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Pyogenic sacroiliitis is a rare entity in children. Diagnosis is often delayed because of its variable clinical presentation, low suspicion by the examining physician, and rare findings on radiographs. Delayed diagnosis, however, results in complications such as iliopsoas abscess. We report the case of a 12-year-old girl hospitalized with a 21-day history of fever, pain in the left iliac fossa, and flexion contracture of the hip. On examination, she had fever (38.9 ^oC), psoitis, localized tenderness at the left sacroiliac joint, and pain elicited by lateral compression of the pelvis. The abdominal examination was normal. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 130mm in the first hour, C-reactive protein was 186mg/l, and the white blood cell count was 18,400/mm^3, with 79% neutrophils. Urin...

Science.gov (United States)

In 2002 and again in 2003, an investigative journalist unit at ABC News transported a 6.8 kilogram metallic slug of depleted uranium (DU) via shipping container from Istanbul, Turkey to Brooklyn, NY and from Jakarta, Indonesia to Long Beach, CA. Targeted inspection of these shipping containers by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel, included the use of gamma-ray imaging, portal monitors and hand-held radiation detectors, did not uncover the hidden DU. Monte Carlo analysis of the gamma-ray intensity and spectrum of a DU slug and one consisting of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) showed that DU was a proper surrogate for testing the ability of DHS to detect the illicit transport of HEU. Our analysis using MCNP-5 illustrated the ease of fully shielding an HEU sample to avoid detection. The assembly of an Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) -- a crude atomic bomb -- from ...

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PMID:12391801

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... Thursday: South Brisbane Sailing Club, Orleigh Park Hill End Terrace, West End. Friday: Booroodabin Bowls Club, 126 Breakfast Creek Road, Newstead. Related Photos Six months on: Kerrin Quinn's Story (Emma Sykes - ABC Local) Map Fernvale 4306 Subscribe/RSS Subscribe to ABC Brisbane videos Subscribe to all ABC Local videos Topics: disasters-and-accidents, floods Locations: brisbane-4000, fernvale-4306 Print page ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters) utilize the energy of ATP hydrolysis to translocate an unusually diverse set of substrates across cellular membranes. ABCA4, also known as...Full Text Available

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PMID:4462663

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Calpains are Ca²⁺-dependent proteinases that mediate protein turnover in crustacean skeletal muscles. We used an antibody directed against lobster muscle-specific calpain (Ha-CalpM)...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

1. In rat soleus muscle, high frequency electrical stimulation produced a rapid increase in intracellular Na+ (Na+i) content. This was considerably larger in muscles contracting without developing tension...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A number of studies have examined the functional roles of individual muscles during normal walking, but few studies have examined which are the primary muscles that respond to changes in external...Full Text Available

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ObjectiveExtended periods of muscle disuse, physical inactivity, immobilization, and bedrest result in a loss of muscle mass and a decrease in muscle force, which are accompanied by an increase in oxidative stress. We investigated the effects of the intake of green tea catechins on unloading-induced muscle dysfunction in tail-suspended mice. MethodsTen-week-old male BALB/c mice were fed a purified control diet or a diet containing 0.5% tea catechins for 14 d. Thereafter, the mice were subjected to continuous tail suspension for 10 d. On the final day, muscle mass, contractile force production, antioxidant potential, and carbonylated protein levels were evaluated. ResultsHind limb unloading caused a loss of soleus muscle weight and muscle force. Intake of tea catechins significantly inhibit...

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The muscles of three different arthropods, a mite, a fly, and an ostracod, show variations in the length of the A region within a given individual. There is no indication that the observed differences...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The retina-specific ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, ABCA4, is essential for transport of all-trans-retinal from the rod outer segment discs in the retina and is associated with...Full Text Available

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Abstract Absence of the palmaris longus muscle has been well documented in several populations at a prevalence rate ranging between 2.2 and 63.9% which varies according to race, sex, and side of the body. There is little documentation of the prevalence of absence of this muscle from populations in the Arabian Gulf region. We examined 1,043 subjects, 3 85 years old, from the Kingdom of Bahrain for the presence or absence of the palmaris longus muscle using the conventional test for the presence of this muscle. Statistical analyses investigated the association of muscle absence with sex, hand dominance, and laterality. The palmaris longus muscle was absent in 36.8% of subjects. Bilateral absence (19%) was more common than unilateral absence (17.9%) with preponderance in female subjects. The ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract This article introduces some of the key philosophical contributions of W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois studied with Santayana and William James (among others), but chose social science, social theory, journalism, and activism over academic philosophy. Despite this detour, the philosophic depth of his work has won the attention of scholars in fields such as history, English, post colonial theory, African American Studies, American philosophy, and Africana philosophy, and it has belatedly begun to attract the interest of philosophers more generally. This brief overview will explore the philosophical dimensions of some of Du Bois s best known positions his claims about the color line and the Talented Tenth, his argument with Booker T. Washington, and his account of double consciousness. Th...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Utilities are evaluating several electric generation and storage (G ampersand S) technologies for distributed utility (DU) applications. Attributes of leading DU technologies and implications for photovoltaics (PV) are described. Included is a survey of present and projected cost and performance for: (1) small, advanced combustion turbines (CTs); (2) advanced, natural gas-fired, diesel engines (diesel engines); and (3) advanced lead-acid battery systems (batteries). Technology drivers and relative qualitative benefits are described. A levelized energy cost-based cost target for PV for DU applications is provided. The analysis addresses only relative cost, for PV and for three selected alternative DU technologies. Comparable size, utility, and benefits are assumed, although relative value is application-specific and often technology- and site-specific.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Exercise training is known to induce an increase in free radical production potentially leading to enhanced muscle injury. Vitamins C and E are well known antioxidants that may prevent muscle cell damage....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AbstractThe structural integrity of striated muscle is determined by extra-sarcomere cytoskeleton that includes structures that connect the Z-disks and M-bands of a sarcomere to sarcomeres...Full Text Available

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Samples of longissimus and multifidi muscles at the thoracic and lumbar levels of the spine were examined histochemically on autopsy specimens from 21 adult male subjects (aged 22 to 46 years) and on...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We investigate a method for gene delivery to vascular smooth muscle cells using ultrasound triggered delivery of plasmid DNA from electrostatically coupled cationic microbubbles. Microbubbles...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

SummaryThe structure and function of myosin crossbridges in asynchronous insect flight muscle (IFM) have been elucidated in situ using multiple approaches. These...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The effect of A₁-adenosine receptor antagonism via 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropyl-xanthine (CPDPX) on the stimulation of skeletal muscle glucose uptake by...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Hypoxia, or reduced oxygen, occurs in a variety of clinical and environmental situations. Hypoxic exposure is associated with decreased muscle mass and a concomitant reduction in exercise capacity,...Full Text Available

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Isometric/isokinetic muscle strength and isokinetic endurance of the lower extremities as well as aerobic capacity were evaluated in 67 patients (43 female, 24 male; mean age 53 years, range 23-65)...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

There are many factors that can influence glucose uptake by contracting skeletal muscle during exercise and although one may be intramuscular glycogen content, this relationship is at present not fully...Full Text Available

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Oxidative stress has been implicated in the etiology of age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia). However, the underlying mechanisms by which oxidative stress contributes to sarcopenia have not been thoroughly...Full Text Available

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Exercise-training might be a logical method to reverse muscle atrophy and weakness in patients treated with glucocorticoids. The purpose of the present investigation was to establish whether a treatment...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Epifluorescence images of Ca2+ transients elicited by electrical stimulation of single skeletal muscle fibers were studied with fast imaging techniques that take advantage of the large fluorescence...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We used the idea of hierarchical control to study multi-muscle synergies during a whole-body sway task performed by a standing person. Within this view, at the lower level of the hierarchy,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Silent information regulators are potent NAD⁺-dependent protein deacetylases, which have been shown to regulate gene silencing, muscle differentiation and DNA damage repair. Here,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether genetically determined properties of muscle metabolism contribute to the exceptional physical endurance of world-class distance runners. ATP, phosphocreatine,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A type of electromyographic activity, formerly referred to as "pseudomyotonia", can be recorded from the striated muscle of the urethral sphincter using a concentric needle electrode. There are two...Full Text Available

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Objective: Hamstring injuries can be quite debilitating and often result in chronic problems. Eccentric muscle actions are often the last line of defense against muscle injury...Full Text Available

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Normal urinary bladder function requires contraction and relaxation of the detrusor smooth muscle (DSM). The DSM undergoes compensatory hypertrophy in response to partial bladder outlet obstruction...Full Text Available

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... were larger in TFLM, BFM, QFM, PM and TSM in the mouse deer than in the two ... ...

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Udgivelsesdato: 2003-Apr-15

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After a presentation of methods and tools for the basic and extensive characterization of polluted sites and the study of evolution and transfer of current organic pollutants in the ground, the example of the rehabilitation of an old Rhone-Poulenc site (at Chauny, France) polluted with metals and arsenic, is described: soil and aquifer diagnosis, risk analysis and determination of migration schemes

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Hsp20, referred to as HspB6, is constitutively expressed in various tissues. Specifically, HspB6 is most highly expressed in different types of muscle including vascular, airway, colonic, bladder, and uterine smooth muscle; cardiac muscle; and skeletal muscle. It can be phosphorylated at Ser-16 by both cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKA/PKG). Recently, Hsp20 and its phosphorylation have been implicated in multiple physiological and pathophysiological processes including smooth muscle relaxation, platelet aggregation, exercise training, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance and Alzheimer's disease. In the heart, key advances have been made in elucidating the significance of Hsp20 in contractile function and cardioprotection over the last decade. This mini-rev...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Thirty fattened one humped desert camels were used to examine the effect of season on contractile and metabolic properties of Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle. Ten camels were slaughtered according to seasons of the year (winter, summer and autumn). Season significantly influenced muscle chemical composition, ultimate pH (pHu) and color. Activities of metabolic enzymes were higher during autumn season compared to summer and winter for phosphofructokinase (+64% compared to both seasons) and for isocitrate dehydrogenase (+35% and +145% in autumn vs. summer and winter, respectively). Quantification of muscle myosin heavy chain isoforms by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis showed only presence of type I and type IIa MyHC in camel muscle and indicated high proportion in winter for type I and in autumn f...

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This document exposes the results of the fourth evaluation report of the working group II of the inter government experts group on the climatic change. This evaluation presents the today scientific understanding of the climatic change impacts on the humans and their adaptation ability and vulnerability. It is based on the GIEC evaluations and new knowledge added since the third evaluation report. (A.L.B.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The purpose of this study was to compare cardiopulmonary fitness and endurance in 9-11-year-old children with DCD against a group of typically developing children in Taiwan. The Movement ABC test was used to evaluate the motor abilities of children. Forty-one participants (20 children with DCD and 21 children without DCD) were recruited for this study. The cardiopulmonary tests included the 800-m run test and the peak oxygen consumption (peak VO2) test using the Bruce treadmill protocol. No significant differences in age, body height, body weight, body mass index, and percentage of body fat between children with DCD and without DCD were found. However, there were significant differences in the cardiopulmonary endurance tests between children with DCD and without DCD. Children with DCD had ...

Science.gov (United States)

This report presents a summary of highlights of the year 1978. It then discusses: Research and development in numerical analysis and prediction systems; Techniques, development and application of new products; Analysis-forecast systems in operation use du...

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The mechanical characteristics of semicrystalline materials are related to the proportion, size and structure of the crystalline phase. Studying isothermal crystallization is the first stage in determining what relations exist between structure and charac...

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sup(99m)Tc-MDP bone scintigraphy was performed on patients who received muscle-pedicle bone graft. In each of the bone head and the bone graft, a time-activity curve was obtained. In this muscle-pedicle bone graft, active revascularization and marked osteogenesis, which suggested rapid bone repairing, were observed. The bone scintigraphy was considered to be useful in observing the result of bone grafts, blood circulation, and time of bone fusion, and of value for early detection of secondary changes.

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The French office for technical studies and control of big dams (BETCGB), has recently reedited the `guidebook for the control of dams in exploitation`. The aim of this document is to provide to the regional directions of industry, research and environment (DRIRE) a methodological help for their control actions of hydroelectric dams granted for exploitation. It comprises 6 chapters dealing with: the different type of dams, the inspection, the surveillance, the floods evacuation, the flood instructions, and the particular emergency plans. (J.S.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

There are very different views on the health hazards of DU munitions. Most of the concerns of veterans and their advisors focus on the radiological effects of DU and consequently these are the focus of this editorial. Effects on the kidney and environmental consequences are, however, considered in the second of the Royal Society reports and the main conclusions of both of the reports are outlined in the summary document published in this issue of the journal. The main radiological concerns focus on the irradiation of lung tissues from inhaled DU particles and irradiation resulting from the translocation of inhaled particles to the thoracic lymph nodes.The overwhelming scientific view, presented in the two Royal Society reports and in other independent reviews, is that the main risks of exposure to DU aerosols are an increase in lung cancer and (from chemical toxicity) damage to the kidney, although ...

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... 16, 2001 0006-2979 BIORAK v. 40(2) APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES azido

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The yellow Iranian scorpion Odontobuthus doriae can cause fatal envenoming, but its mechanism of action is unclear. One of the reported manifestations of envenoming is moderate to severe involuntary tremor of skeletal muscle. In order to understand better the mechanism of action of this venom on skeletal muscle function, we examined the effects of the venom in vitro on chick biventer cervicis (CBC) and mouse hemidiaphragm (MHD) nerve muscle preparations. O. doriae venom (0.3-10mg/ml) initially increased and then decreased twitch height. The venom also caused contracture in both preparations. In mouse triangularis sterni preparations, used for all intracellular recording techniques, the venom enhanced the release of acetylcholine and induced repetitive firing of nerve action potentials and ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Phospholemman (PLM), a member of the FXYD family of regulators of ion transport, is a major sarcolemmal substrate for protein kinases A and C in cardiac and skeletal muscle. In the heart, PLM...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

1. A high degree of homology in the positions of tyrosine residues in glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from lobster and pig muscle, and from yeast, prompted an examination of the reactivity...Full Text Available

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The risk to human health from fragments of depleted uranium (DU) at Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) was estimated using two types of ecosystem pathway models. A steady-state, model of the JPG area was developed to examine the effects of DU in soils, water, and vegetation on deer that were hunted and consumed by humans. The RESRAD code was also used to estimate the effects of farming the impact area and consuming the products derived from the farm. The steady-state model showed that minimal doses to humans are expected from consumption of deer that inhabit the impact area. Median values for doses to humans range from about 1 mrem ({plus_minus}2.4) to 0.04 mrem ({plus_minus}0.13) and translate to less than 1 {times} 10{sup {minus}6} detriments (excess cancers) in the population. Monte Carlo simulation of the steady-state model was used to derive the probability distributions from which the median values were drawn. Sensitivity analyses of the ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Subjects maintained an isometric contraction of the quadriceps femoris muscle at two-thirds maximal voluntary contraction (m.v.c.) force for 5 s (5.0 +/- 0.3 s; mean +/- S.E. of mean; n = 6) or until...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Two cDNA libraries corresponding to polyA+ RNA from human adult skeletal muscle have been constructed by cloning in the PstI site of pBR322. Skeletal alpha actin cDNA clones have been isolated and characterized....Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

We previously reported that the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 (PGC-1) mRNA in rat epitrochlearis muscle was increased after swimming exercise training. In the present study, we demonstrated further that PGC-1 mRNA expression in the epitrochlearis muscle of 4-5-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats was increased after a 6-h acute bout of low-intensity swimming exercise. With this increase, the expression level was approximately 8-fold of control and immersion group rats that stayed for 6-h in warm water, maintained at the identical temperature of the swimming barrel (35 degrees C) (p<0.01). Second, PGC-1 mRNA expression in the muscle was found to have increased 6-h after 30 10-s tetani contractions were induced by in vitro electrical stimulation. Finally, PGC-1 mRNA expression in the muscle incubated for 18-h with 0.5mM 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR: ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Activities of glycogen synthase (GS) and GS phosphatase were determined on human muscle biopsies before and after isometric contraction at 2/3 maximal voluntary force. Total GS activity did not change...Full Text Available

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The bioenergetic capacity of skeletal muscle in a 17-year-old patient with a severe defect in complex III of the electron transport chain has been examined by 31P NMR measurements of the molar ratio...Full Text Available

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A novel method for non-destructive intramuscular fat (IMF) estimation via spectral ultrasound backscatter analysis of signals obtained from pig carcasses early post mortem is described. A commercial hand-held ultrasound device (center frequency: 2.7MHz) was modified to focus the sound beam to the longissimus muscle at the 2nd/3rd last rib. Time-resolved ultrasound backscatter signals of loin muscle were recorded 45minp.m. on 82 pig carcass sides. Backfat width (d"B"F=18.9+/-3.8mm) and muscle attenuation (@a"m"u"s"c"l"e=.77+/-.15dBMHz^-^1cm^-^1) were assessed from the measured pulse echo data. Other propagation properties of skin, backfat and muscle tissue obtained in a previous investigation were incorporated into the signal pre-processing to minimize parameter estimation artifacts. Spectr...

Science.gov (United States)

Abstract High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecules, favors tissue regeneration via recruitment and activation of leukocytes and stem cells. Here we demonstrate, in a model of acute sterile muscle injury, that regeneration is accompanied by active reactive oxygen species (ROS) production counterbalanced and overcome by the generation of antioxidant moieties. Mitochondria are initially responsible for ROS formation. However, they undergo rapid disruption with almost complete disappearance. Twenty-four hours after injury, we observed a strong induction of MURF1 and atrogin-1 ubiquitin ligases, key signals in activation of the proteasome system and induction of muscle atrophy. At later time points, ROS generation is maintained by nonmitochondrial sources. The antioxidant response occurs in both regenerating fibers and leukocytes that express high levels of free thiols and antioxidant enzymes, such as ...

Science.gov (United States)

W. E. B. Du Bois, one of the brightest lights in African American history, wrote a sparkling critique of the American social and economic system originally planned as part of the Bronze Booklets series, edited and published by Alain Locke and the Associates in Negro Folk Education. The piece was never published and has, until now, been lost to the annals of adult education history. Using historical evidence, the authors examine Du Bois's Basic American Negro Creed and the circumstances that led to its exclusion from the series. It is argued that the Creed was far too radical for the liberal minded Carnegie Corporation and its leaders who were only interested in accommodating adult education for Blacks through the AAAE funded Bronze Booklets. The exclusion of the Creed represents an example of repressive tolerance by the AAAE.

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Summary The aim of this cross-sectional study was to find possible relationships between insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), adipocytokines (leptin and adiponectin) and twitch contraction (TC) characteristics of the knee extensor (KE) muscles in healthy physically active postmenopausal women (n = 28, 64-78 years old). We hypothesized that IGF-1 is related at least to isometric TC peak torque (Pt) as the highest value of isometric torque production and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque, and there will not be any relationships between TC characteristics and leptin and adiponectin. During the measurement of MVC torque and twitch contractile properties of KE muscles, the subjects sat in a custom-made dynamometric chair with the knee and hip angles equal to 90degree and 100degree, re...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The half-value thicknesses, linear and mass attenuation coefficients of biological samples such as bone, muscle, fat and water have been measured at 140, 364 and 662keV ?-ray energies by using the ATOMLABTM-930 medical spectrometer. The ?-rays were obtained from 99mTc, 131I and 137Cs ?-ray point sources. Also theoretical calculations have been performed in order to obtain the half-value thicknesses and, mass and linear attenuation coefficients at photon energies 0.001keV-20MeV for bone, muscle and water samples. The calculated value and the experimental results of this work and the other results in literature are found to be in good agreement.

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During sporting events, injured athletes often return to competition after icing because of the reduction in pain. Although some controversy exists, several studies suggest that cryotherapy causes a decrease in muscle activity, which may lead to a higher risk of injury upon return to play. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 20-min knee joint cryotherapy application on the electromyographic activity of leg muscles during a single-leg drop jump in twenty healthy subjects, randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. After the pre-tests, a crushed-ice bag was applied to the knee joint of the experimental group subjects for 20min, while the control group subjects rested for 20min. All subjects were retested immediately after this period and retested again...

Science.gov (United States)

This book describes one approach to building and operating biogas systems. The biogas systems include raw material preparation, digesters, separate gas storage tanks, use of the gas to run engines, and the use of the sludge as fertilizer. Chapters included are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Biogas Systems are Small Factories"; (3) "The Raw Materials of Biogas Digestion"; (4) "The Daily Operation of a Biogas Factory"; (5) "The Once a Year Cleaning of the Digester"; (6) "Tanks and Pipes: Storing and Moving Biogas"; (7) "The Factory's Products: Biogas"; (8) "The Factory's Products: Biofertilizer"; (9) "The ABCs of Safety"; and (10) "Conclusion: Profiting from an Appropriate Technology." Many diagrams are provided throughout this handbook. New ideas, composting, bioinsecticides, ferrocement, facts and figures, sources and resources, feasibility studies, problem solving, and vocabulary are presented in the appendices. (YP)

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LLNL is developing the nuclear fusion based Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) power plant concept. The baseline design uses a depleted uranium (DU) fission fuel blanket with a flowing molten salt coolant (flibe) that also breeds the tritium needed to sustain the fusion energy source. Indirect drive targets, similar to those that will be demonstrated on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), are ignited at 13Hz providing a 500MW fusion source. The DU is in the form of a uranium oxycarbide kernel in modified TRISO-like fuel particles distributed in a carbon matrix forming 2-cm-diameter pebbles. The thermal power is held at 2000MW by continuously varying the 6Li enrichment in the coolants. There are many options to be considered in the engine design including target yield, U-to-C ratio in th...

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SPEOS takes advantage of a geological situation which apparently does not occur much in Switzerland. The SPEOS pilot installation, which was erected in 1982, is designed for the supply of heat for about 500 persons. In the course of 10 cycles, the possibilities and limits of the seasonal heat storage were displayed. It was demonstrated that large quantities of heat with temperatures of up to 75 C can be stored in an aquifer. The behaviour of such a storage can be predicted with sufficient accuracy with mathematical models. (author) 12 refs.

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The aim of this economic study is the wording of a synthetic document for the public information in the framework of the 98/30/CE european directive transposition to the gas internal market. It is writing in four main chapters, one for each country concerned: the Germany, the Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Each one presents the historical context, the actors of the natural gas industry and the main provisions. (A.L.B.)

Science.gov (United States)

A 72-year-old man was exposed to the sarin gas attack in a Tokyo subway on March 20 th, 1995. After exposure, he noticed eye discomfort, chest tightness, headache and weakness of the lower limbs and oropharyngeal muscles. Despite these symptoms, he visited a hot spring on the same day with his family. On March 25 th, his muscle weakness progressed, and a low grade fever appeared. His muscle weakness disappeared 8 days after exposure to sarin, but respiratory failure rapidly developed, necessitating artificial ventilation within four day after hospitalization on March 28th. Chemotherapy with erythromycin, imipenem/cilastatin, and steroid pulse therapy was begu. PCR and culture of sputum collected by bronchofiberscopy were positive for Legionella pneumophila, serogroup I. His respiratory state improved, but subsequent infection with Pseudomonous aeruginosa. Enterobacter cloacae, and Candida tropicalis/glabrata caused his ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We have previously shown that unloaded shortening velocity (V₀) of human plantar flexors can be determined in vivo, by applying the “slack test”...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Changes in glucose 1,6-bisphosphate and regulators of glucose-1,6-bisphosphate synthase and phosphatase during isometric contraction have been determined. Biopsies were obtained from the quadriceps...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This report describes a case of toxic myopathy in a two year old sheltie dog with clinical signs of profound weakness, myoglobinuria, and muscle enzyme elevations. The clinical signs were likely related...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

1. The amino acid sequences around the thiol groups of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from badger and monkey skeletal muscle were compared with the sequences around the thiol groups in the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

PurposeWe wanted to examine the effect of graded recession and anteriorization of the inferior oblique muscle on patients suffering from unilateral superior oblique palsy.MethodsInferior...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundSensory information from mechanoreceptors in the skin, muscles, tendons, and joint structures plays an important role in joint stability. A joint injury can lead to disruption...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The normal physiological contraction of the urinary bladder, which is required for voiding, is predominantly mediated by muscarinic receptors, primarily the M₃ subtype, with the M₂...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Poland's anomaly is an uncommon congenital aberration of the chest wall characterized by absence of the pectoralis major muscle and other nearby musculoskeletal components. In this series, a wide spectrum...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Osteoid osteoma of the spine is a relatively rare bone-forming tumor. Pain that is worse at night and relieved by aspirin and muscle contracture are the most characteristic symptoms of spinal osteoid...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Endothelial cells and mural cells (smooth muscle cells, pericytes, or fibroblasts) are known to communicate with one another. Their interactions not only serve to support fully functional blood...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The relationships between muscle tensions, jaw motions, bite and joint forces, and craniofacial morphology are not fully understood. Three-dimensional (3-D) computer models are able to combine anatomical...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundTo better understand the underlying mechanisms involved in trunk motion during a tennis serve, this study aimed to examine the (1) relative motion of the middle and lower...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Searching for the structural requirements improving the potency and the stereoselectivity of Na⁺ channel blockers as antimyotonic agents, new...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundAnimals carrying genetic mutations have provided powerful insights into the role of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in motility. One classic model is...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Isometric handgrip force, isokinetic knee flexion and extension torque, and anthropometric data were obtained on 67 older men and women (ranging in age from 45 to 75 years, mean 59.7 years). Hydrostatic...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVES: The ability to maximally generate active muscle tension during resistance training has been established to be a primary determinant for strength development. The influence of intrasession...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThough long known to affect smooth muscle biology, recent studies indicate that phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) is also expressed in myocardium. Recognizing that the regulation...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Fifteen related dogs were studied for susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia using halothane challenge and caffeine contracture tests. These dogs had hypertrophied muscles, were of a nervous temperament...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sources of ATP in the 1A arteriole, and to investigate age-related changes in ATP overflow. Arterioles (1A) from the red portion of the gastrocnemius...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Total mercury content and its distribution in muscles and viscera of male and female blue crab (Callinectes sapidus Rothbum) and deep water pink shrimp (Parapenacus longirostris) collected from the 3 main fishing grounds near the Alexandria coast in the Mediterranean sea was estimated. The results indicate that the mercury content in the muscles of both species differ according to fishing areas, size, sex, and species. More than 75% of total mercury were accumulated in the viscera of both species which indicates that the mercury entered in these organisms via the feed chain. PMID:3696196

Science.gov (United States)

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is frequently used for relief of chronic benign pain resistant to conservative therapies. Clinical practice suggests, at least in patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS), the possibility that SCS significantly improves motor performances. We present here the case of a 41-years-old female patient with FBSS, who showed a clear improvement in muscle strength after SCS, persisting at 6-months follow-up. We speculate that the electrical stimulation of posterior columns could potentiate the caudal, segmental spinal reflexes resulting in a facilitation of motoneurons activation. PMID:16175150

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) and 22 other trace elements were measured in ice algae, three species of zooplankton, mixed zooplankton samples, Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), ringed seals (Phoca hispida) and eight species of seabirds to examine the trophodynamics of these metals in an Arctic marine food web. All samples were collected in 1998 in the Northwater Polynya (NOW) located between Ellesmere Island and Greenland in Baffin Bay. THg and MeHg were found to biomagnify through the NOW food web, based on significant positive relationships between log THg and log MeHg concentrations vs. #delta# "1"5N muscle and liver . The slope of these relationships for muscle THg and MeHg concentrations (slope = 0.197 and 0.223, respectively) were similar to those reported for other aquatic food webs. The food web behavior of THg and #delta# "1"5N appears constant, regardless of trophic state (eutrophic vs. oligotrophic), latitude (Arctic vs. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This device has and head-race pipe with an external part and a coaxial inner part. A measuring head is mounted movable between these 2 parts and has at least a thermocouple and a mobile grid for varying the section and the sodium flow to facilitate the impurities dissolution. This ensemble is completed by a longitudinal body containing the main parts of the indicator and surrounded by a thermal exchanger to cool the sodium.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The relations between nuclear energy availability and nuclear plant safety are analyzed in the particular cases of naval propulsion nuclear boilers (aircraft carriers, submarines): safety objectives, present and potential risk analysis, optimization of the availability-safety couple, at the design stage and during operation (procedural rules related to the boiler state, real time decisions). 6 fig., 1 tab.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Zusammenfassung Der vom Bundesamt f?r Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) entwickelte Ansatz des IT-Grundschutzes war bereits Gegenstand von Beitr?gen in der DuD. Inzwischen hat das ?Grundschutzhandbuch? Eingang in die internationale Standard-Familie ISO 2700x gefunden. Der Autor berichtet ?ber die Erfahrungen mit den ersten durchgef?hrten Zertifizierungen nach dem neuen ISO-Standard auf der Basis von IT-Grundschutz.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Conference on Building Design and Architecture organized by Swedish Council for Building Research Contents included articles on building physics, thermal-climate technology, and building location and planning.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The mission of the Heavy Water portion of D Area (or 400 Area) at SRS is to purify the site inventory of heavy water for storage in the Reactor Areas for future DOE missions.

Science.gov (United States)

1 Candoxin (MW 7334.6), a novel toxin isolated from the venom of the Malayan krait Bungarus candidus, belongs to the poorly characterized subfamily of nonconventional three-finger toxins present in Elapid venoms. The current study details the pharmacological effects of candoxin at the neuromuscular junction. 2 Candoxin produces a novel pattern of neuromuscular blockade in isolated nerve-muscle preparations and the tibialis anterior muscle of anaesthetized rats. In contrast to the virtually irreversible postsynaptic neuromuscular blockade produced by curaremimetic alpha-neurotoxins, the neuromuscular blockade produced by candoxin was rapidly and completely reversed by washing or by the addition of the anticholinesterase neostigmine. 3 Candoxin also produced significant train-of-four fade during the onset of and recovery from neuromuscular blockade, both, in vitro and in vivo. The fade phenomenon has been attributed to a blockade of putative ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Early effects of 100 Kilorads of X-rays on muscle cell membrane properties have been measured in sartorius muscles from Leptodactylus ocellatus. Threshold strength for rectangular current pulses increased 10% after irradiation, and action potential propagation velocity decreased 10%. Passive membrane parameters were calculated from potential responses to sub-threshold current pulses, assuming conventional cable theory. Specific membrane conductance increased to 18% after irradiation, membrane capacitance increased 14%, and length constant decreased 10% but membrane time constant was unchanged. Cell diameter decreased 5%, and resting membrane potential decreased 8%. Membrane parameters during an action potential were also evaluated by the phase-plane and current-voltage plot techniques. Irradiation significantly decreased the action potential amplitude, the excitation potential, and the maximum rates of rise and fall of membrane potential. ...

Science.gov (United States)

We examined the subcellular localization of ryanodine receptors (RyR) in the cardiac muscle of carp using biochemical, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic methods and compared it with those of rats and guinea pigs. To achieve this goal, an anti-RyR antibody was newly raised against a synthetic peptide corresponding to an amino acid sequence that was conserved among all sequenced RyRs. Western blot analysis using this antibody detected a single RyR band following the SDS-PAGE of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes from carp atrium and ventricle as well as from mammalian hearts and skeletal muscles. The carp heart band had slightly greater mobility than those of mammalian hearts. Although immunohistochemical staining showed evident striations corresponding to the Z lines in longitudinal sections of mammalian hearts, clusters of punctate staining, in contrast, were distributed ubiquitously throughout carp atrium and ventricle. Electron ...

Science.gov (United States)

In this article, we describe an approach to model the electromechanical behavior of the skeletal muscle based on the Huxley formulation. We propose a model that complies with a well established macroscopic behavior of striated muscles where force-length, force-velocity, and Mirsky-Parmley properties are taken into account. These properties are introduced at the microscopic scale and related to a tentative explanation of the phenomena. The method used integrates behavior ranging from the microscopic to the macroscopic scale, and allows the computation of the dynamics of the output force and stiffness controlled by EMG or stimulation parameters. The model can thus be used to simulate and carry out research to develop control strategies using electrical stimulation in the context of rehabilitation. Finally, through animal experiments, we estimated model parameters using a Sigma Point Kalman Filtering technique and dedicated experimental protocols ...

Science.gov (United States)

A hypotheses that mitoxantrone is a competitive antagonist at muscarinic cholinergic receptors was examined in guinea-pig hearts. In isolated left atrial muscle preparations, electrically paced at 2 Hz, the muscarinic agonist, carbachol, caused a concentration-dependent decrease in developed tension. Mitoxantrone caused a parallel right-ward shift of the concentration-response curve for carbachol. Schild plots for the effect of mitoxantrone on the carbachol concentration-response relationship were linear with a slope of 0.88 which was not significantly different from the unity. The right-ward shift of the carbachol concentration-response relationship by mitoxantrone significantly reversed after an additional incubation with a mitoxantrone-free solution, although the reversal was incomplete after a 2-h incubation in the mitoxantrone-free solution. Mitoxantrone caused a concentration-dependent displacement of specific [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding to membrane ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Ministere des Ressources naturelles du Quebec (Quebec Natural Resources Department) implemented a remedial program to treat the waste rock pile at Wood Cadillac, located near Cadillac, in Abitibi, Quebec. The solutions proposed by INRS-Georessources and ENVIROCONSEIL are aimed at eliminating erosion and stabilizing the geochemical processes. Part of the proposed solution also included the use of a reducing trickling filter for the treatment of acid leachates, which also contain arsenic when exiting the waste rock pile. The trickling filter is composed of forest tailings in which the bacteria reduce the sulphates and stimulate the precipitation of arsenic into arsenic sulphates. This is a new treatment that was developed following laboratory experiments which demonstrated the feasibility of the process and quantified the parameters. A demonstration unit was constructed by ENVIROCONSEIL and installed at the Wood Cadillac waste rock pile under the supervision of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mining operations took place at the Sullivan Mine, located at Sullivan, Abitibi, Quebec between 1930 and 1967 and generated large quantities of tailings. These tailings now represent a waste rock pile in the shape of a delta on the shore of De Montigny Lake. The area covers approximately 50 hectares. When the waste rock pile was first established, several terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems were lost forever. In addition, the very nature of the tailings, combined to the action of the wind and lake, further slow the natural site regeneration. The Ministere des Ressources naturelles du Quebec (Quebec Natural Resources Department) asked Les Consultants en Environnement Argus to prepare a site remediation plan to stimulate the natural regeneration of the ecosystems. It would enable the local fauna to resume its occupation of the territory, while ensuring its proper integration in the environment. The authors described in detail the proposed plan that addresses all the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LLNL is developing the nuclear fusion based Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) power plant concept. The baseline design uses a depleted uranium (DU) fission fuel blanket with a flowing molten salt coolant (flibe) that also breeds the tritium needed to sustain the fusion energy source. Indirect drive targets, similar to those that will be demonstrated on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), are ignited at #approx#13 Hz providing a 500 MW fusion source. The DU is in the form of a uranium oxycarbide kernel in modified TRISO-like fuel particles distributed in a carbon matrix forming 2-cm-diameter pebbles. The thermal power is held at 2000 MW by continuously varying the "6Li enrichment in the coolants. There are many options to be considered in the engine design including target yield, U-to-C ratio in the fuel, fission blanket thickness, etc. Here we report results of design variations and compare them in terms of various figures of merit such as ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

RESUME: Cet article propose une tude du r le croissant que joue l valuation dans la gouvernance des services domicile en Europe. L introduction de quasi march s dans plusieurs pays europ ens va de pair avec un processus d autonomisation de la fonction d valuation qui devient un v ritable outil de r gulation de la concurrence. Une analyse compar e des situations en Belgique, France et Royaume Uni, tant de la demande que de l offre de services, met en vidence les tensions r currentes dans les objectifs de l valuation (qualit des services, ma trise des budgets sociaux, cr ation d emploi), la faible prise en compte de la qualit de l emploi ainsi que les limites des dispositifs standardis s d valuation au regard de la rh torique du libre choix de l usager (consommateur).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A survey to assess the techniques used to control occupational exposure to formaldehyde (50000) and methanol (67561) was conducted at the E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company (SIC-2869) formaldehyde production unit, Linden, New Jersey, in October 1982. Exposure concentrations were reduced primarily by the use of a process that was completely enclosed except for process sampling, methanol unloading, and formaldehyde discharge points. Local and area exhaust ventilation, and work practices were also used to control exposures. Formaldehyde concentrations in the absorber area were controlled by burning the exit gases in an afterburner and discharging them high above the ground. Analysis of area and breathing zone samples showed methanol and formaldehyde concentrations below the OSHA limits of 200 and 3 parts per million, respectively. The authors conclude that workers are not overexposed to either methanol or formaldehyde on a short or long term basis. Maintenance ...

CERN Multimedia

  Le Club d’Orientation du CERN vous propose de venir participer à la cinquième étape de la coupe d’automne Genevoise. Celle-ci sera organisée samedi 16 octobre par le club de Lausanne-Jorat (Canton de Vaud). Un fléchage depuis le Mont-sur-Lausanne en direction de Cugy vous conduira au Chalet à Gobet. 5 circuits seront proposés sur la carte Le Flon. Les inscriptions et les départs se feront sur place de 13h à 15h. Il est prévu une initiation à 13h30 pour les débutants. Les deux dernières étapes de la coupe d’automne sont prévues pour vendredi 22 octobre au soir et samedi 23 octobre après-midi. Le Club d’Orientation du CERN Informations sur le site http://cern.ch/club-orientation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The work opened by the A.C.R.O. is in line with in an initiative of evaluation of the radiological quality of marine and continental waters of the Normandy coast. In this perspective, measures of radioactivity were made, not near an emissary (already very watched environment) but in more large scale because in marine environment, more than 640 km of coast are concerned. It was a question of supplying a representative assessment of the radioecological situation, for one year,of the marine environment (along the Normandy coast) and main streams which supplies it. (N.C.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Preliminary results of studies into penetrant testing at high surface temperature (up to 200 deg.C), are presented. Tests were performed to assess the effectiveness of red dye penetrants using Al and NiCr samples containing artificial as well as natural discontinuities. The test results will be used in due course to formulate a specification for non-destructive testing procedure qualification at non-standard (i.e. outside 16-52 deg.C) temperatures.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This study shows that the physical conditions necessary for thermal waves to materialize in Dual-Phase-Lagging porous media conduction are not attainable in a porous slab subject to a combination of constant heat flux and temperature (Neumann and Dirichlet) boundary conditions. It is demonstrated that the approximate equivalence between Dual-Phase-Lagging (DuPhlag) heat conduction model and the Fourier heat conduction in porous media subject to Lack of Local Thermal Equilibrium (La Lotheq) that suggested the possibility of thermal oscillations and resonance reveals a condition that cannot be fulfilled because of physical constraints. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

CYRANO3 is the new EDF thermomechanical code developed to evaluate the overall fuel rod behavior under irradiation. In that context, this paper presents the phenomena to be simulated and the correlations adopted for modelling purposes. The empirical models presented are taken from the CYRANO2 code and a compilation of the relevant literature. The present revision corrects and supplements version B on the basis of its use during the software coding phase from January 1991 to May 1993. (authors). figs., tabs., 120 refs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Background: Measurements from pressure biofeedback units (PBUs) can be used to evaluate the activity of the transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle indirectly. These measurements can classify patients or monitor the progress of treatment programmes for people with low back pain. Objective: To systematically review studies on the measurement properties of PBUs for the assessment of TrA activity. Data sources: Eligible studies were identified through searches of PUBMED, CINAHL and BIREME (1990 to 2009). In addition, hand searches of journals and citation tracking were performed. Study selection: Full-text studies involving any type of clinimetric tests of PBU measurement for the assessment of TrA activity were selected. Data extraction: Two independent reviewers selected the studies, extracted th...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study examined whether elevated intravascular pressure stimulates asynchronous Ca2+ waves in cerebral arterial smooth muscle cells and if their generation contributes to myogenic tone development. The endothelium was removed from rat cerebral arteries, which were then mounted in an arteriograph, pressurized (20 100 mmHg) and examined under a variety of experimental conditions. Diameter and membrane potential (VM) were monitored using conventional techniques; Ca2+ wave generation and myosin light chain (MLC20)/MYPT1 (myosin phosphatase targeting subunit) phosphorylation were assessed by confocal microscopy and Western blot analysis, respectively. Elevating intravascular pressure increased the proportion of smooth muscle cells firing asynchronous Ca2+ waves as well as event frequency. C...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Glucose homeostasis requires the tight regulation of glucose utilization by liver, muscle and white or brown fat, and glucose production and release in the blood by liver. The major goal of maintaining glycemia at -5 mM is to ensure a sufficient flux of glucose to the brain, which depends mostly on this nutrient as a source of metabolic energy. This homeostatic process is controlled by hormones, mainly glucagon and insulin, and by autonomic nervous activities that control the metabolic state of liver, muscle and fat tissue but also the secretory activity of the endocrine pancreas. Activation or inhibition of the sympathetic or parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous systems are controlled by glucose-excited or glucose-inhibited neurons located at different anatomical sites, mainl...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Objective: Sarcopenia of legs is an important cause of physical dysfunctions, frailty and dependence. Many predisposing and underlying mechanisms of sarcopenia, including age, sedentary life style, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and low testosterone levels, are also known to be related to atherosclerosis, which is another leading cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly subjects. In this study, we investigated our hypothesis that sarcopenia and atherosclerosis are associated with each other to facilitate mutual abnormalities. Methods: Study was performed in apparently healthy 496 middle-aged to elderly persons recruited consecutively among the visitors to the medical check-up program, Anti-Aging Doc, in a University hospital, from March 2006 to December 2007. Mid-thigh muscle cro...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The response of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough (DvH),a sulphate-reducing bacterium, to nitrate stress was examined usingquantitative proteomic analysis. DvH was stressed with 105 m M sodiumnitrate(NaNO3), a level that caused a 50 percent inhibition in growth.The protein profile of stressed cells was compared with that of cellsgrown in the absence of nitrate using the iTRAQ peptide labellingstrategy and tandem liquid chromatography separation coupled with massspectrometry (quadrupoletime-of-flight) detection. A total of 737 uniqueproteins were identified by two or more peptides, representing 22 percentof the total DvH proteome and spanning every functional category. Theresults indicate that this was a mild stress, as proteins involved incentral metabolism and the sulphate reduction pathway were unperturbed.Proteins involved in the nitrate reduction pathway increased. Increasesseen in transport systems for proline, glycine^ betaineandglutamateindicate that the NaNO3 exposure led to ...

Science.gov (United States)

We present the draft genome sequence and its analysis for Fusobacterium nucleatum sub spp. vincentii (FNV), and compare that genome with F. nucleatum ATCC 25586 (FN). A total of 441 FNV open reading frames (ORFs) with no orthologs in FN have been identified. Of these, 118 ORFs have no known function and are unique to FNV, whereas 323 ORFs have functional orthologs in other organisms. In addition to the excretion of butyrate, H2S and ammonia-like FN, FNV has the additional capability to excrete lactate and aminobutyrate. Unlike FN, FNV is likely to incorporate galactopyranose, galacturonate, and sialic acid into its O-antigen. It appears to transport ferrous iron by an anaerobic ferrous transporter. Genes for eukaryotic type serine/threonine kinase and phosphatase, transpeptidase E-transglycosylase Pbp1A are found in FNV but not in FN. Unique ABC transporters, cryptic phages, and three types of restriction-modification systems have been identified in FNV. ORFs for ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endurance-trained older men have a higher proportion of lean tissue and greater muscle cell oxidative capacity, reversing age-related trends and suggesting major changes in protein metabolism. In this study, protein turnover was determined in 6 middle-aged (52+/-1 yr) men who were well trained (VO_2 max 55.2+/-5.0 ml O_2/kg.min) and lean (body fat 18.9+/-2.8%, muscle mass 36.6+/-0.6%). The maintained habitual exercise while consuming 0.6, 0.9 or 1.2 g protein/kg.day for 10-day periods. N flux was measured from "1"5N in urea after oral "1"5N-glycine administration. Myofibrillar protein breakdown was estimated from urinary 3-methyl-histidine. Dietary protein had no effect on turnover rates, even when N balance was negative. Whole body protein synthesis was 3.60+/-0.12 g/kg.day and breakdown was 3.40+/-0.14 g/kg.day for all N intakes. Whole body protein flux, synthesis and breakdown were similar to values reported for sedentary young (SY) or ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AimsRosiglitazone and fenofibrate, specific agonists of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptors-γ (PPARγ) and -α (PPARα),...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2C (CMT2C) is an autosomal dominant neuropathy characterized by limb, diaphragm, and laryngeal muscle weakness. Two unrelated families with CMT2C showed significant...Full Text Available

Wastenet

... Jared Deacon, former Olympian and Commonwealth Gold Medallist, who coaches out of PowerBase and Loughborough's High Performance Athletics Centre, and Pete McKnight of Leicestershire County Cricket Club who formerly worked out of PowerBase with EIS and continues to work for UKA at the University, will also take ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Little is known about how diet and energy metabolism interact in determination of lifespan under ad libitum feeding. From 12 weeks of age until death, male and female wild-type (WT) and transgenic (TG)...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Monte Carlo transport codes LAHET and MCNP were used to calculate energy fluence spectra at three neutron therapy facilities. The results compare very favourably with measured data. Kerma spectra and the ratio of ICRU muscle tissue kerma to A-150 kerma, along the carbon to oxygen kerma ratio, were determined. Absorbed dose rate calculations are in reasonable agreement with measured values. Use of these codes to study modifications to existing therapy beams is briefly discussed. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The aim of the present study was to describe the distribution and remobilization of plutonium (Pu) in the sediments off the Rhone river mouth. Most of the {sup 238}Pu and {sup 239,240}Pu isotopes introduced into the Rhone River were discharged by the liquid effluents released from the Marcoule reprocessing plant, located 120 km upstream the river mouth. Due to its high affinity for particles and its long half life, {sup 238}Pu is a promising tracer to follow the dispersion of particulate matter from the Rhone River to the Mediterranean Sea. During the 3 REMORA cruises, sediment samples were specifically collected in the Rhone pro-delta area and more offshore on the whole continental shelf of the Gulf of Lions. The measurements of alpha emitters gave a first detailed spatial distribution of Pu isotope concentrations in surface sediments off the Rhone mouth. Using {sup 137}Cs concentrations and their correlations with Pu isotopes, we were able to give a first estimate of Pu inventories ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Energy projects are extremely capitalistic and the costs involved have a significant weight on the balance sheets of companies. This paper describes the general rules of financing policies used by companies from the natural gas and petroleum industries: constraints (external and financial markets, partnership, warranties..); implication of financiers; risk analysis (political (nationalization, civil or military troubles, difficult transfer of profits outside the project..), financial (property developer, nature of the project, delay, cost overruns, performance, market..)); financial instruments (proper funds and debt, bankers and insurers, loans etc..). These rules are illustrated with several examples of recent projects of gas pipelines and exploitation of oil fields abroad. (J.S.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This article reviews the little examined early work of the Greek Marxist and state theorist, Nicos Poulantzas (1936-1979). In his first book, Nature du choses et droit of 1965, the young scholar developed a sociology of law culled from the insights of philosophical ontology. The article sets out the central claims of that book and reflects on its place in Poulantzass intellectual development. Drawing on Heidegger, Sartre and Marx, Poulantzas proposed a species of Natural Law theory that unified `facts' and `values' by grounding legal concepts in a theory of social praxis centred on material labour. Legal categories were thus irreducible to ahistorical essences but were, rather, expressions of mankinds struggle to realize its intrinsic freedom. As we shall see, although flawed and in key re...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The thesis deals with measurement of the mass of the W boson at LEP2, based on the direct reconstruction of its decay products in the hadronic channel. A set of procedures necessary for the extraction of the W mass from the experimental data collected with the DELPHI detector in 1997 was developed (search of optimal variables for the event selection, development of a special method of kinematical reconstruction). The measured value of the mass was interpreted in the framework of the Standard Model, allowing to constrain the mass of the Higgs boson. A substantial part of the work is devoted to systematic effects due to the interactions between the hadronic decay products of the W bosons (colour reconnection and Bose-Einstein correlations), which may significantly influence the measurement of their mass. (author) 53 refs., 104 figs., 33 tabs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The BT-EdF-CEA consortium for the development and the performance improvement of lithium/polymer batteries has carried out a safety analysis of the industrial risk and the risk for users linked with this new technology. The process chosen for the manufacturing of lithium/polymer batteries does not generate any particular risk of personnel or environmental contamination. Security tests have permitted to observe and analyze the behaviour of 4 Ah elements during thermal shocks, perforation and crushing, and during external short-circuit on 20 Ah elements. These tests demonstrate the great thermal stability and the excellent behaviour of batteries in the case of partial destruction. (J.S.) 2 refs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

ObjectivesTo assess the influence of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on the efficacy of ionizing radiation on prostate cancer cells because of the increased use of dietary interventions, especially by patients with prostate cancer. Radiotherapy is used to treat localized prostate cancer. Some people consume green tea (EGCG) as a chemopreventive agent against prostate cancer. Green tea can act as an antioxidant and induce superoxide dismutase enzymes, which could scavenge the free oxygen radicals generated by radiotherapy. MethodsProstate cancer cell line DU145 cells were treated with EGCG or radiotherapy, or both. Cell death was assessed using trypan blue cell counting, and apoptosis was confirmed by assessing poly (adenosine phosphate ribose) polymerase cleavage. The antioxidant potenti...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This poster presentation discussed the management of environmental risks. It began with the methodology for the proper risk analysis, and its application to a liquefied sulphur dioxide reservoir. The authors described the risks presented by sulphur dioxide on human health and followed with the risk assessment method. The authors then discussed environmental risk management as it relates to the mining industry, with a special emphasis on tailings. Some examples of remedial action implemented on various waste rock piles were also presented. The conclusions emphasized the possible consequences of a major liquefied sulphur dioxide accident and the need to prepare for them by developing emergency plans, identifying remedial actions, and ensuring the proper training of all employees. 81 figs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The aim of this work is the study of the heat transfer and of thermal behaviour of the HF (high frequency) components (in fact capacitors) of the ITER-proto-2005-FCI antenna. Preliminary results carried out with the Castem software show that it is possible to cool the hottest part of the antenna efficiently. A water flow (1 bar, 25 Celsius degrees) or an helium flow (10 bars, 50 Celsius degrees) permit to limit the maximal value of the temperature to 270 Celsius degrees. A second software Ansys has allowed the author to simulate capacitors with more complicated shapes. (A.C.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Acid mine drainage is probably the most important problem facing the mining industry. In this study, the authors evaluated different techniques for the remediation of mine tailings. An in situ characterization of the Aldermac mine tailings was conducted and the results were presented in this poster presentation. The site characterization was performed to determine the extent of the contamination, and sampling of soils was also performed for laboratory experiments in soil covers. The authors described the methodology followed in the laboratory experiments. Chemical analysis of the leaching water was performed to determine its composition in metals. Microbiological analysis was also conducted, as well as the determination of the water saturation index. The authors indicated that they will analyze the results further. tabs., 12 figs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this paper, the unsteady MHD free convection heat and mass transfer of viscous fluid flowing through a Darcian porous regime adjacent to a moving vertical semi-infinite plate under Soret and Dufour effect have been examined. Viscous dissipation effects are included in the energy equation. A uniform magnetic field is applied transversely to the direction of the flow. The differential equations governing the problem have been transformed by a similarity transformation into a system of non-dimensional differential equations which are solved numerically by element free Galerkin method. The influence of Grashof number (Gr), magnetic parameter (M), heat absorption parameter (Q), permeability parameter (K), Schmidt number (Sc), Soret number (Sr), and Dufour number (Du) on the velocity, tempera...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effect of ionizing radiation (2, 5, and 10 KGy of gamma rays) on muscle ultrastructure of grass shrimps (Penaeus monodon Fabricius) tails at ambient or frozen (-18{sup 0}C) temperature was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). No significant change was found in muscle ultrastructure of shrimp meat irradiated at doses of 2 or 5 KGy and then stored at 4{sup 0}C for 0 and 8 days. However, in shrimps which were irradiated at ambient temperature at a dose of 10 KGy, the margin of A-band of the myofibrils in longitudinal sections exhibited an irregular zig-zag pattern. In cross section some myosin filaments in the A-band regions were missing. A possible interpretation of these results would be that 10 KGy gamma irradiation dose at ambient temperature depolymerized myosin in the A-band from the tail of thick filament. Actin damage was also observed in some cross sections. Irradiation damage of sarcoplasmic membranes appeared in ...

Science.gov (United States)

Myostatin is a member of the transforming growth factor-{beta} (TGF-{beta}) family and a strong negative regulator of muscle growth. Here, we present the crystal structure of myostatin in complex with the antagonist follistatin 288 (Fst288). We find that the prehelix region of myostatin very closely resembles that of TGF-{beta} class members and that this region alone can be swapped into activin A to confer signalling through the non-canonical type I receptor Alk5. Furthermore, the N-terminal domain of Fst288 undergoes conformational rearrangements to bind myostatin and likely acts as a site of specificity for the antagonist. In addition, a unique continuous electropositive surface is created when myostatin binds Fst288, which significantly increases the affinity for heparin. This translates into stronger interactions with the cell surface and enhanced myostatin degradation in the presence of either Fst288 or Fst315. Overall, we have identified several ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The human smooth muscle myosin heavy chain locus (MYH11) was mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization to the middle of the p arm of chromosome 16 using a genomic cosmid clone containing coding sequences of the gene as probe. Probe from coding sequence, when applied to Southern blots of a panel of hybrids containing different portions of human chromosome 16, localized the gene to 16p13.13-13.12. Coding sequence PCR primers, when used on the DNA from a CHO-mouse hybrid clone mapping panel informative for mouse chromosomes, showed that the gene was located on mouse chromosome 16. These results correct a recent assignment of MYH11 from 16q12.2 to the region of the 16p-arm inversion breakpoint seen in acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AMML) M4Eo and demonstrate that the conflicting data do not result from the presence of additional MYH genes on the q arm of the chromosome. Also, a new region of conserved synteny between human 16p and mouse 16 is established. 10 refs., ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new hydroxyiminoamide ligand, 1-(2-nitroimidazole-1-yl)-propanhydroxyiminoamide (N2IPA) was synthesized. The biodistribution of {sup 99m}Tc-N2IPA in mice bearing S180 tumor demonstrated that the complex showed a selective accumulation in tumor and slow clearance from it. The tumor-to-tissue uptake ratios increased with time. At 4 hours after injection, the uptake ratios of tumor to muscle, blood, liver, heart, and lung reached 8.4, 1.5, 0.6, 2.9, and 2.3, respectively. Moreover, the tumor-to-liver uptake ratio steadily increased to 0.9 at 8 hours and 2.3 at 24 hours. The complex showed little uptake and quick clearance in blood, lung and other organs. Compared with other proposed hypoxia-imaging agents, this novel agent has advantages of higher tumor-to-muscle and tumor-to-blood uptake ratios and easier synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

The acute effects of injections of the human growth hormone-like factor purified from plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides on carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolisms were determined in intact rats. Male rats were injected ip with saline, insulin, or various doses of partially purified PGF. The rats injected with insulin had significantly reduced serum glucose concentrations but no dose of PGF caused a change in serum glucose levels. Insulin and PGF stimulated [14C]glucose and [14C]leucine oxidation to 14CO2 in adipose tissue and muscle and increased incorporation of both [14C]glucose carbons into lipids and [14C]leucine into protein in fat and muscle. The responses to PGF were dose-dependent and persisted after 3 hr of incubation in vitro. Injections of naloxone prior to injecting PGF to block the stress response did not prevent the stimulation of insulin-like responses by PGF. Therefore, PGF has intrinsic insulin-like ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To determine MTRs for normal structures and benign diseases in the breast two-dimensional magnetization transfer imaging was performed in 62 patients and in 3 young female volunteers. With regard to the MTRs of measurements in the normal breast tissues, fat tissues which is close to simple cysts in MTRs show little transfer of longitudinal magnetization. MTRs of the muscles was 15.15{+-}6.22%, which exceeded those of breast parenchyma. The breast parenchyma didn`t show the change of MTR value due to the difference of patient age and due to variable amount of fat and fibrous tissues. Breast parenchyma in the two young volunteers clearly showed biphasic change of MTR values in accordance with the menstrual cycle; little transfer value was due to hydration in the postovulatory period and high transfer value was due to dehydration in the preovulatory period. In the remaining one volunteer during lactation period, mammary parenchyma shows sever decrease in MTR, because ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The heavy chains of Acanthamoeba myosins, IA, IB and II, turkey gizzard myosin, and rabbit skeletal muscle myosin subfragment-1 were specifically labeled by radioactive ATP, ADP, and UTP, each of which is a substrate or product of myosin ATPase activity, when irradiated with uv light at 0"0C. With UTP, as much as 0.45 mol/mol of Acanthamoeba myosin IA heavy chain and 1 mol/mol of turkey gizzard myosin heavy chain was incorporated. Evidence that the ligands were associated with the catalytic site included the observations that reaction occurred only with nucleotides that are substrates or products of the ATPase activity; that the reaction was blocked by pyrophosphate which is an inhibitor of the ATPase activity; that ATP was bound as ADP; and that label was probably restricted to a single peptide following limited subtilisin proteolysis of labeled Acanthamoeba myosin IA heavy chain and extensive cleavage with CNBr and trypsin of labeled turkey gizzard myosin heavy ...

Science.gov (United States)

1. The benzyl carbamyl analogue of lignocaine [2-(diethylaminoacetamido)-3-carbamyl-4-methyl-5-benzylpyrrole] at an intravenous dose of 4 mg/kg caused a blood pressure decrease of 54 mmHg. 2. A greater hypotensive effect was observed in hypertensive compared to normotensive animals. Anaesthesia magnified the vasodepressor effect in both groups. 3. The analogue did not possess centrally-mediated effects on blood pressure but exerted its hypotensive effect via a peripheral mechanism. 4. The analogue produced a relaxant effect on intestinal and vascular smooth muscle while exerting minimal effects on muscarinic, sympathetic, or ganglionic nicotinic receptors. 5. The analogue exhibited less cardiac depressant action on left ventricular rate (dp/dt) and force of contraction than lignocaine. 6. Lethal effects for the analogue were first observed at 16 mg/kg following intravenous administration and at 500 mg/kg following intraperitoneal administration. 7. In conclusion, ...

Science.gov (United States)

A mathematical model of 137Cs migration in forest ecosystem is presented, which describes the behaviour of this radionuclide in the forest litter-soil system, trees, understory and forest animals. The model's parameters for different types of forest ecosystems are estimated and model's adequacy is tested through the use of independent experimental data. The sensitivity of the model's output variables is analyzed to variations in the most significant parameters. The differences in the seasonal and mean annual dynamics of 137Cs concentration in muscles of roe deers and mooses are shown to be defined by specific features of the diets of these animals and variations in 137Cs content in the main diet components. PMID:11402557

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Dyspnea is the most distressing symptom experienced by those suffering from advanced stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Activity-related dyspnea in COPD is multifactorial but is associated with increased central neural drive, impaired dynamic respiratory mechanics and abnormal respiratory muscle function. Each of these components can potentially be targeted for pharmacotherapy. Recent advances in the pharmacotherapy of COPD include the development of new long-acting bronchodilators which, when combined, provide sustained improvements in dyspnea. Additionally, novel applications of older therapies such as opiates, furosemide, helium-oxygen, and statins show early promise as dyspnea-relieving interventions in COPD. Effective pharmacological manipulation of the affective ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radioimmunoassay of serum myoglobin was done in 53 patients with polymyositis syndromes and other conditions. Serum myoglobin values in 33 healthy subjects ranged from 4 to 77 [mean 33.3 +/- 19.8 (SD)] ng/ml. Fifty percent of polymyositis patients had elevated serum myoglobin levels (greater than 80 ng/ml). Serum myoglobin values in polymyositis patients fluctuated more sensitively than CPK and GOT. Combined estimation of myoglobin and CPK offers advantages for the detection of muscle injury and the prediction of disease exacerbation.

Science.gov (United States)

The present paper further characterizes the cholinergic properties of acetylselenonium choline (ASeCh, (CH3)2Se+CH2CH2OCOCH3). The data demonstrate that ASeCh possesses muscarinic receptor agonist properties as evidenced by vasodepressor and smooth muscle contractile activities which are enhanced by physostigmine and antagonized by atropine. ASeCh also possessed nicotinic agonist activity on frog rectus abdominis tissue which was potentiated by physostigmine, and blocked by d-tubocurarine. The relative potencies of ASeCh ranged from approximately 1% to approximately 6% of the potency of acetylcholine in the three types of preparations examined. PMID:1435078

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Back pain from osteoporosis is commonly related to compression fractures. The patient with vertebral compression fractures additionally suffers from an ongoing risk of recurrent fractures and postural abnormalities that can result in impaired respiratory function, leading to increased risk of morbidity. Weakened back muscles, especially the back extensor group, are felt to contribute significantly to this risk. The combination of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions, through physical activity, exercise, and modalities, are potential interventions that could be used to help reduce the pain of osteoporotic compression fractures as well as potentially reducing recurrent fracture rates.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The distribution of carrier-free "2"0"3Pb-acetate, "2"0"3HgCl_2, "5"7Cocl_2, "1"3"7CsCl and "2"0"1TlCl was investigated in rats bearing thigh-implanted Morris 7777 hepatomas. Viable and nonviable tumor tissue was collected in order to determine the relative affinities of the radiopharmaceutical for these tissues. The animals were sacrificed at 4, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hrs following intravenous injection. Washout of the radioisotope from the viable tumor tissue was rapid, the maximum concentration being reached on or before 4 hrs following injection. In contrast, residual activity within the nonviable tumor tissue decreased much more slowly and in some cases even increased with time. Viable tumor-to-muscle and nonvialbe tumor-to-muscle ratios for "2"0"3Pb, "2"0"3Hg and "5"7Co were comparable to the analogous ratios reported for "6"7Ga. However, none of these isotopes approached "6"7Ga as a potential tumor imaging agent because the large ratios were ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies are caused by defects of dystrophin, which forms a part of the membrane cytoskeleton of specialized cells such as muscle. It has been previously shown that the dystrophin-associated protein A1 (59-kDa DAP) is actually a heterogeneous group of phosphorylated proteins consisting of an acidic ({alpha}-A1) and a distinct basic ({beta}-A1) component. Partial peptide sequence of the A1 complex purified from rabbit muscle permitted the design of oligonucleotide probes that were used to isolate a cDNA for one human isoform of A1. This cDNA encodes a basic A1 isoform that is distinct from the recently described syntrophins in Torpedo and mouse and is expressed in many tissues with at least five distinct mRNA species of 5.9, 4.8, 4.3, 3.1, and 1.5 kb. A comparison of the human cDNA sequence with the GenBank expressed sequence tag (EST) data base has identified a relative from human skeletal ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Except nuclear industry, diverse structures (hospitals, of research or manufacturers) can have appeal to the use of radioisotopes conditioned under unsealed shape. Such practices lead to tolerate releases in environment in the respect of a statutory device. So the collective network can contain radioisotopes the future of which is going to depend partially on the cleaning applied to waste water. This study through the analysis of a concrete case, has for objective to inform about the future of gamma radioelements present in waste water treated by a wastewater treatment plant. The contamination of the network is essentially due to Tc{sup 99} and I{sup 131}, radioelements present whatever the working day and the hour considered. The total estimated in-load for a day is important, of the order of 4000 MBq for Tc{sup 99} and 15 to 300 MBq for I{sup 131}. The assessment of cleaning of the station shows that this one plays a role towards this pollution through these stages of treatment. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Full text: Many factors including drug efficacy, compliance and antibiotic resistance may influence HP eradication rates. The "1"4C urea breath test is a sensitive method of confirming HP colonisation and eradication. The aim was to study the relationships between the peak "1"4CO_2 counts on the breath test prior to treatment, smoking and HP eradication, and to assess if persistent or recurrent symptoms implied failure of eradication. 117 patients with DU and HP colonisation proved on biopsy or rapid urease test who underwent "1"4C urea breath tests at least one month after eradication treatment was ceased were studied (69 male, 48 female, mean age 41, range 26-87 y). Questionnaire assessment of treatment regimen, smoking history and dyspeptic symptoms was made at the time of the breath test. A sub-group of 43 patients who had pre- and post-treatment breath tests was studied to assess if high peak "1"4CO_2 counts on the pre-treatment breath test related to ...

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The sedimentary geometry is determined by several types of stratigraphic surfaces: transgressive surfaces (TS), maximum flooding surfaces (MFS) and downward shift surfaces (DS). They are organized hierarchically into major and minor surfaces from the facies stacking-pattern. These surfaces which are observable on well logs and cores structure the sedimentary architecture and are, therefore, the best candidates to form major seismic reflectors. The well (logs and cores) to seismic (surface seismic) passage involves inherently a change of observation scale. That is from a high resolution sequence stratigraphy (metric to pluri-metric) to a sequence stratigraphy s.l. (decametric to pluri-decametric). This passage is composed of two phases. The first phase consists of the validation of density and sonic logs whose product corresponds to the acoustic impedance. The second phase allows for the modelling of the geological cross section of a field in a synthetic seismic section which is ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This report primarily deals with three issues: the health consequences of the use of ammunition with depleted uranium cores; the health damage that radar staff may have suffered through stray X-radiation; and the way hazardous materials such as asbestos are handled in the German army. As regards uranium ammunition, the present findings suggest that there is neither reason for concern nor blame on anyone. The 31,000 American DU rounds that were fired over Kosovo in 1999 neither pose a health hazard to soldiers nor to the civil population. All that remains is a minimal risk of future groundwater contamination. The radar equipment currently in use in the German army poses no danger to operators, inspectors, service personnel or instructors provided that the relevant safety rules are observed. However, this cannot be said with the same degree of certainty with regard to the equipment used in the 1960s and 1970s. It is quite possible that X-radiation was emitted and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The LiMnO{sub 2} lamellar oxide, obtained by exchange reaction from its sodium homologue {alpha}-NaMnO{sub 2}, has been used as a positive electrode for lithium batteries. After the first electrochemical cycle, the shape of the potential-composition curve changes and indicates a change in the structure. This modification changes imperceptibly at each cycle and after about 40 cycles, a stationary state is reached. Powder spectra refinement using the Rietvelt method shows a migration of manganese ions from the thin sheets towards the inter-sheet space. After a single cycle, 8% of the manganese ions are already present in the lithium site and this rate reaches 13% after 3 cycles. During long cycling, a redistribution of ions and vacancies inside the cfc oxygenated pile leads to a structure very similar to the LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} spinel. This structure evolution is to be compared with the one obtained from the orthorhombic variety of LiMnO{sub 2} but the modification is more progressive ...

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This issue of Barrages newsletter comprises three articles. The first article treats of the quality approach relative to the organization of the inspections of big and medium size dams. It summarizes the improvements of this approach added in 2003 after analysis of the experience feedback. The second article presents the conclusions of the decennial and annual inspections of dams in exploitation. Only the observations requiring a special follow-up are reported. The last article summarizes the activities of the control services for the third quarter of 2003: decennial and annual visits, important facts, administrative instructions, studies, projects and works, organization of services, technical studies etc.. (J.S.)

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The present study answers at the request of the Inspection of the classified installations to see the operator of the G.I.P. Cyceron setting up a plan of environmental radiological surveillance around its installations and including, at a minimal level, the following data: Measures of radioactivity on representative biological indicators and measures of dose rate in the environment close to installations in functioning. Further to the radiological assessment of the terrestrial environment of the G.I.P. Cyceron installations realized at the end of 2003, within the framework of a project of the installations extension, the A.C.R.O. was again required for the implementation of this radiological surveillance for year 2005. The first purpose is to supply elements of appreciation about the impact of these installations on environment and persons. This evaluation participates in radiation protection and allows to make sure that the G.I.P. operator respects the required regulatory thresholds. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of verifying depleted uranium (DU), natural uranium (NU), low enriched uranium (LEU) and high enriched uranium (HEU) by a developed digital gamma-gamma coincidence spectroscopy. The spectroscopy consists of two NaI(Tl) scintillators and XIA LLC Digital Gamma Finder (DGF)/Pixie-4 software and card package. The results demonstrate that the spectroscopy provides an effective method of "2"3"5U and "2"3"8U quantification based on the count rate of their gamma-gamma coincidence counting signatures. The main advantages of this approach over the conventional gamma spectrometry include the facts of low background continuum near coincident signatures of "2"3"5U and "2"3"8U, less interference from other radionuclides by the gamma-gamma coincidence counting, and region-of-interest (ROI) imagine analysis for uranium enrichment determination. Compared to conventional gamma spectrometry, the method offers additional ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The European demonstration project Hip Hip (house integrated photovoltaic high-tech in public) led the French photovoltaic market to reach a level comparable to those of the other European countries in terms of relevance of implemented solutions and costs. This document presents the best realizations and the experience gained through the Hip Hip project. Its aim is to convince the designers and managers of building projects of the advantages of photovoltaic installations integrated to the structure and connected to the power distribution grid: 1 - presentation of the technology; 2 - status of the Hip Hip demonstration project (goals, results: main innovations and impact on the French market); 3 - different possibilities of integration to the building structure; 4 - examples of projects realized in France in the framework of the Hip Hip project: integration in glass roof, frontage, added elements, fitting on roofs. (J.S.)

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The Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES) is taken as an example of the diagnostic and therapeutic strategy in gastro-entero-pancreatic endocrine tumours, given the standard characteristics of this procedure, whatever the nature of the primitive tumour. Management of ZES includes: anatomical localization of gastrinoma and of possible metastases, in 60 % of cases this step conditioning therapeutic indications and chances of cure; search of a type 1-multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN A), in 25 % of cases; therapeutic indications: ablative surgery with curative intent in case of gastrinoma and of resectable liver metastases, palliative treatment otherwise: anti-secretory drugs, somatostatin analogues, chemotherapy and interferon {alpha}; long-term follow-up of patients with resected tumour. At each step, somatostatin receptor scintigraphy with indium 111-pentetreotide does play a pivotal role. (author). 110 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

With its 527 217 m{sup 3} of low and medium activity wastes put in storage between 1969 and 1994, the C.S.M.( center of storage of Manche) is and remains to this day a necessary element to understand the problems posed by the eternal storage of nuclear materials and the limits of the notion of reversibility. There are therefore teachings to be drawn. We cannot repeat past mistakes in particular with high activity wastes which we wish to bury deep underground. This report is based on the analysis of the existing bibliography, of the internal A.N.D.R.A. documents which we released to the public, of the lessons drawn from our participation in the official concerting and work groups, and finally of the data obtained after inquiries were done in the region in the framework of R.I.V.I.E;R.E. (citizens network of radioecological surveillance, information and evaluation). In spite of all efforts produced, many questions remain unanswered regarding this site so it is sometimes difficult to be ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report prepared for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) describes the practical realisation and testing of a heat recovery system based on a one-stage organic Rankine cycle with R134a as the working fluid. The waste heat has a temperature of 95 {sup o}C and originates from a gas engine that powers a small co-generation plant fuelled with biogas produced on-site. Two similar cycles have been built, ORC1 with one and ORC2 with two turbines. Only ORC1 has been tested so far. The maximum efficiency measured in these tests was 6.64% (theoretical Carnot-efficiency: 17 %) and the electric power output was 5.0 kW. The problems encountered during commissioning are described and recommendations for further improvements are given.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This project of law concerns an additional protocol to the agreement of warranties signed on September 22, 1998 between France, the European atomic energy community and the IAEA. This agreement concerns the declaration of all information relative to the R and D activities linked with the fuel cycle and involving the cooperation with a foreign country non endowed with nuclear weapons. These information include the trade and processing of nuclear and non-nuclear materials and equipments devoted to nuclear reactors (pressure vessels, fuel loading/unloading systems, control rods, force and zirconium tubes, primary coolant pumps, deuterium and heavy water, nuclear-grade graphite), to fuel reprocessing plants, to isotope separation plants (gaseous diffusion, laser enrichment, plasma separation, electromagnetic enrichment), to heavy water and deuterium production plants, and to uranium conversion plants. (J.S.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vanadium doped manganese bi-oxide has been obtained from a solution containing both cations. The X-ray diffraction of this material indicates a rutile-type phase but the enlargement of some lines supports the existence of several lattice defects. Also the particle size of the doped material is significantly smaller than the one of the non-doped material obtained in the same conditions. The presence of pentavalent vanadium inside the lattice leads to a small amount of trivalent manganese. Electron microscopy shows the existence of defects which have a tendency of becoming well-ordered and to stabilize a sur-structure. At ambient temperature, the electrochemical behaviour of doped manganese bi-oxide is greatly improved when compared to the non-doped phase. This behaviour is due to the presence of numerous lattice defects and to the smaller size of crystallites. In polymer batteries, the behaviour is similar the one of the non-doped material for which the kinetics performances are ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A 25m wind turbine blade was tested to failure when subjected to a flapwise load. With the test setup, it was possible to test the blade to failure at three diffe-rent locations. The objective of these tests is to learn about how a wind turbine blade fails when exposed to a large flapwise load and how failures propagate. The report shows also results from ultra sonic scan of the surface of the blade and it is seen to be very useful for the detection of defects, especially in the layer between the skin laminate and the load carrying main spar. Acoustic emission was successfully used as sensor for the detection of damages in the blade during the test. The report contains measurements of the total deflection of the blade, the local deflection of the skin and the load carrying main spar and also measurement of strain all as a function of the applied load and up to failure of the blade. The 'post mortem' analysis and description of how the damages propagate ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The confocal Raman micro-spectroscopy has been used for the study of a Lithium/polymer electrolyte-LiTFSI/V{sub 2}O{sub 5} type battery in which the polymer electrolyte thickness is of about 80 {mu}m. The analysis is performed on the side of the battery thanks to a specially designed cell which preserves all the characteristics of the real system. The analysis is performed on 20 points aligned between the anode and the cathode and with a depth of several tenth of {mu}m. The analysis of data obtained during charging/output cycles allows to evaluate the gradients of salt concentration inside the electrolyte, the pollutions of LiOH, Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3}, Li{sub 2}O and Li{sub 3}N -type at the lithium interface, but also the structural modifications of the cathode material. The in-situ study of concentration gradients inside the electrolyte is of prime importance for the understanding of dendrites growth. (J.S.) 11 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swift heavy ion-solid interaction leads in volume to track creation and on the surface to the ejection of particles into the vacuum. To learn more about initial mechanisms of track formation, we are focused on the sputtering of uranium dioxide by fast heavy ions. This present study is exclusively devoted to the influence of the electronic stopping power on the emission of neutral particles and especially on their angular distribution. These measurements are completed by those of the ions emitted from UO{sub 2} targets bombarded with swift heavy ions. The whole experimental results give access to: i) the nature of the sputtered particles; ii) the charge state of the emitted particles; iii) the direction of ejection of the sputtered particles ; iv) the sputtering yields deduced from the angular distributions. These results are compared to the prediction of the sputtering models proposed in the literature and it seems that the supersonic gas flow model is well suited to describe our ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This article, published in issue 80 of 'l'ACROnique du nucleaire', aims to retrace the early steps in the consideration of the possibility of a nuclear accident in France, with the inclusion of 'non-institutional' participants and applying the lessons learned in Belarus in the contaminated territories around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. After a review of the origin of the involvement of the Association pour le Controle de la Radioactivite dans l'Ouest (ACRO) in addressing post-accident issues alongside the populations living in an environment polluted by radioactivity, it discusses, from the critical viewpoint of an NGO, the context and the working method adopted for this examination. This is followed by some key elements of the programme and unresolved questions about the available body of knowledge which motivates research and about the method adopted for the work. The conclusion, moderately optimistic, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The European gas market is continuing to expand due to increased industrial, domestic and power generation demand. As a result of this demand, and the trend toward liberalization of the market, the need for storage of gas is also increasing. One key segment of the large scale storage of gas is underground storage, either in partially depleted gas or oil fields, naturally occurring caverns, aquifers and salt cavities. In most cases the gas produced after storage requires conditioning to meet the water of hydrocarbon dew point specification of the gas transmission system. For that reason export gas from storage will require gas conditioning in order to meet pipeline specifications. Adsorption as a feasible and reliable process will be presented in detail and especially in regards to hydrocarbon dew-pointing compared with other process options. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Some crops of important nutritive requirements have been collected from farmlands located in Bitsichi an old tin mining town in north central region of Nigeria. The food crops were analyzed in order to determine trace element concentrations level using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). The activity concentrations due to natural radionuclides in the food samples and soil samples collected within the root zone of the crops were also determined using gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS). The NAA results obtained showed higher concentration of Potassium among the essential elements in all the crops. Calcium concentration in both maize and Guinea corn was below detection limit and also Zn in Green beans, sweet potato and cassava. The trace elements; Sc, Hf, Sm, and Th, were below detection limit in all the crops except in Green beans. Rubidium (Rb) and lanthanum (La) were below detection limits only in Cabbage. The activity concentrations of the natural radionuclides in the food samples were found ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The dimercaptosuccinic acid metronidazole ester (DMSAMe) was synthesized and radiolabeled with 99mTc to form the 99mTc-DMSAMe complex in high yield. The radiochemical purity of the 99mTc-DMSAMe complex was over 90%, as measured by TLC and by HPLC, without any notable decomposition at room temperature over a period of 6?h. Its partition coefficient indicated that it was a lipophilic complex. The tumor cell experiment and the biodistribution in mice bearing S 180 tumor showed that the 99mTc-DMSAMe complex had a certain hypoxic selectivity and accumulated in the tumor with high uptake and good retention. The tumor/blood and tumor/muscle ratios increased with time, suggesting it would be a possible tumor hypoxia imaging agent.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

PurposeTo conduct a retrospective analysis within a large university teaching hospital, comparing outcomes between patients receiving either radical surgery or radiotherapy as curative treatment for bladder cancer.Patients and MethodsBetween March 1996 and December 2000, 169 patients were treated radically for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Data were collected from patient notes. Statistical analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to compare radiotherapy and surgical outcome data.ResultsThere was no difference in overall, cause-specific, and distant recurrence-free survival at 5 years between the two groups, despite the radiotherapy group being older (median age, 75.3 years vs. 68.2 years). There were 31 local bladder recurrences...

Science.gov (United States)

Penile rehabilitation therapy following radical prostatectomy is a much debated topic. Erectile dysfunction is still a significant contributor to postoperative morbidity following radical prostatectomy, despite meticulous nerve-sparing technique. Secondary smooth muscle changes in the penis have been identified as the underlying causes of penile atrophy, veno-occlusive dysfunction, and fibrosis. Initial observations that intracavernous injection therapies used on a regular basis postoperatively resulted in improvements in the return of spontaneous erectile function led to the development of penile rehabilitation protocols. Chronic dosing of PDE-V inhibitors is now commonly used by urologists after radical prostatectomy. Despite the current enthusiasm of penile rehabilitation therapy, current scientific evidence with clinical trials is still limited. PMID:19255627

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The winter syndrome in the gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata indicates that the species is exposed to critically low temperatures in Mediterranean aquaculture in winter. The present study of metabolic patterns and molecular stress responses during cold exposure was carried out to investigate this ?disease?, in light of the recent concept of oxygen and capacity limited thermal tolerance. The metabolic profile of fuel oxidation was examined by determining the activities of the enzymes hexokinase (HK), aldolase (Ald), pyruvate kinase (PK), l-lactate dehydrogenase (l-LDH), citrate synthase (CS), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (HOAD) in heart, red and white muscle after exposure to temperatures of 10, 14 and 18?C. Especially, the increase in LDH activity combined ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Isolation of functional and intact mitochondria from solid tissue is crucial for studies that focus on the elucidation of normal mitochondrial physiology and/or mitochondrial dysfunction in conditions such as aging, diabetes, and cancer. There is growing recognition of the importance of mitochondria both as targets for drug development and as off-target mediators of drug side effects. Unfortunately, mitochondrial isolation from tissue is generally carried out using homogenizer-based methods that require extensive operator experience to obtain reproducible high-quality preparations. These methods limit dissemination, impede scale-up, and contribute to difficulties in reproducing experimental results over time and across laboratories. Here we describe semiautomated methods to disrupt tissue ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract The heterotetrameric K++-channel KCNQ1/KCNE1 is expressed in heart, skeletal muscle, liver and several epithelia including the renal proximal tubule. In the heart, it contributes to the repolarization of cardiomyocytes. The repolarization is impaired in ischemia. Ischemia stimulates the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a serine/threonine kinase, sensing energy depletion and stimulating several cellular mechanisms to enhance energy production and to limit energy utilization. AMPK has previously been shown to downregulate the epithelial Na++ channel ENaC, an effect mediated by the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2. The present study explored whether AMPK regulates KCNQ1/KCNE1. To this end, cRNA encoding KCNQ1/KCNE1 was injected into Xenopus oocytes with and without additional injection o...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Objective: Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease, modulated by plaque stabilizing and de-stabilizing cell populations such as infiltrating monocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs). Transcription factors regulating proliferation and differentiation of atherosclerosis relevant cell types are of interest in this context. The forkhead box transcription factor FoxP1 modulates monocyte differentiation. We studied FoxP1 expression in atherosclerotic tissue, correlated FoxP1 expression with plaque characteristics and identified associations between FoxP1 and plaque proteins. Methods: 116 Atherosclerotic plaques from carotid endarterectomy samples were histologically classified (fibrous, fibroatheromatous, atheromatous) and subjected to semi-quantitative protein analysis. Macrophage,...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Aim:To examine the electrophysiological effects of sophocarpine on action potentials (AP) and ionic currents of cardiac myocytes and to compare some of these effects with those of amiodarone.Methods:Langendorff perfusion set-up was used in isolated guinea pig heart, and responses to sophocarpine were monitored using electrocardiograph. Conventional microelectrode, voltage clamp technique and perforated patch were employed to record fast response AP (fAP), slow response AP (sAP) and ionic currents in guinea pig papillary muscle or rabbit sinus node cells.Results:Tachyarrhythmia produced by isoprenaline (15 ?mol/L) could be reversed by sophocarpine (300 ?mol/L). Sophocarpine (10 ?mol/L) decreased the amplitude by 4.0%, maximal depolarization velocity (Vmax) of the fAP by 24.4%...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The objectives of this study were to develop an accurate and precise method for cholesterol quantification in meat samples based on modifications made to an existing procedure (AOAC Official Method 994.10), and to apply this modified method to evaluate cholesterol levels in longissimus muscles (LM) from Angus (AN, n=5), Brahman (BR, n=4), and Romosinuano (RM, n=9) breeds. Validation of this method was performed using a meat homogenate (Standard Reference Material 1546) from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and LM samples from the three breeds with fat contents ranging from 2.4% to 9.3%. The results indicated that the modified method was accurate with cholesterol recovery exceeding 95%. The method was also found to be precise with an average coefficient of variation of...

Science.gov (United States)

PCR detection of genetic material of the parasites present in faeces may be an alternative for microscopic and serological tests routinely used for diagnosing parasitic enteral infections. However, small amount of target DNA combined with low efficiency of total DNA extraction, and presence of PCR inhibitors in the samples to be amplified, may cause false negative detection results. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of DNA isolation procedure used on the amplification of DNA fragments from the genomes of protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum and the nematode Trichinella spiralis. Two methods based on different principles of biological material lysis were evaluated; NucliSENS miniMAG employing simultaneously applied chemical lysis and mechanical disruption or mechanical disruption followed by enzymatic lysis in case of QIAamp DNA Stool Mini Kit. Both of the analyzed systems for nucleic acids purification allowed isolation of DNA from purified Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A fast and accurate segmentation of organs at risk, such as the healthy colon, would be of benefit for planning of radiotherapy, in particular in an adaptive scenario. For the treatment of pelvic tumours, a great challenge is the segmentation of the most adjacent and sensitive parts of the gastrointestinal tract, the sigmoid and descending colon. We propose a semi-automated method to segment these bowel parts using the fast marching (FM) method. Standard 3D computed tomography (CT) image data obtained from routine radiotherapy planning were used. Our pre-processing steps distinguish the intestine, muscles and air from connective tissue. The core part of our method separates the sigmoid and descending colon from the muscles and other segments of the intestine. This is done by utilizing the ability of the FM method to compute a specified minimal energy functional integrated along a path, and thereby extracting the colon centre line between ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We labelled Lipiodol with yttrium-90 and analysed the biodistribution in rats after intrahepatic arterial injection. An RP-18 column was used to separate {sup 90}Y from strontium-90. {sup 90}Y was retained on the column, which had been pretreated with yttrium-selective extraction reagent, di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate, while {sup 90}Sr was washed out. A hexadentate nitrogen-donor chelating ligand N,N,N`,N`-tetrakis(2-benzymidazolylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (EDTB) was synthesized by condensation of 1,2-benzenediamine and ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA). Lipiodol was covalently conjugated with EDTB. The final product was obtained by eluting the retained {sup 90}Y from the RP-18 column with EDTB-Lipiodol. Sixteen male rats (Sprague-Dawley) were sacrificed at 1 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h (four rats at each time) after injection of approximately 0.1 mCi {sup 90}Y-Lipiodol via the hepatic artery. Samples of liver, spleen, muscle, lung, kidney, bone, whole blood and ...

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Purpose: To evaluate MR imaging of the hip in patients with a clinically suspected impacted fracture of the femoral neck in cases where conventional plain films show negative or equivocal findings. Material and Methods: Twenty-seven such patients were prospectively examined by MR imaging with a 1.0 T unit, within 24 hours of admittance to hospital. A coronal T1-weighted turbo spin-echo sequence (n=27), and a coronal STIR sequence (n=25) or a coronal T2-weighted turbo spin-echo fast saturation sequence (n=2) were used. The evaluations were made by 2 radiologists with experience in musculoskeletal radiology. Results: There were 6 patients with a petrochanteric fracture, 2 without and 4 with slight displacement. Five patients had an impacted fracture of the femoral neck, and 3 had a fracture of the superior pubic bone. Of 2 patients with advanced arthrosis, i had an impacted femoral neck fracture and the other a nondisplaced intertrochanteric fracture. There was 1 patient who had ...

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The receptor occupancy-biological effect relationship for muscarinic receptors in guinea pig ileal smooth muscle has been studied by comparison of radioligand binding and contractile response. Muscarinic receptors in homogenates of ileal smooth muscle were labeled with (/sub 3/H)-1-Quinuclidinyl benzilate. Treatment with propylbenzilylcholine mustard (PrBCM), to inactivate irreversibly muscarinic receptors, caused a large dose dependent rightward shift of the dose-response curve to three agonistic furtrethonium derivatives with a concomitant decrease in maximal response. Using those data, the fraction of receptors remaining unoccupied (q-values) and true affinity constants (-log K/sub A/-values) were calculated. Exposure to 20 or 60 nM PrBCM for 15 minutes resulted in a 39% and a 61% reduction in specific (/sup 3/H)-1-Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites respectively to be compared with a 62% and a 85% decrease expected from calculated ...

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The affinity label 8-((4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)thio)adenosine 5{prime}-triphosphate (8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP) reacts covalently with rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase, incorporating 2 mol of reagent/mol of enzyme subunit upon complete inactivation. Protection against inactivation is provided by phosphoenolpyruvate, K{sup +}, and Mn{sup 2+} and only 1 mol of reagent/mol of subunit is incorporated. The authors have now identified the resultant modified residues. After reaction with 8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP at pH 7.0, modified enzyme was incubated with ({sup 3}H)NaBH{sub 4} to reduce the carbonyl groups of enzyme-bound 8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP and to introduce a radioactive tracer into the modified residues. Following carboxymethylation and digestion with trypsin, the radioactive peptides were separated on a phenylboronate agarose column followed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid with an acetonitrile gradient. Gas-phase sequencing ...

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Ruthenium is one of the fission products in the reprocessing of irradiated fuels that requires a specific processing management. Its elimination, upstream by the PUREX process, has been considered. A process, called electro-volatilization, which take advantage of the RuO{sub 4} volatility, has been optimised in the present study. It consists in a continuous electrolysis of ruthenium solutions in order to generate RuO{sub 4} species that is volatilized and easily trapped. This process goes to satisfying ruthenium elimination yields with RuNO(NO{sub 3}){sub 3}(H{sub 2}O){sub 2} synthetic solutions but not with fuel dissolution solutions. Consequently, this work consisted in the speciation studies of dissolved ruthenium species were carried out by simulating fuel solutions produced by hot acid attack of several ruthenium compounds (Ru(0), RuO{sub 2},xH{sub 2}O, polymetallic alloy). In parallel with dissolution kinetic studies, the determination of dissolved species was performed using ...

Science.gov (United States)

Elevated fatty acid levels have been thought to contribute to insulin resistance. Repression of the glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) gene as well as impaired GLUT4 translocation may be a mediator for fatty acid-induced insulin resistance. This study was initiated to determine whether palmitate treatment repressed GLUT4 expression, whether glucose/fatty acid metabolism influenced palmitate-induced GLUT4 gene repression (PIGR), and whether attempts to prevent PIGR restored palmitate-induced impairment of glucose uptake (PIIGU) in C2 myotubes. Not only stimulators of fatty acid oxidation, such as bezafibrate, AICAR, and TOFA, but also TCA cycle substrates, such as pyruvate, leucine/glutamine, and ?-ketoisocaproate/monomethyl succinate, significantly prevented PIGR. In particular, supplementing with pyruvate through methyl pyruvate resulted in nearly complete prevention of PIIGU, whereas palmitate treatment reduced the intracellular pyruvate level. These results suggest that pyruvate ...

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Concentrations of total arsenic (As) and individual compounds were determined in green and hawksbill turtles from Ishigaki Island, Japan. In both species, total As concentrations were highest in muscle among the tissues. Arsenobetaine was a major compound in most tissues of both turtles. High concentrations of trimethylarsine oxide were detected in hawksbill turtles. A significant negative correlation between standard carapace length (SCL), an indicator of age, and total As levels in green turtles was found. In contrast, the levels increased with SCL of hawksbill turtles. Shifts in feeding habitats with growth may account for such a growth-dependent accumulation of As. Although concentrations of As in marine sponges, the major food of hawksbill turtles are not high compared to those in algae eaten by green turtles, As concentrations in hawksbill turtles were higher than those in green turtles, indicating that hawksbill turtles may have a specific accumulation ...

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A class-V myosin, myosin V, one of 18 known classes of actin-based motor proteins, plays a role in transporting organelles within a cell. Unlike myosin-II, which functions as an assembly in the thick filaments of muscle, myosin V is a two-headed processive motor protein, which functions as a single molecule: myosin V performs many consecutive steps before it detaches from an actin filament accompanied by catalytic cycles of ATP (adenosine 5'-triphosphate) ase. The mechanism of such chemomechanical steps is explained by a 'Hand-over-hand model' in which two heads of myosin V alternately repeat single-headed and double-headed bindings with an actin filament. To investigate the binding state of myosin V at several key nucleotide states during ATP hydrolysis, we measured the mechanical properties of a single myosin V - actin complex by applying an external load with optical trap.

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Replication-defective vectors derived from reticuloendotheliosis virus were used to transduce exogenous genes into early somatic stem cells of the chicken embryo. One of these vectors transduced and expressed the chicken growth hormone coding sequence. The helper cell line, C3, was used to generate stocks of vector containing about 10/sup 4/ transducing units per ml. Injection of 5- to 20-..mu..l volumes of vector directly beneath the blastoderm of unincubated chicken embryos led to infection of somatic stem cells. Infected embryos and adults contained unrearranged integrated proviral DNAs. Embryos expressed the transduced chicken growth hormone gene and contained high levels of serum growth hormone. Blood, brain, muscle, testis, and semen contained from individuals injected as embryos contained vector DNA. Replication-defective vectors of the reticuloendotheliosis virus transduced exogenous genes into chicken embryonic stem cells in vivo.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Thomsen-Friedenreich (T) antigen, #betta#-D-Gal-(1->3)-#alpha#-D-GalNAc, is exposed in reactive form on many human adenocarcinomata, but not on corresponding benign tissues. Peanut lectin (PNA) has a strong binding affinity for the T antigen and reportedly binds preferentially to certain malignant tissues. We investigated the potential of radio-labelled PNA as a tumour localising agent in an animal model system using a mouse lymphoma (RI) shown to bind fluorescein-labelled PNA in vitro. The radio-iodinated lectin showed good tumour localisation and rapid blood clearance. Clear images of tumours were obtained, in serial scintigraphic imaging, by 24 and 48 h. No blood background subtraction was necessary. Biodistribution studies revealed tumour to blood ratios in mice were 6:1 (at 24 h) and 17:1 (at 48 h), and tumour to muscle ratios were 34:1 (at 24 h) and 40:1 (at 48 h). Rapid in vivo breakdown of _1_2_5I-PNA led to some localisation of free iodide in the ...

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Nine infants (six boys, three girls) with anorectal anomalies were examined in the immediate newborn period, prior to corrective surgery, with MRI. Three high, one intermediate and five low anomalies were found at MRI - one patient with a `low` lesion was subsequently found at surgery 2 months later to have a high anorectal anomaly. This infant had passed meconium per urethram soon after the MRI study, prompting the need for a protective colostomy and stressing the importance of a thorough clinical examination of babies with anorectal malformations. The MRI results and findings at surgery were in agreement in all other patients (n=8). Hydronephrosis was evident in two and renal agenesis in one patient. Sacrococcygeal hypoplasia was found in two and two hemivertebrae in one infant. No spinal cord lesion was identified. One fistula was evident on MRI but four were later found at surgery. Uniformly hyperintense T1 signal meconium was seen in all nine newborns, allowing for easy ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The anatomical patterns of anorectal malformations have so far been studied according to the principles which inspire Pena's technique for the surgical treatment of anorectal anomalies. Thus, the diagnostic study of anorectal malformation has by the authors been considered a work of classification, but of identification. Among the diagnostic procedures in use in author's Institute, preoperative CT of pelvis is performed to assess the presence and to define the development of muscular sphincteric structure towards prognostic evaluation of continence, the major long-term goal. Seven patients, aged 1-30 months, with anorectal anomalies were studied with preoperative CT of the pelvis. CT scans showed well-developed sphinteric muscles in 3 patients (2 with recto-ureteral and 1 with recto-vestibular fistulas), poorly-developed muscular structure in 3 patients (with recto-vaginal, cloacal and prostatic fistulas), absence of muscular structure in 1 case (with recto-vesical ...

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Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the capability of high-resolution images obtained with a commercially available pelvic phased-array surface coil to demonstrate normal hip anatomy. Design. We retrospectively analyzed the oblique coronal magnetic resonance (MR) images of hips of 36 consecutive patients acquired on a 1.5-T clinical imager using a pelvic phased-array coil as a receiver, a 16-20 cm field of view, and 5 mm slice thickness. Patients. Thirty-six patients were studied, age 15-81 years. There were 20 males and 16 females. Results and conclusions. The articular cartilage, cortex, superior labrum, and iliofemoral ligament were well visualized on proton density weighted fat saturation (PDF) images. The femoral and obturator vessels, obturator nerve, and various muscles were easily seen on T1-weighted images. High-resolution imaging of the hip is achievable in a reasonable amount of time using newer phased-array surface coils and may play an ...

Science.gov (United States)

Penile rehabilitation has been an area of intense study and debate over the last decade. Interest in this topic was stimulated by the observation that erectile dysfunction remained a significant problem after radical prostatectomy despite meticulous nerve-sparing technique. Smooth muscle alterations and fibrotic changes in the penis were identified as the underlying causes of penile atrophy, veno-occlusive dysfunction, and Peyronie's-like changes that were observed after surgery. Initial observations that intracavernous injection therapies used on a regular basis postoperatively resulted in improvements in the return of spontaneous erectile function led to the development of penile rehabilitation protocols. Chronic dosing of oral type V phosphodiesterase inhibitors is now commonly used by urologists after radical prostatectomy despite a lack of convincing evidence from randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Use of local therapies to heal the penis may have ...

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This report describes the fiscal 1998 result on development of genome informatics technology. As comparative analysis technique of genes, the combination of electrophoresis and PCR was used. For improvement of the throughput and reproducibility of the technique, module- shuffling primers were used, and the multi(96)-arrayed capillary fragment analyzer was devised. The system detecting SNPs rapidly was also developed successfully. As analysis technology of DNA sequence by use of triple- stranded DNA formation, study was made on construction of long cDNA libraries, selective subtraction of specific sequences from libraries, and the basic technology of homologous cloning. Study was also made on each reaction step of IGCR technique for fast analysis, and specifications of a fluorescence transfer monitor. As modeling technique of genetic sequence information, the simulation model was developed for gene expression regulatory networks during muscle differentiation, and ...

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Purpose: {sup 31}P-MRS is used to assess the influence of sex and age on quadriceps muscle metabolism before and after exercise. Materials and Methods: 32 healthy volunteers (15 women, 17 men; mean age: 38{+-}17 yrs.) were examined by dynamic phosphorus-31 ({sup 31}P) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). In the magnet, the quadriceps muscle was stressed by an isometric and an isotonic form of exercise until exhaustion, respectively. Results: Resting conditions: With increasing subjects` age, the ratio {beta}-adenosine triphosphate/total phosphate decreased (r=-0.37; p=0.02). With increasing subjects` age, the ratios inorganic phosphate/phosphocreatine (r=0.79; p=5x10{sup -8}), phosphomonoester/{beta}-adenosine triphosphate (r=0.74; p=10{sup -6}) and phosphodiester/{beta}-adenosine triphosphate (r=0.62; p=10{sup -4}) increased. The pH was the only one of the evaluated spectroscopic parameters which showed a sex-dependence: Female subjects had ...

Science.gov (United States)

The gene expression of beta(1)-adrenergic receptor (beta(1)AR) and stimulatory G-protein Gsalpha in ventricle after chronic treatment with doxorubicin (DOX) in rat was investigated. The rats were treated with DOX in a dose of 2.5 mg/kg once a week for 5 weeks, the cumulative dose being 12.5 mg/kg. Two weeks after the last injection, the positive inotropic effect of isoproterenol was noticeably decreased in left atrial muscle preparations isolated from DOX-treated rats. Northern blot hybridization showed that the mRNA transcripts of beta(1)AR and Gsalpha, important signal transduction elements for regulating heart rate and contractility, were significantly decreased in the ventricle of DOX-treated rats. Thus, chronic treatment with DOX decreases the gene expression levels of myocardial beta(1)AR and Gsalpha. PMID:15353854

Science.gov (United States)

The three mammalian transforming growth factor (TGF)-? isoforms (TGF-?1, TGF-?2, and TGF-?3) differ in their putative roles in radiation-induced fibrosis in intestine and other organs. Furthermore, tissue specificity of TGF-? action may result from temporal or spatial changes in production and/or activation. The present study examined shifts in the cell types expressing TGF-? mRNA relative to TGF-? immunoreactivity and histopathological injury during radiation enteropathy development. A 4-cm loop of rat small intestine was locally exposed to 0, 12, or 21-Gy single doses of x-irradiation. Sham-irradiated and irradiated intestine were procured 2 and 26 weeks after irradiation. Cells expressing the TGF-?1, TGF-?2, or TGF-?3 transcripts were identified by in situ hybridization with digoxigenin-labeled riboprobes. Intestinal wall TGF-? immunoreactivity was measured using computerized image analysis, and structural radiation injury was assessed by quantitative histopathology. Normal ...

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This study resumes the discovery of an excess of actinium 227 found around by EL4 nuclear reactor actually in dismantling. The search for the origin of this excess revealed a real inquiry of investigation during three years. Because a nuclear reactor existed in this area a particular attention will have concerned this region. The doubt became the line of conduct to find the answer to the human or natural origin of this excess. Finally and against any evidence, it appears that the origin of this phenomenon was natural, consequence of the particular local geology. The detail of the different investigations is given: search of a possible correlation with the composition of elevations constituent of lanes, search (and underlining) of new sites in the surroundings of the Rusquec pond and the Plouenez station, study of the atmospheric deposits under winds of the nuclear power plant and in the east direction, search of a possible relationship with the gaseous effluents of the nuclear power ...

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The study presented in this thesis is a contribution about the analysis of failures modes of electrolytic capacitors and thyristors. The studied components are main elements of the protection system of the superconductive magnets of the LHC. The study of the ageing of the electrolytic capacitors has shown that their reliability is strongly related to their technological characteristic. Evolution of their principal indicator of ageing (ESR) can be modeled according to different laws chosen according to their running mode. It appears that the prediction of failure of these components other than that due to wear can be only statistical taking into account the many causes of failure involving various modes of failure. In order to be able to evaluate influence of the ageing of the electrolytic capacitors on a system, simple models taking into account this parameters as well as the effective temperature of the component are proposed. An acceptable precision taking into account the simplicity ...

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This document is an executive summary of the colloquium organized by the French syndicate of renewable energies (SER) which took place at the Maison de l'UNESCO in Paris during the national debate on energies organized by the French government in spring 2003. The colloquium was organized around 6 round tables dealing with: the world perspectives and the environmental context of the contribution of renewable energies to the sustainable development (respect of Kyoto protocol commitments, contribution to the security of energy supplies, lack of large scale program of development of decentralized power generation in developing countries, lack of market tools linked with CO{sub 2} emissions, improvement of competitiveness); development of renewable energies in Europe (promotion and sustain in all European countries, obligation of supply and purchase, pricing regulation, European harmonization of practices); renewable electricity and its place in the new orientation law about ...

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Since mid-March the Commission on Water Management, with the assistance of the appropriate ministries, visited all regions of the province in order to acquaint themselves first hand with regional water management problems. During the month of June, the Commission also organized a series of ten workshops, attended by a limited number of experts, to explore in depth certain specific questions in the area of water management. During these public sessions the Commission hoped to discuss specifically the specific questions relating to water management problems of First Nations communities, bearing in mind the essential nature of water in maintaining traditional activities. The workshop took place on the Montanard reserve of Mashteuiatsh (Pointe-Bleu). The morning session was devoted to presentations by invited experts, followed by an exchange of views between the experts and the Commissioners, with opportunity for participants to address question to the experts. This document was compiled ...

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The aim of the thesis is to validate concepts used in hydrocarbon generation and migration models; the model considered is the Temispack model developed by IFP, and the validation is based on the investigation of the thermal and hydraulic evolution in various sedimentary basins. It is shown that, in general, the thermal history of sediments is influenced by external processes (sedimentation rates, lithology, climate changes, regional-scale groundwater circulations) which frequently overprint internal processes (variations of crustal/mantle heat flow). It is found that external processes can frequently explain past thermal events that were erroneously attributed to internal causes (tectonic-thermal events). The origin of over-pressures in young basins with high sedimentation rates is shown to be generally related to compaction disequilibrium. Shale permeability values calibrated against overpressure profiles are consistent with experimental constraints. Compaction models predict ...