ALBERT

Notes: Guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) play an obligatory role in the transmembrane signaling system and are concerned with the neurochemical basis of several psychiatric disorders. We examined the alteration in the mRNA levels of G protein subclasses (Gil α, Gi2 α and Go α) in behavioral sensitized rats using subchronic treatment with methamphetamine (MAP). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received intraperitoneal injections of MAP (4 mg/kg) or saline (control) once daily for 14 days. A remarkable increase in the levels of Gi2 α mRNA was observed in both sides of striatum at 48 hours after the last injection of MAP. The changes in the Gi2 α mRNA levels were not significant at two weeks after the last injection of MAP. The levels of Go α and Gil α mRNA were not changed at 48 hours and at two weeks after the last injection of MAP. These results suggest that the changes in the Gi2 mRNA level might be responsible for the reinforcement of the generation of stereotyped abnormal behavior by repeated administration of MAP rather than the persistence of the reverse tolerance phenomenon.

Notes: Oroblanco and Melogold are hybrids obtained from pummelo and grapefruit. Limonoids and flavonoids in both juices were analyzed. Oroblanco and Melogold juices contained low concentrations of limonoid glucosides, an average of 99 and 59 ppm, respectively. However, they contained relatively high concentrations of bitter limonoid aglycones, limonin and nomilin, at levels above the limonin bitterness threshold. For comparison, limonoid glucosides in juices of grapefruit, another pummelo hybrid, were also analyzed. Limonin glucoside was the major limonoid glucoside in all juices analyzed. Nomilin glucoside and nomilinic acid glucosides were also present. Oroblanco and Melogold juices contained bitter flavonoids normally found in grapefruit and pummelo including naringin, neohesperidin and poncerin in total amount of 440 ppm in Oroblanco juice and 495 ppm in Melogold juice. They also contained several other nonbitter flavonoids found in grapefruit.

Notes: In order to understand the causal relation between postglacial rebound and earthquakes, a simple disc load model is used to: (1) calculate stresses induced in the lithosphere and mantle by glacial loading, melting and postglacial rebound; and (2) evaluate the effect of glacial loading/rebound on the failure potential for earthquakes in the upper crust. the dependence of the failure potential and the actual mode of failure on the coefficient of friction, the ambient tectonic stress magnitude/direction, the stress due to the overlying rocks, and lithospheric thickness are investigated. Prominent features of this paper are the inclusion of: (1) a viscoelastic mantle and thus the migration of stress; and (2) the ambient tectonic stress and overburden stress contributions in the calculation of the total stress field.It is assumed that, throughout the Earth, there are optimally oriented pre-existing virtual faults that are initially close to but not at failure; thus, a time-dependent quantity called dFSM (related to the Coulomb-Mohr failure criterion) can be defined such that a negative value of dFSM would advocate faulting or earthquake activities whereas a positive value of dFSM would promote stability.The results indicate that, under all combinations of tectonic stress magnitude and overburden stress, crustal loading promotes fault stability directly underneath the load.Upon the removal of the load, thrust faulting is predicted within the ice margin if the horizontal stress (Sh) induced by the overburden is greater than or equal to the vertical component (Sv) of the overburden stress (1, where =Sh/Sv). Under this condition, theory predicts that faulting or earthquake activity should have reached a maximum immediately after deglaciation.If the horizontal stress induced by the overburden is less than the vertical component of the overburden stress (〉1), then theory predicts fault stability within the ice margin.The theory predicts fault instability both north and south of the ice margin. the mode of failure, however, is completely determined by the value of The trade-off between the tectonic stress magnitude and the overburden stress parameter () is also investigated. It is shown that a larger tectonic stress magnitude can be used to compensate a smaller value of the results of this analysis show that variations in the coefficient of friction, lithospheric thickness and a ductile zone below the upper crust do not significantly affect the above conclusions.

Notes: In order to understand the causal relation between postglacial rebound and earthquakes, a realistic ice and water load model is used to (1) calculate stresses induced in the lithosphere and mantle by glacial loading, melting and postglacial rebound and (2) evaluate the effect of glacial loading/rebound on the failure potential for earthquakes in the upper crust. The dependence of both the failure potential and the actual mode of failure on the ambient tectonic stress magnitude, the overburden stress, and lithospheric properties are investigated. Prominent features of this analysis are the inclusion of (1) a viscoelastic mantle and thus the migration of stress, and (2) the ambient tectonic stress and overburden stress contributions in the calculation of the total stress field.The spatio-temporal calculations, by a finite-element technique, of upper-crustal stresses and the failure potential for earthquakes indicate that fault stability is invariably enhanced directly beneath the load. For the case where stresses induced by the overburden are such that the horizontal component (Sh) is greater than or equal to the vertical component (Sv) (ζ≥ 1, where ζ= Sh/Sv), the model predicts the onset of thrust faulting and maximum earthquake activities soon after deglaciation is complete (when rebound rates are at a maximum). Observational data support this prediction. Since that time, rebound stresses have been decreasing in magnitude, but they continue to act as a trigger mechanism for optimally oriented pre-existing faults that are otherwise on the verge of failure. If one limits the existence of such faults to lie within the pre-weakened zones of eastern Canada, then the spatial distribution of current earthquakes can also be explained.Perturbations to the magnitude of the tectonic stress components or lithospheric properties do not affect, to any significant extent, the above conclusions.

Notes: We have investigated the shear-wave polarization anisotropy in the north-eastern Japan arc by using waveforms from many local earthquakes at various depths. We used a cross-correlation method to detect the shear-wave splitting. For intermediate-depth and deep events, the observed fast shear-wave oscillation directions (FSODs) are oriented parallel to the dip direction of the slab at the western stations, while they are oriented perpendicular to the dip direction at the eastern stations. These observations indicate that significant anisotropy exists in the mantle wedge, and that its nature is quite different between the eastern and the western parts.

Notes: A remarkable later phase has been detected in seismograms between P- and S-wave arrivals at epicentral distances of about 150 km or more for events occurring in the north-eastern Japan arc. The characteristics of this phase support an interpretation as an sP phase at small epicentral distances, an upgoing S wave from the focus which is then reflected and converted to a P wave at the Earth's surface, diving into the Earth again, and finally reaching the observation stations. The arrival-time difference between this phase and the first P wave is very sensitive to the focal depths of events, and is useful for accurate estimation of the focal depths of those events, in a similar way to using teleseismic depth phases of pP and sP. The utilization of this phase has the advantage of yielding estimates of focal depths for relatively small magnitude events that do not have enough energy to generate teleseismic waves. By using the observed sP phases at small epicentral distances, shallow events beneath the Pacific Ocean in the north-eastern Japan arc, whose focal depths are poorly constrained by the land seismograph network of Tohoku University, have been relocated. The estimated hypocentre distribution, together with the focal mechanism solutions of some of the events, shows that the Pacific plate beneath this region subducts at an extremely low dip angle of less than 10d̀ for the first descent to about 20 km depth and then gradually becomes a steeper dip angle of about 30d̀ at depths deeper than 30 km.

Notes: Molecular investigation of the process of cold acclimation in woody plants has been limited by the superimposition of dormancy-related events on the process of cold tolerance development. To address this limitation, we have used the grape Vitis labruscana L. ev. Concord to develop a system in which the developmental programme of dormancy can be induced seperately from cold acclimation. Using this system we have characterized differential accumulation of several proteins in grape buds during the normally superimposed endodormancy and cold acclimation programmes, and in buds which have entered only the endodormancy programme. A set of 47 kD proteins accumulated during endodormancy without cold acclimation to a level similar to that found in endodormant and cold-acclimated buds, but without any associated increase in bud cold-acclimation level. However, a 27 kD LEA-like protein accumulated only in cold acclimated buds. We conclude that expression of the 47 kD glycoprotein is endodormancy-related, but is not strictly related to the development of cold acclimation, while the 27 kD protein appears to be more specific to cold acclimation. In addition to strengthening the association of LEA-like proteins with cold acclimation, this system allows more specific assessment of cold acclimation-associated phenomena in overwintering buds.

Notes: We investigated the pathologic, bacteriologic and immunologic responses of BALB/c-nu/nu mice (nude mice) and BALB/c mice (euthymic mice) infected intravenously with virulent and avirulent Rhodococcus equi ATCC 33701, and its plasmid-cured derivative ATCC 33701P−, to evaluate the role of T lymphocytes. Adaptive transfer of immune and normal spleen cells into nude mice was also investigated. Nude and euthymic mice were inoculated with 106 ATCC 33701 or 106 ATCC 33701P− intravenously (i.v.) and killed at 0, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days post-inoculation, except dead cases. In athymic nude mice infected with ATCC 33701, deteriorating systemic inflammatory responses developed during the experimental period and multiplication of the bacteria continued until the end of the experiment. Nude mice developed splenomegaly and multifocal gross hepatic necrosis with some mortality. Splenomegaly was caused by diffuse proliferation of bacteria-laden macrophages and epithelioid cells, and gross hepatic necrosis was caused by the formation of thromboses and granulomatous lesions. Infection of euthymic mice with a sublethal dose of ATCC 33701 resulted in transient granuloma formation in the liver and spleen, production of specific antibodies against the virulent bacteria and gradual elimination thereof. In contrast, infection with ATCC 33701P− produced few lesions after rapid elimination and no antibody production against bacteria in either normal or athymic nude mice. In nude mice given normal and immune spleen cells, histopathological lesions and granulomas formed only in the liver and spleen, in addition to specific antibodies against 15- to 17-kDa antigens. The pathological lesions observed in the nude mice given immune spleen cells were similar to those seen in the mice given normal spleen cells, but they were less severe than those in mice given normal spleen cells. Mice given immune spleen cells showed a significantly higher elevation of antibody production than mice given normal spleen cells. These results suggested that protection against virulent R. equi in mice depends mainly on cell-mediated immune responses, whereas avirulent R. equi in mice are cleared by innate immune responses.

Notes: Cutaneous malakoplakia was observed in pigs inoculated intramuscularly with Rhodococcus equi strains of intermediate virulence. Macroscopically, the inoculation sites showed the indurated swelling of the skin. Histopathologically, abscess formation with histiocytic granulomatous reaction was observed. Many macrophages contained target or owl-eye shaped hematoxyphil intracytoplasmic inclusions or calcosherites (Michaelis–Gutmann bodies) of various sizes. The Michaelis–Gutmann bodies were also seen outside of the macrophages. Histochemically, most Michaelis–Gutmann bodies stained positively with the von Kossa silver method and periodic acid Schiff. Immunohistochemically, some of Michaelis–Gutmann bodies were stained by two rabbit polyclonal antibodies (rabbit anti-A5 serum and rabbit anti-ATCC 33701 serum) and a mouse monoclonal antibody (anti-20-kDa antigen monoclonal antibody). This is the first report of cutaneous malakoplakia in domestic animals, which also revealed the relationship between R. equi infection and malakoplakia immunohistochemically. This experimental swine model is useful to investigate the morphogenesis of Michaelis–Gutmann bodies in malakoplakia through chronological skin biopsies.