Free sugars in relation to starch accumulation in developing rice grain

The changes in sugars (water-soluble carbohydrates) were studied in the developing grain of rice (Oryza sativa L., variety IR28 and IR29) in relation to the role of these sugars as precursors of ADP glucose in starch accumulation. The levels of total sugars, total reducing sugars and free glucose, sucrose and other nonreducing sugars, maltooligosaccharides, and total and nonsucrosyl fructose followed closely the changes in the rate of starch accumulation, in both IR28 and 29; the peak value occurred 9 days after flowering. The level of soluble carbohydrates remained high in the caryopsis and also in milled rice after starch accumulation, suggesting that the supply of sugar precursors does not limit starch accumulation in the rice grain. Because of a higher level of reducing sugars, the level of free sugars in the grain of waxy rice IR29 was higher than that of nonwaxy IR28.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activities of Wine Yeasts in Relation to Higher Alcohol Formation

Alcohol dehydrogenase activities were examined in cell-free extracts of 10 representative wine yeast strains having various productivities of higher alcohols (fusel oil). The amount of fusel alcohols ( n -propanol, isobutanol, active pentanol, and isopentanol) produced by the different yeasts and the specific alcohol dehydrogenase activities with the corresponding alcohols as substrates were found to be significantly related. No such relationship was found for ethanol. The amounts of higher alcohols formed during vinification could be predicted from the specific activities of the alcohol dehydrogenases with high accuracy. The results suggest a close relationship between the control of the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase and the formation of fusel oil alcohols. Also, new procedures for the prediction of higher alcohol formation during alcoholic beverage fermentation are suggested.

Effect of prolactin administration on ovarian and thyroidal activity in relation to gonadotropic and thyrotropic potency in a freshwater catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch)

Radiophosphorus incorporation by ovary was the criterion used for the assessment of ovarian activity in H. fossilis. Prolactin administration at different dose levels failed to elicit any obvious change in ovarian 32P uptake. From the findings of this experiment it appears that prolactin has no influence on ovarian activity. However, it exerted an inhibitory effect on the thyroid activity in intact H. fossilis. It was evident by retarded thyroidal 131I uptake. But the declension in serum PB131I was less pronounced. TSH content of the pituitary gland in response to prolactin administration was also reduced. It seems that prolactin interferes in thyroidal iodine accumulation perhaps by retarding the synthesis of TSH, but apparently does not prevent thyroxine output to a perceptible level.

Evidence for a circadian oscillation in the gonadal response of the tropical weaver bird (Ploceus philippinus) to programmed photoperiod

The effect of an asymmetrical skeleton photoperiod scheduleee was studied on the gonadal development in a tropical finch, the weaver bird (Ploceus philippinus). The schedul comprised a short nonstimulatory primary photoperiod of 6 hrs and a secondary much shorter lightperiod given as a 15-min light pulse at different times in the dark period. The light pulse 11 hrs after the basic period resulted in gonadal stimulation, while light pulse in contimuation with the basic period or 8, 14 or 21 hrs after the basicperiod was not stimulatory. The "photoinducible phase" was much more precisely outlined by shifting the birds from an 8-h to a 10-h pulse, and from an 11-h to 12-h pulse and was found to be very short, lasting about an hour falling between 11 and 12 hrs after the primary light period. The short photoinducible phase may be of an adaptive value since in the tropics the difference between the shortest and the longest daylength is also rather small (3 hrs and 15 min at Varanasi, 25degrees N). Clearly the weaver bird possesses a fine time-measuring device involving an endogenous circadian rhythm in photosensitivity. In nature, spermatogenesis in this bird also begins in March when the daylength exceeds 11 hrs (thus perhaps coinciding with the photoinducible phase). In rather small, photoperiod may not serve as a cue to trigger seasonal reproductive periodicity, it seems that photoperiod can act as a Zeitgeber for the initiation of spermatogenesis in the weaver bird at least.

Enzymatic conversion of sterigmatocystin into aflatoxin B1 by cell-free extracts of Aspergillus parasiticus

A cell-free extract, prepared from Aspergillus parasiticus ATCC 15517 grown in synthetic medium, was active in converting [14C]sterigmatocystin into aflatoxin B1 in the presence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. The activity was demonstrated by the time course of conversion and the linear dependence of the yield of product on enzyme concentrations. Optimum activity was obtained at pH 7.5 to 7.8 at 27 C. The results confirm sterigmatocystin as a biogenetic precursor of aflatoxin B1. Techniques were developed for enzymatic studies on aflatoxin biosynthesis.

A longitudinal study of the growth of trunk surface area measured by planimeter on standard somatotype photographs

Thoracic and abdominal surface areas have been measured by planimeter on 340 photogrammetric somatotype photographs of 15 boys of the Harpenden Growth Study followed at regular intervals from 3 to 20 years of age. Mean distance and velocity curves are given, estimated by Patterson's method for extracting maximum information from mixed longitudinal data. Both areas showed a marked adolescent growth spurt with the age at peak coinciding with the age of peak height velocity of the same children. The correlation coefficients between thorax and abdominal surface areas rose from an average of about 0-3 at ages 5-8 to 0-5 at ages 9-12 and 0-7 at ages 13-19. Trunk index (thorax/abdomen area) fell gradually with age from 5 to 9 and thereafter remained constant.

Experience with allografts in the surgery of peripheral nerves (experimental study)

Peroneal nerve allografts four to seven cm in length were transplanted in 36 tissue typed beagle dogs, using a standard microsurgical technique. The influence of tissue typing on nerve regeneration through these grafts was studied with the help of electromyography and histology seven to nine months after nerve implantation. Better regeneration was found through the grafts with compatible than with noncompatible typing. The favourable effect of tissue compatibility became more evident when the length of the graft was longer than four cm. Tissue rejection reaction was much more marked and evident with longer grafts in noncompatible than in compatible groups. Radiation, with tissue typing, did not seem to confer any additional beneficial effect. Compatible tissue typed nerve allografts probably behave more like autografts.

Mercury(II) cyanide complexes with 4,4'-Bipyridine and 4,4'-(Propane-1,3-diyl)-bispyridine

1:1 Coordination complexes formed by mercury(11) cyanide with 4,4'-bipyridine and 4,4'-(propane-1,3-diyl)bispyridine have been prepared and characterized by molar conductance, molecular weight and infrared spectral measurements down to 200 cm-1 in the solid state. The 4,4'-bipyridine complex is shown to have a polymeric chain structure with a tetrahedral environment of two nitrogen atoms of bridging 4,4'-bipyridine and two carbon atoms of the terminally bonded cyano groups about the mercury atoms. The 4,4'-(propane-1,3-diyl)bispyridine complex is suggested to have a monomeric three-coordinate structure with only terminally bonded 4,4'-(propane-1,3-diyl)bispyridine and cyano groups.

Microbiology of cutaneous tuberculosis

Detailed bacteriological characteristics including drug sensitivity of 12 mycobacteria isolated from 51 cases of different types of cutaneous tuberculosis were studied; no mycobacterium could be isolated from remaining 39 cases. Nine were identified as M. tuberculosis and 3 as 'anonymous' mycobacteria. Acquired resistance to one or more than one drug (streptomycin, isoniazid, PAS and thiacetazone) was observed in 3 out of 9 strains of M. tuberculosis. All the 'anonymous' strains were resistant to all the drugs except ethionamide and ethambutol.

Hypothalamic stimulation of prolactin release in a freshwater catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis

Hypothalamic extract has been found to contain certain factor(s) which triggers the release of prolactin from the pituitary gland. In assay recipients, hypothalamic extract injection was as effective as perphenazine-HCl treatment in triggering the release of prolactin from pituitary gland. Rise in prolactin concentration of serum and resultant decrease in pituitary prolactin level in response to hypothalamic extract administration suggests that hypothalamus in H. fossilis has prolactin releasing factor(s). This releasing effect of hypothalamus seems to be specific since cortical extract injections were ineffective in producing the similar response.

Lysozyme in corneal ulcer

In the present experimental study the role of lysozyme drops in healing of corneal ulcer of staphylococcal origin (sensitive to chloramphenicol) was studied on 16 albino rabbits. In 8 rabbits, in one eye placibo drops (distilled water) and in the other eye lysozyme 1% were put 4 times daily. In the other 8 rabbits, in one eye chloramphenicol drops 0.4% and in the other eye chloramphenicol drops 0.4% + lysozyme drops 1% were instilled 4 times daily. It was observed that the rate of healing of corneal ulcer was much earlier in the eyes which had local instillation of chloramphenicol drops + lysozyme in comparison to the eyes which had only chloramphenicol drops, lysozyme drops, or distilled water.

Traumatic left ventricular aneurysm. Two cases with normal coronary angiograms

Two young males had traumatic left ventricular aneurysm and normal coronary angiograms. Trauma was penetrating (bullet) in one and nonpenetrating (fist blow) in the other. Recurrent ventricular tachycardia in one and a systemic embolus in the other required aneurysmectomy. The patients are free of symptoms 42 and 21 months after surgery. The presence of traumatic ventricular aneurysm and normal coronary angiograms suggests that myocardial necrosis following chest trauma is often caused by direct injury to the myocardium rather than by injury to occlusion of the coronary arteries. Therefore, coronary artery bypass surgery may be unnecessary or even hazardous in persons with chest trauma and evidence of early myocardial necrosis.

Personal evaluations, laughter, and affective judgments

Fifty-six subjects read positive or negative evaluations of their personality made by a bogus same-sex peer and then rated their immediate feelings. A second group of 22 subjects rated their feelings after reading the evaluations of a third person. It was found that personal evaluations evoked more spontaneous laughter than did the evaluation of a third person (p less than .001). Inclusion of the factor of laughter in the experimental design disclosed that subjects who laughed felt more pleasant than those who did not laugh (p less than .008) and that laughter was associated with affective state only in the negative evaluation condition (p less than .003).. Also, positive evaluations made the subjects feel good, and negative ones made them feel bad (p less than .001). Results seemed to suggest that extreme affective arousal engenders laughter which, in turn, alters the judgments of one's affective state.

H3-phenylalanine incorporation into protein in the pituitary, hypothalamus and cerebral cortex of male rats during postnatal development

Incorporation of H3-phenylalanine and concentration of protein in the anterior pituitary gland (APG), hypothalamus and cerebral cortex of male rats have been studied during postnatal development from day 21 to 120. APG and hypothalamus showed significantly higher rate of amino acid uptake and protein synthesis during the prepubertal phase, decrease at puberty and an age dependent variation thereafter. Protein concentrations and amino acid incorporation in the APG and hypothalamus are possibly influenced by the higher circulating levels of androgens during sexual maturation in marked contrast to their lack of effect on the cerebral cortex.

Experience with homologous lyophilised nerve grafts in the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries

Report of a series of 18 late secondary nerve grafts using lyophilised (disantigenised and disenzymatised) homografts of the Braun Melsungen Company. In contrast to the publication of Kuhlendahl et al. (1972) 32% of the cases showed definitive signs of regeneration. Therefore, in spite of the fact that autografts give better results, further research into the possibilities of homografts seems desirable. Their potential usefulness obviously is restricted to cases in which from any reasons autologous nerve grafts are not available.