Coral planulae settle, then metamorphose and form polyps. This study examined the morphological process of metamorphosis from planulae into primary polyps in the scleractinian corals
Acropora nobilis
...and
Acropora microphthalma
, using the cnidarian neuropeptide Hym-248
.
These two species release eggs that do not contain
Symbiodinium
. The mode of acquisition of freshly isolated
Symbiodinium
(zooxanthellae) (FIZ) by the non-symbiotic polyp was also examined. Non-Hym-248 treated swimming
Acropora
planulae did not develop blastopore, mesenteries or coelenteron until the induction of metamorphosis 16 days after fertilization. The oral pore was formed by invagination of the epidermal layer after formation of the coelenteron in metamorphosing polyps. At 3 days after settlement and metamorphosis, primary polyps exposed to FIZ established symbioses with the
Symbiodinium
. Two–four days after exposure to FIZ, the distribution of
Symbiodinium
was limited to the gastrodermis of the pharynx and basal part of the polyps. Eight–ten days after exposure to FIZ,
Symbiodinium
were present in gastrodermal cells throughout the polyps.
There has been much research on longitudinal bunch splitting and coalescing for accelerator performance improvements in rf synchrotrons. In this paper, we report a scheme with several induction cells ...that goes beyond the limitation in which the phase drift speed of beam buckets must be much lower than that of the maximum off-momentum particles to minimize longitudinal emittance blowup. In principle, additional pulse acceleration voltages can be applied to produce a momentum jump of the beam and save beam manipulation time, which is crucial for fast-cycling synchrotrons with limited injection and extraction times. This paper compares the new and conventional schemes with experimental results. Finally, the beam behaviors are discussed with macroparticle simulations.
Atrial fibrillation is often initiated by bursts of ectopic activity arising in the pulmonary veins. We have previously shown that a 3-h intermittent burst pacing protocol (BPP), mimicking ectopic ...pulmonary vein foci, shortens action potential duration (APD) locally at the pulmonary vein-atrial interface (PV) while having no effect elsewhere in rabbit atrium. This shortening is Ca(2+) dependent and is prevented by apamin, which blocks small conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (SK(Ca)). The present study investigates the ionic and molecular mechanisms whereby two apamin-sensitive SK(Ca) channels, SK2 and SK3, might contribute to the regional APD changes.
Microelectrode and patch clamp techniques were used to record APDs and apamin-sensitive currents in isolated rabbit left atria and cells dispersed from PV and Bachmann's bundle (BB) regions. SK2 and SK3 mRNA and protein levels were quantified, and immunofluorescence was used to observe channel protein distribution.
There was a direct relationship between APD shortening and apamin-sensitive current in burst-paced but not sham-paced PV. Moreover, apamin-sensitive current density increased in PV but not BB after BPP. SK2 mRNA, protein, and current were increased in PV after BPP, while SK2 immunostaining shifted from a perinuclear pattern in sham atria to predominance at sites near or at the PV membrane.
BPP-induced acceleration of repolarization in PV results from SK2 channel trafficking to the membrane, leading to increased apamin-sensitive outward current. This is the first indication of involvement of Ca(2+)-activated K(+) currents in atrial remodeling and provides a possible basis for evolution of an arrhythmogenic substrate.
Marine animals, and sea urchin species in particular, have several advantages for use in environmental research. However, the spawned eggs of the sea urchin quickly lose fertility, although the ...fertile period can be lengthened by the addition of antibiotics to the sea water (Epel et al., 2004). We evaluated five species of Japanese sea urchin and the gametes of Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus could be maintained for 2 weeks or more at low temperature with the addition of antibiotics to sea water. We also demonstrated the practicality of shipping these preserved gametes as experimental material for universities and schools to use immediately for bioassays of physical and chemical impacts on the marine environment.
•We examined the egg storage conditions for five sea urchin species.•One winter species was useful for tow weeks or more storage in low temperature.•The development of stored eggs was normal and sufficient for bioassay.•Stored eggs were supplied as ready to use material for universities and schools.
Abstract Recently, our group has proposed a combinatorial strategy in tissue engineering principles employing carboxymethylchitosan/poly(amidoamine) dendrimer nanoparticles (CMCht/PAMAM) towards the ...intracellular release and regimented supply of dexamethasone (Dex) aimed at controlling stem cell osteogenic differentiation in the absence of typical osteogenic inducers, in vivo . In this work, we have investigated if the Dex-loaded CMCht/PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles could play a crucial role in the regulation of osteogenesis, in vivo . Macroporous hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds were seeded with rat bone marrow stromal cells (RBMSCs), whose cells were expanded in MEM medium supplemented with 0.01 mg ml−1 Dex-loaded CMCht/PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles and implanted subcutaneously on the back of rats for 2 and 4 weeks. HA porous ceramics without RBMSCs and RBMSCs/HA scaffold constructs seeded with cells expanded in the presence and absence of 10−8 M Dex were used as controls. The effect of initial cell number seeded in the HA scaffolds on the bone-forming ability of the constructs was also investigated. Qualitative and quantitative new bone formation was evaluated in a non-destructive manner using micro-computed tomography analyses of the explants. Haematoxylin and Eosin stained implant sections were also used for the histomorphometrical analysis. Toluidine blue staining was carried out to investigate the synthesis of proteoglycan extracellular matrix. In addition, alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin levels in the explants were also quantified, since these markers denote osteogenic differentiation. At 4 weeks post-implantation results have shown that the novel Dex-loaded carboxymethylchitosan/poly(amidoamine) dendrimer nanoparticles may be beneficial as an intracellular nanocarrier, supplying Dex in a regimented manner and promoting superior ectopic de novo bone formation.
Objective: To investigate whether concentrations of plasma adiponectin constitute a significant coronary risk factor, with particular focus on the relation between plasma concentrations of ...adiponectin and the development of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Subjects and methods: Plasma concentrations of adiponectin were measured in 123 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and in 17 control participants. Patients were divided into three groups according to condition type: acute myocardial infarction (AMI) group (n = 59), unstable angina pectoris (UAP) group (n = 28), and stable angina pectoris (SAP) group (n = 36). Results: Plasma concentrations of adiponectin correlated negatively with body mass index (r = −0.18, p < 0.05), serum triglyceride (r = −0.25, p < 0.01), and fasting glucose concentrations (r = −0.21, p < 0.05), but correlated positively with age (r = 0.26, p < 0.01), high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (r = 0.35, p < 0.01), and low density lipoprotein particle size (r = 0.37, p < 0.01). Plasma concentrations of adiponectin in patients with ACS, in both the AMI and UAP groups, were significantly lower than those in patients with SAP and in the control group (ACS, 6.5 (3.0) μg/ml; SAP, 11.3 (5.9) μg/ml; control 12.8 (4.3) μg/ml; p < 0.01). Additionally, plasma concentrations of adiponectin in patients with CAD (7.9 (4.6) μg/ml, p < 0.01) were significantly lower than in the control group. There were, however, no significant differences between patients with SAP and the control group (p = 0.36). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that smoking, fasting glucose concentration, and low log adiponectin concentration correlated independently with the development of an ACS. Conclusions: The findings suggest that measurement of plasma concentrations of adiponectin may be of use for assessing the risk of CAD and may be related to the development of ACS.
Background: This phase I dose-escalating study investigated the tolerability and toxicity of the selective epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib (‘Iressa’, ZD1839) in ...Japanese patients with solid tumors. Thirty-one patients were included. Patients and methods: Patients initially received a single oral dose of gefitinib followed by 10–14 days of observation. Oral gefitinib was subsequently administered on 14 consecutive days, every 28 days. Dose escalation was from 50 mg/day to a maximum of 925 mg/day or dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). Results: Most adverse events were mild (grade 1/2); the most frequent were an acne-like rash and gastrointestinal effects. Two of six patients at 700 mg/day had DLT; no further dose escalation occurred. Cmax was reached within 3–7 h and exposure to gefitinib increased with dose. Mean terminal half-life following multiple dosing was 50.1 h (range 27.8–79.7 h). A partial response (duration 35–361 days) was observed in five of the 23 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer over a range of doses (225–700 mg/day), and seven patients with a range of tumors had disease stabilization (duration 40–127 days). Conclusions: In conclusion, gefitinib showed a favorable tolerability profile in Japanese patients. The safety profile, pharmacokinetic parameters and antitumor activity observed in our study are comparable to those observed in patients from the USA and Europe.
We propose an image editing system for repositioning objects in a single image based on the perspective of the scene. In our system, an input image is transformed into a layer structure that is ...composed of object layers and a background layer, and then the scene depth is computed from the ground region that is specified by the user using a simple boundary line. The object size and order of overlapping are automatically determined during the reposition based on the scene depth. In addition, our system enables the user to move shadows along with objects naturally by extracting the shadow mattes using only a few user‐specified scribbles. Finally, we demonstrate the versatility of our system through applications to depth‐of‐field effects, fog synthesis and 3D walkthrough in an image.
We propose an image editing system for repositioning objects in a single image based on the perspective of the scene. In our system, an input image is transformed into a layer structure that is composed of object layers and a background layer, and then the scene depth is computed from the ground region that is specified by the user using a simple boundary line. The object size and order of overlapping are automatically determined during the reposition based on the scene depth. In addition, our system enables the user to move shadows along with objects naturally by extracting the shadow mattes using only a few user‐specified scribbles.
We simultaneously examined seasonal fluctuations in maximum quantum yield (F sub(v)/F sub(m)), cell density and genotypic clade composition of zooxanthellae in the sympatric corals Pavona divaricata ...and P. decussata at a high latitude site in Okinawa, Japan. The 2 species had different responses to seasonal changes in light and seawater temperature. P. decussata was associated only with clade C zooxanthellae (at all sampling times) while genotypic clade composition fluctuated in P. divaricata. Three colonies of P. divaricata harbored clade D throughout the year and the other 7 colonies changed clade type from C to D or vice versa, or contained a mixture of both clades on some sampling occasions. Though neither coral species suffered bleaching during the experimental period, there were F sub(v)/F sub(m) decreases in P. decussata and P. divaricata harboring clade C during cold and warm seasons; F sub(v)/F sub(m) of P. divaricata harboring clade D was stable. When exposed to low or high temperature under normal or high light, P. divaricata harboring clade D was less damaged and Photosystem II recovery was faster than in P. decussata harboring clade C. These results suggest that the sympatric congeneric corals have different symbiont switching flexibilities and this difference might account for the observed difference in stress susceptibility between the two species. In high-latitude reefs, both winter low temperatures and summer high temperatures may be potential stressors that cause coral bleaching, at least in corals with high clade C zooxanthellar fidelity.
PDF
