Neutron detection via bubble chambers.

Research investigating the application of pressure-cycled bubble chambers to fast neutron detection is described. Experiments with a Halon-filled chamber showed clear sensitivity to an AmBe neutron source and insensitivity to a (137)Cs gamma source. Bubble formation was documented using high-speed photography, and a ceramic piezo-electric transducer element registered the acoustic signature of bubble formation. In a second set of experiments, the bubble nucleation response of a Freon-134a chamber to an AmBe neutron source was documented with high-speed photography.

Bone marrow-derived macrophages express functional CGRP receptors and respond to CGRP by increasing transcription of c-fos and IL-6 mRNA.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a sensory neuropeptide with inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties. CGRP inhibits IL-7 responses by B cell precursors by direct and indirect mechanisms. We recently found that CGRP induces IL-6 and TNF-alpha in long-term bone marrow cultures and that IL-6 and TNF-alpha also inhibit IL-7 responses. Because these are heterogeneous cultures, it was not clear which cells produced IL-6 and TNF-alpha. To determine whether bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) were the source, we did studies to determine whether BMDMs express mRNAs for CGRP receptors and whether CGRP induces c-fos, IL-6, and TNF-alpha mRNA. We found that BMDMs express mRNAs for CRLR and RAMP1, the minimal components for CGRP receptors. CGRP also stimulated dose- and time-dependent increases in c-fos and IL-6. In contrast, CGRP did not induce TNF-alpha in BMDMs. These results suggest that BMDMs are a source of CGRP-induced IL-6 in bone marrow.

Calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) inhibits interleukin-7-induced pre-B cell colony formation.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a sensory neuropeptide with inflammatory and immunoregulatory activities. Its role in B lymphocyte development was investigated using a pre-B cell colony-forming assay. Physiological concentrations of CGRP inhibited pre-B cell responses to interleukin-7 (IL-7). Inhibition was specific in that it was blocked by the CGRP antagonist CGRP8-37. Adrenomedulin, substance P, and calcitonin had no effect on B cell precursor responses. Similar responses were observed with B220+/IgM- B cell precursors. Inhibition of IL-7 responses in B220+/IgM- cells suggests that CGRP has a direct effect on B cell precursors. Studies with cultured bone marrow-adherent cells found that CGRP also has an indirect effect on IL-7 responses. Cultured bone marrow-adherent cells were treated with CGRP for 24 h, and anti-CGRP was added to the supernatants to neutralize CGRP. Concentrations of CGRP as low as 0.01 nM induced a factor that inhibited colony formation. In contrast, CGRP did not induce an inhibitory factor in cultured bone marrow macrophages, suggesting that CGRP induces an inhibitory factor in some adherent cell other than macrophages. The results show that CGRP has both direct and indirect effects on developing B cells and support a role for CGRP as an inhibitor of early B cell development.

Short tandem repeat (STR) locus HUMD8S306 in a large population sample from Germany.

Applied DNA typing in medico-legal investigations, in criminalistic practice, and in paternity cases often relies on high inclusion and exclusion probabilities. For that reason, the short autosomal tandem repeat locus D8D306 was validated for forensic use and incorporated into a nonoverlapping multiplex reaction with HUMDHFRP2 and HUMCD4: The allele frequencies of D8S306 in four different regions of Germany (n = 1220 alleles) were determined for use in a population database; the allele distributions did not significantly deviate from each other. The hererozygosity of D8S306 is 83%, expected exclusion chance in stain cases is 96% (paternity cases: 69%), the lowest amount of successfully amplified DNA was 30 pg. The alleles are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

[Age differences versus aging--a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis on the development of memory in advanced age]. / Altersunterschiede versus Altersentwicklung--Eine Querschnitt- und Längsschnittanalyse zur Entwicklung des Gedächtnisses im höheren Erwachsenenalter.

This study examines the development of episodic memory in later adulthood and old age in a combined cross-sectional and longitudinal design. 124 normal aging subjects, aged 50-87 years, representing four age groups (M1 = 53.65 years, M2 = 60.60 years, M3 = 68.44 years, M4 = 75.83 years) participated in a cross-sectional study. Seven years later a retest was done in which 70% of the original sample again participated. Significant differences between the cross-sectional and the longitudinal results were found, with the latter showing the more severe decline in memory performances. Moreover, the age decline occurred earlier in the longitudinal study. Cohort differences account for these differences between the cross-sectional and longitudinal findings, favoring subjects of earlier-born cohorts.

[Recall of personal performance in the elderly]. / Das Erinnern eigener Handlungen im Alter.

One shortcoming of traditional memory research with older adults is that the scope of memory tasks and memory materials used has been rather narrow. The studies to be presented in this paper, assessing memory for self-performed action events, were designed to answer the question whether the well-documented age-related memory decline indicates a global characteristic of the aging memory system or if this decline is specific to the verbal memory system. It could be demonstrated that memory deficits older adults show when learning and remembering self-performed action events are similar to those that have been found many times for verbal materials. Thus, the age effect in memory is not limited to verbal materials.

[Stress on adolescents due to forced positions in various postural loads]. / Zur Beanspruchung von Jugendlichen durch Zwangshaltungen bei unterschiedlichen Haltelasten.

To assess the strain imposed by defined static loads, eleven young males were studied in four different postures at three different loads held. In addition to the usual cardiovascular parameters of heart rate and arterial blood pressure, the long-term variability of the cardiac cycle (sinus arrhythmia) and the subjective exertion assessment according to Borg were used as strain criteria. Despite a high interindividual variability, HR arrhythmia data reflect in very good terms the strain imposed by predominantly central activation at static loads and forced postures. Such a strain assessment does not replace other modes of assessment such as biomechanical model considerations. Still, it may add to an assessment made on the basis of heart rate and blood pressure.

[Sequential analysis and its application possibilities in clinical psychology]. / Die Sequentialanalyse und ihre Anwendungsmöglichkeiten in der klinischen Psychologie

This paper describes an experimental-statistical procedure widely unknown in psychology, which allows an efficient problem-solving in clinical research and practice, such as, for example, in evaluating the officiency of therapeutical strategies. The method dealt with is Wald's (1947) sequential analysis, which has been successfully applied in pharmaceutical research as well as in quality controls of industrial products. The characterization of this method and the description of its application fields are followed by an illustrative computational example.