to show that loss of ENL suppresses transcriptional activation as well as leukaemic growth. ENL-dependent leukaemic growth depends on its YEATS chromatin reader domain, indicating that competitive antagonists of the YEATS domain could be potential therapeutics for AML. A related paper in this week's issue of Nature from Xiaobing Shi and colleagues provides insights into the function of the ENL YEATS domain in recognizing acetylated histones.

Selling has become dispersed through the use of selling teams that include members from functional areas other than marketing or sales. This now occurs within many firms utilising key account management strategies, within both business-to-business and business-to-reseller environments. This article is aimed at developing a better understanding of factors affecting ‘team selling’ and its impact on sales performance, with clear benefits to company management. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

There has been relatively little research on heterosexuals’ attitudes toward lesbians that has utilized the considerable amount of feminist scholarship on the topic. The present study examined an explanatory paradigm derived from Pharr (Homophobia: A weapon of sexism, Chardon, Inverness, CA, USA, 1988) that considers defined norm, sexism, economic beliefs, and attitudes toward institutional violence to be associated with anti-lesbian attitudes. Using data from 365 heterosexual undergraduates from the Midwestern USA, the results of a structural equation modeling analysis found support for Pharr’s paradigm and suggest several directions for future research on anti-lesbian attitudes.

While the overall incidence of gastric cancer has declined in the United States of America, the incidence of proximal gastric cancers has increased. The purpose of this analysis was to highlight key differences between proximal and distal gastric cancer as they relate to presentation and treatment.Data on 6,099 patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma were collected as a patient care evaluation under the auspices of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. The chi-square (chi (2)) test was used for comparisons of proportions across levels of categorical variables by site.The proximal cancer group included 1,924 patients (87% cardia, 13% fundus) and the distal cancer group included 1,311 patients (85% antrum, 15% pylorus). Proportionately, proximal cancer cases were male (P0.01), younger (P0.01), and White (P0.01); whereas, distal gastric cancer cases were Black (P0.01), Hispanic (P0.01), and Asian (P = 0.01). Surgery alone (without adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation) was utilized more frequently in distal disease (39.5%) compared to proximal disease (25.7%) (P0.01). Preoperative adjuvant therapy was utilized more frequently in proximal disease (41.7%) compared to distal disease (2.1%) (P0.01).The populations that developed proximal verses distal gastric cancer differed with respect to sex, age, and racial background. Cancer-directed treatments also differed based upon tumor location. Understanding these differences may someday enable us to identify important high-risk populations, prevention strategies, and ultimately best treatment strategies. Long-term survival differences will be explored when follow-up data become available.

A key tenet of bone tissue engineering is the development of scaffold materials that can stimulate stem cell differentiation in the absence of chemical treatment to become osteoblasts without compromising material properties. At present, conventional implant materials fail owing to encapsulation by soft tissue, rather than direct bone bonding. Here, we demonstrate the use of nanoscale disorder to stimulate human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to produce bone mineral in vitro, in the absence of osteogenic supplements. This approach has similar efficiency to that of cells cultured with osteogenic media. In addition, the current studies show that topographically treated MSCs have a distinct differentiation profile compared with those treated with osteogenic media, which has implications for cell therapies.

AZD5438 is a novel, orally bioavailable, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor demonstrating preclinical pharmacodynamic (PD) effects on CDK substrates and active growth inhibition of human tumour xenografts. Clinical pharmacokinetic (PK) data shows its plasma t 1/2 to be 1–3 h. The main purpose of the current study was to evaluate PD activity of single oral doses of AZD5438 in healthy volunteers. Twelve healthy male subjects received 10, 40 or 60 mg AZD5438 or placebo in a rotating placebo crossover study design. Rapidly proliferating normal tissues [buccal mucosa, peripheral blood mononucleocytes (PBMCs) and plucked scalp hair] were sampled pre-dosing, 1.5 h (t max), ±6 h post-dosing. The primary PD endpoint, phospho-retinoblastoma protein (pRb) levels in buccal biopsies (unit length labelling index) assessed by immunohistochemistry, was used as a biomarker of CDK activity. Phospho-pRb levels were demonstrated to decrease in an epitope, dose- and time-dependent manner. Statistically significant reductions in the ratio phospho-pRb/total pRb were detected at 1.5 h post-dose compared to placebo for both 40 mg [S807–S811 epitope geometric least-squares mean (glsmean) ratio = 0.75, P = 0.014] and 60 mg AZD5438 (S807–S811 epitope glsmean ratio = 0.74, P = 0.011; T821 epitope glsmean ratio = 0.72, P = 0.031). No statistically significant differences were noted at 6 h post-dosing, indicating a close PK–PD relationship between AZD5438 and target inhibition. No effects attributable to AZD5438 were detectable on phospho-p27, p27, Ki67 in the buccal mucosa; or on phospho-pRb (S249–T252 epitope), phospho-p27 or Ki67 in the sheath cells of plucked scalp hair, raising issues about the appropriateness of different detection methods/tissues for use as PD biomarkers. In ex vivo stimulated PBMCs, statistically and near-statistically significant anti-proliferative effects, with the suggestion of a dose–response effect, were noted on the incorporation of [3H]-thymidine (stimulated/non-stimulated) at 10, 40 and 60 mg, compared to placebo, at 1.5 h post-dosing (glsmean ratio = 0.65, P = 0.019; 0.70, P = 0.056; 0.51, P = 0.001, respectively). The modest PD effect, short plasma t 1/2 and close PK–PD relationship suggest that multiple daily dosing or sustained release formulations at higher doses will be necessary for AZD5438 to achieve sustained inhibition of CDK in human cancers.

BACKGROUND: No conclusive data exists supporting the use of any prokinetic agent in the postoperative setting. The study was designed to examine the effect of erythromycin on small bowel motility in a placebo-controlled trial of post gastric bypass patients utilizing a standardized nuclear medicine test. METHODS: A consecutive series of 21 patients undergoing elective gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity between September 1999 and March 2001 were enrolled in this prospective double-blind randomized controlled trial. Standard open, divided gastric bypass was performed. Patients were randomized to receive either erythromycin 250 mg i. v. (11 patients) or placebo (10 patients) every 8 hours. On postoperative day 2, a hepatic iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan was obtained. Tracer movement through the biliary tree and proximal small bowel was quantified and compared. RESULTS: Tracer clearance from the liver and biliary tree was no different between groups from time of injection through 1 hour. Tracer material clearance from the duodenum into the jejunum was no different between the erythromycin and control groups at 1 hour, 37% +/- 13% and 37% +/- 22% respectively (P = 0.95). At 4 hours, clearance was greater in the erythromycin group, 77% +/- 6%, compared to control, 60% +/- 20% (P = 0.036). The rate of tracer change between hour 1 and 4 (slope) was steeper in the erythromycin group (P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: Erythromycin increases intestinal transit in the postoperative setting.

The purpose of this study was to examine the content of textbooks used in the Victorian Physics course between 1967 and 1997 for curriculum balance and emphasis on the following aspects of scientific literacy: (a) science as a body of knowledge, (b) science as a way of investigating, (c) science as a way of thinking, and (d) the interaction between science, technology and society. These themes were chosen because they are reflected in the aims of the current Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Physics course. The textbook is an important teaching aid in senior school physics in Victoria since it conveys some of the information that students receive and influences how students perceive the subject. The majority of the textbooks analysed stress science as a body of knowledge, place some emphasis on science as a way of investigating, and have little emphasis on science as a way of thinking. Texts produced for the new VCE Physics course (post 1990) were found to place more emphasis on the theme science, technology and society than texts produced prior to 1990.

This article reports on a study of student and teacher perceptions of the purpose and effectiveness of laboratory work in science at the Year 10 level of secondary school. The main focus of the study was a comparison between the perceptions of one class of students and their teacher at each of six different schools with regard to the aims, regularity, conduct and assessment of laboratory work. The study identified a number of areas of mismatch between students and their teachers. The findings of the study will be of use to teachers in developing and improving their science curriculum, particularly with regard to laboratory work.

Nerve cell growth is influenced by guiding properties of its substratum. Microfabricated cell culture substrata were used to determine whether rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) nerve cells could detect and integrate simultaneous model adhesive and topographic guidance cues. Interference reflection microscopy demonstrated strips of surface contact under the marginal zone of growth cones on planar surfaces which were coincident with actin immunostaining at the periphery of the C-domain. Clusters of focal contacts below the growth cone C-domain delineated the track edges on adhesive gratings. Neurite extension was guided most effectively by adhesive gratings of 25-µm period where highly aligned cells were typically bipolar. Nanometric steps and differences in surface texture between the adhesive tracks was detected using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Neurites did not align to 12-to l00-µm pitch grooves which were less than 1 µm deep. The proportion of aligned neurites increased with groove depth. Maximum neurite alignment was seen when 6-.im-deep, 25-11m-wide grooves contained superimposed parallel adhesive tracks of matched pitch. Neurites aligned preferentially to adhesive tracks superimposed orthogonally over shallow grooves (1 µm deep). Primary neurites aligned increasingly to grooves with orthogonal adhesive tracks as their depth increased. These neurites frequently had highly branched terminal arbours aligned to the orthogonal adhesive tracks. We conclude that morphogenetic guidance cues can interact synergistically and hierarchically to steer nerve cell growth.

Multiple grooved substrata with groove depth 5 μm were found to facilitate the healing of completely divided rat flexor tendons in vitro. Sections of tendons cultured on plain substrata showed only partial healing with incompletely sealed epitenon layers and immature thin collagen fibres. Tendons cultured on patterned substrata healed with complete restoration of the epitenon layer and reconstitution of the internal structure of collagen fibres. Epitenon fibroblasts isolated from the surface of rat flexor tendons were shown to be more sensitive to topographical features than fibroblasts of the same size BHK fibroblasts. They remained more elongated and better aligned to the groove direction than BHK cells. Multiple grooved substrata facilitated epitenon cell movement. Cells were found to move with higher speed on patterned substrata than on plain substrata. In summary, we conclude that the use of multiple grooved substrata promotes tendon healing in vitro and may find application in clinical practice in tendon repair.

We have fabricated dots and wires down to 30 nm diameter and 60 nm width in ZnTe/GaAs and ZnSe/GaAs. The fabrication process relies on electron beam lithography and dry etching using a mixture of CH4/H2. We have extensively characterized the flat etched surfaces of both ZnTe and ZnSe using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman scattering, and luminescence spectroscopy. Flat etched samples were also annealed. We found that improvements in the emission spectrum were related probably to defect removal in the asgrown samples and had a secondary impact in the etched and annealed samples. From XPS data, some evidence is found of zinc desorption from the surface, which is later corroborated by Raman scattering in etched wires with the appearance of tellurium modes. The luminescence spectra of flat etched samples show no major changes in the spectral lines, with a hint of a change in relative concentration in donors and acceptors and evidence of ZnTe/GaAs intermixing closer to the interface. No line broadening is observed and the emission intensity is retained. The emission and Raman scattering spectra of etched wires and dots confirms that negligible fabrication damage is incurred as well as the absence of further strain or strain release after etching.

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the management of peritoneal surface malignancies of colonic origin : a consensus statement

Cells react to topography on the micro and nanoscale with a variety of consequences. These reactions can be used to advantage in controlling cell behavior on the surfaces of prostheses. This short paper examines two of the possible causes of these reactions, namely diffusion effects caused by the shape of the substratum and stretch reception by the cells.

Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) is used to investigate the effect of SiC14 Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) on GaAs. At high power (150-80 W) with high DC self bias (380-240 V), five deep levels trapping electrons are observed at energies of 0.30, 0.42, 0.64, 0.86 and ∼0.8 eV below the conduction band edge. Depth profiling reveals an approximate exponential decay of the concentration of the deep levels. At low power the induced concentration falls, the small concentration of remaining deep levels is close to control (no etching) samples. The induced deep levels can account for reduced conductances in n+GaAs wires defined by RIE under similar experimental conditions.

Dry etching can introduce defects into the material being etched. Simple expressions for both sidewall and top surface defect distributions may be obtained by assuming that the defects are introduced according to a phenomenological source function. Calculations of conductance based on these expressions are found to describe very well measurements on dry-etched wires and epilayers. Mechanisms by which defects can penetrate into the sample are discussed. The role of sample heating and defect diffusion is examined. In-situ measurements of sample temperature during a dry-etch run indicate that simple diffusion is insufficient to account entirely for the observed damage. Instead, dry-etch damage may arise from other mechanisms such as by knock-on replacement collisions, or via a channeling effect. A more complex form of diffusion may also affect the final damage distribution.

Although the directed energy and chemical reactivity of dry etching permits the fabrication of nanostructures with precise geometries, it also causes unwanted electrical and optical changes to the surface, changes generally referred to as “damage”.This paper discusses the extent and the impact of dry-etching damage on rI-V and I[-VI compound semiconductors as assessed by a very wide range of techniques: the performance of devices such as MESFETs, and measurements of other properties - surface uniformly and precisely, Schottky junction characteristics, cut-off of epitaxial wire conductance, integrated photoluminescence, X-ray reflectivity, DLTS, TEM imaging and Raman scattering.We distinguish an important difference between the nature of damage on sidewalls and on surfaces normal to the directed ions, and report on progress towards establishing a model of the nature of dry etching damage. This model is applied to indicate what kinds of processes are likely to give etching with low damage.

Manganese balance studies have been performed on 16 infants, aged 3 days to 8 months, in the period following operation for the correction of congenital heart defects. Samples were analyzed by flameless atomic absorption spectroscopy or by solvent extraction with 8-hydroxyquinoline followed by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. A higher manganese content was found in either whole blood (710 +/- 320 nmole X litre-1) or purified plasma protein (1130 +/- 770 nmole X litre-1) compared with fresh frozen plasma (215 +/- 35 nmole X litre-1) used in intravenous drips. The manganese content of the milks used in oral feeding was 200-300 nmole X litre-1.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) relatedness was used to distinguish strains ofLegionella-like organisms (LLO) fromLegionella pneumophila. Two of these LLO strains, WIGA and MI 15, showed sufficient DNA relatedness to one another to be classified in the same species. The nameLegionella bozemanii species nova is proposed for this new species. The type strain ofL. bozemanii is WIGA (=ATCC 33217) Two other LLO strains, NY 23 and Tex-KL, were shown to represent a new species. The nameLegionella dumoffii species nova is proposed for this species. The type strain ofL. dumoffii is NY 23 (=ATCC 33279). These two species joinL. pneumophila andL. micdadei in the genusLegionella.

We describe a method for gold analysis in kidney and liver. The technique is simpler than other methods in that it does not require ashing or acid digestion of the sample. The tissue is dried, placed into a polyethylene vial and diluted with a 2 ml sodium chloride solution. Gold concentration is determined by neutron activation analysis. Samples are irradiated for two hours at a thermal neutron flux of 1012n·cm−2·s−1 and are then allowed to decay for 3–4 days before counting. The detection limit (20 ng Au/ml) and precision (±6.1%) permits the accurate analysis of gold in these tissues. This technique could aid in a re-examination of gold metabolism.

alpha-, beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptors in the kidney mediate vasoconstriction, renin secretion and vasodilatation, respectively. Blockade of beta-receptors may therefore be expected to influence renal blood flow and possibly glomerular filtration rate by intrarenal effects as well as by reducing cardiac output and blood pressure. Since the various beta-adrenergic blocking drugs available differ in the degree to which they block beta 2-receptors (cardioselectivity) and also in their intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, they would be expected to have different effects on renal function. The acute administration of beta-blockers usually results in a reduction in effective renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate, whether or not the drug is cardioselective or has intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, with the exceptions of nadolol, which has actually increased effective renal plasma flow in some studies and of tolamolol. With chronic oral administration, the non-cardioselective beta-blockers reduced glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow. The cardioselective drugs do not usually produce significant reductions in glomerular filtration rate or effective renal plasma flow, although small increases in serum urea during treatment do occur. Interestingly, in contrast to findings with intravenous administration, orally administered nadolol produced a slight reduction in glomerular filtration rate in 1 study, so the effect of this agent on renal function under clinical conditions remains uncertain. It seems likely that beta-blockers reduce renal function predominantly by blocking beta 2-receptors in the kidney. To keep area of discussion in perspective, it is important to realise that although there have been isolated reports of serious deterioration in renal function coinciding with beta-blocker treatment, the great majority of reports are of reduction in glomerular filtration rate which are not of clinical significance, even in patients with pre-existing impairment of renal function. The beta-blockers with low lipid solubility-i.e. atenolol, nadolol and sotalol-are not metabolised, and their dose must be reduced in renal failure. Propranolol has active metabolites and its dose must also be reduced slightly in uraemia.

Solar IR triplet of singly ionized Ca, suggesting limb darkening caused by chromospheric inhomogeneities for source function inequality

Six cases of glossitis and one of cheilosis have healed completely or shown good progress toward healing during treatment with calcium pantothenate after failure of healing during treatment with other members of the vitamin B complex.

SixLegionella-like organisms were isolated from the evaporative air conditioning system of a bus in South Australia. All six isolates were presumptively identified as legionellae by their growth requirement forl-cysteine and their cellular branched-chain fatty acids. They were serologically distinct from other legionellae in the slide agglutination test. DNA hybridization studies showed that the six isolates belong to a new species ofLegionella, Legionella quinlivanii (ATCC 43830).

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TRI-n-BUTYL phosphate in an inert paraffinic diluent is of interest for the solvent processing of pile-irradiated nuclear fuels1,2. If the specific activity of the process solution should be very high, radiation damage to the solvent will have a significant effect on plant efficiency, since it leads to the simultaneous production of di-n-butyl phosphate and mono-n-butyl phosphate. Under certain conditions, these acidic esters exhibit a high complexing power towards plutonium, uranium and some fission-products3. The consequences are poor decontamination of the fuel material and reduced efficiency in stages designed to wash back these materials into an aqueous phase.