O presente experimento teve por objetivo avaliar a produtividade agrícola da soja em sistema de semeadura direta com antecipação da adubação fosfatada e potássica na cultura de Eleusine coracana, sustentando-se a hipótese de que a produtividade da soja não é reduzida devido à antecipação da adubação de base para a cultura de Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. (capim-pé-de-galinha). O experimento foi conduzido na Estação Experimental Anhembi, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” (USP/ESALQ), no município de Piracicaba-SP, localizada à margem direita do Rio Tietê, na cabeceira da represa de Barra Bonita-SP, entre as coordenadas 22º 45’e 22º 50’ de latitude Sul, e 48º 00’ e 45º 05’de longitude Oeste, durante o ano agrícola de 2001/2002, em LATOSSOLO AMARELO Distrófico. A adubação, segundo a recomendação oficial para o estado de São Paulo, consistiu da aplicação de 90 kg de P2O5 ha-1, 50 kg de K2O ha-1 e de micronutrientes (Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo e Zn). O experimento adotou delineamento em blocos completos ao acaso com três repetições. Os tratamentos experimentais consistiram em diferentes níveis de antecipação da adubação da soja, para a cultura do capim-pé-de-galinha, totalizando 12 tratamentos: T1 = nenhuma adubação; T2 = adubação convencional na soja; T3 = 50% de K, no capim-péde- galinha; T4 = 100% de K, no capim-pé-de-galinha; T5 = 50% de P, no capim-pé-degalinha; T6 = 50% de P e K, no capim-pé-de-galinha; T7 = 50% de P e 100 % de K, no capim-pé-de-galinha; T8 = 100% de P, no capim-pé-de-galinha; T9 = 100% de P e 50% de K, no capim-pé-de-galinha; T10 = 100% de P e K, no capim-pé-de-galinha; T11 = 100% de P e K + micronutrientes, no capim-pé-de-galinha; T12 = adubação foliar com micronutrientes, no capim-pé-de-galinha. As características avaliadas foram: a) capim pé-de-galinha: produção de matéria seca; b) soja: estande final, altura final de planta, porcentagem de plantas com haste verde, grau de acamamento, número de ramificações por planta, número de vagens chochas por planta, número de vagens de 3 cavidades com 3, 2 e 1 grão, número de vagens de 2 cavidades com 2 e 1 grão, número de vagens de 1 cavidade com 1 grão, número total de vagens por planta, número total de grãos por planta, peso de grãos por planta, peso de mil grãos e produtividade agrícola. As principais conclusões são: a) a adubação fosfatada e potássica da cultura da soja, antecipadas parcial ou totalmente para a semeadura do capim Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn., podem incrementar a produtividade agrícola de matéria seca do capim-pé-degalinha; b) a antecipação parcial ou total das adubações fosfatada e potássica da soja para a semeadura do Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn., nas condições em que foi instalado o experimento, não reduz a produtividade agrícola de grãos de soja; c) Trabalhos de pesquisa agronômica envolvendo estudos sobre adubação de agroecossistemas devem ser incentivados. / The present research evaluated soybean yield in a no-tillage system with previous potassium and phosphorus fertilization on the Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. crop. The hypothesis was that soybean yield does not decrease due to previous fertilization on the Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. (finger millet) crop. The experiment was carried out during the 2001/2002 growing season at the Estação Experimental Anhembi, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” (USP/ESALQ), in Piracicaba, São Paulo. The area is located at the right side bank of the Tietê river, at the beginning of the Barra Bonita Dam, between the coordinates 22º 45’and 22º 50’ latitude south, and 48º 00’ and 45º 05’ longitude west, in an Oxisol. The soybean fertilization was done according to the São Paulo State offical recommendation: 90 kg of P2O5 ha-1, 50 kg of K2O ha-1 and micronutrients (Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo and Zn). The experiment designed in randomized complete blocks, with three replicates. The treatment consisted of differents levels of soybean pre-fertilization, on the finger millet crop, totalizing 12 treatments: T1 = no fertilization; T2 = conventional fertilization, on Soybean; T3 = 50% of K, on finger millet; T4 = 100% of K, on finger millet; T5 = 50% of P, on finger millet; T6 = 50% of both P and K, on finger millet; T7 = 50% of P and 100 % of K, on finger millet; T8 = 100% of P, on finger millet; T9 = 100% of P and 50% of K, on finger millet; T10 = 100% of P and K, on finger millet; T11 = 100% of P and K + micronutrients, on finger millet; T12 = fertilization with micronutrients, on finger millet. The evaluated chacaracters were: a) finger millet: dry matter production; b) soybean: final stand, final plant height, percentage of plants with green stems, bending, number of branches per plant, number of empty pods, number of pods with 3 cavities with 3, 2 and 1 grain, number of pods with 2 cavities with 2 and 1 grain, number of pods with 1 cavity with 1 grain, total number of pods per plant, total number of grains per plant, grain weight per plant, mass of 1,000 grains and total yield. The main conclusions are: a) phosphorus and potassium pre-fertilization on soybean, totally or partial applied to the Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. crop, can increase the finger millet dry matter yield; b) total or partial pre-fertilization of soybean phosphorus and potassium on Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. crop, under experimental conditions tested, does not decrease the soybean yield; c) more studies about fertilization in agroecosystems should be encouraged.

Abstract not available

Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicospentaenoic acid (EPA), are important mediators for cardiovascular disease, fetal/infant development, neurological disorders and inflammatory diseases. Supplementation and washout studies are important for future research on the physiological effects of omega-3 fatty acids and for determination of the proper washout period for future cross-over studies. In this study, omega-3 fatty acid blood biomarker comparisons are made for the n-3 HUFA score (% of n-3 HUFAs in total HUFAs) and omega-3 index (sum of EPA + DHA) in plasma, erythrocytes, whole blood and a novel finger-tip prick blood method (FTPB) of analysis. This FTPB method of fatty acid analysis is further tested to determine the potential for its use in fatty acid analysis. In addition, gender differences in response to omega-3 fish oil supplementation are analyzed in all four blood fractions. Nine males and seven females were supplemented with 8 fish-oil capsules per day (providing 3.2 g/day EPA and 1.6 g/day DHA) for four weeks, followed by an eight-week omega-3 washout period. Venous plasma, erythrocyte and whole blood samples were collected during weeks 0, 4, 8 and 12 and FTPB samples were collected weekly during supplementation and washout fatty acid analysis was performed. EPA and DHA incorporation is lowest in magnitude in erythrocytes relative to all other blood fractions. Omega-3 blood biomarker comparisons demonstrate that the n-3 HUFA score is a more reliable measure across all blood fractions compared to the omega-3 index. In addition, the n-3 HUFA score demonstrates no differences (p > 0.05) between FTPB and whole blood analysis, providing evidence to support its usefulness as a tool for fatty acid analysis. However, differences (p < 0.05) do exist between these methods for saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acids, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and omega-3 PUFAs. Baseline fatty acid levels for DHA, and the DHA:EPA and DHA:DPA ratios tend to be higher (p < 0.05) in females, and docosapentaenoic acid n-3 (DPAn-3) is higher (p > 0.05) in males across all blood fractions. Furthermore, a gender effect (p < 0.05) is seen for the DHA:EPA ratio across all blood fractions. At baseline, female DHA:EPA is higher (p < 0.05) than males with supplementation lowering both male and female values and removing any differences (p > 0.05) between genders. Washout results in a return of levels towards baseline, however, baseline levels are not fully reached. Furthermore, while gender differences do begin to reform during washout, these differences are not significant (p > 0.05). In conclusion, omega-3 fatty acid responses, particularly DHA:EPA ratio, demonstrate significant gender differences that may be related to differences in long-chain PUFA synthesis pathways between males and females. In addition, the n-3 HUFA score may be a more valuable omega-3 blood biomarker than the omega-3 index, as the n-3 HUFA score displays more consistent levels across all blood fractions. Finally, the FTPB method of analysis may be a useful tool in the measurement of fatty acid composition, however, some microwave methylation problems do exist, specifically in the phospholipid class of lipids.

Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicospentaenoic acid (EPA), are important mediators for cardiovascular disease, fetal/infant development, neurological disorders and inflammatory diseases. Supplementation and washout studies are important for future research on the physiological effects of omega-3 fatty acids and for determination of the proper washout period for future cross-over studies. In this study, omega-3 fatty acid blood biomarker comparisons are made for the n-3 HUFA score (% of n-3 HUFAs in total HUFAs) and omega-3 index (sum of EPA + DHA) in plasma, erythrocytes, whole blood and a novel finger-tip prick blood method (FTPB) of analysis. This FTPB method of fatty acid analysis is further tested to determine the potential for its use in fatty acid analysis. In addition, gender differences in response to omega-3 fish oil supplementation are analyzed in all four blood fractions. Nine males and seven females were supplemented with 8 fish-oil capsules per day (providing 3.2 g/day EPA and 1.6 g/day DHA) for four weeks, followed by an eight-week omega-3 washout period. Venous plasma, erythrocyte and whole blood samples were collected during weeks 0, 4, 8 and 12 and FTPB samples were collected weekly during supplementation and washout fatty acid analysis was performed. EPA and DHA incorporation is lowest in magnitude in erythrocytes relative to all other blood fractions. Omega-3 blood biomarker comparisons demonstrate that the n-3 HUFA score is a more reliable measure across all blood fractions compared to the omega-3 index. In addition, the n-3 HUFA score demonstrates no differences (p > 0.05) between FTPB and whole blood analysis, providing evidence to support its usefulness as a tool for fatty acid analysis. However, differences (p < 0.05) do exist between these methods for saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acids, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and omega-3 PUFAs. Baseline fatty acid levels for DHA, and the DHA:EPA and DHA:DPA ratios tend to be higher (p < 0.05) in females, and docosapentaenoic acid n-3 (DPAn-3) is higher (p > 0.05) in males across all blood fractions. Furthermore, a gender effect (p < 0.05) is seen for the DHA:EPA ratio across all blood fractions. At baseline, female DHA:EPA is higher (p < 0.05) than males with supplementation lowering both male and female values and removing any differences (p > 0.05) between genders. Washout results in a return of levels towards baseline, however, baseline levels are not fully reached. Furthermore, while gender differences do begin to reform during washout, these differences are not significant (p > 0.05). In conclusion, omega-3 fatty acid responses, particularly DHA:EPA ratio, demonstrate significant gender differences that may be related to differences in long-chain PUFA synthesis pathways between males and females. In addition, the n-3 HUFA score may be a more valuable omega-3 blood biomarker than the omega-3 index, as the n-3 HUFA score displays more consistent levels across all blood fractions. Finally, the FTPB method of analysis may be a useful tool in the measurement of fatty acid composition, however, some microwave methylation problems do exist, specifically in the phospholipid class of lipids.

The main objective of this study was to determine the effects of batters containing various flour types and frying methods on physical and chemical properties of chicken fingers. To determine the effects of different flour types, 30 % of the corn and wheat flour mix in control batter was replaced with chickpea, rice or soy flours. Frying was performed in microwave oven at 365 W (70 %) power level and at 180&amp / #61617 / 1&deg / C for different times. Samples were also fried in a conventional fryer at 180&amp / #61617 / 1&deg / C for comparison. The properties that were measured were coating pick-up and moisture content, oil content, color, hardness, porosity and acrylamide content of fried samples. In addition, microstructural analysis of batters and temperature distribution of fried samples during cooling were performed. Moisture content of chicken fingers decreased whereas the darkness, porosity and hardness of samples increased with increasing microwave frying time. Using microwaves decreased frying time by 70 %. Samples fried for 1.5 min using microwave provided similar moisture and oil contents in the coating part as compared to conventionally fried ones for 5min. However, the chicken part of microwave fried sample had lower moisture content. Lighter colored samples with higher porosity and lower hardness values were obtained with microwave frying. In microwave frying, soy flour addition to batter formulation decreased the moisture loss and oil absorption as compared to control by 19.3% and 20.7%, respectively. The lowest hardness, the highest porosity and oil content were obtained with the addition of chickpea flour. Flour type was not found to be effective on acrylamide content. Microwave frying provided lower acrylamide content as compared to those fried conventionally for all types of flours. The reduction in acrylamide level was the highest (34.5%) for rice flour containing batter. Color parameters of chicken fingers were not found to be a reliable indicator of acrylamide levels. Different types of frying method and flours used in batter formulation resulted in differences in the microstructure of fried batter. Variations in internal temperature distribution during cooling increased with frying time in both microwave and conventional frying. The sample fried in microwave oven for 1.5 min had a more nonuniform temperature distribution.

Les deux fonctions principales de la main sont la manipulation d’objet et l’exploration tactile. La détection du glissement, rapportée par les mécanorécepteurs de la peau glabre, est essentielle pour l’exécution de ces deux fonctions. Durant la manipulation d’objet, la détection rapide du micro-glissement (incipient slip) amène la main à augmenter la force de pince pour éviter que l’objet ne tombe. À l’opposé, le glissement est un aspect essentiel à l’exploration tactile puisqu’il favorise une plus grande acuité tactile. Pour ces deux actions, les forces normale et tangentielle exercées sur la peau permettent de décrire le glissement mais également ce qui arrive juste avant qu’il y ait glissement. Toutefois, on ignore comment ces forces contrôlées par le sujet pourraient être encodées au niveau cortical. C’est pourquoi nous avons enregistré l’activité unitaire des neurones du cortex somatosensoriel primaire (S1) durant l’exécution de deux tâches haptiques chez les primates. Dans la première tâche, deux singes devaient saisir une pastille de métal fixe et y exercer des forces de cisaillement sans glissement dans une de quatre directions orthogonales. Des 144 neurones enregistrés, 111 (77%) étaient modulés à la direction de la force de cisaillement. L’ensemble de ces vecteurs préférés s’étendait dans toutes les directions avec un arc variant de 50° à 170°. Plus de 21 de ces neurones (19%) étaient également modulés à l’intensité de la force de cisaillement. Bien que 66 neurones (59%) montraient clairement une réponse à adaptation lente et 45 autres (41%) une réponse à adaptation rapide, cette classification ne semblait pas expliquer la modulation à l’intensité et à la direction de la force de cisaillement. Ces résultats montrent que les neurones de S1 encodent simultanément la direction et l’intensité des forces même en l’absence de glissement. Dans la seconde tâche, deux singes ont parcouru différentes surfaces avec le bout des doigts à la recherche d’une cible tactile, sans feedback visuel. Durant l’exploration, les singes, comme les humains, contrôlaient les forces et la vitesse de leurs doigts dans une plage de valeurs réduite. Les surfaces à haut coefficient de friction offraient une plus grande résistance tangentielle à la peau et amenaient les singes à alléger la force de contact, normale à la peau. Par conséquent, la somme scalaire des composantes normale et tangentielle demeurait constante entre les surfaces. Ces observations démontrent que les singes contrôlent les forces normale et tangentielle qu’ils appliquent durant l’exploration tactile. Celles-ci sont également ajustées selon les propriétés de surfaces telles que la texture et la friction. Des 230 neurones enregistrés durant la tâche d’exploration tactile, 96 (42%) ont montré une fréquence de décharge instantanée reliée aux forces exercées par les doigts sur la surface. De ces neurones, 52 (54%) étaient modulés avec la force normale ou la force tangentielle bien que l’autre composante orthogonale avait peu ou pas d’influence sur la fréquence de décharge. Une autre sous-population de 44 (46%) neurones répondait au ratio entre la force normale et la force tangentielle indépendamment de l’intensité. Plus précisément, 29 (30%) neurones augmentaient et 15 (16%) autres diminuaient leur fréquence de décharge en relation avec ce ratio. Par ailleurs, environ la moitié de tous les neurones (112) étaient significativement modulés à la direction de la force tangentielle. De ces neurones, 59 (53%) répondaient à la fois à la direction et à l’intensité des forces. L’exploration de trois ou quatre différentes surfaces a permis d’évaluer l’impact du coefficient de friction sur la modulation de 102 neurones de S1. En fait, 17 (17%) neurones ont montré une augmentation de leur fréquence de décharge avec l’augmentation du coefficient de friction alors que 8 (8%) autres ont montré le comportement inverse. Par contre, 37 (36%) neurones présentaient une décharge maximale sur une surface en particulier, sans relation linéaire avec le coefficient de friction des surfaces. La classification d’adaptation rapide ou lente des neurones de S1 n’a pu être mise en relation avec la modulation aux forces et à la friction. Ces résultats montrent que la fréquence de décharge des neurones de S1 encode l’intensité des forces normale et tangentielle, le ratio entre les deux composantes et la direction du mouvement. Ces résultats montrent que le comportement d’une importante sous-population des neurones de S1 est déterminé par les forces normale et tangentielle sur la peau. La modulation aux forces présentée ici fait le pont entre les travaux évaluant les propriétés de surfaces telles que la rugosité et les études touchant à la manipulation d’objets. Ce système de référence s’applique en présence ou en absence de glissement entre la peau et la surface. Nos résultats quant à la modulation des neurones à adaptation rapide ou lente nous amènent à suggérer que cette classification découle de la manière que la peau est stimulée. Nous discuterons aussi de la possibilité que l’activité des neurones de S1 puisse inclure une composante motrice durant ces tâches sensorimotrices. Finalement, un nouveau cadre de référence tridimensionnel sera proposé pour décrire et rassembler, dans un même continuum, les différentes modulations aux forces normale et tangentielle observées dans S1 durant l’exploration tactile. / The two most important functions of the hand are object manipulation and tactile exploration. The detection of slip provided by specialized mechanoreceptors in the glabrous skin is essential for the execution of both these functions. During object manipulation, the early detection of incipient slip leads to a grip force increase in order to prevent dropping an object. Slip is also an important aspect of tactile exploration because it greatly increases the acuity of touch perception. In both actions, normal and tangential forces on the skin can describe slip itself but also what occurs just before slip. However, little is known about how these self-generated forces are encoded at the cortical level. To better understand this encoding, we recorded from single neurons in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) as monkeys executed two haptic tasks. In the first task, two monkeys grasped a stationary metal tab with a key grip and exerted shear forces, without slip, in one of four orthogonal directions. Of 144 recorded neurons, 111 (77%) had activity modulated with shear force directions. These preferred shear force vectors were distributed in every direction with tuning arcs varying from 50° to 170°. Also, more than 21 (19%) of these neurons had a firing rate correlated with shear force magnitude. Even if 66 (59%) modulated neurons showed clear slowly adapting response and 45 (41%) other neurons a rapidly adapting response, this classification failed to explain the modulation to force direction and magnitude. These results show that S1 neurons encode force direction and magnitude simultaneously even in the absence of slip. In the second task, two monkeys scanned different surfaces with the fingertips in search of a tactile target without visual feedback. During the exploration, the monkeys, like humans, carefully controlled the finger forces and speeds. High friction surfaces offered greater tangential shear force resistance to the skin that was associated with decrease of the normal contact forces. Furthermore, the scalar sum of the normal and tangential forces remained constant. These observations demonstrate that monkeys control the applied normal and tangential finger forces within a narrow range which is adjusted according to surface properties such as texture and friction. Of the 230 recorded neurons during tactile exploration, 96 (42%) showed instantaneous frequency changes in relation to finger forces. Of these, 52 (54%) were correlated with either the normal or tangential force magnitude with little or no influence from the other orthogonal force component. Another subset of 44 neurons (46%) responded to the ratio between normal and tangential forces regardless of magnitude. Namely, 29 neurons (30%) increased and 15 (16%) others decreased their discharge frequency related to this ratio, which corresponds to the coefficient of friction. Tangential force direction significantly modulated about half the recorded neurons (112). Of these, 59 (53%) responded to both direction and force magnitude. Of the 102 neurons recorded during exploration of three or more surfaces, 17 (17%) showed increased firing rate with increased surface friction and 8 (8%) presented the opposite behavior. However, 37 (36%) neurons seemed to discharge optimally for one of the surfaces without any linear relation to the surfaces’ coefficient of friction. The classification of rapidly and slowly adaptation for neuronal responses in S1 could not be associated with the modulation to forces or direction. These results show that the firing rates of S1 neurons reflect the tangential and normal force magnitude, the ratio of the two forces and the direction of finger movement. These results show that the activity of a significant subpopulation of S1 neurons is represented by normal and tangential forces on the skin. This force modulation uses a frame of reference that can be applied with or without slip. This aspect provides a link between investigations of the cortical representation of surface properties and studies on object manipulation. Our results regarding the distinction between rapidly and slowly adapting neurons leads us to suggest that this difference is a consequence of the manner in which the skin was stimulated. A potential motor component in the modulation of S1 neurons during these sensorimotor tasks is also discussed. Finally, a novel three-dimensional reference frame is proposed to describe, as a single continuum, the different modulations to forces observed in S1 during tactile exploration.

Automobilių apsauga visada buvo, yra ir bus aktuali. Esamos apsaugos priemonės nesunkiai apeinamos ir nesudaro didelių kliūčių, norint transporto priemonę pasisavinti. Reikalinga naujoviška vairuotojo autentifikavimo sistema, galinti sumažinti šią, pasisavinimo tikimybę. Tam tinka biometrija – asmens bruožų ar charakteristikų statistinė analizė ir nustatymas. Juos nustačius, gali būti naudojami asmens autentifikacijai. Tai daroma lyginant su anksčiau užfiksuotu šablonu. Naudojama šioms autentifikacijoms: kompiuteriuose tinklų, praėjimo kontrolės, bankomatuose, apsipirkimams kreditinėmis kortelėmis, mobiliuosiuose telefonuose, delniniuose kompiuteriuose, medicininių įrašų valdymui, nuotoliniame mokymesi ir t.t. Pirštų kraujagyslės – nauja biometrinės autentifikacijos forma. Kadangi kraujagyslės yra po oda, jos yra nematomos apšviečiant natūralia šviesa. Tačiau jos puikiai matomos apšvietus artima infraraudoniems spinduliams šviesa. Šiame tyrime buvo sukurtas ir ištirtas biometrinės autentifikacijos automobiliams modelis. Ištirtas trijų atvaizdų apdorojimo algoritmų tinkamums, nustatant kuris jų mažiausia jautrus raiškos ir triukšmo pasikeitimams. Jį ir siūlome naudoti šiame autentifikacijos modelyje. / Automobile security is always relevant. Existing security systems could be easily bypassed and are not a big barrier for thieves. So there is a necessity for a innovative authentication system. Biometrics consist of methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits. In computer science, in particular, biometrics is used as a form of identity access management and access control. It could be also used for automobile security. Finger vein comparison is a relatively new form of biometrics, which could also be used for authentication. Images of finger veins could be obtained illuminating fingers with near-infrared light. Those images are very unique and different for every person and every finger. In this research biometric authentication model for automobiles is developed and researched. Three image recognition algorythms were tested in the experiment, determining which one is less sensitive to resolution changes and noise. The results were given, proposing use of one algorythm, in our model of biometric authentication system for automobiles.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Smelter workers who were exposed to air-borne arsenic for a mean of 23 years, and age-matched referents, were examined with clinical, physiological, and neurophysiological methods. Exposure to arsenic in workroom air was estimated to have been around the Swedish occupational limits, which were 500 yg/m before 1975 and 50 yg/ra thereafter. An increased preval ence of Raynaud's phenomenon and a reduced finger systolic blood pressure (FSP) during local and general cooling were found in the smelter workers. Slight, but significant sub-clinical neuropathy, in the form of slightly reduced nerve conduction velocity (NCV) in two or more peripheral nerves, was more common among the arsenic workers than among the referents. There were positive correlations between cumulative exposure to arsenic, reduced NCV in three peripheral motor nerves, and decrease in FSP during cooling. Arsenic levels in urine were 1 ymole/1 (75 yg/1) in the arsenic workers and 0.1 ymole/1 in the referents. In 21 arsenic workers with no or very low exposure to vibra ting hand tools, the FSP during cooling had increased significantly after 3 years wit h the lower arsenic exposure. There was no change in FSP during the summer vacation, whereas urinary levels of arsenic decreased to normal values. Thus there seems to be a slow improvement of finger blood circ ulation which is independent of short-term fluctuations in the exposure to arsenic. No seasonal variation was found in FSP during cooling with the standardized method used. When the NCV-measurements were repeated five years later the difference between arsenic workers and referents had increased, despite the fact that 14 of the 47 arsenic workers had had no exposure to arsenic during the last 1-5 years. These observations indicate, that in subjects with long term exposure to arsenic, sub-clinical neuropathy is not reversible. Ten milligrams of Ketanserin, a serotonin receptor antagonist, was given intravenously to five arsenic workers with cold-induced vasospasm. Skin temperature and FSP during cooling increased significantly with Ketanserin as compared wit h saline solution. After oral treatment, 2 x 40 mg /day for four weeks, no significant increase of FSP during cooling or rise in skin temperature was found in six arsenic workers and eleven patients with Raynaud's phenomenon. The decrease of vasospastic tendency after intravenous injection of Ketanserin indicated that similar mechanisms might operate in arsenic-induced and other types of Raynaud's phenomenon. A general co nclusion from the five studies in this dissertation is that long-term occupational exposure to arsenic has had adverse effects on the peripheral circulation and nerve conduction. The tendency to vasospasm, but not the sub-clinical neuropathy, seemed to be reversible with decreasing exposure. / <p>S. 1-54: sammanfattning, s. 55-112: 5 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

The WTI gene encodes for a transcription factor which is mutated in approximately 15% of sporadic Wilms' tumors (Orkin et al., 1984; Fearon et al., 1990). Mutations in WTI are also associated with a number of clinical disorders such as Denys-Drash and Frasier syndromes. which are distinguished by genitourinary malformation and kidney disease (McTaggart et al., 2001). The nucleic acid binding domain of WTI is comprised of four tandemly arranged C2H2 type zinc fingers (Haber et al., 1990; Rauscher et al.. 1990; Morris et al., 1991). The WT1 transcript is regulated by two different alternative splicing events. The first alternative splice introduces 17 amino acids between the proline-rich amino terminus and the zinc finger domain (Haber et al.. 1991). The second alternative splice inserts the amino acids KTS between zinc fingers 3 and 4 (Haber et al., 1991). The +KTS and -KTS isoforms of WT1 have different nucleic acid binding specificities. The .-KTS isoform readily binds to specific sequences in both DNA and RNA. while the +KTS isoform only binds to specific sequences in RNA (Zhai et al., 2001). The RNA binding capabilities of the +KTS variant combined with its presence in spliceosomes (Davies et al.. 1998) and nuclear poly(A)+ ribonucleoprotein (Ladomery et at., 1999), suggests that it is involved in RNA metabolism. WT1 has been shown to interact with RNA through the zinc finger domain (Caricasole et al, 1996), but as of yet. there is not a purified crystal structure of WT l interacting with RNA. There have been many experiments that have attempted to decipher the mechanism for WTI RNA binding (Caricasole et al, 1996; Bardeesy and Pelletier, 1998). One zinc finger knock-out experiment has proposed that it is zinc finger number 1 which plays the most important role in this RNA interaction (Caricasole et at, 1996) while another suggests that it is finger 4 (Bardeesy and Pelletier, 1998). In order to determine which zinc finger of WT 1 is the most crucial for RNA binding, WT 1 swap mutants and deletion mutants were created by PCR and a filter binding assay was employed to determine dissociation binding constants of the mutant proteins with the WT1-specific RNA aptamer Pe122. The mutant W12P8W4, which has finger 3 of WTI replaced with finger 8 of the zinc finger protein p43, demonstrated a relative affinity for Pe122 of less than 0.29. The deletion mutant WTlAF4 which had finger 4 of WTI deleted showed no affinity for Pe122 RNA, while the mutant Wp4 which had finger 4 of WTI replaced with finger 9 of p43 demonstrated a 10 times greater affinity for Pe122 than wild type WT1. These results suggest that finger 3 makes important residue-base contacts with the RNA and that perhaps finger 4 confers some sort of stability to the WT1-RNA complex.