S1 S3 Research Articles

A World Without Measles

Measles is one of the most highly transmissible contagious human diseases. In the prevaccine era, .90% of children had measles by their 15th birthday. In 1980, before the use of measles vaccine was widespread, an estimated 2.6 million deaths due to measles occurred worldwide. The aim of Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) is to reduce the overall number of deaths among children by two-thirds by 2015, compared with the level in 1990.[1] Recognizing the potential of measles vaccination to reduce mortality among children and that measles vaccination coverage may be considered a marker of access to children’s health services, routine measles vaccination coverage was selected as an indicator of progress towards this goal. At the 63rd World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2010, Member States endorsed the following accelerated measles control targets to be achieved by 2015 [2]: exceed 90% coverage with the first dose of measlescontaining vaccine nationally and exceed 80% vaccination coverage in every district; reduce annual measles incidence to ,5 cases per million and maintain that level; and reduce measles mortality by $95%, compared with 2000 estimates. These ambitious targets are aligned with MDG4 and represent milestones towards the global eradication of measles. Global mortality attributed to measles has decreased by an impressive 78% from an estimated 733,000 deaths in 2000 to 164,000 in 2008 [3]. The decrease in measles mortality has accounted for 23% of the overall decrease in childhood mortality since 1990 and for 24% since 2000.[4] All countries, with the exception of India, achieved the 2010 global goal of reducing measles mortality by 90% two years ahead of the target date [3]. This progress has been made possible through accelerated measles control activities implemented by high-burden countries with the financial and technical support of the Measles Initiative. (Launched in 2001, the Measles Initiative is an international partnership committed to reducing measles deaths worldwide, founded and led by the American Red Cross, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, United Nations Foundation, and the World Health Organization (WHO) and joined subsequently by a number of other organizations. Additional information available at http://www.measlesinitiative.org). Moreover, measles elimination has been sustained in the WHO Region of the Americas since 2002, and important steps are being taken to achieve the goal of measles elimination in 3 other WHO regions (Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, and Western Pacific) by 2015 or before. In 2009, the African Region adopted the goal of eliminating measles by 2020, and the South East Asian Region passed a resolution urging countries to mobilize resources to support elimination of measles with discussions continuing about establishing a target date. In May 2008, encouraged by the progress being made in reducing measles deaths worldwide, Member States requested that the WHO evaluate the feasibility of the global eradication of measles [5]. A comprehensive program of work was performed that explored the biological, programmatic, economic, social, and political aspects of the feasibility of measles eradication. In July 2010, at a Global Consultation on the Feasibility of Measles Eradication, the results of these studies were presented to an ad hoc advisory panel [6]. The panel concluded that measles can and should be eradicated and that global eradication by 2020 is feasible given evidence of measurable progress towards the 2015 targets (see the advisory group report in this issue). Furthermore, the ad hoc advisory panel stressed that measles eradication activities should be carried out in the context of strengthening Potential conflicts of interest: none reported. Supplement sponsorship: This article is part of a supplement entitled ''Global Progress Toward Measles Eradication and Prevention of Rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome'', which was sponsoredby theCenters forDiseaseControl andPrevention. Two of the authors are staff members of the World Health Organization. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication, and they do not necessarily represent the decisions, policy, or views of the World Health Organization. Correspondence: Peter Strebel, MBChB, MPH, Accelerated Disease Control, Expanded Programme on Immunization, Dept of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia, CH-1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland (strebelp@who.int). The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2011;204:S1–S3 The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals. permissions@oup.com 0022-1899 (print)/1537-6613 (online)/2011/204S1-0001$14.00 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jir111

Physical and cellular structure changes of Rastali banana ( Musa AAB) during growth and development

A study on the physical and physiological characteristics of Rastali bananas ( Musa AAB) was carried out throughout the 12 weeks after emergence of the first hand to determine the optimum growth stage of Rastali bananas. The fruit length and diameter followed a trend similar to that observed in fruit fresh weight throughout fruit development, and three physiological stages (S1–S3) of sigmoid growth were identified. The growth rate was slow during S1 (1st to 4th week), rapid during S2 (5th to 10th week) and remained constant during S3 (11th and 12th week). Peel cells underwent periclinal growth, which was accompanied by an increase in fruit peel and pulp thickness as the fruit developed. Moreover, the pulp colour became more vivid and yellow as the fruit developed. The peel moisture content decreased while pulp moisture content increased during fruit growth and development. The pulp firmness increased from the first until seventh week, and it decreased from the seventh week until twelfth week of the experiment. Carbon dioxide (CO 2) production was the highest at S1. However, CO 2 production declined until the 10th week and remained constant at a low level of 50 mL kg −1 h −1 during S3. Ethylene (C 2H 4) could not be detected throughout fruit growth and development. Thus, Rastali bananas showed physiological maturity at week 11 and week 12 after emergence of the first hand with constant fruit growth.

Longitudinal versus Cross-sectional Evaluations of Leukocyte Telomere Length Dynamics: Age-Dependent Telomere Shortening is the Rule

Background.Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is considered a biomarker of human aging and based on cross-sectional studies it shortens with age. However, longitudinal studies reported that many adults display LTL lengthening.Methods.Using Southern blots, we compared cross-sectional rates of age-related LTL change across a ∼20 year age range with those based on longitudinal evaluations in three surveys (S1, S2, and S3) with three time intervals: S1–S2 (5.8 years), S2–S3 (6.6 years), and S1–S3 (12.4 years). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to explore LTL dynamics using LTL data from S1, S2, and S3.Results.Cross-sectionally, mean LTL shortenings were 24.6, 25.4, and 23.6 bp/y at S1, S2, and S3, respectively. Longitudinally, more variation was observed in the rate of LTL change during the shorter than longer follow-up periods. Furthermore, using simple differences in LTL, 14.4% and 10.7% of individuals displayed LTL lengthening during S1–S2 and S2–S3, respectively, but only 1.5% during S1–S3 (p < 0.001). The estimated mean rate of LTL shortening based on averaging empirical Bayes’ estimates of LTL from a parsimonious hierarchical linear modeling model was 31 bp/y with a range from 23 to 47 bp/y with none of the participants showing LTL lengthening over the average 12.4 years of follow-up.Conclusions.As aging displays a unidirectional progression, it is unlikely that LTL elongates with age. LTL elongation in longitudinal studies primarily reflects measurement errors of LTL in relation to the duration of follow-up periods.

Visual Activity Regulates Neural Progenitor Cells in Developing Xenopus CNS through Musashi1

Regulation of progenitor cell fate determines the numbers of neurons in the developing brain. While proliferation of neural progenitors predominates during early central nervous system (CNS) development, progenitor cell fate shifts toward differentiation as CNS circuits develop, suggesting that signals from developing circuits may regulate proliferation and differentiation. We tested whether activity regulates neurogenesis invivo in the developing visual system of Xenopus tadpoles. Both cell proliferation and the number of musashi1-immunoreactive progenitors in the optic tectum decrease as visual system connections become stronger. Visual deprivation for 2days increased proliferation of musashi1-immunoreactive radial glial progenitors, while visual experience increased neuronal differentiation. Morpholino-mediated knockdown and overexpression of musashi1 indicate that musashi1 is necessary and sufficient for neural progenitor proliferation in the CNS. These data demonstrate a mechanism by which increased brain activity in developing circuits decreases cell proliferation and increases neuronal differentiation through the downregulation of musashi1 in response to circuit activity.

Ground deformation occurring in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and observed by Envisat interferometric synthetic aperture radar during 2003–2007

In this study we present modeling results derived from ground deformation observed in the Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) by the C‐band Envisat Synthetic Aperture Radar. Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand with a current population of over one million, coincides with the AVF, which comprises about 50 individual, largely monogenetic, basaltic volcanoes distributed across a total area of 360 km2. The most recent and largest eruption there occurred 600 years ago. While it is anticipated that the chance of any existing volcano reawakening is very low, a new volcano could be created at any time in a new location within the field. The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) for mapping ground deformation associated with magma ascent, which would be a likely precursor to the onset of volcanic activity. For this study we acquired and processed 23 single look complex (SLC) images from the Envisat satellite (Track 151, Frame 6442, IS2, VV) spanning from July 2003 until November 2007. All possible combinations of differential interferograms were created. Stacking, Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) and Permanent Scatterers (PS) processing algorithms were used to determine spatial and temporal patterns of surface deformation as well as their average rates. A number of localized deformation regions were consistently observed by all three techniques. Due to a lack of evidence pointing toward a relationship with volcanic or tectonic sources it was assumed that they are produced by groundwater withdrawal and recharge. Three largest regions of subsidence (S1–S3) and also three largest regions of uplift (U1–U3) were modeled with the derivative‐free simplex algorithms for location, depth and source volume change using a Mogi point source approximation. The results show that InSAR is a viable technique capable of detecting the scale, rate and spatial distribution of precursory deformation that would likely be associated with resumption of volcanic activity in the Auckland urban area.

Distribution and Status of Uncommon Mammals in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Abstract Knowledge of species distribution is fundamental to conservation and management efforts. Unfortunately, distribution of many mammal species in the southeastern United States, including some considered endangered, threatened, or of special concern, has been and remains poorly documented. We queried museums, reviewed the published literature, and searched state Natural Heritage Inventory databases to obtain distributional information for 13 mammal species considered rare (Global Rank G1–G3 or State Rank S1–S3) or of other conservation concern in the Southern Appalachian region. We constructed distribution maps for selected mammal species within the region based on 7 state Natural Heritage Inventory databases and 1539 county records from 26 museums and 57 published sources. Napaeozapus insignis (Woodland Jumping Mouse), Mustela nivalis (Least Weasel), and Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Red Squirrel) exhibited large (>150 km) geographic differences from currently accepted range maps. Sorex dispar (Rock Shr...

An allosteric mechanism to displace nuclear export cargo from CRM1 and RanGTP by RanBP1

The karyopherin CRM1 mediates nuclear export of proteins and ribonucleoproteins bearing a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES). To elucidate the precise mechanism by which NES-cargos are dissociated from CRM1 in the cytoplasm, which is important for transport directionality, we determined a 2.0-A resolution crystal structure of yeast CRM1:RanBP1:RanGTP complex, an intermediate in the disassembly of the CRM1 nuclear export complex. The structure shows that on association of Ran-binding domain (RanBD) of RanBP1 with CRM1:NES-cargo:RanGTP complex, RanBD and the C-terminal acidic tail of Ran induce a large movement of the intra-HEAT9 loop of CRM1. The loop moves to the CRM1 inner surface immediately behind the NES-binding site and causes conformational rearrangements in HEAT repeats 11 and 12 so that the hydrophobic NES-binding cleft on the CRM1 outer surface closes, squeezing out the NES-cargo. This allosteric mechanism accelerates dissociation of NES by over two orders of magnitude. Structure-based mutagenesis indicated that the HEAT9 loop also functions as an allosteric autoinhibitor to stabilize CRM1 in a conformation that is unable to bind NES-cargo in the absence of RanGTP.

Paleoenvironmental records from the northern South China Sea since the Last Glacial Maximum

Core ZHS-176 contains the paleoenvironmental records from the northern South China Sea (NSCS) since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A coupled approach based on clay mineral assemblages, planktonic foraminiferal oxygen and carbon isotopes, and calcium carbonate content is used to trace the sources of the fine-grained sediment and to investigate the paleoenviornmental evolution in this area. Clay mineral assemblages are dominated by illite (average about 39%) and chlorite (about 27%), which comes mainly from Taiwan and the East China Sea. Kaolinite, which accounts for about 13%, comes mainly from the Zhujiang (Pearl) River, and Luzon Island is the main source for smectite (about 21%). The planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotopic oscillations during the last glacial period are coeval with climate variations recorded in the Greenland ice core and Western Pacific sediment. These variations include the LGM, Heinrich event 1, Bϕlling-Allerϕd (B/A), and Younger Dryas. For the Holocene, three periods of strong precipitation (S1–S3) and three periods of weak precipitation (W1–W3) are identified. The oxygen isotopic record exhibits correlation with climate records from distant regions, including the high-latitude Northern Hemisphere, providing evidence for global tele-connection among regional climate. A brief, negative planktonic foraminiferal carbon isotopic excursion during B/A reflects increased methane released from marine gas hydrate due to the rapid warming of the water. By comparing calcium carbonate content curves of the core ZHS-176 with these of other five boreholes lying above the lysocline, a remarkable low calcium carbonate event is found during the early Holocene in NSCS.

Quantifying the error of 2D bulk chondrule analyses using a computer model to simulate chondrules (SIMCHON)

– Bulk chondrule compositions are important to many questions in cosmochemistry, however, the number of available bulk chondrule data sets is still small. A main reason for this is the difficulties of determining bulk chondrule compositions. A commonly used technique is to obtain 2D bulk chondrule compositions from meteorite sections. This technique has an error that we quantify here for the first time using a mathematical model of a chondrule called SIMCHON. The theoretically calculated errors are compared to errors that we determined from serial sectioning of eight Efremovka chondrules. The errors obtained from both approaches are in excellent agreement, proving that our mathematical model produces reliable errors that can be assigned to 2D bulk chondrule compositions. These errors allow a much better interpretation of 2D bulk chondrule data. We provide a table that contains typical errors for 2D bulk compositions of porphyritic chondrules. The errors are in the range of ±<1–30 relative-%. This should be acceptable for many problems in cosmochemistry. The effect of a chemical layering inside chondrules and the occurrence of a rim around them, as well as the occurrence of opaque and other accessory phases have been studied. A spreadsheet is provided that enables the calculation of errors for any desired chondrule mineral composition. BO chondrules have a negligible error, but it is impossible to provide reasonable error estimates for BO chondrules with an igneous rim. Radial pyroxene chondrules have negligible errors.

Surgical Anatomy of the Retroperitoneal Spaces, Part IV: Retroperitoneal Nerves

We present surgicoanatomical topographic relations of nerves and plexuses in the retroperitoneal space: 1) six named parietal nerves, branches of the lumbar plexus: iliohypogastric, ilioinguinal, genitofemoral, lateral femoral cutaneous, obturator, femoral. 2) The sacral plexus is formed by the lumbosacral trunk, ventral rami of S1-S3, and part of S4; the remainder of S4 joining the coccygeal plexus. From this plexus originate the superior gluteal nerve, which passes backward through the greater sciatic foramen above the piriformis muscle; the inferior gluteal nerve also courses through the greater sciatic foramen, but below the piriformis; 3) sympathetic trunks: right and left lumbar sympathetic trunks, which comprise four interconnected ganglia, and the pelvic chains; 4) greater, lesser, and least thoracic splanchnic nerves (sympathetic), which pass the diaphragm and join celiac ganglia; 5) four lumbar splanchnic nerves (sympathetic), which arise from lumbar sympathetic ganglia; 6) pelvic splanchnic nerves (nervi erigentes), providing parasympathetic innervation to the descending colon and pelvic splanchna; and 7) autonomic (prevertebral) plexuses, formed by the vagus nerves, splanchnic nerves, and ganglia (celiac, superior mesenteric, aorticorenal). They include sympathetic, parasympathetic, and sensory (mainly pain) fibers. The autonomic plexuses comprise named parts: aortic, superior mesenteric, inferior mesenteric, superior hypogastric, and inferior hypogastric (hypogastric nerves).

Therapeutic Effect of the Combined Use of Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-6 and Epidermal Growth Factor in an Axonopathy Model

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease of the central nervous system characterized by loss of spinal motor neurons, for which no effective treatment exists. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and growth hormone releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6) have been considered as good candidates for the treatment of this disease, due to their well documented effects in eliciting pleiotrophic and cell survival mechanisms. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the separate and combined effects of both peptides in an experimental animal model of ALS, the proximal axonopathy induced by 1,2 diacetylbenzene (1,2 DAB) in mice. The evaluations were conducted by means of behavioral tests (trapeze, tail suspension, gait pattern, and open field) and by recording the complex muscle action potential (CMAP) in three different hind limb segments: proximal S1, medial S2, and distal S3. Intraperitoneal daily administration of 1,2 DAB produced significant reduction in body weight, muscle strength, extensor reflex, spontaneous activity, and changes in gait pattern parameters. In parallel 1,2 DAB produced significant prolongation of onset latency and decrease in amplitude of CMAP and in the integrated complex action potential index. Daily administration of the separate compounds did not accelerate the recovery of the affected parameters, except for the gait pattern. The combined treatment produced significant improvement in behavioral parameters, as well as in electrophysiological recovery, particularly in the proximal segment of CMAP. The latter results confirm the proximal character of 1,2 DAB neuropathy, and suggest that combined therapy with EGF and GHRP-6 might be a good therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ALS.

Study of the influence of the metal complex on the cytotoxic activity of titanocene-functionalized mesoporous materials

Four different titanocene complexes, [Ti(η5-C5H5)2Cl2] (1), [Ti(η5-C5H5)(η5-C5H4Pri)Cl2] (2), [Ti(η5-C5H5)(η5-C5H4But)Cl2] (3) and [Ti(η5-C5H5){η5-C5H3(SiMe3)2}Cl2] (4), have been grafted onto dehydroxylated MCM-41 to give the novel materials MCM-41/[Ti(η5-C5H5)2Cl2] (S1), MCM-41/[Ti(η5-C5H5)(η5-C5H4Pri)Cl2] (S2), MCM-41/[Ti(η5-C5H5)(η5-C5H4But)Cl2] (S3) and MCM-41/[Ti(η5-C5H5){η5-C5H3(SiMe3)2}Cl2] (S4), which have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, nitrogen gas sorption, multinuclear MAS NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, UV spectroscopy, SEM and TEM. The cytotoxicity of the non-functionalized MCM-41 and S1–S4 toward human cancer cell lines, such as adenocarcinoma HeLa, human myelogenous leukemia K562 and human malignant melanoma Fem-x, has been studied. Additional studies of the toxicity of these materials on stimulated and non-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC + PHA and PBMC − PHA; i.e. normal immunocompetent cells) have been also carried out. M50 values (quantity of material needed to inhibit normal cell growth by 50%) of the studied surfaces are reported observing that non-functionalized MCM-41 did not show notable antiproliferative activity, while the functionalized surfaces S1–S4 were active against all of the studied human cancer cells. The cytotoxic activities of surfaces S1–S3 were very similar on all the studied cancer cells, however, S4 showed M50 values that indicate the highest activity of all the analyzed materials on all the studied cells, being two to three times more cytotoxic than S1–S3. The same tendency in the cytotoxic activity of the metal complexes 1–3 compared with 4 was observed. Taking into account that all the studied surfaces had a very similar titanium content, the activity of these surfaces strongly depends on the grafted titanocene complex (1–4). This phenomenon indicates that, in contrast with that observed by other authors, the cytotoxicity of the studied materials may be due to action of the released metal complex and is probably not due to the particle action.

Improvement of cytotoxicity of titanocene-functionalized mesoporous materials by the increase of the titanium content

The reaction of [Ti(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2)] (1), with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane or 3-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane in the presence of triethylamine leads to the formation of the thiolate complexes [Ti(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))(2){SCH(2)CH(2)CH(2)Si(OMe)(3)}(2)] (2) and [Ti(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))(2){SCH(2)CH(2)CH(2)Si(OEt)(3)}(2)] (3), respectively. Complexes 2 and 3 have been characterized by traditional methods, in addition, structural studies based on DFT calculations are reported. 1-3 have been grafted onto dehydroxylated MCM-41 to give the novel materials MCM-41/[Ti(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2)] (S1), MCM-41/[Ti(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))(2){SCH(2)CH(2)CH(2)Si(OMe)(3)}(2)] (S2) and MCM-41/[Ti(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))(2){SCH(2)CH(2)CH(2)Si(OEt)(3)}(2)] (S3) which have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, nitrogen gas sorption, multinuclear MAS NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, UV spectroscopy, SEM and TEM. Materials S2 and S3 present much higher values of Ti wt% (ca. 3%) than S1 (ca. 1%), indicating the higher functionalization rate induced by the substitution of the chloro ligands by the thiolato ligands in the starting titanocene derivatives. The cytotoxicity of the non-functionalized MCM-41 and S1-S3 toward human cancer cell lines such as adenocarcinoma HeLa, human myelogenous leukemia K562 and human malignant melanoma Fem-x has been studied. In addition the cytotoxicity of these materials on normal immunocompetent cells such as stimulated (PBMC+PHA) and non-stimulated (PBMC-PHA) peripheral blood mononuclear cells have been also studied. M(50) values (quantity of material needed to inhibit normal cell survival by 50%) of the studied surfaces show that non-functionalized MCM-41 was not active against any of the studied cells, while the functionalized surfaces S1-S3 were active against all the tested human cancer cells. The cytotoxic activity of surfaces S2 and S3 were very similar, however, S1 showed lower cytotoxic activity. This phenomenon indicates that the cytotoxicity of the titanocene-functionalized materials strongly depends on the titanium content.

Polysaccharides from Padina tetrastromatica: Structural features, chemical modification and antiviral activity

Abstract Many viruses display affinity for cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans with biological relevance in virus entry. This raises the possibility of the application of sulfated polysaccharides in antiviral therapy. In this study, we have analyzed polysaccharide containing fractions derived from Padina tetrastromatica. A glucan containing α-(1 → 4)-linked glucopyranosyl residues, an alginate with apparent molecular mass of 50 kDa, and a fucoidan were isolated. Further sulfated derivatives of the fucoidan (S1–S3), which contained 0.8–1.2 sulfate groups per monomer unit showed inhibitory activity against herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2. Their inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) values were in the range 0.30–1.05 μg/ml and they lacked cytotoxicity at concentrations up to 1000 μg/ml. The antiviral effect was exerted during virus adsorption to the cell. The degree of sulfation seemed to play an important role because further sulfation of the isolated macromolecules largely influences their in vitro anti-HSV activity.

Diagnosis and Removal of Urethral Calculi Using Bedside Ultrasound in the Emergency Department

A 38-year-old male presented to the emergency department (ED) with 3 weeks of sensing a palpable mass in the distal aspect of his penis, associated with decreased urinary flow. He had been evaluated in the ED 2 weeks prior with similar symptoms and was diagnosed with renal calculi based on clinical history and presence of microscopic hematuria and had been taking Flomax and ibuprofen. On physical exam, the patient was a well-appearing male in no apparent distress, with a benign abdominal exam and no costovertebral angle tenderness to percussion. He was noted to have two palpable, mobile masses along the distal volar surface of the penis, with the largest approximately 0.5 · 0.5 cm. Ultrasound was performed revealing two shadowing echogenic foreign bodies (Figure 1), which were confirmed by noncontrast computed tomography (CT) imaging to be consistent with renal calculi. Urology was consulted and attempted blind removal of the stones was performed unsuccessfully, primarily because of inability to grasp the stone with forceps; the patient was prepared for operative intervention. Using procedural sedation, the emergency physicians utilized dynamic ultrasound imaging with a high-frequency probe to localize the stones and facilitate removal while being actively visualized with clamp and Katz extractor (Figure 2 and Video Clips S1–S3, available as supporting information in the online version of this paper). Following the procedure, the patient was discharged with Foley catheter placement and a course of ciprofloxacin. The stones were sent for analysis, revealing primary calcium oxalate composition. He had an unremarkable urology follow-up and has not had recurrence of stones to date. In cases of distal urethral stones, ultrasound imaging is both diagnostic and effective in facilitating procedural removal of the stones in the ED.

Direct projections from the sacral spinal cord to the medial preoptic area in cat and guinea pig

The medial preoptic area (MPO) plays an important role in many behavioral, autonomic and endocrine functions, including micturition and genital responses. Although afferents of the MPO have been studied extensively, it is unknown whether direct lumbosacral-MPO projections exist that could convey afferent information from the pelvic organs. We hypothesized that, if such direct projections exist, MPO projecting cells would be located in the lateral part of the sacral cord, where primary afferents from pelvic and pudendal nerves terminate. We used retro- and anterograde tracing techniques in cat and guinea pig to study this. In cats, injections in the MPO resulted in labeled cells throughout the spinal cord, but with the highest density in the S1–S2 segments. In guinea pigs, labeled cells were found exclusively in the S1–S3 segments after MPO injections. Labeled cells in the sacral segments were not located in the lateral parts of the gray matter, but were found in the medial laminae VI–VII and dorsal lamina VIII in cats, and mainly in lamina X in guinea pigs. Anterograde tracing results after injections in the sacral cord in cats or guinea pigs showed labeled fibers in the MPO, just ventral to the anterior commissure. The central location of the cells of origin within the sacral cord, together with the termination pattern of the spino-MPO projections, strongly suggest a role for the spino-MPO pathway in the sensory relay of pelvic viscera, important for micturition and genital responses.

Correlations between environment and other properties of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at fixed color

From the volume-limited Main galaxy sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 6 (SDSS DR6), we construct three samples with g–r color bins 0.4 ⩽ g – r < 0.6 , 0.6 ⩽ g – r < 0.8 , 0.8 ⩽ g – r < 1.0 , labeled S1–S3, to investigate how other properties of galaxies depend on environment at fixed color. For each sample, we measure the local three-dimensional galaxy density in a comoving sphere with radius equal to the distance to the 5th nearest galaxy for each galaxy, select about 5% galaxies and construct the two subsamples at both extremes of density. Our study suggests that the environmental dependence of luminosity is mainly due to the environmental dependence of galaxy color and the correlation between color and luminosity. In addition, we preferentially conclude that concentration index and morphologies are not strongly correlated with local density at fixed color, and that galaxy color is a galaxy property very predictive of the local environment. Because SDSS spectroscopy is incomplete for bright galaxies at very low redshifts, we also use a volume-limited Main galaxy sample with a lower redshift limit z = 0.05, which contains 94,954 galaxies at 0.05 < z < 0.089 with −22.40 < M r < −20.16, and reach the same conclusions. Due to the bimodality of the u–r color distribution, we classify galaxies as ‘red’ and ‘blue’, respectively, and further subdivide the samples into star-forming galaxies and passive ones using H α equivalent width, W 0 ( H α ) . Results show that color and star formation activity of galaxies are galaxy properties very predictive of the local environment.

Sound Categories Are Represented as Distributed Patterns in the Human Auditory Cortex

The ability to recognize sounds allows humans and animals to efficiently detect behaviorally relevant events, even in the absence of visual information. Sound recognition in the human brain has been assumed to proceed through several functionally specialized areas, culminating in cortical modules where category-specific processing is carried out. In the present high-resolution fMRI experiment, we challenged this model by using well-controlled natural auditory stimuli and by employing an advanced analysis strategy based on an iterative machine-learning algorithm that allows modeling of spatially distributed, as well as localized, response patterns. Sounds of cats, female singers, acoustic guitars, and tones were controlled for their time-varying spectral characteristics and presented to subjects at three different pitch levels. Sound category information--not detectable with conventional contrast-based methods analysis--could be detected with multivoxel pattern analyses and attributed to spatially distributed areas over the supratemporal cortices. A more localized pattern was observed for processing of pitch laterally to primary auditory areas. Our findings indicate that distributed neuronal populations within the human auditory cortices, including areas conventionally associated with lower-level auditory processing, entail categorical representations of sounds beyond their physical properties.

Effect of annealing on structural and optical properties of polypyrrole doped with different acids

AbstractPolypyrrole (pure) and polypyrrole doped with different protonic acids (HCl and H3PO4) have been synthesized using NaOH as reducing agent in aqueous HCl medium and ammonium persulphate (APS) as an oxidant, respectively. These pure and doped samples were named as S1, S2, and S3 for further investigations. These pure and doped samples were annealed at 200oC for 4 hr. The amorphous nature of these annealed and as‐prepared polypyrrole samples was confirmed by XRD. FTIR spectra and SEM images of all the samples were taken at room temperature, which indicate: significant change in annealed samples. To calculate the energy band gap of all the samples, the absorption spectra were recorded by USB‐2000 spectrophotometer at room temperature in the wavelength range 300–800 nm. From the analysis of absorption spectra, optical band gap of as‐prepared samples (S1–S3) was determined to be 2.64, 2.43, and 2.29 eV, respectively and for annealed samples A1–A3 values obtained were 2.30, 2.25, and 2.17 eV. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers

Cambrian trilobite Ovatoryctocara granulata Tchernysheva, 1962 and its biostratigraphic significance

The genus Ovatoryctocara Tchernysheva, 1962, and its key species Ovatoryctocara granulata Tchernysheva, 1962, are revised. Ovatoryctocara granulata occurs near the base of the Ovatoryctocara Zone and ranges up into the lower portion of the Kounamkites Zone in the Siberian Platform. O. granulata also appears in southeastern Guizhou, South China, but O. granulata in northern Greenland may represent an indefinite species. Specimens of Ovatoryctocara from Newfoundland cannot be identified to species level. Specimens including two cranidia and three pygidia from the lower part of the Aoxi Formation at Yaxi Village, Shizhu Town, eastern Tongren, northeastern Guizhou, were previously assigned to O. granulata, which is now reassigned as a new species O. yaxiensis sp. nov. It bears the following main features: glabella club-shaped, slightly expanded medially, with four pairs of lateral furrows, of which S1–S3 are triangular pits, S4 is shallow, connecting with axial furrow; shorter palpebral lobe situated a little anterior to the midway of facial suture across the fixigenae, longer posterolateral area (exsag.); semielliptical pygidium consisting of seven axial rings with a terminal piece and with eight pairs of marginal tips giving a sawtooth-like shape of the lateral margins in dorsal view. Although O. granulata is a widely distributed species, the FAD of O. granulata, for a global stage boundary, still has some disadvantages. First, its distribution is not as wide as that of Oryctocephalus indicus (Reed, 1910). Second, specimens of O. granulata are common only in Siberia. Third, the stratigraphic range of the species has not been studied in detail in all continents. Fourth, O. granulata is relatively small and easily affected by post-burial distortion. Last but not least, there exists obviously a facies change between the Ovatoryctocara Zone (lower Amgan Stage; deeper water facies) and the underlying Anabaraspis splendens Zone (Toyonian Stage; shallow water facies) in Siberian Platform. Nevertheless, the stratigraphic correlation utility of O. granulata in South China and Siberia is discussed.