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This study shows that low expression, prior to implantation, of donor lung innate immunity molecule surfactant protein SP‐A, with varying levels according to the gene polymorphisms, is associated with the recipient's post‐lung transplant clinical outcome.

This study follows principles of Mendelian randomization to show that polymorphisms of the donor lung innate immunity molecule surfactant protein SP‐D predict recipient post—lung transplant development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction and survival.

GPR116 is an orphan seven-pass transmembrane receptor whose function has been unclear. Global disruption of the Gpr116gene in mice revealed an unexpected, critical role for this receptor in lung surfactant homeostasis, resulting in progressive accumulation of surfactant lipids and proteins in the alveolar space, labored breathing, and a reduced lifespan. GPR116 expression analysis, bone marrow transplantation studies, and characterization of conditional knockout mice revealed that GPR116 expression in ATII cells is required for maintaining normal surfactant levels. Aberrant packaging of surfactant proteins with lipids in the Gpr116mutant mice resulted in compromised surfactant structure, function, uptake, and processing. Thus, GPR116 plays an indispensable role in lung surfactant homeostasis with important ramifications for the understanding and treatment of lung surfactant disorders.

Introduction:The genetic contribution to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in prematurely born infants is substantial, but information related to the specific genes involved is lacking.Results:Genotype analysis revealed, after multiple comparisons correction, two significant single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), rs3771150 (IL-18RAP) and rs3771171 (IL-18R1), in African Americans (AAs) with BPD (vs. AAs without BPD; q < 0.05). No associations with Caucasian (CA) BPD, AA or CA respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), or prematurity in either AAs or CAs were identified with these SNPs. Respective frequencies were 0.098 and 0.093 in infants without BPD and 0.38 for each SNP in infants with BPD. In the replication set (82 cases; 102 controls), the P values were 0.012 for rs3771150 and 0.07 for rs3771171. Combining P values using Fisher’s method, overall P values were 8.31 × 10-7for rs3771150 and 6.33 × 10-6for rs3771171.Discussion:We conclude that IL-18RAP and IL-18R1 SNPs identify AA infants at risk for BPD. These genes may contribute to AA BPD pathogenesis via inflammatory-mediated processes and require further study.Methods:We conducted a case–control SNP association study of candidate genes (n = 601) or 6,324 SNPs in 1,091 prematurely born infants with gestational age <35 weeks, with or without neonatal lung disease including BPD. BPD was defined as a need for oxygen at 28 days.

We study 6,686 initial public offerings (IPOs) spanning the period 1981‐2005 and find that the new issues puzzle disappears in a Fama‐French three‐factor framework. IPOs do not underperform in the aftermarket on a risk‐adjusted basis and do not underperform a matched sample of nonissuers. IPO underperformance is concentrated in the 1980s and early 1990s, and IPOs either perform the same as the market or outperform on a risk‐adjusted basis from 1998 to 2005. We find that outperformance in the later period is driven by large firms. Factors for momentum, investment, liquidity, and skewness help to explain aftermarket returns, although size and book‐to‐market tend to proxy for skewness. IPO investors receive smaller expected returns due to negative momentum and investment exposure and in exchange for higher liquidity.

Tumor cells have devised several strategies to block the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis despite endogenous or pharmacological cues to die. This process of cell death proceeds through the coordinated regulation of multiple anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins that ultimately impinge on the integrity of the outer mitochondrial membrane. Once compromised, mitochondria release pro-apoptotic factors to promote caspase activation and the apoptotic phenotype. Within the BCL-2 family exists a subclass of pro-apoptotic members termed the BH3-only proteins, which directly and/or indirectly functionally regulate the remaining anti- and pro-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins to compromise mitochondria and engage apoptosis. The focus of this review is to discuss the cellular and pharmacological regulation of the BH3-only proteins to gain a better understanding of the signaling pathways and agents that regulate this class of proteins. As the BH3-only proteins increase cellular sensitivity to pro-apoptotic agents such as chemotherapeutics, numerous small-molecule BH3 mimetics have been developed and are currently in various phases of clinical trials. Toward the end of the review, the discovery and application of the small-molecule BH3 mimetics will be discussed.

AbstractThis paper discusses the issue of ethical responsibility on the part of the translator, specifically the need to act ethically and make responsible translation-related decisions about politically sensitive texts, focusing on practices that emerge in the context of translator training. The underlying premise of the discussion is that a contradiction between theoretical ideals and actual contexts of practice hampers students’ ability to negotiate an ethical decision. In an attempt to enable students to arrive at well-thought out, responsible decisions, this paper outlines a potential framework for exploring the ethical implications of textual choices in translation. The notion of ethical relativity is introduced as a by-product of the dynamism and partiality of norms, narratives and values, and used to highlight the factors that have a bearing on decision making. The ultimate aim is to demonstrate that an ethical framework must be sought that allows students to question and negotiate norms and narratives in order to arrive at sound ethical decisions. This framework must also offer students the possibility to act responsibly as agents of political change. Two translation exercises of politically sensitive texts from the Greek context are discussed as case studies.

Modern interactive means combined with new digital media processing and representation technologies can provide a robust framework for enhancing user experience in multimedia entertainment systems and audiovisual artistic installations with non-traditional interaction/feedback paths based on user affective state. In this work, the ‘Elevator’ interactive audiovisual platform prototype is presented, which aims to provide a framework for signalling and expressing human behaviour related to emotions (such as anger) and finally produce a visual outcome of this behaviour, defined here as the emotional ‘thumbnail’ of the user. Optimised, real-time audio signal processing techniques are employed for monitoring the achieved anger-like behaviour, while the emotional elevation is attempted using appropriately selected combined audio/visual content reproduced using state-of-the-art audiovisual playback technologies that allow the creation of a realistic immersive audiovisual environment. The demonstration of the proposed prototype has shown that affective interaction is possible, allowing the further development of relative artistic and technological applications.

Previous research assumes that Using a general form of basis risk, we provide empirical comparative statics results. Moreover, we relax the statistical independence assumption. Our monthly data series covers the period March 2000 to 2010, and includes the Henry Hub spot price, futures price and the quantity of natural gas and the hedged quantity. The results show that

Pseudoaneurysm formation often complicates transfemoral interventional procedures. Nonsurgical treatment consists of femoral compression and thrombin injection under ultrasound guidance. We report a 74-year-old man who was diagnosed with a pseudoaneurysm, following coronary angiography. Duplex ultrasound revealed deep vein thrombosis of the ipsilateral common femoral vein. Ultrasound-guided thrombin injection was unsuccessfully performed, and the patient subsequently underwent surgical exploration for repair of the pseudoaneurysm and release of the venous compression. The increased local inflammation, because of the thrombosis, added in surgical difficulties. We conclude that early surgical intervention should be considered as a primary strategy in patients with femoral pseudoaneurysms and deep vein thrombosis secondary to femoral compression.

Severity of lung injury with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is variable and may be related to genetic variations. This preliminary report describes a prospective, family-based association study of children hospitalized secondary to RSV, aimed to determine whether intragenic and other haplotypes of surfactant proteins (SP)-A and SP-D are transmitted disproportionately from parents to offspring with RSV disease. Genomic DNA was genotyped for several SP-A and SP-D single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Transmission disequilibrium test analysis was used to determine transmission of variants and haplotypes from parents to affected offspring. Three hundred seventy-five individuals were studied, including 148 children with active RSV disease and one or both parents. The SP-A2 intragenic haplotype 1A2was found to be protective (p = 0.013). The SP-D SNP DA160_A may possibly be an “at-risk” marker (p = 0.0058). Additional two- and three-marker haplotypes were associated with severe RSV disease, with two being protective (DA11_T/DA160_G and DA160_G/SP-A2 1A0/SP-A1 6A2). We conclude that there may be associations between SP-A and SP-D and RSV disease. Further study is required to determine whether these variants can be used to target a high-risk patient population in clinical trials aimed at reducing either the symptoms of acute infection or long-term pulmonary sequelae.

To evaluate the effect of median sternotomy on the static compliance of the respiratory system (C(RS)) in humans, we used a new technique for pressure-volume (PV) curve tracing without sophisticated instrumentation. The accuracy and the reproducibility of the new technique were tested in a lung simulator, while its agreement with multiple-occlusion (MO) technique (the technique most often used in the ICU for C(RS) measurement) was evaluated in 12 mechanically ventilated patients. Finally, the NCI technique was used in 13 cardiosurgical patients to measure C(RS) before and after median sternotomy. Measurements provided by the NCI technique were at least as accurate as standard measurements in the bench study. In ICU patients, we observed a good agreement of C(RS) measurements provided by the two techniques (bias 0.8, 95% limits of agreement -5.6 to 7.2 ml/cm H(2)O) and a similar reproducibility. In cardiosurgical patients we observed a significant (P=0.037) increase in C(RS) with an upward and leftward shift of the PV-curve after median sternotomy. No adverse effect was observed during PV-curve tracing maneuvers. The simplicity of NCI technique allowed for the first time, to our knowledge, PV-curve tracing in humans during cardiosurgery and revealed 5% increase in C(RS) immediately after median sternotomy.

This paper examines the empirical relationship between CPI, oil prices, stock market and unemployment in EU15 using a new computational approach. In particular, we propose a novel approach to train the well-known vector autoregressive (VAR) model using a particle swarm optimisation (PSO) method. Results demonstrate that PSO succeeds in training the model parameters. Furthermore, as the prediction error is found to be low, this strengthens the validity and usability of PSO as a model training method. The empirical results suggest that oil is an important determinant of CPI and stock market changes. Oil price changes affect CPI positively and stock market negatively. Finally, we report no evidence that CPI and unemployment have a negative effect on stock market performance.

In this paper, we examine the internet banking services that Greek commercial banks are offering. We also present the associated costs and fees that customers face when using these services. The findings show that there are disparities in the fees that Greek commercial banks impose on their customers for performing banking transactions over the internet. When we compare Automated Teller Machine (ATM) fees with branch fees, we find that ATM charges are lower than branch fees. Finally, we conclude that internet banking fees are lower than both ATM fees and branch fees.

We present a very rare case of spontaneous intracranial synovial sarcoma. A 15-year-old female was admitted to our institution for a cervical spine MRI, reporting a gradual pain of the dorsal neck after an injury three months previously. After obtaining the first sequence we discovered a large skull base mass. We immediately performed a skull base MRI. MR arteriography, MR venography, CT and DSA were also performed. A large space-occupying lesion was demonstrated, extending from the right petrous bone to the occipital bone at the level of the foramen magnum and the right atlantooccipital junction. CT revealed calcifications. The MR venography demonstrated diminished flow in the right transverse and sigmoid sinus, as well in the right internal jugular vein. Otorhinolaryngological evaluation revealed a slight ipsilateral conductive hearing loss. The whole mass was macroscopically removed via a retrosigmoid, transmastoid, infratemporal approach. Postoperative course was uneventful, except for complete palsy of the ipsilateral hypoglossal nerve. The final pathological examination including immunohistochemical picture, showed findings consistent with synovial sarcoma (monophasic spindle-cell type).

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) enhances phagocytosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Two functional genes, SP-A1 and SP-A2, encode human SP-A. As we showed before, baculovirus-mediated insect cell-expressed SP-A2 enhances the association of P. aeruginosa with rat alveolar macrophages (rAMs) more than does SP-A1. However, true phagocytosis (internalization) was not shown, and insect cell derived proteins lack or are defective in certain mammalian posttranslational modifications that may be important for SP-A1 and SP-A2 activity and specificity. Here we used SP-A1 (6A2, 6A4) and SP-A2 (1A0, 1A1) allele variants expressed by CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) mammalian cells to study their effect on association and/or internalization of P. aeruginosa by rAMs and/or human AMs (hAMs) and to study if phagocytosis can be modulated differentially and/or more effectively by CHO cell-expressed SP-A variants than by insect-cell expressed SP-A variants. For cell association and internalization assessments, light microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analyses were used, respectively. We found the following for the first time. (i) SP-A2 variants enhanced phagocytosis (cell association and/or internalization) of P. aeruginosa more than SP-A1 variants did, and the cell association correlated with internalization. (ii) Differences in the activities of SP-A variants were observed in the following order: 1A1>1A0>6A2>6A4. (iii) rAMs, although more active than hAMs, are an appropriate model, as SP-A2 variants exhibited activity higher than that seen for SP-A1 variants with either rAMs or hAMs. (iv) CHO cell-expressed SP-A was considerably more active than insect cell-expressed variants. We conclude that SP-A2 variants stimulate phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa more effectively than SP-A1 variants and that posttranslational modifications positively influence the phagocytic activity of SP-A.

ABSTRACTSurfactant protein A (SP-A) enhances phagocytosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Two functional genes, SP-A1and SP-A2, encode human SP-A. As we showed before, baculovirus-mediated insect cell-expressed SP-A2 enhances the association of P. aeruginosawith rat alveolar macrophages (rAMs) more than does SP-A1. However, true phagocytosis (internalization) was not shown, and insect cell derived proteins lack or are defective in certain mammalian posttranslational modifications that may be important for SP-A1 and SP-A2 activity and specificity. Here we used SP-A1 (6A2, 6A4) and SP-A2 (1A0, 1A1) allele variants expressed by CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) mammalian cells to study their effect on association and/or internalization of P. aeruginosaby rAMs and/or human AMs (hAMs) and to study if phagocytosis can be modulated differentially and/or more effectively by CHO cell-expressed SP-A variants than by insect-cell expressed SP-A variants. For cell association and internalization assessments, light microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analyses were used, respectively. We found the following for the first time. (i) SP-A2 variants enhanced phagocytosis (cell association and/or internalization) of P. aeruginosamore than SP-A1 variants did, and the cell association correlated with internalization. (ii) Differences in the activities of SP-A variants were observed in the following order: 1A1>1A0>6A2>6A4. (iii) rAMs, although more active than hAMs, are an appropriate model, as SP-A2 variants exhibited activity higher than that seen for SP-A1 variants with either rAMs or hAMs. (iv) CHO cell-expressed SP-A was considerably more active than insect cell-expressed variants. We conclude that SP-A2 variants stimulate phagocytosis of P. aeruginosamore effectively than SP-A1 variants and that posttranslational modifications positively influence the phagocytic activity of SP-A.

Although uniformly sampled pulse width modulation (UPWM) represents a very efficient digital audio coding scheme for digital-to-analog conversion and full-digital amplification, it suffers from strong harmonic distortions, as opposed to benign non-harmonic artifacts present in analog PWM (naturally sampled PWM, NPWM). Complete elimination of these distortions usually requires excessive oversampling of the source PCM audio signal, which results to impractical realizations of digital PWM systems. In this paper, a description of digital PWM distortion generation mechanism is given and a novel principle for their minimization is proposed, based on a process having some similarity to the dithering principle employed in multibit signal quantization. This conditioning signal is termed "jither" and it can be applied either in the PCM amplitude or the PWM time domain. It is shown that the proposed method achieves significant decrement of the harmonic distortions, rendering digital PWM performance equivalent to that of source PCM audio, for mild oversampling (e.g.,) resulting to typical PWM clock rates of 90 MHz.

We offer a theory explaining how alliances as international security regimes reduce military conflict between member-states through their internal provision of information concerning national military capabilities. Bargaining models of war have shown that a lack of information about relative military capabilities functions as an important cause of war. We argue that alliances provide such information to internal participants, and greater knowledge within the alliance about member-state military capabilities reduces certain informational problems that could potentially lead to war. This internal information effect, however, is a conditional one. We posit that the information provided within the alliance matters most for dyads at or near power parity: the cases where states are most uncertain about who would prevail if a military conflict did emerge. In power preponderant dyads where the outcome of a potential military conflict is relatively certain, the internal information provided by military alliances becomes less important. Our statistical results provide strong support for these theoretical arguments.

Genetic variants of surfactant protein B (SP-B) have been associated with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in the prematurely born infant. We wished to determine linkage between RDS and SP-B single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) −18 (A/C), 1013 (A/C), 1580 (C/T), and 9306 (A/G) or SP-B-linked microsatellite (D2S388, D2S2232, (AAGG)n, and GATA41E01 (or D2S1331) loci and identify susceptibility or protective alleles and haplotypes. We genotyped 132 families consisting of one or two parents and at least one child affected with RDS and performed biallelic and multiallelic family-based association test (FBAT) analysis, and extended transmission disequilibrium test (ETDT). ETDT analysis identified the microsatellite SP-B–linked loci (except D2S2232) to be linked to RDS. One allele from each of these three marker loci contributes to the risk of RDS. Multiallelic FBAT analysis detected a signal of linkage for the region of the four SNP loci. Three haplotypes within this region contribute to RDS risk. Although no other region showed significant linkage as judged by multiallelic FBAT, biallelic FBAT analysis revealed three potential susceptibility haplotypes formed by two to four loci within the SP-B and SP-B–linked microsatellite region. Each haplotype included GATA41E01, which was identified by ETDT analysis to be linked to RDS. We conclude that SP-B or SP-B–linked loci are linked to RDS and certain alleles or haplotypes are susceptibility or protective factors for the development of RDS in infants born prematurely.

Length variants within a CA-repeat-rich region of intron 4 of the human SP-B (pulmonary surfactant protein-B) gene are associated with several lung diseases. The hypothesis that SP-B intron 4 affects mRNA splicing was studied. SP-B minigenes containing exons 1–6 with a normal-sized intron 4 (pBi4normal) or intron 4 containing deletions (pBi4del) of 193, 211, 264 or 340 bp were expressed in CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cells by transient transfection. Two forms of SP-B transcripts, normal and incompletely spliced, were detected. With pBi4normal, normal-sized SP-B mRNA was the predominant form and a very low amount of incompletely spliced mRNA was present, whereas with the pBi4del variants the amount of normal SP-B mRNAs was lower and the amount of incompletely spliced mRNA was relatively high. Reverse transcription–PCR results and sequencing data indicated that the incompletely spliced SP-B RNA contained intron 4 sequence, and this incompletely spliced RNA was also observed in normal lung. Lung cancer tissues with intron 4 deletions exhibited a larger amount of abnormally spliced RNAs compared with normal lung tissue or cancerous tissue with normal-sized intron 4. The results indicate that intron 4 length variants affect SP-B mRNA splicing, and that this may contribute to lung disease.

Pulmonary surfactant, a lipoprotein complex, is essential for life. It lowers the surface tension at the air-liquid interphase of the distal lung airspaces (alveoli) to prevent alveolar collapse at low lung volumes. Alveolar stability is critical in maintaining a normal O2/CO2 exchange. Surfactant deficiency in the prematurely born infant can lead to respiratory problems or respiratory distress syndrome (RDS); a major complication of infants with RDS is infection. Surfactant dysfunction has been associated with several pulmonary diseases characterized with impaired O2/CO2 exchange, deranged inflammatory processes and host defense. Pulmonary surfactant consists of approximately 90% lipids, with phospholipids constituting the major lipid component, and about 10% of proteins with surfactant protein A (SP-A) found in great abundance. SP-A has been identified with several diverse functions. Broadly, these include surfactantrelated and host defense-related functions. Human SP-A is encoded by two genes, SP-A1 and SP-A2, and exhibits extensive complexity at the DNA, RNA, and protein level, compared to rodent SP-A and even to that of the primates. Although, the significance of such complexity is not currently understood, a number of studies have revealed associations between certain SP-A variants or levels of SP-A and pulmonary disease. Moreover, functional, structural, and biochemical differences have been observed between in vitro expressed SP-A1 and SP-A2 variants. We speculate that the human SP-A complexity provides diversity in the overall SP-A functional activities. We suggest that because of its complexity, which appears to translate in quantitative and qualitative differences among individuals, SP-A can provide a good model for study of the basis of individual variability to disease susceptibility and/or to drug response. In this paper, we review types of SP-A complexity and comment on the significance of such variability, summarize associations between SP-A genetic variants and pulmonary diseases, and speculate on the SP-A primary function (surfactant or the host defense) by discussing a number of attributes. The focus of this mini review is on the human SP-A genes and alleles.

This review is based on the contents of an international congress entitled, “Surfactant 2004”, organized by Drs. B. Lachmann and L.M.G. van Golde and held in Berlin, Germany. This is the fourth meeting of its kind the first one was held in 1989. The purpose was to bring together investigators, interested in surfactant research from different disciplines to review progress in basic and clinical sciences, evaluate findings from clinical trials, and build upon the current knowledge to design better clinical trials for the prematurely born infant and other groups of patients, who are identified with surfactant dysfunction, as well as formulate new hypotheses for surfactant investigation both at the basic science and clinical science levels. Although the importance of surfactant in normal lung function was initially appreciated in the case of the prematurely born infant the importance of surfactant throughout life and the roles, especially of the surfactant proteins, not only in surfactant-related activities but also in the innate host defense of the lung has led to a tremendous increase in research activity in the field. The work presented in this meeting is summarized under four general topics: biophysical, innate host defense, surfactant proteins and pulmonary disease, and clinical studies of surfactant.

The effect of temperature (5–20C) at 860 ppm (v/v) ozone and different gaseous ozone concentrations above 1,000 ppm on inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 in apple cider was studied. Lag times ranged from 3.5 min at 20C to 6.7 min at 10C before the on‐set of E. coli O157:H7 inactivation. D‐values ranged from 0.6 to 1.5 min at 20C and 5C, respectively. After ozone treatment of cider for 14 min, dissipation of ozone from cider was slow, decreasing to about 5 mg/L after 2 h at 5C. At high gaseous ozone concentration, log time was shortest and D‐value lowest. There was a critical concentration of dissolved ozone of about 5–6 mg/L at 20C, before the on‐set of E. coli O157:H7 inactivation in the cider. Total processing times, based on lag time plus 5D, ranged from about 4 to 14 min depending on temperature and ozone concentration. Overall, inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 by ozone was fast enough to allow practical applications in cider production, and it should be considered as an alternative to thermal pasteurization.

Abstract: The anti‐apoptotic molecule BCL2 delays cell‐cycle entry from quiescence. We have recently cloned a new member of the BCL2 family of apoptosis‐related genes, BCL2L12. In the present study, the expression of BCL2 and BCL2L12 genes during cisplatin‐induced apoptosis in HL‐60 leukemic cells was investigated. The kinetics of apoptosis induction and cell toxicity were evaluated by DNA laddering and the MTT method, respectively. BCL2 and BCL2L12 expression was analyzed by RT‐PCR using gene‐specific primers. The ratio of apoptotic cells increased with increasing concentrations of cisplatin and exposure time of cell culture to the drug. Gradual, time‐dependent downregulation of BCL2 gene was observed during cisplatin treatment. Up‐regulation of BCL2L12 was observed 3 h (no DNA fragmentation) and 6 h (initiation of the DNA fragmentation) after treatment with cisplatin, followed by a decrease of its expression after 12‐h continuous treatment with the drug. It is known that the main anti‐carcinogenic effect of cisplatin is due to the induction of cell apoptosis. Present results indicate that downregulation of the BCL2 and upregulation of the BCL2L12 gene may be the underlying mechanisms.

Human surfactant protein-B (SP-B), a hydrophobic protein, is essential for normal lung function. SP-B is expressed and secreted by specific lung cell types, i.e. alveolar type II and Clara cells, of the respiratory epithelium. The SP-B precursor (42kDa) undergoes post-translational processing to generate an 8kDa mature SP-B. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at nucleotide 1580 (C/T) in exon 4 of SP-B that changes amino acid 131 from threonine to isoleucine (Thr131→Ile) is associated with several pulmonary diseases. The Thr131→Ile substitution can eliminate a potential N-linked glycosylation site, Asn129-Gln-Thr131, which is present in the SP-B variant of the C allele (ACT/Thr) but not in that of the T allele (ATT/Ile). To determine whether the C allele SP-B variant is indeed glycosylated at Asn129-Gln-Thr131, we first generated stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cell lines that expressed each version of SP-B, and developed specific SP-B polyclonal anti-peptide antibodies. Using both the stably transfected cell lines and fetal lung explants, we observed that the C allele variant is indeed glycosylated at the Asn129-Gln-Thr131 site, whereas the T allele variant, which served as a control, is not. In addition, we also confirmed that both SP-B variants contain another N-linked glycosylation site, Asn311-Ser-Ser313. Given its association with several pulmonary diseases, this finding provides useful information for future studies in disease systems associated with this SNP. Further, we speculate that, given the fact that this SNP is found frequently in the general population, N-linked glycosylation at residue Asn129 interferes with SP-B processing, secretion and folding under certain disease conditions.

Random allele expression has recently been observed for several genes including interleukins and genes of the lymphoid system. We studied the hypothesis that the surfactant protein D (SP-D) gene, an innate host defense molecule, exhibits random allele expression in a tissue-specific manner. SP-Dgene expression is tissue specific in the 14 tissues studied. Study of SP-Dallelic expression in several tissues revealed a balanced biallelic (BB) in lung, and, in several extrapulmonary tissues, a heterogeneous pattern: BB, imbalanced biallelic (IB), and monoallelic (MO). The results from 103 heterozygous rats showed an expression profile in large intestine of BB (22%), IB (58%), and MO (20%). Among eight families, the percent of BB in siblings varied from 0 to 41%, MO from 0 to 33%, and IB from 49 to 83%. The parent-of-origin does not play a role in SP-Dallele-specific expression. However, acquired epigenetic factors, family background, or other factors may contribute to the overall pattern of expression.

AbstractIn this paper, we explore models and tests for association and linkage studies of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) linked to a multi-allele marker locus. Based on the difference between an offspring’s conditional trait means of receiving and not receiving an allele from a parent at marker locus, we propose three statistics Tm, Tm,rowand Tm,colto test association or linkage disequilibrium between the marker locus and the QTL. These tests are composite tests, and use the offspring marginal sample means including offspring data of both homozygous and heterozygous parents. For the linkage study, we calculate the offspring’s conditional trait mean given the allele transmission status of a heterozygous parent at the marker locus. Based on the difference between the conditional means of a transmitted and a nontransmitted allele from a heterozygous parent, we propose statistics Tparsi, Tsatur, Tgenand Tm,hetto perform composite tests of linkage between the marker locus and the quantitative trait locus in the presence of association. These tests only use the offspring data that are related to the heterozygous parents at the marker locus. Tparsiis a parsimonious or allele-wise statistic, Tsaturand Tgen are satured or genotype-wise statistics, and Tm,hetcompares the row and column sample means for offspring data of heterozygous parents. After comparing the powers and the sample sizes, we conclude that Tparsihas higher power than those of the bi-allele tests, Tsatur, Tgen, and Tm,het. If there is tight linkage between the marker and the trait locus, Tparsiis powerful in detecting linkage between the marker and the trait locus in the presence of association. By investigating the goodness-of-fit of Tparsi, we find that Tsaturdoes not gain much power compared to that of Tparsi. Moreover, Tparsitakes into account the pattern of the data that is consistent with linkage and linkage disequilibrium. As the number of alleles at the marker locus increases, Tparsiis very conservative, and can be useful even for sparse data. To illustrate the usefulness and the power of the methods proposed in this paper, we analyze the chromosome 6 data of the Oxford asthma data, Genetic Analysis Workshop 12.Copyright © 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

A new mixed valent manganese oxide, Na1.1Ca1.8Mn9O18, with a tunnel structure closely related to that of Na4Mn9O18has been synthesized. It crystallizes in the Pnmaspace group with a=26.418(2) Å, b=5.6468(4) Å, and c=9.1384(8) Å. Its structural study, combining X-ray powder diffraction and electron microscopy, shows that the [Mn9O18]∞framework is similar to that of Na4Mn9O18, forming large S-shaped and six-sided tunnels running along b. In contrast, the positions and distributions of calcium in the tunnels are different from those obtained for sodium in Na4Mn9O18, explaining the doubling of the periodicity along the tunnel axis direction. The insulating properties of these oxides agree with a tendency to ordering of the Mn3+and Mn4+species in different sites.

The human SP-A locus consists of two functional genes and one pseudogene, and SP-A is shown to play a role in local host defense and the regulation of inflammation in lung. Because the intestine, like the lung, is constantly exposed to foreign and potentially harmful substances, we investigated the hypothesis that both human SP-A genes are expressed in intestine. We demonstrate that both SP-A genes are expressed in human small and large intestine. The presence of SP-A mRNA in human intestine was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Northern blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry. The size of intestinal SP-A mRNA is the same as that in human lung, but the level of expression, compared with that in the lung, is very low in both the small and large intestine. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed positive reactivity for SP-A in a subgroup of epithelial cells in the intestine. Expression of both SP-A1 and SP-A2 genes was established by gene-specific PCR amplification, PCR-based converted RFLP discrimination, and direct sequencing of RT-PCR products. We speculate that SP-A in the intestine plays a role in local host defense and inflammation.

The effects of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas concentration (0.1 to 0.5 mg/liter), relative humidity (RH) (55 to 95%), treatment time (7 to 135 min), and temperature (5 to 25°C) on inactivation of Escherichia coliO157:H7 on green peppers were studied using response surface methods. A four-factor, central, composite, rotatable design was used. The microbial log reduction was measured as a response. A direct membrane-surface-plating method with tryptic soy agar and sorbitol Mac-Conkey agar was used to resuscitate and enumerate ClO2-treated E. coliO157:H7 cells. The statistical analysis and the predictive model developed in this study suggest that ClO2gas concentration, treatment time, RH, and temperature all significantly (P< 0.01) increased the inactivation of E. coliO157:H7. ClO2gas concentration was the most important factor, whereas temperature was the least significant. The interaction between ClO2gas concentration and RH indicated a synergistic effect. The predictive model was validated, and it could be used to determine effective ClO2gas treatments to achieve a 5-log reduction of E. coliO157:H7 on green peppers.

A new manganese oxide, Ba4Ca1-xMn3+xO12-δ, closely related to the hexagonal perovskite family has been synthesized. It crystallizes in the P&sixmacr;m2 space group with a = 5.8003(3) Å and c = 38.958(1) Å. This structure derives from the rare hexagonal 16L polytype and exhibits ordered oxygen deficient vacancies, so that it can be described as the stacking along &cvector; of cubic (c) and hexagonal (h) [BaO3] layers, with oxygen deficient cubic (c‘) [BaO2] layers, according to the sequence (hhhccc‘cc)2. This framework forms octahedral layers occuped by manganese and calcium and tetrahedral layers occupied by manganese. These structural results, together with the chemical composition, confer to manganese an unusual mixed valency.

The effect of pH modification and preservative addition in apple cider on the heat resistance of Escherichia coliO157: H7 was investigated. E. coliO157:H7 and various amounts of potassium sorbate (0 to 0.2%), sodium benzoate (0 to 0.2%), and malic acid (0 to 1%) were added to apple cider. Thermal inactivation experiments were performed at 47, 50, and 53°C, and D- and z-values were calculated. In apple cider without additives, the D-value at 50°C (D50) was about 65 min, but addition of preservatives and malic acid significantly (P< 0.01) decreased D-values. D50-values decreased to 13.9 min in cider with 0.5% malic acid, 13.2 min with 0.1% sorbate, and 7.0 min with 0.1% benzoate added. Addition of both sorbate and malic acid had similar effects as either one alone, thus additive effects were not present. However, addition of both 0.2% benzoate and 1% malic acid did show additive effects, lowering D50to 0.3 min. Addition of all three components (0.2% sorbate, 0.2% benzoate, and 1% malic acid) resulted in a D50= 18 s. The z-value of cider without additives was about 6°C, whereas z-values of cider containing malic acid, benzoate, and/or sorbate ranged from about 6°C to 26°C. This increase may result in a longer 5-log reduction time at higher temperatures (i.e., 70°C) in cider with benzoate as compared to cider without additives.

In this work, a model for simulating the laser shock-based disassembly of composite components is developed using the LS-DYNA explicit code. The laser shock technique has been used in the past for the non-destructive testing of adhesive bonds, but with appropriate adjustments it is possible to create a localized tensile stress that is high enough for adhesive failure to occur, making it suitable for use in the disassembly of bonded parts. In this first attempt, we focus on the development of a multiple loading instances simulation process, aiming to completely debond two carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) plates. The process of laser shock for disassembly requires an increased number of loading instances in order to cover the full bonded area. That, in addition to the short time duration in which the phenomena are evolved, poses a serious challenge for the numerical simulations, and thus a reliable procedure must be defined in terms of functionality and computational cost. Indeed, an iterative method, where the deformed model is used as input in subsequent simulations is evaluated, optimized and compared with a more traditional single model simulation.