UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Purpose.There is a paucity of neuron replacement studies for retinal ganglion cells. Given the complex phenotype of these neurons, replacement of ganglion cells may be impossible....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Intracellular recordings were made from 1022 somatic lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones in anaesthetized adult rats, classified from dorsal root conduction velocities (CVs) as C, Aδ...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

SUMMARYWe recorded Ca²⁺ current and intracellular Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]_i) in isolated adult rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons at 20 and...Full Text Available

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... many bones. The bones are separated by special hinges called joints. Muscles make the bones move on ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Using the photopigment melanopsin, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) respond directly to light to drive circadian clock resetting and pupillary constriction. We now...Full Text Available

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No abstract prepared.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aim: To evaluate the role of computed tomography (CT) in needle placement for ganglion impar blocks, and to determine the efficacy of CT-guided ganglion impar blocks in the management of coccydynia. Materials and methods: The results of ganglion impar blockade in eight patients with coccydynia secondary to trauma or unknown cause were reviewed. The diagnosis of coccydynia was based on clinical history, location of pain, and response to previous diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The eight patients were treated with CT-guided ganglion impar blocks to manage their coccyx pain after conservative procedures, including oral medication and cushions, failed to provide relief. All patients were subjected to ganglion impar blocks under a thin-section CT-guided technique for needle placement, using a mixture of bupivacaine and triamcinolone. The patients were followed-up for a period of ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Aims: This study sought to elucidate the effects of timolol and dorzolamide on intraocular pressure (IOP) and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death in an experimental...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundLeukotrienes (LTs) belong to the large family of lipid mediators implicated in various inflammatory conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Four distinct types...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The network of coupled neurons in the pre-Bötzinger complex (pBC) of the medulla generates a bursting rhythm, which underlies the inspiratory phase of respiration. In some of these neurons,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) consists of GABA-containing neurons that form reciprocal synaptic connections with thalamic relay nuclei. Excitatory synaptic innervation of TRN neurons arises from...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Feedback controls of estrogen in LHRH-1 neurons play a pivotal role in reproductive function. However, the mechanism of estrogen action in LHRH-1 neurons is still unclear. In the present study, the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Dopaminergic neurons of the ventral midbrain fire high frequency bursts when animals are presented with unexpected rewards, or stimuli that predict reward. To identify the afferents that can...Full Text Available

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Udgivelsesdato: 1991-null

KoreaScience (Korea)

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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... electron spin resonance gamma radiation lipids lyophilization lysozyme radicals

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

To test the hypothesis that transduction of the channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) gene, a microbial-type rhodopsin gene, into retinal ganglion cells of genetically blind rats will restore functional vision, we recorded visually evoked potentials and tested the experimental rats for the presence of optomotor responses. The N-terminal fragment of the ChR2 gene was fused to the fluorescent protein Venus and inserted into an adeno-associated virus to make AAV2-ChR2V. AAV2-ChR2V was injected intravitreally into the eyes of 6-month-old dystrophic RCS (rdy/rdy) rats. Visual function was evaluated six weeks after the injection by recording visually evoked potentials (VEPs) and testing optomotor responses. The expression of ChR2V in the retina was investigated histologically. We found that VEPs could not b...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In utero electroporation is widely used to study neuronal development and function by introducing plasmid DNA into neural progenitors during embryogenesis. This is an effective and...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In anaesthetized rats, extracellular and intracellular recordings were taken from 106 respiratory neurones in the intermediate region of the nucleus ambiguus. We observed unprovoked shortening of expiratory...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sensory neurons in aging mammals undergo changes in anatomy, physiology and gene expression that correlate with reduced sensory perception. In this study we compared young and aged mice to identify...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Some pathological conditions with feeding pattern alterations, including obesity and Huntington disease (HD) are associated with hypothalamic dysfunction and neuronal cell death. Additionally, the hypothalamus...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The paper gives a generic idea of the solutions that the neuronal nets contribute to the robotics. The advantages and the inconveniences are exposed that have regarding the conventional techniques. It also describe the more excellent applications as the pursuit of trajectories, the positioning based on images, the force control or of the mobile robots management, among others

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Neuronal death is known to trigger reactive microgliosis. However, little is known regarding the manner by which microglia are activated by injured neurons and how microgliosis participates...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A fundamental property of neuronal networks in Ammon’s horn is that each area is comprised of a single glutamatergic cell population and various types of GABAergic neurons. Here we describe...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Phox2b-expressing neurons of the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) located in the ventrolateral brainstem are sensitive to changes in PCO₂/pH, have excitatory projections...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway plays a key role in mediating estrogen actions in the brain and neuronal sensitization during inflammation....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

New neurons are generated in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus (GCL) throughout adulthood. This process is modulated by many environmental and neurochemical factors. We previously...Full Text Available

KoreaScience (Korea)

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UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

PurposeTo characterize differences in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) function in mouse strains relevant to disease models. C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) are the two most common mouse...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) are harmful to public health, but the certain anti-irradiation mechanism is not clear yet. The present study was performed to investigate the possible protective effects of green tea polyphenols against electromagnetic radiation-induced injury in the cultured rat cortical neurons. In this study, green tea polyphenols were used in the cultured cortical neurons exposed to 1800?MHz EMFs by the mobile phone. We found that the mobile phone irradiation for 24?h induced marked neuronal cell death in the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) and TUNEL (TdT mediated biotin-dUTP nicked-end labeling) assay, and protective effects of green tea polyphenols on the injured cortical neurons were demonstrated by testing the content ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Action potentials from the brain control the activity of spinal neural networks to produce, by as yet unknown mechanisms, a variety of motor behaviors. Particularly lacking are details on how identified descending neurons integrate diverse sensory inputs to generate specific locomotor patterns. We have examined the operations of the principal neurons in an intriguing midbrain nucleus, the nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus (nMLF), in the larval zebrafish. The nMLF is the most rostral grouping of neurons that projects from the brain well into the spinal cord of teleost fishes, yet there is little direct physiological data available regarding its function. We report here that a distinct set of large, individually-identifiable neurons in nMLF (the MeL and MeM neurons) are activated...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuron differentiation is a complex process involving various cell-cell interactions, and multiple signaling pathways. We showed previously that CD40 is expressed and functional on mouse and human neurons. In neurons, ligation of CD40 protects against serum withdrawal-induced injury and plays a role in survival and differentiation. CD40 deficient mice display neuron dysfunction, aberrant neuron morphologic changes, and associated gross brain abnormalities. Previous studies by Tone and colleagues suggested that five isoforms of CD40 exist with two predominant isoforms expressed in humans: signal-transducible CD40 type I and a C-terminal truncated, non-signal-transducible CD40 type II. We hypothesized that differential expression of CD40 isoform type I and type II in neurons may modulate neuron differentiation. Results show that adult ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

SUMMARYHomeostatic synaptic plasticity is a negative feedback mechanism neurons use to offset excessive excitation or inhibition by adjusting their synaptic strengths. Recent...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

SummaryPrimary visual cortex recombines inputs from magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) streams to create functionally specialized outputs. Understanding these input-output relationships is complicated by the fact that layer 4B, which provides outputs to dorsal visual areas, contains multiple cell types. Using a modified rabies virus that expresses green fluorescent protein, we show that layer 4B neurons projecting to MT are a majority spiny stellate, whereas those projecting to V2 are overwhelmingly pyramidal. Regardless of cell type, MT-projecting neurons have larger cell bodies, more dendritic length, and are deeper within layer 4B. Furthermore, MT-projecting pyramidal neurons are located preferentially underneath cytochrome oxidase blobs, indicating that MT-projecting neurons of bo...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The processes of neuronal outgrowth and guidance have typically been studied in classic 2D cell culture systems that do not recapitulate topographical cues present in the in vivo extracellular matrix...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas produced through the action of nitric oxide synthase that acts as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS) of adult gastropod mollusks. There are no known reports of the presence of NOS-containing neurons and glial cells in young and adult Megalobulimus abbreviatus. Therefore, NADPH-d histochemistry was employed to map the nitrergic distribution in the CNS of young and adult snails in an attempt to identify any transient enzymatic activity in the developing CNS. Reaction was observed in neurons and fibers in all CNS ganglia of both age groups, but in the pedal and cerebral ganglia, positive neurons were more intense than in other ganglia, forming clusters symmetrically located in both paired ganglia. However, neuronal NADPH-d activity in the mesocer...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Since the elucidation of the structure of double helical DNA, the construction of small molecules that recognize and react at specific DNA sites has been an area of considerable interest. In...Full Text Available

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A simple semianalytical calculation is used to study how a star reacts when its central stock of hydrogen is exhausted and before the next fusion reaction based on helium begins.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conceptual and factual advances in understanding neuronal migration in the past two decades have provided new insight into the pathogenesis of brain malformations at the cellular, molecular, and functional levels. Some of these results may have direct implications in understanding the consequences of ionizing radiation on the fetal central nervous system in utero. (orig.).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The rapidly activating and inactivating voltage-dependent outward K⁺ (Kv) current, I_A, is widely expressed in central and peripheral neurons. I_A has long been...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Neuronal transcription factors play vital roles in the specification and development of neurons, including dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Mutations in the gene encoding the purine biosynthetic enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) cause the resulting intractable and largely untreatable neurological impairment of Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND). The disorder is associated with a defect in basal ganglia DA pathways. The mechanisms connecting the purine metabolic defect and the central nervous system (CNS) phenotype are poorly understood but have been presumed to reflect a developmental defect of DA neurons. We have examined the effect of HPRT deficiency on the differentiation of neurons in the well-established human (NT2) embryonic carcinoma neurogenesis model. We have used a retrovirus expressing a small hairpin RNA (shRNA) to knock down HPRT gene expression and have ...

Science.gov (United States)

A process is provided for conducting organic compound conversion over a catalyst composition comprising a supported crystalline zeolite having a high initial silica-to-alumina mole ratio, said supported zeolite being prepared by compositing said crystalline zeolite with alumina, reacting the composite with a particular hydrogen fluoride solution in a specified way, drying the hydrogen fluoride reacted composite, treating the dried composite by hydrolysis, ammonolysis and/or by contact with an ammonium salt solution, and calcining the resulting material.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Recently, we cloned purpurin cDNA as an upregulated gene in the axotomized fish retina. The retina-specific protein was secreted from photoreceptors to ganglion cell layer during an early stage of optic nerve regeneration in zebrafish retina. The purpurin worked as a trigger molecule for axonal regrowth in adult injured fish retina. During zebrafish development, purpurin mRNA first appeared in ventral retina at 2 days post-fertilization (dpf) and spread out to the outer nuclear layer at 3 dpf. Here, we investigated the role of purpurin for zebrafish retinal development using morpholino gene knockdown technique. Injection of purpurin morpholino into the 1-2 cell stage of embryos significantly inhibited the transcriptional and translational expression of purpurin at 3 dpf. In the purpurin mo...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An artificial neural network can be used as an intelligent controller to control non-linear, dynamic system through learning. It can easily accommodate non-linearities and time dependencies. Most common multi-layer feed-forward neural networks have drawbacks of large number of neurons and hidden layers required to deal with complex problems and require large training time. To overcome these drawbacks, a generalized neuron based non-linear controller has been developed and illustrated as a power system stabilizer. Studies on a five-machine power system show that the proposed controller can significantly improve the dynamic performance and provide good damping of the power system over a wide operating range.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Reduced systems such as brain slices offer a powerful approach to study the physiology of auditory neurons in great detail. However, when studying auditory nuclei in reduced systems such as brain slices, especially highly active auditory brain stem nuclei, one has to be aware that the unphysiological lack of activity in the reduced system compared to the in-vivo situation has a number of important effects on the neurons under investigation, and thus on the data that are measured. Most importantly, the lack of chronic activity in the slice preparation has important effects on the properties of short-term plasticity of the synapses. The main purpose of this article is to discuss how spontaneous activity in auditory neurons, or the lack thereof, can affect the data measured.

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

We study the spike statistics of neurons in a network with dynamically balanced excitation and inhibition. Our model, intended to represent a generic cortical column, comprises randomly connected excitatory and inhibitory leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, driven by excitatory input from an external population. The high connectivity permits a mean field description in which synaptic currents can be treated as gaussian noise, the mean and autocorrelation function of which are calculated self-consistently from the firing statistics of single model neurons. Within this description, a wide range of Fano factors is possible. We find that the irregularity of spike trains is controlled mainly by the strength of the synapses relative to the difference between the firing threshold and the postfiring reset level of the membrane potential. For moderately strong synapses, we find spike statistics very similar to those observed in ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundChanges in ionic concentration have a fundamental effect on numerous physiological processes. For example, IP₃-gated thapsigargin sensitive intracellular calcium...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a neurogenetic disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in either the TSC1 or TSC2 genes and frequently results in...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Experience-dependent plastic changes in the central sensory systems are due to activation of both the sensory and neuromodulatory systems. Nonspecific changes of cortical auditory neurons elicited by...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Peptide toxins with high affinity, divergent pharmacological functions, and isoform-specific selectivity are powerful tools for investigating the structure-function relationships of voltage-gated...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundXenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-related (XMRV) virus is a recently identified mouse gammaretrovirus that has the ability to infect certain human cells. In this study,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Gonadal, adrenal, and thyroid hormones affect the brain directly, and the sensitivity to hormones begins in embryonic life with the appearance of hormone receptor sites in discrete populations of neurons....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The neuronal networks in spinal cord can produce a diverse array of motor behaviors. In aquatic vertebrates such as fishes and tadpoles, these include escape behaviors, swimming across a range...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

It has been of interest whether and when the rearrangement of neuronal circuits can be induced after projection patterns are formed during development. Earlier studies using cats reported that the rearrangement...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

A model that fully describes the response properties of visual neurons must be able to predict their activity during natural vision. While many models have been proposed for the visual system, few have ever been tested against this criterion. To address this issue, we have developed a general framework for fitting and validating nonlinear models of visual neurons using natural visual stimuli. Our approach derives from linear spatiotemporal receptive field (STRF) analysis, which has frequently been used to study the visual system. However, prior to the linear filtering stage typical of STRFs, a linearizing transformation is applied to the stimulus to account for nonlinear response properties. We used this approach to compare two models for neurons in primary visual cortex: a nonlinear Fourier power model, which accounts for spatial phase invariant tuning, and a traditional linear model. We characterized prediction accuracy ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In the adult mammalian CNS, the growth inhibitors oligodendrocyte-myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) and the reticulon RTN4 (Nogo) are broadly expressed in oligodendrocytes and neurons. Nogo and OMgp...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The long-term goal of nuclear transfer or alternative reprogramming approaches is to create patient-specific donor cells for transplantation therapy, avoiding immunorejection, a major complication in...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a common late-onset neurodegenerative disease, is associated with fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) in 3–10% of patients....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

An optical flow gradient algorithm was applied to spontaneously forming networks of neurons and glia in culture imaged by fluorescence optical microscopy in order to map functional calcium signaling...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe various tasks of visual systems, including course control, collision avoidance and the detection of small objects, require at the neuronal level the dendritic integration...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AMP-activated-protein-kinase (AMPK) is a key sensor and regulator of cellular and whole-body energy metabolism and plays a key role in regulation of lipid metabolism. Since lipid metabolism...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Place fields of hippocampal pyramidal cells expand asymmetrically when adult rats repeatedly follow the same route. This behaviorally-induced expression of neuronal plasticity utilizes an NMDA_R-dependent,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The neuronal nitric oxide synthase gene (NOS1) is located at 12q24, a susceptibility region for schizophrenia, and produces nitric oxide (NO). NO has been reported to play important...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

1. One hundred and thirty-two antidromically identified paraventricular (PV) and supraoptic (SO) neurones were studied during milk ejection evoked by the suckling of the young, in thirty-four lactating...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We introduce in this paper a new method for reducing neurodynamical data to an effective diffusion equation, either experimentally or using simulations of biophysically detailed models. The dimensionality...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Several theories have proposed a functional role for synchronous neuronal firing in generating the neural code of a sensory perception. Synchronous neural activity develops during a critical...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Short-hairpin RNA (shRNA)–mediated gene knockdown is a powerful tool for targeted gene silencing and an emerging novel therapeutic strategy. Recent publications, however, reported unexpected...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Despite their wide use, the physiological relevance of organotypic slices remains controversial. Such cultures are prepared at 5 days postnatal. Although some local circuitry remains intact, they develop...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Proprioceptive sensory signals inform the CNS of the consequences of motor acts, but effective motor planning involves internal neural systems capable of anticipating actual sensory feedback....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

1. The effect of capsaicin pre-treatment on adrenal catecholamine (CA) secretion in response to stress is controversial. In earlier experiments performed under pentobarbitone anaesthesia, the release...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Decreased cognitive performance reduces independence and quality of life for aging individuals. Healthy brain aging does not involve significant neuronal loss, but little is known about the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Corticostriatal synapse plasticity of medium spiny neurons is regulated by glutamate input from the cortex and dopamine input from the substantia nigra. While cortical stimulation alone results in long-term...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The vanilloid receptor-1 (VR1, or transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 receptor, TRPV1) is activated by capsaicin, the key ingredient of hot peppers. TRPV1 was originally described on sensory neurons...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

An overview of current concepts on neuroinflammation and on the dialogue between neurons and non-neuronal cells in three important infections of the central nervous systems (rabies, cerebral malaria, and human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness) is here presented. Large numbers of cases affected by these diseases are currently reported. In the context of an issue dedicated to Camillo Golgi, historical notes on seminal discoveries on these diseases are also presented. Neuroinflammation is currently closely associated with pathogenetic mechanisms of chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroinflammatory signaling in brain infections is instead relatively neglected in the neuroscience community, despite the fact that the above infections provide paradigmatic examples of alterations o...

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A catalytic process for the oxidation of sulfur-containing gases , E.G., sulfur dioxide and simultaneous production of sulfuric acid wherein a sulfur-containing gas is reacted with an oxygencontaining gas in the presence of a catalyst comprising an iron group metal on a solid support comprising a zeolite in a silicaalumina matrix.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Nucleoside 3'-phosphoramidite and chlorophosphite reagents have been found to react with the lactam function of guanine. This reaction caused unsatisfactory results when oligodeoxyribonucleotides containing...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Monoclonal antibodies were produced against gamma-irradiated amastigotes of Leishmania major. Five antibodies (T16 through T20) were selected which reacted in enzyme-linked immunoassays with the intracellular...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

It has been discovered that when Taiheiyo coal pulverized to 200 mesh or smaller is dispersed in naphthalene, a non-hydrogen-donor solvent, and reacted under hydrogen pressure in the presence of a red mud/sulfur catalyst, the catalyst exhibits activity in the regeneration of hydrogen donor solvents which have been hydrogen-depleted in the course of coal liquefaction. It is already known that inorganic matter contained in coal acts as a catalyst in liquefaction. This suggests that the reported effect of the red mud/sulfur catalyst is due to the iron oxide reacting with the sulfur and forming pyrrhotite. 22 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spherical aggregates formed rapidly in culture by re-aggregation of trypsin-dissociated brain cells from the 17-day-old fetal rat. Over about 10 days an initially random distribution of cells evolved into a 3-layered arrangement; cells with characteristics of neurons were found largely in the intermediate layer. The survival of neuronal and glial cell types was evaluated histologically and verified by electron microscopy, which revealed synaptic and myelin structures that rapidly increased in number after 18 days in culture. Levels of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) reached peaks of 9.5 and 4.4 ng/mg protein, respectively, at culture day 21. Uptake of ["3H]NE paralleled these amine levels and was blocked by desipramine or pretreatment with either reserpine or 6-OH-DA. Autoradiographs of aggregates labeled with ["3H]NE showed a high density of silver grains over cells, apparently neurons, with branching processes ...

Science.gov (United States)

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this review, we demonstrate the developmental appearance, structural features, and reorganization of transient cerebral zones and structures in the human fetal brain using a correlative histological and MRI analysis. The analysis of postmortem aldehyde-fixed specimens (age range: 10 postovulatory weeks to term) revealed that, at 10 postovulatory weeks, the cerebral wall already has a trilaminar appearance and consists of: (1) a ventricular zone of high cell-packing density; (2) an intermediate zone; (3) the cortical plate (in a stage of primary consolidation) with high MRI signal intensity. The anlage of the hippocampus is present as a prominent bulging in the thin limbic telencephalon. The early fetal telencephalon impar also contains the first commissural fibers and fornix bundles in the septal area. The ganglionic eminence is clearly visible as an expanded continuation of the proliferative ventricular zone. The basal ganglia showed an initial aggregation of ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Integrative and firing properties are important characteristics of neuronal circuits and these responses are determined in large part by the repertoire of ion channels they express, which can vary considerably between cell types. Recently, a new mode of operation of voltage dependent sodium channels has been described that generates a so-called resurgent Na^+ current. Accumulating evidence suggests resurgent Na current participates in the generation of sub-threshold inward Na^+ current causing membrane depolarization which provides the necessary drive to fire high-frequency action potentials. Recent studies indicate that resurgent Na^+ current could be a more widespread feature than previously thought.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Precocious puberty is a significant child health problem, especially in girls, because 95% of cases are idiopathic. Our earlier studies demonstrated that low-dose levels of manganese (Mn) caused precocious puberty via stimulating the secretion of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH). Because glial-neuronal communications are important for the activation of LHRH secretion at puberty, we investigated the effects of prepubertal Mn exposure on specific glial-derived puberty-related genes known to affect neuronal LHRH release. Animals were supplemented with MnCl2 (10 mg/kg) or saline by gastric gavage from day 12 until day 22 or day 29, then decapitated, and brains removed. The site of LHRH release is the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH), and tissues from this area were analyzed by real-...

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The anticonvulsant drugs carbamazepine, phenobarbital, trimethadione, valproic acid and ethosuximide at pharmacologically relevant concentrations inhibit (/sup 3/H)diazepam binding to astrocytes in primary cultures but have much less effect on a corresponding preparation of neurons. Phenytoin as well as pentobarbital (which is not used chronically as an anticonvulsant) are equipotent in the two cell types. The convulsants picrotoxinin and pentylenetetrazol, the convulsant benzodiazepine RO 5-3663 and the two convulsant barbiturates DMBB and CHEB similarly inhibit diazepam binding to astrocytes but have little effect on neurons. On the basis of these findings it is suggested that these convulsants and anticonvulsants owe at least part of their effect to an interaction with the astrocytic benzodiazepine receptor, perhaps by interference with a calcium channel.

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Amphiphysin is a protein concentrated in neuronal synapses and peripherally associated with neurotransmitter vesicles. It is expressed in many neurons of the central and peripheral nervous systems, in the adrenal medulla, in the anterior and posterior pituitary, in cell lines of the endocrine pancreas, and in spermatocytes. Its subcellular localization and tissue distribution indicate a potential involvement in mechanisms of regulated exocytosis. A role in the dynamic organization of the membrane-associated cytoskeleton is suggested by structural homology to the products of two yeast genes, RVS161 and RVS167, whose mutation results in an abnormal actin distribution, disturbs budding morphology, and impairs cell entry into stationary phase. Limited stretches of sequence similarity, including an SH3 domain, are also shared with other actin-binding proteins. Amphiphysin is the dominant autoantigen in paraneoplastic Stiff-Man syndrome, a ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

3-Azido-#beta#-lactams react with the derivatives of trivalent phosphorus acids under mild conditions with the formation of 3-phosphoranediylamino-1,4-diaryl-2-azetidinones, which are readily hydrolyzed with the elimination of alcohol (thiol) to 3-phosphoranylamino-1,4-diaryl-2-azetidinones. The phosphine imide compounds obtained from the aryl alkyl phosphites are hydrolyzed with the elimination of phenols. 3-Phosphoranediylamino-1,4-diaryl-2-azetidinones react readily with alkyl and acyl halides with the formation of 3-(N-alkylphosphoryl-amino)- and 3-(N-acylphosphorylamino)-1,4-diaryl-2-azetidinones, respectively.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Twelve powders of TiO_2-Y_2O_3-ZrO_2 solid solution of the methodically changed composition were prepared by a coprecipitation-calcination technique. After mixing with phenol-formaldehyde resin, the powders were calcinated for 2 hours at 1200"oC in vacuum. The resultant composite powders contained TiC and non-reacted carbon. Green compacts were sintered in vacuum at 1500"oC for 2 hours. A temperature increase was stopped at 1200"oC to react remains of carbon. There were two carbides in the composites TiC and ZrC. TiC non-stoichiometry depended on carbon content in the system. Phase composition of the depended on of titania and yttria in zirconia solid solution. The majority of the samples showed two tetragonal zirconia phases differing in lattice parameter and tetragonality. (author)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary The presence of human heterophilic antibodies against horse immunoglobulins (HHA-HI) was determined by ELISA in sera from healthy volunteers and from patients who received equine antivenom for therapy of snake bite envenoming. These patients were selected from two independent clinical studies: one in Colombia in which patients received antivenom constituted by whole IgG (n=25); and the other in Brazil where an antivenom constituted by F(abprime)2 fragments was administered (n=31). Results show that healthy volunteers have antibodies, mainly of the IgG class, able to react with whole equine IgG. Additionally, patients have IgG antibodies that react both with whole equine IgG and F(abprime)2 fragments. In both clinical studies, no significant differences were observed in the HHA-HI t...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We tested the hypothesis that the basal release of nitric oxide (NO) from endothelial cells modulates contractile activity in the corpus cavernosum (CC) via inhibition of the RhoA/Rho-kinase signaling...Full Text Available

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... The dawn of Bio-Mecha and a Biomechanical Revolution May 31 2011: Hi Julian, Yes, but i dont think we would ... The dawn of Bio-Mecha and a Biomechanical Revolution May 31 2011: A BBC Documentary: All Watched Over by Machines of Loving ... The dawn of Bio-Mecha and a Biomechanical Revolution May 17 2011: Ed Boyden: A light switch for neurons is an amazing ... The dawn of Bio-Mecha and a Biomechanical Revolution May 16 2011: Thank you Meher Like Spring Rabbit, its a great contribution....

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundTo evaluate whether P2X receptors are involved in responses to noxious pulp stimulation, the P2X₃ and P2X_2/3 receptor agonist α,β-methyleneATP...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This study explored the effects of propofol on c-Fos and Egr-1 in neuroblastoma (N2A) cells. We demonstrate that propofol induced the expression of c-Fos and Egr-1 within 30 and 60 min of exposure...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The interaction between Ca²⁺ sensors STIM1 and STIM2 and Ca²⁺ channel-forming protein ORAI1 is a crucial element of ...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The CNS is a unique organ due to its limited capacity for immune surveillance. As macrophages of the CNS, microglia represent a population originally known for the ability to assist neuronal stability,...Full Text Available

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N,N-Dialkyl-P-phenylphosphonamidous iodides are formed in the reactions of phenylphosphonus diiodide with silylated secondary amines. N,N-Dialkyl-P-phenylphosphonamidous iodides react with electrophilic reagents (methyl iodide, benzenesulfonyl azide, and phenyl azide) by the usual schemes with the formation of alkylation and oxidative-imination products. Iodine catalyzes the disproportionation of morpholinophenylphosphinous iodide into dimorphomorpholinophenylphosphinous iodide with iodine are iododimorpholinophenylphosphonium triiodide and phenylphosphonous diiodide.

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Crude N,N-dialkylcarbamoylmethylphosphonates and phosphine oxide extractants, and particularly crude dihexyl N,N-diethylcarbamoylmethylphosphonate and octylphenyl N,N-diisobutylcarbamoyl phosphine oxide, are purified by distilling the crude materials in a thin film evaporator. Preferably, the crude materials are reacted with concentrated hydrochloric acid and then with aqueous sodium hydroxide prior to distillation in the thin film evaporator to hydrolyze impurities contained in them. The purified extractants are useful for extracting actinides and lanthanides from liquid waste streams. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The author is exploring the efficiency of pulsed plasma processing in the removal of nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other pollutants. This process uses an electrical discharge to create chemical radicals from air molecules. These radicals can react with pollutants and form harmless compounds. Additives such as hydrocarbons are also used to improve the efficiency of the removal. The efficient removal of nitrogen dioxide has required the presence of dilute aqueous solution of ammonia.

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... Three prototype reactors were constructed and the photocatalysts used were TiO2 for hydroxyl radical generation, dyes such as methylene blue and rose bengal for singlet oxygen generation, and ferric chloride/hydrogen peroxide in Photo-Fenton OH radical generation. Singlet oxygen was effective against some of the pesticides but reacted slowly or not at all with others. All pesticides were degraded by OH radical generating agents (such as methylene blue)...

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Dianionic tridentate, O, N, S, Schiff bases derived from salicylaldehyde and 2-mercapto-amines react with Tc(V) gluconate to form radiochemically pure neutral Tc chelates. The existence of lipophilic Tc complexes could be proved by high voltage electrophoresis, thin layer chromatography and octanol/water partition coefficients. 11 refs.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The existence of enterobacterial common antigen in Yersinia enterocolitica and its absence in Brucella abortus were utilized in an attempt to provide a method to distinguish Brucella infections from...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Locomotion is a complex behavior affected by many different brain- and spinal cord systems, as well as by variations in the peripheral nervous system. Recently, we found increased gene expression for EphA4, a gene intricately involved in motor neuron development, between high-active parental strain C57BL/6J and the low-active chromosome substitution strain 1 (CSS1). CSS1 mice carry chromosome 1 from A/J mice in a C57BL/6J genetic background, allowing localization of quantitative trait loci (QTL) on chromosome 1. To find out whether differences in motor neuron anatomy, possibly related to the changes in EphA4 expression, are involved in the motor activity differences observed in these strains, motor performance in various behavioral paradigms and anatomical differences in the ventral roots ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The purpose of the present study was to examine the in vitro effects of low-dose cadmium (Cd) on developing cortical cells. The cortical cells removed from fetuses (embryonic day 15) were treated with 10 nM of Cd for 24 h. The effects of Cd on dendritic and synaptic development were immunocytochemically observed with anti-microtubule associated protein-2 (MAP2) and anti-synapsin I antibodies, respectively. Administration of Cd suppressed dendritic as well as synaptic development at 10 nM. By two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) analysis, we identified three proteins with different expression after Cd-treatment; dihydropyrimidinase-related protein 2 (DRP-2/CRMP-2), 14-3-3-epsillon and calmodulin (CaM). Though the number of identified proteins was small, these proteins are known to be involved in neuronal development. The present study demonstrated the morphological effects as well as affected proteins in ...

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We report the isolation of cDNA clones for the mouse {alpha}7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit (gene symbol Acra7), the only nicotinic receptor subunit known to bind a-bungarotoxin in mammalian brain. This gene may have relevance to nicotine sensitivity and to some electrophysiologic findings in schizophrenia. The mouse {alpha}7 subunit gene encodes a protein of 502 amino acids with substantial identity to the rat (99.6%), human (92.8%), and chicken (87.5%) amino acid sequences. The {alpha}7 gene was mapped to mouse chromosome 7 near the p locus with the following gene order from proximal to distal: Myod1-3.5 {+-}1.7 cM-Gas2-0.9 cM {+-} 0.9 cM-D7Mit70-1.8 {+-} 1.2 cM- Acra7-4.4 {+-}1.0 cM-Hras1-ps11/Igf1r/Snrp2a. The human gene was confirmed to map to the homologous region of human chromosome 15q13-q14. 26 refs., 3 figs.

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Efflux of dopamine through the dopamine transporter (DAT) is critical for the psychostimulatory properties of amphetamines, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here we show that Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) plays a key role in this efflux. CaMKIIalpha bound to the distal C terminus of DAT and colocalized with DAT in dopaminergic neurons. CaMKIIalpha stimulated dopamine efflux via DAT in response to amphetamine in heterologous cells and in dopaminergic neurons. CaMKIIalpha phosphorylated serines in the distal N terminus of DAT in vitro, and mutation of these serines eliminated the stimulatory effects of CaMKIIalpha. A mutation of the DAT C terminus impairing CaMKIIalpha binding also impaired amphetamine-induced dopamine efflux. An in vivo role for CaMKII was supported by chronoamperometry measurements showing reduced amphetamine-induced dopamine efflux in response to the CaMKII inhibitor KN93. Our data suggest that ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Two aspects of the chromatin repeat length (r_l) are discussed: (i) Why is r_l longer for slowly dividing cells than in rapidly dividing cells?, and (ii) Why is the temporal evolution of r_l a decreasing function of time (t) in mammalian cortical neurons whereas it is an increasing function of t for granule cells around the time of birth? These questions are discussed in terms of a hypothesis which assumes a correlation between deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) packaging, transcription, and replication. (author). 27 refs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Sex steroids and thyroid hormones play a key role in the development of the central nervous system. The critical role of these hormonal systems may explain the sensitivity of the hypothalamus, the cerebral cortex, and the hippocampus to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC). This review examines the evidence for endocrine disruption of glial-neuronal functions in the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex. Focus was placed on two well-studied EDC, the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). DDT is involved in neuroendocrine disruption of the reproductive axis, whereas polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) interact with both the thyroid hormone- and sex steroid-dependent systems and disturb the neuroendocrine control of reproduction and develo...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuronal cell death induced by oxidative stress is correlated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and stroke. The causes of sporadic forms of age-related neurodegenerative diseases are still unknown. Recently, a correlation between paraquat exposure and neurodegenerative diseases has been observed. Paraquat, a nonselective herbicide, was once widely used in North America and is still routinely used in Taiwan. We have used differentiated Human Neuroblastoma (SHSY-5Y) cells as an in vitro model to study the mechanism of cell death induced by paraquat. We observed that paraquat-induced oxidative stress in differentiated SHSY-5Y cells as indicated by an increase in the production of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, apoptosis was evident as indicated by cellular and nuclear morphology and DNA fragmentation. Interestingly, pretreatment of SHSY-5Y cells with water-soluble Coenzyme ...

Science.gov (United States)

The epileptogenic and neurodegenerative effects of gamma-dendrotoxin, from Dendroaspis angusticeps, a specific blocker of a non-inactivating, voltage-sensitive K+ channel, were studied after focal injection into one dorsal hippocampus in rats pretreated with CGP040116, a N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, and in rats bearing a monolateral surgical lesion of the Schaffer collaterals whose terminals originate from CA3 pyramids and release glutamate in the CA1 hippocampal area. Administration of 35 pmol gamma-dendrotoxin elicited in all of the treated animals (n=8) bilateral EEG discharges and damage to the hippocampal formation. Quantitation of the damage revealed significant bilateral neuronal cell loss in the CA1, CA3 and CA4 pyramidal cell layers. The lowest dose (0.35 pmol; n=4) of the toxin used did not affect EEG activity and failed to cause significant hippocampal cell loss whereas the 3.5 pmol (n=6) dose caused EEG seizures and hippocampal cell ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadmium is a non-essential heavy metal found abundantly in the environment. Children of women exposed to cadmium during pregnancy display lower motor and perceptual abilities. High cadmium body burden in children is also related to impaired intelligence and lowered school achievement. However, little is known about the molecular and cellular basis of developmental neurotoxicity in the sensitive early life stages of animals. In this study, we explore neurological deficits caused by cadmium during early embryonic stages in zebrafish by examining regionalization of the neural tube, pattern formation and cell fate determination, commitment of proneural genes and induction of neurogenesis. We show that cadmium-treated embryos developed a smaller head with unclear boundaries between the brain subdivisions, particularly in the mid-hindbrain region. Embryos display normal anterior to posterior regionalization; however, the commitment of neural progenitor cells was affected by cadmium. We ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This document is the final report on the workshop on stems and trunks in plant form and function relating to DOE grant DE-FG06-93ER20128 which took place at Oregon State University in February 1994. The resulting book is organized into four sections and a synthesis: roles of stem architecture in plant performance, roles of stems in transport and storage of water, roles of live stem cells in plant performance, and the roles of stems in preventing or reacting to response to plant injury. The synthesis stemmed from debated and discussion by the authors and a few dozen other workshop participants. The authors cover many stem functions, although the list is not exhaustive, and the focus is on terrestrial woody tree stems, primarily of temperate and boreal zones. More research on trunks, branches and twigs is important for a baseline understanding of plant biology. In the face of anticipated human-caused changes to most environments, we need not only have a baseline ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Using a unique high-frequency futures dataset, we characterize the response of U.S., German and British stock, bond and foreign exchange markets to real-time U.S. macroeconomic news. We find that news produces conditional mean jumps; hence high-frequency stock, bond and exchange rate dynamics are linked to fundamentals. Equity markets, moreover, react differently to news depending on the stage of the business cycle, which explains the low correlation between stock and bond returns when averaged over the cycle. Hence our results qualify earlier work suggesting that bond markets react most strongly to macroeconomic news; in particular, when conditioning on the state of the economy, the equity and foreign exchange markets appear equally responsive. Finally, we also document important contemporaneous links across all markets and countries, even after controlling for the effects of macroeconomic news.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Components of various forest and agricultural residue biomass-including the polyphenolic compounds-were converted into aqueous solution and/or suspension by extraction and digestion. Some biomass components reacted vigorously under alkaline catalysis with formaldehyde and initially showed a high degree of exothermic reaction; however, other components did not react as vigorously under these conditions, indicating that different biomass materials require different methods to obtain optimum reactivity for the copolymerization with phenol. Our primary goal is to develop adhesives capable of producing acceptable bond quality, as determined by the wood products industries` standards, under a reasonable range of gluing conditions. Copolymer resins of phenol, formaldehyde, and biomass components were synthesized and evaluated for gluability of bonding exterior grade structural replaced with chemicals derived from peanut hulls, pecan shell flour, pecan ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

During solvent extraction of At"-, [At(H_2O)_2]"+, AtCl, AtCl_2"- as well as of astatine compounds with higher oxidation states like AtO_n"-, the astatine species are changed into astatine of the oxidation state zero at the phase boundary independent on the organic solvent used. At(O) probably reacts with components of the organic phase or with decomposition products formed by chemical reactions or by radiolysis. The extraction coefficients of the astatine species depend on the experimental conditions applied, the redox potential, and on complex forming reactions or associations, resp., occuring in the aqueous phase. (author).

CERN Document Server

A surface may provide a useful pumping action when able to retain adsorbed gas molecules for the duration of a given experiment. To fulfil this condition at room temperature, strong binding forces, as those resulting from chemical reactions, are required. Materials able to react with gases to form stable chemical compounds are called getters. The two main families of getters (evaporable and non-evaporable, or NEG) are presented and discussed. Special emphasis is placed on the NEG strips currently used for the vacuum systems of particle accelerators, and on the newly developed NEG thin-film coatings, in view of their possible future applications.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A computer code ICRKFLO was used to simulate the multiphase reacting flow of fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) riser reactors. The simulation provided a fundamental understanding of the hydrodynamics and heat transfer processes in an FCC riser reactor, critical to the development of a new high performance unit. The code was able to make predictions that are in good agreement with available pilot-scale test data. Computational results indicate that the heat transfer and droplet evaporation processes have a significant impact on the performance of a pilot-scale FCC unit. The impact could become even greater on scale-up units.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al, Ga and In complexing with methylthymol blue (H_6R) purified by gel filtration is studied. in the case of metal excess complexes with the ratio of components M:H_6R=2:1 with #lambda#=587(Al), 590(Ga) and 593 nm(In) appear. In the case of reacting agent excess complexes with the ratio of component 1:1 with #lambda#_m_a_x=480-490 (Al) and 480 nm(Ga, In) appear. The mechanism of complexing reactions is studied. Molar extinction coefficients and stability constants are calculated.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quantitative digital imaging, using planar laser light scattering techniques is being developed for the analysis of turbulent and reacting flows. Quantitative image data, implying both a direct relation to flowfield variables as well as sufficient signal and spatial dynamic range, can be readily processed to yield two-dimensional distributions of flowfield scalars and in turn two-dimensional images of gradients and turbulence scales. Much of the development of imaging techniques to date has concentrated on understanding the requisite molecular spectroscopy and collision dynamics to be able to determine how flowfield variable information is encoded into the measured signal. From this standpoint the image is seen as a collection of single point measurements. The present effort aims at realizing necessary improvements in signal and spatial dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution in the imaging system as well as developing excitation/detection ...

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The regional concentrations of nine radiochemicals were measured in rat brain after induction of cerebral ischemia to identify tracers concentrated by brain undergoing selective neuronal necrosis. Transient (30 minute) forebrain ischemia was produced in the rat; 24 hours after cerebral recirculation the radiochemicals were injected intravenously and allowed to circulate for 5 hours. The brain concentrations of the radiochemicals in dissected regions were determined by scintillation counting. Forebrain ischemia of this nature will produce extensive injury to striatal neurons but will spare the great majority of neocortical neurons at 24 hours. The regional concentrations of these radiochemicals varied considerably in both control and ischemic animals. In postischemic animals, 4 radionuclides (/sup 63/Ni, /sup 99/TcO/sub 4/, /sup 22/Na, and (/sup 3/H)tetracycline) were concentrated in the irreversibly damaged striatum in ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In previous studies we have demonstrated that prion protein (PrP) interacts with tubulin and disrupts microtubular cytoskeleton by inducing tubulin oligomerization. These observations may explain the molecular mechanism of toxicity of cytoplasmic PrP in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Here, we check whether microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) that regulate microtubule stability, influence the PrP-induced oligomerization of tubulin. We show that tubulin preparations depleted of MAPs are more prone to oligomerization by PrP than those containing traces of MAPs. Tau protein, a major neuronal member of the MAPs family, reduces the effect of PrP. Importantly, phosphorylation of Tau abolishes its ability to affect the PrP-induced oligomerization of tubulin. We propose that t...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of the elderly accounting for the vast majority of dementia. Recently, many studies have implicated the role of inflammatory response, especially neuroinflammatory response in the development and progression of AD. However, the underlying mechanism of how inflammatory response induces AD is unknown. Kynurenine pathway is a major route of the amino acid tryptophan catabolism, resulting in the production of nicotine adenine dinucleotide and other neuroactive intermediates: quinolinic acid (QA) and kynurenic acid (KA). QA exerts different toxic effects, including over-activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and excitotoxicity, synaptic dysfunction and neuronal death. On the other hand, KA is identified as the only...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Singh MK, Spielman D, Libby A, Adams E, Acquaye T, Howe M, Kelley R, Reiss A, Chang KD. Neurochemical deficits in the cerebellar vermis in child offspring of parents with bipolar disorder.-Bipolar Disord 2011: 13: 189-197. 2011 The Authors.-Journal compilation 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives:- We aimed to compare concentrations of N-acetyl aspartate, myo-inositol, and other neurometabolites in the cerebellar vermis of offspring at risk for bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls to examine whether changes in these neuronal metabolite concentrations occur in at-risk offspring prior to the onset of mania. Methods:- A total of 22 children and adolescents aged 9-17-years with a familial risk for bipolar I or II disorder [at-risk offspring with non-bipolar I disorder mood symptoms (AR...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVE --To evaluate the consequences on male sexual function of intraprostatic injection of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A) as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Although BoNT/A is effective in decreasing symptoms of BPH, neuronal impairment caused by the neurotoxin might affect emission/ejaculation. These aspects have not been evaluated before. PATIENTS AND METHODS --In all, 16 sexually active men aged >60 years with BPH/benign prostatic enlargement (BPE), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) -8 and a maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) <15mL/s refractory to standard medical therapy volunteered for the study. --Patients were injected transrectally, under ultrasonographic control, with 200U of BoNT/A in the prostate. Evaluation was carried out at baseline and 1, 3 ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Gonadal hormones modulate neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus differentially in male and female adult rodents. Neurogenesis is comprised of at least two components: cell proliferation (the production of new cells) and cell survival (the number of new neurons that survive to maturity). Previous studies have found sex differences in the level of cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus only when comparing females in a high estrogen state to males. This review focuses on the effects of acute and chronic levels of estrogens or androgens on hippocampal neurogenesis in the adult male and female rodent. Evidence is also reviewed for the co-localization of androgen receptors and estrogen receptors (ER) with markers for cell proliferation or immature new cell survival. Briefly, evidence suggests that ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

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

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This paper presents a systematic approach for designing a self-tuning power system stabilizer (PSS) based on artificial neural network (ANN). An ANN is used for self-tuning the parameters of PSS in real-time. The nodes in the input layer of the ANN receive generator terminal active power (P), reactive power (Q), and voltage (V{sub t}), while the nodes in the output layer provide the optimum PSS parameters, e.g. stabilizing gain (K{sub STAB}), time constants (T{sub 1} and T{sub 2}). A new approach for the selection of number of neurons in the hidden layer has been proposed. Investigations reveal that the dynamic performance of the system with self-tuning PSS based on ANN (ST-ANNPSS) is quite robust over a wide range of loading conditions and equivalent reactance, X{sub e}. (Author)

CERN Document Server

We study the dynamics of states perturbatively expanded about a harmonic system of loop quantum cosmology, exhibiting a bounce. In particular, the evolution equations for the first and second order moments of the system are analyzed. These moments back-react on the trajectories of the expectation values of the state and hence alter the energy density at the bounce. This analysis is performed for isotropic loop quantum cosmology coupled to a scalar field with a small but non-zero constant potential, hence in a regime in which the kinetic energy of matter dominates. Analytic restrictions on the existence of dynamical coherent states and the meaning of semi-classicality within these systems are discussed. A numerical investigation of the trajectories of states that remain semi-classical across the bounce demonstrates that, at least for such states, the bounce persists and that its properties are similar to the standard case, in which the moments of the states are ...

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The shrinking core model is examined for gas-solid noncatalytic reactions with a self-inhibited rate form and it is shown that multiple reaction pathways are possible for solid particles reacted under identical conditions. The observed reaction rate can have up to two discontinuities (jumps) during reaction for particles of spherical and cylindrical shape. The geometric instability analysis reveals that the reaction interface is stable under a very limited set of conditions only for solid particles of slab geometry. For a sphere or cylinder at large Biot numbers the reaction interface is always potentially unstable. This model provides a plausible explanation for gas-solid reactions which exhibit erratic shrinking core behavior.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We have demonstrated that, with simple pH adjustment, volatile drugs such as methamphetamine, amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), ketamine, and valproic acid could be analyzed rapidly from raw biofluid samples (e.g. urine and serum) without dilution, or extraction, using atmospheric pressure ionization. The ion source was a variant type of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) that used a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) to generate the metastable helium gas and reagent ions. The sample solution was loaded in a disposable glass pipette, and the volatile compounds were purged by nitrogen gas to be reacted with the metastable helium gas. The electrodes of the DBD were arranged in such a way that the generated glow discharge was confined within the discharge tub...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A novel composite charged mosaic membrane (CCMM) was prepared via interfacial polymerization (IP) of polyamine [poly(epichlorohydrin amine)] and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) on the polyethersulfone (PES) support. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle analysis were applied to characterize the resulted CCMM. The FT-IR spectrum indicates that TMC reacts sufficiently with polyamine. ESEM and AFM pictures show that the IP process produces a dense selective layer on the support membrane. The water contact angle of the CCMM is smaller than that of the substrate membrane because of the cross-linked hydrophilic polyamine network. Several factors affecting the IP reaction and the performan...

Science.gov (United States)

uv irradiation (365 nm) of air-saturated methanol solutions of 20 drugs absorbing in the 300 to 400 nm region gave rise to oxygen uptake, as determined with a polarographic oxygen electrode. The drugs were tested for photosensitizing capability by either a Type I (free radical) or a Type II (single molecular oxygen) mechanism. This testing was done by the inclusion of either acrylamide or 2,5-dimethylfuran in the irradiated drug solution, with observation of the subsequent polymerization or oxidation, respectively. Phenothiazine and thiazide derivatives appear capable of photosensitization by both mechanisms; promethazine, trifluoperazine, and furosemide show relatively high reactivity. Diazepam (weak), hexachlorophene, aminacrine, pyrilamine, tetracycline, demeclocyline, quinine, and anthracene (strong) react only by a Type II mechanism, with a photosensitizing efficiency increasing in the order given. A correlation appears to exist with reports of in vivo ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A complex modulated structure is described for reactive elements that have the capability of considerably more heat than organic explosives while generating a working fluid or gas. The explosive and method of fabricating same involves a plurality of very thin, stacked, multilayer structures, each composed of reactive components, such as aluminum, separated from a less reactive element, such as copper oxide, by a separator material, such as carbon. The separator material not only separates the reactive materials, but it reacts therewith when detonated to generate higher temperatures. The various layers of material, thickness of 10 to 10,000 angstroms, can be deposited by magnetron sputter deposition. The explosive detonates and combusts a high velocity generating a gas, such as CO, and high temperatures. 2 figs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pulse radiolysis was used to examine the nature of the silver species obtained when an aqueous solution containing sequestered Ag"+ ions was reduced by hydrated electrons in the presence of a surfactant macrocyclic crown ether, labeled L, and/or a maltoside surfactant. The initially formed product is the Ag"0(L) species which rapidly loses its ligand (half-life #<=#5 #mu#s) and reacts with another Ag"+(L) ion to form Ag_2"+(L). The latter species decays by a bimolecular process to form the Ag_4"2"+(L)_n species at a faster rate than its ligand free analogue. Ultimately, colloidal metallic silver, (Ag)_n, forms which is stabilized by the surfactant moieties. No long-term stability to the reduced monomolecular species could be obtained.

Science.gov (United States)

Since the elucidation of the structure of double helical DNA, the construction of small molecules that recognize and react at specific DNA sites has been an area of considerable interest. In particular, the study of transition metal complexes that bind DNA with specificity has been a burgeoning field. This growth has been due in large part to the useful properties of metal complexes, which possess a wide array of photophysical attributes and allow for the modular assembly of an ensemble of recognition elements. Here we review recent experiments in our laboratory aimed at the design and study of octahedral metal complexes that bind DNA non-covalently and target reactions to specific sites. Emphasis is placed both on the variety of methods employed to confer site-specificity and upon the many applications for these complexes. Particular attention is given to the family of complexes recently designed that target single base mismatches in duplex DNA through ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The incorporation of additives designed to sacrificially react on the surface of cathode materials of lithium ion batteries has been investigated. Addition of low concentrations of inorganic additives including lithium bisoxalatoborate (LiBOB), lithium difluorooxalatoborate (LiBF{sub 2}(C{sub 2}O{sub 4})), and tetramethoxy titanium (TMTi) to 1 M LiPF{sub 6} in 1:1:1 EC/DEC/DMC improves the capacity retention of Li/Li{sub 1.17}Mn{sub 0.58}Ni{sub 0.25}O{sub 2} cells cycled to 4.9 V vs. Li. Surface analysis of the cathode materials (XPS and IR) suggests that structure of the cathode surface film is modified by the presence of the additives resulting in a decrease in detrimental electrolyte oxidation reactions on the cathode surface. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fly ash from Lagisza power station with addition of kaolin and calculated amount of carbon was reacted in flowing nitrogen at 1520"oC in order to obtain #beta#-sialon. The resulted powder was sintered with and without Y_2O_3 addition. Examinations show that it is possible to sinter that material without any sintering additives, however additive of Y_2O_3 decreases sintering temperature of about 100"oC. Sintering temperature influences the final mechanical properties like: flexural strength, microhardness, Young elastic modulus (E) and fracture toughness (K_I_c). (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pulse radiolysis studies of the formation kinetics and the yields of various phenylcarbenium ions from several different solutes in 1,2-dichloroethane solution have been carried out. The results indicate that there are two kinetically distinguishable cationic species of the solvent which react selectively with the different solutes to form the phenylcarbenium ions. It is suggested that one is a cation radical (yield 0.68 molecule/100 eV) and the other a carbocation (yield 0.20 molecule/100 eV). Rate constants for their separate reactions with selected aromatic compounds and with ammonia have been determined. Molar extinction coefficients have been estimated for benzyl cation, diphenyl cation radical, and anthracene cation radical. 6 figures, 1 table.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

New Schiff base chelating ligands were synthesized by reacting equimolar quantities of 2,3-dimethyl-4-formyl-1-phenyl-3-pyrazoline-5-one and o-anisidine, p-anisidine, m-anisidine, o-toluidine, p-toluidine, m-toluidine, 2,6-xylidine or 2,4-xylidine in ethanol medium. Their subsequent reaction with gadolinium (III) nitrate hexahydrate in 2:1 molar ratio gave complexes that were characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductances, magnetic measurements, electronic and I.R. spectral studies. All the chelates were found to be non-electrolytic in nature. (author). 15 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The transformation of ferrihydrite to siderite (FeCO3) in the presence of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) and aqueous sulfide has been investigated by in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). The chemical transformation of iron-bearing minerals to form iron carbonates may play a role in the chemistry related to the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's (sub)surface. The iron oxyhydroxide ferrihydrite in an aqueous solution containing sodium sulfide in contact with scCO2 at 100^oC reacts within 24h to form siderite and elemental sulfur. In situ studies of this reaction with ATR-FTIR show that ferrihydrite exists with an adsorbed layer of carbonate. However, the presence of the carbonate adsorbat...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thin Pt, Pd, Pt_2Si, PtSi, Pd_2Si, Ni, Mo, W, Nb, Ti, V films deposited on Si single crystal were treated by using electron beam pulses of 60 ns duration in the 0.4-4 J/cm"2 energy density range. Irradiation of these structures produces at the same time many phases. Post-thermal annealing of the reacted layer induces the formation of a stable phase, the same obtained by only thermal treatment in a conventional furnace. A linear relationship between the energy density range and the lowest eutectic temperature of the compounds formed has been found. Further SEM observations seem to identify a liquid layer from which the phases are forming by subsequent fast cooling. (author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

High molecular weight products of the ozonolysis reaction of particle-phase 9-octadecenoic acid (oleic acid) have been studied by photoelectron resonance capture ionization (PERCI) mass spectrometry (MS). Oleic acid particles ( Formula Not Shown , Formula Not Shown ) were reacted with ozone (1.8x10-4atm) in a flow reactor at reaction times of 8 and 23s. Particles were sampled on-line with a differentially pumped particle inlet and chemically analyzed by PERCI-MS. PERCI is a soft ionization method that permits the direct measurement of relatively high molecular weight compounds, facilitating molecular identification. In addition to cyclic oxygenates, such as secondary ozonides and geminal diperoxides that were reported previously, we demonstrate the formation of polymers at the particle sur...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A spectrophotometric study has been made of the complex formation of vanadium (3) with arsenazo(1), arsenazo(3) and some monosubstituted derivatives of chromotropic acid and sulphanylamides. In acid medium vanadium (3) reacts with each of these reagents to produce a 1:1 complex. Optimum conditions of the complex formation was found. The effect of H"+ on the complex formation of vanadium (3) with chromotropic acid derivatives was established. It was found by the graphical method that the formation of the complex is accompanied by the elimination of one proton. Patterns were found of the influence of the nature of substituents in the organic compound on the ionization constants of acid groups and stability of complexes. Molar extinction coefficients, equilibrium constants of the formation reactions and instability constants for the complexes were calculated. The structure of complexes was suggested. Similar behaviour of all the reagents was established in the complex ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salt stress elicits betaine accumulation to high levels in species from several diverse dicot families (Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae, Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae, and Asteraceae). FAM-MS studies with deuterated precursors showed that species from all these families synthesize betaine from choline. Enzyme assays and immunotitration data showed that all accumulating species contained betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) enzyme activity recognized by antibodies raised against purified BADH isolated from Spinacia oleracea. Immunoblotting indicated that the BADH monomer was in all cases of Mr {approx} 63,000. The similarity of BADH in the different species is consistent with a single evolutionary origin for the betaine pathway. This was supported by the presence in immunoblots of a cross-reacting band at Mr {approx} 63,000 in Magnolia x Soulangiana, a primitive angiosperm.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To apply the CO{sub 2} absorber at about 1000{sup o}C for integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) furnace, the reactions of calcium oxide and CO{sub 2} at high temperatures was examined. Calcium carbonate reacts with sodium hydrogen carbonate below 200{sup o}C and forms sodium-calcium complex carbonate. The sodium-calcium complex carbonate melts at 813{sup o}C, and the carbon dioxide absorption and discharge reversible reactions of calcium-oxide takes place via liquid at around 1000{sup o}C. Sintering of calcium oxide at high temperature has been successfully avoided by the addition of sodium.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A multi-zone computational model in conjunction with some engine tests are used to examine the combustion process of gas fueled diesel engines common known as dual fuel engine to provide information about details of the production of exhaust emissions, especially at light load when very lean mixtures are employed. Detailed chemical reaction kinetic simulation is employed for each of these individual combustion zones so as to establish the associated temporal variations in the concentrations of reacting species right to the exhaust stage. The influence of changes in major operating and design parameters such as the concentration of the gaseous fuel in the cylinder charge, intake temperature and the size of the diesel pilot fuel employed on the production of the exhaust emissions are examined. It is demonstrated in general that any measure that tends to increase the size of the combustion regions within the overly lean cylinder charge will reduce markedly the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor {alpha}7 subunit is a member of a family of ligand-gated ion channels, and is the only subunit know to bind {alpha}-bungarotoxin in mammalian brain. {alpha}-Bungarotoxin binding sites are known to be more abundant in the hippocampus of mouse strains that are particularly sensitive to nicotine-induced seizures. The {alpha}7 receptor is highly permeable to calcium, which could suggest a role in synaptic plasticity in the nervous system. Auditory gating deficiency, an abnormal response to a second auditory stimulus, is characteristic of schizophrenia. Mouse strains that exhibit a similar gating deficit have reduced hippocampal expression of the {alpha}7 subunit. We have cloned and sequenced the full length cDNA for the mouse {alpha}7 gene (Acra-7) and characterized its gene structure. The murine {alpha}7 shares amino acid identity of 99% and 93% with the rat and human {alpha}7 subunits, respectively. Using an interspecies ...

Science.gov (United States)

The precedence effect (PE) is thought to be beneficial for proper localization and perception of sounds. The majority of recent physiological studies focus on the neural discharges correlated with PE in the inferior colliculus (IC). Pentobarbital anesthesia is widely used in physiological studies. However, little is known of the effect of pentobarbital on the discharge of neurons in PE. Neuronal responses in the IC from 23 male SD rats were recorded by standard extracellular recording techniques following presentation of 4 ms white noise bursts, presented from either or both of two loud speakers, at different interstimulus delays (ISDs). The neural responses were recorded for off-line analysis before or after intraperitoneal administration of pentobarbital at a loading or maintenance dose. Data were assessed by one-way repeated measures analysis of variance and pairwise comparisons. When the ipsilateral stimuli were leading, pentobarbital at a ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A study was made of the actions of the excitant neurotoxin, kainic acid, on the uptake and the release of D-(2,3-3H)aspartate (D-ASP) in slices of guinea pig cerebral neocortex and striatum. The slices took up D-ASP, reaching concentrations of the amino acid in the tissue which were 14-23 times that in the medium. Subsequently, electrical stimulation of the slices evoked a Ca2+-dependent release of a portion of the D-ASP. Kainic acid (10(-5)-10(-3) M) produced a dose-dependent inhibition of D-ASP uptake. The electrically evoked release of D-ASP was increased 1.6-2.0 fold by 10(-5) and 10(-4)M kainic acid. The kainate-enlarged release was Ca2+-dependent. Dihydrokainic acid, an analogue of kainic acid with little excitatory or toxic action, did not increase D-ASP release but depressed D-ASP uptake. Attempts were made to block the action of kainic acid with baclofen and pentobarbital, compounds which depress the electrically evoked release of L-glutamate (L-GLU) and L-aspartate (L-ASP). ...

Science.gov (United States)

Excitotoxicity plays a major role in various neurological disorders. In this study, we explored the behavioral and neurotoxic effects of intraventricular NMDA administration in mice. After NMDA injection, acute seizures were followed by impairments in locomotor activity, motor performance on a rotarod, and climbing ability. Mice killed 1 day after NMDA administration showed increased synaptosomal reactive oxygen species ROS production and calcium concentration and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial reductase activities, and neuronal membrane Na+, K+ -ATPase and mg2+ -ATPase activities. One and 3 days after excitotoxic injury, Golgi stains showed that dendritic length and spine density were significantly decreased in neurons of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Some mice received honokiol, tea polyphenol plus memantine, and honokiol plus memantine prior to NMDA treatment; the occurrence of generalized seizures was attenuated, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A #lambda#gt11 cDNA library was constructed from poly(U)-Spharose-selected Entamoeba histolytica trophozoite RNA in order to clone and identify surface antigens. The library was screened with rabbit polyclonal anti-E. histolytica serum. A 700-base-pair cDNA insert was isolated and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA revealed a cysteine-rich protein. DNA hybridizations showed that the gene was specific to E. histolytica since the cDNA probe reacted with DNA from four axenic strains of E. histolytica but did not react with DNA from Entamoeba invadens, Acanthamoeba castellanii, or Trichomonas vaginalis. The insert was subcloned into the expression vector pGEX-1 and the protein was expressed as a fusion with the C terminus of glutathione S-transferase. Purified fusion protein was used to generate 22 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and a mouse polyclonal antiserum specific for the E. histolytica portion ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rabbit antisera raised to human and chicken MHC molecules were used to immunoprecipitate cross-reactive molecules from biosynthetically and cell surface-labeled spleen and/or blood cells of representative vertebrate species. Five major points emerged: 1) There were many nonspecific cross-reactions using these techniques, so various criteria were developed to distinguish these from true MHC-like molecules. 2) Only very small subpopulations of immunogen-specific antibodies cross-reacted with MHC-like molecules in other nonmammalian species. These subpopulations were different for each species and even within a species, sometimes being so limited as to behave like alloantisera. This led to a very scattered pattern of true cross-reactions that sometimes failed to reflect the properties of the bulk antibody population. 3) Antisera containing antibodies to class II beta- and class I alpha-chains cross-reacted better and more widely than those to B-G, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The finite-volume based commercial CFD-code Fluent was used to simulate the reacting flow in a heavy fuel oil fired laboratory furnace. Both the standard {kappa}-{epsilon} turbulence model and the Reynolds stress model (RSM) were tested. The combustion model was based on the conserved scalar (mixture fraction) and prescribed probability density function approach. The heavy fuel oil droplet trajectories were predicted by solving the momentum equations for the droplets using the Lagrangian treatment. The soot distribution in the furnace was calculated by solving a transport equation for the soot mass fraction. Simple expressions for the soot formation and oxidation rates were employed. The radiation heat transfer equation was solved using the finite volume method. The formation of thermal NO from molecular nitrogen was modeled according to the extended Zeldovich mechanism. Fuel-based NO was modeled assuming that all the nitrogen in the fuel is released as hydrogen ...

Science.gov (United States)

A factor produced by the plerocercoid stage of S. mansonoides mimics some, but not all, of the actions reported for hGH. The biological actions of plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) suggest structural similarity to human GH (hGH). Plerocercoid membranes were solubilized, and PGF was purified more than 1000-fold by hGH receptor affinity chromatography. The ability of purified PGF to displace [125I]hGH from monoclonal antibodies specific for four distinct nonoverlapping antigenic determinants of hGH and from an anti-hGH polyclonal antibody was tested in liquid phase RIA. All of the hGH antibodies cross-reacted with PGF, with potencies ranging from more than 60% to less than 1% that of the hGH standard. Of the four major epitopes of hGH defined by the monoclonal antibodies used in this study, only one is not represented to a significant extent in PGF. The epitope of hGH that is only marginally present in PGF is highly conformationally dependent, and a minor difference ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

It is now known that various growth factors may also act in the central nervous system. Among them, it has recently been shown that epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) may possess trophic effects in the mammalian brain. We report here on the respective autoradiographic distribution of ["1"2"5I]EGF and ["1"2"5I]IGF-I receptor binding sites in the rat brain, both during ontogeny and in adulthood. It appears that ["1"2"5I]EGF sites are mostly found in the rat forebrain during brain development. On the other hand, ["1"2"5I]IGF-I sites are more widely distributed both during ontogeny and in adulthood. These results reveal the plasticity of the expression of EGF and IGF-I receptor sites in the mammalian brain. This could be relevant for the respective role of these two growth factors in the development and maintenance of neuronal function.

Scientific Electronic Library Online (English)

Abstract in english Cytokines are molecules that were initially discovered in the immune system as mediators of communication between various types of immune cells. However, it soon became evident that cytokines exert profound effects on key functions of the central nervous system, such as food intake, fever, neuroendocrine regulation, long-term potentiation, and behavior. In the 80's and 90's our group and others discovered that the genes encoding various cytokines and their receptors are e (more) xpressed in vascular, glial, and neuronal structures of the adult brain. Most cytokines act through cell surface receptors that have one transmembrane domain and which transduce a signal through the JAK/STAT pathway. Of particular physiological and pathophysiological relevance is the fact that cytokines are potent regulators of hypothalamic neuropeptidergic systems that maintain neuroendocrine homeostasis and which regulate the body's response to stress. The mechanisms ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The aim of this work is the evaluation of biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of a cocaine analog, the N-(3-iodo-prop-2E-enyl)-2beta-carbo-methoxy-3beta-(4-methyl-phenyl) nor-tropane (PE2I), labeled with carbon 11 ([{sup 11}C]PE2I). The [{sup 11}C]PE2I is a selective radioligand for imaging neuronal dopamine transporter (DAT) with positron emission tomography (PET). The DAT is a membrane-bound pre synaptically located protein that regulates the concentration of dopamine at nerve terminals. DAT radioligands are often used to evaluate the progression of Parkinson's disease or the efficiency of neuro-protective therapeutics and, typically, these studies required several successive PET scans. (author)

Science.gov (United States)

The endothelin-B (ETB) receptor is a G-protein-coupled receptor that binds endothelin ligands and is essential for the development of epidermal melanocytes and enteric neurons. Recent reports indicate that ETB is localized to nuclei in cardiac ventricular myocytes, although it has been thought that ETB is localized mainly on the plasma membrane. It remains unknown, however, whether this unique distribution of ETB occurs in other tissues. To elucidate the subcellular distribution of ETB in the intestine, we performed immunofluorescence of ETB in mouse intestine using a specific antibody. ETB-like immunoreactivity was detected in both the mucosal and muscle layers. In the mucosal layer, villous epithelial cells, stromal cells of the lamina propria, and cryptic cells were immunostained. Subcellularly, ETB is localized mainly to the nuclei of villous epithelial cells. In the muscle layer, immunoreactivity of ETB was localized to the myenteric plexus. These findings ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Drosophila hairy gene encodes a basic helix- loop-helix protein that functions in at least two steps during Drosophila development: (1) during embryogenesis, when it partakes in the establishment of segments, and (2) during the larval stage, when it functions negatively in determining the pattern of sensory bristles on the adult fly. In the rat, a structurally homologous gene (RHL) behaves as an immediate-early gene in its response to growth factors and can, like that in Drosophila, suppress neuronal differentiation events. Here, the authors report the genomic cloning of the human hairy gene homolog (HRY). The coding region of the gene is contained within four exons. The predicted amino acid sequence reveals only four amino acid differences between the human and rat genes. Analysis of the DNA sequence 5[prime] to the coding region reveals a putatitve untranslated exon. To increase the value of the HRY gene as a genetic marker and to assess its potential ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Huntington?s disease (HD) is caused by an expansion of a polyglutamine repeat of more than 35?units in the huntingtin protein. The expanded repeat length is inversely correlated with the age at onset (AAO); however, additional genetic factors apart from the expanded CAG repeat length can modify the course and the AAO in HD. Aberrations in macroautophagy have been observed in Huntington, Alzheimer, Parkinson, motor neuron and prion diseases. Therefore, we hypothesized that polymorphisms in autophagy-related (Atg) genes might contribute to the variation in the AAO. We initially tested eight single nucleotide polymorphisms in five Atg genes (Atg3, Atg5, Atg7, Atg16L1 and Beclin-1) for their frequency of ?1%. Subsequently, we investigated the polymorphisms Atg7 V471A and Atg16L1 T281A for a di...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters found in the brain and mediates brain functions. It is very well known that serotonin related brain abnormalities are exerted mainly via serotonin receptors in a similar manner to other neurotransmitters found in the brain. Recently, it has also been found that serotonin is involved in Alzheimer's disease either directly or indirectly by its actions on serotonergic neurons. To understand and treat the diseases caused by abnormalities in the serotonergic system in the brain, it is certain that its mechanism of function has to be well investigated. So far several 5-HT receptors and receptor subtypes have been well characterized. Moreover, serotonin agonists and antagonists acting on specific receptors are chemically synthesized and are now available for the prevention or treatment of serotonergic related diseases. In recent years, a great demand for developing neuroimaging agents has emerged for the diagnosis of abnormal ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Preventing recurrence of surface mining accidents in the coal industry remains a top priority requiring constant vigilance and a substantial commitment from all involved in open pit mining operations. Open pit wall failures, loose rocks rolling down slopes, ground water and stockpiling procedures are common sources of risks in open cut coal operations. This video aims to equip workers with the necessary skills and knowledge to assess and react to the geomechanics hazards in open pit coal operations. Workers need to have the competencies to manage geomechanics hazards to facilitate their own and their workmates' safety. No matter how good the operating systems are, the first line of defence against accidents is the experience, skill and knowledge-based judgment of each individual mine worker. The video covers: Open pit coal mine risk management and geomechanical issues; Terminology, mining cycle, and explanation of pit slope hazards; and Understanding of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper, we show that boron transient enhanced diffusion can be reduced to different extents by varying the distribution of nitrogen atoms in the junction. This is attributed to the relative location of nitrogen atoms with respect to boron profile and end-of-range defect band, affecting the interactions between dopants and defects upon annealing. In addition, variations in boron dopant activation and deactivation are also observed. Similar to fluorine co-implantation, it is proposed that nitrogen atoms react with vacancy point defects to form nitrogen-vacancy clusters that will trap the interstitials emitted from end-of-range defects. However, we report that the interstitial sink efficiency of nitrogen atoms is not as good as the co-implanted carbon atoms, which is noticed from the dopant deactivation curves. In terms of extended defect evolution, the results clearly indicate that end-of-range defects can be stabilized by choosing the optimized co-implant ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

For prolonged storage and eventual disposal radioactive wastes will be solidified to reduce the problems which accompany liquid waste whilst solid wastes will be encapsulated in an immobilising matrix. In the solidification and encapsulation process it will be important to produce a material in a form which is chemically stable, mechanically strong and which will not react with or allow free passage of groundwater. To this end a continuous check will be required to ensure that the various wastes are chemically compatible with the solidifying and binding matrices and that the associated processes are performed against a strict Quality Programme. The Quality Programme will be extensive requiring the specification of procedures for assessing the quality and nature of the wastes, the detailed operation of the solidification and/or encapsulation, the overpack requirements for transportation and the routines to be adopted with respect to storage or final disposal in the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The reactive evaporation process was successfully used to deposit films of the A-15 Nb_3Ge phase. This is the first report, to the best of our knowledge, illustrating the use of such processes for the deposition of A-15 compounds. In this process, niobium vapors from an electron-beam-heated evaporation source react with germane gas introduced into the vacuum chamber at low partial pressures (approximately 10"-"4 Torr) to produce Nb_3Ge deposits. The process variables studied were the deposition temperature, the niobium-to-germanium impingement ratio on the substrate and the plasma-enhanced deposition, in this case the activated reactive evaporation process. At low deposition temperatures (below 450"0C) the deposit is amorphous (or microcrystalline) and can be crystallized to the Nb_3Ge phase by heat treatment, e.g. at 850"0C for 1 h in vacuum. The ratio of niobium to germanium in the deposit can be varied by changing the process parameters. The films are ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Solar syngas production from CO"2 and H"2O is considered in a two-step thermochemical cycle via Zn/ZnO redox reactions, encompassing: 1) the ZnO thermolysis to Zn and O"2 using concentrated solar radiation as the source of process heat, and 2) Zn reacting with mixtures of H"2O and CO"2 yielding high-quality syngas (mainly H"2 and CO) and ZnO; the ZnO is recycled to the first, solar step, resulting in net reaction @bCO"2 + (1 - @b)H"2O -> @bCO + (1 - @b)H"2. Syngas is further processed to liquid hydrocarbon fuels via Fischer-Tropsch or other catalytic processes. Second-law thermodynamic analysis is applied to determine the cycle efficiencies attainable with and without heat recuperation for varying molar fractions of CO"2:H"2O and solar reactor temperatures in the range 1900-2300 K. Conside...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The durability of ball bearings, 32-mm- and 45-mm-bore, with a retainer or glass cloth-polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) laminate was tested under a high radial load at a speed of 20,000 rpm in LOX or LN2. The retainers were characterized as good self-lubricators because the abrasive glass-cloth fiber tips exposed on the retainer were chemicaly etched away with hydrofluoric acid (HF). During testing, the bearing-cartridge-acceleration was monitored to detect bearing damage. Testing in LOX for about 2.2 hr showed that excellent lubricating conditions were obtained for all bearings. Testing in LN2 for about 5.1 hr detected that the fatigue life of the bearing was about the same as the calculated B10 fatigue life. The HF chemical treatment resulted in a reacted fluoride-oxide material which remained in the etched part of the glass fiber. Several chemical products, particularly MgO, CaO, and CaCO3, enhanced adhesion of PTFE transfer film to the counterface, resulting in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A number of amines can be employed for all volatile treatment (AVT) of steam generator (SG) systems of nuclear power reactors. These amines form complexes with Cu{sup 2+} and Ni{sup 2+} ions which come into water due to corrosion. The redox reactions of a number of Cu(II)-AVT amine complexes and the stability of the transient species formed have been studied by pulse radiolysis technique. Rate constants for the reaction of e{sub aq}{sup -} with a number of Cu(II)-amine complexes have been determined by following the decay of e{sub aq}{sup -} absorption. Stability of Cu(I)-amine complexes was studied by following the kinetics of the bleaching signal formed at the {lambda}{sub max} of the Cu(II) amine complex. Except for Cu(I)-triethanolamine complex all other Cu(I)-amine complexes were found to be stable. One-electron oxidation of Cu(II) amine complexes was studied using azidyl radicals for the oxidation reaction as OH radicals react with the alcohol groups present ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A dipole magnet based on the common coil design, using prereacted Nb{sub 3}Sn superconductor, is under development at Fermilab, for a future Very Large Hadron Collider. This magnet has some innovative design and technological features such as single layer coils, a 22 mm wide 60-strand Rutherford type cable and stainless steel collars reinforced by horizontal bridges inserted between coil blocks. Both left and right coils are wound simultaneously into the collar structure and then impregnated with epoxy. In order to optimize the design and fabrication techniques an R&D program is underway. The production of cables with the required characteristics was shown possible. Collar laminations were produced, assembled and tested in order to check the effectiveness of the bridges and the validity of the mechanical design. A mechanical model consisting of a 165 mm long section of the magnet straight section was assembled and tested. This paper summarizes the status of the program, and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Artificial bone cements (BCs) based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) powders and methyl methacrylate (MMA) liquid monomer also present in their formulation small amounts of other substances, including a chemical initiator compound and radiopaque agents. Because inadequate mixing of the recipe components during the manufacture of the bone cement may compromise the mechanical properties of the final pieces, new techniques to incorporate the fillers into the BC and their effect upon the mechanical properties of BC pieces were investigated in the present study. PMMA powder composites were produced in situ in the reaction vessel by addition of X-ray contrasts to the reacting MMA mixture. It is shown that this can lead to much better mechanical properties of test pieces, when compared to standard bone cement formulations, because enhanced dispersion of the radiopaque agents can be achieved. Moreover, it is shown that the addition of hydroxyapatite (HA) and acrylic ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The excellent high temperature strength and thermal conductivity of molybdenum-base alloys provide attractive features for components in advanced magnetic and inertial fusion devices. Refractory metal alloys react readily with oxygen and other gases. Oxidized molybdenum in turn is susceptible to losses from volatile molybdenum trioxide species, MoO{sub 3}(m), in air and the hydroxide, MoO{sub 2}(OH){sub 2}, formed from water vapor. Transport of radioactivity by the volatilization, migration, and re-deposition of these volatile species during a potential accident involving a loss of vacuum or inert environment represents a safety issue. In this report the authors present experimental results on the oxidation, volatilization and re-deposition of molybdenum from TZM in flowing air between 400 and 800 C. These results are compared with calculations obtained from a vaporization mass transfer model using chemical thermodynamic data for vapor pressures of MoO{sub 3}(g) ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Projected scenarios for the proposed Yucca Mountain repository include significant periods of time when high relative humidity atmospheres will be present, thus the reaction processes of interest will include those known to occur under these conditions. The ideal natural analog for the proposed Yucca Mountain repository would consist of natural borosilicate glasses exposed to expected repository conditions for thousands of years; however, the prospects for identifying such an analog are remote, but an important caveat for using natural analog studies is to relate the reaction processes in the analog to those in the system of interest, rather than a strict comparison of the glass compositions. In lieu of this, identifying natural glasses that have reacted via reaction processes expected in the repository is the most attractive option. The goal of this study is to quantify molecular water diffusion in the natural analogs obsidian and tektites. Results from this study ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Several dioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes of the schiff bases derived from salicylaldehyde, 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde, o-hydroxyacetophenone or pyridoxal and o-aminobenzylalcohol, o-aminophenol, o-hydroxybenzylamine, o-hydroxy(methylbenzyl)amine or 3-amino-2-naphthoic acid have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, electrical conductance, molecular weight, IR and electronic spectral and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The schiff bases behave as dibasic, tridentate ligands and coordinate through ONO donor system forming complexes of the type MoO_2L.X (where LH_2=schiff base, X=H_2O or Ch_3OH). The compounds MoO_2L.Ch_3OH react with 2,2'-dipyridyl to form heterochelates of the type MoO_2L.dipyridyl. The complexes are non-electrolytes, monomers, diamagnetic and possess a cis-MoO_2 structure. The complexes exhibit a ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transition around 25000 cm"-"1. The complexes MoO_2L.X and MoO_2L.dipyridyl are six- and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

#beta#-SiAlON was synthesized from a zeolite by NH_3 gas nitridation and its formation mechanism was investigated using X-ray diffraction and "2"9Si and "2"7Al NMR spectroscopy. It was revealed that most of the Si and Al atoms react to form #beta#-SiAlON via amorphous forms of Si-Al-O-N and O-SiAlON. Nitridation using NH_3 gas is an effective means of preventing mullite formation and promoting the introduction of nitrogen into aluminosilicate materials at lower temperatures than temperatures required by the carbothermal reduction nitridation process. Further, the NMR spectra showed that the siliceous part of the system changed into low z-value of Si_6_-_zAl_zO_zN_8_-_z (#beta#-SiAlON) and the incorporation of Al components into the #beta#-SiAlON was promoted in the later stages of the reaction. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A study was undertaken of the effect of monovalent cations (Li/sup +/, Na/sup +/, K/sup +/) on the dielectric constant (epsilon) of the water-lipid interface of unilamellar phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles, i.e., the ester carbonyl oxygen region of the PC molecules or the neighborhood of the oxygen atoms of the phosphorylcholine moiety. epsilon was determined by reacting the free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl with ..cap alpha..-tocopherol incorporated in the lipid vesicles. The results are consistent with a decrease of epsilon (LiCl: 35.5 to 29.5; NaCl: 34 to 29; KCl: 33 to 29) as the concentration of the salts in the solvent media increases from 0.025 to 0.5 M. These effects can be rationalized in terms of dielectric saturation at the water-lipid interface brought about by ion-induced local electric fields. In the unilamellar PC vesicles the effect of the ions on epsilon follows the sequence K/sup +/ > Na/sup +/ > Li/sup +/ which contrasts ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In vitro mutagenesis of functional DNA gene fragments by covalently reactive agents permits one in principle to examine the consequent alterations in DNA sequence directly. I have carried out selective mutagenesis of the tetracycline resistance gene in the plasmid pBR322 using the long wavelength UV light activated reaction of 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP). The mutagenized DNA sequence was the EcoR1-Hind III restriction fragment in the vicinity of the Tcsup(R) promoter. Two classes of mutants were obtained. One exhibited a high level of Tc resistance (40-60 ..mu..g/ml) but still lower than the wild-type. Interestingly, these showed no sequence alterations at all in the vicinity of the TMP-reacted fragment. The other class of mutants exhibited low levels of drug resistance (< 20 ..mu..g/ml) and two of those that were sequenced were found to contain a 15-base pair insertion to the right of the original Hind III site. Under the conditions used, psoralen ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xe ion irradiation of NiSi, PdSi, and PtSi on Si was performed at various substrate temperatures. The phase formation and mixing behavior of the three monosilicides with their Si substrates are quite different. For NiSi, NiSi/sub 2/ was formed on amorphous Si substrates at 350 /sup 0/C, while NiSi remained stable on crystalline Si substrates even at 400 /sup 0/C. PtSi reacted with Si to form a metastable Pt/sub 4/Si/sub 9/ phase, which decomposed back to PtSi and Si by successive irradiation at higher temperatures. The decomposition of the metastable Pt/sub 4/Si/sub 9/ was easier on crystalline Si substrates than on amorphous substrates. No mixing was observed for PdSi on Si in the temperature range of 35--400 /sup 0/C. The ion mixing results were compared with those from thermal annealing. The importance of demixing of a thermally stable system was explored.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The interaction of cis-diamminediaquoplatinum(II) nitrate with adenosylcobalamin and a series of alkylcobalamins was studied by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and by electronic spectroscopy. With these cobalamins cis-(Pt(NH/sub 3/)/sub 2/(OH/sub 2/)/sub 2/)/sup 2 +/ forms adducts in which N(3) of the 5,6-methylbenzimidazole moiety is co-ordinated to platinum(II) rather than to cobalt(III) of the corrin. The chemical shifts of the 5'-methylene carbon of adenosylcobalamin-platinum adduct and of the Co-methyl carbon of the methylcobalamin-platinum adduct are characteristic of these cobalamins in the base-off form. Furthermore, these cobalamin-platinum complexes have visible spectra identical to those of the cobalamins in acidic solution. The /sup 13/C NMR spectrum of the adenosylcobalamin-platinum complex suggests the presence of a second adduct in which platinum(II) complexes are co-ordinated to both the N(3) of the 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole nucleotide and to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Under typical conditions found in Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion (PFBC), the calcination reaction of limestones is thermodynamically inhibited, and the sorbent reacts with SO{sub 2} by a direct mechanism. Direct sulfation reactivity of different Spanish sorbents was studied by high-pressure thermogravimetric analysis. It was found that the physical structure of the surface of the particles influence the sulfation behaviour of the sorbents. Total pore volume and pore surface area correlated well with the reactivity of the sorbents. Temperatures between 800 and 925{degree}C, and pressure between 12 and 25 bar, promoted an increase in reactivity, while the gas composition had no effect when changed from 15% CO{sub 2}, 3% O{sub 2}, 0.5% SO{sub 2}, balance N{sub 2} to 12% CO{sub 2}, 7% O{sub 2}, 0.5% SO{sub 2}, balance N{sub 2}. It was found that the unreacted shrinking core model could not satisfactorily describe the sulfation reaction under the conditions ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report describes in detail the First Generation Duct Injection Model developed for the analysis of the fundamental processes of flue gas desulfurization by sorbent injection. The model is a two- and three-dimensional, multiphase reacting flow analyzer using computational fluid dynamics methods. The gaseous phase is solved in an Eulerian frame while the droplets or particles are tracked in a Lagrangian frame. The model has an associated preprocessor which allow easy problem set up by the use without in-depth knowledge of computational fluid dynamics. The aerodynamics of the First Generation Duct Injection Model have been successfully validated with a number of test cases for which experimental data are available. Data from the Meredosia pilot plant humidification tests have been used to validate the gas and droplet dynamics of the model with good agreement. Comparison of SO{sub 2} removal results using the present model (with one injector) and the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Formaldehyde release from building products is primarily due to incompletely reacted urea-formaldehyde resin (UFR) in particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and plywood. Formaldehyde is also released from urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) that was popular during the 1970s for retrofitting building envelopes. Results of the authors test of commercial adhesives and UF-bonded wood products show that current state-of-the-art products yield air chamber test values below 0.25 mg/m/sup 3/ immediately after manufacture and are capable of meeting 0.12 mg/m/sup 3/ indoor air standards at the current product ratio unless these products are used in places where they are exposed to high temperature and humidity. In mobile homes placed in severe climates, wall-temperature profiles show large seasonal and diurnal variations that cause large changes in formaldehyde indoor air levels. The authors work shows that diurnal formaldehyde levels may change by a factor of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Construction of the French PWR nuclear program started in the early 70s, at the time a number of operating plants in the US were being affected by the first corrosion problems. Since, at that time, its construction program was in an early stage, FRAMATOME was able to make modifications on the first units to improve steam generator resistance to corrosion. For instance, full depth expansion of the tubes in the tube-sheet using an explosive process (Westex) was performed on Fessenheim 1 steam generators already installed on site. Later on, continuous operating experience was being obtained in the US, before startup of the French units. This allowed FRAMATOME to react rapidly and take immediate corrective actions at the design stage, during fabrication and sometimes even on site in order to mitigate the risk of corrosion in the steam generators. FRAMATOME is confident that the present design of its steam generator models, including a large number of major improvements ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report examines the concept of climate surprise and its implications for environmental policymaking. Although most integrated assessment models of climate change deal with average values of change, it is usually the extreme events or surprises that cause the most damage to human health and property. Current models do not help the policymaker decide how to deal with climate surprises. This report examines the literature of surprise in many aspects of human society: psychology, military, health care, humor, agriculture, etc. It draws together various ways to consider the concept of surprise and examines different taxonomies of surprise that have been proposed. In many ways, surprise is revealed to be a subjective concept, triggered by such factors as prior experience, belief system, and level of education. How policymakers have reacted to specific instances of climate change or climate surprise in the past is considered, particularly with regard to the choices ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A glass furnace, consisting of a combustion space and a glass melter, uses combustion heat to melt sand and cullet into liquid glass to make products. Glass quality is mainly dependent on the temperature, glass composition, and the level of impurities in a glass melter, which include solid batch/cullet particles, liquid glass, and gas bubbles. A comprehensive computational model using an Eulerian approach has been developed to simulate multiphase flows in a glass melter. It includes all the phases, divides solid particles or gas bubbles into various size groups, and treats each group as a continuum. The derived mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations of the flow are solved for local properties for each phase. The simulation considers the heating and melting of the batch (mainly from the radiative heat from combustion and from the convective heat from the molten glass), the formation and transport of bubbles, and the heating and mixing of the liquid glass. The approach was ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Apparatus and methods for generating heat and electricity from the consumption of a variety of aluminum products comprise: (A) a reaction chamber containing an aqueous electrolyte solution and adapted for introduction therein of aluminum pieces of various shapes and sizes up to a certain maximum predetermined size and for effecting a chemical reaction between said aqueous electrolyte and said aluminum pieces yielding aluminum hydroxide and an intermediate reactant; (B) means for feeding said aluminum pieces into said reaction chamber in small quantities upon demand; (C) means for removing the heat generated in said chamber as a result of said reaction; (D) means for removing said aluminum hydroxide reaction product; and (E) means for oxidizing said intermediate reactant in an electrochemical cell, thereby generating electrical energy. The intermediate reactant is preferably hydrogen or zinc. The latter may be used in a slurry type zinc/air battery, whereas hydrogen is preferably ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The effect of concentration on the corrosion behavior of Mg-based alloy AZ91D was investigated in ethylene glycol-water solutions using electrochemical techniques i.e. potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance measurements (EIS) and surface examination via scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique. This can provide a basis for developing new coolants for magnesium alloy engine blocks. Corrosion behavior of AZ91D alloy by coolant is important in the automotive industry. It was found that the corrosion rate of AZ91D alloy decreased with increasing concentration of ethylene glycol. For AZ91D alloy in chloride >0.05 M or fluoride 0.05 M for fluoride containing ethylene glycol solution, some inhibition effect has been observed. The corrosion of AZ91D alloy in the blank can be effectively inhibited by addition of 0.05 mM paracetamol that reacts with AZ91D alloy and forms a protective film on the surface at this concentration as confirmed by surface ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A sensitive and rapid automated method has been developed for the selective analysis of acid extractable sulfide in environmental samples by combining gas dialysis separation techniques with methylene blue detection procedures. Acid extractable sulfide is separated from the sample matrix by the gas dialysis membrane and subsequently trapped in a dilute sodium hydroxide receiving stream. This stream is reacted with N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine and ferric chloride to produce methylene blue which is then quantitated colorimetrically at 660 nm. For standards and nonturbid environmental samples, there is good agreement between the results obtained by this procedure and the standard methylene blue method. The effect of interferences on the accurate determination of sulfide by both methods was also examined and it was found that cupric ions significantly interfered with sulfide estimation. To obtain adequate sulfide recoveries in tap water and environmental samples ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Users of pesticides may have waste or surplus quantities or spills for disposal. One alternative is to deactivate the pesticide at the handling site by using a straightforward chemical reaction. This option can be practical for those who use relatively small quantities of a large variety of pesticides, for example, greenhouse workers, small farmers, and agricultural researchers. This paper describes practical on-site methods for the disposal of spills or small waste quantities of five commonly used pesticides, Diazinon, Chlorpyrifos, Iprodione, 2,4-D, and Captan. These have been tested in the laboratory for the rate of disappearance of the pesticide, the degree of conversion to nontoxic products, the nature and identity of the products, the practicality of the method, and the ease of reproducibility. Methods selected were shown to be safe for the operator, reliable, and reproducible. Greater than 99% of the starting material had to be reacted under reasonable ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corrosion in drilling and well stimulation is described in relation to acid corrosion inhibition, acid inhibitors, acetylenic inhibitors, synergistic blends, metallurgy, wellbore tubulars, coiled tubing, and high alloy tubular materials. Acidizing is a procedure for stimulating oil and gas wells. Factors that have an important influence on the reaction rate and the way in which acid reacts with rock include temperature, acid concentration, acid volume, injection velocity, acid viscosity, and fluid loss properties of the formation. The cost of drill pipe failures are $1 per fot of hole drilled, which is a significant fraction of the drilling cost. Steps in a test procedure are listed, as well as factors which determine the extent of acid corrosion in a given situation including acid type and strength, metal type, temperature, contact time; pressure, and volume/surface area ratio. Underbalanced drilling is a method for completing oil and gas wells that minimizes the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ceramic matrix composites in the TiC-Ti, Y-TZP system can be synthesized by the reaction between carbon and the TiO_2-Y_2O_3-ZrO_2 solid solution nanopowder. This method results in the more homogeneous powders than those prepared by the physical mixing of TiC and zirconia s.s. powders. Twelve TiO_2-Y_2O_3-ZrO_2 solid solution nanopowders differing in the proportions of the constituent oxides were prepared by the coprecipitation- calcination route. They were reacted with the pyrolytic carbon evenly distributed within the system. Carbon was introduced by the thermal decomposition of the phenol-formaldehyde resin dissolved in ethyl alcohol and mixed with the zirconia s.s. nanopowder. Reaction was performed in vacuum. Compacts of the composite powders sintered in vacuum give dense materials of evenly distributed TiC inclusions of sizes not surpassing 400 nm. Hardness of such materials was dependent on their chemical and phase composition but was generally higher than ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The aim of this work is to combine the MCFC cathode Li{sub x}Ni{sub 1-x}O properties to those of the protective coatings of LiCoO{sub 2}, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} or of CeO{sub 2}, less soluble in the molten carbonates. In the cases of LiCoO{sub 2}, have been carried out by controlled potential coulometry in aqueous solution, a deposition of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} on dense Ni. The cobalt oxide reacts rapidly in the Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3}-Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3} medium at 650 C to give LiCoO{sub 2}, a spinel cubic phase revealed by Raman spectroscopy. (O.M.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The use of cement based systems for solidification and stabilization of hazardous wastes has been proposed. The stabilization of Cr contaminated paint removal wastes in ordinary Portland cement and in a Portland cement and blast furnace slag matrix was investigated. A loading by volume of 75% waste and 25% cement (or cement + slag) was used. The expression of pore solution was utilized to determine the chemical environment encountered by the waste species in the cement matrix. The highly alkaline conditions of ordinary Portland cement determined the stability of the metal species, with Cr being highly soluble. The replacement of 25% of the Portland cement by blast furnace slag was found to decrease the [OH-] of the pore solution resulting in a decrease of the Cr concentration. For cement wastes forms hydrated for 28 days, the Cr concentration decreased in the expressed pore solution. During the TCLP tests the cement waste form and extraction solution were found to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The chemical interaction of a Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} ceramic with pristine and oxidised 100Cr6 steel was studied by means of static interaction couple experiments between 500 and 1200 C. Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} was not chemically stable in contact with oxidised steel at elevated temperatures, and reacts with the formation of N{sub 2}, SiO{sub 2} and/or Fe{sub 2}SiO{sub 4} at temperatures at and above 1000 C. At 700 and 500 C, Si diffusion into the oxide layer indicated the dissociation of the Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} ceramic. Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} also dissociated in contact with pristine steel. In the temperature region between 700 and 1100 C, the Si dissolves and diffuses into the steel whereas a nitrogen pressure is built-up in the voids of the metal-ceramic interface, limiting the degree of interaction. Above 1100 C, the nitrogen dissolves and diffuses into the steel as well, enhancing the reactivity and resulting in the formation of a strong metal-ceramic interface. (orig.)

Science.gov (United States)

Current antidotal regimens for organophosphorus compound (OP) poisoning consist of a combination of pretreatment with a spontaneously reactivating AChE inhibitor such as pyridostigmine bromide, and postexposure therapy with anticholinergic drugs such as atropine sulfate and oximes such as 2-PAM chloride (Gray, 1984). Although these antidotal regimens are effective in preventing lethality of animals from OP poisoning, they do not prevent postexposure incapacitation, convulsions, performance deficits, or, in many cases, permanent brain damage (Dunn and Sidell, 1989). These problems stimulated the development of enzyme bioscavengers as a pretreatment to sequester highly toxic OPs before they reach their physiological targets. Several studies over the last two decades have demonstrated that exogenously administered human serum butyrylcholinesterase (Hu BChE) can be used successfully as a safe, efficacious, and single prophylactic treatment to counteract the toxicity of OPs. It also has ...

CERN Document Server

The aim of this work was to study the possibility of producing a fast switching optical thin film device to react to laser radiation in the visible/near infrared region of the spectrum. The switching mechanism was to be thermally driven. A computer program was written to enable the effects of changes of the refractive index of a component of a multilayer thin film stack to be modelled. Attempts to use the phase transition in vanadium dioxide were unsuccessful because, in the spectral region of interest, the 'open-state' absorption was too great. A class of materials known as 'the bronzes' was identified as being potentially useful. Attempts were made to produce thin films of bronze compounds of vanadium, tungsten and molybdenum by the techniques of conventional thermal evaporation and laser ablation for further studies. The former technique appeared to suffer from problems of decomposition of the source material. The latter technique showed greater promise although ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hydroperoxides are important atmospheric oxidants. They are responsible for most of the oxidation of aqueous-phase SO(sub 2) to sulfate in the northeastern United States, resulting in the formation of acid precipitation and visibility-reducing sulfate aerosol (Penkett et al., 1979; Lind et al., 1987; Madronich and Calvert, 1990; Tanner and Schorran, 1995). Atmospheric hydrogen peroxide (H(sub 2)O(sub 2) or HP) is produced by the self-reaction of hydroperoxyl radicals (HO(sub 2)); higher organic peroxides are produced by reaction of HO(sub 2) with alkylperoxyl radicals (RO(sub 2)). Peroxyl radicals, along with OH, are chain carriers in the complex photochemical process that produces tropospheric ozone. Thus, concentrations of peroxides and their free radical precursors depend on solar intensity and ambient concentrations of water vapor, ozone, NO(sub x) (NO+ NO(sub 2)), and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Several investigators have demonstrated that HP and hydroxymethyl hydroperoxide ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Understanding prostate stem cells may provide insight into the origin of prostate cancer. Primary cells have been cultured from human prostate tissue but they usually survive only 15-20 population doublings before undergoing senescence. We report here that RC-170N/h/clone 7 cells, a clonal cell line from hTERT-immortalized primary non-malignant tissue-derived human prostate epithelial cell line (RC170N/h), retain multipotent stem cell properties. The RC-170N/h/clone 7 cells expressed a human embryonic stem cell marker, Oct-4, and potential prostate epithelial stem cell markers, CD133, integrin #alpha#2#beta#1"h"i and CD44. The RC-170N/h/clone 7 cells proliferated in KGM and Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium with 10% fetal bovine serum and 5 #mu#g/ml insulin (DMEM + 10% FBS + Ins.) medium, and differentiated into epithelial stem cells that expressed epithelial cell markers, including CK5/14, CD44, p63 and cytokeratin 18 (CK18); as well as the mesenchymal cell markers, vimentin, desmin; ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The stunning, intricate interaction between the visual, vestibular and optomotor systems--each a miracle on its own--ensures maintenance of orientation in space as well as visual recognition and target selection despite a host of sensory conflicts and adversary disturbances. Their main goals are to keep a target of interest on the fovea by either maintaining or shifting the direction of gaze in order to produce an accurate internal representation of the visual surroundings, in particular the selected target, and to continuously mirror the spatial relationship between these various visual elements and the self. Not surprising, the implementation of this host of elaborate neural networks encompasses almost every part of the brain, including the brainstem, cerebellum, extrapyramidal system and many areas of the cerebral cortex. Thus far, these systems are among the best investigated in brain research; and enormous knowledge was amassed over the last century employing a variety of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The sixth AER benchmark is the second AER benchmark for couplings of the thermal hydraulic codes and three dimensional neutron kinetic core models. It concerns a double end break of one main steam line in a WWER-440 plant. The core is at the end of its first cycle in full power conditions. In VTT HEXTRAN2.9 is used for the core kinetics and dynamics and SMABRE4.8 as a thermal hydraulic model for the primary and secondary loop. The plant model for SMABRE consists mainly of two input models, Loviisa model and a standard WWER-440/213 plant model. The primary loop includes six separate loops, the pressure vessel is divided into six parallel channels in SMABRE and the whole core calculation is performed in the core with HEXTRAN. The horizontal steam generators are modelled with heat transfer tubes in five levels and vertically with two parts, riser and downcomer. With this kind of detailed modelling of steam generators there occurs strong flashing after break opening. As a sequence of the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The gender-specific expression pattern of aromatase and 5alpha-reductases (5alpha-R) during brain development provides neurons the right amount of estradiol and DHT to induce a dimorphic organization of the structure. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are endocrine disruptive pollutants; exposure to PCBs through placental transfer and breast-feeding may adversely affect the organizational action of sex steroid, resulting in long-term alteration of reproductive neuroendocrinology. The study was aimed at: a) evaluating the hypothalamic expression of aromatase, 5alpha-R1 and 5alpha-R2 in fetuses (GD20), infant (PN12), weaning (PN21) and young adult (PN60) male and female rats exposed to PCBs during development; b) correlating these parameters with the time of testicular descent, puberty onset, estrous cyclicity and copulatory behavior; c) evaluating possible alterations of some non reproductive behaviors (locomotion, learning and memory, depression/anxiety behavior). A ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A series of dinuclear platinum(II) complexes, [(dien)Pt(NH{sub 2}(CH{sub 2}){sub n}NH{sub 2})Pt(dien)]Cl{sub 4} (dien = diethylenetriamine, n = 8, 9, 10, and 12) and their corresponding [2]rotaxanes with {alpha}-cyclodextrin ({alpha}-CD), [(dien)Pt{l_brace}NH{sub 2}(CH{sub 2}){sub n}NH{sub 2}{center_dot}{alpha}-CD{r_brace}Pt(dien)]Cl{sub 4}, have been synthesized and characterized by {sup 1}H, {sup 13}C, and {sup 195}Pt NMR spectroscopy and electrospray mass spectrometry. The rotaxanes were prepared by reacting the {l_brace}NH{sub 2}(CH{sub 2}){sub n}NH{sub 2}{center_dot}{alpha}-CD{r_brace} pseudorotaxanes with [Pt(dien)]Cl, to stopper the included linear {alpha},{omega}-diaminoalkane chains with the inert Pt(II) end groups. The kinetics of the self-assembly and dissociation of the {beta}-CD rotaxane, [(dien)Pt{l_brace}NH{sub 2}(CH{sub 2}){sub 10}NH{sub 2}{center_dot}{beta}-CD{r_brace}Pt(dien)]{sup 4+}, were investigated by using {sup 1}H NMR and are indicative of ...