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Notes: Summary Lafora-like bodies in an 8-year-old cat were studied light and electron microscopically and histochemically. In addition to Lafora-like bodies composed of branching filaments, glycogen granules and electron-dense materials, abnormal accumulations of glycogen granules attracted attention. The most remarkable features were the developmental processes of the branching filaments originating directly from glycogen granules. Lafora-like bodies in the present study showed ultrastructural, histochemical, and enzymatic similarities to those described in the previous reports in Lafora's disease, glycogenosis and other cases. From these results, a certain disturbance of the glycogen metabolism is considered to be probably related to the productive mechanism of Lafora-like bodies.

Notes: Summary With the use of monoclonal antibodies, raised against the human polyglucosan, positive staining of polyglucosan bodies (PGB) was detected in the brain, spinal cord and cecum of aged dogs. PGB in feline brain were also positively stained with these antibodies. These findings indicate that animal PGB share common antigenicity with human PGB.

Notes: Summary Recent studies have shown that the interstitial nucleus of Cajal (INC) in the midbrain reticular formation is involved in the conversion of vertical semicircular canal signals into eye position during vertical vestibuloocular reflexes. Secondary vestibulo-ocular relay neurons related to the vertical canals, which constitute the majority of output neurons sending signals from the vestibular nuclei directly to the oculomotor nuclei, have been shown to project axon collaterals to the region within and near the INC. To understand how the INC is involved in the signal conversion, latencies of response of neurons in the INC region to electrical stimulaton of the vestibular nerve were examined in alert cats. The responses of 96 cells whose activity was clearly modulated by sinusoidal pitch rotation (at 0.31 Hz) were analyzed. These included 41 cells whose activity was closely correlated with vertical eye movement (38 burst-tonic and 3 tonic neurons), and 55 other cells (called pitch cells as previously). Twenty nine of the 96 cells (30%) were activated at disynaptic latencies following single shock stimulation of the contralateral vestibular nerve. Disynaptically activated cells were significantly more frequent for pitch cells than for eye movement-related cells (25/55 = 45% vs 4/41 = 10%; p 〈 0.001, Chi-square test). Conversely, cells that did not receive short-latency activation (〈 6 ms) were more frequent among eye movement-related cells than pitch cells (26/41 = 63% vs 13/55 = 24%; p 〈 0.001, Chi-square test). Pitch cells showed significantly less phase lag (re head acceleration) than eye movement-related cells during sinusoidal pitch rotation (mean ± SD 124° ± 17° vs 138° ± 14°. p 〈 0.01, t-test). These results suggest that 1) cells in the INC region other than burst-tonic and tonic neurons mainly receive direct inputs from secondary vestibulo-ocular relay neurons, and that 2) vertical canal signals reach eye movement-related neurons mainly polysynaptically.

Notes: Summary 1. Maximal activation directions of vertical burst-tonic and tonic neurons in the region of the interstitial nucleus of Cajal (INC) were examined in alert cats during vertical vestibulo-ocular reflex induced by sinusoidal rotation (at 0.11 Hz±10 deg, or 0.31 Hz±5 deg) in a variety of vertical planes using a null point analysis. The results were compared with the angles of anatomical and functional planes of vertical canals reported by Blanks et al. (1972) and Robinson (1982), and with the angles of vertical eye muscles measured in this study and by Ezure and Graf (1984). 2. Maximal activation directions of 23 cells (21 burst-tonic and 2 tonic neurons) were determined from their responses during rotation in 4 or more different vertical planes. All cells showed sinusoidal gain curves and virtually constant phase values except near the null regions, suggesting that their responses were evoked primarily by canal inputs. Phase values of 5 cells near the null regions depended on the rotation plane, suggesting additional otolith inputs. We used a measurement error range of ±10 deg for calculating the maximal activation directions from the null regions of individual cells and the values of error ranges of null calculation. Of the 23, the maximal activation directions of 7 cells were outside the measurement error ranges of vertical eye muscle angles and within the ranges of vertical canal angles (class A), those of 5 cells were within the ranges of eye muscle angles and outside the ranges of vertical canal angles (class B), and those of the remaining 11 cells were in the overlapping ranges for both angles (class C). Even if only the cells in which 5 or more measurement points were taken to determine maximal activation directions (n = 15), the results were similar. During vertical rotation with the head orientation +60 deg off the pitch plane, dissociation of cell activity and vertical compensatory eye movement was observed in 5 cells in class A or C that had null angles near +45 deg. These results suggest that the cells in class A and B carried individual vertical canal and oculomotor signals, respectively, although it is difficult to tell for the majority of cells (class C) which signals they reflected. Some cells in class A and C were antidromically activated from the medial longitudinal fasciculus at the level of abducens nucleus, suggesting that the signals carried by these cells may be sent to the lower brainstem. 3. Most burst-tonic neurons did not respond to horizontal rotation; significant responses were obtained in only 3 of 10 cells tested for which the gain was only 14–17% of their maximal vertical gain. There was no clear difference in gain or phase values of the responses to vertical rotation, or in eye position sensitivity (during spontaneous saccades) between cells whose responses coincided with individual vertical canal angles and those matching the angles of vertical recti muscles. The values of phase lag (re head acceleration during pitch rotation) and eye position sensitivity of these cells are still smaller compared to those of extraocular motoneurons reported by Delgado-Garcia et al. (1986), although they were larger than those of secondary vestibulo-ocular neurons (Perlmutter et al. 1988). All these results suggest that the signals carried by burst-tonic and tonic neurons in the INC region are different from oculomotor signals. 4. Similar analysis was done for comparison for 19 other cells that did not show close correlation with spontaneous eye movement but whose activity was clearly modulated by pitch rotation (pitch cells). More than a half (10/19) had maximal activation directions outside the measurement error ranges of individual vertical canal angles, and many shifted towards roll. Horizontal rotation produced responses with higher gain than burst-tonic neurons, suggesting a difference in the spatial response properties of burst-tonic and tonic neurons on one hand and pitch cells on the other.

Notes: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of Ne ion-bombarded polymer has been carried out in order to examine the cause of HeLa cell adhesion control on polymers. Substrates used were polystyrene (PS) and oxygen plasma-treated polystyrene (PS-O). Neon bombardments into the patterned region of PS and PS-O were performed at an energy of 150 keV with fluences of 1×1014 and 1×1015 ions cm-2. The surface chemical bonding states were investigated by XPS. In HeLa cell adhesion measurements, the Ne-bombarded region of PS with a fluence of 1×1015 ions cm-2 exhibits higher adhesion and spreading of HeLa cells than the unbombarded region. On the contrary, it is found that the Ne-bombarded region of PS-O inhibits HeLa cell adhesion. The XPS results show that Ne bombardment to PS or PS-O destroys the original chemical bonds and consequently produces new functional groups. It is considered that the drastic change of surface chemical bonding states from the pristine states induced by Ne bombardment leads to a clear distinction between increasing and inhibiting HeLa cell adhesion.

Notes: Angle-dependent high-resolution XPS spectra of S 2p, In 3d5/2 and P 2p have been measured on the InP(001) sample etched chemically, treated with (NH4)2Sx at room temperature (RT), exposed to air at RT and annealed at 400°C in a vacuum. Three kinds (S-I, S-II and S-III) of chemical states of sulphur on the (NH4)2Sx-treated InP(001) surface at RT are found. It is suggested that S-I, S-II and S-III correspond to sulphur in the bulk, sulphur bridge-bonded to indium on the surface and elemental sulphur, respectively. Chemical state of S-III is decreased for the treated sample exposed to air at RT for 1 month. It is removed upon annealing the sample at 400°C in a vacuum, while S-I and S-II remain on the surface. The thickness of the sulphide layer on the annealed surface is estimated to be about one monolayer. Angle-dependent XPS spectra of S 2p and In 3d5/2 are discussed.

Notes: An efficient method for quantitative XPS analysis is the so-called multiline approach. This method does not require standards, it takes into account the instrumental and matrix effects and it derives quantitative information from statistical analysis of all photoelectron intensities visible in the spectra. One can expect the reliability of this approach to be better than the reliability of methods involving uncorrected relative sensitivity factors. This paper summarizes recent improvements in the multiline approach. In particular, a new expression for the universal energy dependence of the inelastic mean free path is currently used. Furthermore, the statistical analysis has been modified in order to account properly for the error in the countrates. Finally, a database with physical constants has been added (photoionization cross-sections, asymmetry parameters, binding energies, etc.) to avoid errors of polynomial approximations. The modified algorithm of the multiline approach was applied to photoelectron intensities measured for AuCu alloys in four laboratories. Surfaces of these alloys were sputtered with 2 keV Ar+ ions, because at this energy the selective sputtering effects are expected to be negliible. Very consistent results were obtained. The average deviation from the bulk surface composition was found to be equal to ±3.2 at.%. Extensive software implementing the described version of the multiline approach is presently being developed.

Notes: Polypropylene films were treated with the CHCI3 plasma, and their chemical composition was analyzed with XPS and ART IR spectroscopy. The CHCI3 plasma irradiation made polypropylene films hydrophilic. The advancing contact angle decreases from 95° for the untreated to about 73° for the CHCI3 plasma-treated films. In the CHCI3 plasma irradiation, the chlorination occurs, and C—Cl, C—Cl2, and C—Cl3 units are formed in the polypropylene films. Simultaneously with the chlorination, unsaturated units (C=C and conjugated C=C units) are formed from dehydrogen chlorination of the chlorinated products, but the oxygen incorporation into the films is low. The CHCI3 plasma is preferred in chlorination of polypropylene films to the CCl4 plasma. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Notes: Viscoelastic properties of unsaturated polyesters were investigated in the glass-rubber transition region in relation to the temperature dependence of specific volume. Polyesters which are homologous with respect to crosslinking density were prepared by using mixtures of succinic and fumaric acid as the dibasic acid component. The temperature dependence of the specific volume was determined by refractive index measurement, the specific refractivity being assumed to be independent of temperature. The temperature dispersion of dynamic viscoelasticity was measured at a constant frequency. Results are summarized as follows. Specific volume and glass temperature are linearly related to the logarithm of crosslinking density. The thermal expansion coefficient and steepness of viscoelastic dispersion decrease with increasing crosslinking density. Fractional free volume and expansion coefficient of free volume, both of which were calculated by WLF equation, are in good agreement with the temperature dependence of specific volume. The results indicate that the effect of crosslinking is largely attributable to the change in amount and distribution of free volume in polymer networks.