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Reluctant eye contact and reduced social interactions characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are consistent with deficits in oculomotor and face processing systems. We test the hypothesis that these deficits are interrelated ASD. Eye-tracking and hyperscanning with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) were used to acquire neuroimaging data during live, dynamic eye-to-eye contacts in 17 ASD and 19 typically-developed (TD) adults. Real eye contact conditions were contrasted with conditions where eye gaze was directed at a comparable dynamic face video. These findings were regressed with eye-contact dwell-time, i.e., times when gaze of both partners was in the eye-box of the other, to confirm the relationship between visual sensing and neural coding. Visual fixations and positional variance were also determined. Average gaze dwell-times in the "eye-box" did not vary between ASD and TD participants but were longer for the Real Eye than Video Eye condition for both groups. However, positional gaze variability, "jitter", was higher for ASD in both conditions. Neural findings for TD [Real Eye > Video Eye] were consistent with previous findings for interactive face-gaze with activity in right temporal and dorsal parietal regions. However, in ASD ventral temporal regions were observed for this contrast without evidence for dorsal parietal activity. This neural difference was enhanced when regressed by eye-contact dwell-times. Together findings are consistent with the hypothesis that unstable bottom-up oculomotor signals contribute to deficits in live face processing and reduced dorsal stream activity in ASD.

Significance: With the increasing popularity of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the need to determine localization of the source and nature of the signals has grown. Aim: We compare strategies for removal of non-neural signals for a finger-thumb tapping task, which shows responses in contralateral motor cortex and a visual checkerboard viewing task that produces activity within the occipital lobe. Approach: We compare temporal regression strategies using short-channel separation to a spatial principal component (PC) filter that removes global signals present in all channels. For short-channel temporal regression, we compare non-neural signal removal using first and combined first and second PCs from a broad distribution of short channels to limited distribution on the forehead. Results: Temporal regression of non-neural information from broadly distributed short channels did not differ from forehead-only distribution. Spatial PC filtering provides results similar to short-channel separation using the temporal domain. Utilizing both first and second PCs from short channels removes additional non-neural information. Conclusions: We conclude that short-channel information in the temporal domain and spatial domain regression filtering methods remove similar non-neural components represented in scalp hemodynamics from fNIRS signals and that either technique is sufficient to remove non-neural components.

Female cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy have an elevated risk of developing premature ovarian failure (POF) and infertility. Experimental approaches to treat iatrogenic infertility are evolving rapidly; however, there remain challenges and risks that have hindered clinical translation. To address these concerns, we developed an ovarian-specific extracellular matrix hydrogel to facilitate follicle delivery and establish anin situovary (ISO). We demonstrate sustainable engraftment, natural pregnancy and the birth of healthy pups after intraovarian microinjection of isolated exogenous follicles in a chemotherapy-induced POF mouse model. Our results suggest that the methods described could offer a minimally invasive alternative for the restoration of the ovarian reserve post-chemotherapy.

Face-specific neural processes in the human brain have been localized to multiple anatomical structures and associated with diverse and dynamic social functions. The question of how various face-related systems and functions may be bound together remains an active area of investigation. We hypothesize that face processing may be associated with specific frequency band oscillations that serve to integrate distributed face processing systems. Using a multimodal imaging approach, including electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), simultaneous signals were acquired during face and object picture viewing. As expected for face processing, hemodynamic activity in the right occipital face area (OFA) increased during face viewing compared to object viewing, and in a subset of participants, the expected N170 EEG response was observed for faces. Based on recently reported associations between the theta band and visual processing, we hypothesized that increased hemodynamic activity in a face processing area would also be associated with greater theta-band activity originating in the same area. Consistent with our hypothesis, theta-band oscillations were also localized to the right OFA for faces, whereas alpha- and beta-band oscillations were not. Together, these findings suggest that theta-band oscillations originating in the OFA may be part of the distributed face-specific processing mechanism.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) plays an important role in regulating many biological processes. Sphingosine-1-phosphate phosphatase 1 (SGPP1) can dephosphorylate S1P into sphingosine and tip the balance of sphingosine-S1P. Increased levels of sphingosine leads to a decrease in the ability of cell invasion as well as an increase in the ability of cell apoptosis. However, little is known regarding the effects of SGPP1 in gastric cancer. The present study examined the function of SGPP1 on gastric cancer cell lines as well as its clinical relevance in gastric cancer progression. Using immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR techniques, the clinical significance of SGPP1 expression was analyzed in 288 paraffin-embedded gastric tissue specimens and 219 fresh gastric tissues, respectively. Transgenes encoding ribozymes to specifically target human SGPP1 (pEF-SGPP1) was constructed. Human gastric cancer cell lines (AGS and HGC27) were transfected with pEF-SGPP1 transgene and examined by functional analysis. SGPP1 was downregulated in gastric cancer tissues, compared with adjacent normal gastric tissues (p=0.034). SGPP1 mRNA levels in gastric cancer tissues were significantly decreased when compared with their adjacent non-cancerous tissues (p0.001). Weakly expressed SGPP1 was positively correlated with the lymph node metastasis (p=0.005) and distant metastasis (p=0.031). Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that patients with SGPP1 positive expression had a significant increase in overall survival (OS) (p=0.034) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.041). Multivariate analysis indicated the expression of SGPP1 was an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer patients (p=0.041). In vitro experiments showed that knockdown of SGPP1 resulted in an increase in the invasion (2-fold) and migration (5-fold) of AGS and HGC27. The two gastric cancer cells transfected with pEF-SGPP1 exhibited a slower rate of growth with less adhesion. Thus, our findings provided evidence that SGPP1 may serve as a prognostic biomarker for patients with advanced gastric cancers.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) plays an important role in regulating many biological processes. Sphingosine-1-phosphate phosphatase 1 (SGPP1) can dephosphorylate S1P into sphingosine and tip the balance of sphingosine-S1P. Increased levels of sphingosine leads to a decrease in the ability of cell invasion as well as an increase in the ability of cell apoptosis. However, little is known regarding the effects of SGPP1 in gastric cancer. The present study examined the function of SGPP1 on gastric cancer cell lines as well as its clinical relevance in gastric cancer progression. Using immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR techniques, the clinical significance of SGPP1 expression was analyzed in 288 paraffin-embedded gastric tissue specimens and 219 fresh gastric tissues, respectively. Transgenes encoding ribozymes to specifically target human SGPP1 (pEF-SGPP1) was constructed. Human gastric cancer cell lines (AGS and HGC27) were transfected with pEF-SGPP1 transgene and examined by functional analysis. SGPP1 was downregulated in gastric cancer tissues, compared with adjacent normal gastric tissues (p=0.034). SGPP1 mRNA levels in gastric cancer tissues were significantly decreased when compared with their adjacent non-cancerous tissues (p

A phase sensitive 3D J-resolved HMBC experiment has been developed to obtain well-separated multiple-bond and one-bond heteronuclear correlation spectra. This experiment greatly facilitates spectral assignment and accurate measurement of the long-range 1H13C J coupling constants by a least-squares method. A phase sensitive 3D J-resolved HMBC experiment has been developed to obtain well-separated multiple-bond and one-bond heteronuclear correlation spectra. This experiment greatly facilitates spectral assignment and accurate measurement of the long-range 1H13C J coupling constants by a least-squares method.

The N-terminal two-thirds of tobamovirus movement proteins (MPs) contain two well conserved regions. Within region I (amino acids 56–96) is an area predicted by computer analysis to have loop secondary structure (amino acids 76–87). A single or two double amino acid mutations were introduced into the loop in region I of the TMV MP to destabilize the structure. The three mutant MPs were defective in movement function. The single amino acid mutation resulted in a Pro81→Ser substitution. The mutant virus, TP81S, containing the Pro81→Ser substitution, was propagated on a transgenic line ofNicotiana tabacumthat expresses the sunn-hemp mosaic tobamovirus MP. Inoculation of virus progeny from the transgenic plants onto hypersensitiveN. tabacumindicated the presence of infectious virus at a low frequency. Necrotic lesions were detected at 4 days postinoculation, 2 days later than those induced by wild-type TMV. Inoculation of virus extracted from necrotic lesions ontoN. tabacumresulted in a delayed and attenuated systemic infection relative to that induced by TMV, indicating that a second-site mutation restored movement function rather than a reversion of the original mutation. Sequence analysis revealed that the revertant MP gene had two additional amino acid substitutions, a Thr104→Ile and a Arg167→Lys. Introduction of the amino acid substitutions individually or in combination into the MP of TP81S indicated that both substitutions were required for the revertant phenotype. The data indicate that structure within region I is important in maintaining an active conformation for functional MP, that changes outside region I can compensate for alterations within the region, and suggest that region I may interact with a distal portion of the protein.

A prototype software system has been implemented for the parallel solution of linear systems associated with the hp-version, using the master/slave model and the Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) message passing library. In a series of performance tests, significant speed-up was achieved in those typical cases for the hp-version where there was sufficient computational granularity to justify use of the parallel method. These tests indicate that the algorithms devised for element ordering, load distribution and load balancing are sufficiently robust. These tests also indicate that, even though communication overhead in a network environment is relatively high, there is significant potential for scaling the method to larger processor ensembles. The solution method developed was implemented as a four step procedure. In step 1, a dynamic load distribution algorithm selects an element for each idle process based on the mesh topology. In step 2, element descriptions are communicated to each process where local matrix computations are performed in parallel. In step 3, regional assembly and elimination operations are carried out in parallel to produce multiple ‘frontal matrices’ which are eventually returned to a host process for final solution. In step 4, the solution to the global stiffness matrix is back-substituted into each previous frontal matrix to determine the values of all unknowns eliminated during the parallel assembly procedure.

A novel centre of gravity measurement system for small tractors with the principle of the three-point reaction is presented. According to the prototype of a small tractor gravity centre test platform, a mathematic multi-body dynamics prototype was built to analyze the measurement error in the centre of gravity measurement system. For the precision evaluation, interrelationships among the factors were studied which included the test platform structural parameters, the error of measurement sensors and the displacement of drive-pillar and the mass of measurement object. In succession, a virtual collaborative model of the centre of gravity measurement system was built and verified by a real prototype-based measurement platform. A modified gray model GM(1,1), which was used for forecasting the gravity height of small tractors, was proposed to avoid deviation of test data and so improved the measurement accuracy. A series of standard test object experiments were carried out, and the results showed that the relative error of the gravity height was up to 0.93%

Thirty-six healthy and similar Chinese Merino sheep were selected and divided into six groups at random. The treatment group was injected intradermally with 0.5 mL IGF-1 (10ng/mL). Treatment skin tissue of sheep were sampled respectively for 0,3,6,9,12 and 50 days and the skin expression of growth hormone receptor (GHR), insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF- R), KAP3.2 and KAP6-1 mRNA were measured by RT-PCR. The results indicated that IGF-1 could degrade GHR gene expression, have no effect of IGF-1 and IGF-1R gene expression, and increase significantly KAP3.2 and KAP6-1 gene expression. Taken together these findings that the improvement of KAP3.2 and KAP6-1 gene expression may correlate with other pathways beyond the insulin-like growth factor axis. Keywords: Sheep; gene expression; growth hormone receptor (GHR); insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF-1);insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R); keratin intermediate filament-associated protein 3.2 (KAP3.2); keratin-associated protein 6-1(KAP6-1) African Journal of Livestock Extension Vol. 5 2007: pp. 37-42

OBJECTIVES Protein kinase C (PKC) is involved in cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. We investigated the effects of the PKC activator, the tetradecanylphorbol acetate (TPA), in human pancreatic cancer cells. METHODS Cell proliferation was measured by thymidine incorporation. Expression of cell cycle proteins was investigated by Western blot. Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to measure p21 messenger RNA expression, whereas knockdown of its expression was accomplished with a specific small interferring RNA. Cell cycle phases were determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS TPA time and concentration dependently inhibited thymidine incorporation in Panc-1 and CD18 cells and induced G2/M cell cycle arrest. The TPA decreased cyclin A and B expression, increased cyclin E, and markedly increased the expression of p21 at both the messenger RNA and protein levels. TPA-induced p21 expression and growth inhibition were blocked by the PKC inhibitor, bisindoylmaleimide. TPA induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 phosphorylation, whereas the MEK inhibitor, PD98059, blocked the TPA-induced p21 expression. Small interferring RNA targeted to p21 blocked TPA-induced p21 protein expression but not TPA-induced cell growth arrest. CONCLUSIONS TPA-induced p21 expression is mediated by the MEK/ERK pathway but is not involved in TPA-induced growth inhibition. In contrast, cyclin A and cyclin B are likely involved in TPA-induced G2/M arrest because both proteins are involved in S phase and G2/M transition during cell proliferation.