Which survey indicators are useful for monitoring consumption? Evidence from European countries

This paper assesses the information content of two survey indicators for consumption developments in the near future for eight European countries in the period 1985–1998. Empirical work on this topic typically focuses on consumer confidence, the perceptions of buyers of consumption goods. This paper examines whether perceptions of sellers of consumption goods, measured by retail trade surveys, may also improve short‐term monitoring of consumption. We find that both consumer confidence and retailer confidence embody valuable information, when analysed in isolation. For France, Italy and Spain we conclude that adding retail confidence does not improve the indicator model once consumer confidence has been included. For the UK the reverse case is obtained. For the remaining four countries we show that combining consumer sentiment and retail trade confidence into a composite indicator leads to optimal results. Our results suggest that incorporating information from retail trade surveys may offer significant benefits for the analysis of short‐term prospects of consumption. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chromosomal localization of a unique gene by non-autoradiographic in situ hybridization

During the past few years, several methods have been developed for the detection of specific nucleic acid sequences by in situ hybridization using non-radioactive labels such as fluorochromes, cytochemically detectable enzymes and electron-dense markers. These methods are preferable to autoradiography in terms of speed of performance and topological resolution. Their limited sensitivity, however, has so far restricted their use to the detection of repeated sequences. Here we report single gene detection with a procedure using 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF)-modified probes, immunoperoxidase cytochemistry and reflection-contrast microscopy. We confirmed the autoradiographic data on the localization of the human thyroglobulin (Tg) gene to the distal end of the long arm of chromosome 8. A mixture of cosmid cHT2-derived subclones of the 3' part of the Tg gene, 22.3 kilobase pairs (kbp) in total, was used as a hybridization probe. This procedure can be used to map other unique sequences, if genomic clones are available from which clones with an appropriate amount of inserts can be isolated.     

The complete family of genes encoding G proteins of Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans is the first animal whose genomic sequence has been determined. One of the new possibilities in post-sequence genetics is the analysis of complete gene families at once. We studied the family of heterotrimeric G proteins. C. elegans has 20 Galpha, 2 Gbeta and 2 Ggamma genes. There is 1 homologue of each of the 4 mammalian classes of Galpha genes, G(i)/G(o)alpha, G(s)alpha , G(q)alpha and G12alpha, and there are 16 new alpha genes. Although the conserved Galpha subunits are expressed in many neurons and muscle cells, GFP fusions indicate that 14 new Galpha genes are expressed almost exclusively in a small subset of the chemosensory neurons of C. elegans. We generated loss-of-function alleles using target-selected gene inactivation. None of the amphid-expressed genes are essential for viability, and only four show any detectable phenotype (chemotaxis defects), suggesting extensive functional redundancy. On the basis of functional analysis, the 20 genes encoding Galpha proteins can be divided into two groups: those that encode subunits affecting muscle activity (homologues of G(i)/G(o)alpha, G(s)alpha and G(q)), and those (14 new genes) that encode proteins most likely involved in perception.     

Ratio between large and small carboxy-terminal molecular forms of cholecystokinin in brains of different species

The ratio between large and small carboxy-terminal forms of cholecystokinin in brain extracts from man, pig, dog, rat, chicken, frog and trout was determined by two sequence-specific radioimmunoassays. It was found that the relative amounts of large forms of cholecystokinin; are higher in mammalian brain than in brains of lower species.     

The evolution of syntactic communication

Animal communication is typically non-syntactic, which means that signals refer to whole situations. Human language is syntactic, and signals consist of discrete components that have their own meanings. Syntax is a prerequisite for taking advantage of combinatorics, that is, "making infinite use of finite means. The vast expressive power of human language would be impossible without syntax, and the transition from non-syntactic to syntactic communication was an essential step in the evolution of human language. We aim to understand the evolutionary dynamics of this transition and to analyse how natural selection can guide it. Here we present a model for the population dynamics of language evolution, define the basic reproductive ratio of words and calculate the maximum size of a lexicon. Syntax allows larger repertoires and the possibility to formulate messages that have not been learned beforehand. Nevertheless, according to our model natural selection can only favour the emergence of syntax if the number of required signals exceeds a threshold value. This result might explain why only humans evolved syntactic communication and hence complex language.     

HNPCC-like cancer predisposition in mice through simultaneous loss of Msh3 and Msh6 mismatch-repair protein functions.

Cancer predisposition in hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) is caused by defects in DNA mismatch repair (MMR). Mismatch recognition is attributed to two heterodimeric protein complexes: MutSalpha (refs 2, 3, 4, 5), a dimer of MutS homologues MSH2 and MSH6; and MutSbeta (refs 2,7), a dimer of MSH2 and MSH3. These complexes have specific and redundant mismatch recognition capacity. Whereas MSH2 deficiency ablates the activity of both dimers, causing strong cancer predisposition in mice and men, loss of MSH3 or MSH6 (also known as GTBP) function causes a partial MMR defect. This may explain the rarity of MSH6 and absence of MSH3 germline mutations in HNPCC families. To test this, we have inactivated the mouse genes Msh3 (formerly Rep3 ) and Msh6 (formerly Gtmbp). Msh6-deficient mice were prone to cancer; most animals developed lymphomas or epithelial tumours originating from the skin and uterus but only rarely from the intestine. Msh3 deficiency did not cause cancer predisposition, but in an Msh6 -deficient background, loss of Msh3 accelerated intestinal tumorigenesis. Lymphomagenesis was not affected. Furthermore, mismatch-directed anti-recombination and sensitivity to methylating agents required Msh2 and Msh6, but not Msh3. Thus, loss of MMR functions specific to Msh2/Msh6 is sufficient for lymphoma development in mice, whereas predisposition to intestinal cancer requires loss of function of both Msh2/Msh6 and Msh2/Msh3.     

Sequence of cDNA encoding human insulin-like growth factor I precursor

Somatomedins (SM) or insulin-like growth factors (IGF) constitute a heterogeneous group of peptides with important growth-promoting effects in vitro as well as in vivo. Amino acid sequences have been determined for only two of them, IGF-I and IGF-II, which are highly homologous. IGF-I, which is identical with SM-C, is composed of 70 amino acid residues and IGF-II contains 73 amino acids and may be identical with SM-A. Other peptides with different charge properties but with similar SM-like or insulin-like behaviour in biological and receptor assays, have been described but have not yet been fully characterized. The liver is known to be a major site of production of these peptides, but many other tissues--especially in the fetus--may synthesize them as well. We report here the nucleotide sequence of a human liver cDNA encoding the complete amino acid sequence of IGF-I. The IGF-I coding region is flanked by sequences encoding an amino-terminal peptide of at least 25 amino acid residues and a carboxyl-terminal peptide of 35 amino acids. This provides evidence that IGF-I is synthesized as a precursor protein and that formation of IGF-I from this precursor requires proteolytic processing at both ends.     

The influence of different nutrients on plasma cholecystokinin levels in the rat

Isocaloric and isovolemic amounts of protein (casein), fat (intralipid) and carbohydrate (saccharose) and an isovolemic control solution of water were administered intragastrically to conscious rats. The plasma CCK levels, determined by a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay, showed an increment of 6.3 +/- 0.6, 2.7 +/- 0.5, 1.7 +/- 0.4 and -0.9 +/- 0.4 pM, respectively (basal value 2.5 +/- 0.3 pM). The threshold increment of plasma CCK to stimulate pancreatic enzyme secretion by exogenous CCK was found to be 1.5 pM. It is therefore concluded that casein is a potent stimulus for CCK secretion and pancreatic secretion, but that fat and even carbohydrate, although less potent, also produce a CCK increment above the threshold for pancreatic secretion.     

Inhibition of cytosolic rat hepatic glutathione S-transferase activities by bromosulfophthaleins

Summary The enzymatically catalyzed conjugation of glutathione with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and styrene-7,8-oxide is inhibited by tetrabromosulfophthalein in a non-competetive way, although tetrabromosulfophthalein itself is a substrate for glutathione S-transferases. Dibromosulfophthalein, which is not a substrate for glutathione S-transferases, inhibits the 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene conjugation competetively and the styrene-7,8-oxide conjugation non-competetively.