BACKGROUND It has been previously shown that cultured granulosa cells (GCs) derived from human ovarian preovulatory follicles contain choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the enzyme responsible for acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis. They also produce ACh and express functional muscarinic ACh receptors. ACh can act on GCs to increase proliferation, disrupt gap junctional communication, alter intracellu...

This paper describes the implementation of a computer program that responds to chat messages sent by users of an internet chat client. The program uses a statistical model of previous chat messages sent and received by the author to determine possible meanings of incoming messages and select an appropriate response. Two heuristics are also used to allow the program to respond in cases where the...

Mutations in the L1 gene cause severe brain malformations and mental retardation. We investigated the potential roles of L1 in the regulation of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and in the development of septal cholinergic neurons, which are known to project to the hippocampus and play key roles in cognitive functions. Using stereological approaches, we detected significantly fewer ChAT-positiv...

Acetylcholine (ACh), the classical neurotransmitter, also affects a variety of nonexcitable cells, such as endothelia, microglia, astrocytes and lymphocytes in both the nervous system and secondary lymphoid organs. Most of these cells are very distant from cholinergic synapses. The action of ACh on these distant cells is unlikely to occur through diffusion, given that ACh is very short-lived in...

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT, acetyl-CoA-choline-O-acetyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.6) activity was measured in homogenates prepared from wild type (Canton S) and two temperature-sensitive presumed ChAT structural gene mutants (Chats1 and Chats2; originally described by Greenspan, R. (1980) J. Comp. Physiol. 137: 83-92) of Drosophila melanogaster. Wild type flies grown at 32 degrees C for 12 or 2...

A field study of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) as used in higher education asks the questions, "Will students take part in synchronous chat sessions if they are scheduled? " and “What do students and faculty perceive to be the problems and the advantages of synchronous chat sessions?" Media Mode is the independent variable, characterized by four nominal values derived from the mixture o...

Many researchers have reported that the magnitude of decrease in cortical choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) following excitotoxic lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (nbm) is unrelated to the degree of cognitive impairment. Recently, an explanation has been offered for this lack of correlation: different excitotoxins, when injected into the nbm, differentially affected cholinergic pro...

Changes of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity in the hippocampus and the basal ganglia were studied in rats treated i.p. with L-carnitine (CRT) and 7-methoxytacrine (7-MEOTA) (i.m.) separately or 3-days treated with L-carnitine and then with one administration of 7-MEOTA. Both compounds increased ChAT activity when administered separately. 3-day treatment of CRT followed by administratio...

This paper presents concepts, content, status, applications and challenges of chat as used in the military context of secure net-centric command and control. It describes the importance of chat as it contributes to situation assessment and the common operating picture, which presents current collective knowledge of the battle space. The paper discusses future chat capabilities and outlines the ...

BACKGROUND After alcohol and tobacco, cannabis is the most widely used psychoactive substance in many countries worldwide. Although approximately one in ten users develops serious problems of dependency, only a minority attend outpatient addiction counseling centers. A Web-based intervention could potentially reach those users who hesitate to approach such treatment centers. OBJECTIVE To test...