Voronoi Polyhedra Analysis of Optimized Arterial Tree Models

Topological and metric properties of Voronoi polyhedra (VP) generated by the distal end points of terminal segments in arterial tree models grown by the method of constrained constructive optimization (CCO) are analyzed with the aim to characterize the spatial distribution of their supply sites relative to randomly distributed points as a reference model. The distributions of the number N _f of Voronoi cell faces, cell volume V, surface area S, area A of individual cell faces, and asphericity parameter of the CCO models are all significantly different from the ones of random points, whereas the distributions of V, S, and are also significantly different among CCO models optimized for minimum intravascular volume and minimum segment length (p < 0.0001). The distributions of N _f , V, and S of the CCO models are reasonably well approximated by two-parameter gamma distributions. We study scaling of intravascular blood volume and arterial cross-sectional area with the volume of supplied tissue, the latter being represented by the VP of the respective terminal segments. We observe scaling exponents from 1.20 ± 0.007 to 1.08 ± 0.005 for intravascular blood volume and 0.77 ± 0.01 for arterial cross-sectional area. Setting terminal flows proportional to the associated VP volumes during tree construction yields a relative dispersion of terminal flows of 37% and a coefficient of skewness of 1.12. © 2003 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC2003: 8719Uv, 8710+e, 4720Ky, 0260Pn, 0230Oz     

Sigma-movement and optokinetic nystagmus elicited by stroboscopically illuminated stereopatterns

Summary Sigma-movement is an apparent movement seen when a stationary periodic visual pattern of the period P_s is illuminated Stroboscopically at the flash frequency f_s and smooth gaze pursuit eye movements are performed across the pattern at an angular velocity V_e = P_s · f_s deg · s^–1. Sigma-movement leads to an optokinetic nystagmus (Sigma OKN) which in turn sustains Sigma-movement perception. (1) Sigma-movement was also seen in an apparent three-dimensional periodic stripe pattern generated by two periodic monocular stimulus patterns with a certain degree of horizontal binocular disparity. (2) Sigma-movement perception and Sigma-OKN were also elicited by a Stroboscopically illuminated, stationary, random dot stereostripe pattern. The periodicity P_s of this pattern is generated on the cyclopean retina (Julesz 1971). The equation described above was also valid. When the time delay t between left eye and right eye flashes was varied, the apparent depth of the random dot stereostripe pattern decreased with increasing t, but the Sigmaeffects were not affected. (3) Sigma-movement illusion and Sigma-pursuit movements can also be induced when real three-dimensional objects composed of periodic components are Stroboscopically illuminated and adequate gaze or eye pursuit movements are induced. Sigma-movement is related to gaze movement and is therefore elicitable by eye, head or body movements. (4) Sigma-movement is presumably caused by the interaction of efference copy signals (generated in a cortical gaze pursuit system) and afferent visual signals. The present data indicate that neuronal mechanisms for this interaction are located — at least in part — at or beyond the level of binocular fusion and stereopsis.Supported by grants of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Gr161)     

人体腰椎活动节段应力分布的实验研究

本文采用三维光弹性实验方法观察了正常腰椎活动节段的应力分布。用精密浇铸,严格几何相似的光弹性环氧树脂腰椎和硅橡胶椎间盘模型进行三维光弹性实验,并观察腰椎的等应力差图和有效应力值分布。本实验观察到,腰椎椎体上下缘应力分布较均匀对称,其后缘应力大于前缘,后部结构应力较小。作者认为,三维光弹性实验方法具有直观性强,能有效和准确地确定腰椎的应力分布,对腰椎生物力学研究具有重要的实用价值。腰椎后缘应力大于前缘,使椎体后缘承载较大,将会增加腰椎间盘退变和损伤的机会,这可能是引起腰腿痛的重要因素。     

Dendritic spines in the visual cortex of the mouse: Introduction to a mathematical model

Summary The spines of apical dendrites of the layer V pyramidal cells of the area striata in the mouse represent a sequence of post-synaptic structures receiving a variety of contacts from terminal fibers derived fundamentally from short axon cells and superficial pyramidal cells. The study of Golgi preparations of mice 180 days old shows the existence of the most complicated terminal structures over portions of apical dendrites at the levels of layers III and IV. Observations on young mice reveals the terminations of the specific afferent fibers on the dendrites of short axon cells. A mathematical model which defines the distribution of spines along the apical dendrites is introduced. The principal equation of the model has been adjusted from the data processing of microscope countings through a series of programs written for an IBM 7070. The equation defines satisfactorily the different distributions of dendritic spines in mice 10–180 days old raised in normal conditions and in complete darkness. The equation defines also the distribution of dendritic spines in the visual cortex of mice enucleated at birth on one side, and the distribution along the apical dendrites of various cortical areas of the hamster, cat and man. The number of dendritic spines increases with the age of the subject and their distribution varies significantly according to the values of the parameters of the model.     

Distribution of genotypes and antibiotic resistance genes among invasive Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus) isolates from Australasian patients belonging to different age groups.

Serotype distribution and antibiotic resistance (AR) among group B streptococci (GBS) affect GBS disease prevention strategies, but vary among patient groups. A multiplex PCR-based reverse line blot (mPCR/RLB) hybridisation assay was used to compare the distributions of GBS serotypes, serotype III subtypes and AR-associated genes among 666 invasive isolates from 663 patients, divided into five age groups: infants, early-onset (EO; 0-6 days) and late-onset (LO; 7-90 days); children (aged 3 months to 14 years); women of childbearing age (WCBA; aged 15-45 years); and other adults (males aged >15 years; females aged >45 years). Serotypes Ia and V and serosubtype III-1 accounted for 60% of infections. Serosubtype III-2, which corresponds to a virulent clone belonging to sequence type (ST)17, was relatively uncommon overall (7%), but was associated strongly with LO infant infections, in which it was significantly more common than in adult infections (25/104 (24%) vs. 9/392 (2%), p <0.0001) or in EO infections (25/104 (24%) vs. 14/155 (9%), p <0.005). Erythromycin resistance genes were found in 8% of all isolates (ermB 3%, ermA 2.5% and mefA/E 2%), in 11-15% of isolates of serotypes II and V and subtype III-1, but in none of the isolates of serosubtype III-2 (III-2, 0/49 vs. all others, 54/618 (9%), p <0.04). In summary, the virulent serosubtype III-2 was associated strongly with LO infant GBS infection, but was less likely than other serotypes or serosubtype III-1 to carry AR genes.     

Propylene Polymerization Behavior of Fluorinated Bis(phenoxy‐imine) Ti Complexes with an MgCl2‐Based Compound (MgCl2‐Supported Ti‐Based Catalysts)

Summary: Fluorinated bis(phenoxy‐imine)Ti complexes 1 – 3 combined with MgCl₂/i‐Bu_nAl(OR)_3−n (MgCl₂‐supported catalysts) were able to polymerize propylene in a living fashion at room temperature to provide slightly to highly syndiotactic poly(propylenes) (PPs) with extremely narrow distributions of molecular weight. These represent the first examples of MAO‐ and borate‐free group 4 metal‐based living catalysts. The supported complexes 2 and 3 formed PPs with higher syndiotacticity and T_m's than the corresponding homogeneous MAO‐activation systems (e.g., 3 : rr 97%, T_m 155 °C; MAO activation: rr 93%, T_m 152 °C). The measured T_m of 155 °C represents the highest known T_m for syndiotactic PPs synthesized at room temperature.

Polymerization of propylene to poly(propylene) with supported Ti‐based catalysts.     

心室晚电位的时间－频率表示法的进一步改进

在心室晚电位的研究中，我们引入了信号的时间一频率表示法，并根据晚电位的具体特性用Ｗｉｇｎｅｒ分布法（维格纳分布）把信号表示为在时间及频率空间中的能量分布。由于Ｗｉｇｎｅｒ分布的优异性质使我们有可能更准确表示出心室晚电位的存在。但当输入信号是两个信号的线性叠加时，Ｗｉｇｎｅｒ分布的结果会出现一个交叉项，相当于引入干扰。针对此不足，作者介绍改进方案，消除部分交叉项，收到较好的效果，并给出一些仿真及应用实例。     

Contraluminal transport of organic cations in the proximal tubule of the rat kidney

In order to study the quantitative structure/activity relationship of organic cation transport across the contraluminal side of the proximal renal tubule cell, the stopped-flow capillary microperfusion method was applied and the inhibitory potency (apparent K _i values) of different homologous series of substrates against N ¹-[³H]methylnicotinamide (NMeN⁺) transport was evaluated. Aniline and its ring- or N-substituted analogues as well as the aminonaphthalines do not interact with the contraluminal NMeN⁺ transporter except for the quaternary trimethylphenylammonium and pararosaniline, which bear a permanent positive charge, and for 1,8-bis-(dimethylamino)naphthaline, which forms an intramolecular hydrogen bond. If, however, one or more than one methylene group is interposed between the benzene ring and the amino group, the compounds interact with the contraluminal NMeN⁺ transporter in proportion to their hydrophobicity parameter, i.e. the octanol/water partition coefficient (log octanol). The catecholamines and other hydroxyl-substituted phenylethyl analogues also follow this rule. In addition, the N-heterocyclic pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline and acridine analogues also interact with the contraluminal NMeN⁺ transporter, when their pK _a values are higher than 5.0, and, an inverse correlation between pK _a and log K _{i, NMeN} was observed. An exception to this rule are those hydroxy compounds of pyridine, quinoline and isoquinoline that show tautomerism. These compounds slightly inhibit NMeN⁺ transport despite low pK _a values. The quaternary nitrogen compounds of aniline and the N-heterocyclic analogues, as far as tested, all interact with the contraluminal NMeN⁺ transporter in relation to their hydrophobicity. The data indicate that the contraluminal NMeN⁺ transporter interacts with N-compounds according to their hydrophobicity and/or according to their basicity (affinity to protons). The reason for deviation of the aniline analogues and the OH-tautomeric heterocyclic N-compounds from this behaviour is discussed.     

Cellular distribution of phosphofructokinase activity and implications to metabolic regulation in human breast cancer

Neoplastic cells generally present profound changes in glucose metabolism. The mechanisms underlying such process are numerous and all may involve altered cellular hormonal responses. Here we report the first evidence that cellular location of phosphofructokinase activity in human breast cancer tissues is different from the one observed in control tissues and that this phenomenon may be involved in the increased glycolytic flux observed in those cells. Through co-sedimentation techniques, we observed that 60% of phosphofructokinase activity in neoplastic tissues is located in an actin-enriched fraction, against 36% in control tissues. Additionally, metastatic tumor tissues presented a two fold increase in this particulate activity when compared to non-metastatic tumor samples. We propose that the alteration in cellular distribution of phosphofructokinase activity in human breast cancer tissues is a mechanism associated to the process of cell transformation and may be a consequence of the altered hormonal milieu observed in several types of cancer.