BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Plectin is a widely expressed protein that is very large in size and that has all the attributes of a multifunctional crosslinking and organizing element of the cytoskeleton. It displays a multidomain structure, versatile binding activities, and subcellular localizations that enable it to strengthen cells against mechanical stress forces. Moreover, hereditary gene defects in plectin cause epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS)-MD, a severe skin blistering disease with muscular dystrophy. Here we report the analysis of the exonintron organization of the rat plectin gene and the identification of several different isoforms on the transcriptional level. We show that of 35 coding exons identified, 4 serve as alternative first exons splicing into the same successive exon 2, which is the first of 7 exons encoding a highly conserved actin-binding domain. RNase protection mapping of transcripts containing 3 of the identified 4 alternate first exons revealed their coexpression in rat glioma C6 cells and in a series of different rat tissues that we examined. Significant variations in expression levels of first exons indicated the possibility of tissue-specific promoter usage. In addition, plectin splice variants lacking exon 31 (> 3 kb), which encodes the entire rod domain of the molecule, were identified in a variety of rat tissues. This study provides first insights into a complex plectin gene regulatory machinery with similarities to that of dystrophin.

背景与目标： : pletin是一种广泛表达的蛋白质，其大小非常大，并且具有细胞骨架的多功能交联和组织元件的所有属性。它显示出多域结构，多种结合活性和亚细胞定位，使其能够增强细胞抵抗机械应力的能力。此外，plectin的遗传性基因缺陷会导致大疱性表皮松解症 (EBS)-MD，这是一种伴有肌营养不良的严重皮肤水疱性疾病。在这里，我们报告了对大鼠plectin基因外显子组织的分析，并在转录水平上鉴定了几种不同的同工型。我们显示，在鉴定出的35个编码外显子中，有4个作为替代的第一个外显子拼接成相同的连续外显子2，这是编码高度保守的肌动蛋白结合域的7个外显子中的第一个。包含鉴定出的4个交替第一外显子中的3个的转录物的RNase保护作图显示了它们在大鼠神经胶质瘤C6细胞和我们检查的一系列不同大鼠组织中的共表达。第一个外显子表达水平的显着变化表明使用组织特异性启动子的可能性。此外，在多种大鼠组织中鉴定出缺少外显子31 (> 3 kb) 的pletin剪接变体，该外显子编码分子的整个杆结构域。这项研究提供了与肌营养不良蛋白相似的复杂pletin基因调控机制的第一个见解。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :An immediately inducible gene by gonadotropin was isolated from rat ovaries primed with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) by using a subtraction cloning procedure. Homology analysis revealed that the gene is a rat homologue of scavenger receptor class B-I, which was recently identified as a specific receptor for high density lipoprotein (HDL). The structure of rat SRBI was determined by nucleotide sequence analysis of full-length cDNAs for SRBI. Northern blot analysis revealed that rat SRBI mRNA levels were rapidly and strongly increased within 3 h by the injection of PMSG. In situ hybridization study revealed that SRBI mRNA was strongly induced in theca interna cells of immature rat ovary stimulated with 30 IU of PMSG for 6 h. SRBI mRNA expression was also observed in corpora lutea of the adult rat ovary. These findings indicate that expression of SRBI mRNA is restricted to and induced in the ovarian steroidogenic cell types where cholesterol is used as a substrate for synthesis of steroid hormones. Our data strongly suggest that SRBI may play a significant role in the ovarian steroidogenesis by mediating selective uptake of cholesterol from HDL to ovarian theca interna cells or to corpus luteum.

背景与目标： : 使用减法克隆程序从用妊娠母马血清促性腺激素 (PMSG) 引发的大鼠卵巢中分离出促性腺激素立即诱导的基因。同源性分析表明，该基因是清道夫受体B-I类的大鼠同源物，最近被鉴定为高密度脂蛋白 (HDL) 的特异性受体。通过SRBI全长cdna的核苷酸序列分析确定大鼠SRBI的结构。Northern印迹分析显示，通过注射PMSG，大鼠SRBI mRNA水平在3小时内迅速且强烈地增加。原位杂交研究表明，用30 IU的PMSG刺激6 h，在未成熟大鼠卵巢的卵泡膜细胞中强烈诱导SRBI mRNA。在成年大鼠卵巢的黄体中也观察到了SRBI mRNA的表达。这些发现表明，SRBI mRNA的表达仅限于并在其中胆固醇用作合成类固醇激素的底物的卵巢类固醇生成细胞类型中诱导。我们的数据强烈表明，SRBI可能通过介导胆固醇从HDL到卵巢卵泡膜细胞或黄体的选择性摄取而在卵巢类固醇生成中起重要作用。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: PURPOSE:Consistent condom use is critical to efforts to prevent sexually transmitted infections among adolescents, but condom use may decline as relationships and contraceptive needs change. The purpose of this research is to assess changes in condom non-use longitudinally in the context of changes in relationship quality, coital frequency and hormonal contraceptive choice. METHODS:Participants were women (aged 14-17 years at enrollment) recruited from three urban adolescent medicine clinics. Data were collected at three-month intervals using a face-to-face structured interview. Participants were able to contribute up to 10 interviews, but on average contributed 4.2 interviews over the 27-month period. Independent variables assessed partner-specific relationship quality (five items; scale range 5-25; alpha = .92, e.g., this partner is a very important person to me); and, number of coital events with a specific partner. Additional items assessed experience with oral contraceptive pills (OCP) use and injected depo medroxy-progesterone acetate (DMPA). The outcome variable was number of coital events without condom use during the past three months. Analyses were conducted as a three-level hierarchical linear growth curve model using HLM 6. The Level 1 predictor was time, to test the hypothesis that condom non-use increases over time. Level 2 predictors assessed relationship quality and coital frequency across all partners to assess hypotheses that participants' condom non-use increases over time as a function of relationship quality and coital frequency. Level 3 predictors assessed the participant-level influence of OCP or DMPA experience on time-related changes in condom non-use. RESULTS:A total of 176 women reported 279 sex partners and contributed 478 visits. Both average coital frequency and average condom non-use linearly increased during the 27-month follow-up. At any given follow-up, about 35% reported recent OCP use, and 65% reported DMPA use. HLM analyses showed that condom non-use increased as a function of time (beta = .12; p = .03, Level 1 analysis). Increased condom non-use over time was primarily a function of increased coital frequency (beta = .01; p = .00), although higher levels of relationship quality were associated with increased condom non-use at enrollment (beta = .44; p = .00, Level 2 analysis). The temporal rise in condom non-use significantly increased among DMPA users (beta = .06; p = .00) but not OCP users (Level 3 analysis) (beta = -.04; p = .06). CONCLUSIONS:Developmentally, relationship characteristics and coital frequency appear to have increasing weight in decisions about condom use. Hormonal contraceptive methods are not equivalently associated with the overall temporal decline in condom use. Future research associated with dual contraceptive/condom use should address differential factors associated condom use in combination with different hormonal methods.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Mayaro virus (alphavirus) infection of Aedes albopictus cells results in inhibition of cell protein synthesis and viral proteins are preferably synthesized. When infected cells are heat shocked, however, there is also an inhibition of viral protein synthesis, and there is preferential synthesis of heat shock proteins. Based on these observations, the distribution of Mayaro viral RNA in polysomes and the association of p34 (capsid protein) with ribosomal fractions of the cells under such conditions have been analyzed. During infection, the viral RNA is mainly observed in light polysomes (60% of total viral RNA in the cell) and also in heavy polysomes (13%). However, when infected cells are heat-shocked, the viral RNA is strongly mobilized from heavy polysomes to the light polysomes fraction and an enrichment in the unbound fraction can be noticed. The amount of p34 associated with the ribosomal fraction was also shown to be decreased in the heat shocked cells. These data lead to the suggestion that two mechanisms could be involved in the inhibition of Mayaro virus protein synthesis in response to heat shock(1) mobilization of Mayaro virus RNA from heavy to light polysomes; (2) a decrease in the amount of the p34 within the ribosomal fraction.

背景与目标： 白纹伊蚊细胞的Mayaro病毒 (α 病毒) 感染导致细胞蛋白合成的抑制，优选合成病毒蛋白。然而，当受感染的细胞被热休克时，病毒蛋白的合成也受到抑制，并且热休克蛋白的优先合成。基于这些观察结果，已经分析了在这种条件下，多核糖体中Mayaro病毒RNA的分布以及p34 (衣壳蛋白) 与细胞核糖体部分的关联。在感染期间，病毒RNA主要在轻多核糖体 (60% 细胞中总病毒RNA) 和重多核糖体 (13%) 中观察到。但是，当受感染的细胞受到热冲击时，病毒RNA会从重多核糖体强烈动员到轻多核糖体部分，并且可以注意到未结合部分的富集。在热休克细胞中，与核糖体级分相关的p34的量也显示出减少。这些数据表明，两种机制可能参与抑制马亚罗病毒蛋白合成，以响应热休克 (1) 马亚罗病毒RNA从重到轻多核糖体的动员; (2) 核糖体部分中p34的含量减少。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although asthmatic patients are known to have increased levels of IgG antibody against house dust mite (HDM), it is not clear whether or not the presence of HDM-specific IgG antibody is associated with the etiological mechanism of asthma. To address this problem, we evaluated the relationship between HDM-specific IgG antibody levels and incidence of asthma in a general pediatric population. IgE and IgG antibody levels against Dermatophagoides farinae (Df) were examined by RAST and ELISA in a total of 722 randomly selected schoolchildren including 26 subjects with asthma, and the relative prevalence rates of asthma in this population were evaluated in relation to both Df-specific IgE and IgG levels. The incidence of asthma correlated not only with levels of Df-specific IgE, but also with those of Df-specific IgG. There was a significant correlation between Df-specific IgE and IgG levels both in the total population and in the asthmatic children. Because IgG and IgE responses occurred in parallel in this population, the clinical significance of HDM-specific IgG anti-body remains unclear. However, our findings have suggested that clinical expression of asthma in children is primarily dependent on their capacity to mount a immune response to HDM, which includes both IgE and IgG responses.

背景与目标： 尽管已知哮喘患者针对屋尘螨 (HDM) 的IgG抗体水平升高，但尚不清楚HDM特异性IgG抗体的存在是否与哮喘的病因机制有关。为了解决这个问题，我们评估了普通儿童人群中HDM特异性IgG抗体水平与哮喘发生率之间的关系。通过RAST和ELISA检测了总共722名随机选择的学童 (包括26名哮喘受试者) 的针对粉尘螨 (Df) 的IgE和IgG抗体水平，并评估了该人群中哮喘的相对患病率与Df特异性IgE和IgG水平。哮喘的发病率不仅与Df特异性IgE的水平相关，而且与Df特异性IgG的水平相关。在总人口和哮喘儿童中，Df特异性IgE和IgG水平之间存在显着相关性。由于IgG和IgE反应在该人群中并行发生，因此HDM特异性IgG抗体的临床意义尚不清楚。但是，我们的发现表明，儿童哮喘的临床表达主要取决于他们对HDM产生免疫反应的能力，其中包括IgE和IgG反应。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:Trabecular bone strength diminishes as a result of osteoporosis and altered biomechanical loading at the vertebral and spinal levels. The spine consists of the anterior, middle and posterior columns and the load supported by the anterior and middle columns will differ across different regions of the spine. Stress shielding of the anterior column can contribute to bone loss and increase the risk of wedge fracture. There is a lack of quantitative data related to regional spinal bone mineral density distribution over time. We hypothesize that there is an increase in the posterior-to-anterior vertebral body bone mineral density ratio and a decrease in whole-body bone mineral density over time. METHODS:Bone mineral density was measured in 33 subjects using quantitative computed tomography scans for L1-L3 vertebrae, region (anterior and posterior vertebral body), and time (baseline and 6 years after). FINDINGS:Lumbar bone mineral density decreased significantly (Δ: ~15%) from baseline to the 6th year visit. Individual vertebra differences over time (L1: ~14%, L2: ~14%, L3: ~17%) showed statistical significance. Anterior bone mineral density change was significantly greater than in the posterior vertebral body region (Δ anterior: ~18%; Δ posterior: ~13%). Posterior-to-anterior bone mineral density ratio was significantly greater in the 6th year compared to baseline values (mean (SD), 1.33 (0.2) vs. 1.23 (0.1)). INTERPRETATION:This study provides longitudinal quantitative measurement of bone mineral density in vertebrae as well as regional changes in the anterior and posterior regions. Understanding bone mineral density distribution over time may help to decrease the risk of wedge fractures if interventions can be developed to bring spine loading to its normal state.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:Intrauterine devices (IUDs) provide highly effective contraception for women worldwide. Reluctance to insert IUDs in the primary care setting may relate to concern about potential difficulty and complications, particularly in nulliparous women. AIMS:To determine the practitioner, patient and procedural factors associated with abandoned IUD insertion, practitioner-reported difficulty of insertion and adverse events during IUD insertions in the family planning setting. METHODS:This was a prospective study over a 12-month period of consecutive IUD insertions in four family planning clinics across New South Wales and Queensland. Patient, practitioner and device-related factors associated with abandoned IUD insertion, practitioner-reported ease of insertion and immediate insertion-related adverse events were analysed using logistic regression. RESULTS:Of 996 insertion procedures, successful insertion occurred in 95%, and 90% were reported as easy by the inserting doctor, including 80% of those in nulliparous women. Patient characteristics associated with an abandoned insertion were nulliparity (AOR 5.19; 2.49-10.82) or caesarean section-only deliveries (AOR 5.38; 2.58-11.22) and with practitioner-reported difficult insertion, nulliparity alone (AOR 1.98; 1.11-3.54). Practitioners inserting fewer than 100 IUDs over the 12-month study period more frequently rated insertions as difficult (AOR 1.76; 1.08-2.88). Complications occurred in 34 women and were more likely in nulliparous women (AOR 4.51; 2.16-9.39). CONCLUSIONS:Most IUDs can be successfully inserted, even in nulliparous women, in a primary care setting. Referral to a specialist may be appropriate for some women who are nulliparous or had caesarean section-only deliveries, depending on the experience of the practitioner.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The hypothesis that only melanosomal catecholic amino acids contribute to melanin formation was tested by studying adult bovine eyes in which pigment synthesis is considered to be low or absent. Dopa and 5-S-cysteinyldopa were investigated in different cell fractions of the choroid and retinal pigment epithelium of cattle. Most of the dopa and 5-S-cysteinyldopa was found in the cytoplasm and very little in the large granule fraction. The presence of cysteinyldopa in the adult eye is evidence of tyrosinase activity, but the catechol amino acids in the cytoplasm probably do not give rise to melanin formation. It is assumed that they instead are excreted from the cells.

背景与目标： 通过研究认为色素合成低或缺乏的成年牛眼，检验了只有黑色素体儿茶酸氨基酸有助于黑色素形成的假说。在牛的脉络膜和视网膜色素上皮的不同细胞部分中研究了多巴和5-s-半胱酰基多巴。大多数多巴和5-s-半胱胺基多巴在细胞质中发现，而在大颗粒部分中很少发现。成年眼睛中半胱氨酰多巴的存在是酪氨酸酶活性的证据，但是细胞质中的邻苯二酚氨基酸可能不会引起黑色素的形成。假设它们是从细胞中排泄出来的。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is an inhibitor of fibrinolysis. Increased plasma PAI-1 levels play an essential role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular risk and other diseases associated with thrombosis. The 4G/5G polymorphism of the PAI-1 promoter region has been extensively studied in different populations. We studied 160 healthy unrelated Lebanese individuals using a reverse hybridization PCR assay to detect the 5G/5G, 4G/5G and, 4G/4G genotypes of the PAI-1 gene and the frequencies of the 4G and 5G alleles. We found that 4G/5G genotype was the most prevalent (45.6%) followed by 5G/5G (36.9%) and 4G/4G (17.5%). The frequencies of the 4G and 5G alleles were calculated to be 0.403 and 0.597, respectively. Compared to other ethnic communities, the Lebanese population was found to harbour a relatively high prevalence of the rare 4G allele. This, in turn, may predispose this population to develop cardiovascular diseases and other thrombotic clinical conditions. This study aids to enhance our understanding of the genetic features of the Lebanese population.

背景与目标： : 纤溶酶原激活物抑制剂-1 (PAI-1) 是纤维蛋白溶解的抑制剂。血浆PAI-1水平的升高在心血管风险和与血栓形成相关的其他疾病的发病机理中起着至关重要的作用。PAI-1启动子区域的4G/5g多态性已在不同人群中进行了广泛研究。我们使用反向杂交PCR测定法研究了160个健康的无关黎巴嫩个体，以检测PAI-1基因的5G/5G，4G/5g和4G/4g基因型以及4g和5g等位基因的频率。我们发现4G/5g基因型最普遍 (45.6%)，其次是5G/5G (36.9%) 和4G/4G (17.5%)。4g和5g等位基因的频率分别计算为0.403和0.597。与其他种族社区相比，发现黎巴嫩人口的稀有4g等位基因患病率相对较高。反过来，这可能使该人群易患心血管疾病和其他血栓性临床疾病。这项研究有助于增进我们对黎巴嫩人口遗传特征的了解。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :An alteration in cell/matrix interactions is one of the suggested mechanisms leading to cyst formation in polycystic kidney diseases. Most of these interactions are mediated by beta 1-integrins, a subfamily of integrin receptors, formed by the association of the beta 1-chain with different alpha-subunits. To date, no study on alpha-integrin subunit distribution during the early stages of cyst development has been reported. Using immunofluorescence, we analyzed the distribution of alpha-integrin subunits (alpha 1, alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 5, and alpha 6) and basement membrane proteins in kidneys of fetuses with autosomal dominant (ADPKD) or autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). The distribution was compared with that observed in normal fetal and post-natal kidneys, and in fetal cystic dysplasia and Meckel syndrome. Marked increase in alpha 1-integrin staining was observed in normal and cystic collecting duct cells of both polycystic diseases (PKD), compared with normal and cystic controls. The distribution of integrin subunits alpha 2, alpha 3, and alpha 6 was irregular in cyst epithelial cells of PKD and cystic controls. The increased expression of the alpha 1-subunit specifically observed in PKD collecting duct cells may be an early consequence of the genetic defect in ARPKD. In ADPKD it parallels the reported expression of polycystin, the protein product of PKD1. The irregular expression of alpha 2, alpha 3, and alpha 6 integrin subunits observed in all types of cysts suggests that cell/matrix interactions are altered early and may participate in the development of cysts, perhaps by contributing to the deregulation of cell survival in cystic diseases.

背景与目标： : 细胞/基质相互作用的改变是导致多囊肾疾病中囊肿形成的建议机制之一。这些相互作用中的大多数是由 β1-整合素 (一种整合素受体的亚家族) 介导的，由 β1-链与不同的 α-亚基结合形成。迄今为止，尚无关于囊肿发育早期阶段的 α-整联蛋白亚基分布的研究。使用免疫荧光，我们分析了常染色体显性遗传 (ADPKD) 或常染色体隐性多囊肾 (ARPKD) 胎儿肾脏中 α-整合素亚基 (α1，α2，α3，α5和 α6) 和基底膜蛋白的分布。将分布与正常胎儿和产后肾脏以及胎儿囊性发育不良和梅克尔综合征的分布进行了比较。与正常和囊性对照相比，在两种多囊性疾病 (PKD) 的正常和囊性集合管细胞中观察到 α1-整合素染色显着增加。在PKD和囊性对照的囊肿上皮细胞中，整合素亚基 α2，α3和 α6的分布不规则。在PKD收集导管细胞中特异性观察到的 α1亚基表达增加可能是ARPKD遗传缺陷的早期结果。在ADPKD中，它与pkd1的蛋白质产物多囊蛋白的报道表达相似。在所有类型的囊肿中观察到的 α2，α3和 α6整联蛋白亚基的不规则表达表明，细胞/基质相互作用在早期发生改变，并可能参与囊肿的发展，这可能是通过改变囊性疾病中细胞存活的失调。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Seventeen consecutive patients with dystrophic amyloidosis are reported here (eight Chinese, three Indian, three Iban, two Malay and one Caucasian). Ten were females and seven males, with ages ranging from 12 to 80 years (mean of 48 years). Five instances of dystrophic amyloidosis occurred in areas of tissue damage in the cardiovascular system, including fibrotic cardiac valves and an atheromatous plaque. Three occurred in osteoarthritic joint tissue. Of note were three occurrences in endometriotic cyst walls, four in the fibrotic walls of epidermal cysts, one in a hernial sac and one at the edge of a skin ulcer. All deposits were congophilic and exhibited green-birefringence and permanganate-resistance. Immunohistochemistry did not reveal reactivity for AA protein or immunoglobulin lambda or kappa light-chains. AP protein was detected in 35% of cases. Our results show that, besides the usual sites of osteoarthritic joints and damaged heart valves, dystrophic amyloidosis can complicate other areas of chronic tissue damage and fibrosis such as walls of cysts and ulcers. While the pathogenesis and biochemical nature remain unresolved, immunohistochemistry indicates that neither AA nor AL proteins are present in the deposits, and suggests that a different amyloid protein is involved.

背景与目标： : 这里连续报道了17例营养不良性淀粉样变性患者 (八名中国人，三名印度人，三名伊班族，两名马来人和一名高加索人)。10名女性和7名男性，年龄在12至80岁之间 (平均48岁)。5例营养不良性淀粉样变性发生在心血管系统组织损伤区域，包括纤维化心脏瓣膜和动脉粥样斑块。3例发生在骨关节炎关节组织。值得注意的是，在子宫内膜异位囊肿壁中发生了3次，在表皮囊肿的纤维化壁中发生了4次，在疝囊中发生了1次，在皮肤溃疡的边缘发生了1次。所有沉积物都是亲血的，并表现出绿色双折射性和高锰酸盐抗性。免疫组织化学未显示对AA蛋白或免疫球蛋白 λ 或 κ 轻链的反应性。在35% 病例中检测到AP蛋白。我们的结果表明，除了通常的骨关节炎关节和受损的心脏瓣膜部位外，营养不良性淀粉样变性还会使慢性组织损伤和纤维化的其他区域复杂化，例如囊肿和溃疡壁。尽管发病机理和生化性质仍未解决，但免疫组织化学表明沉积物中不存在AA和AL蛋白，并表明涉及不同的淀粉样蛋白。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVES:To investigate which characteristics of women and healthcare professionals (HCPs) were associated with changing to another combined hormonal contraceptive (CHC) method after contraceptive counselling. METHODS:CHOICE was a cross-sectional survey in which 18,787 women were counselled about combined hormonal contraceptives, during which their contraceptive methods preferred both prior to and after counselling were recorded. In this subanalysis, characteristics associated with changing the method after counselling were determined using logistic regression models. RESULTS:The probability of intending to change from the pill to another method was associated with being older; university-educated; being in a steady relationship; a prior unintended pregnancy; a younger HCP or one who recommended methods other than the pill. Changing to the patch was associated with a female HCP or a HCP who recommended the patch or an injectable. Changing to the ring was associated with being over 21 years; university-educated; being in a relationship; previous hormonal method use; and counselling by a female HCP, a HCP < 60 years old, or a HCP who recommended the ring or an implant. The country of residence influenced these changes in a complex pattern. CONCLUSIONS:Women's choice of CHC methods after contraceptive counselling are influenced by their age, educational background, relationship status, prior unplanned pregnancies and country of residence, as well as age, gender and preferences of their HCP.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Sound streams were generated by randomly choosing the levels of tone pips from two different distributions, A and B. Of the 18 tone pips, the first nine were drawn from distribution A and the second nine from distribution B, or the opposite. The listeners' task was to indicate order, A-B or B-A. In two conditions the A and B distributions differed in mean (condition 1) or variance (condition 2). In contrast to an ideal observer, listeners' strategies were consistent across the two conditions. Analyses suggest that listeners relied primarily on the more intense tone pips in making their decisions.

背景与目标： : 声音流是通过从两个不同的分布A和B中随机选择音调点的级别来生成的。在18个音调中，前9个来自分布A，后9个来自分布B，或相反。听众的任务是指示顺序，A-B或B-A。在两种情况下，A和B分布的均值 (条件1) 或方差 (条件2) 不同。与理想的观察者相比，听众的策略在两种情况下都是一致的。分析表明，听众在做出决定时主要依靠更强烈的音调。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Former long-term mining and smelting of pollymetallic ores in the Middle Spiš area caused a serious contamination problem of the environment with heavy metals and metalloids, especially mercury (Hg). Several studies have reported concentration of Hg in the area but this paper provides first detailed characterization of Hg contamination of different environmental components in agricultural, forest, grassland and urban ecosystems. The ecosystems are in different distances from emission sources - former mercury and copper smelting plants in NE Slovakia. Total Hg content was studied in soil/substrate samples (n = 234) and characteristic biological samples (Athyrium filix-femina (L.) Roth, Macrolepiota procera (Scop.) Singer, Boletus edulis Bull., Cyanoboletus pulverulentus (Opat.) Gelardi, Vizzini & Simonini, Triticum aestivum (L.), Poa pratensis (L.)) (n = 234) collected in the above-mentioned ecosystems. The level of contamination and environmental risks were assessed by contamination factor (Cf), index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) and potential environmental risk index (PER). To determine the level of transition of Hg from abiotic to biotic environment, bioconcentration factor (BCF) was used. To determine a health risk resulting from regular and long-term consumption of the locally available species, the results of the Hg content were compared with the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) for Hg defined by World Health Organization. The results suggest that almost 63% of the area belong to the very high risk category and 80% of the sampling sites shown very high contamination factor. Geoaccumulation index showed that almost 30% of the area is very strongly contaminated and only 8% is not contaminated with Hg. Spearman's correlation relationship confirmed that the values of PER, BCF, Cf and Igeo decreased with an increasing distance from the pollution source. The percentage of contribution to PTWI ranged between 5.76-69.0% for adults and 11.5-138% for children. Mushroom M. procera showed the highest %PTWI among the tested biological samples. Studied ecotoxicological parameters showed high level of health risk for population living in the area. Consumption of the crops grown in the area and mainly edible wild mushrooms might negatively affect the health of the consumers in the long-term.

背景与目标： : 以前在spi š 中部地区长期开采和冶炼的金属矿石，导致重金属和类金属，尤其是汞 (Hg) 严重污染环境。几项研究报告了该地区的汞浓度，但本文首次详细描述了农业，森林，草原和城市生态系统中不同环境成分的汞污染。生态系统与排放源的距离不同-斯洛伐克东北部以前的汞和铜冶炼厂。研究了土壤/基质样品 (n = 234) 和特征生物样品 (蹄盖蕨-femina (L.) Roth，Macrolepiota procera (Scop。) Singer，牛肝菌，红牛肝菌 (Opat。) Gelardi，Vizzini & Simonini，在上述生态系统中收集的普通小麦 (L.)，早熟禾 (L.) (n = 234)。通过污染因子 (Cf)，地积指数 (Igeo) 和潜在环境风险指数 (PER) 评估污染水平和环境风险。为了确定汞从非生物环境向生物环境的转变水平，使用了生物浓缩因子 (BCF)。为了确定由于定期和长期食用当地可用物种而导致的健康风险，将汞含量的结果与世界卫生组织定义的汞的临时每周可容忍摄入量 (PTWI) 进行了比较。结果表明，几乎63% 的区域属于非常高的风险类别，并且80% 采样点显示出非常高的污染因子。地质累积指数表明，该地区几乎30% 受到强烈污染，只有8% 没有受到汞污染。Spearman的相关关系证实，PER，BCF，Cf和Igeo的值随着距污染源距离的增加而降低。对PTWI的贡献百分比介于成人的5.76-69.0% 和儿童的11.5-138% 之间。蘑菇M. procera在测试的生物样品中显示出最高的 % PTWI。研究的生态毒理学参数表明，该地区居民的健康风险很高。从长远来看，该地区种植的农作物 (主要是食用野生蘑菇) 的消费可能会对消费者的健康产生负面影响。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :In this paper, four pairs of insoles with different comfort characteristics were used to investigate the relationship between the pressure distribution under the foot and running shoe comfort. Fourteen male subjects were tested in four insole conditions by walking and running on a treadmill. The pressure at the plantar surface of the foot was measured by using an EMED pressure-measuring insole. For walking there were significantly higher pressures and forces in the midfoot area and significantly lower pressures in the medial forefoot and hallux area by wearing the most comfortable insole compared with wearing the least comfortable insole. The shift of the pressure from forefoot to midfoot for the most comfortable insole provided an even distribution of the pressure at the plantar surface of the foot. The results also demonstrated that the path of centre of force at the plantar surface of the foot moved to the lateral aspect of the foot for the most comfortable insole. For running, only the pressure in the medial forefoot area was found significantly lower for the most comfortable insole than for the least comfortable insole. The results of this study indicated that the pressure distribution between the plantar surface of the foot and the shoe could detect the change of shoe comfort. Thus it is a suggestion that pressure measurement may be related to understand factors important for shoe comfort. Comfort of sport shoes is important for the appropriate execution of sport activities. Additionally, comfort may influence fatigue and possibly the development of injuries. The quantification of comfort of sport shoes and the understanding of mechanical and/or biological functions related to it may be enhanced with the use of pressure measurements between the plantar surface of the foot and the shoe sole.

背景与目标： : 本文采用四对舒适特性不同的鞋垫，研究了脚底压力分布与跑鞋舒适度之间的关系。通过在跑步机上行走和跑步，在四种鞋垫条件下对十四名男性受试者进行了测试。使用EMED测压鞋垫测量脚的足底表面的压力。步行时，与穿着最不舒适的鞋垫相比，穿着最舒适的鞋垫，中足区域的压力和力量明显更高，而前足内侧和拇趾区域的压力明显更低。对于最舒适的鞋垫，压力从前脚向中脚的转移提供了脚的足底表面压力的均匀分布。结果还表明，对于最舒适的鞋垫，脚的足底表面的力中心路径移至脚的侧面。对于跑步，最舒适的鞋垫仅发现前脚内侧区域的压力明显低于最不舒适的鞋垫。这项研究的结果表明，足底和鞋子之间的压力分布可以检测到鞋子舒适度的变化。因此，建议压力测量可能与了解对鞋舒适性重要的因素有关。运动鞋的舒适性对于适当执行体育活动很重要。此外，舒适性可能会影响乏力，并可能影响伤害的发展。可以通过使用脚的足底表面和鞋底之间的压力测量来增强对运动鞋的舒适性的量化以及对与其相关的机械和/或生物学功能的理解。