SEMIAPHIS DAUCI (FABRICIUS) (INSECTA, HEMIPTERA, APHIDIDAE) – FORMAL RECORD OF OCCURRENCE ON ARRACACHA (ARRACACIA XANTHORRHIZA BANCR.) (APIACEAE) IN BRAZIL, MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION, DESCRIPTION OF DAMAGES AND ARTHROPODS ASSOCIATED TO THE CULTURE

ABSTRACT This paper reports formally the occurrence and describes the damages by Semiaphis dauci (Fabricius, 1775) (Insecta, Hemiptera, Aphididae, Aphidinae, Macrosiphini) on arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancr.) (Apiaceae) in Brazil. The infestation was initially noted on April/2002 at Núcleo de Produção de Mudas, Departamento de Sementes Mudas e Matrizes, Coordenadoria de Assistência Técnica Integral, Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento, São Bento do Sapucaí, State of São Paulo. Posteriorly the occurrence was detected in other parts of the municipality of São Bento do Sapucaí such as Serrano, Paiol Grande and Cantagalo, being the incidence higher in localities at lower altitudes. The colonies, with large number of individuals, were settled on both sides of the leaves and also hidden under petiole, but with lower number of specimens. The adult plants were underdeveloped and the growing of aphid colonies induced the blossoming. In the seedlings the symptoms were severer with reduction in the development and death of plants. When the colonies were placed in the dorsal side of the leaves, there was a tendency to wrinkling and rolling to upper side that was used as shelter by the aphids. Morphological characterization, illustrations and notes on biology of .. dauci and a survey of the Arthropoda related with .. xanthorrhiza are also presented.

Crystal structure of 7-acetyl-5-benzoyl-6-phenyl-8-methyl-4,7-dihydropyrazolo[1,5-c]-1 H-pyrimidine-2-one

The title compound, C22H19N3 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1 with a= 8.310(1) Å, b= 9.890(1) Å, c= 12.007(1) Å, α =92.17(1)°, β= 97.32(1)°, γ =106.72(1)°; Z=2; Dx=1.3270(3) (gcm-3); R=0.068 for 1618 observed reflections [I ≥ 2σ (I)]. The angle between the least squares planes formed by the N1–C2–N3 and C4–C5–C6 atoms of the pyrimidine ring is 30.1(3)°. The dihydropyrimidine ring adopts a distorted boat conformation. The dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings is 48.4(1)°. The pyrazole ring in the title compound is distorted from planarity with a maximum deviation of 0.153(3) Å for C4. Two molecules form a dimere with 1. There are the shortest four inter- and two intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the structure and {four intermolecular [N1–H1= 0.860(3) Å, N1...O2i= 2.902(3) Å, H1...O2i= 2.129(2) Å, N1–H1...O2i=.149.3(2)°, C4–H4=.0.981(3) Å, C4...O70= 2.895(4) Å, H4...O70= 2.460(2) Å, C4–H4...O70= 106.5(2)°; C65–H65= 0.930(3) Å, C65...O70ii= 3.346(4) Å, H65...O70ii= 2.540(2) Å, C65–H65...O70ii= 145.2(2)° and C71–H71A= 1.02(3) Å, C71...O50= 3.188(6) Å, H71A...O50= 2.51(3) Å, C71–H71A...O50=123(2)°; (i) ≡ 1-x,2-y, -z, (ii) ≡ -x, 2-y, -1-z] and two intramolecular [C4–H4= 0.980(3) Å, C4...O70= 2.895(3) Å, H4...O70= 2.460(2) Å, C4–H4...O70= 106.5(2)° and C71–H71A= 1.026(3) Å, C71...O50= 3.189(5) Å, H71...O5= 2.51(3) Å, C71–H71A...O50= 123(2)°]}.

Rotation drive and momentum transport with electron cyclotron heating in tokamak plasmas

The role of electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) on the toroidal rotation velocity profile has been investigated in the JT-60U tokamak device by separating the effects of the change in momentum transport, the intrinsic rotation by pressure gradient, and the intrinsic rotation by ECRH. It is found that ECRH increases the toroidal momentum diffusivity and the convection velocity. It is also found that ECRH drives the codirection (co) intrinsic rotation inside the EC deposition radius and the counterdirection (ctr) intrinsic rotation outside the EC deposition radius. This ctr rotation starts from the EC deposition radius and propagates to the edge region.

Capsule-supporting ring: a new device for resin embedding of glass-mounted specimens

The goal of specimen preparation for transmission electron microscopy is to obtain high-quality ultra-thin sections with which we can correlate cellular structure to physiological function. In this study, we newly developed a capsule-supporting ring that can be useful for resin embedding of glass-mounted specimens. The present device allowed us to re-embed a semi-thin section on a microscope slide into a resin block not only for efficient ultra-thin sectioning but also for a correlative light and electron microscopy. Similar to epoxy resins for morphological observations, semi-thin sections of low-viscosity hydrophilic resins, such as Lowicryl series, can be re-embedded into the resin, which can be useful for cytochemical gold labelling. A further application of the present device improved flat embedding of cultured cells on glass cover slips for electron microscopy, preserving in situ sub-cellular structures close to their native state. We practically describe the use of capsule-supporting ring and demonstrate representative micrographs as results.

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of AUY922 in a phase I study of solid tumor patients

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Background: AUY922 is a synthetic inhibitor of Heat Shock Protein 90. Disruption of the HSP90 chaperone hetero- complex results in the loss of repression of heat shock factor-1 (HSF1), and subsequent induction of HSP70. We evaluated HSP70 as a pharmacodynamic (PD) marker of AUY922 activity in a phase I/II clinical trial in patients (pts) with solid tumors. Methods: Single agent AUY922 was administered by IV infusion once a week to pts with advanced solid malignancies. HSP70 levels in PBMC were quantitated by ELISA in samples taken at baseline and multiple time-points post the 1st and 5th treatments over two cycles. Fold change of HSP70 induction was calculated and compared to dose level and AUY922 blood exposure obtained within the first week of treatment (single dose) at 6, 24, 48, and 168 hours post-treatment. Results: Of the 40 pts treated to date, HSP70 levels in PBMC has been evaluated in 36, encompassing seven dose levels ranging from 2 mg/m2 to 40mg/m2. Baseline levels of HSP70 in PBMC ranged from 26.0 to 95.1 ng/mg protein, with a median of 42.5ng/mg. The highest level of HSP70 induction obtained over two cycles was increasing with dose from 2 to 40 mg/m2, with a range of 1.4 to 12.1 fold, and the amount of HSP70 induction was frequently higher in the second cycle of treatment. In the first cycle of treatment, HSP70 induction is correlated to blood AUC. The degree of HSP70 upregulation in PBMCs at 40 mg/m2 exceeds the 8-fold upregulation seen in BT474 xenograft tumor tissue when treated with efficacious doses of AUY922. Conclusions: PK/PD analyses show that the highest level of HSP70 achieved post-treatment increases with dose, and at the highest dose tested thus far (40mg/m2), this pharmacodynamic effect has not yet reached a maximum response. Additionally, our analysis suggests that in humans, the PD effect of AUY922 is reaching the level corresponding to that required for anti-tumor effect in the BT474 xenograft model.

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Cigarette smoking, N-acetyltransferase 2 polymorphisms and systemic lupus erythematosus in a Japanese population

Cigarette smoking may be associated with an increased risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but the underlying mechanism of this association remains unclear. N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is highly variable and detoxifies aromatic amines, an important class of carcinogens in tobacco smoke. Individuals who possess homozygous polymorphic alleles have a slower rate of metabolic detoxification of aromatic amines. We investigated the relationship of the NAT2 polymorphism to the risk of SLE with special reference to the interaction with cigarette smoking among 152 SLE cases and 427 controls in a female Japanese population. NAT2*4, NAT2*5B, NAT2*6A and NAT2*7B alleles were detected with polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. Individuals carrying the *4/*4 genotype are rapid acetylators, whereas those with homozygous non-*4 genotypes have a slow acetylator phenotype. Cigarette smoking was associated with an increased risk of SLE (odds ratio [OR] = 2.26; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.46–3.50). The slow acetylator genotype of NAT2 was significantly associated with an increased risk of SLE (OR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.21–4.52) compared with the rapid acetylator genotype. A gene-environment interaction was suggested, with a combination of the NAT2 slow acetylator genotype and smoking conferring significantly higher risk (OR = 6.44, 95% CI = 3.07–13.52; attributable proportion due to interaction = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.12–0.88), compared with the NAT2 rapid acetylator genotype and no history of smoking. This study suggests that, in this Japanese population, the NAT2 slow acetylator status may be a determinant in susceptibility to SLE.

Transition between internal transport barriers with different temperature-profile curvatures in JT-60U Tokamak plasmas

A spontaneous transition phenomena between two states of a plasma with an internal transport barrier (ITB) is observed in the steady-state phase of the magnetic shear in the negative magnetic shear plasma in the JT-60U tokamak. These two ITB states are characterized by different profiles of the second radial derivative of the ion temperature inside the ITB region (one has a weak concave shape and the other has a strong convex shape) and by different degrees of sharpness of the interfaces between the L mode and the ITB region, which is determined by the turbulence penetration into the ITB region.

Depression among caregivers of the frail elderly in Japan before and after the introduction of the Public Long-Term Care Insurance System

Cross sectional studies were conducted in five towns in Japan before and after the introduction of the Long-term Care Insurance System (LTCIS), in order to evaluate the factors relating to depression among family caregivers for the frail elderly. Depressive caregivers were more likely to consult with their doctors, to be in poor health, to care for demented elderly with behavioral disturbances than the non-depressive caregivers both before and after the LTCIS. Before LTCIS, depressive caregivers were more likely to attend to the elderly for more than 16 hours per day than their counterparts. After the LTCIS, depressive caregivers were more likely to be a spouse, to care for a frail elderly male, and less likely to be able to go out without accompanying the elderly than their counterparts. Even after the introduction of LTCIS, half of the caregivers were depressive. It is suggested that a government agency should be created to support not only the frail elderly but also their caregivers.

Linkage disequilibrium and association with methamphetamine dependence/psychosis of mu-opioid receptor gene polymorphisms

Several studies indicate that the mu-opioid receptor plays a role in addiction not only to opiate drugs but also to alcohol and non-opiate addictive drugs. Our studies aim to reveal the associations between gene polymorphisms and methamphetamine (MAP) dependence/psychosis. We newly identified several polymorphisms and four substantial linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks in the mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene. We found significant differences in both genotype and allele frequencies of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) IVS2+G691C between control (n=232) and MAP-dependent/psychotic patients (n=128). There was also a significant association between IVS2+G691C and patients with transient psychosis. These results suggest that the OPRM1 gene variations may be a factor in development and prognosis of MAP psychosis.

Current clamp at zero level in JT-60U current hole plasmas

It is found that no current is driven in a central region of a tokamak plasma once the central current density becomes nearly zero ("current hole"), in spite of high electric conductivity, at the current drive by a toroidal electric field and a radio-frequency wave in experiments on the JT-60U tokamak. This is a new, stiff, self-organized structure of a magnetic field in an axisymmetric toroidal plasma.

Measurement of turbulence decorrelation during transport barrier evolution in a high-temperature fusion plasma

A low power polychromatic beam of microwaves is used to diagnose the behavior of turbulent fluctuations in the core of the JT-60U tokamak during the evolution of the internal transport barrier. A continuous reduction in the size of turbulent structures is observed concomitant with the reduction of the density scale length during the evolution of the internal transport barrier. The density correlation length decreases to the order of the ion gyroradius, in contrast with the much longer scale lengths observed earlier in the discharge, while the density fluctuation level remain similar to the level before transport barrier formation.

Changes in Expression of the Mouse Homologues of KIAA Genes after Subchronic Methamphetamine Treatment

Amphetamine abuse may be associated with adaptive changes in gene expression in the brain. In the present study, a newly developed cDNA array system comprising mouse KIAA (mKIAA) cDNA clones was used to examine the gene expression affected by chronic methamphetamine treatment. Approximately 800 mKIAA clones were blotted onto a nylon membrane and hybridized with 33P-labeled cDNA derived from mRNAs isolated from the whole brains of mice that had been treated daily with saline or methamphetamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) for 2 weeks. The arrays displayed robust hybridization for almost all transcripts. The results obtained from five experiments were averaged, each performed with triplicate samples. Several clones were chosen as positive candidates for methamphetamine-induced changes; however, only Per2 and mKIAA0099 genes showed a significantly increased expression (P < .05). Subsequently, with the focus on the period-related proteins, the expression of these proteins in various parts of the rat brain were assessed by immunoblot analysis. Chronic administration of methamphetamine (8 mg/kg, i.p., for 10 days) caused increased Per2 protein expression in the hippocampus. Interestingly, chronic methamphetamine treatment at a lower dose (4 mg/kg, i.p., for 10 days) induced an increase in SCN circadian oscillatory protein (SCOP) expression, also in the hippocampus. These data suggest that long-lasting alterations of the period-related gene expressions in the hippocampus might play an important role in methamphetamine addiction.

Formation of advanced tokamak plasmas without the use of an ohmic-heating solenoid

A new operational scenario of advanced tokamak formation was demonstrated in the JT-60U tokamak. This was accomplished by electron cyclotron and lower hybrid waves, neutral beam injection, and the loop voltage supplied by the vertical field and shaping coils. The Ohmic heating (OH) solenoid was not used but a small inboard coil (part of the shaping coil), providing less than 20% of total poloidal flux, was used. The plasma thus obtained had both internal and edge transport barriers, with an energy confinement time of 1.6 times H-mode scaling, a poloidal beta of 3.6, and a normalized beta of 1.6, and a large bootstrap current fraction (>90%). This result opens up a possibility to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the OH solenoid from a tokamak reactor, which will greatly improve its economic competitiveness.