Early Production Phase Research Articles

Mid eighteenth-century tin-glazed earthenwares from the Delftfield Pottery, Glasgow: Excavation at the Broomielaw, 1975

This report describes an excavation on the Broomielaw quayside opposite the site of the Delftfield Company’s works, which recovered kiln-wasters from an early phase of production. Appendix I covers all ceramic exports from Port Glasgow, 1742 to 1773, and some from Greenock. Appendix II contains notes on the family and other connections of some of the original potters who were recruited from Lambeth and elsewhere in 1748.

Clinical aspects of alpha 1-fetoprotein determination in human liver cancer and in humans and experimental animals at carcinogenic risk.

Recent findings concerning the significance of alpha 1-fetoprotein (AFP) as a tool for clinical diagnosis and monitoring of tumor diseases are reviewed briefly. The applicability of this protein marker to the early diagnosis of patients at carcinogenic risk is discussed. In addition, experimental data obtained with a model of chemical hepatocarcinogenesis are reported. The increase of proliferative activity in precancerous liver tissue preceded AFP production under experimental conditions with azodyes and aflatoxin B1 as carcinogens. Immunohistochemical analysis of the relation of AFP to changes of cell populations and to liver tissue rearrangement led to the conclusion that AFP-producing cells cannot be precursors of malignant hepatocytes; however, AFP appeared to be linked to dividing hepatocytes at a certain step of cell differentiation regardless of the stages of precancerous development. A decrease in the rate of nuclear RNA synthesis was observed in both precancerous and tumor tissues. A possible analogy between the early phase of AFP production in animal carcinogenesis and that in human carcinogenesis is considered.

Effects of different cyclophosphamide treatment schedules on collagen and collagenolytic activity in granulation tissue.

Cyclophosphamide was injected intraperitoneally into rats in doses of 6 or 10 mg/kg/day. The controls had daily intraperitoneal injections of physiological saline. After 14 days of treatment, granulation tissue was produced by subcutaneous implantation of viscose cellulose sponges. The treatment with cyclophosphamide and physiological saline was continued in different sequences for a further one or two 14-day periods. The rats were killed 14 or 28 days after the sponge implantation. Cyclophosphamide caused a decrease in body weight, in the number of leucocytes, in granuloma dry weight and in the granuloma content of free OH-proline while the water percentage increased. Ten mg/kg/day of cyclophosphamide had a more pronounced effect than 6 mg/kg/day. The results are consistent with an inhibitory effect of cyclophosphamide on granuloma formation and on the degradation of collagen. Accordingly, measurements of collagenolytic activity in granulation tissue after culture in vitro suggested an inhibition of collagenolysis after cyclophosphamide treatment. No effect of pretreatment was observed, and the effect of cyclophosphamide was independent of whether cyclophosphamide was given during the early or late phase of granulation tissue production.

Investigation of the Early Phases of Plasma Production by Laser Irradiation of Plane Solid Targets

The time development of line radiation emitted from a plasma produced by focusing a Q-switched ruby laser onto a solid magnesium target has been investigated in the vacuum-ultraviolet wavelength region using a 2-m grazing incidence monochromator. The electron temperature was obtained using the foil-absorption method. The time of appearance of MgIX and MgX lines at the target was measured as a function of the laser power. For the lowest laser power at which both ionic lines appeared, MgIX radiated before MgX. The appearance time of each line decreased as laser power was increased until at the higher powers they appeared at about the same time-2 nsec after the beginning of the laser pulse. The ionization processes occurring in front of the target are discussed using a simple model for the plasma. From the time of appearance of the lines, conclusions on the electron temperature in the ``heating zone'' can be drawn as well as on an over-all heating rate.

Seasonal production of Andropogon gayanus. I. Seasonal changes in yield components and chemical composition

SUMMARYChanges in yield and quality of an Andropogon gayanus sward were traced throughout the 1964 wet season and part of the following dry season.Quality, in terms of crude-protein content, was highest at the beginning of the wet season, but yield increased to a maximum at the beginning of the dry season. Once flowering was completed in October, herbage quality fell to a very low level. It was concluded that the best time to cut for hay was in early October, at which time the crude-protein content showed a small but significant increase. Regrowth measurements taken in mid-November indicated the benefit of taking an early hay cut in July as a means of producing better quality hay at the end of the rains.During the early vegetative phase of growth leaf production was greater than stem production. Quality was high because the leaves contained a higher content of crudeprotein, calcium, phosphorus and carotene than the stems. During the reproductive stage of growth, comprising stem elongation in September culminating in anthesis in early October, quality was lower due to the high fibre content of the stems. The increase in crude-protein in early October, coincided with the expansion of new leaves on the flowering stems.It was concluded that throughout most of the latter part of the growing season A. gayanus did not provide adequate supplies of crude-protein, calcium and particularly phosphorus for normal cattle growth, especially after flowering was completed in late October.

Studies on the biosynthesis of phenols in fungi. Production of 4-methoxytoluquinol, epoxysuccinic acid and a diacetylenic alcohol by surface cultures of Letinus degener I.M.I. 110 525.

1. 4-Methoxytoluquinol was secreted into the medium by surface cultures of the basidiomycete Lentinus degener Kalchbr. (approx. 100mg./l. of medium). In addition, epoxysuccinic acid (150-200mg.) and a long-chain diacetylenic alcohol (3mg.) were also secreted. Epoxysuccinic acid has previously been found in the culture medium of some Fungi Imperfecti. These metabolites were all synthesized during the early phase of growth but maximum production occurred some time later. 2. Supplementation of the medium with cycloheximide or 8-azaguanine inhibited the production of epoxysuccinic acid. 3. Sodium [1-(14)C]acetate and 6-methyl[(14)C]salicylic acid were not incorporated into 4-methoxytoluquinol, but [U-(14)C]tyrosine and [Me-(14)C]methionine were incorporated to the extent of 0.55 and 4.75% respectively (minimum values). Degradation studies established that the aromatic ring and C-methyl group were derived from the ring and beta-carbon atom of tyrosine; the O-methyl group alone was formed from methionine.

Development of immunological memory during the primary immune response.

THE existence of immunological memory has been classically recognized by the appearance of a “secondary” type of antibody response to antigenic challenge of a previously immunized animal. Whereas the kinetics of the early phases of antibody production have been intensively investigated1, little is known about the development of immunological memory during the early stages of the immune response. Lymphoid cells from animals previously stimulated with an antigen can respond to the same antigen in tissue culture with antibody production2, cellular proliferation3,4 and increased synthesis of DNA5. Available evidence indicates that this in vitro response can be taken as evidence for the presence of specific immunological memory5. We have investigated the development of this capacity by measuring the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into the DNA of lymphoid cells from immunized rabbits on re-exposure to the antigen in vitro.

ANTIBODY SYNTHESIS AT THE CELLULAR LEVEL

The suppressing activity of passively transferred antibodies on antibody synthesis against sheep red cells was investigated at the cellular level by the agar-plaque technique developed by Jerne. Humoral antibodies injected prior to the antigen suppressed the appearance of plaque-forming spleen cells producing 19S antibodies completely. Antibodies given during the first 4 days after antigen injection also showed such action, but only after a latency period of 40 hours. The inhibiting efficiency of 7S antibodies was about 100 to 200 times greater than that of 19S antibodies. The results support the conclusion that humoral antibodies inhibit the immune response by removing the stimulus for the proliferation of the antibody producing cells and not by directly depressing antibody synthesis in already committed cells. Passively transferred antibodies inhibited the 7S response if given prior to, or 24 hours after the antigen injection, in analogy with previous results concerning 19S response. In contrast to these previous results on 19S synthesis, antibody transfer had no detectable effect during the early exponential phase of 7S production (5 to 7 days after antigen injection). Only limited inhibition was observed 3 days after the antigen. One possible explanation of this difference is that 7S-producing cells do not divide, or divide at a slow rate. Antigen injection would stimulate the proliferation of 19S-producing cells. Subsequently these would switch to the synthesis of 7S antibodies. These would inhibit the initiation of new 19S-producing cells by combining with the antigen. They would thus suppress the recruitment of their own precursors. A steady state of 7S antibody production by cells with a long lifetime would be the result. This hypothesis ascribes an important regulatory function to 7S antibodies. They would be parts of a feed-back system preventing excessive cell multiplication in response to a single antigen.

Acid Stimulation of a Fractured Shale Zone

Abstract Honolulu Oil Corp., operator for the Antelope Shale Zone Unit, Buena Vista Hills, initiated a program for oil well acid treatment for the purpose of removing precipitated carbonate scales from production equipment and for well stimulation, Oct. 23, 1956. This program was active through Feb., 1958. In this period 35 wells were acid treated yielding a net increase in oil of 1,390 B/D and gas increase of 3,265 Mcf/D. The total cost of acidizing the 35 wells was $80,000. Introduction Acid stimulation of California oil wells has been used to a limited extent, primarily for dissolving precipitated carbonate scales and other plugging agents within or adjacent to the wellbore. In the Antelope Shale Zone in Buena Vista Hills, some producing wells showed evidence of rapid carbonate scale precipitation on the tubing and rods in early phases of production. Observation of this scale led to the belief that acid treatment of a well might be beneficial both to production equipment and to production rate, if liner and adjacent wellbore were suffering plugging. Initial application of acid to an oil well was made almost solely to clean up production equipment. History of Development The Buena Vista Hills field is located in Kern County near Taft. The field is on a large anticlinal structure including two domes and containing several productive sands from about 2,300 to 3,900 ft, and also containing the Antelope Shale Zone which is predominantly a fractured shale. The shallower sand zones were developed over a period from 1909 to the present time. The fractured shale zone has been developed in the last six years and development is still progressing to a minor degree. This report is confined to the East Dome. The upper sands have been acid treated on occasion over a period of years in a spotty manner giving spotty results. A few jobs were quite beneficial, but the majority were of moderate or no success. The predominant basis for treatment of these upper sands was also the observation of precipitated scale on production equipment.