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Associations between efficient processing of brief, rapidly presented, successive stimuli and language learning impairments (LLI) in older children and adults have been well documented. In this paper we examine the role that impaired rapid auditory processing (RAP) might play during early language acquisition. Using behavioral measures we have demonstrated that RAP abilities in infancy are critically linked to later language abilities for both non-speech and speech stimuli. Variance in infant RAP thresholds reliably predict language outcome at 3 years-of-age for infants at risk for LLI and control infants. We present data here describing patterns of electrocortical (EEG/ERP) activation at 6 month-of-age to the same non-verbal stimuli used in our behavioral studies. Well-defined differences were seen between infants from families with a history of LLI (FH+) and FH- controls in the amplitude of the mismatch response (MMR) as well as the latency of the N250 component in the 70 ms ISI condition only. Smaller mismatch responses and delayed onsets of the N250 component were seen in the FH+ group. The latency differences in the N250 component, but not the MMR amplitude variation, were significantly related to 24-month language outcome. Such converging tasks provide the opportunity to examine early precursors of LLI and allow the opportunity for earlier identification and intervention.

Assay of hydrogenase activity pertaining to H2 production needs anaerobic conditions. To establish a simplified method for assay of hydrogenase activities by using intact cells of Enterobater aerogenes, different chemicals capable of enhancing the cell-wall permeability to electron mediators were examined. As a result, Triton X-100 and CTAB were found to be appropriate for H2 uptake and evolution activities of the intact cells, respectively. This method enabled H2 uptake and evolution activities of the intact cells to be easily detected. This is also the first report of the presence of H2 uptake hydrogenase activity in E. aerogenes.

This study sought to investigate the physical and chemical properties of beta-dicalcium silicate (beta-Ca(2)SiO(4)) in order to evaluate its use as an injectable bioactive cement filler. Workable beta-Ca(2)SiO(4) pastes with a liquid-to-powder (L/P) ratio of 1.0-1.2 could be injected for 10-30 min (nozzle diameter 2.0 mm) and enabled initial setting times of 60-180 min. The setting process yielded cellular structures with compressive strengths of 4.8-28.8 MPa after 2-28 days. The paste was soaked in simulated body fluid (SBF), and the results demonstrated that it exhibited a moderate degradation and could induce carbonated hydroxyapatite formation. The ionic products of the paste dissolution enhanced a proliferative response of fibroblasts compared with the cells cultured alone, and this cement could also support adhesion and spreading of the mesenchymal stem cells. Finally, with the use of gentamicin as a model drug, it was found that a high dose of drug release from the paste was maintained for 14 days, and there was a sustained release over 4 weeks. This combination of properties indicates that the novel beta-Ca(2)SiO(4) cement might be suitable for potential applications in the biomedical field, preferentially as materials for bone/dental repair and controlled drug-delivery systems., ((c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

A new C-type lectin-like gene encodes 293 amino acids and maps to chromosome 19p13.3 adjacent to the previously described C-type lectin genes, CD23, dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN), and DC-SIGN-related protein (DC-SIGNR). The four genes form a tight cluster in an insert size of 105 kb and have analogous genomic structures. The new C-type lectin-like molecule, designated liver and lymph node sinusoidal endothelial cell C-type lectin (LSECtin), is a type II integral membrane protein of approximately 40 kDa in size with a single C-type lectin-like domain at the COOH terminus, closest in homology to DC-SIGNR, DC-SIGN, and CD23. LSECtin mRNA was only expressed in liver and lymph node among 15 human tissues tested, intriguingly neither expressed on hematopoietic cell lines nor on monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs). Moreover, LSECtin is expressed predominantly by sinusoidal endothelial cells of human liver and lymph node and co-expressed with DC-SIGNR. LSECtin binds to mannose, GlcNAc, and fucose in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner but not to galactose. Our results indicate that LSECtin is a novel member of a family of proteins comprising CD23, DC-SIGN, and DC-SIGNR and might function in vivo as a lectin receptor.

We review a recent neural implementation of Canonical Correlation Analysis and show, using ideas suggested by Ridge Regression, how to make the algorithm robust. The network is shown to operate on data sets which exhibit multicollinearity. We develop a second model which not only performs as well on multicollinear data but also on general data sets. This model allows us to vary a single parameter so that the network is capable of performing Partial Least Squares regression (at one extreme) to Canonical Correlation Analysis (at the other)and every intermediate operation between the two. On multicollinear data, the parameter setting is shown to be important but on more general data no particular parameter setting is required. Finally, we develop a second penalty term which acts on such data as a smoother in that the resulting weight vectors are much smoother and more interpretable than the weights without the robustification term. We illustrate our algorithms on both artificial and real data.

Objective: To investigate the chemical constituents in the aerial part of Cynanchum chinense., Method: The chemical constituents were extracted with solvent and separated by column chromatography. The structures were identified by spectral methods:, Result: The structures were identified as 7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopy-ranosyl-kaempferol-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, 7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopy-ranosyl-kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and 7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyr-anosylkaempferol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->2)- beta-D-glucopyranoside., Conclusion: All the three compounds were separated from C. chinense for the first time.

The effect of Hippophae rhamnoides on hyperlipidemic rabbit serum (HRS) cultured smooth muscle cells (SMC) was observed in comparison with vitamin E(VE). The results show that Hippophae rhamnoides, much like VE, is also a potent antioxidant. It strongly decreases the MDA content in HRS cultured SMC and protect the cells from the injury of lipid peroxidation, and thus keeps the SMC growing and proliferating health. The results implicate that Hippophae rhamnoides is an effective antioxidant, and one of the important mechanisms of Hippophae rhamnoides in anti-atherosclerosis reported recently may be closely related to the action of anti-lipid peroxidation.