UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Vascular permeability factor (VPF) is an Mr 40-kD protein that has been purified from the conditioned medium of guinea pig line 10 tumor cells grown in vitro, and increases fluid permeability from blood...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The present study demonstrates that tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and FMLP, but not IL-1 or IL-8, enhanced the adherence of polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) to fibronectin, an extracellular matrix...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

PurposeThis study was undertaken to determine the neuroprotective effect of granulocyte stimulating factor (G-CSF) on neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Materials...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Background: Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) controls platelet integrin function, tissue-factor (TF) activation, and concentrates at fibrin and thrombus formation sites of vascular injury. Objective: We investigated involvement of surface thiol isomerases and especially PDI, in thrombin-mediated thrombin amplification on human platelets. Methods/Results: Using a new developed thrombin-dependent platelet thrombin generation assay we observed that the feedback activation of thrombin generation on the platelet surface does not depend on TF, as anti-TF antibodies inhibiting TF-induced thrombin formation in platelet-depleted plasma had no effect compared to vehicle-treated controls. Feedback activation of thrombin generation in the presence of platelets was significantly diminished by membrane impermeant thiol blockers or by the thiol isomerase-inhibitors bacitracin and anti-PDI antibody RL90, respectively. Platelet thrombin formation depends on binding of coagulation ...

Science.gov (United States)

The role of intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i) on hematopoiesis was investigated in long term bone marrow cultures using cytokines and agonists of P2 receptors. Cytokines interleukin 3 and granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulator factor promoted a modest increase in Ca2+i concentration ([Ca2+]i) with activation of phospholipase Cgamma, MEK1/2, and Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II. Involvement of protein kinase C was restricted to stimulation with interleukin 3. In addition, these cytokines promoted proliferation (20 times) and an increase in the Gr-1(-)Mac-1+ population with participation of gap junctions (GJ). Nevertheless ATP, ADP, and UTP promoted a large increase in [Ca2+]i, moderate proliferation (6 times), a reduction in the primitive Gr-1(-)Mac-1(-)c-Kit+ population, and differentiation into macrophages without participation of GJ. It is likely that Ca2+i participates ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Replication of plus-strand RNA viruses depends on host factors that are recruited into viral replicase complexes. Previous studies showed that eukaryotic translation elongation factor (eEF1A) is one...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

We hypothesize that the mushroom-derived active compound may be a potential strategy for increasing survival in response to influenza virus (H1N1) infection through the stimulation of host innate immune response. The validity of the hypothesis can be tested by immune response to influenza infection as seen through survival percentage, virus clearance, weight loss, natural killer cell cytotoxicity, Tumor Necrosis Factor-? (TNF-?) and Interferon-gamma (IFN-?) levels, lytic efficiency in the spleens of mice and inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA expressions in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. The hypothesis may improve people's quality of life, reduce the medical cost of our healthcare system and eliminate people's fears of influenza outbreak. PMID:21660092

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF) binds its consensus element to repress the transcription of various genes. The dominant-negative form (dnNRSF) has a hypertrophic effect on cardiogenesis through an unidentified mechanism. We examined the involvement of transient receptor potential (TRP) channel proteins, using transgenic mice overexpressing dnNRSF (dnNRSF mice). Electrophoretic mobility-shift assays revealed an interaction between NRSF and a neuron-restrictive silencer element-like sequence in intron 4 of TRPC1 genomic DNA. According to RT-PCR and Western analyses, TRPC1 was up-regulated in dnNRSF mouse heart. Transient overexpression of TRPC1 in HEK 293T cells increased the activity of the nuclear factor in activated T cells (NFAT) promoter and stimulated store-operated Ca"2"+ channel (SOCC)-mediated Ca"2"+ entry. Transfection of TRPC1 into primary cardiomyocytes increased ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The tests reported were part of the DOE Geothermal Reservoir Well Stimulation Program. This East Mesa (Imperial Valley, CA) well was successfully stimulated with two fracture treatments, a dendritic fracture and a planar fracture. The natural flow production of the well increased 114 percent, to 197,900 lb/hr. These tests were among the few successful attempts of this program to increase flow from geothermal production wells. The general belief is that these tests worked OK primarily because the formation was sedimentary rock (similar to rock in most oil and gas wells that have been stimulated successfully. Similar tests in geothermal hard rock reservoirs did not work very well. (DJE 2005)

Science.gov (United States)

Postresection villus hyperplasia is a major compensatory mechanism in the short-bowel patient. Substances capable of augmenting postresection mucosal hyperplasia could have therapeutic implications. Human growth hormone (hGH) and human growth hormone releasing factor (hGHRF) stimulate growth of the gastrointestinal tract; however, the diabetogenic actions of growth hormone limit its usefulness in clinical practice. Plerocercoid larvae of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides produce an analog of hGH void of diabetogenic side effects. We assessed effects of plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) on mucosal adaptation following 70% proximal jejunoileal resection in young rats. Mucosal weight, DNA, protein, and total sucrase activity per centimeter of bowel were increased in resected PGF-treated animals compared to resected controls. We conclude PGF augments intrinsic postresection mucosal hyperplasia following ...

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The authors have found that heat-inactivated serum (57/sup 0/C for 1 hour) from normal chickens reduces the proliferation of mitogen-stimulated chicken and murine splenocytes as well as some transformed mammalian lymphoblastoid cell lines. Greater than a 50% reduction in /sup 3/H-thymidine incorporation was observed when concanavalin A (Con A)-activated chicken splenocytes that were cultured in the presence of 10% autologous or heterologous serum were compared to mitogen-stimulated cells cultured in the absence of serum. Normal chicken serum (10%) also caused greater than 95% suppression of /sup 3/H-thymidine incorporation by bovine (EBL-1 and BL-3) and gibbon ape (MLA 144) transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines. The only cell line tested that was not inhibited by chicken serum was an IL-2-dependent, murine cell line. Chicken serum also inhibited both /sup 3/H-thymidine incorporation and IL-2 synthesis by Con A-activated murine splenocytes. ...

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Dose-dependent behavior of the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) decay from NaCl has been studied experimentally using only one aliquot irradiated with a range of 2-200 Gy {beta}-radiation doses. It was observed that the maximum IRSL intensity has not changed by an increase in dose though the total intensity increased as expected. Considering the possible implications of our findings for dosimeter, the results were compared with the other studies and discussed.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Osterix (Osx) is a zinc-finger-containing transcription factor that is expressed in osteoblasts of all endochondral and membranous bones. In Osx null ...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

IL-4 and IL-13 are up-regulated during in vivo responses to many nematode parasites, but increasing evidence suggests that increases in IL-13 can also occur independently of...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9), an oocyte-secreted member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily, progesterone receptor, cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2; Ptgs2), and the EP2 prostaglandin...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

The optimal concentrations of nutrient medium components, aeration conditions, and pH providing for maximum biomass yields, as well as fumarase and L-aspartase activities, during submerged cultivation of Erwinia sp. were determined. The data showed that different concentrations of carbon source (molasses) and pH of the nutrient medium were required to reach the maximum fumarase and L-aspartase activities. Calculations performed by application of the additive lattice model suggested that the combination of these optimized factors would result in 3.2-, 3.4-, and 3.8-fold increases as compared to the experimental means in Erwinia sp. biomass, and L-aspartase and fumarase activities, respectively. The conditions of the fumaric acid biotransformations into L-malic and L-aspartic acids were optimized on the basis of intact Erwinia sp. cells, a fumarase and L-aspartase producer. In the cases of fumarate transformation into L-malic acid and of fumarate ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Effects of ethanol in vitro on membrane vesicles were evaluated by monitoring "3"6Cl"- influx. Different assay parameters were tested to determine increased or decreased action of ethanol on GABA-activated chloride channels. The ability of 30 mM ethanol to augment "3"6Cl"- flux was seen at 0 degree C, in the absence of GABA, and at 34 degree C in the presence of GABA, using two different assay procedures. Picrotoxin blocked the direct effects of ethanol suggesting GABA_a involvement. Endogenous GABA in the medium surrounding the microsacs was assayed at different temperatures both in the presence and absence of GABA and ethanol. The direct effect of ethanol did not appear to involve the action of endogenous GABA. In addition to temperature effects on the assay, time of membrane storage also influenced ethanol action. Microsacs stored on ice for 2 hours or more lost their ability to respond to ethanol but not to GABA, pentobarbital or flunitrazepam. When these drugs ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We previously reported that acetaminophen (APAP) caused apoptosis of C6 glioma cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that the level of p53, which usually stimulates apoptosis, might be increased...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Announced as the first of a series of annual reports on the spread of nuclear weapons, this endeavor of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace may stimulate increased public awareness of this critical topic. A good part of the book contains the historical setting of the nuclear issue in the eight most likely proliferators.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Intravascular coagulation, thrombosis, and fibrin deposition often produce tissue damage in allogeneic inflammatory reactions such as allograft rejection. The mechanisms which initiate blood clotting...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The effect of ?/?-carrageenan from red alda Tichocarpus crinitus on the development of a potato virus X (PVX) infection in the leaves of Datura stramonium L. has been studied. The treatment of leaves with carrageenan stimulates a protein synthesis in the cells, causing an increase in the size of nucleoli and in the number of mitochondria and membranes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. At the same time, such treatment slightly stimulates lytic processes, causing an increase in the number of smooth endoplasmic reticulum cisternae, dictyosomes, and cytoplasmic vacuoles and the formation of cytoplasmic electron-transparent zones. The carrageenan-induced stimulation of lytic processes results in the destruction of viral particles and can be considered as one of the defense mechanisms, prevent...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A strong dependence of thermal activation energy (TAE) on infrared (IR) stimulation time for the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal was observed for K-feldspar grains extracted from several sediments and granites from China. A TAE value as low as {approx}0.1 eV was observed at the beginning of IR stimulation and increased to {approx}0.45 eV after 90 s. For a trap depth of {approx}2 eV below the conduction band for the IRSL traps, the TAE value of {approx}0.45 eV is consistent with the energy gap between the excited states ({approx}0.5 eV below the conduction band) and conduction band. This phenomenon is explained as the result of the coexistence of thermally assisted recombination via conduction band or band-tail states hopping and athermal tunnelling recombination of electrons from the excited states under IR stimulation, leading to the observation of a higher anomalous ...

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Exogenous adenosine 5{prime}-triphosphate (ATP) mobilized intracellular calcium in human carcinoma A43l cells and in Swiss 3T3 and 3T6 mouse fibroblasts by increasing inositol trisphosphate similar to well down growth factors (platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), bradykinin (BK), serum). Calcium mobilization was examined by video imaging of fura-2 fluorescence is single cells, following the radioactive isotope {sup 45}Ca, and monitoring the decrease in fluorescence of cells loaded with chlortetracycline. Uridine 5{prime}-triphosphate, but not other nucleotides, mimicked ATP. Single-cell analysis revealed synchronous responses in 10 sec to ATP, BK or serum, while PDGF (3T3) and EGF (A431) produced slower signals with significant cell-to-cell variation. PDGF desensitized 3T3 cells to ATP and BK added 100 sec later but ATP or BK did not desensitized to PDGF. Homologous ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Cancer cells recruit monocytes, macrophages and other inflammatory cells by producing abundant chemoattractants and growth factors, such as macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF/CSF-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2), to promote tumor growth and dissemination. An understanding of the mechanisms that target cancer cells and regulate tumor microenvironment is essential in designing anticancer therapies. Here, we showed that serum amyloid-A (SAA) and cathelicidin (LL-37) stimulated M-CSF and MCP-1 expression with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration; conversely, lipoxin-A4 (LXA4) and annexin-A1 (ANXA1) inhibited LPS-induced M-CSF and MCP-1 production by human (HepG2) and mouse (H22) hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCCs). The effects of LXA4, ANXA1, SAA ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Incorporation of /sup 32/P from (gamma-32P)ATP into tyrosine residues of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II receptor was observed in a Triton X-100-insoluble fraction of rat adipocyte plasma membranes. IGF-II receptor phosphorylation proceeded to a stoichiometry of approximately 0.5 mol of phosphate/IGF-II binding site after 10 min of incubation at 4 degrees C. A Km for ATP of 6 microM was calculated for this phosphorylation reaction. Addition of IGF-II caused an approximately 2-fold increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of the IGF-II receptor in this preparation. In contrast, phosphorylation of angiotensin II by the Triton X-100 washed membranes was not stimulated by IGF-II. Incubation of purified receptor immobilized on IGF-II agarose or of receptor-enriched low density microsomal membranes with (gamma-32P)ATP did not result in appreciable incorporation of (/sup 32/P)phosphate into the IGF-II receptor nor into ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The metabolic actions of GH can be divided into acute (insulin-like) and chronic (lipolytic/anti-insulin). The insulin-like actions of GH are most readily elicited in GH-deficient animals as GH induces resistance to its own insulin-like action. Like GH, PGF stimulates growth and cross-reacts with anti-hGH antibodies. Independent experiments were conducted comparing the direct actions of PGF to insulin or hGH in vitro. Insulin-like effects were determined by the ability of PGF, insulin or hGH to stimulate [U-"1"4C]glucose metabolism in epidydimal fat pads from normal rats and by inhibition of epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis. Direct stimulation of lipolysis was used as anti-insulin activity. To determine if PGF competes for insulin or GH receptors, adipocytes (3 x 10"5 cells/ml) were incubated with either ["1"2"5I]insulin or ["1"2"5I]hGH +/- PGF, +/- insulin or +/- hGH. PGF ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To study the regulation of adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in human adipocytes, omental adipose tissue was obtained from healthy subjects and digested in collagenase. The isolated adipocytes thus obtained were suspended in Medium 199 and cultured at 37 degrees C. Cell viability was demonstrated in adipocytes cultured for up to 72 h by constancy of cell number, cell size, trypan-blue exclusion, and specific /sup 125/I-insulin binding. In addition, chloroquine induced an increase in cell-associated /sup 125/I-insulin at 24, 48, and 72 h after preparation. Thus, isolated adipocytes retained their ability to bind, internalize, and degrade insulin. LPL was measured as activity secreted into the culture medium (CM), released from cells by heparin (HR), and extracted from cell digests. A broad range of heparin concentrations produced a prompt release of LPL from a rapidly replenishable pool of cellular activity. When cells were cultured in medium containing 10% ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We consider the electron-positron pair creation by a photon in an external constant electric field. The presented treatment is based on a purely quasiclassical calculation of the imaginary part of the on-shell photon polarization operator. By using this approach we find the pair production rate for photons with polarization parallel as well as orthogonal to the external electric field in the leading order in the parameter eE/m"2, which has been recently found by other methods. For the orthogonal polarization we also find a new contribution to the rate, which is leading in the ratio of the photon energy to the electron mass #omega#/m. We also reproduce by a purely geometrical calculation the exponential factor in the probability of the stimulated pair creation at arbitrary energy of the photon.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Objective: A growing body of data from genetic, immunological and clinical studies indicates an involvement of the immune system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and suggests that the modulation of the cytokine system by antipsychotics may be one cause for the improvement of psychotic symptoms. However, the influence of the typical antipsychotics chlorpromazine and haloperidol, and the effect of typical and atypical antipsychotics on the TSST-1-stimulated blood cell secretion of cytokines, and specifically the interleukin (IL)-17 production have not been studied so far, although IL-17 is a leading pro-inflammatory cytokine. Method: We measured levels of IL-1@b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17 and tumor necrosis factor-@a (TNF-@a) in stimulated blood of 10 healthy female subjects in a whole ...

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We investigated the effect of irradiation on the kinetic characteristics of amino acid and glucose transport, and the effect on the activity of the cell membrane-bound enzyme 5'-nucleotidase and on the receptor-mediated stimulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate synthesis by prostaglandin E1. Irradiation inhibited the sodium-dependent amino acid transport by a reduced binding of the amino acid to the transport unit. The transport of glucose, which appeared to be a sodium-independent process, was temporarily stimulated by increased maximal velocity of the transport. No effect was found on the binding to the transport unit. Irradiation increased the 5'-nucleotidase activity and decreased the prostaglandin E1-stimulated cyclic adenosine monophosphate synthesis 48 h after exposure to 20 Gy. It is concluded that irradiation decreases sodium-dependent transport by ...

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The effect of 10 wk endurance swim training on 3-O-methylglucose (3-MG) uptake (at 40 mM 3-MG) in skeletal muscle was studied in the perfused rat hindquarter. Training resulted in an increase of approximately 33% for maximum insulin-stimulated 3-MG transport in fast-twitch red fibers and an increase of approximately 33% for contraction-stimulated transport in slow-twitch red fibers compared with nonexercised sedentary muscle. A fully additive effect of insulin and contractions was observed both in trained and untrained muscle. Compared with transport in control rats subjected to an almost exhaustive single exercise session the day before experiment both maximum insulin- and contraction-stimulated transport rates were increased in all muscle types in trained rats. Accordingly, the increased glucose transport capacity in trained muscle was not ...

Science.gov (United States)

exposed to persistent saltwater intrusion, a major factor in the decline of marsh ecosystems. The resulting increase in salinity from persistent flooding due to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sweden is facing a re-structured electricity market beginning January 1, 1996, implying full competition in the purchasing and selling of electricity. The transmission and distribution of electricity will remain as a franchised monopoly and this business has to be strictly separated from the electricity trading. In the monopolistic environment, pricing of electricity has been based on more or less relevant costs and a resonable rate of return. The energy charges have reflected the system short range marginal costs while the demand and fixed charges have been adapted to give a total cost level corresponding to the system average cost. Tariffs of this type, known as time-of-use tariffs, have stimulated peak shaving during peak load (high cost hours) and valley filling during low load (low cost hours), increasing the load factor. Restructuring will influence the pricing in several ways. Pricing of transmission and distribution ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report surveys potential impacts of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) on inter-ASEAN affairs and its external relations when ASEAN will enlarge its members to include all nations in South East Asia, and thus fully represent the region. For this purpose, the survey was conducted on Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, which joined in 1995, from the viewpoint of their economic and political system, and their relations with other member countries. The nature of ASEAN has gradually transformed, in which all the countries in the region have increased and internal economic issues have been tackled. It has an aim to stimulate inter-ASEAN trade and induce foreign direct investment into ASEAN as a whole by reducing import duties on intra-ASEAN trade. Underlying in these, new development is a concern about growing economic and military power of China. ASEAN solidarity will work an leverage against China should change toward worse, and ...

Science.gov (United States)

The subjective experience of one's environment is constructed by interactions among sensory, cognitive, and affective processes. For centuries, meditation has been thought to influence such processes by enabling a nonevaluative representation of sensory events. To better understand how meditation influences the sensory experience, we used arterial spin labeling functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the neural mechanisms by which mindfulness meditation influences pain in healthy human participants. After 4 d of mindfulness meditation training, meditating in the presence of noxious stimulation significantly reduced pain unpleasantness by 57% and pain intensity ratings by 40% when compared to rest. A two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA was used to identify interactions between meditation and pain-related brain activation. Meditation reduced pain-related activation of the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex. Multiple regression ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We report acceleration of electrons moving in free space near an active Nd:YAG slab. The power of a non-relativistic beam of electrons has increased by more than 30% when the medium was excited. It is demonstrated experimentally that the energy gained by the electrons is linearly proportional to the energy stored in the medium. Moreover, the energy gain traces closely the population inversion inferred by monitoring the spontaneous radiation.

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The coupling between cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) and blood flow (CBF) in response to visual stimulation was evaluated by means of a model of oxygen delivery. The model predicted a nonlinear relationship between stimulus-evoked changes of oxygen consumption and blood flow. The magnitude of the CMRO2/CBF ratio index (IO2) was used to indicate the degree of flow-metabolism coupling prevailing in specific areas of the brain during physiological stimulation. Therefore, the index provided a measure of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance contrast. To evaluate the changes of IO2 in response to visual stimulation, the model was applied to the effect of a changing flicker rate of a visual stimulus on the magnitudes of CBF, CMRO2, and oxygen diffusion capacity, in the human brain. Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to measure the CBF and the CMRO2 in 12 healthy volunteers who viewed a ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A method for the chemical modification of the initial structure of humic acids by acylation with indole-3-acetic acid chloride was developed to increase the biological activity of preparations based on peat and lignite humic acids. The plant growth stimulating effect and the antibacterial activity of the synthesized humic preparations were studied.

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The differences are highlighted of various aspects of behaviour of the luminescence signal from feldspar when stimulated by green light and when stimulated by infrared radiation. In respect of bleaching, a comparison is made of the influence of white light (daylight) on the two stimulated luminescence signals, as well as a comparison of the influence of infrared exposure on the green-stimulated signal with the influence of green exposure on the infrared-stimulated signal. The influence of preheating on the two stimulated signals is also compared. Light-emitting diode systems were used for both green and infrared stimulation. The observations are considered in relation to the mechanism relevant to green- and infrared-stimulated luminescence from feldspar. (author).

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Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) has been shown to increase the synthesis of hyaluronic acid in cultured fibroblasts by increasing the activity of hyaluronate synthetase, a group of plasma membrane-bound synthetic enzymes. We examined whether PGE2 also increased the activity of those enzyme systems involved in the synthesis of sulfated glycosaminoglycan in the human embryonic lung fibroblast. Exposure of cells to PGE2 resulted in dose-dependent increases in glucosamine incorporation into all sulfated glycosaminoglycan subtypes. PGE2 at 10(-7) mol/L increased total glycosaminoglycan per dish to 21.6 +/- 3.1 micrograms versus 12.0 +/- 2.5 micrograms in control untreated cultures. Stimulation of endogenous PGE2 production by bradykinin had a similar effect on glycosaminoglycan synthesis. To examine whether PGE2 affected sulfated glycosaminoglycan protein core production, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The subfornical organ is a major receptor area for one of the principal stimuli of thirst, the octapeptide, angiotensin II. In conscious water-sated rats, the authors examined the effects of intravenous infusion of angiotensin II on the rate of glucose utilization in the subfornical organ and in structures anatomically and functionally connected with it. Angiotensin II produced pressor and drinking responses and increased glucose utilization selectively in the subfornical organ and pituitary neural lobe and in no other brain structure. Treatment with the angiotensin II antagonist, sar1-leu8-angiotensin II, before intravenous administration of angiotensin II prevented metabolic stimulation of the subfornical organ and neural lobe. Captopril, an inhibitor of angiotensin-converting enzyme, reduced subfornical organ glucose metabolism to a level similar to that found in control animals. These results demonstrate that peripheral angiotensin II ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Ex vivo expanded peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) have been shown to provide rapid neutrophil engraftment, and in some patients, to eliminate neutropenia after transplantation to support high-dose chemotherapy. However, the effect of expansion culture on stem cell content and potential loss of stem cells caused by induction of differentiation remains a concern. We have transplanted 21 patients with breast cancer with expanded autologous PBPC, with 11 patients receiving expanded PBPC as their sole hematopoietic cell source. In these studies, the CD34+ cells were selected and cultured for 10 days in defined media containing 100 ng/mL each of recombinant human stem cell factor (rhSCF), recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF), and recombinant human megakaryocy...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Characteristics of basal and insulin-stimulated glucose utilization by perifused adipocytes have been investigated by measuring the formation of "3HOH from D-(5-"3H) glucose. At a glucose concentration of 0.55 mmol/L, basal glucose utilization ranged from 0.5 to 1.0 nmol/min/10(6) cells. Perifused adipocytes showed a maximal response to insulin of a threefold to fourfold increase in the conversion of (5-"3H) glucose to "3HOH with a half-maximal response at an insulin concentration of 20 microU/mL. The response to insulin was blocked by phlorizin and cytochalasin B, competitive inhibitors of glucose transport, consistent with an effect of insulin on glucose transport. Insulin increased the Vmax for glucose metabolism but had no effect on the apparent affinity for glucose utilization. The characteristics of glucose utilization and the stimulation of glucose metabolism by insulin in the perifused adipocyte ...

CERN Document Server

The stock market has been known to form homogeneous stock groups with a higher correlation among different stocks according to common economic factors that influence individual stocks. We investigate the role of common economic factors in the market in the formation of stock networks, using the arbitrage pricing model reflecting essential properties of common economic factors. We find that the degree of consistency between real and model stock networks increases as additional common economic factors are incorporated into our model. Furthermore, we find that individual stocks with a large number of links to other stocks in a network are more highly correlated with common economic factors than those with a small number of links. This suggests that common economic factors in the stock market can be understood in terms of deterministic ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Variant alleles of the mannose binding lectin (MBL) gene are associated with increased susceptibility to infection and polymorphisms of tumour necrosis factor and lymphotoxin alpha genes (TNF, LTA)...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Program decisions by symphony orchestra management are influenced by various factors. To examine these factors, we create an objective index of the propensity of a symphony orchestra to perform the standard repertoire. We use regression analysis to examine factors that influence programming decisions of 64 US symphony orchestras in 2006?2007, including public and private sources of funding. We find that increased funding from ticket sales, endowments, and local government increases the likelihood that an orchestra will perform nonstandard repertoire. In addition, the results suggest that a symphony orchestra?s music director does not have a significant impact on the degree of program conventionality.

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Diagnostic capability of Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) of the chest was compared to the conventional radiography (CoR) using regular film-screen system. FCR utilizers imaging plates of scanning laser stimulated luminescence. Visibility of 14 structures of the chest radiography was evaluated by 3 radiologists in 100 pairs of FCR and CoR which were taken at the same time with the same exposure factors. FCR was superior to CoR especially in observation of the mediastinum and areas behind the heart and diaphragm. The minor fissure was better seen on CoR. Superiority of FCR to CoR was thought to be mainly due to the processed image of FCR, and the so-called normal image of FCR had little diagnostic advantage. Simulated abnormal densities: nodular, alveolar, and interstitial densities with a chest phantom, were made, and detectability of alteration of these densities on FCR and CoR was evaluated by 19 radiologists, using ROC curve analysis. FCR and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The thermoluminescence (TL), blue stimulated luminescence (BSL) and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals of fluorapatite (originating from Durango, Mexico) were measured and found to exhibit strong anomalous fading (AF). The experimentally obtained OSL and IRSL decay curves were transformed into pseudo-linear modulated (pseudo-LM) decay curves. The resulting glow-curve shaped pseudo-LM decay curves were analyzed using a deconvolution analysis, similar to the one used for the glow-curve deconvolution (GCD) of TL glow-curves. It was found that the pseudo-LM OSL and IRSL decay curves consist of two components named fast and slow, respectively, and their individual contribution was estimated. The AF of the remnant TL, BSL and IRSL as a function of the storage time was fitted using the tunneling model equations and the fading rate g, in terms of percentage per decade was evaluated. According to the obtained g values, the AF of the BSL and ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

One method of increasing juvenile fish escapement from net cod-ends is to encourage fish to approach the netting by placing an active stimulating device (ASD) in the cod-end. Two types of ASD were tested inside model cod-ends to generate variable visual stimuli. One was a free-end flag-like net panel and the other consisted of an array of free-ended ropes. Escape responses of juvenile red seabream were observed in a circulating water channel using a cod-end fitted with the ASD, and they were compared with responses to conventional polyethylene multi-ply, high-contrast cod-ends with and without ASD made from either 28- or 43-mm mesh under three light conditions. With the ASD attached, the retention rate was significantly lower, 20%, than for conventional cod-ends except in dim light with 28...

Science.gov (United States)

Computer assisted energy-spectral analyses were obtained on EEG recordings of unilateral non-dominant hemisphere ECT-induced seizures using the different pre-ECT anesthetic agents methohexital (Brevital), Innovar, and ketamine (Ketalar). The previously postulated predominance of electrical energy over the stimulated (right) hemisphere early in ECT-induced seizures is confirmed. There appears to be marked reduction in total seizure energy with methohexital anesthesia, whereas ketamine anesthesia appears to be associated with increased overall seizure energy. The greatest right to left energy transfer during the seizure occurred with Innovar anesthesia. PMID:7172456

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Fifty patients scheduled to undergo IVF received a standard anesthetic of fentanyl and propofol for induction, followed by propofol infusion, with Bispectral index values and modified Ramsey sedation scores recorded at 5-minute intervals for the duration of anesthesia care. Moderate sedation was found only transiently during the first 5-10 minutes of the oocyte retrieval, but thereafter the level of sedation increased, with deep sedation and general anesthesia measured in all patients as determined by both the Bispectral index scores and lack of response to painful stimulation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Primary design criterion for this division`s education activities is directly related to meeting the goal of environmental compliance on an accelerated basis and cleanup of the 1989 inventory of inactive sites and facilities by the year 2019. Therefore, the division`s efforts are directed toward stimulating knowledge and capability to achieve the goals while contributing to DOE`s overall goal of increasing scientific, mathematical, and technical literacy and competency. This annual report is divided into: overview, workforce development, academic partnerships, scholarships/fellowships, environmental restoration and waste management employment program, community colleges, outreach, evaluation, and principal DOE contacts.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

INTRODUCTION:Postprandial lipemia is characterized by an increased concentration of circulating lipids after fat intake and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Tobacco use has been recognized to be a significant risk factor for the development and progression of periodontal disease. Its use is associated with increased pocket depths, loss of periodontal attachment,...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Many hormones elicit effects on target cells by stimulating the enzyme phospholipase-C, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphoinositides to the intracellular second messengers diacylglycerol and inositol phosphates. The present study examined the roles of FSH and guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins) in regulating the hydrolysis of phosphoinositides in Sertoli cells. Sertoli cell cultures prepared from 16- to 18-day-old rats were incubated for 24 h with myo-[2-3H] inositol to label endogenous phospholipids. Treatment of cells from 0.5-20 min with preparations of ovine FSH ranging in potency from 1-60 times that of NIH FSH S1 did not affect accumulation of inositol phosphates. Levels of total [3H]inositol phosphates [[3H]inositol mono-, di-, and triphosphates (IP, IP2, and IP3)] in FSH-treated cultures was 75-120% the levels in control cultures over the various time intervals studied. Addition of testosterone and the combination of testosterone plus ...

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The levels of General Transcription Factor (TF) IIA were examined during mammalian brain development and in rat embryo fibroblasts and transformed cell lines. The large TFIIA subunit paralogues ab and t are largely produced in unsynchronized cell lines, yet only TFIIA ab is observed in a number of differentiated tissue extracts. Steady-state protein levels of the TFIIA t, ab, and g subunits were significantly reduced when human embryonal (ec) and hepatic carcinoma cell lines were stimulated to differentiate with either all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) or sodium butyrate. ATRA-treated NT2-ec cells required replating to induce a neuronal phenotype and loss of detectable TFIIA t and g proteins. High levels of TFIIA t, ab, and g and Sp factors were identified in extracts from human fetal and rat...

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Thermoluminescence of inorganic dust extract from herbs and spices has been demonstrated to be a useful method to discriminate irradiated food products as well as to estimate the total dose exposure. The time evolution of infrared stimulated luminescence has been systematically investigated in potassium feldspar and albite minerals subjected to different doses of gamma irradiation (ranging from 0 to 8 kGy). Experimental results reveal a 300-600 nm signal which is greatly intensified for irradiated samples, following the same irradiation dose dependence observed in thermoluminescence. The luminescence intensity disappears after few seconds of illumination, following a time evolution which is proportional to (1 + Bt){sup -P}. The influence of both B and P factors upon the irradiation dose has been systematically analysed. (author)

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Soil acidification via acid precipitation is recognized to have detrimental impacts on forest ecosystems, which is in part associated with the function of ethylene released from the soil. However, the impacts of acidification on the cycling of ethylene in forest soils have not been fully taken into consideration in global change studies. Forest topsoils (0?5 cm) under four temperate forest stands were sampled to study the effects of a pH change on the emissions of ethylene and carbon dioxide from the soils and concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) released into the soils. Increasing acidification or alkalinization of forest soils could increase concentrations of DOC released into the soils under anoxic and oxic conditions. The ethylene emission from these forest topsoils could s...

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Acute {gamma}-irradiation of rats at doses of 100 and 270 Gy stimulates lipid synthesis and changes the lipid composition of liver cell organelles. The content of cholesterol and cholesterol esters in microsomes increased at 100 Gy and decreased at 270 Gy, with total phospholipid content remaining unchanged. The lipid content in mitochondria decreased considerably 1 h after irradiation at 270 Gy. This change was significantly less pronounced 47 h later. Under chronic {gamma}-irradiation (0.129 Gy/day), cholesterol and cardiolipin in mitochondria increased. The changes in lipid content caused by acute irradiation are presumed to be related to activated synthesis of lipids in the liver. The modification of the lipid content of mitochondria observed in chronically irradiated rats may indicate that energy-metabolizing liver cell systems are involved in the adaptation to irradiation.

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Rat lung and liver microsomes did not undergo lipid peroxidation in the absence of iron when incubated with NADPH and concentrations of paraquat ranging from 10/sup -7/ to 10/sup -2/ M. Paraquat also did not stimulate rat liver and lung microsomal peroxidation induced by added iron and NADPH, and was inhibitory at concentrations above 10 ..mu..M. Similarly, no stimulation of peroxidation was produced by paraquat in rabbit or human lung microsomes; however, under similar conditions, paraquat enhanced NADPH/iron-dependent peroxidation in mouse lung and liver microsomes obtained from rats sacrificed at 12, 18, and 24 hr following a lethal dose of paraquat (50 mg/kg, ip), there was no loss of vitamin E or increase in susceptibility to in vitro peroxidation which would be expected if lipid peroxidation had occurred in vivo although extensive lung damage developed during this time period. These results indicate that paraquat does ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The catalytic performance of alkaline-treated zeolite H-ZSM-5 in the conversion of methanol to gasoline has been studied. After treatment with 0.20M NaOH, the total conversion capacity increased by a factor of 3.3, and the selectivity towards the gasoline fraction increased by a factor of 1.7. Physical characterization indicated the formation of mesopores and improved crystallinity.

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Recently, the public has become aware of keywords like ''Quantum computer'' or ''Quantum cryptography''. Regarding their potential application in solid state based quantum information processing and their overall benefit in fundamental research quantum dots have gained more and more public interest. In this context, quantum dots are often referred to as ''artificial atoms'', a term subsuming their physical properties quite nicely and emphasizing the huge potential for further investigations. The basic mechanism to be considered is the theoretical model of a two-level system. A quantum dot itself represents this kind of system quite nicely, provided that only the presence or absence of a single exciton in the ground state of that structure is regarded. This concept can also be expanded to the presence of two excitons (bi-exciton). Transitions between the relevant levels can be ...

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This paper represents a parametric study of the amplification factor to account for rebound effects in the Energy Balance Method. Of the 66 distinct cases we chose for our parametric study, the amplification factor of 1.1 seems sufficient except in four borderline cases where the carbon steel pipes are small or have very small gaps between the pipes and the pipe whip restraints. We conclude that the amplification factor generally decreases as the parameters gap size, hinge-to-break distance and overhang increase.

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Structural instability of wild-type fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-1 and its dependence on exogenous heparin for optimal activity diminishes its potential utility as a therapeutic agent. Here we evaluated FGFC, an FGF1:FGF2 chimeric protein, for its receptor affinity, absolute heparin-dependence, stability and potential clinical applicability. Using BaF3 transfectants overexpressing each FGF receptor (FGFR) subtype, we found that, like FGF1, FGFC activates all of the FGFR subtypes (i.e., FGFR1c, FGFR1b, FGFR2c, FGFR2b, FGFR3c, FGFR3b and FGFR4) in the presence of heparin. Moreover, FGFC activates FGFRs even in the absence of heparin. FGFC stimulated keratinocytes proliferation much more strongly than FGF2, as would be expected from its ability to activate FGFR2b. FGFC showed greater struct...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

(1975). Netherlands Goos, HJTh. Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht (Netherlands).

Science.gov (United States)

of fracture -stimulated geothermal reservoirs; 2) the development of ... of the mathematical simulation model of geothermal reservoirs. ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In areas where radiation dose monitoring has not been performed, it is essential to use material available in the environment be able to rapidly assess doses to individuals for immediate emergency medical care or for general estimation of the radiological consequences. It was shown that certain types of telephone cards containing microchips have the potential to be used as individual radiation dosimeters in emergency situations to detect doses over 250 mGy by luminescence measurements. In order to understand the dosimetric properties of chip cards, the components obtained from INFINIEON Company at various stages of production were used for luminescence measurements. It is found that the protecting layer used above the chips so called 'globe top' is the main source of radiation induced signal in chip cards. The globe top produced by INFINIEON at that stage is found to contain SiO2 and Epoxy. In order to improve the dosimetric properties of the chip cards, the raw material of the globe ...

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A study was made of the uncoupling action of polychlorinated biphenyls (Kanechlor-400) on oxidative phosphorylation in rat liver mitochondria. Kanechlor-400 (KC-400) at 20 ..mu..g/ml stimulated state 4 respiration of rat liver mitochondria more than 4-fold with ..cap alpha..-ketoglutarate/malate as a substrate, and released the oligomycin-inhibited state 3 respiration. KC-400 also dissipated the membrane potential across the mitochondrial membranes; thus, it acts as an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation in rat liver mitochondria. KC-400 altered the permeability properties of mitochondrial membranes as evidenced by the release of endogenous K/sup +/ and the oxidation of exogenously supplied NADH. It is concluded that KC-400 produces a nonspecific increase in mitochondrial ion permeability, thereby dissipating membrane potential, which leads to the uncoupling.

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Pit lakes form when open-pit mining operations are discontinued and dewatering ceases. The increase in open-pit metal mining since the 1970s will lead to the formation of numerous pit lakes over the next 50 years. Many of these lakes will develop acid sulfate conditions with high levels of dissolved metals. Approaches to remediation of these conditions that have been recommended include the addition of lime or other alkaline materials and the stimulation of sulfate-reducing bacteria. However, prevention rather than remediation is probably the preferable approach. Measures to prevent oxidation of mining waste and wall rocks, including measures to fill pits quickly with water, to inhibit the activity of acidophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, and to promote anoxic conditions at the lake bottoms may minimize the formation of acids and dissolved metals. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Despite reduced sympathetic activity below the level of a spinal cord injury (SCI), venoconstriction during autonomic dysreflexia increases venous return to the heart. Here, contractions of isometrically mounted tail veins from rats with spinal transection at T4 performed 8???10 weeks earlier are compared with those from sham-operated rats. After SCI, lumen diameter was reduced by ?30% and the contractions evoked by electrical stimulation of the perivascular axons were larger than control. This augmentation of neurovascular transmission was not associated with enhanced sensitivity to ?-adrenoceptor agonists or to adenosine-5?-triphosphate (ATP) although contractions to depolarization with K+ were larger after SCI. The percentage reduction in nerve-evoked contraction after SCI prod...

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...

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Rare earth elements (REEs) are widely used to increase crop production in China. However, little attention has been paid to their impacts on aquatic ecology. Batch cultivation was used here to study the effects of lanthanum (La) and EDTA on the growth and competition of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda. When EDTA was present at a very low concentration (0.269mmolL-1), low lanthanum concentrations (7.2mmolL-1) had little stimulative effect on the growth of M. aeruginosa and S. quadricauda, whereas a high lanthanum concentration (72mmolL-1) had significant inhibitory effect on both of them. The results of cultivation experiments suggested that the inhibitory effect on M. aeruginosa was higher than that on S. quadricauda and S. quadricauda c...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A rat thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH) receptor cDNA was isolated that encoded a protein of 764 amino acids, M_r 86,528. Transfection of the cDNA caused COS-7 cells to develop a TSH-sensitive adenylate cyclase response and the ability to bind "1"2"5I-labeled TSH; both activities were similar to those of rat FRTL-5 thyroid cells and not duplicated by lutropin. The gene represented by the cDNA was assigned to mouse chromosome 12 and human chromosome 14. Northern analyses identified two species of mRNA, 5.6 and 3.3 kilobases, in FRTL-5 thyroid cells; the transcripts appeared to differ only in the extent of their 3' noncoding sequences. There were minimal amounts of the two mRNAs in rat ovary, and neither was detected in RNA preparations from rat testis, liver, lung, brain, spleen, and FRT thyroid cells, which do not have a functional TSH receptor. TSH decreased both mRNA species 3- to 4-fold within 8 hr in FRTL-5 thyroid cells; down-regulation was ...

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Increasingly, governments enact more stringent regulations governing nitrogen and phosphorus in the discharge effluent of wastewater treatment plants. Scientists know that nitrogen and phosphorus accelerates the eutrophication of lakes and reservoirs and stimulates algal growth. Ammonia has proven to be toxic to aquatic life forms, including fish. Engineers favour Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) over chemical addition to wastewater treatment. Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBRs), a type of bioreactor requiring less land, provide the anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic zones necessary for BNR. Methanol was used as an effective external source of carbon for denitrification but lacked research. The authors remedied this situation and some of the results were available. They indicated that the addition of methanol in the SBR increased solids production in the SBR, leading to increased sludge wasting to the aerobic ...

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Reverse osmosis is a simple process and has relatively high decontamination factor compared to other processes used for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste. Furthermore the quantity of secondary waste of this process is small. In this study, test solution containing nine elements such as cesium, strontium, cobalt etc. in chloride forms are treated by reverse osmosis. Permeate rate decreases as the increase of osmotic pressure of feed solution and is expressed by linear equation. Decontamination factor of cations of univalency is more than ten, and about one tenth of that of bivalency. Decontamination factors of all the elements used in this experiment are approximately estimated using the solution-diffusion model.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Visceral hypersensitivity is currently considered a key pathophysiological mechanism involved in pain perception in large subgroups of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In IBS, visceral hypersensitivity has been described in 20%?90% of patients. The contribution of the central nervous system and psychological factors to visceral hypersensitivity in patients with IBS may be significant, although still debated. Peripheral factors have gained increasing attention following the recognition that infectious enteritis may trigger the development of persistent IBS symptoms, and the identification of mucosal immune, neural, endocrine, microbiological, and intestinal permeability abnormalities. Growing evidence suggests that these factors ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Chronic heart failure (HF) is a cardiovascular disease of cardinal importance because of several factors: a) an increasing occurrence due to the aging of the population, primary and secondary prevention...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Mammals possess multiple insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding proteins (IGFBPs), and related proteins, that modulate the activity of insulin/IGF signalling (IIS), a conserved neuroendocrine signalling...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background:Increasing evidence shows the importance of young age, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) status, and HER-2 expression in patients with breast cancers.Patients...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundDiagnostic delay in patients with tuberculosis (TB) leads to ongoing TB transmission, higher mortality rates and increased patient and government health expenditure. Qualitative...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Circadian clock is implicated in the regulation of aging. The transcription factor CLOCK, a core component of the circadian system, operates in complex with another circadian clock protein BMAL1. Recently...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

IntroductionColonoscopic perforation is a rare but serious complication of colonoscopy. Factors known to increase the risk of perforation include colonic strictures, extensive diverticulosis,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We report herein that trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) is oncogenic and mediates anti-estrogen resistance in human mammary carcinoma. Forced expression of TFF3 in mammary carcinoma cells increased cell proliferation...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Effect of single and chronic irradiation on factors of hamsters natural immunity such as complement, lysozyme and antibodies in norm and in the cestode invasion has been investigated. Significant phase changes in the complement activity level, lysozyme content and specific antibodies tite have been shown to occur in hamster blood under the influence of ionizing radiation. Cestode invasion in irradiated host organism increases the negative effect of ionizing radiation on the hamster immyne system.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Although trefoil factor 1 (TFF1; previously named pS2) is abnormally expressed in about 50% of human breast tumors, its physiopathological role in this disease has been poorly studied. Moreover,...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effects of temperature and the use of macroreticular resins were studied in lithium isotope separation by an ion-exchange method. The isotope separation factors obtained decreased by increasing the temperature, and the factors for macroreticular resins were identical with those for the usual gel-type resins. However, the performance of isotope separation per unit band length in displacement chromatography was found to be improved by increasing the temperature and using macroreticular resins, because accelerating the interphase mass transfer caused the reduction of HETP (Height Equivalent to a Theoretical Plate).

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The authors developed a method, termed an H-blot, by which the poly(A) tract of any specific mRNA may be detected by RNA filter hybridization after its removal from the body of the mRNA by a RNase H-catalyzed endonucleolytic cleavage in the 3' untranslated region. Using this method, they studied the modulation of the length of the poly(A) tract of rat vasopressin mRNA in vivo during changes in the levels of this mRNA resulting from a physiologic stimulus, osmotic stress. The poly(A) tract of hypothalamic vasopressin mRNA in hydrated rats was, quite remarkably, --250 nucleotides in length, in contrast to that of somatostatin mRNA, which was --30 nucleotides long. Vasopressin mRNA poly(A) tail length increased progressively from --250 to --400 nucleotides with the application of the hyperosmotic stimulus and declined to base line after its removal; somatostatin mRNA poly(A) tail length did not change during osmotic stress. The poly(A) tract length of total ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used for relieving chronic pain in patients that have been through other existing options. The septum has been one of the targets for such treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the inhibitory effect of electrical stimulation in the medial septum diagonal band of broca (MSDB) on neuronal activity in the spinal cord of rats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital. While unilaterally stimulating the MSDB, wide dynamic range neurons in the lumbar region of the spinal cord were recorded in response to graded mechanical stimulation of the hind paws (brush, pressure, and pinch). Stimulation was at 1, 5, 10, and 20V, at 100Hz, and 0.1ms duration. Significant bilateral reduction was observed in response to pressure (ipsilaterally: 0.90+/-0.05, 0....

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

"1"2"9I global distribution due to biogeochemical cycle in environment reservoirs has been studied. It is shown that during the operation of nuclear fuel cycle facilities and at a modern level of the decontamination factor the "1"2"9I concentration in some natural media (soil, the Earth biosphere, ocean mixing layer) will increase by 4-5 orders. Recommended gradual increase of the decontamnation factor in time for conserving the "1"2"9I concentration level not exceeding one order in comparison with modern one is given. At that to the end fof the centary the decontamination factor must be of an order of 1x10"4 in the case of "1"2"9I intake to the ocean mixing layer and of 1x10"5 in the case of its intake to the atmosphere.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Increased levels of epidermal growth factor receptor have been reported in a variety of tumors, including pulmonary squamous cell carcinomas in man. The purpose of this study was to determine if increased levels of epidermal growth factor (EGFR) were present in lung tumors from Beagle dogs that had been exposed to "2"3"9PuO_2- Using immunohistochemical techniques, sections from 17 lung tumors were examined for the presence of EGFR. Seven of the tumors were strongly positive for EGFR; the remainder of the tumors and the normal lung sections were negative. The positive immunostaining could not be correlated with the histologic phenotype of the tumors. Work is in progress to determine the level of EGFR in preneoplastic, proliferative epithelial foci in the Iung. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Based on the Weinberg-Salam theory, the competition of the Neutrino Energy Loss (NEL) rates due to the pair, photo- and plasma process are canvassed. The ratio factor C1, C2 and C3 which correspond the different contributions of the pair, photo- and plasma neutrino process to those of the total NEL rates are accurately taken into account. The ratio factors are very sensitive to the temperature and density. The ratio factor C2 always is lower than the ratio factor C1 and C3. The pair NEL process is the dominant contribution before the crossed point O(C1=C3=0.45) and the plasma NEL process will be the main dominant contribution after the crossed point O. With increasing temperature, the crossed point O will move to the direction of higher density. (authors)

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The properties of negative-ion beams are very important for designing negative-ion apparatus and applications of negative-ion beams, especially, electron detachment cross-sections at the interaction between negative-ion beams and gas particles in the transport system, and secondary-electron emission factors when negative ions are incident on solid surfaces. These properties of negative-ion beams were investigated experimentally as a function of the ion energy under 50 keV. The single electron detachment cross-sections are almost constant in the other of 10[sup -15] cm[sup 2] in this energy range, but double electron detachment cross-sections increase in proportion to the ion velocity and much smaller than the single one. As for the secondary-electron emission factor, the emission factors for negative-ion beam are found to be larger by 1 than those for positive-ion beams. (author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The heat transfer a characteristics and friction factor in the horizontal double pipes of flat tubes with full length helical screw element of different twist ratio and helical screw inserts with different spacer length are investigated. Cold and hot water are used as working fluid in tube side and shell side respectively. The experiments covered a range of Reynolds numbers 5.7x102Re1.31x103. The effect of spacer length on the heat transfer augmentation and friction factor and the effect of twist ratio on heat transfer augmentation and friction factor have been presented separately. The study shows that, the Nusslet number (Nu) and friction factor (f) decrease with the increase of S or Y for flat tube. The comparison between the data of present plain circular with that of previous plain ci...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bone marrow is one of the most radiosensitive organs. Irradiation causes a marked decrease in the total number of hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow. The reticular meshwork structure of marrow stromal cells, however, is relatively resistant to irradiation. Unimpaired stromal cell structure has been thought to be a prerequisite for the repopulation of hematopoietic cells during recovery from the effects of irradiation. The reticular framework is maintained by cell adhesion apparatuses such as gap junctions. The in vitro radiobiologic survival values of a cloned stromal cell line, H-1/A, were studied (n = 1.8, D0 = 138 cGy). Radiation doses of up to 4000 cGy had no detectable effects on the production of colony-stimulating factor 1. H-1/A cells communicate with each other via gap junctions as determined by the sensitive dye-transfer method. Gap-junctional communication between H-1/A cells was resistant to different levels of irradiation (500 ...

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The US Department of Energy (DOE) sponsors an extensive research program to improve the methods, dosimeters, and instruments available to DOE facilities for measuring neutron dose and assessing its effects on the work force. The Total Dose Meter was recently developed for measuring in real time the adsorbed dose of mixed neutron and gamma radiation and for calculating the dose equivalent. The Field Neutron Spectrometer was developed to provide a portable instrument for determining neutron spectra in the workplace for flux-to-dose equivalent conversion and quality factor calculation. The Combination Thermoluminescence/Track Etch Dosimeter (TLD/TED) was developed to extend the effective neutron energy range of the conventional TLDs to improve detection of fast-energy neutrons. An Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeter is presently being developed for application to gamma, neutron, and beta radiation. An Effective Dose Equivalent System is ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The inducible transcription factor NF-#kappa#B regulates divergent signaling pathways including inflammatory response and cancer development. Selective inhibitors for NF-#kappa#B signaling are potentially useful for treatment of inflammation and cancer. NF-#kappa#B is canonically activated by preferential disposal of its inhibitory protein; I#kappa#B, which suppresses the nuclear translocation of NF-#kappa#B. I#kappa#B#alpha# (a major member of I#kappa#B family proteins) is phosphorylated with an I#kappa#B kinase (IKK) and subsequently polyubiquitylated by SCF"#beta#"T"r"C"P"1 ubiquitin-ligase in the presence of E1 and E2 prior to proteasomal degradation. Here, we describe a novel inhibitor termed GS143, which suppressed I#kappa#B#alpha# ubiquitylation, but not I#kappa#B#alpha# phosphorylation, MDM2-directed p53 ubiquitylation, and proteasome activity in vitro. GS143 markedly suppressed the destruction of I#kappa#B#alpha# stimulated by ...

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Experimental investigation of heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of circular tube fitted with full-length helical screw element of different twist ratio, and helical screw inserts with spacer length 100, 200, 300 and 400mm have been studied with uniform heat flux under laminar flow condition. The experimental data obtained are verified with those obtained from plain tube published data. The effect of spacer length on heat transfer augmentation and friction factor, and the effect of twist ratio on heat transfer augmentation and friction factor have been presented separately. The decrease in Nusselt number for the helical twist with spacer length is within 10% for each subsequent 100mm increase in spacer length. The decrease in friction factor is nearly two times lower than the full length helical twist at low Reynolds number, and four times lower than the full length ...

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Finland has some 10 million hectares of peatland, accounting for almost a third of its total area. Macroclimatic conditions have varied in the course of the Holocene growth and development of this peatland, and with them the habitats of the peat-forming plants. Temperatures and moisture conditions have played a significant role in determining the dominant species of mire plants growing there at any particular time, the resulting mire types and the accumulation and deposition of plant remains to form the peat. While in a natural state the mires of Finland have functioned as carbon dioxide sinks throughout the post-glacial period, but the ditching of peatland for forestry and agriculture, amounting to some 5,7 million hectares in Finland, has affected their water balance, especially over the last hundred years, and has thereby altered the quantity and species composition of the mire vegetation. The invasion of trees and woody plants to replace the typical mire plants following ditching ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The central nervous system regulates peripheral immune responses via the vagus nerve, the primary neural component of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. Electrical stimulation of the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Purpose.Since 2002, six blind patients have undergone implantation of an epiretinal 4 × 4 electrode array designed to directly stimulate the remaining cells of the retina...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is efficacious in treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the impact of STN-DBS on the progression...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Pain caused by chronic pancreatitis is medically intractable and resistant to conventional interventional or surgical treatment. We report a case of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for intractable pain...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The phagocytic and killing abilities of heifer mammary gland macrophages (M phi) and neutrophils were evaluated after exposure to recombinant bovine interferon-gamma (rBoIFN-gamma) stimulation in vitro....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Auditory fear conditioning with tone bursts followed by electric leg stimulation activates neurons not only in the auditory and somatosensory systems but also in many other regions of the brain and...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Behavioral responses to labellar stimulation with 19 L-amino acids were predicted on the basis of electrophysiological responses of largest labellar hairs. With the exceptions alanine, aspartic...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This study examined the hypothesis that solid surfaces may stimulate attached bacteria to produce exopolymers. Addition of sand to shake-flask cultures seemed to induce exopolymer synthesis by a number...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The report addresses the application of reverse osmosis to the treatment of radioactive liquid waste, focusing on the effects of non-radioactive cations and anions, existing in radioactive waste, on the removal of radioactive nuclides. The bivalent cations are generally about ten times as high in decontamination factor as monovalent ones. In the case of anions, the factor of SO{sub 4}{sup 2-} is about ten times that of Cl{sup -} while that of NO{sub 3}{sup -} is somewhat smaller than that of Cl{sup -}. During permeation through membrane, anions tend to accompany cations, and the decontamination factor of accompanying ions is found to increase with that of the paring ions. These results indicate that if one can select components that will remain in the liquid waste, one should consider their effects on the efficiency of its treatment. Furthermore, the interaction between two anions or between two cations ...

Science.gov (United States)

Experience in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility has led to an increased understanding of the prominent role male factors play in many couples' inability to conceive. While many forms of male factor infertility are amenable to treatment, for some patients there is no corrective therapy available. For this reason, a great deal of attention has been focused on developing technologies for semen processing and sperm utilization in cases of decreased semen quality. One area of research is the development of more sophisticated methods of assessing sperm function, as well as methods of sperm preparation. Progress is also being made in the application of technologies such as intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization in the treatment of male factor infertility. Such developments have improved prospects for fertility among patients suffering from decreased semen quality, as well as those ...

Science.gov (United States)

... Considering these observations, it is most likely that Brucela proteins involved in protective immunity will preferentially stimulate INF-g producing T ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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The objective of this research is to study the effects of elevated ozone, carbon dioxide and their combination on ultrastructural, physiological and biochemical responses of Scots pine needles and how these effects are reflected to photosynthesis, carbohydrate and nutrient allocation and finally to shoot and root growth of trees. In addition the interactions of the studied trees and mycorrhizal fungi as well as insect herbivores are studied. The exposures have been running only for two growing periods and it seems necessary to continue the experiment over the third growing season in 1996. Since the analyses are partially incomplete, only preliminary conclusions are possible at the moment. The slightly increased shoot growth and needle width and increased amount of starch in chloroplasts point to the slight stimulating effect of elevated CO{sub 2} among the chamber treatments. Altogether the growth of the seedlings was best ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The unsteady flow and heat transfer are simulated using LES and DNS for a channel with two angled ribs as a vee-shaped vortex generator to augment heat transfer. The vortex generators are attached on the bottom wall of the channel and their angles in respect to the main flow are between 10"o and 30"o. The Prandtl number is 0.71 and the Reynolds numbers based on the inflow velocity and the height of channel are from 200 to 2000. Based on the results of this work, the variations of the Nusselt number, pressure coefficient, bulk temperature, friction factor and Colburn factor with the Reynolds numbers and the incidence angles are provided. The relation between the key parameters of the velocity (friction factor f) and thermal (Colburn factor J) boundary layers is calculated for all cases and their values are compared with the predicted values by the Chilton-Colburn analogy. A comparison between the DNS and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Measurements of the humeral cortical thickness demonstrate that generalised osteoporosis in female Bantu commences in the fifth decade and gradually increases until, in the ninth decade, all subjects are osteoporotic. The combined cortical thickness (CCT) of the humerus in young adults is very similar to that found previously in a white London population and the loss of cortex with age is very similar. It is concluded that the known low incidence of femoral neck fracture in Bantu is not due to a lower incidence of generalised osteoporosis but to environmental factors. The chief environmental factor postulated is the greater amount of physical work performed by the Bantu. A more careful mode of walking is suggested as a subsidiary cause. (orig.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We used the recuperation effect (see also 'Recuperation of infrared stimulated luminescence of feldspars' in this issue) for investigating the connection between infrared- and greenlight-stimulated luminescence (IRSL and GLSL) of feldspars by performing a 'double-bleach recuperation' experiment. A diode system was used for infrared (IR) stimulation, and a filtered-light unit for greenlight (GL) stimulation. Powdered feldspar samples (2 mg each) of known chemical characterisation from a mineral collection were used. After beta-irradiation with 180 Gy and storage in the dark for several weeks feldspar aliquots were bleached down to a residual level of {approx}1% of the initial level, first with IR and subsequently with GL. For both stimulations, detection of the stimulated luminescence was carried out in the near ultraviolet ...

Science.gov (United States)

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 (PGC-1), a cold-inducible coactivator of nuclear receptors, stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration in muscle cells. In the present study, we first cloned a rat PGC-1 gene from a brown adipose tissue cDNA library which encodes a predicted 796-amino-acid protein and exhibits respectively 98% and 95% identity with the mouse and human homologues. Next, we examined the effect of swimming exercise training on the level of expression of the PGC-1 gene in rat epitrochlearis (Epi) muscle. PGC-1 mRNA level in Epi muscle in rats that swam 2 h a day for 3 and 7 days increased dramatically by 154% and 163%, respectively, compared to the non-exercised control group. PGC-1 mRNA up-regulation was not observed in an immersion group treated at 35 degrees C during the training program but without swimming exercise. These results demonstrate that expression of the PGC-1 gene in Epi muscle ...

Science.gov (United States)

Ecopa, the European Consensus Platform on 3R-Alternatives, is an international not-for-profit organization that wants to stimulate the development of 3R-alternatives, increase awareness among the public, scientists and regulatory bodies, and help their implementation into the different national legislations. This is done by networking and bringing together National Consensus Platforms on 3R-alternatives. Consensus means that all parties concerned are represented, namely, animal welfare, industry, academia, and governmental institutions. Actually, 14 Member State Platforms exist. Fully complying with the criteria, set by ecopa, are the platforms of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Under development are the platforms of Denmark, Norway, and Poland. To reach its goals, ecopa uses conventional scientific tools such as workshops and meetings but it ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Sam68 (Src-associated protein in mitosis 68-kDa) is a multifunctional protein, known to govern cellular signal transduction, transcription, RNA metabolism, proliferation, apoptosis, and HIV-1 replication. Although intrinsic mechanisms that modulate Sam68 function are beginning to emerge, the regulatory events contributing to its expression remain elusive. We previously reported that heat shock protein-22 (Hsp22) antagonizes Sam68 function in rev-response element (RRE)-mediated gene expression. We now demonstrate that Sam68 levels correlate inversely with Hsp22 in a variety of cells, including U87, Jurkat, 293T, and U-937. In U87 glioblastoma cells, which contained high levels of Hsp22 than other cell lines tested, Hsp22 knockdown dramatically increased both Sam68 mRNA and protein,...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The report addresses the application of reverse osmosis to the treatment of radioactive liquid waste, focusing on the effects of non-radioactive cations and anions, existing in radioactive waste, on the removal of radioactive nuclides. The bivalent cations are generally about ten times as high in decontamination factor as monovalent ones. In the case of anions, the factor of SO_4"2"- is about ten times that of Cl"- while that of NO_3"- is somewhat smaller than that of Cl"-. During permeation through membrane, anions tend to accompany cations, and the decontamination factor of accompanying ions is found to increase with that of the paring ions. These results indicate that if one can select components that will remain in the liquid waste, one should consider their effects on the efficiency of its treatment. Furthermore, the interaction between two anions or between two cations can be approximated by a ...

Science.gov (United States)

We present a Poincare covariant Faddeev equation, which enables the simultaneous prediction of meson and baryon observables using the leading order in a truncation of the Dyson-Schwinger equations that can systematically be improved. The solution describes a nucleon's dressed-quark core. The evolution of the nucleon mass with current-quark mass is discussed. A nucleon-photon current, which can produce nucleon form factors with realistic Q{sup 2} evolution, is described. Axial-vector diquark correlations lead to a neutron Dirac form factor that is negative, with r{sub 1}{sup nu}>r{sub 1}{sup nd}. The proton electric-magnetic form factor ratio falls with increasing Q{sup 2}.

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Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) exhibits specific binding to the extracellular matrix (ECM) produced by cultured endothelial cells. Binding was saturable as a function both of time and of concentration of {sup 125}I-bFGF. Scatchard analysis of FGF binding revealed the presence of about 1.5 x 10{sup 12} binding sites/mm{sup 2} ECM with an apparent k{sub D} of 610 nM. FGF binds to heparan sulfate (HS) in ECM as evidenced by (i) inhibition of binding in the presence of heparin or HS at 0.1-1 {mu}g/mL, but not by chondroitin sulfate, keratan sulfate, or hyaluronic acid at 10 {mu}g/mL, (ii) lack of binding to ECM pretreated with heparitinase, but not with chondroitinase ABC, and (iii) rapid release of up to 90% of ECM-bound FGF by exposure to heparin, HS, or heparitinase, but not to chondroitin sulfate, keratan sulfate, hyaluronic acid, or chondroitinase ABC. Oligosaccharides derived from depolymerized heparin, and as small as the tetrasaccharide, released the ...

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 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the hypothetical event of a severe accident in a Light Water Reactor, scenarios in which the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) fails and the core melt mixture (called corium) relocates into the reactor cavity, cannot be excluded. The viscosity (in fact, corium rheological behaviour) plays a major role in many phenomena such as core melt down, discharge from reactor pressure vessel, interaction with structural materials (concrete,...) and spreading in a core-catcher. For these reasons, it is important to be able to predict the rheological behaviour of corium melts of different compositions (essentially based on UO{sub 2}, ZrO{sub 2}, Fe{sub x}O{sub y} and Fe for in-vessel scenarios, plus SiO{sub 2} and CaO for ex-vessel scenarios) at temperatures above solidus temperature. In the case of corium-concrete mixtures, the increase of viscosity depends not only on the increase of particles in the melts but also on the increase of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The biomedical and ecological interest for the microwave impact on the Earth biosphere is continuously increased since the industrial, military and communication activities strongly contribute to the electromagnetic stress of living bodies. In the next the authors present some of the main results obtained regarding the microwave exposure of various types of biological material: bacteria, fungi, young plant seedlings, dry seeds, animal tissues. The electromagnetic exposure was carried out in open space in well controlled environmental conditions by using 10.75 GHz/1 m W cm{sup -2} microwaves. Biochemical assays and cytogenetic tests have been carried out to reveal the changes induced post irradiation. The response of some pathogen bacteria, have been emphasized by means of turbidimetric measurements - the stimulatory effect being noticed at the level of the microbial population density (the stimulation of the human body microbial flora seems to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The dependence was determined of the decontamination factor ratio found in the presence of a carrier and in a carrier-free system on carrier concentration at different concentrations of a complexing agent in a solution. Bearing balls were used as contamination materials while a mixture of "1"5"2Eu and "1"5"4Eu isotopes was used as a contaminant, citric acid in a concentration of 5x10"-"3 to 1x10"-"1 mol/dm"3 as a complexing agent, and Eu, lanthanum and aluminium at a concentration range of 1x10"-"5 to 1x10"-"2 mol/dm"3 as carriers. While no increase in the decontamination factor was found for aluminium, a considerable increase was observed in the isotopic and homologic carriers and the concentration dependence of the carrier reached the maximum. An equation was derived explaining the effect by the isotope exchange between the contaminant and the carrier and by the reaction between the carrier and the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adsorption by activated red mud (ARM) is investigated as a possible alternative to the conventional methods of Cr(VI) removal from aqueous synthetic solutions and industrial effluents. Adsorption characteristics suggest the heterogenous nature of the adsorbent surface sites with respect to the energy of adsorption. Various factors such as pH, contact time, Cr(VI) concentration, amount of adsorbent, and temperature are taken into account, and promising results are obtained. The applicability of the Langmuir as well as Freundlich adsorption isotherms for the present system is tested. The loading factor (i.e., milligrams Cr(VI) adsorbed per gram of ARM) increased with initial Cr(VI) concentration, whereas a negative trend was observed with increasing temperature. The influence of the addition of anions on the adsorption of Cr(VI) depends on the relative affinity of the anions for the surface and the ...

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Ammonia gas (NH{sub 3}) has been used as a nitrogen source for plasma source ion implantation processing of electroplated chromium. No evidence was found of increased hydrogen concentrations in the bulk material, implying that ammonia can be used without risking hydrogen embrittlement. The retained nitrogen dose of 2.1 {times} 10{sup 17} N-at/cm{sup 2} is sufficient to increase the surface hardness of electroplated Cr by 24% and decrease the wear rate by a factor of 4.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this experiments, we established long-termed culture methods of bone marrow stromal cells for proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. And we selected some extracts which support maximal proliferation of stromal cells with this method. We conformed the synergic effects of herval mixture extracts for stromal cell growth. The proliferation of stromal cells was increased rather by the addition of mixture extracts than by addition of single strain extract. In the previous and cooperative experiments, we selected complex extracts which increased the number of nonadherent mononuclear cells. Different cytokine expression patterns were observed stromal cells cultured in the presence or absence of mixture extracts which support differentiation of nonadherent cells. Stimulation of macrophage cell line with herval extracts with the treatments of recombinant interferon-{gamma} resulted in increased ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The main objective of this paper is to identify conditions which affect public concern (either increase or decrease) and political acceptance for developing and implementing programmes for geologic disposal of long-lived radioactive waste. It also looks how citizens and relevant actors can be associated in the decision making process in such a way that their input is enriching the outcome towards a more socially robust and sustainable solution. Finally, it aims at learning from the interaction how to optimise risk management addressing needs and expectations of the public and of other relevant stakeholders. In order to meet these objectives, factors of relevance for societal acceptance conditions are identified, described and analysed. Subsequently these factors are looked for in the real world of nuclear waste management through cases in several countries. The analysis is conducted for six stages of a repository programme ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermoluminescence are observed in polycrystalline RbMgF3:Eu2+ after x-ray, ?-ray, or ? irradiation. The main electron traps are F-centers but there are other unidentified traps. The main hole traps at room temperature are probably Eu3+ and thermal or optical stimulation leads to electron-hole recombination at the Eu3+ site and Eu2+ emissions arising from 6PJ to 8S7/2 and 4f5d(Eg) to 8S7/2 transitions. We find that some of the electron traps can be emptied by infrared stimulation and all of the electron traps can be emptied by white light stimulation. The OSL dark decay is long and exceeds 5 days for traps that are emptied by white light stimulation after initial infrared bleaching. Our results show that this compound can be used as a radiation dosimeter for intermediate dose levels where the 87Rb self-dose does not significantly affect ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this study based on the mass transfer theory, experiments for the evaporation rates depending on various conditions were carried out through the operation of the existing Natural Evaporation Facility in KAERI. Evaporation media were made of the cotton and polyester. Air circulation in the facility was forced by exhausting fans. The evaporation rate and the decontamination factor were calculated by the result of experiment. The evaporation rate increased as the flow rate of air supply, the feed rate of liquid waste, and the temperature of supplied air increased. As for the humility of supplied air, the evaporation rate was getting higher as the humidity was getting lower. As the result of this study, operation conditions of the Natural Evaporation Facility are optimized as follows; The air temperature above 8C .deg., the air humidity below 70%, the air flow rate 1.14-1.47 m/sec, and the liquid waste feed rate 4.6l/hr.m"2. ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Purpose.To report the increased production of extracellular transforming growth factor β-induced protein (TGFBIp) by human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) after induction...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In clause it is shown a method optimization of brake of forces in view of a bias road it is established, that in mountain conditions of loss of coupling weight of automobiles than 2-3 times concerning flat conditions therma are more. The degree of use of coupling weight in result use of a regulator of brake forces very much increases also efficiency of brake systems such a kind of automobiles is provided with definition of optimum factor of coupling at which value of loss of coupling weight is provided minimal

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundTristetraprolin (TTP/ZFP36) family proteins have anti-inflammatory activity by binding to and destabilizing pro-inflammatory mRNAs such as Tnf mRNA, and represent a potential...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The most propagated mechanisms of stimulated radiation of electron beam such as Cherenkov one-particle and collective effects, ondulator and magnetic bremsshrahlung radiations, Doppler anomalous effect, Thompson and Raman scattering and radiation are discussed. Relation of spontaneous radiation mechanisms of individual electron and stimulated radiation effects in electron beams has been elucidated, grounds of linear electrodynamics of radiative beam instabilities are stated, and main mechanisms of their nonlinear stabilization are elucidated as well. Various simulated processes in electron beams are considered from the unique point of view using a simple mathematical apparatus and such physical laws as conservation and Newton laws.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the Energy Balance Analysis Model (Standard Review Plan (USNRC, 1981), Section 3.6.2, ''Determination of Rupture Locations and Dynamic Effects Associated with the Postulated Rupture of Piping''), time dependence is not considered, and a constant blowdown thrust force is assumed. This force includes an amplification factor of 1.1 to account for potential effects of rebound. Many of the assumptions used in establishing the acceptance criteria, as stated in the Standard Review Plan, were based on engineering judgment and logic intended to assure upper bound design rather than on a mechanistic assessment of actual pipe rupture phenomena and their effects. As a result of the current practice an exceedingly conservative design may be introduced. This report represents a parametric study of the amplification factor to account for rebound effects in the Energy Balance Method. Of the 71 distinct cases we chose for ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The rejection thresholds of Phormia regina Meigen for twenty-four glycols have been determined. A definite relationship between the concentration of the test material and the distribution...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... Secondly, the electrode- tissue interface may have ... stimulation of the optic nerve in a ... Ocular Electronic Vision Prosthesis, Australasian Ophthalmic ...

Science.gov (United States)

INAA (instrumental neutron activation analysis) analyses have been made of subsamples of each OSL (Optically stimulated luminescence) sample, for dosimetry ...

Science.gov (United States)

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a synthetic medium is stimulated by the presence of glycine. Methionine enhances this stimulation but will not substitute for glycine as a stimulator of cyanogenesis. Threonine and phenylalanine are effective substitutes for glycine in the stimulation of HCN production. Glycine, threonine, and serine are good radioisotope precursors of HCN, but methionine and phenylalanine are not. Cell extracts of P. aeruginosa convert (/sup 14/C)threonine to (/sup 14/C)glycine. H14CN is produced with low dilution of label from either (1-/sup 14/C)glycine or (2-/sup 14/C)glycine, indicating a randomization of label either in the primary or secondary metabolism of glycine. When whole cells were fed (1,2-/sup 14/C)glycine, cyanide and bicarbonate were the only radioactive extracellular products observed.

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

No abstract prepared.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stimulated bremsstrahlung in an undulating electric field in the lasing beam direction (electric wiggler) was shown to be possible from the quantum- mechanical viewpoint. Herein, this possibility is scrutinized from the viewpoint of classical electrodynamics. It is found that if stimulated bremsstrahlung in a transverse undulating magnetic field (magnetic wiggler) occurs, stimulated bremsstrahlung in the electric wiggler must also occur. We further show that a free electron laser (FEL) using a magnetic wiggler to provide a catalyzer field for stimulated bremsstrahlung cannot serve as a practical FEL operating in the soft x-ray region from both theoretical and experimental viewpoints. On the other hand, the authors demonstrate that the FEL using a traveling wake field in a two-beam elliptical pill-box cavity is well suited as a source of coherent radiation in the soft x-ray region.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Increase in power utility loads in industrialized countries, as well as developing countries, demands a higher level of transmission line voltage. Radio interference (RI) problems have been determined to be a limiting factor in selecting the size of transmission line conductors. Transmission line noise is primarily caused by corona discharges in the immediate vicinity of the conductor. It has been observed that discharges occur during both half-cycles of the applied voltage, but positive corona is usually predominant at AM radio frequencies range with practical high-voltage and extra high-voltage transmission lines. The corona radio noise effect is highly dependent upon the presence of particles on the surface of the conductor and the increase of the electrical gradient beyond the breakdown value of the air. Therefore, corona radio noise varies significantly with the weather and atmospheric conditions and generally ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The factors influencing premixed burning and the importance of premixed burning on the exhaust emissions from a small high-speed direct-injection diesel engine were investigated. The characteristics of premixed and diffusion burning were examined using a single-zone heat-release analysis. The mass of fuel burned in premixed combustion was found to be linearly related to the product of engine speed and ignition-delay time and to be essentially independent of the total amount of fuel injected. Accordingly, the premixed-burned fraction increased with increasing engine speed, with decreasing fuel-air ratio and with retarding injection timing. The hydrocarbon emissions did not correlate well with the premixed-burned fraction. In contrast, the oxides of nitrogen emissions were found to increase with decreasing premixed-burned fraction, indicating that diffusion burning, and not premixed burning, is the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The key factors of enzymatic lysis of cells are the interaction between the enzyme and the cell - catalytic and non-catalytic adsorption of enzyme on cell surface. Here, the studies of lysis of intact Escherichia coli cells by chicken egg white lysozyme were performed. It was found that the ionic strength has a dual effect onto the system. On the one hand, the desorption constant of the enzyme increases with the increase of the solution ionic strength, which results in a better enzyme performance. On the other hand, due to the higher osmosis, the cell lysis rate decreases with the increasing of ionic strength of the system. It was found that pH 8.6 and 30mM NaCl are optimal conditions for lysis of E. coli cells by lysozyme.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Cognitive decline has been described in elderly patients with schizophrenia, but the underlying pathology remains unknown. Some studies report increases in plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, but there is no evidence for an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in elderly schizophrenics. Models of a decreased cerebral reserve suggest that increases in AD-related neuropathology below the threshold for a neuropathological diagnosis could be related to dementia severity in elderly schizophrenia patients. We tested this hypothesis in 110 autopsy specimens of schizophrenia patients, without a neuropathological diagnosis of AD or other neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, we assessed the effects of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) status, a known genetic risk factor for AD. Measures of densit...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoogenstraaten's heating rate method has generally been considered as a reliable method for determining thermoluminescence trapping parameters of first order glow peaks. However, experience has shown that in some cases the deviation between the heating rate method and glow curve fitting method can be quite significant (considering only the linear part of the heating rate plot, of course). In this study it is shown that one of the main reasons for this deviation can be a systematic increase of a temperature lag between the measured and real temperature of the sample with increasing heating rate. It appears that this systematic increase of the temperature lag affects the method in the range of low heating rates (linear part of the heating rates plots) more than has been previously realised. The effect of the temperature lag on Hoogenstraaten's heating rate method is a decrease in activation energy and frequency ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The genetically significant dose (GSD) is an index variable which exclusively allows to describe the genetic risk in the progeny of a population due to the application of ionizing radiation and radioactive substances in one part of this population. It may result in wrong interpretation of population exposure at increasing incidence of examinations in a population involving ionizing radiation and radioactive drugs at simultaneously increasing application of alternative methods in children and adolescents owing to the fact that it indicates a downward trend although somatic exposure of this population has increased. Therefore, it is recommended to state both the GSD and the level of somatic radiation exposure of the population taken from the individual sources for the comparison and assessment of radiation exposure from various sources in future. Although the somatically significant dose constitutes the suitable variable ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Environmental factors, phytoplankton biomass (Chl a) and primary production of two water areas in Daya Bay (Dapeng'ao Bay and Aotou Bay) were investigated during the transition period from spring to summer. Chl a ranged from 3.20 to 13.62 and 13.43 to 26.49 mg m"-"3 in Dapeng'ao Bay and Aotou Bay respectively, if data obtained during red tides are excluded. Primary production varied between 239.7 and 1001.4 mgC m"-"2 d"-"1 in Dapeng'ao Bay. The regional distribution of Chl a and primary production were mostly consistent from spring to summer in both bays. Seasonal transition characters have been found in Daya Bay from spring to summer, including high values of DO, nitrate and silicate. Size structures of phytoplankton and its primary production do not change very much from spring to summer, with micro-phytoplankton dominating and contributing about 50% of the whole. In Daya Bay, phytoplankton is limited by nitrogen in spring, and by phosphate in summer. Artificial ...

Science.gov (United States)

Breakdowns occurring in rf accelerating structures will limit the ultimate performance of future linear colliders such as the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC). Because of the similarity of many aspects of dc and rf breakdown, a dc breakdown study is underway at CERN to better understand the vacuum breakdown mechanism in a simple setup. Measurements of the field enhancement factor ? show that the local breakdown field is constant and depends only on the electrode material. With copper electrodes, the local breakdown field is around 10.8GV/m, independent of the gap distance. The ? value characterizes the electrode surface state, and the next macroscopic breakdown field can be well predicted. In breakdown rate experiments, where a constant field is applied to the electrodes, clusters of consecutive breakdowns alternate with quiet periods. The occurrence and lengths of these clusters and quiet periods depend on the evolution of ?. The application of a high field can even ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In 2003, Vehicle Emissions Team of the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) decided to explore ways to reduce vehicle emissions such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons from diesel engines. One of the options for reducing emissions from diesel engines, a diesel particulate filter (DPF), is the subject of a demonstration project to test the effectiveness of the Johnson Matthey diesel particulate filter called Continuously Regenerating Technology (CRT) under cold weather conditions. The project involved filter testing between January 2003 and January 2004 on two diesel buses in Edmonton Transit System's (ETS) fleet. Vehicle exhaust emissions were tested for total hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter. The objectives of the project were to: prove the effectiveness of DPF under cold weather conditions in Alberta; provide an opportunity for hands-on installation experience and use of CRT ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In order to demonstrate possible specific effects of microwaves at the cellular level V-79 Chinese hamster cells were exposed to 2.45-GHz radiation at power levels of 20-200 mW/cm2 and at specific absorption rates of 10-100 mW/g. Intracellular cytoplasmic changes were observed by fluorescence polarization using a method based on the intracellular enzymatic hydrolysis of nonfluorescent fluorescein diacetate (FDA). At levels of absorbed energy below 90 J/g, modifications of microviscosity and mitochondrial state were absent, but a slight stimulation of enzymatic hydrolysis of FDA was observed which may be explained by microwave-induced alterations of cellular membranes possibly due to differences in heating pattern of microwaves compared to water-bath heating. At levels of absorbed energy above 90 J/g, the decrease of enzymatic hydrolysis of FDA, increase in degree of polarization, and increase of permeation of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The presence of soluble sulfide in produced water results in problems for the petroleum industry due to its toxicity, odor, corrosive nature, and potential for wellbore plugging. Sulfide oxidation by indigenous nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB) present in brine collected from wells at the Coleville Unit (CVU) in Saskatchewan, Canada, was investigated. Sulfide oxidation took place readily when nitrate and phosphate were added to brine enrichment cultures, resulting in a decrease in sulfide levels of 99-165 ppm to nondetectable levels (< 3.3 ppm). Produced water collected from a number of producing wells was screened to determine the time required for complete sulfide oxidation, in order to select candidate wells for treatment. Three wells were chosen, based on sulfide removal in 48 hours or less. These wells were treated down the backside of the annulus with a solution containing 10 mM KNO{sub 3} and 100 {mu}M NaH{sub 2}PO{sub 4}. Following a 24- to 72-hour shut-in, reductions in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The /sup 13/C-AP breath test is shown to be a convenient, noninvasive method to monitor velocity and capacity of P450-dependent AP N-demethylation in infancy and childhood. According to /sup 13/C-AP breath tests, neonates have a very low capacity to eliminate /sup 13/CO/sub 2/, which is only 15 to 21% of the activity in adults. During the first year of life AP N-demethylation increases to reach its maximum at about 2 years; afterwards a slight decrease occurs. In 25 neonates exposed prenatally to different antiepileptic drugs /sup 13/C-AP breath test was efficiently used to prove that cytochrome AP N-demethylation was considerably stimulated. After primidone/phenobarbitone, especially in combination with phenytoin, /sup 13/C elimination reaches and even surpasses the range for older children. Valproate exposure during fetal life is not consistently followed by a significant increase in AP N-demethylation. The enzyme ...

Science.gov (United States)

Cardiac contractile function is dependent on the integrity and function of the sarcolemmal membrane. Swimming exercise training is known to increase cardiac contractile performance. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether a swimming exercise program would alter sarcolemmal enzyme activity, ion flux, and composition in rat hearts. After approximately 11 wk of exercise training, cardiac myosin and actomyosin Ca2+-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activity was significantly higher in exercised rat hearts than in sedentary control rat hearts. Glycogen content was increased in plantaris and gastrocnemius muscles from exercised animals as was succinic dehydrogenase activity in gastrocnemius muscle of exercised rats in comparison to sedentary rat preparations. Sarcolemmal vesicles were isolated from hearts of exercise-trained and control rats. Sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase and K+-p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities, Na+-Ca2+ exchange, and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This study demonstrates amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of the ultraviolet (UV) electroluminescence (EL) from ZnO at #lambda##approx#380 nm in the n-ZnO/ZnO nanodots-SiO_2 composite/p- Al_0_._1_2Ga_0_._8_8N heterojunction light-emitting diode. A SiO_2 layer embedded with ZnO nanodots was prepared on the p-type Al_0_._1_2Ga_0_._8_8N using spin-on coating of SiO_2 nanoparticles followed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZnO. An n-type Al-doped ZnO layer was deposited upon the ZnO nanodots-SiO_2 composite layer also by the ALD technique. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) reveals that the ZnO nanodots embedded in the SiO_2 matrix have diameters of 3-8 nm and the wurtzite crystal structure, which allows the transport of carriers through the thick ZnO nanodots-SiO_2 composite layer. The high quality of the n-ZnO layer was manifested by the well crystallized lattice image in the HRTEM picture and the low-threshold optically pumped stimulated ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Recent studies have shown Y chromosome microdeletions associated with male infertility. The factors responsible for Y chromosome microdeletions in spermatozoa remain unresolved. However, the environmental pollutants are known to damage DNA in differentiating and maturing germ cells in the male reproductive tract. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of seminal hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and its isomers, an environmental pollutant, in 50 fertile and 50 infertile males in relation to semen quality and the incidence of Y chromosome microdeletion in azoospermic factor (AZF) region. As compared to control, an increased HCH level and significantly decreased semen quality were observed in the infertile males. A positive significant association was found between sperm c...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The treatment of peat with the solutions of phosphoric, citric, and oxalic acids in concentrations of 10???4 and 10???2 mol/l at solid phase to liquid ratios of 1: 2.5 and 1: 5 increased the absorption of ammonia by 6.4???39.7%. The absorption of ammonia was higher than the concentration of doping ion-exchange groups by a factor of 5???2000. With the use of EPR and IR spectroscopy, it was found that this phenomenon was caused by the transformation of polyconjugation systems as a result of the interaction of acids with the organic matrix of peat by a macrocoordination mechanism, which also improved the technological characteristics of the resulting sorbents. The absence of the destruction of organic matter with the use of low concentrations of weak acids makes it possible to use these sorbe...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The small pilot facility of a cyclone type suspension incineration system of radioactive waste was set up in order to evaluate the decontamination efficiency of a high efficiency ceramic filter. The evaluation was made by use of "5"4Mn, "5"9Fe, "6"0Co, "6"5Zn and "1"3"7Cs. 1. The decontamination factor by one line of ceramic filter for every species were over 10"5. 2. The decontamination factor increased by one oder when water vapor exists in off-gas. The same tendency was also observed when iron dioxide existed at the incineration of cation exchange resin. (author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) may be used for therapeutic applications. Culture conditions such as the serum source may impact on cell quality and the onset of replicative senescence. We have examined the effect of culturing hMSCs in autologous serum (AS) versus fetal bovine serum (FBS) on factors involved in in vitro replicative senescence. hMSCs from four donors were cultured in 10% FBS or 10% AS until they reached senescence. Cells were harvested at early passage and near senescence to study factors known to be involved in cellular senescence. The number of population doublings till senescence was similar for cells cultured in FBS, but varied greatly for hMSCs cultured in AS. FBS cells accumulated in S phase of cell cycle. This could not be explained by increased express...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Being based on the Segal method, calculation was carried out for the natural uranium nuclear fuel cost with Zircaloy-4 cladding having design parameters of Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant, CANDU-PHWR (Unit 1), currently under construction in Korea aiming at its completion in 1982. An attempt was also made for the sensitivity analysis of each fuel component; i.e., depreciation of fuel manufacturing plant caused by its life time, its load factor, production scale expansion of plant facilities, variations of construction and operating costs of fuel manufacturing plant, fluctuation of interest rates, extent of uranium ore price increases and effect of learning factor. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An easy and simple method for gamma assay of large multi-gamma lines samples was introduced in this work. This method performs the assay using point source calibration. The correction factors for volume and self-attenuation are experimentally deduced from the spectra of different thicknesses samples utilizing the following two simple well known facts: large and small samples of the same homogenous material have identical specific activities; the self-attenuation of gamma line decreases as its energy increases. The method was successfully applied to naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) large samples. This method does not require complicated mathematical procedures. Neither sample matrix data nor detector unit composition is needed.

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ALLEYNE G., HANCOCK C. & HUGHES P. (2011) Chronic and non-communicable diseases: a critical challenge for nurses globally. International Nursing Review58, 328-331 Background:- Chronic and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing and enormous challenge that faces countries across the world. Low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected. Contributory factors:- Three risk factors - tobacco use, poor diet (including excessive alcohol intake) and lack of physical activity - contribute to four major chronic diseases - cardiovascular, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and some cancers, which are responsible for over 50% of deaths worldwide. Potential solutions:- International governmental and non-governmental agencies are becoming increasingly concerned and ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The power?time curves of mice splenic lymphocytes growth at 37??C affected by ginsenoside Rh2 were determined by microcalorimetry using a 3114/3236 TAM air bioactivity monitor with ampoule mode. Then, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Rh2 on splenic lymphocytes growth was determined by serial dilution method. From factor analysis (FA) on six quantitative thermokinetic parameters from the power?time curves, the activity of Rh2 on splenic lymphocytes could be quickly evaluated by analyzing the changes in the two main parameters: growth rate constant k, and maximum heat-output power, P m. The results showed that Rh2 had strong inhibitory activity on splenic lymphocytes growth, and this inhibitory activity was strengthened with increasing concentration of Rh2 in the concentration r...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This review briefly describes current efforts to develop superradiant sources of coherent radiation for the sub-nanometer range of wavelenghs, using nuclear rather than the atomic or molecular transitions that are stimulated in existing lasers. First the radiative (including Raman) interactions of nuclei with those of atoms and molecules are compared; then the present status of research on the fundamental problems involved in stimulating nuclear gamma radiation is described. (author). 20 refs.; 2 figs.

Science.gov (United States)

A critical element of a retinal prosthesis is the stimulating electrode array, which is placed in close proximity to the retina. It is via this retinal-electrode interface that a retinal prosthesis electrically stimulates nerve cells to produce the perception of light. The impedance load seen by the current driver consists of the tissue resistance and the complex electrode impedance. The results in this paper show that the tissue resistance of the retina is significantly greater than that of the vitreous humor in the eye. Circuit models of the electrode-retina interface are used to parameterize the different contributors to the overall impedance.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

When exposure-calibrated ionization chambers are used to calibrate megavoltage X-ray and electron beam therapy machines, the calibration factor can be divided into a chamber-dependent and a chamber-independent component. Until recently, only the chamber-independent part, which has been derived theoretically, has been used; the chamber-dependent component has been ignored. Recent experimental and theoretical considerations, however, have indicated that the dependent component must be taken into account and can affect the calibration by as much as 4%. The calibration can change due to (i) the thickness of the chamber wall, (ii) the chamber wall composition, i.e. whether the chamber is constructed of air-equivalent material, or tissue- or water-equivalent material, and (iii) the size of the chamber changing the displacement factor. Theoretical and experimental evidence indicates that the third factor varies from approximately ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A 2-stage cold (non-tritium) PMR system was tested with the ITER mix in61 days of continuous operation. No decrease in performance was observed over the duration of the test. Decontamination factor (DF) was found to increase with decreasing inlet rate. Decontamination factors in excess of 1.4 {times} 10{sup 5} were obtained, but the exact value of the highest DF could not be determined because of analysis limitations. Results of the 61-day test were used to design a 2-stage PMR system for use in tritium testing. The PMR system was scaled up by a factor of 6 and built into a glovebox in the Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA) of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This system is approximately 1/5th of the expected full ITER scale. The ITER mix was injected into the PMR system for 31 hours, during which 4.5 g of tritium were processed. The 1st stage had DF = 200 and the 2nd stage had DF = 2.9 {times} ...

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We hypothesized that I kappa B kinase (IKK)-mediated nuclear factor kappa B and forkhead BoxO3a phosphorylation will be associated with age-related endothelial dysfunction. Endothelium-dependent dilation and aortic protein expression/phosphorylation were determined in young and old male B6D2F1 mice and old mice treated with the IKK inhibitor, salicylate. IKK activation was greater in old mice and was associated with greater nitrotyrosine and cytokines. Endothelium-dependent dilation, nitric oxide (NO), and endothelial NO synthase phosphorylation were lower in old mice. Endothelium-dependent dilation and NO bioavailability were restored by a superoxide dismutase mimetic. Nuclear factor kappa B and forkhead BoxO3a phosphorylation were greater in old and were associated with increased express...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Many assays for oncogenic transformation have been developed ranging from those in established rodent cell lines where morphological alteration is scored, to those in human cells growing in nude mice where tumor invasiveness is scored. In general, systems that are most quantitaive are also the least relevant in terms of human carcinogenesis and human risk estimation. The development of cell culture systems has made it possible to assess at the cellular level the oncogenic potential of a variety of chemical, physical and viral agents. Cell culture systems afford the opportunity to identify factors and conditions that may prevent or enhance cellular transformation by radiation and chemicals. Permissive and protective factors in radiation-induced transformation include thyroid hormone and the tumor promoter TPA that increase the transformation incidence for a given dose of radiation, and retinoids, selenium, vitamin E, and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

To raise the efficiency of the redox method and decrease the amount of radioactive wastes, a possibility of improving the decontamination process for NPP heat exchanger tubes made of stainless steel is studied. In the home practice the redox method of equipment decontamination is carried out as a multi-cycle process. In each cycle the surface is treated first with a permanganate alkaline solution ther with an oxalic acid solution, with a condensate washing-at between the treatments. Using samples cut out of the steam generator pipelines of the first and third power units of the Novovoronezh NPP the effect of the oXalic acid concentration, as well as washout time and conditions on the decontamination factor are studied. On the basis of analysis of the obtained data a conclusion is drawn that using oxalic acid of low concentrations and increasing its concentrations from cycle to cycle maximum decontamination factor values can ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A suspension-firing type radioactive waste incineration system is developed and cold demonstration testing of ceramic filters for the system are carried out. The incineration system, which is useful for a wide variety of waste materials, can serve to simplify the facilities and to reduce the costs for waste disposal. The incineration system can be used for drying-processing of concentrated waste liquids and disposal of flame resistant materials including ion exchange resins and rubber, as well as for ordinary combustible solid materials. An on-line backwash system is adopted to allow the ceramic filters to operate stably for a long period of time. For one-step filtering using the ceramic filter, the decontamination factor is greater than 10"5 for the processing of various wastes. In a practical situation, there exist vapor produced by the spray drier and the cladding in used ion exchange resin, which act to increase the decontamination ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pyrolysis of Greek fir wood samples in a fluidized bed reactor was studied. The experimental conditions selected control the yield of gaseous, liquid and solid products. The factors examined were: pyrolysis temperature, mean particle size, pressure, residence time of volatiles, lignin content of biomass and moisture content. The experiments were performed on the basis of a 12-run Plackett-Burman fractional factorial design. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the pyrolysis temperature is the main factor affecting the distribution of the yields of liquids, their phenolic fraction and gases in the range of experimental conditions tested. Empirical expressions were obtained from linear regression giving the yields of liquids, phenols and gases in terms of temperature. The maximum predicted yields were 56 and 12 wt.% on a moisture-free basis at 520 C and 545 C for liquids and phenols, respectively. The yield of gases ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the 80's, because of the oil crisis, the Natural Gas (NG) appeared as a fuel with a great potential for Diesel replacement in Heavy Duty Vehicles. At that time, PETROBRAS with other companies have developed partial conversion technologies from Diesel to NG, known as 'Dual Fuel'. Engine dynamometer and vehicle bus tests have been developed to verify its technical and economical viability. Because of several factors, the Dual Fuel Program did not advance and the experience was interrupted. At the same time, other experiences using NG Otto Cycle bus engines, manufactured in Brazil, have been conducted, mainly at Sao Paulo, nevertheless, without expansion. Currently, factors as increase of the NG converted light vehicles fleet; the NG excess in the National Market, which has contributed to the NG distribution net expansion; the Environmental Legislature in vigor, that continuously determine lower ...

Science.gov (United States)

Persons with a thermolabile form of the enzyme 5,10 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) have reduced enzyme activity and increased plasma homocysteine which can be lowered by supplemental folic acid. Thermolability of the enzyme has recently been shown to be caused by a common mutation (677C{sup {r_arrow}}T) in the MTHFR gene. We studied 41 fibroblast cultures from NTD-affected fetuses and compared their genotypes with those of 109 blood specimens from individuals in the general population. 677C{sup {r_arrow}}T homozygosity was associated with a 7.2 fold increased risk for NTDs (95% confidence interval: 1.8-30.3; p value: 0.001). These preliminary data suggest that the 677C{sup {r_arrow}}T polymorphism of the MTHFR gene is a risk factor for spina bifida and anencephaly that may provide a partial biologic explanation for why folic acid prevents these types of NTD. 13 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The interpretation of soil amelioration experiments with peanuts is made difficult by the unpredictibility of the crop and by the many factors altered when ameliorating acid soils. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of lime and gypsum applications on peanut kernel yield via the three first order yield components, pods per ha, kernels per pod, and kernel mass. On an acid medium sandy loam soil (typic Plinthustult), liming resulted in a highly significant kernel yield increase of 117% whereas gypsum applications were of no significant benefit. As indicated by path coefficient analysis, an increase in the number of pods per ha was markedly more important in increasing yield than an increase in either the number of kernels per pod or kernel mass. Furthermore, exch. Al was found to be particularly detrimental to pod number. It was postulated that poor peanut ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The core bypass flow in a prismatic very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) is one of the important design considerations which impacts considerably on the integrity of reactor core internals including operating fuels. The interstitial gaps are an inherent presence in the reactor core because of tolerances in manufacturing the blocks and the inexact nature of their installation. Furthermore, the geometry of the graphite blocks changes over the lifetime of the reactor because of thermal expansion and irradiation damage. The occurrence of hot spots in the core and lower plenum and hot streaking in the lower plenum (regions of very hot gas flow) will be affected by the bypass flow. In the present study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations of a typical prismatic VHTR are conducted to understand better the bypass flow phenomenon and establish the evaluation method in the reactor core using commercial CFD code FLUENT. Parametric calculations changing ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The effect of phosphonate anion (PHOS) on the corrosion of ordinary steel in simulated cooling water has been studied using weight loss, polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. PHOS was studied in the concentration range from 7.5x10^-^5 to 10^-^3M. The results obtained reveal that PHOS perform excellently as corrosion inhibitor for ordinary steel in simulated cooling water. The inhibition efficiency of PHOS was increased with increasing both its concentration and water circulation velocity. These two factors seem to promote the adsorption of phosphorus and oxygen ions on the metal surface, leading to the formation of a protective layer with a greater charge transfer resistance and lower permeability. The inhibition efficiency decreased slightly with tem...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper, numerical simulation of a concentric tube heat exchanger is presented to determine the convective heat transfer coefficient and friction factor in a smooth tube. Increasing the convective heat transfer coefficient can increase heat transfer rate in a concentric tube heat exchanger from a given tubular surface area. This can be achieved by using heat transfer augmentation devices. This work constitutes the initial phase of the numerical simulation of heat transfer from tubes employing augmentation devices, such as twisted tapes, wire-coil inserts, for heat transfer enhancement. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation tool was developed with CFX software and the results obtained from the simulations are validated with the empirical correlations for a smooth tube heat exchanger. The difficulties associated with the simulation of a heat exchanger augmented with wire-coil inserts are discussed. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The bandwidth of LIGO-like terrestrial interferometric gravitational wave detectors is set by the pole of the Fabry-Perot cavities within the arms of the Michelson interferometer. This constraint arises because the gain of gravitational wave-induced signal sidebands is limited to frequencies within the linewidth of the cavities. The nature of standard Fabry-Perot cavities is such that one cannot independently adjust for increased gain without suffering a loss of bandwidth. If these quantities could be decoupled, the resulting improvement in bandwidth may lead to viable high frequency detectors. A pair of anti-parallel diffraction gratings within a Fabry-Perot cavity can increase the bandwidth of a LIGO-scale detector by a factor of #approx#1000.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eu3+ ions are anchored on TiO2 matrix by coupling with 2,2'-bipyridyl 4,4'-dicarboxylic acid. Five different luminescence centers are observed for TiO2|2,2'-bipyridyl 4,4'-dicarboxylic acid|Eu3+ electrodes due to electron transitions between d and f orbitals. Photo-luminescence of TiO2|2,2'-bipyridyl 4,4'-dicarboxylic acid|Eu3+ electrodes is increased by attaching 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone to Eu3+ ions. Immersion of TiO2|2,2'-bipyridyl 4,4'-dicarboxylic acid|Eu3+|2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone electrodes in propylsulfide is found to be further increased intensities of luminescence bands by a factor of three.