Human development is characterized by the complex interplay of processes that manifest at multiple levels of analysis and time-scales. The authors introduce the Intraindividual Study of Affect, ...Health and Interpersonal Behavior as a model for how multiple time-scale study designs facilitate more precise articulation of developmental theory. Combining age heterogeneity, longitudinal panel, daily diary, and experience sampling protocols, the study made use of smartphone and web-based technologies to obtain intensive longitudinal data from 150 persons age 18 to 89 years as they completed three 21-day measurement bursts, spanning 8,557 days and 64,112 social interactions, as they went about their daily lives. The authors illustrate how multiple time-scales of data can be used to articulate bioecological models of development and the interplay among more "distal" processes that manifest at "slower" time-scales (age-related differences and burst-to-burst changes in mental health) and more "proximal" processes that manifest at "faster" time-scales (changes in context that progress in accordance with the weekly calendar and family influence processes).
The cervix and its secretions undergo biochemical and physical changes under the differential influences of estrogen and progesterone. These include changes in the glycoprotein profile of the ...endocervix and its secretions. A comprehensive survey of such changes in cervical epithelium and cervical secretions was performed on bovine samples throughout the periestrous period. Cervical tissue samples and swabs were collected from synchronized beef heifers that were slaughtered 1) 12 h after controlled intravaginal progesterone-releasing device (CIDR) removal, 2) 24 h after CIDR removal, 3) at the onset of estrus, 4) 12 h after the onset of estrus, 5) 48 h after the onset of estrus, and 6) 7 d after the onset of estrus. Histological staining with hematoxylin and cosin, periodic acid Schiff, Alcian blue, and high-iron diamine was carried out to map overall patterns of stored glycoproteins and tissue structure. Biotinylated lectins were also used to detect the presence and distribution of a range of saccharide structures. The activities of β-galactosidase, α-L-fucosidase, β-N-acetyl-hexosaminidase, and sialidase were measured in cervical swabs using specific substrates. The epithelial layer of the cervix exhibited dynamic changes in cellular hypertrophy and amounts of stored glycoprotein. The greatest content of neutral and acidic mucins was observed 48 h after onset of estrus (P < 0.05). Sialylated mucins predominated at the bases of cervical folds, whereas sulfated mucins were more abundant (P < 0.05) at their apices. The stained area of core mucin glycans changed (P < 0.05) in association with follicular versus luteal phases, whereas terminal glycans changed (P < 0.05) mainly at the time of estrus and shortly thereafter. The greatest activity of β-galactosidase and sialidase was observed 12 h after onset of estrus, whereas β-hexosaminidase and α-fucosidase peaked at the luteal time point (P < 0.05). Taken together, we suggest that the well-known changes in the endocervix and its secretions that are associated with the physiological modulation of sperm transport and function of the cervical barrier are, in part, driven by glycosylation changes. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
Prolonged postpartum anoestrus in beef cows is due to failure of early dominant follicles to ovulate. It is hypothesized that this failure to ovulate is due to inadequate LH pulse frequency. The ...objective of this study was to determine whether administration of hourly LH pulses would cause the first dominant follicle to ovulate. In Expt 1, 16 cows received either saline (n = 8) or porcine LH (pLH; 50 micrograms h-1; n = 8) as hourly pulses for 3-5 days from the second day of dominance of the first dominant follicle (day 0). In Expt 2, 21 cows received either saline (n = 7), or 50 micrograms pLH (n = 7) or 100 micrograms pLH (n = 7) as hourly pulses for 3 days. Appropriate ovarian scanning and assays of blood samples were carried out. In Expt 1, the number of dominant follicles that underwent atresia was not affected by increasing the number of LH pulses, but the duration of dominance (days) of the first and second dominant follicles and maximum size (mm) of the second dominant follicle were increased (P < 0.05). Oestradiol concentrations were higher (P < 0.05) in cows given hourly pLH pulses (3.1 +/- 1.2 pg ml-1) compared with controls (1.2 +/- 0.2 pg ml-1). Four of eight treated cows had an anovulatory LH surge. The number of follicle waves to first ovulation was not different (P < 0.05) between control (4.6 +/- 0.9) and pLH treated cows (3.9 +/- 0.5). In Expt 2, four of seven cows given pulses of 100 micrograms pLH h-1 ovulated the first dominant follicle, and the interval from calving to first ovulation was decreased (P < 0.05). In the remaining three cows, the duration of dominance of the first dominant follicle was increased (P < 0.005), the maximum size of the first dominant follicle was greater (P < 0.05), and the interval (days) from the start of infusion to new wave emergence was greater (P < 0.05) compared with cows that failed to ovulate in either the 50 micrograms pLH h-1 or control treatments. In conclusion, hourly pulses of pLH from day 1 after dominance of the first dominant follicle in postpartum beef cows can either prolong dominance or induce it to ovulate. This finding supports the hypothesis that LH pulse frequency is a key determinant of the fate of the dominant follicle in the early postpartum period.
The height or mass to which swards are defoliated can potentially affect regrowth. A field study was undertaken to determine the response of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) dominant swards to ...defoliation severity over repeated defoliations during a period of low water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) accumulation (late spring to mid-autumn due to active leaf growth and relatively high respiration). Five defoliation severities (defoliation to a residual stubble height RSH of 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 mm) were replicated five times in a Latin square design. During a 6-mo period, treatment plots were defoliated seven times using a rotary lawnmower. Analysis of data indicated a quadratic relationship between RSH and total herbage production, with total yields of 12,190, 13,440, 13,730, 13,320, and 11,300 kg DM ha-1 for swards defoliated to 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mm, respectively. Regression analyses identified 56 mm as the optimal RSH for herbage production, but there was little biological significance between 40 and 80 mm RSH. Total WSC content per tiller was reduced with increasing defoliation severity. The relationship between WSC content per tiller and subsequent herbage yield was quadratic, with peak herbage yield at 9.4 mg tiller-1 (60 mm RSH). The data indicate that between September (spring) and April (autumn), herbage production of temperate perennial ryegrass-dominant swards is maximized when defoliation severity results in post-grazing stubble heights of 40 to 80 mm.
The scapula fulfils many roles to facilitate optimal function of the shoulder. Normal function of the shoulder joint requires a scapula that can be properly aligned in multiple planes of motion of ...the upper extremity. Scapular dyskinesis, meaning abnormal motion of the scapula during shoulder movement, is a clinical finding commonly encountered by shoulder surgeons. It is best considered an impairment of optimal shoulder function. As such, it may be the underlying cause or the accompanying result of many forms of shoulder pain and dysfunction. The present review looks at the causes and treatment options for this indicator of shoulder pathology and aims to provide an overview of the management of disorders of the scapula.
Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) involving 3p occurs in many carcinomas but is complicated by the identification of four distinct homozygous deletion regions. One putative target, 3p14.2, contains the ...common fragile site, FRA3B, a hereditary renal carcinoma-associated 3;8 translocation and the candidate tumor suppressor gene, FHIT. Using a ∼300 kb cosmid/λ contig, we identified homozygous deletions in cervix, breast, lung and colorectal carcinoma cell lines. The smallest deletion (CC19) was shown not to involve FHIT coding exons and no DNA sequence alterations were present in the transcript. We also detected discontinuous deletions as well as deletions in non-tumor DNAs, suggesting that FHIT is not a selective target. Further, we demonstrate that some reported FHIT aberrations represent normal splicing variation. DNA sequence analysis of 110 kb demonstrated that the region is high in A-T content, LINEs and MER repeats, whereas Alu elements are reduced. We note an intriguing similarity in repeat sequence composition between FRA3B and a 152 kb segment from the Fragile-X region. We also identified similarity between a FRA3B segment and a small polydispersed circular DNA. In contrast to the selective loss of a tumor suppressor gene, we propose an alternative hypothesis, that some putative targets including FRA3B may undergo loss as a consequence of genomic instability. This instability is not due to DNA mismatch repair deficiency, but may correlate in part with p53 inactivation.
The aim of this experiment was to determine if maternal exposure to octylphenol pre- and/or postnatally influenced FSH concentrations and semen quantity and quality in postpubertal rams. Rams were ...born to ewes that received twice-weekly s.c. injections of octylphenol equivalent to 1000
μg/kg/day for one of the following periods: (1) day 70 of gestation (D70) to weaning (at 20 weeks postnatally;
n
=
4); (2) D70 to birth (
n
=
6); (3) birth to weaning (
n
=
7), controls received corn oil from D70 to weaning (
n
=
5). Rams were blood-sampled weekly and semen characteristics were evaluated at 1 year of age. Maternal exposure to octylphenol, pre- and/or postnatally did not affect FSH concentrations, semen volume, concentration, percentage live, motility or IVM/IVF characteristics. However, exposure to octylphenol from birth to weaning increased the number of morphologically abnormal sperm cells in the ejaculates of these rams.
The tissue concentration of PGE2is heightened during mucosal inflammation. Nevertheless, the cellular targets of this prostanoid and its effects on epithelial cell physiology are incompletely ...understood. We used a panel of specific immunoglobulin and mRNA probes in order to localize and quantitate the four member EP family of prostanoid receptors for binding PGE2on cells of histologically normal and inflamed human colonic mucosa, and then examined the physiological consequences for the epithelial component of intestine, with special attention to its barrier function. Prostanoid receptors were selectively expressed on a limited number of human colonic mucosal cells, and differed markedly between normal and inflamed tissue. In non-inflamed mucosa, EP2and EP3were expressed on epithelia at the apex of crypts; while EP4was expressed on surface and lateral crypt epithelia. Dual immunostaining and in situ hybridization with digoxygenin-labelled RNA probes largely confirmed the epithelial localization of EP4. On the other hand, during inflammation, lateral crypt (non-surface) epithelial cells newly and significantly expressed prostanoid receptors EP2and EP3(p<0.05, by computer-assisted densitometry). Functionally, exogenous E series prostanoids applied to epithelial monolayers in nM concentrations brought about a 24% increase in the level of barrier function; an associated rise in intracellular cAMP (EC50of 281); and protection of epithelium from the effects of T cell cytokines. A major perturbation in the number and distribution of functional eicosonoid receptors on epithelia occurs in chronic inflammation of human colonic mucosa.
The present research case sought to illustrate how self-regulatory patterns of interpersonal behavior manifest within a rejection sensitive individual at the daily level. Cross-sectional research has ...demonstrated negative relational outcomes associated with rejection sensitivity, but less attention has been paid to how this manifests in daily relational events. Expanding upon prior research evaluating the daily interpersonal functioning of those with high rejection sensitivity in a large sample, the research case study of Mary demonstrates how findings from research may manifest within a rejection sensitive individual who was asked to rate her interpersonal events over the course of a week. For Mary, covariations among her interpersonal perceptions suggest a negativity bias that may be basis of a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which her rejection expectancies come to be realized through her treating agency as unfriendly behavior. The implications for psychotherapy of interpersonal patterns typically observed in rejection sensitive clients are discussed.
A compilation of data on the elemental composition of marine phytoplankton from published studies was used to determine the range of Cratio Nratio P. The Nratio P ratio of algae and cyanobacteria is ...very plastic in nutrient-limited cells, ranging from <5 mol Nratio mol P when phosphate is available greatly in excess of nitrate or ammonium to >100 mol Nratio mol P when inorganic N is present greatly in excess of P. Under optimal nutrient-replete growth conditions, the cellular Nratio P ratio is somewhat more constrained, ranging from 5 to 19 mol Nratio mol P, with most observations below the Redfield ratio of 16. Limited data indicate that the critical Nratio P that marks the transition between N- and P-limitation of phytoplankton growth lies in the range 20–50 mol Nratio mol P, considerably in excess of the Redfield ratio. Biochemical composition can be used to constrain the critical Nratio P. Although the biochemical data do not preclude the critical Nratio P from being as high as 50, the typical biochemical composition of nutrient-replete algae and cyanobacteria suggests that the critical Nratio P is more likely to lie in the range between 15 and 30. Despite the observation that the overall average Nratio P composition of marine particulate matter closely approximates the Redfield ratio of 16, there are significant local variations with a range from 5 to 34. Consistent with the culture studies, lowest values of Nratio P are associated with nitrate- and phosphate-replete conditions. The highest values of Nratio P are observed in oligotrophic waters and are within the range of critical Nratio P observed in cultures, but are not so high as to necessarily invoke P-limitation. The Cratio N ratio is also plastic. The average Cratio N ratios of nutrient-replete phytoplankton cultures, oceanic particulate matter and inorganic N and C draw-down are slightly greater than the Redfield ratio of 6·6. Neither the analysis of laboratory Cratio Nratio P data nor a more theoretical approach based on the relative abundance of the major biochemical molecules in the phytoplankton can support the contention that the Redfield Nratio P reflects a physiological or biochemical constraint on the elemental composition of primary production.
PDF
