Calcareous deposits formed on IUDs in human exposures

Characteristics of the calcareous deposits on several hundred IUDs of various designs and materials following in vivo exposures were examined, and an in vitro method of study was devised. There were 650 copper-wound IUDs and 18 plastic IUDs. The copper-wound IUDs had been in the uteri for 6-27 months; the plastic IUDs for 3 months to over 8 years. Microscopic examinations, X-ray diffraction, weight changes, and chemical analyses were used. X-ray diffraction showed that calcite (CaCO3) was the major crystalline constituent of the calcareous deposits. A large fraction of the deposited material was organic. Surfaces in contact with the uterine wall were essentially free of depos its. Microscopic inspection of copper-wound IUDs revealed the amount of deposit. Length of exposure increased the amount of deposit, but there were marked variations in amount. Accumulation of deposits was mostly at the fundal end. More marked local erosion of copper was noted where there was little or no carbonate deposit. Deposits occurred in patches on Lippes loops and Margulies spirals. The in vitro carbonate deposits did not reproduce the rates or morphology of the in vivo deposits. Variations in uterine carbonate formation are attributed to differences in uterine chemistry of individuals.     

Properties of chitosan/soy protein blended films with added plasticizing agent as a function of solvent type at acidic pH

Pure and blend films from chitosan (CH) and soy protein isolate (SPI) were produced in varying compositions (CH/SPI 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 w/w) based on the solvent type (acetic and formic acids). Glycerol was used as a plasticizer. The interactions between the two biopolymers was confirmed by FTIR and TGA, indicating miscibility and compatibility. Increasing the amount of soy protein decreased the tensile strength and absorptive properties, but improved the ability of the film to withstand thermal degradation. Blend films cast using acetic acid gave higher hydrophobicity, better internal blend miscibility, and better tensile properties than blend films cast from formic acid.     

Quantitative extraction of pecan oil from small samples with supercritical carbon dioxide

A procedure to determine total oil content of pecan was developed for samples weighing 500 and 10 mg by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with carbon dioxide as the extraction solvent, and chilled hexane as the trapping solvent. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were prepared from the total lipid fraction by using either an aliquot (500 mg starting weight) or the entire extract (10 mg starting weight). Total oil content obtained for either sample size with SFE was similar to that obtained with an organic solvent extraction technique. The fatty acid composition for the total lipid fraction of oils extracted with SFE was the same as for oils extracted with organic solvents, and oil composition did not change during SFE. Both oil yield and fatty acid composition were similar to those reported previously for pecan. Samples could be extracted and placed into FAME-derivatizing reagents in one day, and fatty acid composition of the total lipid fraction could be determined by gas-liquid chromatography the next day. The procedure, as demonstrated for pecan, should be suitable for other oilseeds, especially those containing low amounts of water.     

Selective neural cell adhesion molecule signaling by Src family tyrosine kinases and tyrosine phosphatases

Nerve growth cone guidance is a highly complex feat, involving coordination of cell adhesion molecules, trophic factor gradients, and extracellular matrix proteins. While navigating through the developing nervous system, the growth cone must integrate diverse environmental signals into a singular response. The repertoire of growth cone responses to these extracellular cues includes axonal growth, fasciculation, and synaptic stabilization, which are achieved through dynamic changes in the cytoskeleton and modulation of gene expression. It has become evident that interactions between cell adhesion molecules can activate intracellular signaling pathways in neurons. Such signaling pathways are just beginning to be defined for the axonal growth promoting molecules L1 and NCAM which are members of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily. Recent findings have revealed that L1 and NCAM induce neurite outgrowth by activating intracellular signaling pathways in the growth cone mediated by two different members of the src family of nonreceptor protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), pp60(c-src) and p59(fyn5,6). Growth cones display diverse morphologies and variable motility on these different cell adhesion molecules, which are likely to be generated by src kinases. In this review we will address novel features of nonreceptor PTKs of the src family which dictate their distinctive molecular interactions with cell adhesion molecules and signaling components.     

A system for continuous process improvement in wood products manufacturing

The WoodMark Quality System, a new quality assurance program for the Canadian value-added wood products sector, was launched in 1999. This represented the culmination of a five-year investigation of industry needs, standards development, and potential benefits, as they relate to implementing a third-party quality assurance system for the Canadian value-added industry. The WoodMark Quality System is an industry-specific system dedicated to improving the quality of value-added wood products, and in so doing, improving the competitive position and global customer acceptance of Canadian wood products. While many quality assurance systems, most notably the ISO 9000 series, already exist and have been widely adopted, the impetus behind creating an industry-specific quality certification program came as a result of the unique attributes inherent in wood as a raw material and the subsequent production and quality challenges. To that end, a set of seven quality standards, singular to the wood industry, were developed. These standards have been implemented in two pilot projects, with positive results.     

Short communication: Two dominant paternal lineages for North American Jersey artificial insemination sires

Jersey cattle are the second most prominent breed in the United States and represent a growing portion of the dairy cow population in the United States. The objectives of our study were to determine the male lineages of Jersey sires with official genetic evaluations and to determine whether there are differences in sire conception rate among lineages. Paternal lineages back to the 1950s were extracted from genetic evaluation files of the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB, Bowie, MD) for all sires with an official United States genetic evaluation and that were enrolled with the National Association of Animal Breeders (Madison, WI). Further tracing of male lineages was performed by accessing the pedigree database of Jersey Origins LLC (Stitzer, WI). Only paternal lineages were considered because we were interested in transmission of the Y chromosome. Sire conception rate evaluations were also retrieved from CDCB for 1,116 bulls. Nearly all North American bulls born in the decade beginning 2010 could be traced to Secret Signal Observer or Advancer Sleeping Jester, who together account for 98.9% of paternal lineages. Both bulls plus the 3 additional bulls that account for the remaining 1.1% of current descendants can be traced to a single bull (Champion Flying Fox) born on the island of Jersey in 1898. When considering sires imported into the United States, the majority (71%) trace their paternal lineage to Secret Signal Observer or Advancer Sleeping Jester, and 97% can be traced to Champion Flying Fox. Sire conception rates were higher by 0.30 percentage points in the Secret Signal Observer line than in the Advancer Sleeping Jester line, which was significant. The small number of paternal lineages for recently born artificial insemination Jersey sires indicates that there is limited genetic diversity for much of the Y chromosome, suggesting that autosomal variation may be a more important source for differences in male fertility than the Y chromosome.     

Hydrogen production from the fermentation of corn stover biomass pretreated with a steam-explosion process

Lignocellulosic biomass contains 70–80% carbohydrates and could serve as the ideal feedstock for fermentative hydrogen production. We conducted the pretreatment of corn stover using a steam-explosion process and studied its fermentability for hydrogen production. Using natural inoculant obtained from the heated sludge of a local wastewater treatment plant, we demonstrated that the indigenous microbes were capable of efficiently fermenting the aqueous hydrolyzate derived from the hemicellulose fraction of the steam-pretreated corn stover with and without acid during pretreatment. Biogas contained equal amounts of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The carbon mass balance is approximately 84%, with acetic and butyric acids as the major carbon byproducts along with carbon dioxide. Hydrogen molar yields of 2.84 and 3.0 were obtained using the mixed sugars present in the hydrolyzate derived from neutral and acidic steam explosion, respectively. These findings verify that hemicellulose from corn stover could be a suitable feedstock for hydrogen production via dark fermentation.     

NCAM140 interacts with the focal adhesion kinase p125(fak) and the SRC-related tyrosine kinase p59(fyn)

Axonal growth cones respond to adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix components by rapid morphological changes and growth rate modification. Neurite outgrowth mediated by the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) requires the src family tyrosine kinase p59(fyn) in nerve growth cones, but the molecular basis for this interaction has not been defined. The NCAM140 isoform, which is found in migrating growth cones, selectively co-immunoprecipitated with p59(fyn) from nonionic detergent (Brij 96) extracts of early postnatal mouse cerebellum and transfected rat B35 neuroblastoma and COS-7 cells. p59(fyn) did not associate significantly with the NCAM180 isoform, which is found at sites of stable neural cell contacts, or with the glycophosphatidylinositol-linked NCAM120 isoform. pp60(c-)src, a tyrosine kinase that promotes neurite growth on the neuronal cell adhesion molecule L1, did not interact with any NCAM isoform. Whereas p59(fyn) was constitutively associated with NCAM140, the focal adhesion kinase p125(fak), a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase known to mediate integrin-dependent signaling, became recruited to the NCAM140-p59(fyn) complex when cells were reacted with antibodies against the extracellular region of NCAM. Treatment of cells with a soluble NCAM fusion protein or with NCAM antibodies caused a rapid and transient increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of p125(fak) and p59(fyn). These results suggest that NCAM140 binding interactions at the cell surface induce the assembly of a molecular complex of NCAM140, p125(fak), and p59(fyn) and activate the catalytic function of these tyrosine kinases, initiating a signaling cascade that may modulate growth cone migration.